Sony a7 III discussion

[gelaxstudio]

Another a7m3 review by a chinese guy，it shows the a7m3 can still do AF when underexposure  5ev ，which is totally insane

https://www.bilibili.com/video/av20395194/?from=search&seid=10899969299750682716

[Mattias Burling]

Wow that is insane, for a mirrorless. Its one of the main points why most pros still choses DSLRs. 

[BTM_Pix]

5 hours ago, jonpais said:

I walked into a shop this afternoon to handle the a7r III and was a little shocked at how small the body, the dials and the grip are. As good as these cameras are, I don’t think it would be very comfortable to use. 

I was like that when I picked up the A9.

If I was Sony I'd ban stores from displaying it without the grip as if you're trying to get someone to switch from 1Dx or D5 it feels small in an off putting way !

They've finally done the 400 f2.8 for it which in the pictures I've seen of it they've also not put the grip on the camera. It looks like a Smart Car towing an Airstream.

 

[BasiliskFilm]

Albert Dros has done a rolling shutter test. Obviously full frame 4K is worst, but this is reading all 24 MP, so all things considered, not too bad. The other modes (4K crop, 1080p) are pretty good, and given that hand-held is sensor stabilised, visible rolling shutter should be avoidable.

 

[jagnje]

that looks great actually! 

[jonpais]

I like the jello effect in FF 4K. 

[Inazuma]

For a 90mm lens, that's really great!

[Grumble]

Some of us with smaller hands actually like the size of the A7 series of cameras. Before to get one of the higher end models you had to get some large and even mid range DSLRS feel massive and awkward. You can make the A7 a big larger with the grip but it's hard to make a camera smaller than it already is. 

It's great to finally have some different size options available across the market, it's highly unlikely there will ever be a one size fits all camera unless it's modular.

[jonpais]

I’ve got small hands. We don’t need tiny flagship cameras. What we need are cameras with buttons, dials and handgrips that don’t feel cramped. And even small cameras can benefit from chunkier dials and a beefier hand grip.

[ajay]

I had the A7RIII for a few weeks but especially with an adapter, the camera body is a tad too small. Knuckles get in the way of the lens adapter. The body is also not well balanced with heavier lenses. I woman wedding photographer said she was getting severe hand cramps from shooting with the smaller body all day.

If you are using the camera on a tripod, I guess it doesn't matter but one should at least consider how it balances and how it feels. Adding a battery grip would probably help balance it better.

With that said, Sony is going to sell a boatload of A7III's.

[Inazuma]

As someone who uses cameras mostly for travel and social occasions, I do very much appreciate the compact form of these cameras. In fact I wouldn't mind if they shrunk it down further to a6500 size. 

Don't forget if you want a chunkier body with pretty much the same features you can get the A99 II. 

 

BTW has anyone used the 50mm FE f1.8? Hows it in autofocus in video?

[Don Kotlos]

Camera ergonomics are at least partly subjective, but my ideal mirrorless design is a mini D5/1DmkII. For example I would like A9 to be something like this:

Who knows maybe when Nikon & Canon decide they need to make a sports mirrorless camera we will see something like it. 

[mkabi]

1 hour ago, Don Kotlos said:

Camera ergonomics are at least partly subjective, but my ideal mirrorless design is a mini D5/1DmkII. For example I would like A9 to be something like this:

Who knows maybe when Nikon & Canon decide they need to make a sports mirrorless camera we will see something like it. 

I'm confused how is that different from the current A9 with a grip???

[mkabi]

9 hours ago, BasiliskFilm said:

Albert Dros has done a rolling shutter test. Obviously full frame 4K is worst, but this is reading all 24 MP, so all things considered, not too bad. The other modes (4K crop, 1080p) are pretty good, and given that hand-held is sensor stabilised, visible rolling shutter should be avoidable.

 

I never understood the need to do these rolling shutter tests... Even in high action shots... Speaking from a audience member perspective, what information do they see in the fast pan? I'm not going to pause in the middle of a movie and say see.... That skew? Why can't you just edit the shot out? Edit the fast pan out? And if there are a lot of micro movements say a runner deeks left runs right comes against a cornerback spins left... Sure if you are doing a close-up of that you are going to have to pan fast, but I suggest you set up a secondary cam that is capturing the entire game with a wide angle. Then cut, splice and throw together in post.

[Inazuma]

12 minutes ago, mkabi said:

I never understood the need to do these rolling shutter tests... Even in high action shots... Speaking from a audience member perspective, what information do they see in the fast pan? I'm not going to pause in the middle of a movie and say see.... That skew? Why can't you just edit the shot out? Edit the fast pan out? And if there are a lot of micro movements say a runner deeks left runs right comes against a cornerback spins left... Sure if you are doing a close-up of that you are going to have to pan fast, but I suggest you set up a secondary cam that is capturing the entire game with a wide angle. Then cut, splice and throw together in post.

its not so much the skew that concerns me but the jello effect in handheld shots. Of course with IBIS the problem is mitigated somewhat though

[aldolega]

Of course nobody is going to be using shots like those in finished pieces, but these simple panning tests give us an easy way to compare the severity of RS between cameras. The more skew on vertical lines, the more RS delay the camera has, and the more careful you'll have to be to be with it during all kinds of shooting (not just whip pans).

Here's a long-running thread on DVXuser that uses these types of videos to calculate the rolling shutter delay of many cameras:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?303559-Measuring-rolling-shutter-put-a-number-on-this-issue!

[Robert Collins]

I feel that most photographers like what they are used to. So naturally a 1DX owner who picks up an A7 series camera think it feels and handles like a toy. I have only used smaller mirrorless cameras and whenever I hold a dslr it feels like holding some klunky vestige of the past. For most people who switch I suspect they get used to the new form factor fairly quickly.

The A7 smaller body is one of the main attractions of the range to still shooters and I know people who switched away when Sony made them a bit bigger and especially dont get the small battery, small sensor - large body - approach of the XH-1. Didnt Olympus already try this strategy with the original 43 format and fail?

[BasiliskFilm]

6 hours ago, mkabi said:

I never understood the need to do these rolling shutter tests... Even in high action shots... Speaking from a audience member perspective, what information do they see in the fast pan? I'm not going to pause in the middle of a movie and say see.... That skew? Why can't you just edit the shot out? Edit the fast pan out? And if there are a lot of micro movements say a runner deeks left runs right comes against a cornerback spins left... Sure if you are doing a close-up of that you are going to have to pan fast, but I suggest you set up a secondary cam that is capturing the entire game with a wide angle. Then cut, splice and throw together in post.

It's a quick-and-dirty way of comparing rolling shutter in different modes. I am sure that someone will do the maths to compare them more accurately, but if you have seen these tests before you can already tell that Sony continue to improve the readout speed of their sensors. Full sensor readout of a 24MP FF sensor has only been done on the A9 before so it is a considerable challenge on a $2000 camera

[Django]

5 hours ago, Robert Collins said:

I feel that most photographers like what they are used to. So naturally a 1DX owner who picks up an A7 series camera think it feels and handles like a toy. I have only used smaller mirrorless cameras and whenever I hold a dslr it feels like holding some klunky vestige of the past. For most people who switch I suspect they get used to the new form factor fairly quickly.

The A7 smaller body is one of the main attractions of the range to still shooters and I know people who switched away when Sony made them a bit bigger and especially dont get the small battery, small sensor - large body - approach of the XH-1. Didnt Olympus already try this strategy with the original 43 format and fail?

5

the small sensor - large body of the XH1 is what allows the class-leading IBIS system Fuji has developed. 

some people do prefer bigger dslr form factor. especially when using larger/heavier glass as it balances better.

it's also to note X-H1's uses a thicker full alloy magnesium construction with increased weather sealing.

basically, they're aiming it at pros.

[sanveer]

If Sony implemented Unlimited Recording Time, I could see this eating into the GH5's market (except where 10-bit 4-2-2 is necessary) big time. 

No over heating issues, LCD that can be seen in bright light and great battery life (comparable with the GH5). Sony seems to be finally listening. If they redesigned the menu fron scratch, added time-lapse and added some 4-2-2 8-bit internal codec, that could effectively end it for a lot of players.

For $1999, this is a lot of camera.

I hope Sigma hurries up with their promised new lenses.