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 p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Sony A9 continuous shooting with mechanical shutter - crippled | |
Several helpful posters suggested that, rather than shooting with the mechanical shutter at high ISOs (32000-204800), I consider shooting at ISO 25600 (max for the electronic shutter) and pushing the results in post. So I did the following experiment: I shot an image properly exposed at four ISOs - 25600, 51200, 102400, and 204800 (all with the same aperture, increasingly fast shutter speeds). I then fixed the ISO at 25600, and reshot the sequence (i.e., with the different shutter speeds). Thus, for each of the images properly exposed at 51200/102400/204800, I could compare them with (increasingly underexposed) images shot at 25600 and pushed in post (with noise reduction). Here’s what I found:
1. The pushed images were surprisingly good, even up to 204800 (not a surprise to those who suggested I do this!).
2. The pushed images were noticeably (but not terribly) less sharp than the properly exposed high-ISO images.
3. Colors in the pushed images were more accurate than the properly exposed high-ISO images, and increasingly so with ISO (the colors in the properly exposed ISO 204800 were noticeably less accurate than the ISO 25600 image pushed 3 stops). This was quite surprising to me. (Any idea why?)
So I agree that properly exposed high-ISO images are not significantly better than the 25600 pushed images, although there are sharpness and color tradeoffs to consider. Thanks for nudging me to see this firsthand.
That said, while shooting everything at 25600 would more-or-less work in principle, it doesn’t work in practice owing to workflow issues. Suppose I have 200 images shot at 25600 and therefore underexposed by up to 3 stops (I’m talking about shooting music in dim but changing light, and btw I’ve already obtained usable images with the A9 at 204800). My normal workflow is to cull and do initial ratings before any Lightroom adjustments (usually in Photo Mechanic, where it can be done quickly). But that won’t work in this case because many of the images will be underexposed – some by 3 stops – so I can’t properly evaluate them without pushing them, and I can’t push them simultaneously since the correct exposures vary from 0 to 3 stops. So I would end up having to touch a large number of the images before getting to the serious editing. That’s just too time consuming (and boring!).
My conclusion: I would happily shoot continuously with the mechanical shutter and high ISOs if I could. But I can’t because the viewfinder freezes between shots. Shooting everything at 25600 with the electronic shutter and pushing in post is a valid workaround, but it’s just that – a workaround that takes more work. I’m hoping that the viewfinder freezing between shots is happening because I’ve overlooked some settings (or perhaps that the camera is faulty). Otherwise, the A9 is limited in an unpleasant way that’s makes it unsuitable for professional use in this situation, a situation that the 1DxII handles very well (and with more shots per second).
Shooting with the mechanical shutter also avoids the issue I raised when starting this thread – it’s hard to tell when the electronic shutter fires. I tried all of the notification variations (thanks for pointing them out), but they all have the same problem – very hard to see (in my shooting situations) unless I really concentrate, which is a waste of brain cycles needed elsewhere.
I’m well aware that this is a special case – in other respects, I think the A9 is terrific, and I already prefer it to the 1DxII in many situations.
best,
js
http://www.jshorephoto.com
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