W♥M

Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail Read More iBrave We are writing to inform you of the forthcoming closure of iBrave on 1st November 2024 due to unforeseen personal circumstances. You may have noticed a decline in service levels recently, and we … Google a Google home, as everything is built around the Google Home Hub application. If you don’t mind giving Google your information, you can use many of their services - for free. That’s the attractive thing, it’s mostly free. … MicroSoft That’s because I just bought the Microsoft Office Professional 2021 lifetime license for $30, after reading about it on C-Net. The article referenced Stack Social, which I’ve never heard of until today. …

I’m planning on moving my email host to a new host called Zoho. This company is based out of India, and have been around since 1996. Their focus is offering their web-based Zoho Office Suite, for business, rivaling Google Workspace and MicroSoft 365. Comparing prices, Zoho is a much cheaper alternative. Breaking down their office pricing, Zoho charges $72 a year, while Google and Microsoft charges $150 a year.

Before I go into more details about W♥M move to Zoho, I wanted to give you a little backstory.

Google used to offer free custom email, as long as you register or domain-map to Google. That’s pretty cool, I took advantage of the free Google emails for 15 years. Unfortunately, in 2022, Google announced that they were going to start charging for email. By 2023, Google started charging $10 (now $12) a month. While $10 won’t break the bank, that’s per user. I had at least four other users (it now costs $50 a month). That’s $600 a year!

In 2023, I purchased an iBrave domain host, and as part of the purchase, they had a free custom email service. I switched over to the iBrave email host in Feb 2024. While that process didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped, and the email interface is god-awful, I didn’t complain because it was FREE. I’m saving $50 a month, I tell myself.

iBrave uses Stackmail as an interface and retrieval and sending email. I’ve had many problems with Stackmail, mostly complaining that it was slow. Sometime it wouldn’t send email. Sometime it would flag legitimate emails as spam… it’s a mess. Still, for the price of FREE, I couldn’t really complain.

Of course, as you know, in June 2024, iBrave announced their closure. They gave us a five-month notice, so in that time, I’ve been looking for a new web host. Based on pricing (they’re all so expensive), I probably won’t seek out to re-build my thegeorgeperez.com website. Instead, I will just forward the URL to the facebook page (which has 10k followers).

As for emails, remember how I was talking about Zoho earlier? The beauty of Zoho is that they offer a standalone custom email service. You don’t have to bundle the rest of their Office Suite software. It’s just email, that’s all.

If you only need five custom emails (for one domain name), it’s actually free. However, since I need IMAP and POP service, I will have to pay. Pricing isn’t bad either, it’s $12 a year for their most basic email service. My only complaint is that they restrict attachments to 250MB. You can pay more to send 1GB files, and perhaps in the future, if I like the service enough that I will upgrade, but for now, just try out their service, I think $12 a year, per user, is reasonable.

Also, I don’t know how it will work, but if I just use POP to download a copy on my Gmail account and send emails through Gmail, then the attachment restrictions are lifted (since I’m using Gmail to send emails). I think this might only work as POP, since IMAP is a one-to-one synchronization, so it may not work as IMAP. Who knows, I won’t know until I do some testing.

Anyway, I’m planning on making the email migration to Zoho tomorrow (September 10), so hopefully it will go smoothly.

Update 09/10/2024: Everything is working, for the most part. I had to find out why emails were being rejected (I had to update the SPF file). I also found out that if you have two-factor turned on your email, then you can’t use IMAP/POP (which you also had to manually turn on - it is off by default). A lot of learning experience. I am sure this is not the last of it, but I am just happy that it is working for me, for now.

Read more Technology.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Sony RX100 VII

Sony RX100 VII Read More Sony What I am eyeing, is the rather expensive Sony 70-200mm G-Master Lens. It retails for $2,500, but I have seen it as low as $2,000 during the Black Friday/Christmas sale. I know the price is way more expensive than the …

The Sony RX100 cameras are a series of very high-end compact “Point and Shoot” cameras. They are designed for people who demands high quality stills and videos, but need the camera to be portable.

There is a saying, the best camera is the one you have on you. While that statement is meant for your phone’s camera, it also meant to say that although you might not have the best image quality, it’s still better than nothing. Now you don’t have to make that sacrifice, if you have the RX100 in your pocket!

I recently had a need to purchase the latest version of Sony RX100 (the 7th version), so I can produce some great stills from the recent Minnesota Yacht Club Festival. Most music festivals or music venues won’t allow you to bring in large cameras with lens attachments, but will make exception for “Point and Shoot” style cameras. Not all venues will allow pocket cameras, so be sure to find out what is prohibited and what is allowed to be brought into the venue.

The truth is, I’ve been looking into these pocket-sized cameras for a while now. Recently it came up when I went to A Taste of Minnesota and was somewhat disappointed in the photos coming from my iPhone 15 Pro. The image quality just wasn’t there, especially from the 5x (120mm) camera.

June McDoom (A7IV vs RX100 VII)

Now that I have been putting the Sony RX100 VII through its paces from heavy usage in the last four days, I can tell you what I think. For its small size it can produces some great images and videos… but, of course, it is not going to compare to a full-sized Sony camera. It’s not possible, because the RX100’s one-inch 20MP image sensor won’t compare to a full-frame Exmor CMOS sensor. Comparing the same photo taken at the same focal length (200mm) with the same lighting condition and same manual setting… looking closely at the faces, you do lose some details. There’s also a little more noise, but you only see these things if you look very closely at it - pulling back, the two images do look similar.

Still, what we have to work with, the smaller sensor, it is still much better than what you will find in a high-end smart phone. Also, what you will find is that the latest RX’s ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* optical lens can reach up 200mm (with an f/4.5 at the maximum), which is sometime that most phones can’t compete with. The advantage that the iPhone and Pixel phones has over the RX is that they do post-processing of the images, make for better low-light images. I have compared images, but do not look natural or real compared to what the RX can produce.

I can go on about the camera’s capabilities, such as the “unlimited” 4k video recording, the cool pop-up view finder, the 180-degree flip touch screen (for “vlogging”), the fast real-time eye auto focus, the pop-out built-in flash is a nice feature, the mic-in jack is a must for people who need high quality audio recording, the blackout-free burst shooting (this is pretty amazing), etc. You can read all the perks on any tech specs, so instead I’ll just address some of the things I don’t like about the camera.

Auto-Focusing: The camera struggles at night time/low light. It often picks the subject closer to you - so trying to focus on the person behind was hard for me. You can play around with the AF area, I had it set to Zone and sometime Center, if I absolutely need the center subject in focus.

Price: As usual with all Sony products, you are paying a premium. Is it worth $1,300? I would say no, but since there are never sales or discounts, it’s just the price of admission. If you don’t have a need for this small, compact camera, I would say use that money to buy a full-frame entry body, such as a the a7c (which you can get for not much more).

Physical Buttons: With a smaller body, there are fewer physical buttons. I couldn’t figure out a physical way of changing the ISO, so I had to go into settings to change ISO … it’s a pain in the butt. I think Sony wants you to set it to AUTO, but that’s not for me. Changing the F can be done via the ring on the lens, I only discover that accidentally. I’m so happy Sony added that physical ring (this was absent in previous version of the RX series).

Grip: The camera is small. There is not enough room to really grip the camera. I often think I am going to drop the camera by accident. I have ordered a third-party L-mount to add a wooden bump so I can hold it with comfort, so hopefully this extension will solve the problem.

Battery: Again, you’re going to make sacrifices when the camera is so small… so the battery is tiny. If you shoot 4k video, your battery is going to be depleted very quickly. The battery will not last you a full day of shooting, so you are going to have to buy extra batteries to keep a spare with you. I also recommend carrying an extra SD card.

Micro-USB: I know the camera came out in Jun 2019, but man, I wish this camera had USB-C instead. You have to use the Micro-USB cord to charge your camera. It’s very annoying, so I recommend just buying a cheap external charger (which is one of the first thing I did with two additional batteries).

You just have to accept the limitations of a small camera. Since you can take these pocket cameras anywhere, they are perfect for taking some high-quality concert photos with a 200mm reach. Once you understand this, then the trade-off is well worth it.

Read more Technology.

June McDoom (A7IV vs RX100 VII)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

iBrave Closure

iBrave Closure Read More iBrave As of 2023, I think I found a new home the George Perez Website, using iBrave Web Hosting Service. They are offering a “lifetime subscription” and “unlimited” service. …

I purchased the “Lifetime Unlimited” plan from iBrave in January 2023. After a year and a half, they delivered what they promised, but I’ve always known it was too good to be true. I was right, of course, iBrave Web Hosting is closing on November 1st, 2024.

Their email mentioned that they’re working with 20i to transfer hosting and emails to prevent downtime, but they also don’t mention that this will come with a new monthly cost. I will have to wait if they are going to cut us a deal or if they are going to charge us their commercial rate. I honestly am not interested in paying more, which might mean that I’m also shutting down my George Perez website.

As for email services, there’s no way around this, I’ll be forced to pay. I was previously paying Google, but they are way too expensive. I am looking at Zoho to host my future emails.

Anyway, any suggestions for a new web host, please let me know. I'm looking at inexpensive or free options.

Message from iBrave:

We are writing to inform you of the forthcoming closure of iBrave on 1st November 2024 due to unforeseen personal circumstances. You may have noticed a decline in service levels recently, and we understand how concerning this can be.

As our infrastructure provider, 20i have agreed to continue to maintain hosted websites, domains and emails to prevent any downtime to your services. 20i offers the same control panel and platform as iBrave, ensuring a familiar experience for you. You will receive an email from 20i with details and further information soon.

Please note, iBrave has not been acquired by 20i, we've reached out to them to offer you a seamless and straightforward way to continue your web hosting services with us.

You can choose to migrate to any hosting provider of your choice and are under no obligation to remain with 20i.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your understand and cooperation during this difficult time.

UPDATE 7/9/2024: The 20i Team has finally followed up. The message is clear, they will charge users and there will be no discounts, except for three months free. While I did not explore the pricing options, one commenter said it will cost $90 a month for his website host. Others have suggested I look at Ionis web hosting or Hosting Matters Inc., so over the next few months I will be exploring some options.

We are writing to inform you that iBrave Hosting has decided to close their business. You may have noticed a decline in service levels recently, and we understand how concerning this can be.

Due to this, iBrave Hosting’s services will cease on 1st November 2024.

As the infrastructure provider to iBrave Hosting, 20i is here to support you during this transition. While 20i and iBrave Hosting are not affiliated and 20i is not acquiring iBrave Hosting, we want to offer you a seamless and straightforward way to continue your web hosting services with us.

We use the same control panel, platform and infrastructure as iBrave Hosting, ensuring a familiar experience for you. By pressing the button below, you can initiate a quick and simple migration to 20i with no downtime or DNS amendments required. We are committed to ensuring a smooth transition for you and your websites, domains and emails.

Special Offer for iBrave Hosting Customers:

• Enjoy 3 months of FREE hosting with 20i.
• No obligation to continue services after the free period.

We understand that iBrave Hosting offered lifetime hosting, however, unfortunately this is not a model that we can sustainably provide at 20i. We instead operate a monthly or annual renewal-based model. We hope that you will choose to remain a customer of 20i for the long-term and take advantage of our industry leading hosting platform, but if after migrating to 20i you decide to move to another provider then you will have the freedom to do so with no contract commitments.

Ultimately, this is a rescue mission for customers currently stranded on the iBrave Hosting platform. Our goal is to ensure you have continuous, reliable hosting service with the support you need.

Additionally, you will have access to our 24/7 expert support team, renowned for their quick and efficient responses.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Read more Technology.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: NordVPN

Read More VPN I've been testing out some free VPN (Virtual Private Network) services. You may have a need for a VPN for various reasons: privacy, ad-blocking/ad-tracking, removing restrictions, etc. …

A few years ago, I did a roundup of free VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), because I needed a free way of connecting to certain countries to view content (example: UK and China are notorious for blocking other countries).

Of all the free ones, I liked Atlas VPN the best, and ended up using them for quite a while. In fact, I ended up being converted to being a paying subscriber, as I thought their pricing was affordable.

Unfortunately, Atlas VPN announced their closure last month:

After extensive deliberation and evaluation of our long-term business strategy, we have made the difficult decision to sunset Atlas VPN on April 24. This decision was not made lightly – it stems from a comprehensive assessment of the evolving cybersecurity landscape and our place in it.

Why is Atlas closing? Atlas VPN was founded with the mission of providing secure, accessible, and user-friendly VPN services. Despite our best efforts and the incredible support of our users, we've encountered insurmountable challenges. These include rapidly advancing technological demands, a highly competitive market, and the escalating costs of providing top-tier services. These factors have led us to conclude that continuing to operate Atlas VPN is not sustainable in the long term.

All is not lost, Atlas is transferring my account to NordVPN. I’ve looked at Nord before, when I did my VPN research, and the main thing about this company is that I believe they overcharge for their services. The “Basic” plan costs $13 a month (their “Ultimate” plan costs $16 a month). What they encourage is that you buy their two-year plan (which is $200, but I guess most people just wait for a sale).

Since I now have NordVPN, I downloaded their Windows App and have been testing it out. It’s a great looking app, and everything seems to be working. They have a lot more servers than Atlas, but that won’t mean anything if I only use one or two to connect… It also took a little longer than normal to establish my connection, but I believe this may be because it was the first time.

Anyway, my subscription, originally with Atlas but now transferred to Nord, will run out November 2025, by which time, I probably will not be renewing.

The number one reason: Nord is just too expensive. I believe they are one of, if not, the most expensive plan compared with other VPN services. It would be great if my Atlas pricing was grandfathered to Nord (or at least discounted)... but I doubt that is possible.

I’ll probably end up looking for cheaper alternative, or perhaps buying a “Lifetime Subscription” to a lesser-known VPN service for $70 via Stack Social. Or... perhaps revisit and update my Free VPN services.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

George Perez Website: 25th Anniversary

Read More George Perez Today, December 9th, is the 20th anniversary of my little George Perez Website, a website dedicated to comic book artist George Perez. …

This Saturday, December 9th, 2023, is the 25th Anniversary of the George Perez Website.

I started this little webpage in 1998, as a means to keeping track of George Perez’s art for my own collection. It was (at the time) the first (at least that I’m aware of) website devoted to George Perez.

In 2000, George Perez had seen my webpage and contacted me through email. He loved the dedication, and through the years, made announcements exclusively on the website to keep fans informed of his latest projects.

Currently, the George Perez Website is in its fifth version, located at thegeorgeperez.com. It is being hosted on iBrave Web Hosting Service, a lifetime hosting for a one-time fee.

It’s funny, looking back, when the website just turned five years, I was incredibly proud of it, because I didn’t think it would last that long.

George Perez wrote, “I just want to congratulate Vu on the 5th Anniversary of this fan site. I have been enormously flattered by all his work and dedication and I hope that I continue to deserve such attention.”

Special thanks to George Perez, Ilke Hincer, Tony Lorenz, Marcus Mebes, Andy Mangels, Doug and Sheila, Eric S., OJ Flow, Spencer, and to all the fans I’ve met along the way.

Timeline:

12/09/1998 - Version 1 05/06/2000 - Version 2 10/27/2006 - Version 3 07/10/2007 - on break for one year 07/12/2008 - Version 4

12/09/2008 - 10th Anniversary 12/09/2018 - 20th Anniversary 08/25/2021 - Version 5 01/15/2023 - Version 6 12/09/2023 - 25th Anniversary

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

Rokinon / Samyang AF 35-150mm F2-2.8 FE

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 …

As I previously mentioned, I have been looking at the Tamron 35-150mm lens at the Springbrook Nature photo shoot. I mentioned it was also very expensive, at $1,899 …

Now, there is an exact same lens made by Rokinon (rokinon.com) or Samyang (samyanglens.com), released in April 2023 for $1,299 (Rokinon) and $1,399 (Samyang).

Although there are two different names and branding, they are exactly the same lens. Rokinon’s branding is meant (and marketed) for the USA region, so it’s actually cheaper than the international branding, Samyang. I suggest saving that extra $100 by buying the US branding.

Samyang lists the AF 35-150mm F2-2.8 FE as the fastest “all-rounder”, which starts with a maximum aperture of F2 at its widest and F2.8 at the telephoto end. The lens brings together the five main focal lengths of 35, 50, 85, 135, and 150, making it the “one lens to rule them all”.

I’m very interested in something like this, because I find that swapping out lens in a middle of a shoot is time consuming … and you may end up missing a crucial moment. In the past, I thought about carrying two or three cameras, each set with a particular focal range, so I can quickly grab my shot… but the reality is that I only want to carry one camera with one lens.

Right now, the one lens I am using is the Sony 70-200mm F2.8 GM and it’s an amazing lens. However, it’s missing some key focal range of 24, 35, and 50 (the “nifty fifty”). This is why I’ve been looking at the 24-70mm … and now the 35-150mm F2-2.8 lens.

The first to market for this 35-150mm F2-2.8 lens is by Tamron, who released it in October 2021, to high praises. It is Tamron’s most expensive lens at $1,899… so Samyang is undercutting their competitor by $600. The Samyang/Rokinon is still relatively new (only two months old), so there aren’t many reviews out there. Reading customer’s feedback, people don’t like the image quality, so that is something to consider.

I did look over the image comparison, and, to me, the differences aren’t that terrible… at least not a $600 terrible. I can live with some not-sharp area (mostly at the edges or it couldn’t handle sun flares). I suppose if image quality is important to you, I would just recommend just buying native Sony GM lens.

Anyway, it’s still up in the air for me… I’ll wait to see if there is a sale, but as of this writing, I’m really leaning towards the $1,299 price of the Rokinon 35-150mm.

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

Sony 70-200mm GM F2.8 lens at Springbrook Nature Center, Fridley (21 July 2023)

Read More Sony What I am eyeing, is the rather expensive Sony 70-200mm G-Master Lens. It retails for $2,500, but I have seen it as low as $2,000 during the Black Friday/Christmas sale. I know the price is way more expensive than the …

I’ve had my Sony 70-200mm GM F2.8 OSS lens since March 2023 and had wanted to do a photo shoot at the Springbrook Nature Center in Fridley when I first got it. Unfortunately, Minnesota suffered from one of the worst and longest winter this year that I had to delay my semi-annual trip to the park until now.

While this was a nice nature photo shoot, it was extremely hot on this day (80°F) and I wasn’t really prepared for the heat… so I attempted to head back to my car half-way into my hike. This was a disastrous decision, as I ended up accidentally going on a long loop off the map.

Also, there were mosquitos eating me alive, making it miserable. I’ll remember to bring bug spray the next time.

The Sony A7 IV has three autofocus subjects: humans, animals, and birds. I set the camera to birds for the most part and I find that the autofocusing is still not that great on animals. I feel like the camera should be smart enough to switch from humans to birds, without my interaction.

On the lens side, the weight of the lens does hurt a little, since I’m hand-holding it throughout the hike. Is it worth the extra $700 to buy a lighter version of the 70-200mm F2.8? I don’t think so, I would rather suffer a little and save that money.

I love this G-Master lens, despite the weight. One of the best features of the lens is that it has optic stabilization in the lens. While most current cameras have body built-in stabilization, it works even better when the lens is also compensating as well. This works best for video, if that is important to you.

I also used the manual focusing ring today. While 99% of the time, the autofocus works in the center… sometime, it focused on the wrong thing. So, with the manual focusing ring on the lens, you can help guide the camera to the right focus subject. This works best when there are subject in the foreground, but what you’re really interested in is in the background.

In my opinion, the 70-200mm GM lens is the best of the best. It’s very sharp, and it’s very fast. It’s the best lens I’ve ever own.

I’ve previously mentioned before that I wish the lens started at 24mm or wider, so I was in the market for something in the 24-70mm range. I did the research for lens in this class, but I’m currently on pause on buying until I have a need for it (most of my shoots are in the 70-200 range - as I don’t do close up photos).

I am also eyeing on another lens, the Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD for Sony E-Mount Full Frame, but at $1,900 … it’s a tough pill to swallow.

Sony 70-200mm GM F2.8 lens at Springbrook Nature Center, Fridley (21 July 2023)

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

Lens Update: 24-70mm F2.8

Read More Sony What I am eyeing, is the rather expensive Sony 70-200mm G-Master Lens. It retails for $2,500, but I have seen it as low as $2,000 during the Black Friday/Christmas sale. I know the price is way more expensive than the …

Now that I’m enjoying my Sony 70-200mm GM F2.8 OSS lens (honestly, I should have bought this lens much sooner). That expensive price was a deterrent, but now that I have it, I can truly see why the price was justified.

The autofocusing is just the best I’ve used, and the clarity in the GM glass is much, much better than my previous lens. Maybe I’m spoiled, but now I’m just interested in GM-quality lens. Also, the F2.8 is the best that you can get in a telephoto lens, so it’s just much better than what I was using previously.

Sony 70-200mm GM vs Subway Sandwich

Unfortunately, the large size and weight of the lens takes planning and commitment. That’s perfectly fine for a concert or event shooting, but now that I need is an “everyday” general street-style lens. What I’m looking for is a small lens under 70mm, so I can have the whole spectrum of focal length - from 24 to 200mm between these two lens.

I also need the lens to be F2.8 or better… plus, price is also a big factor in this.

Looking over my options (see chart below), the Sony GM lens are out of the question, based on their prices of $1,698 (for version 1) and $2,298 (for version 2).

For the cheapest lens in this category is between the Samyang 24-70mm F2.8 FE and the Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2, both for $800.

However, I am eyeing on the Sigma lens… which is available as “Art” ($1,100) and the budget “Contemporary” lens ($900). The main difference is the Art lens has higher quality optics and starts at 24mm while the Contemporary version starts at 28mm. I tend to want to spend a little more for the better quality… but is it worth the extra $200?

I’ll have to do a little more research on the matter… but at the moment, it looks like the Sigma lens might be my next purchase. At the moment, there’s no hurry for me to buy one right now. Basically I’ll wait for a sale... or perhaps I will look at the used market (but I have a fear that the used lens might have scratches or dust).

Also, I do want to get a 2x Teleconverter for my 70-200mm GM F2.8 OSS, so it’ll essentially make it a 140-400mm. I have heard that it might be better to just spend the extra money to get a 400mm native lens, rather than using a teleconverter because it’s not as a good as a native lens.

Brand	Lens Name	F	Price	Release Date
Samyang	AF 24-70mm F2.8 FE	f/2.8	$800	2021-10
Sigma	24-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Art	f/2.8	$1,100	2019-11
Sigma	28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary	f/2.8	$900	2021-02
Tamron	28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD	f/2.8	$800 (discontinued?)	2018-02
Tamron	28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2	f/2.8	$800	2021-08
Sony	FE 24-70 mm F2.8 SEL2470GM	f/2.8	$1,700	2016-02
Sony	FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II SEL-2470GM2	f/2.8	$2,300	2022-04

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

Sony 70-200mm GM F2.8 OSS

Read More Sony What I am eyeing, is the rather expensive Sony 70-200mm G-Master Lens. It retails for $2,500, but I have seen it as low as $2,000 during the Black Friday/Christmas sale. I know the price is way more expensive than the …

As I previously mentioned, I had my eye on the Tamron 50-400mm lens, since I wanted a nice long reach at 400mm… but unfortunately, due to the F6.3 (at 400mm), it’s not suitable for photographing concerts.

Then, the idea popped in my head to look at the Sony 70-200mm GM F2.8 OSS lens. This is the original lens that started Sony’s Gold Master (or G Master) lens line up in 2016. Sony has four types of lens: basic (not labeled), Zeiss (developed in cooperation with Carl Zeiss), G (Gold), and GM (Gold Master). G Master is the highest tier, basically the best of the best.

For most photographers, any lens, at any F-Stop should be fine in daytime. For people shooting night photography, you want a low F-Stop… so for a time, I just thought the G Master lens was just too expensive.

But as I looked into it, the low F2.8 started to look more attractive. Once Sony released a version 2 of the 70-200 in 2021, prices for the original version dropped from $2,500 to $2,000… making it slightly more affordable.

When you read into it, you find out that the lens can produce 30 frames a second, if you have a camera that can take advantage of it (no third party lens can do this per Sony’s restrictions). On top of that, with a 2x teleconverter, you can turn the Sony 200mm lens to a 400mm (but it will make the lens a F5.6). Finally, Sony’s Ring Drive Super Sonic wave motor, with Double linear motor, combined with Optical Stabilization (OSS), is one of the fastest autofocusing system on the market.

Basically, I’m just trying to convince myself that all these future-proof features are worth the $2,000 I paid for the lens. And guess what? After using it for concert photo shoot, it’s absolutely worth it!

I’m serious, every shot I looked at my view screen and I’m like Wow! That’s sharp! After a few more shots, I’m like all these photos are keepers!

The Sony G-Master lens, at low light, is on another level! I’ve been using the Tamron 28-200mm (F5.6 at the 200mm end), and while the lens performs fine in good light… it does produce grainy or soft images when you’re shooting in poor lighting conditions.

Now for the negative: the first generation of the 70-200mm F2.8 GM lens is heavy. It’s really heavy. Officially, Sony lists the lens as weighing 3.3lbs, but it feels like 5lbs (the version 2 solves the weight problem by bringing it down to 2.3lbs). Basically, you’ll need both your hands to shoot. You’re going to tire out after a long shooting session… so most people use a tripod or monopod. In fact, Sony knows this, and included a removable tripod foot for the lens (which doesn’t fit Arca mounts).

Size Matters: Sony 70-200mm vs Tamron 28-200mm

The lens is also very long at 8 inches (12 with the hood… it’s the size of a Subway sandwich). The reason for this is because of the internal zooming mechanics. Adding the lens hood, the GM lens is twice as long as my Tamron 28-200 when collapsed.

The size and weight of the 70-200 GM lens makes it unconventional to just bring to, like a birthday party, or just randomly doing impromptu street photography. This is a business lens, that requires planning and commitment.

Still, despite the monstrous size and weight, I think it’s a fair tradeoff for amazing image quality. You can always look at version 2, if the weight bothers you, but I don’t think it’s worth the extra $800.

Anyway, from my experience of shooting with the 70-200 GM lens, I think it’s a very, very good lens. I’m going to try and take it on a hike, when the weather is a little warmer.

P.S. I was surprised to see that the 70-200 GM lens came with its own padded carrying case (with shoulder strap). All the lens I’ve ever purchased never came with its own custom carrying case, so this is a very nice addition.

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

Site Update: George Perez Website 6.0

George Perez Website 6.0 Read More George Perez As you know, we’re big George Perez fans, so it’s with a sad note that I pass along George’s statement about his retirement. After this 2019 convention…

As many of you know, my oldest website, the George Perez Website started in 1998 and eventually found its home on Google Sites in 2008. The website lived there for 13 years, until Google decided it wasn’t profitable for them to maintain... and decided to shut down the classic site service (they offered a new inferior product in its place).

For about two years, I was looking for a new home for the website, and even temporarily moved it to Typepad. While I like Typepad, it’s a very blogging centric service, so it was lacking in a lot of things.

As of 2023, I think I found a new home the George Perez Website, using iBrave Web Hosting Service. They are offering a “lifetime subscription” and “unlimited” service. Normally it’s very expensive, but I got a good deal/flash sale. Sure, I am worried that “lifetime” means the life of iBrave, which may be a year or two, if they end up going bankrupt. The company is very new, only existing since 2021.

For now, it’s working as expected. I’m re-learning everything and it’s going along very slowly. If you have time, head over to thegeorgeperez.com to see the progress so far.

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