Sony A7S 12.2 MP 4K video camera announced. Is it good for stills photographer?

[drjlo]

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2014/04/06/full-frame-sony-a7s-bucks-trend-fewer-larger-pixels-great-low-light-4k

Having purchased and returned the Sony A7R 36 MP high-MP monster, I was hoping for a Sony camera with same sensor but better/faster AF similar to Sony A6000, but this A7S with 12.2 MP threw me for a loop from the left field. With such huge pixel size, it *should* have unheard-of dynamic range at high ISO, something even D800/A7R cannot manage at high ISO. With -4.0 EV AF, it should have fabulous AF in low light, and if color fidelity and IQ benefit from large pixels, this camera could be THE walk-around, low-light monster we have never seen before. Although this camera should appeal to videographers, it could seduce photographers who shoot low-light events.

Hate to say it, but Sony does seem to be towering over Canikon when it comes to imagination, innovation, and appetizing cameras :'(

 

[neuroanatomist]

Lots of shoulds, coulds, and mights there. Time will tell.

With -4.0 EV AF, it should have fabulous AF in low light

That sounds great on paper, but to me it seems more like a one -up on the competition, with little practical benefit. An example –4 EV is 1/15 s, f/2.8, ISO 102400. When you get to light levels that low, even if autofocus works the resulting image quality is not going to be very good, if even usable.

Hate to say it, but Sony does seem to be towering over Canikon when it comes to imagination, innovation, and appetizing cameras

If only they could say the same about their lenses….

 

[AvTvM]

IF it delivers image quality equal to Nikon D4s
AND IF Sony has improved AF performance notably
AND IF it had a better battery holding charge for 500 shots
AND IF it cost 999,- including dual-lens kit 35/2.8 + 55/1.8
THEN I would buy one ...despite all the useless 4k cr*p in it. ;D

The way it is .. a 4k camera that cannot record 4k in-camera, wheras a tiny GoPro can do that ... well, I don't know ...

What I do like however is Sony giving their customers a choice: one does not have to purchase "the video-optimized model" just to get a decent sensor or otherwise attractive stills features. Canon only offers some of that choice at 1D-X and 1D C price levels.

A7/R/S ... strategywise exactly what I would like to get from Canon. A very compact, decent mirrorless body in 3 implementations:
1) mid-rez sensor, really HI-ISO, 6+fps, no video other than liveview feed fppor EVF ... 5D IV
2) hi-rez sensor, 5fps, no video other than liveview feed for EVF ... 5D-R ["Resolution"]
3) low-rez sensor, video-optimized model ... 5D-C ... with zebra and peaking and quadrophonic microphones and HUGE rigs and follow focus gears on top of autofocus ... plus all that other stuuf all tjose videots are constantly clamoring for in stills cameras.
Of course the last version would be most exepnsive and the first version cheapest.

 

[Rienzphotoz]

This video has just been released today by Sony to show the high ISO performance of a7s
Sony A7s: Low Light Demonstration (ISO 1600 to 409600)

 

[that1guyy]

Yes, but you can use pretty much any lens ever made on that camera with adapters so your point is invalid neuroanatomist.

And you can't judge the image quality without seeing it so I suggest you wait until you start Sony bashing like all the fanboys on this site.

 

[Wrathwilde]

That sounds great on paper, but to me it seems more like a one -up on the competition, with little practical benefit. An example –4 EV is 1/15 s, f/2.8, ISO 102400. When you get to light levels that low, even if autofocus works the resulting image quality is not going to be very good, if even usable.

From the video above... even 1/50 s, F/2.8, ISO 409,600 in extremely low light looks usable. Granted that the colors don't pop like they would in a properly lit scene, but it looks like this new sensor resolves color information (at low light levels) better than the human eye.

I'd love to see this sensor in a body that natively accepts Canon Lenses... as I like working with natural light.

(Note - I've used Canon exclusively since 1984, my first camera was a T70, my second a T90 in 1987, and I've used Canon ever since... for both still and video work.)

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Video cameras can record at lower levels of light and still have decent looking images. Those noisy images flipping by at 30 fps look pretty good. Film makers have taken advantage of this for years. The Canon 5D MK III videos look much better than the stills at extreme high ISO settings.

Don't assume that still images will be usable at the same high ISO levels used for video.