It is really pretty bad. If you do a compare with the A9 III at ISO 25600 against an R7 at the same ISO and an R5 and Z9 both at 51200, the A9 III loses to all three. Look at the lettering on the brush and pen in the corner and you can see that the RAW has been heavily "cooked" and not in a good way. That large blobby noise will not clean up well in NR software. There is glory in being first, but sometimes also pain. This approach to global shutter could be useful for taking pictures of airplane propellers and horse race finishes, but it has a way to go before it is applicable to general photography.
Interesting how Sony fanbois try to defend the A9 III, some even turning negative points into positive ones...
The dpr comments are illuminating. Ultimately a trade off of speed vs dr/noise which was to be expected…. Except that the Sony marketing machine stated no compromises so they look a bit silly now. At least canon was upfront about the R5 overheating times despite it only impacting 3 video modes.
And if you knew how much more expensive Apples are in Europe? Apple managed to instill in their customers a sense of being part of an elite. Well done, Apple, excellent marketing!
I've used Apple desktop and laptop computers since the 1980s when they introduced the MacPlus. You will hardly find a life scientist who doesn't use one, and the laptops invariably come top of UK Which (Consumers Association) testing and best buys. Number crunchers in the physical sciences are more varied in their choice. It's nothing at all to being part of an elite.And if you knew how much more expensive Apples are in Europe? Apple managed to instill in their customers a sense of being part of an elite. Well done, Apple, excellent marketing!
Sony customers lack this elite feeling, but still believe they are part of a technological spearhead, no matter how blunt this spearhead often is...
I agree, but only partially...
I started using Macs over a decade ago and would never go back to Windows platform. For me this has nothing to do with being elite, but have hardware and software developed by the same company. I also like the Mac form factor better than PCs. Just my personal preference.
General photography is not my concern.
DPR & youtube comment section will make sure a9iii is "capable" ;p
I would suggest there is a useful distinction to be made between Apple computers and their other, more consumer-oriented products (phones, tablets, etc). Both narratives can be largely true if we separate the two.
Perhaps from a 'look at me I have an iPhone' standpoint. But personally, I find the integrated hardware/software approach to be one of Apple's biggest strengths. The ability to be browsing a webpage on my phone and open it with one click on my Mac, being able to copy text or an image on my Mac and directly paste that on an iPhone, iPad or another Mac, being able to use en external keyboard and mouse with two different Macs at the same time (literally moving the cursor from one display to another when those displays are separate Macs), being on a Zoom call on my Mac and being able to answer a call on my iPhone and have my AirPods switch from Zoom on the Mac to the phone call, and a host of other examples of integrated functionality...those are what makes Apple's usability so high, for me.
Back in the 1980s, IBM PCs, which were top of the range using Microsoft OS, were horrible to use. Different programs used different command symbols for the same function, even for quit. They didn't have Windows folders, and the peripherals like printers had to be opened up and switches customised to work. Then, Apple came up with the MacPlus etc and controlled all the software from developers so that they all used the same commands, they had folders (later ripped off by Microsoft to make Windows), the peripherals were all plug and play. Apple put the user first and you could use different programs without needing to read manuals. Now, as you say, everything is integrated from phones to pads to laptops and desktops. These aren't positional goods like Leica, being used by a wealthy elite, but by anyone who wants a first rate product that is simple to use, which is why they are widespread. And, they were the pioneers who got ripped off by the others, from Microsoft to Google.
I agree with most of what you write, but Apple got their ‘inspiration’ from the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. Xerox PARC built one of the first pc’s, the Xerox Alto, and are the inventors of the graphical user interface, mouse, laserprinter, ethernet. So Apple weren’t exactly pioneers…..
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