7 Years with the Sony A7
A collection of my favourite photos taken with the Original Sony A7 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera
After using the Sony A7 as my primary camera for the past 7 years, I think it’s finally time for it to go into semi-retirement. This camera has been with me on so many trips and has faced so much abuse, yet to this day I can trust it to turn on and snap a photo. It helped carve my way into photography, providing me all the manual capabilities, yet easy to use functionality, that a beginner (at the time) like me needed.
Throughout it’s lifetime in my ownership it was paired almost exclusively with the Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS. It’s not exactly a small or portable lens, but with the 24-70mm focal length you’re almost guaranteed to get the shot you want. The F-stop of F4 might seem undesirable, although the Sony A7 handles really well in low-light situations when using a high ISO. If I recall correctly I actually paid more for the lens than I did the camera. I was also just starting out at the time so I didn’t care to spend over twice the price for a lens that goes to F1.8 or F2. If I were asked by anyone starting photography what lens they should get, I would obviously ask what they intend to shoot, but generally it would be a 35mm prime, 50mm prime, or something with a similar focal length to 24-70mm. It’s simply so versatile and can be used in so many applications. I primarily focused on travel and “exploration”, but I’ve done my fair share of street, portraits, and even some birding (but I definitely don’t recommend birding with under 100mm) with the 24-70mm as well.
These First four images were taken in Cabo Da Roca and Lisbon, Portugal. Although my time in Portugal was relatively short before flying to Morocco (which you’ll see in the next photos), I had a really great time and would definitely come back to explore more of the country.
On this trip to Morocco I undoubtedly took some of my favourite photos, although throughout this time I was simultaneously taking videos with a GoPro as well. I definitely missed some opportunities for great shots, but I definitely don’t regret taking videos and not solely focusing on photography as I still go back to watch those clips relatively often. However, I feel like this trip taught me how to balance taking Photos and Videos while not disconnecting myself from the environment or my surroundings. Enjoying the trip and should always be the priority anyway.
Just look at these Camels Below! But maybe they seem so interesting to me as I come from Canada.
If you happen to be curious about where some of these places are here’s a quick list in no particular order: Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Tinghir, Hassilabied, Merzouga, Essaouira, Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Fes, Chefchaouen, Tangier, Moulay Idriss, and Volubilis.
If you’ve ever considered travelling to Morocco I would definitely recommend it. The people were really friendly, it’s not to difficult to get around, and there’s tons of places to see. Although if you’re not accommodated to desert heat I warn you now, it gets HOT. I would recommend planning your day’s to avoid the mid to late afternoon which is usually the hottest time of the day.
The next few photos below are from a Trip to Alberta where I got the chance to explore some amazing scenery. I still remember walking up Mount Lady MacDonald and then suddenly seeing these Bighorn Sheep (I think that’s what they are) just staring at me with curious faces. Admittedly, I was a bit worried that one of them would decide to bump me off the mountain, but after getting closer to them so that I could continue on my trail they politely got out of my way (and continued to stare as you can see in the photo on the right).
This was my first time in the Canadian Rockies and it was simply a 10/10 experience. There’s mountains, waterfalls, and wildlife all around! I regret not starting this blog earlier so I could have highlighted certain spots like the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse (bottom left) in greater detail.
One thing that surprised me on this trip was the amount of snow that was still on the peaks in June. There were a few peaks that I wasn’t able to summit due to the amount of Snow, and they weren’t even high-elevation mountains like those which have snow on the peaks year round. Although the hikes were still fun and the views were still amazing though.
The remainder of the photos you’ll see below are from 2022 or earlier, the first four of which I’m especially fond of. They were captured in Sandbanks Provincial Park in Ontario. I don’t recall how I learned about this place, but when I heard that’s there’s a desert-like area in Ontario I had to go check it out. I was actually shocked as to how big this place! If you’re from or visiting Ontario, this is definitely a unique getaway.
I’m a bit surprised with how many photos I took versus how many I think are actually good photos. Although to be fair I’ve never tried to take photos with the intention of getting the “perfect shot” to shares with others. Regardless, the Sony A7 has been extremely reliable and with it I was able to learn the fundamentals of photography. So what Camera will be replacing the Sony A7? Stay tuned for my next posts!
