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Steam Winter Sale 2022

Read More Steam There’s no more waiting… You can now buy Steam Deck, right now, without reservation. According to steampowered, it’s been more than a year since it was first announced, but due to numerous supply chain issues and …

Here are three reasons why you would want to invest in buying games on Steam:

1. You can play your games on any PC or Linux… this includes my PC, laptop, and Steam Deck. If you buy your games on Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch, you’ve locked your games on their system.

2. All “Exclusive” games on the PlayStation and Xbox will eventually be available on Steam. This means the PC is the only place you can play both Halo and God of War. Note that Sony only decided to make their games available on Steam starting last year… which is the smartest decision they’ve ever made. Even exclusive games on the Switch can be played on your PC through emulation. It’s not legal, but it’s the only way you can play Nintendo games on your computer.

3. Games are dirt cheap, as evident in the Steam Winter Sale that kicked off today (December 22). You can get hundred of games for less than $3. On top of that, you can also get packages, like from Humble Bundle which will save you even more!

Anyway, this year, I’ve barely keep it under $100, but here are some games I would recommend:

The Witcher® 3: Wild Hunt - $7.99 (80% off)

DOOM Eternal - $9.99 (75% off)

Halo: The Master Chief Collection - $15.99 (60% off)

Horizon Zero Dawn™ Complete Edition - $16.49 (67% off)

God of War - $29.99 (40% off)

Elden Ring - $41.99 (30% off)

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Game of the Year: Elden Ring

Read More Elden Ring Yes, I’m finally playing Elden Ring, the game that literally everybody was playing in February 2022. The game went on sale on disc, so picked it up. I popped in the disc, expecting to play the game. Guess what? You can’t just put in a disc and play the game. ....

Ever since I started playing Elden Ring in September 2022, I knew this game was special. At first, you might get discouraged, but as you build up your character, you feel accomplished when you finally take down that boss!

Of all the games that came out in 2022, I really felt that Elden Ring was my personal game of the year.

As it turned out, the Game Awards also agreed with me, and gave Elden Ring the “Game of the Year” award as well. The game also won three other awards: “Best Game Direction”, “Best Art Direction”, and “Best Role Playing”. Its biggest competitor, God of War Ragnarök, the sequel to my game of the year 2018 God of War, won “Best Narrative”, “Best Score and Music (Bear McCreary)”, “Best Audio Design”, “Best Performance (Christopher Judge)”, “Best Action/Adventure”, and “Innovation in Accessibility”.

I personally haven’t played God of War Ragnarök as the game is on PS5 (which I don’t have) and it was only released in November 9, 2022. I’m sure the game is deserving of those awards, but it just seemed really unfair to release the game only weeks before the Game Awards… so it’s so fresh on everyone’s mind.

With the Game Awards over and done with, I’m excited to see how everyone loved Elden Ring … that it’s almost guaranteed to get a sequel. Of all the Souls-like games, I felt that Elden Ring is the best among them, thanks to the open world nature of the game.

If you follow what I have said in the past, I have disagreed with Sony and their greed. In additional to raising the PlayStation 5 prices, they’re releasing their new games at $69. New games on Xbox are $59 (or in some cases, free via Game Pass), and games on PC are $59 new. Sony wants $69 to be the normal price for “next gen” games. Let me speak for everyone, no one wants to pay $70 for a new game. Since I refused to get a PS5 (and being locked in that $70 per game pricing), I’m glad to see that Sony decided to release their PlayStation exclusive games on Steam, starting in Jan 2022 with their PS4 game God of War. I think the trend is good for Sony, as they’re seeing even more profit from having their games on the PC.

Since these PlayStation games are now available on Steam, I have purchased God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn™ Complete Edition, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, UNCHARTED™: Legacy of Thieves Collection, and Days Gone. Besides from GoW, I wouldn’t have bought or played these other games, if those games remain exclusively on their PlayStation … so, yeah, I’m glad Sony is moving their games outside of their PSN.

Even though I own The Last of Us on my PS4, I’ll probably re-buy it on Steam, as the game is now available for pre-order for Mar 3, 2023.

Returnal also has a listing, but no release date is set. I’m probably less interested in this game, but will likely pick it up if it’s on sale.

In other gaming news, Ubisoft has come back to Steam, with its game Assassin's Creed Valhalla on Dec 6, 2022. Ubisoft wanted to make money by force PC players to buy games directly from them, using their U-Play launcher. Unfortunately, PC gamers refused to buy it on U-Play, so Ubisoft has decided to bring their game back on Steam.

Enjoy,

- Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Humble Bundle

Read More Humble Bundle Game On: Humble Bundle I already own at least five of these games (on discs and digital), but I couldn't resist paying the average price to get these games again. When I donated, they gave me a breakdown of how ....

I’m currently a Humble Bundle subscriber since September 2022 when I got my Steam Deck. I previously joined for one year, starting April 2019 to April 2020, because it was a great way to building up your Steam library without paying too much. The only downside is that you don’t actually know what you’re going to get.

It’s a good deal, but unfortunately, because you don’t know what games you’re going to get - you may end up getting duplicate copies (if you previously own these games).

Anyway, there are some great charity Humble Bundle going on this month.

The Essential Content Creator Bundle

First, I wanted to spotlight the The Essential Content Creator Bundle, from Magix. You get six software (one of the software ProDAD mercalli v5 is only good for two years), but the clear stand-out product is the video editor VEGAS Pro 18 Edit. This is a $250 software that you can get for $25. For $25, it’s worth it just for Vegas alone.

Just a little background, but I used to use Vegas when it was own by Sony, it was one of the best video editor that rivals Adobe’s Premiere. Sometime in 2016, Sony sold it to Magix.

I own Vegas Pro 14 and I recently tried to install it on my new Lenovo Legion PC and it wouldn’t register unless I de-activate previous installations. Keep that in mind if you intend on installing the software on various computers.

When I installed it on the new computer, last month, I contemplated on actually paying $150 to upgrade to Vegas 18… but I decided against it because it’s just too expensive. I’m glad I waited, because now I can upgrade to Vegas 18 for $25.

The other amazing deal is the Black Friday Encore: Lone Wolf & Cub and More by Koike from Dark Horse. If you missed the Black Friday deal (like I did!), here’s your second chance. For $18.00 you are getting over 7,000 pages of Lone Wolf and Cub. That, by itself, is an amazing deal. You also get Kazuo Koike’s other works like Crying Freeman and Samurai Executioner. I’ve own most of Koike’s works, so was happy to see they’ve included some books I’ve never read before.

I started reading Color of Rage, and it’s a hoot. It’s about two prisoners who escaped from a slave ship. One of them is a ronin and the other is a black man. The two travel throughout Japan helping people and trying to survive. It’s about racism, it’s about a stranger in a strange land... it would make for a great television show.

I’ve been reading the manga on my iPad Pro 12.8, and although it looks fine… the battery life is terrible and reading for an extended period time on a glossy LED screen is not recommended. I’ve been giving a lot of thought on buying the new Kindle Scribe (10.2 inch) or the Boox Nova Air Color (7.8 inches) to read comic books. They’re both e-ink, but the Boox having the ability to display in e-ink color (which is what I need if I want to read digital color comics).

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

Read more Technology.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Steam Deck: First Impressions

Read More Steam I’ve put down my $5 to preorder my Steam Deck. I decided to get the $400 entry model. I think that is a fantastic price, considering that I looked at similar handheld PCs, such as the Aya Neo and OneXPlayer, and they are usually $1,000 or more … Elden Ring Yes, I’m finally playing Elden Ring, the game that literally everybody was playing in February 2022. The game went on sale on disc, so picked it up. I popped in the disc, expecting to play the game. Guess what? … Cyberpunk For some odd reason, Best Buy, allowed me to pick up my pre-order for Cyberpunk 2077 video game for the PC. The game is not officially out until December 10, 2020, on a variety of platforms: Windows …

I’m so excited to finally get my hands on the Steam Deck

Downloading queue

As soon as I opened the case, I immediately booted it up and started downloading Elden Ring. On my slow hotspot connection, it was going to take 11 hours to download 50GB. In the meantime, I did download some smaller games to test out the unit, particularly older games like Galaga or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. Those ran as I would expect: amazingly well. What I’m more interested in is if the Deck can handle modern graphically-intense games like Elden Ring and Cyberpunk (which does not run well on the PS4).

What I’ve experienced so far, it’s a really good system. As you may or may not know, the SteamOS is actually running in Linux. What that means is that anything that can run on the Linux desktop mode, you can run it on the Steam Deck. So there are a lot of enthusiasts that have created various software to modify how Steam function and look.

I did briefly explore Desktop mode by changing some themes and downloading Firefox. It’s not a great experience on Desktop mode because the Steam Deck wasn’t designed to run in desktop. For example, after downloading Firefox, I couldn’t get the touchscreen keyboard to load up, and it was generally slow and not as responsive.

For most people, I suggest just sticking to the SteamOS. That’s what I’m going to do from now on (although it’s good to know that I can muck around with Linux if I get bored in the future).

The Steam Deck screen looks great. Games looks great on it. The audio is very loud and very good for its size. Controllers is good too. I like the D-Pad, I like the buttons. Some people complained that the Deck has a very loud fan. Maybe it’s just their device, but mine didn’t make that much noise. The Deck does get hot, and you can feel the heat leaving the vents on top and on the back.

The AMD Zen 2 CPU, combined with 16GB DDR5 and custom GPU, it’s very fast. Much faster than the Switch and better than the PS4. All this power needs a super fast charger, which Valve included out of the box: a 45-Watt charger.

The ability to use any hardware or software that is supported on Linux, you can truly use the Steam Deck as a desktop/laptop.

There are some minor complaints I have about the Steam Deck. I’m just nit-picking, they’re not really complaints, but more like what I hope can be improved in the next generation Steam Deck. I think the device is very big. Holding it, looking at it, I don’t really think it’s meant to be a pocketable handheld gaming device. It’s almost double the weight and size of the Nintendo Switch, and certainly much, much larger than the portable Switch Lite or the PlayStation Vita.

My Steam Games

I own over 300 games on Steam, but only about 80 of them are Deck Verified… which means they will run on the Deck without any issues. Some games will run on Steam Deck, but it’s not optimized for it. For example, some text might be too small to read on a small screen. So the problem is that developers needs to update their games to run on Steam Deck - and on older titles, that might not be possible.

I wish there was a cover over the MicroSD card reader. I accidentally ejected the card a few times, which I’m very worried about damaging my expensive 1TB SD card. It’s a valid concern. On my camera and one any phones that accepts MicroSD cards, there is a cover that keeps the card safe in its place.

I absolutely hate the two mousepads/touchpads on the Deck. I hated it on the Steam Controller, I absolutely hated it on the Deck. If they got rid of it to make the Deck smaller, I will co-sign that.

I also wish there was another USB-C on the bottom of the device. Right now, there is one USB-C port on top, so all the Docks designed for the Steam Deck looks … ugly. On the Switch, the USB-C is on the bottom, so you just “dock” it in the stand and voila, it’s charging and in its stand. Since the Steam Deck has the USB-C on top, it’s not as elegant. You have to bring up the chord and manually locate the USB-C and plug it in. Not great.

I wanted to buy a third-party Steam Deck Dock, but I’m waiting for the official Docking Station to be release. Valve is having some supply issues so they haven’t announced or released the Dock yet.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Steam Deck Update

Technical Specs Processor AMD APU CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz Storage 64 GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1) 256 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or x2) 512 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or x2) Display 7" - 1280 x 800px (16:10 aspect ratio) Optically bonded IPS LCD Expansion UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode support; up to 8K or 4K Read More Steam I’ve put down my $5 to preorder my Steam Deck. I decided to get the $400 entry model. I think that is a fantastic price, considering that I looked at similar handheld PCs, such as the Aya Neo and OneXPlayer, and they are usually $1,000 or more …

When I placed my $5 deposit to buy the Steam Deck in Aug 2022, I was convinced that I wouldn’t get it until 2023. I was so wrong.

I recently got the alert that I have three days to purchase the Steam Deck. So it took a little over a month to finally fulfill my order. It could be that someone else turned down their Steam Deck, due to disinterests, or the email went to a spam filter, or lack of funds, and I may have gotten their Steam Deck… or it could be that Steam really was ramping production to meet demand. Either way, I’m so excited to finally get my hands on this thing.

I bought the cheapest one, because all three version are basically the same device (same chip, same speed), with the only exception of storage. The cheap version comes with 64GB, but I can always expand it with an SD card.

Again, I have been shopping around at various hand-held devices, such as the OneXPlayer and Aya Neo, and they are all very expensive (about $1,000). The only advantage is that those devices runs the full Windows operating system by default, so you can play GOG or Epic games.

With the Steam Deck, you have to go through a lot of trouble to install Windows on the device. Since the hardware is so new, and Windows doesn’t really support it, getting Windows to run on the Steam Deck is difficult.

Now that I’m waiting for the Steam Deck to ship to me, I am shopping for some new Steam Games. I’m excited to see that Sony is making some of their PlayStation games available on Steam, including God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, and Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition. All of which are Steam Deck verified (meaning they will run on the Steam Deck without issues). Since I probably will never buy a PS5, these PS games are the only way that I’ll get to experience them.

Also, it’s laughable, but none of the PS games will install on my Steam Deck because they’re all over 64GB in size. I probably need to invest in a 1TB SD card ($140) or 512GB card ($70).

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Tamron 50-400mm E-Mount lens coming September 22, 2022

Read More Tamron Maybe Tamron heard me, and announced that they are working on the Tamron 50-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD (Model A067) on July 28, 2022. The new lens will be coming out Fall 2022 … Sony I’m in the market for a new high end camera, so I was debating on buying the Sony A9 (used) and Sony A7 IV, as they were about the same price. For non-Sony camera enthusiasts, let me break down …

You know I’m in the market for a long-reach telephoto lens for usage at live concerts. Right now I’m using the Tamron 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Lens (since Sep 2021). While it’s a very fast lens (at F2.8 at the short end), I would trade that to get more reach... since I rarely shoot at 28mm.

When I read that Tamron was working on a 50-400mm lens called Tamron 50-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD (Model A067), it was perfect for my needs.

Recently, Tamron released some additional information about the upcoming lens, including a release date of September 22, 2022, via their products page. One of the key features that I am looking forward to is that the lens will have stabilization called VC (Vibration Compensation) built into the lens! This is much-needed key feature that was absent in Tamron’s 28-200mm. While I didn’t mind it as much (as my camera had a five-axis stabilization in the camera), this is a feature that many shooters are asking for.

The other new thing I’ve learned is that the lens will have an optional tripod mount with Arca Swiss-compatible quick shoe. This suggests to me that the lens is heavy, even though the website lists it to weigh about 2.5 pounds.

For power users, you can set focus limits with their “Focus Limiter” (you would want to do this if you know you’ll never need a certain number set so you can focus faster), which I probably won’t use... but I appreciate the option. Based on the photo, I see you have physical buttons to set your custom focus - so it’s great to see that you can revert back to the default, if your custom is not working for you.

You can get half-macro photography, with a distance of about 10 inches, so if you’re into shooting very close subjects, this is for you. I probably won’t be using this too much, but I like to have this ability.

While most people won’t care for it - I find that the 75° zoom ring rotation arc is very useful. Imagine going from 50 to 400 with just a twist. On one of my old lens, I would have to turn the lens almost a half circle!

The best part is that the lens is about 7 inches, which is a good size for something that can reach 400mm. Of course, it is about 2 inches longer than my 200mm, but that’s the price to pay for more reach.

Speaking of price, that is the one thing that Tamron didn’t mention. I am going to guess that it will cost about $600-$800, based on similar lens.

I guess I’ll find out for myself, when I buy the lens in September or October (depending on availability).

Update: Pre-orders from retailers lists the lens at $1,300... much more expensive than its competitors.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Weekend Gamer Update (August 2022)

Read More Steam Weekend gamer here. This weekend, we will look at Steam’s Steam Deck (not to be confused with Elgato’s Stream Deck). For some months, I’ve been eyeing on the handheld AYA Neo as a … Nintendo Switch I’ve wanted the Nintendo Switch since I first heard about it last October 2016. The system launched in March 2017, but it immediately sold out everywhere. … Xbox So, I joined Game Pass. There are two price points, the $10 per month pricing is strictly for Xbox games, and the $15, called Game Pass Ultimate includes PC, EA and Xbox Gold (you need this to play online … Sony Still, you know I’m still somewhat interested in seeing the next generation of gaming consoles… and today, Sony showed up what the upcoming PS5 will look like. And holy crap, it is so ugly. …

It’s the weekend, and here’s your Weekend Gamer update.

I’ve put down my $5 to preorder my Steam Deck.

I decided to get the $400 entry model. I think that is a fantastic price, considering that I looked at similar handheld PCs, such as the Aya Neo and OneXPlayer, and they are usually $1,000 or more. Even though Steam said they are ramping up production, and it’s listed as delivery date of “October-December 2022”, but I doubt that I will get my Steam Deck until 2023. The company already announced they are working on a Steam Deck 2. I think the smart move is to just wait for the second version, as it will fix all the problems in the first version...

I think my main reason for wanting a portable PC game console is that increasingly I’m very unhappy with the performance of my Nintendo Switch. I recently launched Diablo II on the Switch and it was just unplayable. Whenever there are hundreds of enemies on screen, the Switch just crawls to a snail’s pace. The Switch desperately needs a refresh. Come on, it’s been five years already!

Also, after six months, I finally cancelled my Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The main reason is that I honestly did not have the time to fully take advantage of Game Pass. I love the fact that I could I try out the full games that I normally wouldn’t pay money for... And for titles that would normally cost $60! It was a huge savings, but at the end of the day, I would just rather buy (and own) the games that I like. What I am trying say is that I end up just playing the games that I already paid for.

I had a problem with Game Pass removing some games when they end their license agreement with Xbox. It’s very frustrating to play a game one month and then come back a few months later only to find out that game is no longer accessible, because it left Game Pass.

The last straw that broke the camel’s back was when Microsoft announced that they will no longer be offering free downloads to Xbox 360 games in their subscription services (they simply ran out of games to give away). The one saving grace of Game Pass was that you were allowed to keep one Xbox 360 game for free (yours to keep forever!)… and it was going away as of October 1st.

Having said all those negative things, I still believe Game Pass is worth that $10 (or $15), because if you just play one game, you’ve literally made up the price of admission. It is excellent value for the money... but I didn’t have the time for it. When I find myself with more free time, I will definitely reactivate my Game Pass.

The opposite of not good value is PlayStation 5, which is still impossible to find in retail stores. I’ve seen a lot of Xbox Series X in stores recently. I’ve yet to see one PS5 in stores. In a move that I think is a mistake, Sony announced that they are raising prices for the PS5. While the USA is not one of the region that is getting a price hike, the announcement does not bode well.

Everything I’ve researched about PlayStation 5, from ripping people off on digital games to extra $10 charge for PS5 games to Sony blocking games from Game Pass... it tells me that PlayStation is very anti-consumer and they are only interested in profits.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Site Update: Announcing the Tamron 50-400mm

Read More Sony I’m in the market for a new high end camera, so I was debating on buying the Sony A9 (used) and Sony A7 IV, as they were about the same price. For non-Sony camera enthusiasts, let me break down …

I’m in the market for a new long (over 200mm) lens for my new Sony A7IV and did look at some of my options in the world of 500 to 600mm for the Sony E-Mount. After much debate over price, weight, size, and actual usage (basically I will only need these lens for wildlife and sports), I have decided to be more realistic and put the shopping on pause. I even stated that “companies are always coming out with new lens option, so I will wait it out.”

Maybe Tamron heard me, and announced that they are working on the Tamron 50-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD (Model A067) on July 28, 2022. The new lens will be coming out Fall 2022… which is just perfect for me. Count me in on being one of the first ones to buy this versatile lens.

Currently, I’m rocking the Tamron 28-200mm and constantly complained that I wish I could get a little closer. This newly announced lens will double my reach to 400mm… which will work out for me. It’s also small (7 inches) and weighs about 2.5lbs, which twice as less as those 600mm lens. I hand-hold my camera, so I need my gear as light as possible.

Seeing as I’m very happy with the performance of my Tamron 28-200mm, I know I will be happy with the upcoming 50-400mm. I just hope it’s not that expensive.

Here is an excerpt from Tamron’s press release:

The 50-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD (Model A067) creates an entirely new category for high-performance ultra-telephoto mirrorless zoom lenses. With an 8x zoom ratio that begins at an unprecedented 50mm (commonly called the “standard” focal length for full-frame cameras), this new ultra-telephoto zoom lens for Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras is the same size as conventional 100-400mm zoom lenses, yet offers a wider angle of view on the wide end for excellent versatility. The 50-400mm F4.5-6.3 is remarkably compact with a length of just 183.4mm (7.2 in) and a light weight of 1,155g (40.7 oz) but provides unparalleled high performance at all focal lengths. In spite of the high magnification ratio, high image quality is delivered across the entire 50-400mm range through the effective arrangement of special lens elements. Equipped with TAMRON’s VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) linear motor focus mechanism that offers excellent quietness and responsiveness, plus TAMRON's proprietary image stabilization mechanism VC (Vibration Compensation), the lens delivers versatile capability for all shooting scenarios.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Sony A7IV at Springbrook Nature Center, Fridley (01 Aug 2022)

Read More Sony I’m in the market for a new high end camera, so I was debating on buying the Sony A9 (used) and Sony A7 IV, as they were about the same price. For non-Sony camera enthusiasts, let me break down …

It’s been one year since we did a photo shoot with the Sony A7C at the Springbrook Nature Center in Fridley… so I thought it would make sense to do a test run of the new Sony A7IV camera at the same location, on August 1, 2022.

A7IV and A7C

Even though Sony called the A7C “the world’s smallest full frame camera”, playing around with the A7IV, I didn’t really think the A7C was that small. It is smaller, but looking at the camera, side-by-side, they look similar to each other, in terms of size. You will only notice the differences when you hold the A7IV. It’s bigger and it’s heavier. You noticed the bigger grip, which I find too big.

You also notice a ton of extra dials and buttons. Power users will want to assign certain items to certain buttons and dials, which is simply a better experience. You see the A7C can do many things, but you have to dig through Sony’s menu, which is slow and cumbersome. With the A7IV, you just assign that feature to button.

Sony also revamped the camera menu, which is found in newer cameras. It’s color-coded and looks good. I am looking forward to having Sony update all their cameras with this new menu system.

All the photos on my hike through the Springbrook Nature Center were taken with the Tamron 28-200mm lens, which is still my favorite lens. I still somewhat wish I could reach just a little further, maybe 400mm… but those long lens tend to be very pricey and has very limited usage. You basically will want a long lens for photographing animals and sports. For everyday use, I think the 28-200mm range is just perfect. Of course, I did debate on getting a 600mm or 500mm lens last month, but weighing all my options and its usage, I am going to put purchasing that lens on pause. Companies are always coming out with new lens option, so I will wait it out. Right now, 28-200mm is perfect for me.

The A7IV uses a new auto-focusing system… which I’m not quite used to. To be honest, I felt the A7C did a better job on auto-focusing, but I’m still learning to use the A7IV, so perhaps it’s just a matter of figuring it all out.

Birds at the Springbrook Nature Center, Fridley (01 Aug 2022)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Sony A7 IV

Read More Sony So, anyway, my next camera is the “Compact” Sony α7c. I have wanted this camera since it was announced in September 2020. It’s basically an α7III, but smaller (and slightly cheaper). A lot of reviews …

I’m in the market for a new high end camera, so I was debating on buying the Sony A9 (used) and Sony A7 IV, as they were about the same price.

For non-Sony camera enthusiasts, let me break down Sony’s current camera offering in the Alpha (a) line. In the full frame mirrorless camera market, Sony offers basically two types of cameras: the A7 and A9 (and its successor the Alpha 1).

In the A7 line, there are four subcategories: A7, A7R, A7S, and the new A7C. The A7R series stands for Resolution, and aimed at still photography and high resolution images. The A7S series stands for Sensitivity, and aimed for video professionals. The A7C series, a new class that was introduced a year ago, stands for Compact, and aimed at traveling photographers. The standard A7 cameras are basically a Jack of all trades, master of none.

The A9 and Alpha 1 are a different class of camera, they are very expensive. For example, the retail price of the Alpha 1 is $6,500. That’s not in anyone’s budget… except professionals who swears by it.

Since I didn’t want to buy a used A9 (even though the price was right), this leave me one choice: Sony A7 IV.

After using the A7C for a year, I am starting to recognize some of its limitations. Since the camera is smaller, Sony had to remove some physical buttons, and other features (such as an extra card slot, no eye hood, and bad viewer). The camera wasn’t designed as a workhorse, but rather for those traveling and on the move. Which I knew what I was getting into when I bought it last year.

So, the A7IV improves on the popular A7III, by adding in a 33MP, 4k 30p (downsized from 7k), two card slots (one is CF Express Type A), improved auto-focusing technology, and best of all, the new BIONZ XR chip. This is the same chip found in Sony’s Alpha 1 cameras. The chip is eight times more powerful than its previous generations.

For many photographers who own the 7III, they said there’s not enough for them to upgrade. For early adopters or photographers with pre-production models, they complained that the A7IV overheats. With the pandemic causing supply issues, not a lot of people seemed excited about the A7IV.

I’m excited about the A7IV, because I want the new BIONZ XR… and I’m interested in seeing how it performs in low light situations, especially at live concert events. For professionals who poo-pooed the Sony “flippy screen”, they are idiots.

Since I’ve been using it on the A7C, I found that it’s a million times better than the old “tilt screen”. I’ve used the so-called flippy screen when I need to take overhead shots, or if I need a low view, or even “selfie” mode … the screen does it all and at all angles!!! When I’m not using the screen, I simply put it in “armor mode”, which protects the screen. The flippy screen is simply the greatest advantage that the A7C has over any other Sony camera on the market right now… and I know I will make good use of it on the A7IV.

For video shooters, I would wait to see what if Sony will release the Sony A7S IV, because the S series is due for an update.

For new photographers, interested in Full Frame, I still highly recommend the A7C, as it is the cheapest option, and you’re not going to need extra features (at least for now). Perhaps, maybe you can wait for the A7CII, as I’m sure Sony will make many improvements on the original C camera.

Comparison chart of Full Frame Sony Mirrorless cameras in the last five years. Note: BSI stands for Back Side Illuminated.

Camera	Chip	Sensor	Resolution	Burst	Price	Release Date
Sony α7 IV	BIONZ XR	CMOS, Exmor R	33MP	10fps	$2,498	2021-12
Sony α1	BIONZ XR	CMOS, Exmor RS	50MP	30fps	$6,498	2021-01
Sony α7c	BIONZ X	CMOS, Exmor R	24MP	10fps	$1,799	2020-10
Sony α7S III	BIONZ XR	CMOS, Exmor HD	12MP	10fps	$3,498	2020-09
Sony α9 II	BIONZ X	BSI Stacked CMOS, Exmor RS	24MP	20fps	$4,499	2019-10
Sony α7R IV	BIONZ X	BSI CMOS, Exmor R HD	61MP	10fps	$3,499	2019-07
Sony α7 III	BIONZ X	BSI CMOS, Exmor R HD	24MP	10fps	$1,998	2018-04
Sony α7R III	BIONZ X	BSI CMOS, Exmor R HD	42MP	10fps	$2,798	2017-11
Sony α9	BIONZ X	CMOS, Exmor HD	24MP	20fps	$2,899	2017-05

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