Incoming - Sony A77 kit

Well, it's done.  I sold my old but excellent Canon 5D with the grip, my amazing 70-200 MK II and my 430EX II to a nice local buyer for cash (it's kinda scary carrying a few grand around in cash!)  I had already sold my Tamron 28-75 to an FMer (that's a forum member at fredmiranda.com in case you're wondering).

Incoming - A Sony A77 kit (camera and 16-50 f/2.8 lens) and a 43AM flash from B&H.  Should be here this upcoming Thursday - I can't wait to put it through its paces.

Why did I do it?


Well, it certainly wasn't any huge fault of the 5D and definitely wasn't because of the 70-200 MK II (in fact, that lens was the one reason I really, really hesitated to sell the setup...it's that good).

Alas, I started looking at what I wanted in a system and the Sony ecosystem seemed to give me what I wanted.

I know this is going to sound stupid, but I mostly am really excited over the fact I'll have a semi-pro camera with an articulated screen (and I mentioned earlier) and finally back to an onboard flash.  Also doesn't hurt that the entire setup is "weather resistant", whatever that means.

Another point is that I'll have IBIS (in-body image stabilization), and since the A77 is basically full-time live-view, I'll actually see the effects of it when using my future 70-400G lens (a main complaint of IBIS - you can't see the effects, and therefore get a jittery viewfinder image, just like if you were using the lens without IBIS...well, not anymore!)

So this Thursday I expect to tick off my wife after I start obsessively testing the A77.  I've already read Gary Friedman's excellent A77 book (here), and I bought it before I even bought the A77! (lots of good info - check it out).