Any bets on when sony a7s III might be released?

[tugela]

Why would you want an internal ND if you didn't need to have one? The closer these things get to the sensor, the more likely they are to create distortions and interfere with IQ. Maybe that is OK for something like video, but not for stills. Aside from the fact that an internal mechanical ND (as opposed to the electronic "ND" that most camcorders and compacts have) would have to be large to cover a FF sensor, and that would add a LOT to the size of the camera.

[Shirozina]

There's as much chance of an A7 full frame mirrorless camera having an internal ND as it having propellers that pop out and becoming a drone.......

 

[IronFilm]

13 hours ago, Mattias Burling said:

Without a mechanical shutter the A7s looses its reason to exist imo.

It carries on existing as the stills camera which Sony targets to videographers. 

11 hours ago, tugela said:

Why would you want an internal ND if you didn't need to have one?

If you shoot video, you want it. 

11 hours ago, tugela said:

Aside from the fact that an internal mechanical ND (as opposed to the electronic "ND" that most camcorders and compacts have)

What planet are you living on? Most camcorders/compacts do *not* have an electronic variable ND. 

With the FS5 and FS7 mk2 being a couple of notable exceptions. 

10 hours ago, Shirozina said:

There's as much chance of an A7 full frame mirrorless camera having an internal ND as it having propellers that pop out and becoming a drone.......

 

I agree with you about the a7 and a7R series. Not going to happen!

But there is a very slim chance an a7S successor might!

However, it is probably a similarly slim low odds as it getting 10bits :-/ 

[Mattias Burling]

Imo. More like a weird looking and oddly designed video camera. Sony already makes cameras for the video shooter without mechanical shutters.

[tugela]

11 hours ago, IronFilm said:

It carries on existing as the stills camera which Sony targets to videographers. 

If you shoot video, you want it. 

What planet are you living on? Most camcorders/compacts do *not* have an electronic variable ND. 

With the FS5 and FS7 mk2 being a couple of notable exceptions. 

I agree with you about the a7 and a7R series. Not going to happen!

But there is a very slim chance an a7S successor might!

However, it is probably a similarly slim low odds as it getting 10bits :-/ 

Actually, they do

Most camcorders and compacts are consumer products, and the "ND" used is actually an electronic filter, which is a lot easier and cheaper to implement than a mechanical filter.

The a7S series is a lowlight camera, it is not only intended for video, there are stills applications as well. Putting some sort of moving filter close to the sensor would have unacceptable consequences for IQ, so it is not going to happen. And that is ignoring the spatial implications of doing something like that in front of a FF sensor in a a7 body. You would have to completely redesign the body into something like the EOS-C cameras to do it, only larger.

There is no particular reason why a a7III series camera would not get 10 bit. The main restriction preventing it is the available processor bandwidth, and if the new cameras come with a new processor they may very well be capable of doing that.

[Kisaha]

My opinion is that new A7siii camera MUST have 10bit and HDR (and H265 in some form). These are the new video standards, GH5 has them, everyone should follow.

Processing power is not a problem, there is plenty in this world, fast writing speed and memory too. The key is thermal management. Even gaming laptop's only problem is how to keep -relatively- cool, not computing power.

GH5 went to dSLR lengths (size, weight) to fight those limitations, and on a smaller sensor. I am just waiting to see Sony's (and the others) move in this new age of videography.

4K will be enough for traditional filmaking in the next, many, years, HDR standards are here, and in my opinion they are here to stay.

I am not sure Sony were ready to fight the "all-in" Panasonic attitude, whatever they had ready, they are back in the lab.

A9 is a good indication of what is coming, it certainly is a notch or two better than A7 series, by design and a couple of other things.

[Laurier]

I would not be surprise if the a7s3 end up with the a9 sensor,

The rumors say that it will be in the a7mk3 and I bet the new Venice cinema camera use that sensor as well ( since they both have similar resolution ,top at 60fps, and have the same rolling shutter reduction technology)

I mean it s a fantastic sensor, great low light, with great autofocus in video and it s just cheaper to manufacture one sensor than different models.

But if they do 60fps and a9 phase detection , I will definitely get one , I hope for 10 bits as well since sony want to sell their hdr tv.

[cojocaru27]

more or less 10 bits is mandatory since this is the standard impose by the cheaper gh5 already. I wouldn't see sony going for less than that.

The only question is when? people are already switching to panasonic for this very specific reason, the strong codec 400 all-i and 10 bits -  the clock is ticking.

 

[IronFilm]

11 hours ago, Kisaha said:

My opinion is that new A7siii camera MUST have 10bit and HDR (and H265 in some form). These are the new video standards, GH5 has them, everyone should follow.

 

GH4 had for many years 10bit external, but Sony never followed suit. 

What I think we might maybe see from evil Sony is keeping 8bit 420 internal in their a7S mk3, but giving some kind of extra bonus option while recording externally. (probably just 10bit 422, but if we're super dooper good and lucky then maaaaaaybe FS raw??)

[aldolega]

On 10/2/2017 at 10:55 AM, IronFilm said:

But who really needs a mechanical shutter in the a7S anyway??

Until electronic global shutter happens,  anyone who shoots photos with strobes/flashes, or of fast-moving subjects, or both. 

[ND64]

7 minutes ago, aldolega said:

Until electronic global shutter happens,  anyone who shoots photos with strobes/flashes, or of fast-moving subjects, or both. 

We don't need global shutter anymore. When Sony switch to smaller node (16nm?) and bigger DRAM, the scan speed will reach to mechanical shutter. Even Nikon's upcoming mirrorless DX camera is rumored ditching the mechanical shutter. 

[aldolega]

Isn't the A9 using the newer process and DRAM? And it's still limited to a 1/125th flash sync with the electronic shutter, I believe. Which is pretty slow even for non-action stuff.

I just miss syncing at 1/1000 with my D70, I guess.

[ND64]

On 10/6/2017 at 12:11 AM, aldolega said:

Isn't the A9 using the newer process and DRAM? And it's still limited to a 1/125th flash sync with the electronic shutter, I believe. Which is pretty slow even for non-action stuff.

I just miss syncing at 1/1000 with my D70, I guess.

1/125th was the rated speed for many entry level crop DSLRS. And Sony did it on full frame, with not latest and greatest DRAM tech. Give it a couple of years to catch up Samsung, and we get to 1/300. Transistors in your smartphone CPU/RAM/NAND are much smaller than the ones sitting behind A9 pixels. 

[Trek of Joy]

On 10/5/2017 at 10:41 PM, aldolega said:

I just miss syncing at 1/1000 with my D70, I guess.

I'm sure you know this, but you can still use the mechanical shutter for HSS, works great with Godox wireless flashes.

[thefactory]

I’m sick of waiting for it. Looking for a gh5 now. A7sii might become b-cam or trade it for  a7rii

[aldolega]

21 hours ago, Trek of Joy said:

I'm sure you know this, but you can still use the mechanical shutter for HSS, works great with Godox wireless flashes.

Isn't HSS still limited in power, though? I seem to recall that it works at a reduced flash power (half or quarter). And adds a delay to your shutter release, which makes it unusable for me.