The Sony A73/A7R3/A7S3/A9 Thread

Richdog said:
Just use the a6300 as a cheap backup then. Either way unless you are an enthusiast with lots of disposable cash, or a professional, there is no need for a second expensive camera as a backup just on the off chance your camera dies.
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Well, I thought on this a lot and went with :
Replacing a6300 with a6500 as upgrade only cost a bit over 200.
Trading the A7rii for a7riii.

I really had no issue with A7rii apart from speed, and the A7riii gives me a few benefits on top of just that.

And the a6500 has very useful (to me) updates on the a6300.

On top of that, got samyang 35mm f2.8, Sony 24-105mm, and probably pick up the fe 85mm f1.8.
 
Initial impressions on A7r3

So i have been using the A7r3 since it first launched a few weeks ago and probably one of the selected A7r3 users in the wild that has used this camera extensively to the point that i may have already accumulated almost half GB worth of Stills.


I am currently re-structuring my workflow and data storage due to the huge amount of images i have taken recently.


So basically the day after i collected the A7r3, i flew to Abu Dhabi to watch the final F1 race of the season.


I stayed there for 5 days to have some time to explore the city as well with the A7r3 and A9.


The A7r3 was used primarily for generic shots with the 24-70 g master more or less permanently attached to it to take some architect.touristy shots with it while occasionally i would put the 100-400 g master on it to test it shooting F1 cars.


After Abu Dhabi i also have done 3 full studio shoots with it as this is one of the main purpose of getting this camera. For HIGH res studio work with fast burst rate.


Below is some pros and cons of this camera :


Cons:

  • No PlayMemory apps that allow you to use things like smooth reflections and time lapses within the camera itself.

  • No dual UHS 2 support meaning it is slow to Clear the buffer when shooting dual mode both raws(takes nearly a minute to fully clear).

  • Wish it had better weather sealing at the bottom of the camera(see teardown article) and on the inputs at the side of the camera.

  • Still can't use touch screen to navigate the menu’s
Pros:

  • Rate images and organise burst of images in folders

  • Coming from A9, the control setup is simple to migrate onto this camera(why can't canikon just keep same button layout and ergonomics on there d5/d850?)

  • Better battery performance

  • Better AF than the A7r2

  • No Stop Down issues when shoot at f8 in low light in a studio setting(The rumour saying otherwise was false).

  • USB C, finally…

  • Stiffer mount like the A9

  • 10 fps in Mechanical shutter means you can do some nice action shots in studio(my lights can cope fine, i did one scene in the studio at 10fps)

  • Larger buffer capacity then the 5d4 even though the A7r3 has larger files.

  • Joystick

  • Touch to focus seems to be as good as Canon’s dual pixel AF

  • Image quality

  • Separate Custom button settings for video

  • Better Skin tones and AWB then the A7r2.

Overal is it worth upgrading from an A7r2? Definitely yes. I could never go back to using the A7r2. When you combine all the pros i mentioned, it makes a lot of impact in real world use.


For me, the pros allows me to shoot faster and review images faster during a live shoot.


Gives me the ability to tether using USB C which is faster.


10fps Mechanical shooting using flashes.


AF on fast moving subjects better.


Shoot longer on a single battery


Move AF points faster with the joystick.


No need to fight with editing and fixing skin tones that look cold out of the box.


Mark/Rate an image during a live shoot when a model sees the images and says wow that specific image is nice!


Combined all that and it is a massive upgrade for me and maybe for others.


Ok there is no 60mp 16 stop DR with native ISO 50, but the 42MP is already world class, the 15 Stops of DR is also already world class and where all use to ISO 100 that in real world use, will extra 15mp, 1 stop DR and half a stop ISO improve your shooting?


Maybe it will but its up to you to decide. Weigh up all the pros and cons i and others have listed and check and see if the combined list of improvements would make your life easier taking the images you take. Not whether it will make you a better photographer.
 
Wellllllllllllllll... :o

Today I gave in to temptation and went to my local store and traded in all of my Fuji gear for:

  • Sony A7R III
  • 85mm 1.8
  • 28mm f2.

Price for all of the kit was £3700, minus £1970 for my Fuji gear (I got 70% of the value back which I can deal with as I could not be arsed to sell it all privately), which means I shelled out £1730 to make up the difference.

Just charged the battery, took a few test shots, purchased Capture One Pro 11 Sony, and am about to go and have a play. :D
 
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jonneymendoza said:
My a7r2 survived the rain forest in Peru last year and my a9 in philippines where I am at the moment.
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It's not just the case of your camera being able to cope with the conditions and not going wrong, I always take into consideration human error ie me falling or dropping it! which is honestly the biggest risk to my gear.
 
jonneymendoza said:
ok fair enough but you cant blame sony if you drop your camera in a river in the amazon and expect it to work again...
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Sorry think I got my wires crosses, thought you were referring to the need of a backup camera, and my point was no matter how good the camera is the person behind it is the biggest risk..
 
The one thing I'm most interested in with this camera is eye tracking ... sounds like it would be excellent for portraiture / model photography.
 
xaldub said:
The one thing I'm most interested in with this camera is eye tracking ... sounds like it would be excellent for portraiture / model photography.
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The AF is actually great, the Eye-AF doubly so. Seriously, it's a game changer and I notice a huge difference in the focus accuracy vs my X-T2, which leads to pin sharp people shots. The AF is just in general super advanced, you can set it to track random objects in the centre of the screen and it will keep them in focus too. It's a world of difference and willl lead to much improved photos and take the stress out of hitting proper focus at critical moments.

Also the low light performance is finally back to where I want it... shooting photos of family in natural light leads to smooth images with well controlled noise. Also the 42MP means I can finally crop without serious loss of detail or resolution.

This could well be the best photographic purchase I have ever made (though it should be for this price, sigh), and this is with a "cheap" 28mm f2 lens... god knows what it will be like with the famously sharp primes and zooms (I also have a Sony 85mm 1.8 to try this Christmas)

Speaking of which, I consider the 28mm f2 an essential purchase, small and light and 'sharp enough'... it is simply a must-have for the FE system. :)
 
Only snag with the Sony ecosystem for me is the expensive lenses ( I'd want the f1.4 primes ideally and the 70-200mm f2.8 ). Actually, I'm still a bit wary of their customer support & reliability too. Will probably give this camera a test drive early next year and see what I think.
 
xaldub said:
Only snag with the Sony ecosystem for me is the expensive lenses ( I'd want the f1.4 primes ideally and the 70-200mm f2.8 ). Actually, I'm still a bit wary of their customer support & reliability too. Will probably give this camera a test drive early next year and see what I think.
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Many of Sony's top lenses are cheaper than their Nikon equivalents, including the 35mm 1 4, 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 as examples. Anyway Sigma Art 1.4's are coming next year.

Customer support, no idea yet...
 
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