k-h.a.w
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 p.11 #14 · Pre-orders open! Sony A7R III and FE 24-105mm f/4 OSS lens! | |
Steve Spencer wrote:
This is a very nice upgrade, but let's keep what they accomplished in perspective. The major advantage is better AF, shooting speed, and likely the operating speed of the camera. I think this was important as the 7r series has moved to be a very competitive jack of all trades professional and advanced hobbyist camera. So, in evaluating the camera we will need to know how good the AF actually is. That we won't know for a month or so as people put it through the paces. We also have to know how nimble and quick the operating speed of the camera is. That we will know pretty quickly.
In addition, to these advances in speed of the AF and operation of the camera, they also added a number of things that people wanted; dual card slots, a bigger battery, better IBIS, pixel shift for higher resolution with static subjects, a better EVF, looks like a bit better sealing, better video including slog3, and something about increasing the DR to 15 stops (but I still don't quite understand what this claim is based upon). Those are important improvements as well. So, I think this is a great upgrade; incremental but they did address most of the major issues people had with the camera. Not everything, however; I am sure people will still be disappointed that there isn't lossless RAW, and it doesn't look like they have addressed issue with astro shooting either.
Still to keep it real, we need to understand how this camera is different from the A9 and it is I believe in important ways. Here are some of the important ways:
1) the A7r III is clearly designed to be primarily used with a mechanical shutter (at least in EFC mode), whereas the A9 is clearly designed to be primarily used with an electronic shutter. Sure the A7r III will be able to shoot silently, but we can bet that sensor read out will not be faster than 1/50 (which is still much faster than the A7r II) whereas the A9 has a sensor read out of 1/150 as measured by Jim Kasson. That means the silent shutter for the A7r III will have a lot of rolling shutter effect whereas the silent shutter for the A9 has basically none.
2) I will be very surprised in the A7r III actually has zero VF blackout. I expect it will be shorter than the A7r II, but I expect there will still be some black out. The A9 of course has zero view finder blackout.
3) It is becoming more obvious that the claim at SAR that the A7r III has the A9 autofocus was a vague and largely inaccurate claim. I am sure the A7r III will have much improved AF over the A7r II, but I will be very surprised if it is close to the A9. I actually expect it will be about halfway in between the A7rII and the A9, which is still pretty damn good. We already know for example that the A7r III has fewer AF points than the A9, and I think, not surprisingly with the fewer points, the AF also covers less of frame. Next I bet we will learn it isn't quite as fast especially in tracking.
What I think that means is that if you have an A9, I wouldn't be selling it just yet. I don't think the only advantages of the A9 will be that it shoots at 20 fps instead of 10. I think for many types of shooting it will be superior to the A7r III, especially when AF is especially challenging and when you want to shoot a bunch in silent mode. I think the experience of shooting the A9 will also be snappier and the zero blackout will still be a great experience....Show more →
Thanks Steve for the excellent points you make.
They are worth putting your post into a more easily readable / didestable format IMHO, which I did.
I think the A7rIII is an engineering compromise, dictated by currently available chip technology.
About 1.5 years after the A9 showed up, Sony should be in a position to release an A9II with an all electronic shutter speed of 1/300 s. That would be the global electronic shutter that makes a mechanical shutter superfluous. Yeah!
IMHO the same advanced chip technology would also enable Sony to release an A9r with beaucoup pixels and the electronic shutter speed of 1/150 s of the A9. So that would be the high pixel number A9r version of the A9.
My current thinking is, as I have an A7rII and A9 already, that I like and am going to keep, I might just skip the A7rIII and wait for the A9II and A9r.
The for next summer announced FE 400/2.8 GM (hopefully OSS) lens is very tempting though, provided it lives up to the high expectations.
K-H.
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