Sony A7S III

[Geoff_L]

I am a stranger to the Sony system (last cameras were Fujis, Nikon Z6 and Pana S1), but not to the "colour war" as we can't watch YouTube or browse forum without being drowned into it. Anyway, I like to remember that the last season of  "A Skier's Journey" serie was shot years ago on an A7S ii. I believe the makers are really talented story tellers and know what to do with an image. The serie was highly praised and, honestly, concerning, colours, hm...
As I am contemplating the new A7S iii for these type of content (+ real time northern lights), this is just a remembering...

 

[scotchtape]

You could literally post a frame from R5 or Arri Alexa, say it's a Sony A7siii frame and someone would say the color isnt that good and that something is wrong with the skin tones.

[zerocool22]

So based on youtube reviews the A7S III its IBIS is worse then the R5, what about the panasonic s1? I am planning on using EF lenses btw. Is the ibis system of the A7S III still the same as the A7III/A7S II? (which wasnt that great vs gh5/S1H)  

[Geoff_L]

42 minutes ago, zerocool22 said:

So based on youtube reviews the A7S III its IBIS is worse then the R5, what about the panasonic s1? I am planning on using EF lenses btw. Is the ibis system of the A7S III still the same as the A7III/A7S II? (which wasnt that great vs gh5/S1H)  

IBIS on S1 is really incredible. It was better than my former Z6, which was better than A7iii in many tests. I read that it is on par with the GH5 one. With careful use, plus a dual-is enabled lens, like the 24-105, plus a touch of digital stab with resolve, I had almost completely locked-on shot. Using EF lenses is not good, really. You'll find a MC-21 compatibility list (from many user reports) here : https://www.tttphotography.com/sigma-mc-21-ef-l-lens-adapter-compatibility/
I used it with a Canon 100-400 L iii and a 50 1.8 stm. Franckly, the 100-400  performs very well, even with the TC 1.4 iii attached. The 50 1.8 is so so, so does the 200 f2.8 ii I also tried (it goes back and forth before acquiring AF). To keep in mind : no continuous AF with this castrated Sigma adapter.
In short, for photography, it is miles from what we can see with Sony and Sigma MC-11. For video, it is a bit useless, outside the "single AF" before shooting type of use. There is a new electronic adapter (viltrox if I remember, but not sure) ; I read that is better than Sigma on many lenses.

 

[Dave Del Real]

On 8/7/2020 at 8:34 AM, Geoff_L said:

I am a stranger to the Sony system (last cameras were Fujis, Nikon Z6 and Pana S1), but not to the "colour war" as we can't watch YouTube or browse forum without being drowned into it. Anyway, I like to remember that the last season of  "A Skier's Journey" serie was shot years ago on an A7S ii. I believe the makers are really talented story tellers and know what to do with an image. The serie was highly praised and, honestly, concerning, colours, hm...
As I am contemplating the new A7S iii for these type of content (+ real time northern lights), this is just a remembering...

 

The fact the they used SLog3 blows my mind, how on earth did they get rid of banding in highlights/sky?????

[thebrothersthre3]

2 hours ago, zerocool22 said:

So based on youtube reviews the A7S III its IBIS is worse then the R5, what about the panasonic s1? I am planning on using EF lenses btw. Is the ibis system of the A7S III still the same as the A7III/A7S II? (which wasnt that great vs gh5/S1H)  

The S1 IBIS is outstanding. 

[zerocool22]

1 hour ago, Geoff_L said:

IBIS on S1 is really incredible. It was better than my former Z6, which was better than A7iii in many tests. I read that it is on par with the GH5 one. With careful use, plus a dual-is enabled lens, like the 24-105, plus a touch of digital stab with resolve, I had almost completely locked-on shot. Using EF lenses is not good, really. You'll find a MC-21 compatibility list (from many user reports) here : https://www.tttphotography.com/sigma-mc-21-ef-l-lens-adapter-compatibility/
I used it with a Canon 100-400 L iii and a 50 1.8 stm. Franckly, the 100-400  performs very well, even with the TC 1.4 iii attached. The 50 1.8 is so so, so does the 200 f2.8 ii I also tried (it goes back and forth before acquiring AF). To keep in mind : no continuous AF with this castrated Sigma adapter.
In short, for photography, it is miles from what we can see with Sony and Sigma MC-11. For video, it is a bit useless, outside the "single AF" before shooting type of use. There is a new electronic adapter (viltrox if I remember, but not sure) ; I read that is better than Sigma on many lenses.

 

Thats too bad, cause sony AF is already way worse then canon. 

 

14 minutes ago, thebrothersthre3 said:

The S1 IBIS is outstanding. 

Yeah I knew it was pretty good but wondering how it stacks up against the a7s iii. (Not sure which is the best ibis now r5 or s1, a7siii seems not that great)

[thebrothersthre3]

2 minutes ago, zerocool22 said:

Thats too bad, cause sony AF is already way worse then canon. 

 

Yeah I knew it was pretty good but wondering how it stacks up against the a7s iii. (Not sure which is the best ibis now r5 or s1, a7siii seems not that great)

I don’t think a7s3 changed from the previous 

[IronFilm]

12 hours ago, Geoff_L said:

IBIS on S1 is really incredible. It was better than my former Z6, which was better than A7iii in many tests.

Interesting, I hadn't yet read that the S1 IBIS beat out the Z6 IBIS
 

[tellure]

The A7S3 has lots to like but I'm not sure if I'll be upgrading just yet.  Personally I'm hoping we get a 24MP A74 that does 4K 60 (with 6K downsampling for more sharpness) and allows for the 1.5x APSC crop at full 4K.  I use that APSC punch-in a lot on my A9 and would easily give up 120fps for it (60fps is still 2.5x slow-mo at 24fps playback which is pretty good for most purposes).

Kind of bummed the color is not sorted yet.. but maybe EOS HD Pro Color can improve things.

[Geoff_L]

3 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Interesting, I hadn't yet read that the S1 IBIS beat out the Z6 IBIS
 

At least, by comparing z6 + 24-70 f4 and s1 + 24-105. I find a lot more micro jitters with the former combination. I have similar scene to compare them with, especially static shot with wind, and the S1 footage are better in that regard.
That was the top feature that sold me on the s1, and it did nit disappoint! 
I know what I will loose by going the a7s iii route, but the gain are more important to me (especially lenses, extreme low light, and less bulkiness).

[IronFilm]

2 hours ago, Geoff_L said:

At least, by comparing z6 + 24-70 f4 and s1 + 24-105. I find a lot more micro jitters with the former combination.

ah so it was a camera/lens combo, I wonder how much of an impact the lens has on the overall result?

[Geoff CB]

7 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Interesting, I hadn't yet read that the S1 IBIS beat out the Z6 IBIS
 

I only tried the S1 very briefly so far and I would say it is better Ibis than my Z6. Using adapted primes instead of native glass 

Sony seem hamstrung by the e mount in this regard. Don't have enough room to move the sensor as far. Seems to be the reason that the a7s3 has the advanced mode that crops in more to ignore the sides. I do hope more editors like resolve can take advantage of the gyro data, as I've seen great results from that.

[Snowfun]

On 8/7/2020 at 3:34 PM, Geoff_L said:

(+ real time northern lights),

Where do you go to do this filming? 

[Geoff_L]

23 minutes ago, Snowfun said:

Where do you go to do this filming? 

Norway for the most part, and Sweden (mostly in the mountain region between Sarek National park and Abisko). But as I will soon move to Norway, I will be glad to discover Finland (where you are I believe ?) !

[Snowfun]

5 minutes ago, Geoff_L said:

But as I will soon move to Norway, I will be glad to discover Finland (where you are I believe ?) !

Yes, I live in Saariselka in Northern Finland (250km north of the arctic circle)  over the winter. The downside of aurora filming in Finland is the lack of interesting scenery! The fjords and water of Norway offer so much more.  A lovely part of the world! Enjoy - let’s hope we get decent activity and clear skies.

[thefactory]

I have pre ordered a7siii as i can’t wait any longer for picture profiles on my a9. Still not sure if i will go through with it though. 

[Robert Collins]

59 minutes ago, thefactory said:

I have pre ordered a7siii as i can’t wait any longer for picture profiles on my a9. Still not sure if i will go through with it though. 

Isnt there a technical limitation for Picture Profiles on the A9 series due to the stacked sensor?

I have pre-ordered an A7siii too. The camera has come through the last two weeks of reviews pretty unscathed. Biggest disappointment for me is that IBIS remains behind the competition (although improved.) But Sony seems to have got things mostly right with this camera and it is a marked improvement over their last 2 A9/A7 releases which were limited to a refresh of a few features....

[IronFilm]

1 hour ago, Robert Collins said:

Biggest disappointment for me is that IBIS remains behind the competition (although improved.)

It is always going to lag behind, because Sony crammed a FF sensor into a mount that was originally designed for APS-C

[Geoff_L]

14 hours ago, Snowfun said:

Yes, I live in Saariselka in Northern Finland (250km north of the arctic circle)  over the winter. The downside of aurora filming in Finland is the lack of interesting scenery! The fjords and water of Norway offer so much more.  A lovely part of the world! Enjoy - let’s hope we get decent activity and clear skies.

Oh nice ! Indeed, not the impressive scenery as some parts of Norway but, seriously, a true winter wonderland ! That is my favourite thing in winter : forests of snow trapped trees, big cold, more clear skies, northern lights... You must spend great winters there ! Plus, the eastern boundary of Finland is a paradise for wildlife if you are into that.