I did some testing and could not see a worthwhile advantage of returning off EFCS for speeds above 1/1000.
So, my A7Riii is always set to EFCS on and the A9 is always set to ES.
I always use Ekectronic shutter except in 2 different environments with flash of course and when I know LED lighting is around than mechanical and anti flicker on. I shoot those big runway shows like this because the runway lights are now LED. I see banding immediately if I’m not in mechanical and anti flicker off. But those shots above 1/1000 I’m in electronic mode for sure.
Sorry I am a bit confused on this matter
To recap...
EFCS + reduce vibrations when on tripod so good for landscapes
EFCS - faster than 1/1000 bokeh and T stop get impacted
- at fast shutter speed artifacts may show up
- can have banding issues with flash or misfires
The above applies to any 3rd A camera
ES + advantage of efcs plus fully silent shooting + significant increase battery
ES - the issues of efcs plus banding under artificial lights
The above applies to any a7 but not a9?
??
Edited to include more findings
Dec 07, 2018 at 01:09 AM
Steve Spencer Online • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
fplstudio wrote:
Sorry I am a bit confused on this matter
To recap...
EFCS + reduce vibrations when on tripod so good for landscapes
EFCS - faster than 1/1000 bokeh and T stop get impacted
- at fast shutter speed artifacts may show up
- can have banding issues with flash or misfires
The above applies to any 3rd A camera
ES + advantage of efcs plus fully silent shooting + significant increase battery
ES - the issues of efcs plus banding under artificial lights
The above applies to any a7 but not a9?
??
Edited to include more findings
Basically right, but let me describe it a different way based on usage:
On a tripod, use EFCS to reduce issues with vibrations.
At shutter speeds above 1/1000 use mechanical shutter when shooting at apertures wider than f/2 (you can also use electronic shutter here if it won't introduce other artifacts, but the mechanical will work well unless you need silence).
When using flash use the mechanical shutter.
When you need silence you can use the electronic shutter but know the potential artifacts it might introduce (the two big ones are distortion caused by faster movements even if the shutter speed is high and banding due to artificial lights).
If you have an A9, then you can basically shoot in electronic shutter except when you are using flash.
If you keep these use scenarios in mind, then you will basically have it set. I use ECFS most of the time, but I try to remember to switch when another mode is better. I really like that my Fuji GFX 50s automatically switches to mechanical when the shutter speed gets over 1/1000 and I wish my Sony did that as well. Using the A9 is easy too as you can just leave it in electronic shutter except when you use flash.
Steve Spencer wrote:
Basically right, but let me describe it a different way based on usage:
On a tripod, use EFCS to reduce issues with vibrations.
At shutter speeds above 1/1000 use mechanical shutter when shooting at apertures wider than f/2 (you can also use electronic shutter here if it won't introduce other artifacts, but the mechanical will work well unless you need silence).
When using flash use the mechanical shutter.
When you need silence you can use the electronic shutter but know the potential artifacts it might introduce (the two big ones are distortion caused by faster movements even if the shutter speed is high and banding due to artificial lights).
If you have an A9, then you can basically shoot in electronic shutter except when you are using flash.
If you keep these use scenarios in mind, then you will basically have it set. I use ECFS most of the time, but I try to remember to switch when another mode is better. I really like that my Fuji GFX 50s automatically switches to mechanical when the shutter speed gets over 1/1000 and I wish my Sony did that as well. Using the A9 is easy too as you can just leave it in electronic shutter except when you use flash....Show more →
I use EFCS on all of my cameras (Fuji, Panasonic, Sony), all of the time, to minimize shutter vibration. I never use ES, as there aren't any benefits for the subjects I shoot, but there are plenty of well-known drawbacks to current ES technology.
EFCS is NOT the same as ES, but in trying to follow this thread it seems like a lot of people are confusing the two.
Steve Spencer wrote:
Jim Kasson has measured it and with the A7r III and I believe the A7 III it can be 1/30s depending on the mode your are shooting in, but no faster. With the A9 is is 1/160s, so when I use the A9 unless I am using flash I only use the electronic shutter.
Can u elaborate what this means for the A9? In laymen's term? Genuinely asking.
I would say I leave EFCS on 99% of the time, even shooting wide open, using flash, and at higher than 1/1000th shutter speed. I'm curious, why are some of you suggesting to disable it when using flash? I didn't know this was a thing. Sorry in advance for something that probably has been covered ad nauseum and is potentially a dumb question.
Dec 07, 2018 at 06:57 PM
Steve Spencer Online • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
dumplinknet wrote:
Can u elaborate what this means for the A9? In laymen's term? Genuinely asking.
It means the electronic shutter is so fast on the A9 that it doesn't cause problems unless you are using flash. It is even fast enough that you won't see banding from artificial lights that sync at certain frequencies. It is fast enough that you won't see distortion even from very fast movements like a golf swing. So, in simple terms with the A9 just leave the electronic shutter on unless you use flash.
Dec 09, 2018 at 11:23 AM
Steve Spencer Online • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
Hodie wrote:
I would say I leave EFCS on 99% of the time, even shooting wide open, using flash, and at higher than 1/1000th shutter speed. I'm curious, why are some of you suggesting to disable it when using flash? I didn't know this was a thing. Sorry in advance for something that probably has been covered ad nauseum and is potentially a dumb question.
You can get dark banding and even a part of the frame dark if you are using flash and the shutter speed is faster than the sensor read out. Since on the III series A7s the fastest the sensor read out can be is 1/30th then you will often see problems with flash if your shutter speed is faster than 1/30th on these cameras. The exposure is happening for a slit and the 1/30th of a second is the the time it takes the slit to move from the top to the bottom (or is it bottom to top) of the sensor. If the flash is a shorter duration than that you won't get even illumination with ECFS (i.e., the flash will only occur for part of the travel of the slit).
Steve Spencer wrote:
You can get dark banding and even a part of the frame dark if you are using flash and the shutter speed is faster than the sensor read out. Since on the III series A7s the fastest the sensor read out can be is 1/30th then you will often see problems with flash if your shutter speed is faster than 1/30th on these cameras. The exposure is happening for a slit and the 1/30th of a second is the the time it takes the slit to move from the top to the bottom (or is it bottom to top) of the sensor. If the flash is a shorter duration than that you won't get even illumination with ECFS (i.e., the flash will only occur for part of the travel of the slit)....Show more →
Thanks for the info. I've never encountered dark banding when using a flash with EFCS enabled, but I'll try to do some shots with it disabled to see if I notice any difference.
