Industry News: Sony Alpha a7s III images leak ahead of tomorrow’s announcement

[RMac]

how is the world's highest resolution EVF relevant in a video oriented camera?
also, a bit more pixels and that EVF would have been the same resolution as the sensor...strange choices, sony.. ))

I'm guessing that EVF will be pretty nice for checking focus provided your eyes are up to the task.

 

[privatebydesign]

What do you all think about the 15 stops of DR?

I think it is exactly the same as every other manufacturer claim of 15 stops for the last five or six years. If you measure it with an oscilloscope you get 15, if you measure it in usable real world output it isn’t because the bottom stops get lost in noise.

 

[RMac]

The a7siii shaping out to be a very compelling video camera option.

Videography wins for R5:

• Detail in 4kHQ due to oversampling from 8k
• Internal raw
• stabilization (I think - due to larger mount opening)
• Autofocus (I'm guessing, we'll have to wait to see for sure)
• Ergonomics (subjective)

Videography wins for a7siii:

• Dynamic Range
• Raw footage at a more usable resolution
• Higher framerate HD (oversampled 240 FPS 1080 will probably look awesome)
• raw video bitrate (16 bit!?!)
• no record limit (why you do this to us Canon?!?)
• no overheating (we'll see on this, but given you're dealing with 1/4 the pixels, I'd think it'd have a much easier time and this is going to be a dealbraker for the Canon for a lot of people doing interviews/docs/other longform stuff)
• less rolling shutter (probably, we'll see)

Overall, if you're primarily a video shooter, I'd think that the a7siii would be the camera to get. It ticks many of the boxes that drove me to pick up a used C300 that the R5 doesn't address (Canon, will you ever release a <$10k camera that can shoot a whole interview without hitting an artificial record limit in modes where it doesn't overheat). Pair this thing with an external recorder that has XLR inputs and you're looking at a package that offers a lot of what you get with a C500ii for 1/3rd the price. Of course, having to use an external recorder for a lot of the nicer modes is going to be a major drawback for certain genres of videographer. And I don't see it being a particularly compelling option for stills photographers, although I'm sure it would make very nice 12MP images (and at a rate of 120 frames per second).


***An additional thought***
Just occurred to me that if you were to use an external recorder with the R5/R6, you would bypass the record limit. So that somewhat diminishes that advantage on the part of the Sony (although to be fair, any video mode the R5/R6 is able to record for longer than 30 minutes without encountering thermal issues can be recorded internally by the a7siii, so the a7siii still holds a considerable advantage in this regard).

 

[Quarkcharmed]

I think it is exactly the same as every other manufacturer claim of 15 stops for the last five or six years. If you measure it with an oscilloscope you get 15, if you measure it in usable real world output it isn’t because the bottom stops get lost in noise.

I think it should really be very good in the DR area. 15 stops of DR fit nicely into 16 bit RAWs. It should be producing extremely clean images at base ISO, like GFX100 or Hasselblad. Time will tell.

 

[Quarkcharmed]

And I don't see it being a particularly compelling option for stills photographers, although I'm sure it would make very nice 12MP images

Exactly. It's an E-mount video camera in disguise and it's positioned like that by Sony. For $4000, nobody in sound mind will buy it for stills photography unless for niche low-light genres such as astrophotography.

 

[privatebydesign]

I think it should really be very good in the DR area. 15 stops of DR fit nicely into 16 bit RAWs. It should be producing extremely clean images at base ISO, like GFX100 or Hasselblad. Time will tell.

No it can never match a larger sensor by definition. It can be the same per area but it already is, it can’t be better than something bigger when made out of the same stuff!

I’m certain we will get no end of ridiculous clickbait claims of amazing this and that, when the actual measurements come out they will be in line with reasonable expectations and current technology, a slight increase across the iso range with the improvement being a little bigger at the low iso end and a little tighter at the high iso end.

 

[privatebydesign]

Exactly. It's an E-mount video camera in disguise and it's positioned like that by Sony. For $4000, nobody in sound mind will buy it for stills photography unless for niche low-light genres such as astrophotography.

Why persist this fallacy? Big pixels do not perform noticeably better in low light than more small pixels when measured as a sensor/image area.

If your milieu is low light then get the newest sensor you can and don’t worry about the pixel density, surely the R5 and R6 high iso comparisons have put that to bed by now!

 

[preppyak]

If these are the specs of the A7SIII, then I feel sorry for Sony shooters that were waiting for this camera for so long. It's internal recording capabilities don't feel that impressive, but if they work reliably, that might be all that matters to people who really use their gear professionally.

Yep, 5 years on from the A7sII and the only upgrades in terms of spec is 4k60 10-bit internally. Every other spec upgrade needs a rig, which diminishes the value of having a small camera at a certain point. Good news is Sony sensor tech has improved a lot even from 2015, so I bet that sensor will be crazy good in low light.

Feels like they might have hit the right niche for a mix of Youtubers and indie filmmakers where the 4k60 10-bit is enough, as people will take that tradeoff for the low-light abilities. Same thing for wedding/event shooters who dont need more than 60fps but have to work in brutal light conditions.

 

[Jim Corbett]

The same ugly, squarish design. All the dials cluttered on the right side, and nothing on the left. It induces discomfort just by looking at it. Hopefully, it's functionally ok; Sony people have been waiting for it for ages.

 

[cornieleous]

FINALLY!!! They forgot to mention the weather sealing and the amazing high resolution stills it takes though. I bet you could print AT LEAST 8x12 with this MONSTER.

Now the vloggers and fanboys can go buy this (12MP ) BEAST and not worry about our Canon unusable doorstops!!!

I can hear the bragging about not overheating from here. Who cares if much less bit-rate is actually happening, Sony is the champion! Physics and actual real world user experience do not matter, it is the spec sheet wars and bragging rights that matter! (sarcasm).

 

[Quarkcharmed]

No it can never match a larger sensor by definition. It can be the same per area but it already is, it can’t be better than something bigger when made out of the same stuff!

I mean it'll be as clean as MF 16-bit cameras at pixel level. Or even cleaner.

a slight increase across the iso range with the improvement being a little bigger at the low iso end and a little tighter at the high iso end.

I expect the DR and high-ISO advantage to be noticeable compared to other top FF performers, simply because it's 16 bit and has large pixels.

My interest is purely theoretical as I'm not even thinking of buying a 12-Mp camera for $4000, even if it has exceptional IQ. Moreover I wouldn't have been buying it even for $1000.

 

[Quarkcharmed]

Why persist this fallacy? Big pixels do not perform noticeably better in low light than more small pixels when measured as a sensor/image area.

Big pixels + 16-bit sensor. It's very important it's 16-bit sensor. 14 bits wouldn't have given it a big advantage.

If your milieu is low light then get the newest sensor you can and don’t worry about the pixel density, surely the R5 and R6 high iso comparisons have put that to bed by now!

I've already preordered the R5, and the preliminary DR measurements on the R5 are very very promising btw. I expect it to be on par with A7RIV.
But this beast in question will likely beat them all.

 

[mccasi]

Why call this a "hybrid camera"? its a pure video camera in a photo body stripped of photo capabilities. let me add still capture to a red camera and you have a better hybrid???
maybe it compares well with an iphone for photos, but i'm not so sure, before cropping you can print an A4 page at 400 dpi...

unambitious internals, so you need to rig this out to use this for the key specs... for $4k... and they complained about the R5... double standards these days

 

[PureClassA]

So to be clear, we have a truly dedicated video MILC... that costs $4000 ... for which you have to spend another $1300 for another 3rd Party device to get the 4K120 speeds.

Will there be lots of complaining about this like we all get with Canon?

 

[cornieleous]

But, in all honesty, if the camera can shoot in all 4K modes all day, this is a winner. Canon swung for the fences and hit the foul poles. The R5 and R6 sacrificed reliability over winning the spec war and it may come back to haunt them.

When. Will. People. Stop thinking the R5 and R6 are somehow broken or unreliable because they are not perfect for ridiculous video specs?

Canon didn't miss a thing, rather people are completely failing to grasp the that the R5 and R6 are the mirrorless evolution of the 5D4 and 6D2. They are STILLS cameras with amazing video capabilities that will work fine for many/most of us, whereas most of these other brands focus on video first and manage to create average or poor stills. Wow 12 MP I am sure that will print huge, especially if someone needs to crop part of the frame!!! As you said, the Sony is pretty unimpressive. Frankly if I had a project that required continuous full frame 4K60 or higher, I certainly wouldn't buy a Sony MILC, I would get some professional gear. I have borrowed Sony MILC to try before, and currently own one of their professional NXCAM 4K camcorders, and while their sensors are decent, their cameras are cumbersome to use.

Can we at least wait to see comparison in the REAL WORLD of 4K shooting on all these cameras at COMPARABLE bit rates before continuing to call the Canon releases failures? Everyone reading a spec. sheet and acting like they know so much.

 

[Quarkcharmed]

Why call this a "hybrid camera"? its a pure video camera in a photo body stripped of photo capabilities.

By the way. A still image taken from a video-centric Sony camera. Full resolution, no downscaling. Do you like the image quality? Guess what camera it is!

 

[cornieleous]

Why call this a "hybrid camera"? its a pure video camera in a photo body stripped of photo capabilities. let me add still capture to a red camera and you have a better hybrid???
maybe it compares well with an iphone for photos, but i'm not so sure, before cropping you can print an A4 page at 400 dpi...

unambitious internals, so you need to rig this out to use this for the key specs... for $4k... and they complained about the R5... double standards these days

Exactly. Not hard to have low rolling shutter or low heat when you use low resolution and low bit rates. I'm beyond tired of the apples to oranges comparisons and people calling the amazing cameras Canon just released failures because they don't meed the (still unsubstantiated) needs of some vlogger or wedding video use. Go buy the Sony then and be silent!

 

[Bert63]

Wow, $4000 for a 12MP camera?

That's just the beginning. The rest of the specs... Meh... Am I missing something?

 

[Aregal]

Some oversample from 6K (including Canon C700, C500 Mk II... and BMPCC - also with Canon EF mount).

...and some upscale like the ARRI Alexa and Amira. Who would ever use a camera that upscales to 4K?! ARRI was built to fail.

 

[Baron_Karza]

What is wrong with all these camera companies that they can't give us the tools we need?? It's getting ridiculous. This needs to have 245MP sensor and 47.32k at 2400 FPS or it is DOA. It's 2020 Sony..... time to wake up to what the YouTubers need. Time to go back to the drawing board.

Maybe it won't have a completely ridiculous, unpredictable, laughable overheating problem?