Doug<
I had similar experiences back east too. I too love the people here.
This is a picture of my old Minolta 35mm camera and the lenses that came with it.
The "kit", I bought in 1970 while on my 1st WestPac deployment to Viet Nam, came with the camera body w/58mm f1.4 normal lens, a f2.8 135mm tele, and an f2.8 35mm wide angle lens.
I bought the "beast", the 2.5 pound, f4.5 300mm lens on my 2nd WestPac deployment in 1972. This lens is still used by some people today as it was always a good quality lens...and it'll reach out there too. The "point of view" is same as a 450mm lens since the A77II is a "chopped frame" format camera.
Not all bad because what is chopped away is the perimeter area of the image. What you get is the center portion which usually has less distortion, flare, shadowing, etc.
So my 300mm may come in handy. My 300mm is an "MC" version which has a tripod mount on a rotating ring that can be locked down.(In the pic above, the locking knob on the right side near the rear of the lens.
The camera/lens combo is far better supported with tripod mounted to lens...plus...
This makes it easy to get a dead level horizon. The Sony a77II has an "artificial horizon" feature, that appears in both the LCD and the viewfinder, that is VERY handy imo. Simply rotate the mounting ring until the "tilt" is perfectly level.
My old 35mm Minolta gear
I also have these two zoom lens from same time period. I doubt they will be useful even though they will work on my A77 I.
And so I tried it out the 300mm and the 135mm this afternoon.
All things considered, they produce very good images.
Leaning out my BR window, hand held braced, 1/100sec f11 300mm. Sign is a block away on Baker ave. A 1/250 sec would have stopped the SUV too.
This is the 300 looking towards Doris Peak from the via duct in Whitefish. Doris peak is about 14-15 miles away here. It's one of the higher peaks you see across the valleyfrom the Glacier Airport. again 1/100 sec f8. Twas on a tripod but there was vibration from trains, traffic, and wind so I should have shot it at 1/250sec.
This is the 135mm out my BR window. The sign is about 30 yards away.
Shot from tripod from top of via duct bridge on Baker Ave looking towards the train station. The truck was about 100 yards, maybe more away. f11, 1/100sec, 300mm