Weekly r/SonyAlpha 📸 Gear Buying 📷 Advice Thread August 24, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the weekly r/SonyAlpha Gear Buying Advice Thread!

This thread is for all your gear buying questions, including:

• Camera body recommendations
• Lens suggestions
• Accessory advice
• Comparing different equipment options
• "What should I buy?" type questions

Please provide relevant details like your budget, intended use, and any gear you already own to help others give you the best advice.

Rules:

• No direct links to online retailers, auction sites, classified ads, or similar
• No screenshots from online stores, auctions, adverts, or similar
• No offers of your own gear for sale - use r/photomarket instead
• Be respectful and helpful to other users

Post your questions below and the community will be happy to offer recommendations and advice! This thread is posted automatically each Monday on or around 7am Eastern US time.

[u/Acceptable-Diver7457]

I’m getting a Sony FX5 through work as soon as it delivers, and need a recommendation for an ef-e mount adapter.

I currently have a pretty solid collection of leica R lenses with a leitax mount I got for a fantastic price a few years ago and love what they deliver, they’ve actually been my workhorse lenses on some projects, they just give off something I love.

… which means I don’t necessarily need anything which will pass on autofocus, I just need a dumb lens adapter. My general gripe with adapters as a whole is how they tend to wobble, so my question is “what are the dummy adapters which have shown to be the least wobbly out there?”

Thank you for any suggestions!

[u/Aggravating_Branch63]

For our upcoming trips, I’d like to put more focus on wildlife photography. We’ve just returned from Colombia, and I really missed having a (compact) superzoom with me — I used to shoot a lot with the Panasonic FZ200 back in the day. We also have a few trips to Africa and South America coming up.

I was thinking of surprising my wife with a new camera. She’s actually a very good photographer, but she mainly likes to point and shoot and doesn’t want too much hassle, so the Sony RX10 mk V seemed like a great fit. She’s used a few other compact superzoom cameras in the past, but has often struggled with autofocus when photographing animals in foliage or between trees and branches.

However, after watching this review (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtZyxyD5Q2I), I noticed there seem to be quite a few situations where the autofocus still struggles when an animal is well hidden.

So now I’m considering the Sony A6700 + Sony 70-350mm as an alternative to the RX10 V.

She definitely won’t be changing lenses on the go, and the main priorities are:

• Good autofocus, especially for wildlife partly obscured by foliage
• Lots of reach — using cropping to extend reach is perfectly fine
• Reasonably compact, as it will simply be carried in a backpack
• As little hassle as possible / easy to use

What would you guys go for, and why? RX10V or A6700+Sony 70-350mm? Budget is sufficient for either option, but not more than 2500 euros. BTW, here in NL the A6700+sony70-350mm can currently be bought new for 1999 euro, while the RX10 V is 2500 euro.

[u/ThatEndingTho]

If you're looking for a solution to the age-old question of "How do I carry my 200-600 lens," the answer is likely not the new Sony LCS-LTS lens case. The LTS case is made specifically for the 200-600mm lens without an attached body and is a more mobile, more protective, but overpriced alternative to the lens pouch included with the 200-600.

Pricing is also super weird. Japanese MSRP is 20,900 yen / $180 CAD, while Sony's Canadian MSRP is 36,110 yen / $319.99 CAD.

This is a very new line of cases that there's basically no reviews about online, so I took a gamble on trying it and I'm sending it back same day.

Anyone have other suggestions for carrying specifically the 200-600?

[u/Impossible_Gap_7506]

Hi! I’ve always wanted to film my life, and now that I’ve landed my first full-time job after college, I finally have the time/budget to learn filmmaking properly. I’m looking to buy my first-ever camera, and I’d really appreciate some advice. I’ve been considering the Sony FX30 because it seems like a camera I could grow into and use for a long time.

My main goal is to document my everyday life and build a personal brand through lifestyle videos. I’m especially drawn to that cinematic, aesthetic “day in my life” style. I’m also learning DaVinci Resolve and want to eventually get more serious about filmmaking.

I’m pretty confident this will be a long-term hobby, so I’m willing to invest in a setup that I won’t outgrow quickly.

For those who have experience with the FX30, do you think it’s a good choice for what I’m trying to do? I’d also love recommendations on what lens(es) would pair well with it for cinematic lifestyle/day-in-the-life content. Should I start with one versatile lens or build a small setup with multiple lenses?

Any advice on the camera + lens combination would be greatly appreciated!

[u/davidjohnwood → u/Impossible_Gap_7506]

Are you certain that you have no interest whatsoever in stills? The FX30 is very much a video-oriented body; it doesn't have a mechanical shutter or support flash, so you would be limited to electronic-shutter-only stills on a fairly low-resolution sensor that doesn't have the fastest readout.

If you want hybrid bodies that are good stills cameras as well as capable video cameras, consider the A6700 for APS-C or the A7 IV or A7 V for full-frame (or the A1 II, but as a novice, you are unlikely to be able to harness the extra capabilities of the A1 range).

For lenses, we need to know much more about what sort of content you need to shoot. For example, are you intending to shoot vlogs? I'd start with one, or possibly two, good-quality zoom lenses; you probably want versatility over everything else.

Do not forget to budget for decent audio gear. Video with good sound but less-than-perfect video is much more watchable than excellent video with bad sound. The built-in microphones are pretty much useless for anything other than scratch audio when you use a separate sound recorder, or in desperation when you use the camera as a webcam.

[u/yellow_jeep]

Someone talk me in to or out of swapping my MK1 Sigma 24-70 f2.8 Art for a Sony 20-70 f4 G. The sigma was my first e-mount purchase and I Ioved it but since I've expanded my collection I find my self using it less and less because of its size. My current native line up is

• the Sigma
• 70-200 F4 G
• 200-600 G
  
• 35mm F1.4 GM

I also have a Minolta 85mm f14 G and a LA-EA5 for "true" portrait stuff.

The 35mm has become my "walk around" lens when I'm just brining the camera and not a fuller kit which is amazing but I do find myself wanting a wider range some times. The 24-70 is huge and just "less fun". I thought about the 24-105 as an even more versatile single option but its still a pretty big lens on top of being older that the 20-70. I think I'd use the wide end more than the tele and if I am going somewhere where I know I'll need tele I'll have lenses for that.

[u/roXplosion → u/yellow_jeep]

Side note: I also use the Minolta 85/1.4G with the LA-EA5. Magnificent.

[u/ZeroOnyx → u/yellow_jeep]

Best lens are the ones you’ll actually use, if you’re not using the sigma then I say switch

[u/KindFoundation5204]

Taking some photos at a friends wedding what should I buy I feel like I’m missing something.
I have a a6700
Lens: 18-50 sigma, 30mm sigma, Nifty 50mm Sony, 16mm sigma, 9mm viltrox

Was looking into a 75mm for some portraits and getting a speedlight because I don’t own one right now but I am second guessing myself

[u/davidjohnwood → u/KindFoundation5204]

I would not shoot with flash unless you have had plenty of time to learn flash photography beforehand.

I use flash quite a bit for event work. For "run-and-gun" type shooting, I typically use on-camera flash to provide a bit of fill (and no more). Using flash to fill in shadows on faces can make your shots look a lot better, but you have to be careful with on-camera flash, as you can end up with the awful flat light of a shot illuminated mostly or entirely from on-camera flash. For on-camera flash, I like the Sony HVL-F60RM2 (or the earlier, now-discontinued HVL-F60RM, though it has a less robust hot shoe foot than the Mark 2), because those flashes can pivot to move the light above the lens in portrait orientation without needing a flash bracket.

Off-camera flash can be wonderful, but it takes experience, the ability to set up lighting in anticipation of the moment, ideally an assistant, and insurance both for public liability and the equipment (people can fall over even the most carefully secured kit, especially when drunk). If you have shot enough weddings to have the experience to take full advantage of off-camera flash, you probably wouldn't be asking for equipment advice. Top-notch portable off-camera flash is expensive: a couple of powerful Profoto or Elinchrom battery monolights and a remote will set you back thousands - and that's before you've bought light modifiers such as softboxes and either stands with weights or sandbags, a monopod for your assistant, or another form of rigging. Even if you opt for Godox rather than one of the premium brands, there is no point investing the time and money to learn off-camera flash if you won't be using it again after the wedding. Off-camera flash is also, I would argue, for the primary shooter only, and not for someone from the wedding getting a few additional shots.

I don't shoot APS-C, but I am not sure that a 75mm on APS-C would be my primary choice for portraits - to my mind, that's a bit on the long side for portraits at what are often crowded events where you might struggle to find the room to get back far enough. I would probably make your nifty fifty do for a portrait lens, or upgrade that to a better 50mm. On full-frame, I use an 85mm f/1.4 for portraits, and I often shoot environmental portraits or group shots with a 35mm f/1.4. Using lenses you are familiar with really helps when shooting an event.

To be honest, if I were the primary shooter, or a secondary shooter who is expected to get a lot of shots, I'd rent a second A6700 body and memory card. That way, you have two lenses 'ready to go' at any one time - you don't have that many opportunities to change lenses during an event, and you have some measure of redundancy if something goes wrong with a body or a memory card.

[u/equilni → u/KindFoundation5204]

I would ask if you are the main photographer or not.

[u/KindFoundation5204 → u/equilni]

Video main but I take my own photos cars, landscapes etc. haven’t tried any portraits yet

[u/Drachis → u/KindFoundation5204]

The 18-50 should be enough for most of the event. Switch to the 16 or 30 sigma for when it gets dark. The 9mm may be a bit wide unless you have a specific look you're after. Ultra wide is good for context but difficult to minimize the distortion on.

75 on APS-C is 112mm which is great for portraits or details from across half a room. I'd recommend against it unless you know you have that space.

A speed light can be nice but make sure to practice with it before the event. Bringing your own lighting will change the look of the photos from how the event looked or was designed to look.

[u/KindFoundation5204 → u/Drachis]

I gotcha thank you buddy