Photo Wednesday: why I changed to Sony A7 III

The beginning of 2019 is not only new goals for me, but also new equipment. Finally, I returned to the full frame with the Sony A7 III. Where does this choice come from and why do I think it is the best camera for 2019?

Photo-Wednesday is a cycle in which we show photographic curiosities, we suggest how to choose equipment and take better pictures, as well as reveal the techniques of processing and editing programs.

At the beginning, a brief outline of what the camera needs for me, and over the years it changed quite a lot. Even 6-7 years ago I was involved in wedding photography and other occasional orders. At that time, I was very pleased to use the Nikon D700, my first digital full frame and 35mm camera. I loved this SLR camera.

I could not say the same about photography cutlet Because I quickly decided that this is not an industry that I would like to devote to years. In the meantime, I started a full-time job at Spider's Web, which gradually absorbed my time. There were more and more frequent trips, and I was more and more tempted by mirrorless cameras, mainly due to the small size. I switched to a Sony Nex 6 camera, with a short episode on the Fujifilm X-E1.

All the time I missed the quality of the full frame. After tasting this matrix format, returning to APS-C is difficult. As a result, I returned to Nikon, but in a more contemporary (or rather: then) release, namely the D750 SLR. I loved her and I was completely satisfied with her for about two years. This camera would have a life sentence for me, if it were not for the fact that my work was going more and more towards video.

When I started making more films than pictures, the D750 stopped checking and I started looking for a camera with better recording. After very long deliberations and the complete rejection of the Micro Four Thirds format, the APS-C format in the form of the Sony A6300 was re-written. It was not the best camera for photos, but it was great - although compromise - for recording. Over the course of 2018, I made 114 films (!), Including several large and complex orders for demanding clients.

Sony A6300 has a lot of advantages, but at the same time has many compromises.

When I bought this camera, its price was about 4500 zlotys. Even then, the equipment offered one of the best price-quality relations. Today the A6300 costs 2,700 PLN, making it probably the most cost-effective video choice at the moment. The super-sharp 4K image, flat image profiles and very efficient autofocus are the strongest features of this equipment.

Unfortunately, the camera also has numerous drawbacks. Contrary to appearances, they are not small size, bad balance, poor ergonomics or short battery life. You can easily deal with each of these problems. Just invest in an external cage and a handful of spare batteries that are so small that they do not take up space in your luggage.

Much bigger problem is the picture in Full HD, which is quite soapy, so it's better to record in 4K and release the project in Full HD. Unfortunately, there is another problem in 4K, which is an extremely large rolling shutter. It can be seen not only when filming dynamic shots, but also when filming a variety of objects, including ... smartphones, which I record very often. In addition, Sony A6300 has very average quality in slow-motion mode.

The inconvenience is also the heating up of the equipment. Sony and movie frames helped here, but the fact is that in sunny weather or in warm interiors, you had to get a lot of headway if you had to do a few hours project. It is not impossible, but it is very tedious. The big problem of the A6300 is the lack of a headphone jack for audio monitoring.

If we add a few annoying features resulting directly from the miniature construction (such as a memory card hidden under the battery cover), after a full year of work and 114 materials, I was more and more quite Sony A6300. I knew exactly what my next purchase would be.

Sony A7 III is a camera that was created for people like me.

In May 2018, after two weeks of testing Sony A7 III , in my review of this equipment was this sentence:

After the Sony A7 III test, I know one thing: sooner or later it will be my private camera.

The equipment currently costs 9.5 thousand. zł. Much? Only seemingly. In the case of commercial work, such an expense is paid very quickly, and in addition to the capabilities of this apparatus, the amount is fully justified. Rivals are much more expensive, and at the same time do not offer such versatility.

Why Sony A7 III? First of all due to the full frame matrix, giving a completely different comfort of work. High ISO is not terrible, either in the pictures or in the film. Not only is the noise low, we have a huge tonal range. In terms of video, the camera gives great quality 4K movies, with full sensor reading (6K) and oversampling. What's more, the matrix is ​​stabilized, which gives definitely more possibilities. By the way, I finally have very good slow-motion (100 or 120 frames in Full HD), without any crop.

In addition, camera autofocus is simply unearthly. This is not surprising, because it comes straight from the top Sony A9, costing over 17 thousand for the moment. zł. It's really hard to get excited when you see Eye AF mode during photos. I miss this element in video somewhat, but I have face detection that I can not fault anything.

Ergonomics is incomparable with the Sony A6300. Button layout, touch screen, AF point joystick, several customizable buttons, microphone and headphone jack - all this significantly affects the comfort and quality of work. For this camera has a much better battery, no problems with overheating, and the icing on the cake is a dual SD card slot with the possibility of parallel video recording on both cards. Backup created live gives peace of mind.

In addition, Sony A7 III allows you to go into APS-C mode with one touch, without affecting the image quality during filming. This makes one prime lens can give two different viewing angles.

There is no rose without the spikes, i.e. what I will miss after changing from Sony A6300 to A7 III.

For sure I will miss a compact, miniature to the limit size of the camera, which worked well in my applications. I am often on the road, be it Poland or abroad, so the mobility of the equipment is an important criterion for me. In addition, I really like working on gimbau, where smaller size works better.

While the body is small, full frame lenses are so great. Until then, I will be testing a solution for light , that is a gimbal duet of Sony 28 mm f / 2.0 and Sony 50 mm f / 1.8 lenses. Larger lenses will serve me for photos.

Secondly, the A7 III has a screen that works well in video ... worse than the A6300 screen. Although the size is similar, the proportions are different. The screen in the A6300 is 16: 9, so ideally for video, while in the A7 III it has something between 3: 2 and 4: 3, which is better suited for photos, but the image in the video is smaller. Perhaps I will have to get around by buying an external monitor.

I will certainly miss the ... hack taking off the recording limits from A7 III. Such a hack was available in the A6300 as an application. In A7 III the manufacturer removed access to the PlayMemories store, and thus, the ability to upload its own applications.

Sony A7 III also has some potential disadvantages.

At this moment, the limit seems to be to limit the video to 8 bits, even when outputting via HDMI. The camera records the 8 bit 4: 2: 0 image internally, and transmits to the recorder a maximum of 8 bit 4: 2: 2. In practice, this means that fun in the S-Log flat profile remains ... well, just fun. Fortunately, I have developed an effective workflow on the Cine 4 profile, which handles well on eight bits.

A potential disadvantage is also the light crop of the image (specifically x1,2) in 4K mode at 30 fps. He is not available for recording in 24 and 25 fps, which I use. It is possible that one day you will need to record material in 30 fps, and then the angle of view of the glasses will be slightly narrower.

You can also have remarks on the viewfinder. It is better than the A6300 in every respect (the size is almost impossible to compare), but it hurts me a bit, it's not the level of the Sony A7R III and A9 visors. Something, however, needed to break the price of A7 III.

The price of lenses can also be a problem. The Sony G Master glasses are damned good, but equally expensive. Fortunately, there are many alternatives. There are very interesting and great optically Samyangi with autofocus, is the first third-rod raisin-zoom in the form of Tamron 28-75, and the Sony constant with the f / 1.8 and f / 2.0 glow is growing, which in my applications is quite sufficient.

The camera also lacks the upper display, which I got used to after Canon EOS R. It's a pity that Sony avoids this solution.

For the moment Sony A7 III I consider the optimal choice.

The equipment is just starting to work for me, although for now it serves me for private purposes, mainly for photographing my daughter. It works perfectly well. Autofocus, ISO sensitivity, artificial light work and even skin tone (which has always been Sony's problem) - it's all at a much higher level than my previous camera.

In the coming weeks I have to implement several major commercial projects and I hope that the A7 III will not let me down. After a long time of work, a long-distance review of this equipment will definitely appear on Spider's Web.

Photo Wednesday: why I changed to Sony A7 III