Saying Goodbye with a Buddy Shoot at Songdo Park

The time has come to say goodbye to my army battle buddy and photography enthusiast, Lorraine. As is always the case here in Korea, we soldiers will receive orders to report to a new duty station, usually after a one year tour. Lorraine will catch a plane back to the States where, after a well-deserved vacation, she'll report to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. What better way to say goodbye than with a fun, evening buddy shoot? Only one location came to mind, Songdo Park, Incheon.

After a more than filling pizza and nachos dinner (these nachos were topped with chili beans, mustard and relish, what's up with that?) we walked across the street to the park to shoot some photos of the incredible architecture and reflections on the lake but mother nature was not on our side. A thick fog rolled in and obscured the bright lights on all the buildings, which was the whole reason for going there. We made the best of it and fired off a few shots while sipping on beer and soju. And even though the photos didn't turn out the best, we each captured a few good ones and had a great time saying our goodbyes!

Good luck Lorraine, we'll miss you around here and hopefully we'll meet again soon. I'll leave you with happy memories of good times, fun photography outings and this suitable quote...

"Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends." - Richard Bach (American novelist)

Shot with Sony A7 Mark II with Minolta 20mm wide angle lens (Sony LA-EA4 Adapter) and Sony A6000 with Zeiss 16-70mm lens.

Bye Lorraine!

Bored? Just Grab Your Camera and Walk

I've got these T Shirts for sale with a slogan I am proud to say I originated "EVERYTHING IS A PICTURE" (available now at http://www.cafepress.com/FelixGPhoto) and it's a catch phrase that really holds true. I decided to take myself out for dinner yesterday, as is usually the case here in Korea, and I brought my camera along. After all, I purchased the spectacular Sony A7 Mark II and complimented it with the impressive Zeiss Loxia 50mm lens for the specific purpose of shooting street photography. Just as I suspected, they make a fine pair!

Next time you find yourself with a little free time, even just an hour, you may find that walking around your neighborhood will yield a bounty of photographic opportunities, because, "Everything is a Picture".

All photos shot with Sony A7 Mark II and Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 lens

Facebook Groups - Sony A7 Mark II and Sony A6000

I recently started a couple Facebook groups for amateurs and pros who use a variety of Sony DSLT and mirrorless cameras. Use the links below to join one of them...

Sony A7 Mark II Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/386959531486701/

Sony A6000 Facebook Group -
https://www.facebook.com/groups/a6000photos/

Sony A99 Facebook Group - 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/sonyA99/

So far, the A99 group has been the most active but that's because I've only just recently launched the other two within the last week or so.

The Facebook groups have been a fun place to share photos and exchange tips, tricks and links. I've got a great group of photography enthusiasts participating! Check it out.

Zeiss Loxia 50mm or Leica Summilux-M 50mm Hmm?

UPDATE (7 April 2015): I bought the Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2.

*****

I really want to take advantage of the full potential of my new Sony A7 Mark II. With this in mind, I recently ordered the Sony LE-EA4 adapter which will allow me to use my full inventory of A Mount glass (and I have a lot of those lenses) but I would also like to use some native, full-frame E Mount lenses as well.

Currently, I have only one full-frame lens for my A7 Mark II and that's the 70-200 G zoom lens (I recently ordered the Sony 28-70mm). I have several fantastic APS-C E Mount lenses that I use with my Sony A6000 but I definitely want to make up the deficiency in my full-frame E Mount inventory.

Perhaps my worries will be eased with the arrival of the LE-EA4 adapter, after all, I have two fantastic Minolta 50mm lenses, both the 1.4 and the 1.7 but can they compare in quality to some of the best 50mm glass in the world? Namely, the Zeiss Loxia 50mm which was developed specifically for the Sony E Mount system, or, the Leica Summilux M 50mm?

Both the Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 and Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 are considered world class lenses, the best the world has to offer in this focal length but are they worth the money. The simple answer is yes. However, where the decision is made for me on which to purchase (later this year) is the price.

The Zeiss Loxia 50mm is currently selling for around $950 USD and that seems to be a fair market price for a lens of this quality. Surely, a few nice used ones will show up on eBay in the near future, which is a good way to save a little money. Maybe I can get one for 800-ish in a few months?

The Leica Summilux-M 50mm on the other hand, is going to cost you nearly $3000 USD. I've seen a few priced around $2800 but regardless, that's a big price jump. Please note: you'll need an adapter to mount the Leica onto your Sony A7 but the good news is the adapters are really cheap, like $10 USD. Just search for a LM-NEX adapter.

Both are manual focus lenses, so you won't be using them for any action shots, but for studio, portrait and street photography, it might not get any classier or better than these two lenses. I really wish I could justify spending that kind of money on the Leica, but I just can't right now. No big deal, because it's really not "slumming it" to select the Zeiss Loxia, it's right up there with the Leica, held in the highest esteem among professionals and enthusiasts as one of the best 50mm lenses ever made.

I look forward to getting mine!

Leica Summilux M 50mm f/1.4

Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 Planar T Lens for Sony E Mount

Sony A7 Mark II - But didn't I just buy a new camera?

Yes, I recently purchased a fantastic Sony A6000, which has provided spectacular results over the last several weeks since I acquired it. So why would I buy a Sony A7 Mark II so soon after? Could I be crazy? It's highly possible. But it's more likely a case of logical eventuality.

I had plans to buy either a Sony A7S or A7 Mark II sometime in the next year, probably as a birthday gift to myself in September, but my logic, or warped sense of justification, spoke to me and asked "Why wait?". Exactly, why wait? the money is going to be spent anyway.

The E Mount lenses I have already purchased are full frame (cropped, APS-C on the A6000). These full frame lens selections were made with the eventuality heretofore mentioned. And the Sony A7 Mark II is a sensational camera, perhaps the best mirrorless camera available on the market today. It certainly stacks up as one of the best pound for pound cameras on the market. 

Welcome to the Felix G family Sony A7 Mark II.

Have a look for yourself...

Here's a nice review - http://www.dpreview.com/products/sony/slrs/sony_a7_ii