The Cart before the Mule

[Greg McCary]

A few weeks ago I decided I would sell me beloved E5 and 12-60mm. Since going to Sony it was just no getting used and turning into a technicological grandfather in the fast pace field of photography. I got a few bites and just thought I can't do this. It's a good camera and I have been with Olympus since the E500. So I yanked it off of the classifieds.
Then again a few days later I decided I really need to sell it and try and pick up a Carl Zeiss for the a77. But this time at a more fast paced site. Just as I listed it someone posted an a850 with 3000 clicks and two primes very close to my asking price for my gear. Well with the a77 I saw no need to go full frame. Photo John has stated more than once here there is no real need to go full frame with the cameras out there now. So I thought stick to the original plan Greg.
Both cameras set with no action on either one for a couple of days. Then I decided to PM the gent with the a850 and test the waters a little. Just as I did I got a PM on the E5.
The guy with the a850 is a pro photojournalist, super nice guy. He told me this a850 was a back up, 3000 clicks and just rode around in his camera bag.
After a few days of back and forth with the guy wanting the E5 and me now wanting the a850 we all came to terms on deals. So I now have a Sony a850, Sony 28mm, Minolta 50mm coming my way plus a 28-75mm lens.
The E5 and 12-60mm is on it's way to Taiwan. All I have left is an E1 and 14-54mm lens. My son has the E3 I fell with and probably will keep it forever, he was with me the day I fell.
So I been reading up on the a850.I think I am going to like it. It seems to be a bare bones camera for someone who knows what they are doing and no fancy artsy fartsy filters and such.
So I have pledge myself no more wheeling and dealing. This has been a very busy year for me in the buy and swap area and UPS and USPS business is going to fall off sharply now that I am going to stop.
I am sticking with what I have, no sales, no upgrades, no swaps. Only shooting. But I must say I have gotten pretty good at swapping up the ladder.
I have the 28-75mm lens in hand and the a850 still has a couple of days before I have it in hand.

[NoKnees]

I don't think you'll have any regrets with the a850. Make sure to check the firmware on it, as the update from last year did give it a nice minor boost in AF performance, especially in low light conditions with just about any lens. The update also makes the camera act a bit more sensible when using non-chipped lenses (think m42 adapter and lenses).

There will be some minor adjustments, some may be frustrating, jumping back and forth between the a77 and a850 when it comes to controls, but they are minor. I'm sure you'll like the quality of the raw images, as I do think they require less work than those of the a77 in most cases.

Regarding the lenses, which 50mm and 28-75mm are those? It's worth looking for the f1.4 rather than the common f1.7 50mm. Not that the f1.7 variant is bad, but it does require a bit more stopping down to get sharper images than the f1.4. I'm assuming the 28-75mm is the Minolta f2.8 D variant. Not a bad lens, but at least with my copy I needed to stop it down a bit to get consistently sharp results. I also had some erratic focusing issues with it, but again, i think it could have been my copy. I made the mistake of trying the 24-70mm Zeiss, and that ruined me. Between the SSM and sharpness near wide open, the 28-75mm didn't stand a chance. 3 times the price, but... Well, you know how it goes..

Anyway, enjoy the new kit, it's a nice one!

[Greg McCary]

The 50mm is 1.4 the 28-75 is the Sony SAL2875. I tried it on the a77. It's pretty good. Not slow but not fast either. It focuses real well with just indoor lighting. It seems pretty sharp. I am sure the CS blows it out of the waters. I have a CS 24mm 1.8 for the NEX and it's awesome, no doubt about it. I'll pick one up but that's down the road.