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Sony a7 iii - looks to be a game changer


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https://www.sony.com/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-7m3-body-kit

 

Uh oh. I've been telling people about a year ago that the next gen Sonys should be the ones to finally push mirrorless over the top. This looks to be it.

 

This is their "basic" model. Nikon held its own against the a7r iii with the d850, but they're going to have to really step it up with the D750 successor.

 

I know Sony's weatherproofing is crap, but I've never needed it. I just take family and vacation photos with my gear so I baby it. This is finally the one that convinces me to switch over from Nikon.

 

My mind is just spinning at how so many people are going to be able to take amazing pro like photos now. Just imagine hobbyists with this thing and an Arsenal attached.

 

So, where's a good place to sell used gear? :)

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So, where's a good place to sell used gear? :)

 

KEH.

 

I've sold equipment there. They are as fair as any of them and prompt.

 

Just a small correction....

The original game changer was the NEX-5 e-mount camera back in 2010, we just didn't realize it when it happened.

 

:)

 

Dave

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http://enthusiastphotoblog.com/2018/02/26/sony-a7iii-thoughts/

 

It’s a game changer in the same way the D750 was 2014-2016 —- it was an extremely capable “basic model” that hit all the right notes and was superior to the competition at the price point.

 

The D750 offered too AF, top IQ, a semi-pro body that offered dual card slots, good speed (6.5 fps was good for full frame cameras at the time) —- sound familiar.

At the time — the 6d lagged behind in AF, IQ, and professional features (not a 100% VF, only single card slot). The a7ii was still immature (mediocre af system, not class leading IQ, terrible battery life, poor body design, fairly slow)

 

Now, for $2000 or less... the a7iii blows past the competition. Of course, Nikon could potentially come out with something even better tomorrow. (Canon already launched their mediocre 6dii)

 

I do think this camera, at this price point, will bring switchers.

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I'm not going to switch - I recently got a wide-angle for my A6300s!

 

Why is having duo-chip availability important? Wouldn't larger chips be sufficient? Or does it insure you against failure if one chip goes sour? (I usually carry a couple of spares in my pocket).

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I'm not going to switch - I recently got a wide-angle for my A6300s!

 

Why is having duo-chip availability important? Wouldn't larger chips be sufficient? Or does it insure you against failure if one chip goes sour? (I usually carry a couple of spares in my pocket).

 

I think it's overrated, but it does protect against card failure. It also can be convenient -- For example:

1 -- Use 1 card for images and 1 card for videos, instead of having them mixed on 1 card.

2 -- Using 1 card for RAWs and 1 card for JPEGs

3-- Having a duplicate card so you can just hand off 1 set of the images to the client or whomever, while also keeping the main card for yourself.

 

No, everyone shouldn't rush out and upgrade. But if you were considering upgrading to full frame... at this price point and specs... I could see this camera putting you over the edge (Pierce?)

You get the same resolution as the A6300/A6500 -- But you will likely get improved perceived resolution. While still 24mp, your images will mostly appear sharper.

Pretty significant IQ jump from the A6300/A6500, especially if you really use all the dynamic range

Greatly improved eye AF. Much better battery life. Most (not all) people will prefer the ergonomics of the A7iii over the A6300/A6500 -- Better button placement, better dials, joystick control. Improved silent shutter over the A6300/A6500.

 

Of course adding lenses will add up. But in terms of body, I would definitely much rather pay $2000 for the A7iii instead of $1300 for the A6500 -- Very easily worth the $700 more.

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It's a great entry point into full frame at that price and it should prove popular. It doesn't pull me over, but my main photography is in an area where APS-C still holds some advantages since much of my shooting is at the longest telephoto reaches - if I did go full frame, I'd be leaning more towards the A7RIII with the 42MP sensor, which would come closest to delivering the resolution on target at crop equivalent as my A6300 (at 18MP cropped, the 42MP sensor still falls a little short of the 24MP I can put on a subject now). I do still hold hopes that a lot of this tech will come along in the next upgrade of the A6xxx series - anything from a touched-up 24MP APS-C sensor to maybe up to 30-32MP, the A9 processing engine and larger buffer, the new Z battery, and maybe a few other perks like improved weather sealing or slightly larger EVF. So far, the A7RIII is the biggest temptation yet for going full-frame...but not quite enough to sway me over yet.

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It's a great entry point into full frame at that price and it should prove popular. It doesn't pull me over, but my main photography is in an area where APS-C still holds some advantages since much of my shooting is at the longest telephoto reaches - if I did go full frame, I'd be leaning more towards the A7RIII with the 42MP sensor, which would come closest to delivering the resolution on target at crop equivalent as my A6300 (at 18MP cropped, the 42MP sensor still falls a little short of the 24MP I can put on a subject now). I do still hold hopes that a lot of this tech will come along in the next upgrade of the A6xxx series - anything from a touched-up 24MP APS-C sensor to maybe up to 30-32MP, the A9 processing engine and larger buffer, the new Z battery, and maybe a few other perks like improved weather sealing or slightly larger EVF. So far, the A7RIII is the biggest temptation yet for going full-frame...but not quite enough to sway me over yet.

 

Yes... for your type of photography, birding, etc, I wouldn't expect the A7iii to be much of a temptation. (I think Pierce would be more tempted).

 

But I wonder --- if the A6900 came out, priced at $2000.... The A9 battery, joystick, 20 fps with electronic rolling-free shutter, no blackout EVF, dual cards, UHS-II support for deeper faster buffer... would that tempt you?

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Yes... for your type of photography, birding, etc, I wouldn't expect the A7iii to be much of a temptation. (I think Pierce would be more tempted).

 

But I wonder --- if the A6900 came out, priced at $2000.... The A9 battery, joystick, 20 fps with electronic rolling-free shutter, no blackout EVF, dual cards, UHS-II support for deeper faster buffer... would that tempt you?

 

Re A7III: If I jump to FF, the A7rIII would be the reason.

 

Re theoretical A6900 being tempting: Does a pig have a pork butt? :)

 

Dave

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Re A7III: If I jump to FF, the A7rIII would be the reason.

 

Re theoretical A6900 being tempting: Does a pig have a pork butt? :)

 

Dave

 

Maybe I should sell you my A7riii and I should take the A7iii..

 

In seriousness, now that I'm used to the A7riii, I'm keeping it. But if they had released both models at the same time, I probably would have been all over the "value" A7iii, instead of "wasting" another thousand dollars on the A7riii just for more resolution and better EVF/LCD.

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Maybe I should sell you my A7riii and I should take the A7iii..

 

In seriousness, now that I'm used to the A7riii, I'm keeping it. But if they had released both models at the same time, I probably would have been all over the "value" A7iii, instead of "wasting" another thousand dollars on the A7riii just for more resolution and better EVF/LCD.

 

I probably won't make a move until the end of the year. I'm still hoping the APS-C Fairy will whack Sony with her wand and something amazing will fall out.

 

If not, I'll count up the plusses and minuses and see what happens. If the A7III is the worst case scenario, life is pretty sweet.

 

Dave

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Yes... for your type of photography, birding, etc, I wouldn't expect the A7iii to be much of a temptation. (I think Pierce would be more tempted).

 

But I wonder --- if the A6900 came out, priced at $2000.... The A9 battery, joystick, 20 fps with electronic rolling-free shutter, no blackout EVF, dual cards, UHS-II support for deeper faster buffer... would that tempt you?

 

Tempt me? It would tie me up, punch me in the mouth, waterboard me, and make me its bee-yatch. Yeah - I'd be all over that with a 24mp to 36mp APS-C sensor.

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http://enthusiastphotoblog.com/2018/02/26/sony-a7iii-thoughts/

 

It’s a game changer in the same way the D750 was 2014-2016 —- it was an extremely capable “basic model” that hit all the right notes and was superior to the competition at the price point.

 

Now, for $2000 or less... the a7iii blows past the competition. Of course, Nikon could potentially come out with something even better tomorrow. (Canon already launched their mediocre 6dii)

 

I do think this camera, at this price point, will bring switchers.

 

That was my feeling too, that it feels like when the D750 came out. That camera was the reason we finally decided to switch to full frame. But yes, we rarely shoot animals. If I were a birder like Pierces, than I would have been eying the D500.

 

Yes... for your type of photography, birding, etc, I wouldn't expect the A7iii to be much of a temptation. (I think Pierce would be more tempted).

 

But I wonder --- if the A6900 came out, priced at $2000.... The A9 battery, joystick, 20 fps with electronic rolling-free shutter, no blackout EVF, dual cards, UHS-II support for deeper faster buffer... would that tempt you?

 

That would tempt me too. I think the A7 iii is the tipping point. Now that it's out, the next A6XXX is going to have to really up its game too. The form factor of the A6XXX still really pulls at me as more of a travel photographer, even though it generally doesn't have specs that fit me. But I may be willing to compromise. :)

 

Exciting times. But odd, as Nikon uses Sony sensors a lot. Canon looks like it's trying to die a slow death or something. The new M50 looks promising at first glance, but then you discover they shoot themselves in the foot rendering it pretty useless. They've had a string of releases that make it look like they're going backwards. And we need Canon to jump in the game and help push things forward. Maybe Fuji is going to replace Canon in the big/top 3 in the next few years?

 

And thanks for the rec on KEH. I was pretty much stuck with eBay and a poor Craigslist market before this.

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I think Canon is making the same mistake with protecting it's higher-end cameras that Sony made with music. When music went digital, Sony refused to sell music at $1 per song and clung to the $20 album sales model. They had the brand history with the Walkman and if they had gone for the fast nickel instead of the slow dime, we wouldn't know what an iPod was these days.

 

Companies make odd decisions sometimes and occasionally, the cost of a wrong decision is fatally large.

 

Dave

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I think Canon is making the same mistake with protecting it's higher-end cameras that Sony made with music. When music went digital, Sony refused to sell music at $1 per song and clung to the $20 album sales model. They had the brand history with the Walkman and if they had gone for the fast nickel instead of the slow dime, we wouldn't know what an iPod was these days.

 

Companies make odd decisions sometimes and occasionally, the cost of a wrong decision is fatally large.

 

Dave

 

Let’s not mourn for Canon —- they are obviously doing something right, they are the only major brand -growing- in market share.

 

Nikon has been losing market share — they can’t hit a good note outside of small market high end products.

Sony is also going the high end route — they are converting customers to more expensive products but not growing their customer base at lower price points.

The Canon Rebels and “M” cameras continue to grow market share. And plenty of pros are still buying 5div’s and 1dxii’s.

 

Canon takes the mantra of “slow and steady wins the race.”

They often aren’t the first to innovate but they refine and catch up. For example, their dual pixel has led to their DSLRs becoming hybrid mirrorless cameras. One of my main objections to the d850– I shouldn’t have to deal with slow live view anymore.

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I dunno. There was a great article I can't find anymore, but they basically worry that Canon is growing marketshare at the ultra low end, but not with anything good that is likely to get those new customers to stick with Canon or even DSLRs.

 

They just put out the M50, which looks good at first, but it's main highlight is video but they crop the already cropped sensor for 4K and you can't use their dual pixel auto focus for 4K. So, it's just a regular HD camera? For nearly $1,000? In 2018?

 

The 6D Mk II was a big dud in comparison too.

 

I dunno. Sony is refining. I don't see it in Canon. Nikon is refining a bit, but Sony is doing more faster.

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I dunno. There was a great article I can't find anymore, but they basically worry that Canon is growing marketshare at the ultra low end, but not with anything good that is likely to get those new customers to stick with Canon or even DSLRs.

 

They just put out the M50, which looks good at first, but it's main highlight is video but they crop the already cropped sensor for 4K and you can't use their dual pixel auto focus for 4K. So, it's just a regular HD camera? For nearly $1,000? In 2018?

 

The 6D Mk II was a big dud in comparison too.

 

I dunno. Sony is refining. I don't see it in Canon. Nikon is refining a bit, but Sony is doing more faster.

 

It's not that I disagree..... but Canon has something like 50% market share. They can afford to let others take the lead in innovation, see what works, and then catch up. (As long as they don't fall tooooo far behind).

 

On the low end, they are probably offering far more than Sony or Nikon. Nikon cameras all still have absolutely horrible live view autofocus. Meanwhile, Sony doesn't have a camera under $1,000 with a touch screen -- and low end users do expect that.

So Canon is the only major brand really still serving those customers. It's almost as if Sony and Nikon have given up on those customers, since most of them have simply moved on to smart phone. But Canon is the only one still serving those remaining customers... and therefore growing market share.

 

As to high end users -- Remember, high end users have glass investments, pro support considerations, and simply brand familiarity. Most aren't going to switch to another brand simply because it has a few additional features or a bit more dynamic range. Most professionals today are still shooting Canon, and it's not like you're seeing a stampede for the exits. Canon still has fantastic glass and usually at the best prices. Canon still has the greatest amount of professional support and infrastructure. The 1Dxii and the 5D4 are still absolutely stellar cameras. Of all the camera companies, they are in the safest market position right now. (Nikon is losing market share quickly, mostly on the low end, because they haven't have an exciting camera below the D500: Sony is doing well upselling expensive full frame mirrorless cameras but they have benefited from being the only game in town in that market. What happens when Canon (and Nikon) enter that market? All those people currently adapting Canon lenses to the Sony A7riii may find reason to switch back to Canon. So Nikon has been doing poorly. Sony has been doing well but their position may actually be fragile. In terms of actual business plan, Canon is in the most solid position).

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http://enthusiastphotoblog.com/2018/02/26/sony-a7iii-thoughts/

 

The D750 offered too AF, top IQ, a semi-pro body that offered dual card slots, good speed (6.5 fps was good for full frame cameras at the time) —- sound familiar.

 

IMHO there is nothing semi-pro about the D750 it is a top level armature camera. D500, D810, D850 are semi-pro, D5=pro.

 

framer

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Well, that's a tempting piece of kit, isn't it?

 

I'm not that long into my a6500 stage, so I don't see this jump just yet, but I'll definitely look at one the next time I'm at B&H. The specs really make me think this is "the" camera for the non-professional enthusiast, where the rIII may be better suited for a pro.

 

Darn...:confused::confused::confused:

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I gotta say, I really like those recommendations. Well done.

 

What in the world is the difference between a top/high level amateur/enthusiast vs a semi-pro? Is there an actual difference, or is it really just semantics? Kind of like how companies may refer to their camera as weather sealed, but have varying numbers of seals in their cameras but all are still referred to as "weather sealed". Or, in the case of Sony, having lots of seals and calling it weather sealed, but I guess the seals don't do anything (or they missed critical seals)?

 

https://www.imaging-resource.com/articles/2017-weather-testing-nikon-d850-vs-sony-a7riii-canon-5div-olympus-e-m1II

 

:')

 

 

Even with my "weather sealed" D750, I just stay out of the water. Or cover it with a bag taped up to keep moisture out.

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I gotta say, I really like those recommendations. Well done.

 

What in the world is the difference between a top/high level amateur/enthusiast vs a semi-pro? Is there an actual difference, or is it really just semantics? Kind of like how companies may refer to their camera as weather sealed, but have varying numbers of seals in their cameras but all are still referred to as "weather sealed". Or, in the case of Sony, having lots of seals and calling it weather sealed, but I guess the seals don't do anything (or they missed critical seals)?

 

https://www.imaging-resource.com/articles/2017-weather-testing-nikon-d850-vs-sony-a7riii-canon-5div-olympus-e-m1II

 

:')

 

 

Even with my "weather sealed" D750, I just stay out of the water. Or cover it with a bag taped up to keep moisture out.

 

Interesting review. My Olympus EM-1 Mark II seems to be a great choice for all-weather use. No leaks even in the heavy rains on whale-watching excursions in Alaska.

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Sony, having lots of seals and calling it weather sealed, but I guess the seals don't do anything (or they missed critical seals)?

 

\

 

It's an odd oversight. The camera is very well sealed except for the base plate. Maybe they assumed that rain falls from the sky and you wouldn't set your camera in a puddle? Maybe the battery grip completes the job? Odd.

 

Having shot with mostly weather fragile cameras all my life and treating them as such, this isn't a deal breaker for me but I still find it to be an odd design choice and would love to hear the reasoning behind it.

 

I have now read enough about the A7III to be very interested in the detailed reviews which should hit pretty soon.

 

Dave

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I gotta say, I really like those recommendations. Well done.

 

What in the world is the difference between a top/high level amateur/enthusiast vs a semi-pro? Is there an actual difference, or is it really just semantics? Kind of like how companies may refer to their camera as weather sealed, but have varying numbers of seals in their cameras but all are still referred to as "weather sealed". Or, in the case of Sony, having lots of seals and calling it weather sealed, but I guess the seals don't do anything (or they missed critical seals)?

 

https://www.imaging-resource.com/articles/2017-weather-testing-nikon-d850-vs-sony-a7riii-canon-5div-olympus-e-m1II

 

:')

 

 

Even with my "weather sealed" D750, I just stay out of the water. Or cover it with a bag taped up to keep moisture out.

 

Difference the s really only whether one earns money. A semi pro is actually earning some semi regular income from photography. For a high level enthusiast, it's purely hobby. Obviously, there is overlap and many enthusiasts may be more advanced than some semi-pros.

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