A lot of my shots aren’t planned shoots, they’re targets of opportunity so to speak. I have 2 cameras; one, like yours is a Sony A7IV and a fair collection of large and expensive lenses. It’s great for planned shoots but is simply too big, too heavy and too expensive to have with me nearly always.
For close to the last 10 years, I’ve also had a camera from the Sony A6000 series (currently A6600). I tend to keep a Zeiss 16-70 f4.0 on it. They’re not exactly cheap but you can get a package 40% the size, 33% the weight, 40% of the cost and 95% of the capability of more upscale Sony (or any) cameras.
I know I’ve used the following analogy here before but when business and practical considerations forced me into concealed carry in downtown Atlanta, when over a 10-year period, I had to survey the structural conditions of old boarded up downtown buildings prior to renovation. Things got pretty scary on a number of occasions and I’m close to dead certain that having that pistol with me, despite never having even been cocked, saved my butt on several occasions.
The best pistol for concealed carry is the one you’re likely to have with you when needed.
The parallel is obvious.
The now-ubiquitous cell phone works for most people and even me on occasion. You can get good snapshots but photographs, no.
Here’s a photo of my version of a “concealed carry” camera. By that, I mean it will fit in a coat pocket or a console.
The lens is a f4.0 Zeiss 16-70 which, since the camera has an ASP-C sensor, is the equivalent of a 24-105 in a full frame camera. That’s mild wide angle to mild telephoto and is a pretty good and useful do everything lens. ASP-C lenses are very small compared to their 35mm counterparts.
This camera is probably 90%+ as capable as its much larger and more expensive cousins. Unless I was pushing in extreme conditions, I am unable to identify which camera shot which photo.
And though the margin is decreasing, in virtually all respects this camera is quite superior to phone cameras .
An analogy
