The Eyes Have It!

[pierces]

Sony gave me a new camera today. Sort of.

 

Version 3.0 of the firmware for the A7III was released today and I had it installed before the sun was up. I have only had a little while to play with the new auto-Eye-AF and mostly on a variety of still images and the TV until the little blonde grandmonster showed up.

 

Had about one second to snap this before the suddenly-this-year-turned-camera-shy beast dove for the covers.

 

The Eye-AF nailed the right eye and at 1/60s, f/5.6, 105mm and ISO5000, it did a pretty darned good job. I don't know if the Auto White balance got a bump in the firmware but it also did a real nice job on the mixed window/LED house light (this shot is straight out-of-camera JPEG). Her mother will be horrified that I took this without prettifying her hair and all, but I'll just tell her it wasn't a model shoot but a wildlife test case. 🙂

 

So far? Impressive. It is sticky and fast. I will be trying the new continuous tracking out this weekend on my grandson's baseball game and maybe even a time-lapse with the new intervalometer function. 

 

It's nice when a company releases firmware that doesn't just fix stuff you probably wouldn't encounter.

 

Now if they would only turbocharge the APS-C lineup...

 

 

Dave

 

 

Edited April 11, 2019 by pierces

[zackiedawg]

I still get these troublesome visions of a future where I just send my camera out on its own and sit back in the hotel room, and my camera returns with superb travel-magazine-ready photographs of the city.  My car can already drive itself...maybe I can give my car to my camera, and they can both go on a cross-country trip together and share the slideshow with me when they get back?!

🙂

[Victress2007]

Thanks for talking about updates, my A6000 was way out of date.  It's also nice that the instructions are clear and easy to follow on the link.

 

Vic

[pierces]

1 hour ago, zackiedawg said:

I still get these troublesome visions of a future where I just send my camera out on its own and sit back in the hotel room, and my camera returns with superb travel-magazine-ready photographs of the city.  My car can already drive itself...maybe I can give my car to my camera, and they can both go on a cross-country trip together and share the slideshow with me when they get back?!

🙂

 

Does this mean you've gone Luddite on cameras? No more wishlist for the next super APS-C camera from Sony? Will your next birding trip will be with a Holga or something from Fisher-Price?  🙂

 

I get your point. The tools keep getting better (and that's a good thing),  but if it gets to where the camera chooses more than settings and starts suggesting better compositions, I'll find another hobby.

 

Maybe woodcarving with a CNC router table?

 

Dave

[Mr. Click]

And those tools getting better and part are part of what got me to retire 3 years ago...It is just too easy to go out and make great pictures now.

 

Dave, that little one looks somewhere between a year and two years. They are quicker and harder to photograph than an NFL running back.  They really are.  My two, age 4 1/2 and almost 2 really are that quick.  I love that look on her face.

[pierces]

1 hour ago, Mr. Click said:

And those tools getting better and part are part of what got me to retire 3 years ago...It is just too easy to go out and make great pictures now.

 

Dave, that little one looks somewhere between a year and two years. They are quicker and harder to photograph than an NFL running back.  They really are.  My two, age 4 1/2 and almost 2 really are that quick.  I love that look on her face.

 

It's easy to make good pictures but you still have to drag your butt off the couch and do some work to get a great one. 😉 

 

I keep telling myself that.

 

Dave

[Mr. Click]

9 hours ago, pierces said:

 

It's easy to make good pictures but you still have to drag your butt off the couch and do some work to get a great one. 😉 

 

I keep telling myself that.

 

Dave

You are right Dave.  I saw a lot of that on our recent trip to some of the national parks a few weeks ago.  You could ride along the roads and walk around the viewpoint parking lots and see a lot of beauty but by taking a walk along a river bed, climbing a half mile trail, going behind a waterfall you could make great images.  It just takes a little more time and effort and the rewards are amazing.