I love my Nikon gear and was looking to upgrade from my more elderly Z6. So I was seriously disappointed when they started to come out with the bigger cameras like the Nikon ZF, the Z8 and now the Z6iii, with nothing small on the horizon. Camera manufacturers are just getting like car manufacturers, they all think we want bigger cameras and cars. No we don’t. With very few compact cameras on the market and whilst smartphones are very capable, there is definitely a need for an interchangeable lens camera and lens system that is small, without giving up modern features.
So today I sold my Nikon Z6 and Zfc to fund the full-frame Sony A7cii, a small rangefinder style camera that when you couple it with one of the small Sony full-frame lenses like the 24mm, 40mm and 50mm f2.8 G lenses, you get a nice compact system that can fit in a coat pocket. As per usual, it was a trip to Harrison Cameras in Sheffield, a camera dealer I’ve dealt with for many years. They always tend to give a good price on trade-ins, and the experience is nice, easy and hassle-free compared to selling gear privately for not much difference in the money received.
My need was for a camera that was compact and flexible. I don’t intend using the camera for wildlife or sports, it’s more something for street photography, portraits and fashion, and documentary photography which I want to do more of. So currently I’ve paired the A7cii body with a Sony 40mm f2.8 which is ideal as a walk round lens that has a nice aperture ring and is capable of producing great results. And for studio and portraits, whilst I was initially thinking of the Sony 85mm f1.8, I decided on the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8. A lightweight zoom (compared to the Sony offering) that has the wide f2.8 aperture for lower light conditions and still give a nice blurred background on portraits when I need it. This zoom I think will cover just about everything I’m wanting to get from my camera system.