p.1 #1 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
I am a long-time orig A7R user, shooting with a few GM lenses (24/1.4, 35/1.4, 50/1.4, and 135/1.8). I recently picked up the A7RIII mainly for the IBIS and improved AF, but honestly, the experience so far has been a bit underwhelming — especially considering the added weight. It has the latest firmware 3.10
IBIS: With the original A7R, my usual practice is to shoot around 1/(2×FL) shutter speed and getting pretty consistent results in decent light. With the A7RIII and its claimed 5 stops of IBIS, I expected to comfortably shoot around 2/FL or even 3/FL. But in real-world use (with both the 50 and 135mm), anything slower than 1/FL is unusable. That’s about one stop of improvement at best, or may be 2 stop if error on my part but nowhere close to the advertised 5 stops. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but the difference feels marginal.
AF and Eye-AF: it is definitely faster and more reliable than my original A7R, but still not where I hoped it’d be — especially between f/1.4 and f/2. On a static subject, it locks perfectly. But with even slight movement, I’m seeing close to a 50% miss rate. I’ve tried both AF-S and AF-C; AF-C actually performs a bit worse.
I have been shooting for years without IBIS and have a pretty steady hand, so I don’t think this is a technique issue. The AF improvement is there, but I was expecting a bigger leap — especially considering the hype.
Anyone else feel the same? Is the A7RIV noticeably better in these two areas?
p.1 #2 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
The gap from A7R to A7RIII or A7RIV isn't huge in terms of 'tech'. Sony didn't make huge jumps until the 'next gen' cameras like the A7IV, A1 and A9II.
Better IBIS systems and better/stickery AF is all reserved to the new models with newer electronics.
p.1 #4 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
Alan Parker wrote:
The gap from A7R to A7RIII or A7RIV isn't huge in terms of 'tech'. Sony didn't make huge jumps until the 'next gen' cameras like the A7IV, A1 and A9II.
Better IBIS systems and better/stickery AF is all reserved to the new models with newer electronics.
Does that mean the A7RIV would not offer much improvement? So the A7RV and A7CR are the only real options?
p.1 #5 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
I cannot say much about improvements in IBIS since it is highly subjective but the AF of the A7r III is definitely better that its predecessor and like Alan mentioned stickier. To what extent though will indeed be depending on your expectations. You may want to check your settings to folks that post tips on YT on a regular basis, like Mark Galer, for example. The current crop of cameras definitely offers the best AF performance. Well, that is until they are replaced... yet again.
p.1 #6 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
From my recollection, the IV didn't really improve much on IBIS or AF from the III -- the sensor resolution was the big selling point. I found the V and the A1 to be quite impressive on AF and a good bit better on IBIS
p.1 #7 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
Personally, I never noticed a difference between the IBIS in any of the r cams including the rV. I notice more of a difference from that perspective between IBIS alone and IBIS+OSS on the camera/lens combos that support it. Still, it should be more helpful than you're indicating. Have you been able to compare it to any other Sony FF with IBIS? It's probably worth trying, just to see if there's something faulty in your rIII.
The AF on the rIII is solid, and that has made incremental improvements as you get to the newer models, but if you're looking for spectacular, that comes in the a1 series, a9 series, and the 6700.
p.1 #8 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
My a7r III never had particularly good AF. The a7rV was the first R with substantially improved AF and subject detection. I don't notice the IBID. I'm either using OSS for species or on tripods for landscapes.
p.1 #9 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
freaklikeme wrote:
Personally, I never noticed a difference between the IBIS in any of the r cams including the rV. I notice more of a difference from that perspective between IBIS alone and IBIS+OSS on the camera/lens combos that support it. Still, it should be more helpful than you're indicating. Have you been able to compare it to any other Sony FF with IBIS? It's probably worth trying, just to see if there's something faulty in your rIII.
I don't think new camera is faulty in anyway. I searched more and I found more posts on similar issue,
freaklikeme wrote:
The AF on the rIII is solid, and that has made incremental improvements as you get to the newer models, but if you're looking for spectacular, that comes in the a1 series, a9 series, and the 6700.
I will call it better than previous but nowhere close to solid.
p.1 #10 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
jeevhi wrote:
I am a long-time orig A7R user, shooting with a few GM lenses (24/1.4, 35/1.4, 50/1.4, and 135/1.8). I recently picked up the A7RIII mainly for the IBIS and improved AF, but honestly, the experience so far has been a bit underwhelming — especially considering the added weight. It has the latest firmware 3.10
IBIS: With the original A7R, my usual practice is to shoot around 1/(2×FL) shutter speed and getting pretty consistent results in decent light. With the A7RIII and its claimed 5 stops of IBIS, I expected to comfortably shoot around 2/FL or even 3/FL. But in real-world use (with both the 50 and 135mm), anything slower than 1/FL is unusable. That’s about one stop of improvement at best, or may be 2 stop if error on my part but nowhere close to the advertised 5 stops. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but the difference feels marginal.
AF and Eye-AF: it is definitely faster and more reliable than my original A7R, but still not where I hoped it’d be — especially between f/1.4 and f/2. On a static subject, it locks perfectly. But with even slight movement, I’m seeing close to a 50% miss rate. I’ve tried both AF-S and AF-C; AF-C actually performs a bit worse.
I have been shooting for years without IBIS and have a pretty steady hand, so I don’t think this is a technique issue. The AF improvement is there, but I was expecting a bigger leap — especially considering the hype.
Anyone else feel the same? Is the A7RIV noticeably better in these two areas?...Show more →
Stabilization at the camera mitigates your movement, not subject movement. Faster shutter speeds are the only way to reduce blur if you subject moves. Stabilization has no effect if the subject move towards or away from you. Only faster shutter and/or AF-C will help there.
There was a significant AF improvement from the a7R III to IV. Mainly due to the increased PDAF coverage.
All of this is very subjective. Some people can handhold much slower shutters than others. You're also dealing with a high res sensor that will show blurring earlier than a lower res sensor would. Each pixel is smaller so it takes less time for a sharply focused point to move between pixels. Problem gets worse with a7R IV at 60mp.
p.1 #12 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
bernardl wrote:
My experience is that the Sony mirrorless bodies with great AF are the a9, a9II, a9III, a1, a1II and a7rV.
I was disappointed comparing my a7rIV to my 2 years older D850. The gap btwn hype and reality was significant.
Older Sony lenses are also slower focusing. The original 85mm f1.4 was very slow for example. This has been fixed with the mkII.
Cheers,
Bernard
That is a coincidence. I was also comparing it to the D850, and my experience was similar. The A7R III just did not live up to expectations, so I will likely be returning it.
p.1 #13 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
jeevhi wrote:
That is a coincidence. I was also comparing it to the D850, and my experience was similar. The A7R III just did not live up to expectations, so I will likely be returning it.
If you come from a D850 you’d be better off with a second hand Z8.
A bit more expensive but an entry into the Z system that has the best potential as we speak.
p.1 #14 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
I shoot mostly handheld and mostly landscape and went from the A7III to the A7RV.
It was a very seamless experience - not once I had the feeling that the 60MP pose a problem regarding image stabilization. With about the same shutter speeds as I used on the A7III I get about the same results (and I don't have extraordinarily stable hands).
p.1 #17 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
jeevhi wrote:
That is a coincidence. I was also comparing it to the D850, and my experience was similar. The A7R III just did not live up to expectations, so I will likely be returning it.
I started with A7rIII in January 2018 when it was very new. My previous camera was D810 - compared to that A7rIII was fast and responsive camera with super reliable AF I also appreciated A7rIII IBIS although m43 cameras of the time were much better. Since 2018 I have shot with many Sony cameras, and each one has been an improvement over the previous one.
If asked I would say A7rIII is one of the most seminar Sony bodies. Despite sharing the same sensor A7rIII was a major improvement over A7rII. The other classics on my list are A9 and A1. Current A7rV is not spectacular in any way, I consider it a well rounded workhorse.
In 2025 A7rIII is still up to date for landscape type photography. The A7rV I currently use has better AF and IBIS, and haptics are much nicer, but in terms of image quality the improvements have been incremental. Faster paced photography or video, those were never the strengths of A7rIII, not even in 2018.
p.1 #18 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
I recently started using an A7R4A, and I am definitely underwhelmed by its IBIS. I really can't count on more than 1 stop of stabilization over my unstabilized Fujifim X-T3, if that. It is certainly not good enough that I am able to leave the tripod at home. I am sure that the high megapixel count plays a role since the threshold for critical sharpness is much higher with 61MP than it is with 26MP, even though the sensors have identical pixel densities. Best case for me is that it improves my keeper rate for shots taken at 1/(focal length) from 95% to 100%.
It is a very poor performance compared with my older Panasonic G9 where I can rely on at least 4 stops of stabilization. That extra 3 stops makes the difference between needing a tripod and not needing a tripod when photographing waterfalls for example. I can easily handhold the G9 for wide angle shots at 1s.
p.1 #19 · A7RIII IBIS and AF — feeling underwhelmed
I've had the a7r3 for years, and I totally agree. It is not a fast camera, not as fast as my wife's a6400.
And for now I still cannot decide how to upgrade! Should I upgrade the a6400 to the a6700 for its ibis, or upgrade the a7riii to a a7c2 (Other options are too expensive!) But I'm not ready to give up the ergonomics and good evf of the a7riii (compare to the a7c2)
I also appreciated A7rIII IBIS although m43 cameras of the time were much better. Since 2018 I have shot with many Sony cameras, and each one has been an improvement over the previous one.