Off Brand: Sony Announces the Full-frame a7R III

Jul 21, 2010
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ahsanford said:
neuroanatomist said:
The sensor in the a7RIII is the same as the sensor in the a7RII.

Was this confirmed in the video, or just presumed by Phoblographer because they saw the same MP count?

Imaging Resource explicitly stated that it's the same image sensor as in the a7RII. The increase in DR is attributed to new supporting circuitry resulting in a lower noise floor.
 
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ahsanford

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I have to say, I would have bet a lot of money that Sony would -- in its Borg-like relentless way -- have addressed the shortcoming of that small A7/A9 body.

Presently, though it is delightfully small in comparison to an FF SLR, the A7 II/A9 design:

  • Has too small of a grip for the f/1.4 primes and f/2.8 zooms some folks will use on it 100% of the time
  • Has a grip that is too close to the mount, creating some awkward cramped finger situations
  • Does not have the real estate for larger batteries due to the size of the grip

Small is great and clearly is driving enthusiasts to the brand. But a larger and appropriately located grip would better handle those big GM lenses, allow room for more controls and a larger battery, and it would only take up more space in your bag with the lens detached (see attached for what I mean).

- A
 

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ahsanford

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neuroanatomist said:
ahsanford said:
neuroanatomist said:
The sensor in the a7RIII is the same as the sensor in the a7RII.

Was this confirmed in the video, or just presumed by Phoblographer because they saw the same MP count?

Imaging Resource explicitly stated that it's the same image sensor as in the a7RII. The increase in DR is attributed to new supporting circuitry resulting in a lower noise floor.

Wow. Has Sony ever recycled sensors like this inside of one product line? We presume they've used that same 42 MP (or something very close to it) in the RX1R II and A99-II, but to make a generational improvement with a 'III' design and use the heart of the 'II' platform's tech is somewhat surprising.

They've done this on at least one of their RX100 revisions if memory serves, but that's not this class of camera.

- A
 
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Jan 29, 2011
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neuroanatomist said:
snoke said:
Same condition HDR merge.

I shoot bracketed shots for HDR with ~83 milliseconds between frames – the lag with the a7RIII pixel shift is 6- to 25-times longer. So, not the same conditions.

One of the unanticipated, but obvious with hindsight, advantages I have found with the 1DX MkII frame rate is the speed with which I can take multiple bracketed images in real world shooting conditions, because it does it so much faster than the 1Ds MkIII used to the stitching/blending software has a much easier time with moving foliage.
 
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Jul 21, 2010
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privatebydesign said:
One of the unanticipated, but obvious with hindsight, advantages I have found with the 1DX MkII frame rate is the speed with which I can take multiple bracketed images in real world shooting conditions, because it does it so much faster than the 1Ds MkIII used to the stitching/blending software has a much easier time with moving foliage.

Agreed. But still, most of the situations in which I find the 12 fps of my 1D X to be very useful involve fast-moving subjects. It looks like the a7RIII may not be optimal in those use cases, somewhat reducing the 'immense flexibility'.

[quote author=Sony]
This high speed 10 fps mode is available with either a mechanical shutter or a completely silent shooting12, adding to the immense flexibility of the camera.

12. Some distortion may occur with fast-moving subjects of if the camera is moved sideways rapidly
[/quote]

Jello is appropriate at suburban block parties and on hospital lunch trays...but not in images of fast-moving subjects. ;)
 
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ahsanford

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I've noticed that Sony dropped a 24-105 f/4 IS lens today as well.

Some folks adore their 24-105L Mk I and had 24-70 f/2.8L II sharpness expectations for the sequel (which is absurd, but whatever). When it turned out the 24-105L mk II was basically similar IQ-wise to the Mk I, a looooot of people got bent out of shape.

But what if this new 24-105 G (not GM) is as sharp as their recent GM offerings optically? How funny would it be that all it took to convert Canonites to Sony was to put out the EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM II that was promised. ;D

- A
 
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unfocused

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Jul 20, 2010
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ahsanford said:
I've noticed that Sony dropped a 24-105 f/4 IS lens today as well.

Some folks adore their 24-105L Mk I and had 24-70 f/2.8L II sharpness expectations for the sequel (which is absurd, but whatever). When it turned out the 24-105L mk II was basically similar IQ-wise to the Mk I, a looooot of people got bent out of shape.

But what if this new 24-105 G (not GM) is as sharp as their recent GM offerings optically? How funny would it be that all it took to convert Canonites to Sony was to put out the EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM II that was promised. ;D

- A

It will be interesting to see the comparisons.

Since basically all the other manufacturers' comparable offerings perform very similarly, it will be a surprise if Sony can do significantly better, even if they are charging more than anyone else.

If they do, shame on Canon.

If it's about the same as the others, then that would lend some credence to my theory that getting to 24-105 and maintaining prime-quality sharpness and affordability is pretty much not possible.
 
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ahsanford

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unfocused said:
If it's about the same as the others, then that would lend some credence to my theory that getting to 24-105 and maintaining prime-quality sharpness and affordability is pretty much not possible.

...at the price point a 4-5x FL multiplier f/4 zoom could reasonably command.

The 24-105L II could have been sharper but it would have gotten larger, heavier and more complicated. That probably would have taken it out of the 'relatively affordable walkaround zoom' Canon wanted/needed it to be.

But we're OT, my bad. This is a new body thread.

- A
 
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Mar 25, 2011
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So now, we are seeing incremental changes. The main reason for a new model is that first time buyers want the latest and greatest, and those with 3 or 4 year old cameras are looking for something newer.

Sensors are very close to their maximum efficiency, even incremental improvements get expensive. This means that new models will add software features and faster processors with bigger batteries. It doesn't matter who the manufacturer is, if you want to compete price wise, you are limited in what you can do.

Sony's successes have come from miniaturizing products, thats their legacy. Its good that they are sticking to it, because there is a market for smaller products.

Canon's legacy is producing products that are not necessarily the highest technology, but which give the most value for $ spent. Its also a successful strategy, and when combined with supurb customer service and reliability, they are increasing market share. They are very good at making every part of a design earn its cost. They hold back on new features and hardware until the cost or customer demand forces a change.

The two different philosophy's - A miniature hard to repair throw-away product (because its cheaper to replace than repair) versus a conservative and repairable one are the distinguishing things and both seem to work for the respective buyers.
 
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Mt Spokane Photography said:
So now, we are seeing incremental changes. The main reason for a new model is that first time buyers want the latest and greatest, and those with 3 or 4 year old cameras are looking for something newer.

Sensors are very close to their maximum efficiency, even incremental improvements get expensive. This means that new models will add software features and faster processors with bigger batteries. It doesn't matter who the manufacturer is, if you want to compete price wise, you are limited in what you can do.

Sony's successes have come from miniaturizing products, thats their legacy. Its good that they are sticking to it, because there is a market for smaller products.

Canon's legacy is producing products that are not necessarily the highest technology, but which give the most value for $ spent. Its also a successful strategy, and when combined with supurb customer service and reliability, they are increasing market share. They are very good at making every part of a design earn its cost. They hold back on new features and hardware until the cost or customer demand forces a change.

The two different philosophy's - A miniature hard to repair throw-away product (because its cheaper to replace than repair) versus a conservative and repairable one are the distinguishing things and both seem to work for the respective buyers.
Canon used to be a technology leader. I remember back in 2003 when the 10D came out that working Nikon shooters were ditching their F mount system for EF mount to remain professionally competitive. Canon's advantage was their ISO sensitivity.

Canon continued to be competitive with the 5D Mark II's video feature and is only rivaled by Sony.

Canon is banking on how complete their EF lens system is and know that it is difficult to switch to a Sony or at the very least rather cumbersome.

Sony's success is financed by money from selling the top half of all smartphone image sensors. Comes out as at least 750 image sensors

Again, younger people have less money to shoot casually. They usd to go with basic point & shoots but see more value with smartphones.
 
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ahsanford

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dolina said:
Canon is banking on how complete their EF lens system is and know that it is difficult to switch to a Sony or at the very least rather cumbersome.

Canon aren't just folding their arms saying "EF is sweet and the competition can't match up to it so we don't have to improve anymore."

Quite differently than what you said, I believe Canon isn't banking on horsepower (MP, FPS, 4K) to get and maintain business to the same degree that Nikon and Sony are. There's more to a camera than sensors and throughput, and Canon seems to get that better than everyone else.

- A
 
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Jan 12, 2011
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ahsanford said:
unfocused said:
If it's about the same as the others, then that would lend some credence to my theory that getting to 24-105 and maintaining prime-quality sharpness and affordability is pretty much not possible.

...at the price point a 4-5x FL multiplier f/4 zoom could reasonably command.

The 24-105L II could have been sharper but it would have gotten larger, heavier and more complicated. That probably would have taken it out of the 'relatively affordable walkaround zoom' Canon wanted/needed it to be.

But we're OT, my bad. This is a new body thread.

- A

24-105/4 is a very smart lens for Sony to bring out- it's a great lens for travel and video and makes it easy for people to switch systems- buy one lens and build from there, or- if you're into crystal clear 4K video- buy one native lens and Metabones your EF lenses.
 
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I'll be selling my 5d3 and some rarely used lenses to help fund this camera. It's more or less everything I wanted in the Sony a7r series to give it a shot. I will not be selling my 1dx and favorite lenses though.

This should give a good idea how I like mirrorless and a modern EVF. My first and only mirrorless prior was a Fuji xpro1 and I could not sell it fast enough I was so unhappy.
 
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ahsanford

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Ryananthony said:
I'll be selling my 5d3 and some rarely used lenses to help fund this camera. It's more or less everything I wanted in the Sony a7r series to give it a shot. I will not be selling my 1dx and favorite lenses though.

This should give a good idea how I like mirrorless and a modern EVF. My first and only mirrorless prior was a Fuji xpro1 and I could not sell it fast enough I was so unhappy.

My jaw continues to drop at the lengths people go (and the lessons they learn) to simply try something. Wow.

Dude: did you consider renting first?

- A
 
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ahsanford said:
Canon aren't just folding their arms saying "EF is sweet and the competition can't match up to it so we don't have to improve anymore."

Quite differently than what you said, I believe Canon isn't banking on horsepower (MP, FPS, 4K) to get and maintain business to the same degree that Nikon and Sony are. There's more to a camera than sensors and throughput, and Canon seems to get that better than everyone else.

- A
Yeah, like 1 day turn around for repairs.

That's a lifesaver for working photogs.

Let market forces and competition force improvements. It will only result in better camera systems for all customers.

Unlikely to happen but I hope the memory cards for pro bodies be consolidated to one standard like CFast or XQD.
 
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