Sony announces a7 iii

[BeenThere]

Surprise announcement of a7 III with a new 24.2 M pixel BSI sensor and 4K video. All for $2 k (U.S.).

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/news/wppi-2018-sony-surprises-with-a7-iii-camera-release

 

[LensFungus]

This makes the Canon 6D II look like your unwanted stepchild.

 

[BeenThere]

Add a 28-70 mm kit lens for only $200 more!

 

[BeenThere]

WPPI press event video. Also announces Sony CEO change.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/live-blog/live-blog-sony-press-conference-at-wppi

 

[ritholtz]

This makes the Canon 6D II look like your unwanted stepchild.

Seems like a nice package for the price. They can even do a sub $1000 model which can easily beat 6d2 specs. Hoping for Sony to throw some cheap crop mirrorless offerings and some cheap lens. Or throw in a sub $1000 FF camera to gain market share before Canon and Nikon shows their hands.

 

[snoke]

More Sigma E-mount autofocus lens too. Now all primes.

 

[ritholtz]

More Sigma E-mount autofocus lens too. Now all primes.

If some one buying Sigma lens, is it safe to go with Sony body in terms of having less focusing issues with on sensor focusing system.

 

[aceflibble]

With their recent battery improvements, I gotta say I'm coming increasingly close to ditching all of my current systems—Canon, Fujifilm, Phase—and picking up Sony instead. I'd likely still keep something like a 7D and one white telephoto for more casual wildlife use, but for all actual work, the α7/9 line has always been tempting and this α7III finally ticks every box. (Especially as I never use the EVF on mirrorless systems, anyway, and that seems to be the main trade-off here.)

The other Sonys have felt like a bit too much of a gamble to risk a full-time switch, but everything about this looks like a sure bet.

 

[Chaitanya]

Very good upgrades over previous generation. Usb type-C, dual sd slots(uhs-ii), good video features. Now wish sony offered a good after sales service in India similar to Canon/Nikon I might consider switch(also this system is still missing lenses that I use but after seeing Sigma come out with full support I wont be too long before we see long macros). This announcement just a day after Canon's launch seems like Sonys attempt to overshadow crappy Canon camera release

 

[Tahoejr]

Sony lens ecosystem still has a ways to go but their last 3 camera announcements have certainly impressed. Wonder if a Canon mirrorless prototype is being re-spec'd as of yesterday.

 

[ritholtz]

Something is going on with sensor. It shows vertical stripes with back lit subject. May be a DR problem? or Too many phase detest wasted pixels? May be a software issue. If you zoom into model face, it is very bad in some pics. I doubt if any pixel peeper happy about it.

https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/TS4000x6000~sample_galleries/6769434587/7523984324.jpg

 

[raptor3x]

Something is going on with sensor. It shows vertical stripes with back lit subject. May be a DR problem? or Too many phase detest wasted pixels? May be a software issue. If you zoom into model face, it is very bad in some pics. I doubt if any pixel peeper happy about it.

https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/TS4000x6000~sample_galleries/6769434587/7523984324.jpg

Something that gross has to be some kind of demosaicing issue associated with the phase detect pixels. I would be very surprised if that still occurs with production bodies.

 

[IglooEater]

Surprise announcement of a7 III with a new 24.2 M pixel BSI sensor and 4K video. All for $2 k (U.S.).

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/news/wppi-2018-sony-surprises-with-a7-iii-camera-release

Yup. Sony’s becoming a serious player these days. That’s decently spec’d for its price. If they worked on their lens prices I just might give them a thought.

 

[aceflibble]

Something is going on with sensor. It shows vertical stripes with back lit subject. May be a DR problem? or Too many phase detest wasted pixels? May be a software issue. If you zoom into model face, it is very bad in some pics. I doubt if any pixel peeper happy about it.

https://2.img-dpreview.com/files/p/TS4000x6000~sample_galleries/6769434587/7523984324.jpg

Fuji cameras had this problem, too, and it was solved with a slight redesign to the shell. It's got nothing to do with phase detect or the software. just too much stray light hitting the sensor at a problematic angle. (Hence why it only appears when shooting into light or a backlit subject.)

Fuji fixed it fairly quickly, and these Sony bodies being used are pre-production, so there's no reason to believe the final commercial units will display this issue.

 

[Kit Lens Jockey]

Does anyone have any extensive experience using Canon lenses adapted over to Sony's newer cameras? I'm most interested in how it does shooting people in low light. I'd love to take advantage of the eye autofocus the Sonys have, but I get the sense that with Canon glass in low light, advanced AF features like that may not work so great.

Right now I have a 5D4 with a 5D3 as a backup that gets used extremely rarely. I'm really thinking about picking up an A7 III with a metabones adapter, so then my secondary camera could be something worthwhile that brings its own features to the table as opposed to the 5D3 that just collects dust as an outdated camera I just keep around in case of a failure with the 5D4.

 

[Ryananthony]

Does anyone have any extensive experience using Canon lenses adapted over to Sony's newer cameras? I'm most interested in how it does shooting people in low light. I'd love to take advantage of the eye autofocus the Sonys have, but I get the sense that with Canon glass in low light, advanced AF features like that may not work so great.

Right now I have a 5D4 with a 5D3 as a backup that gets used extremely rarely. I'm really thinking about picking up an A7 III with a metabones adapter, so then my secondary camera could be something worthwhile that brings its own features to the table as opposed to the 5D3 that just collects dust as an outdated camera I just keep around in case of a failure with the 5D4.

Have you tried YouTube? There are endless videos about it.

 

[Kit Lens Jockey]

Yes, I've watched them, they're all pretty pedantic. I just want to know, overall, in all the varied situations that most people encounter when using a camera, does using Canon lenses on the newer Sony bodies hold up well, or is it just too finicky and imprecise for serious work?

 

[bwud]

Yes, I've watched them, they're all pretty pedantic. I just want to know, overall, in all the varied situations that most people encounter when using a camera, does using Canon lenses on the newer Sony bodies hold up well, or is it just too finicky and imprecise for serious work?

There are too many combinations and variables to draw the conclusion. Which lenses, which bodies, which adapters?

In all cases it’s reverse engineered protocol.

 

[R1-7D]

Yes, I've watched them, they're all pretty pedantic. I just want to know, overall, in all the varied situations that most people encounter when using a camera, does using Canon lenses on the newer Sony bodies hold up well, or is it just too finicky and imprecise for serious work?

The Camera Store just released a good video on the adapter situation. Might be worth checking out, if you have not already done so.

 

[Talys]

Yes, I've watched them, they're all pretty pedantic. I just want to know, overall, in all the varied situations that most people encounter when using a camera, does using Canon lenses on the newer Sony bodies hold up well, or is it just too finicky and imprecise for serious work?

I've given it a pretty serious spin, and my verdict is... it depends on what you shoot, how important it is, and what focal length you need.

1. You do NOT get, on pretty much every adapted lens is any of the subject tracking modes. So that means, where the camera locks onto a subject, and follows it around. It's totally useless to me, but DPR and some other reviewers seem to think that this is the best thing ever. Since more DR, anyways.

2. You do NOT get center point + expanding points (flexible zone expanding points, or some such as they call it). Basically, this is the mode where it's some movable point, and if there's nothing to AF on, it searches the 8 adjacent points. This is kind of sad for patio birding, for example with an adapted 70-200 2.8 IS II.

3. You do NOT get magnified focus Autofocus. This is a One Shot (or AF-S as they call it) autofocus feature, where a magnifier comes up, for example at 6.2x magnificantion, and there is a + reticle. This allows you to AF on one specific part of the subject. Works much better with a fixed lens (for example, resting on railing, on a tripod, etc.)

What you DO get:

4. Autofocus works, but it is a little slower than native lens (enough to notice). The difference gets more and more pronounced as the focal range gets bigger and the aperture gets smaller.

5. Autofocus hunts more than native lenses, but its not bad.

6. It's better with wideish adapted lenses, lke 16-35/4 and 24-70/2.8 and 24-70/4LII. Definitely good with 70-200L/2.8 II.

7. Eye AF works!! and pretty well with adapted lens, too.