Happy New Year to all!
Day one of what we all hope will be better times started in that way: by picking up my new SL2-S and plotting a slightly revised path forward for my photographic endeavors. Unfortunately the weather remains uncooperative, leaving me with but a couple of “nothing” shots to share, taken through steady rain.
With the M10-R now departed and the Sony setup likely about to go into the outbound bin, the next question is whether the SL2-S can replace the R6 for shooting long. Certainly NOT in autofocus, no need to equivocate about that.
But having run the gamut of long telephoto L-mount options with the SL2 already, there’s an urge to return to my manual focus roots. Nothing wrong at all with Sigma’s long glass offerings, mind you; the doubts are all on whether the camera’s DFD autofocus can consistently autofocus accurately. Having seen quite a few almost-but-not-quite shots taken by others with the SL2-S with not only the Sigma 150-600mm but also the SL 90-280mm, coupled with my own experience with the Sigma and an S5, I’m not optimistic.
The critically accurate shots are spectacular, but the near misses have a glazed-over look I know and loathe from my days as a Nikon shooter. Instinct and experience tell me that my eyes, even with advancing age, are more trustworthy. And the SL2-S does have an incredible EVF that makes manual focus accuracy easier to obtain.
With IBIS and improvements in high-ISO IQ, it seems there’s never been a better time to shoot MF. The only question is choice of glass. Easy, you say? Not so, when one factors in weight, MFD, and IQ.
Even though we’ve seen a trove of superb, affordable lenses come to market in recent years, most of them are focus-by-wire. Some have an unusable flange focal distance. What about R glass? Well, aside from the venerable 350mm f/4.8, most everything demands either a teleconverter, a wheelbarrow to carry it in, or both.
Therein lies part of the joy I derive from photography: reading, learning, testing, and making new choices.
And, dammit, six months later, starting the whole process over again . . . 😬
