What I'd buy today...

Just some random thoughts drifting through my head these days about the composition of my event kit. About three years ago I started building my Sony 35mm-format kit. Wound up with three a7RIIIs and almost all of Samyang's primes. Great kit for low light. But...here's what I'd buy today if I had the same money to spend.

Two Sony a7IVs
Samyang AF 35-150/2.0-2.8
Samyang AF 18/2.8
Samyang AF 24/1.8
Samyang 75/1.8
Samyang 135/1.8

I often shoot at f2.0 or f2.8 for better edge sharpness and more DoF.
My a7RIIIs' 18MP Crop Mode gives me a second focal length from each prime, but I wouldn't need Crop Mode much with the 35-150 zoom.
My a7RIIIs' 42MP capture is way overkill, and it slows uploads to retouchers and clients. 33MP is plenty.
a7IV's better subject tracking would be nice.
I'd mainly shoot with the 24/1.8 on one body and the 35-150 on the other. For tele shots in very low light, or for shallow DoF effects, I'd replace the 24 with the 75 or 135.
What's your event kit look like, and what would you like to change?

What I've wound up with a year later:

Sony a7IV with Neewer battery grip and Samyang 35-150/2.0-2.8
Sony a7RV with Tamron 20-40/2.8
Sony a7C with Samyang 24/1.8, 35/1.4, 85/1.4 and 135/1.8

Lovin' the Flashpoint Zoom Li-on X (Godox V1) with its super-versatile accessory kit and the fact that the round head lets me spin the magnetically-attached bounce card to point in any direction.

<deleted by author>

HAND.

I certainly would not go smaller than an APS-C sensor.

Mirrorless and with decent video recording capabilities as I record a lot of video as well.

Nice setup! Eventually, I'm going to get an A7.4 or Z7.2 for the express purpose of "permanently" mounting a Tamron 35-150 / 2-2.8 on it.

Alan, he's a pro event shooter, weddings corporate events ect.

also a mono pod or a gym membership 😁 to big for me. i have a graduation to shoot next week and im going to shoot with the a74+ tamy 28 75 G2 and the a6700 + the tamy 80 170 2.8. for head shots.

As compared to wide open, f2.0 or f2.8 offer better edge sharpness and more DoF.

I shot corporate and private events for a living, as well as travel and landscape for fun, with Micro Four Thirds exclusively 2013-2020. Larger format lets me use flash less, and my low-light images are a bit cleaner, but there was very little I couldn't do to the clients' satisfaction with MFT. And, it all goes online at 2048px in any case, so my 61MP RAWs are kinda ridiculous. How I got from there to here is a long tale of a financially hazardous slippery slope, but I like where I am now, so it's all good. Could easily go back, though, if I wanted or had to.

Yeah, the a74 with 35-150 matchup is a natural. 33MP is plenty, and I've no need for Crop Mode with that lens. OTOH, I put primes on the a7RV so I can use Crop Mode for a second effective focal length and still get 26MP. The 35-150 is big and heavy enough to really benefit from a battery grip.

12 years ago I was shooting with two Canon EOS-1-series cameras. Yes, the a7IV with grip and 35-150 is big and heavy, but it's not that heavy. It helps that I carry it on an OpTech/USA Dual Sling that spreads the weight. Also, I'll sometimes break up my day by ditching the zooms and going back to my old approach: three primes on three bodies.

Oooh, I think I'd keep the Nocti and maybe add an Olympus 75/1.8. The 75 is pretty spectacular and useful.

2013-2020 I traveled a lot and did all my event work with a Micro Four Thirds kit that I really loved. When I settled back in NYC, my event work included some really dark venues (e.g. Edison Ballroom, Harvard Club) where it was tough to use flash, so I started pricing some f1.2 primes. I realized that I could get one 35mm-format body and a couple of f1.8 primes for about the same price and get one stop more light. I stepped onto this slippery slope and wound up going all Sony FE. It was kind of heart-breaking, and I still have not sold off all my MFT gear, but I'm not traveling much any more, so MFT's unique advantages are less relevant to me. It was a very expensive transition, but in the end I don't regret it. I'm still a big fan of MFT, though, especially the smaller bodies and lenses for walkabout. I mean, having a 90-400mm EFL zoom in my pocket on an 8-mile mountain hike was a real revelation.

Now that the prices of used a9IIs have dropped below $2000, I'm pondering whether I wouldn't be better off with a pair of them plus an a7CR (for Crop Mode with primes in event work and high-rez in scenic work), instead of my current a7IV, a7RV and a7C. The main draw is ability to shoot with electronic shutter all the time. For any a9II shooters out there, a couple of questions:

1) Can the a9II shoot flash with electronic shutter? I think the a1 does, with some limitations.

2) Does the stacked sensor really eliminate banding under flickering artificial light? It's a challenge that comes up for me every once in a blue moon and has me using mechanical shutter all the time because I can't risk it.

I'm happy with my current AF performance, and I certainly don't need more than 10fps, so those "benefits" of the a9II aren't relevant to me. But, I'd love to be able to work entirely with electronic shutter.

Thanks!