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The Sony A7S III also boasts even better dynamic range than its predecessor – if you’re a videographer recording in S-log, you get a class-leading 15-stops of dynamic range, compared to 12 stops on the A7S II. 2. Video quality Well, look no further, because we’re about to run through the Alpha 7 models in turn, going through the strengths and weaknesses of each one. Read on to find the perfect Alpha 7 camera for your photography... The Sony a7 and Sony a7 II
Sony has improved the handling of each successive model. Consequently, the A7R V’s handling is significantly better than the A7R’s and quite a bit better than the A7R IV’s. Sony’s most recent camera feature a touch-screen, but Sony only made full use of it with the A7R V. With the A7R IV and A7R III, it’s only really useful for zooming in and out of images or setting the AF point. There’s no question that the A7S II’s stabilisation is useful for stills and video shooting, and it’s worth switching it to the active mode for video, but it’s a stretch to call it gimbal-like. It’s handy for taking out those fine shakes and tremors that come with hand-holding a camera, but a gimbal like the Zhiyun Crane 2S is still a good call for run-and-gun video. Colour and Exposure While it looks very similar to the A7R IV and A7 III, the A7S III is a little different because it has a variable screen (whoop!). It means it’s a millimetre or two larger here and there. In addition to its impressive resolution, the viewfinder has magnification of 0.91x, which means it's very large. An eye-point of 25mm means you're likely to be able to see to the corners of the display even with glasses on but there's a 'zoom out' option that uses a smaller area of the screen if it's not sufficient. Articulating screen
Sample Images
A stunning new 9.44m-dot electronic viewfinder offers QXGA (2048 x 1536) resolution and a huge 0.9x magnification I evaluated these clips on a native 4k display and found them to look pretty similar at the starting point of 1600 ISO – although as with my outdoor resolution test, I found the A7r II APSC clip looked slightly more sharpened, while the A7r II full-frame clip looked a little softer. But for noise levels they were similar. With 61 million effective pixels on their full-frame sensors, the Sony A7R IV and Sony A7R V are the highest resolution cameras in the A7 range. Their high pixel counts enable the two camera to capture a huge amount of detail and, thanks to Sony’s fantastic sensor-building knowhow and the BSI design, noise is controlled well. That said, we’d recommend making ISO 12,800 the top value you use if possible. No, you've got that wrong. The top cameras are all high MP. Only some sports and PJ type cameras are 20mp, which is still quite a bit more than 12mp. Nikon is about to release a top tier high MP camera. Sony and Canon already have them, with more on the way. In the past, the argument against one has been that a vari-angle hinge is less robust than a fixed screen and that ‘most dedicated videographers use an external monitor’. Those two points may still be true, but one of the key benefits of using a camera like the A7S III is its small size. If you start having to add an external monitor it makes it bigger and heavier.
Whether or not you need a 10-bit full-frame video camera is another matter –if depends on where you're planning to publish your videos and how much grading you tend to do. An 8-bit camera like the A7S II may still be fine for your needs, and it's also worth bearing in mind that there are more affordable 10-bit cameras (albeit with smaller sensors) than the A7S III, such as the Panasonic GH5. 3. Design Richard, Rishi, as I understand Baseline ISO or Native ISO is the Sensitivity (according to the Standards) that passively collect Photons.No gain, No Amplification. Sony’s Alpha 7 (Sony a7) range has been one of the most exciting ongoing surprises in the camera world over the past few years. Ever since the firm dropped a proverbial bombshell into the camera market by bringing out two full-frame small mirrorless models with beefy resolution capabilities, it has been dropping updates, new models and lenses alike to create a truly enticing system. This is more than just a video camera though, and stills captured indoors look stunning, with simple incidental shots in dimly lit environments exhibiting an ambience and clarity usually missing from out-of-the-camera photos. In fact, we're confused about where the stated 'ISO 3200' even comes from- we measured ISO 640 levels of hardware amplification (by comparing clipping levels in Raw files for ISO 3200 SLog2 shots vs all other ISOs, finding that clipping occurred for the same tones in the scene at ISO 640 vs. a SLog2 ISO 3200 file).While it is primarily aimed at videographers, the Sony AS III is still able to shoot stills and could appeal to photographers looking for a low-light camera. But to put it in perspective we’re talking very low light levels before you’ll notice much difference. In my own tests, both the A7s II and A7r II could autofocus equally well with the FE 55mm f1.8 under light levels that demanded 25600 ISO to achieve a shutter speed of 1/30 at f1.8. It was only when the light was reduced to levels that required 51200 ISO or faster to achieve 1/30 at f1.8 that the A7r II became noticeably less confident, or unable to autofocus at all. One of the biggest differences between the Sony A7S III and A7S II is battery life, with Sony's new video flagship getting a significant upgrade thanks to the inclusion of its Z battery. Sony has also responded to one of the biggest requests made for the A7S III and given it a vari-angle touchscreen. That means it’s easier to see the scene then you’re shooting above or below head-height, and for many, makes an external monitor unnecessary.
High Dynamic Range Optimiser (HDR) is Sony's solution for capturing more contrast than a single exposure can handle by combining two exposures into one image. There are 6 different EV settings and an Auto option. The question now is whether or not Sony will bring this interface to its other cameras via a software update –there's no news on this yet, but it won't be possible on the Sony A7S II because its screen isn't touch-sensitive. 7. Battery life The headline video feature of the Sony a 7S III is that it can shoot 4K video at up to 120p and full HD footage at up to 240p, with full-sensor readout no pixel-binning and with the hybrid autofocus system in action. The Eye AF is also dependable, but a shade behind that of the Canon EOS R6 and R5. It would also be nice to see Animal Eye AF in video mode. Sony A7S III Image QualityThe A7s Mark II takes the 12 Megapixel full-frame sensor of the A7s and fits it into the updated body of the Mark II Alpha A7 series. So it inherits the upgraded viewfinder, built-in stabilisation, chunkier grip and repositioned controls last seen on the A7r Mark II; indeed place them side by side and they look physically identical other than their model names. Up to 10 fps in continuous “Hi+” mode and up to 8 fps in “H” mode. CFexpress Type A memory card. Sony tests. Also, you say 'if the camera doesn't feel it has enough light it will open up the aperture further' - that's exactly where the problem lies, b/c the camera's algorithm for determining if it 'feels it has enough light' needs to be more conservative. Often it think it has enough light, but it doesn't - not enough to focus fast, anyway, so focus slows down. You then have to literally shut off like all the lights to get it to open up the aperture all the way. So at best, it's slowing itself down; at worst, it causes itself to fail.
Sony says the A7S II remains targeted at those who need a mix of video and stills, like wedding photographers who don't need to make large prints, concert photographers and astrophotographers. For those kind of shooters, the A7S III's 4K video powers are important, but the FX3 is a camera that's really built around them. If you choose the XAVC S HD option, you can film 1080p at 24, 30, 60 or 120p for NTSC or 25, 50 or 100p for PAL, all at 50Mbit/s apart from the 120p / 100p modes which are offered at 60 or 100Mbit/s. These 120p / 100p modes allow you to slow the footage down by five or four times on 24p or 25p timelines respectively. Note to support any of the XAVC S modes, you’ll need an SDXC memory card. You can film 1080 between 24p and 60p using full-frame coverage or with an APSC / Super-35 crop. The 120p / 100p is only available with its own different crop.
Sony A7 series = The Affordable Option
Turn the A7s II to its dedicated movie mode and you can set the exposure mode to Program, Aperture or Shutter Priority or full Manual. You can also set the sensitivity between 100 and 409600 ISO, or use Auto ISO, the latter also available in Manual mode if you wish to fix the aperture and shutter and have the camera adjust the sensitivity for varying lighting conditions. However, Sony hasn’t given the A7C the A7S III’s revised menu structure or its excellent touch-control. Also as a 0.39-inch type, A7C’s viewfinder is also pretty small for a full-frame camera. However, while the a7S's body exactly resembles its original 24 and 36MP sister models, the a7 and a7R (the a7 II's design is slightly different), it includes a whole raft of features and tools to support the videographer. These include the low contrast S-Log2 tone curve that allows more of the camera's dynamic range to be fitted into its video files and the option to record time code. Photographers more interested in stills may wish to note that most of these video features have subsequently been included in the newer a7 II, which also features revised ergonomics and in-body image stabilization. Key Features If cameras had feelings, you could forgive the original Sony a7 for being a bit miffed that another strikingly similar camera stole its thunder on the very day of its launch, at the exact same time. I don't know the exact methods delineated by the ISO Standard to determined ISO properly but one that reflects efficient photon collection is a good start although not strictly scientific.
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