sony a7s iii review
In addition, there is currently an interesting Black Friday deal for FilmConvert Nitrate.If you're new to… Sonyâs also equipped the A7S III with a new visible light and IR sensor to better-evaluate white balance. Face and eye detection are always a highlight of Sony cameras, with the A7S III inheriting the latest tech, plus faster processing by its new BIONZ XR engine. Plus, it can handle up to 600 photos, according to CIPA’s standards. It's not so much for still photos as it is for video. Sony has addressed nearly every complaint I’ve ever had about previous A7-series cameras, but it didn’t just stop there. Each expands into sub-headings in the middle, with the actual settings for each on the right. Red Deer Stag looking for his harem by cjf2 from My best photo of the week. (Weirdly, footage seems to be sharper when played back than when shooting.) See our Sony A7S III review for more! In 4k 60p, I managed a single 107 minute clip before I filled my 128GB card, with 25% battery remaining and the camera happy to continue filming. As a bonus, if you don’t require high-resolution images, it’s one of the quickest cameras available for photography. Find out all the details in our full review. May not be used without permission. Its 4K sensor is only 10.2 megapixels, but like the a7S III, that's not as it sounds. While the sensor readout is twice that of the A7S II, itâs still not a stacked design so falls short of the speed of the A9. Sony’s 12.1-megapixel A7S III was worth the five-year wait. Global Photography News Bringing you the latest photography news, reviews, tutorials from the Pros To see if the A7S III could avoid those snags, I took it to Paris and around the Loire valley before the France lockdown took effect -- here’s what I found out. The shutter is inherited from the A7r IV and A9 II, and is fairly quiet in operation, but for complete silence you can switch to the electronic shutter in silent mode. It’s a bit brighter though, which is always welcome. And for the graders, Sony A7S III movie sample 4k 24p XAVC HS S-log 3. Spotify Wrapped chronicles your 2020 listening habits in a stories-style format, Watch the trailer for Studio Ghibli's first fully CG movie, The 'lost' Superman PlayStation game has appeared in public, The Arecibo Observatory's telescope has collapsed. Now, the 12-megapixel, $3,500 A7S III is here and appears to be worth the wait. The Sony a7 III sets a new benchmark for full-frame cameras thanks to its compelling combination of value and capability. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. The camera certainly is one of the most popular mirrorless bodies of 2020. Your ratings help us make the buyer’s guide better for everyone. Sony’s subject tracking, along with the face and eye-tracking, already leads the industry -- and the A7S III takes it up another notch. And unlike the Canon R5 and R6, you can also record duplicate backup video to a second card regardless of the format, or a lower res proxy if preferred. Sony claims 5.5 stops of shake reduction, which is less than rivals like the Canon R6 and Panasonic S5. It works equally well in dim and bright light, putting every other camera to shame in that regard. The A7S III sticks with the 12 Megapixel resolution of its predecessors to maximise sensitivity, but employs a new back-illuminated sensor now with confident phase-detect autofocus and a wealth of movie modes including unlimited 4k up to 120p with 10 bit internal recording. Above: 4k at 120p is the only mode on the A7S III to incur a crop, which I measured at about 1.1x, indicated by the outer edge of the red frame above. With freelancers now working on their own more, the Sony A7S III … Almost everything that I ever complained about past Sony mirrorless cameras has been addressed. The A7S III is a lower-resolution, higher-sensitivity version of Sony's A7 series of cameras. There are better buttons, a deeper grip, a separate mic jack, fully articulating screen, and a full-size HDMI port which comes with a screw-on cable cage. Sony has a long history of making card slots that could accommodate more than one media type, and the a7S III revives this tradition. Above: The A7S III shares much of the design and controls of the A7r IV and A9 II, bringing the joystick, improved dials and larger buttons to the S-series – remember the previous A7S II was based on the A7r II body, so the A7S IIIâs body has jumped-forward by two generations. If youâre into grading, you can apply the usual picture profiles with S-log 2 and 3 and Sony claiming up to 15 stops of dynamic range. With just 12 megapixels to process, the autofocus for photos is fast and responsive. The A7S III doesn’t capture 8K or even 6K like Canon’s EOS R5 or the BMPCC 6K, but those resolutions are still largely gimmicky. Sony’s 12.1-megapixel A7S III was worth the five-year wait. Above: Iâm pleased to report the A7S III hotshoe supports the digital interface introduced on the A7r IV which means itâll work with the ECM-B1M microphone for a pure digital connection. In the File Format menu youâll find a choice of codecs, and Sony owners will recognise the continued availability of XAVC S in 4k or 1080, both using H.264, but now at frame rates from 24 to 120p including 4k, and in 10-bit 4:2:2 if desired. Our new a7S III sample gallery includes everything from night shots to portraits. Itâs a five-axis system which Sony claims is good for 5.5 stops of compensation. All were filmed with a near-final pre-production camera. The autofocus was also sufficiently good for it to track fast action, and again the inclusion of audio makes it even more useful. The Sony A7S III is a high-end full-frame mirrorless camera aimed at pro videographers and low light imaging. Sony has finally, finally fixed its awful menu system and now uses cascading folders like Panasonic’s latest cameras. Sony a7S III – Lowlight Performance. Given the much higher ISO range and lower noise levels, though, it’s more than sufficient. Sony has a new choice here with its All-I (XAVC S-I) compression for 4K or HD at up to 60 fps, with every frame being recorded separately. Sony’s A7S series cameras are famous for their low-light performance and video capabilities, but it’s been five long years since we’ve seen a new model. starting with a run through the sensitivity range, and in the absence of RAW converters at the time I made this review, all my photos are JPEGs out of camera. Now Sony have launched the A7S III mirrorless camera, which they claim delivers “The best 4K Sony ever made”. Sony also gives you full control over the AF speed and smoothness when changing focus between subjects. Above: Sony A7S III movie sample 4k 24p XAVC HS. I can’t find many faults with this camera. The only other camera that can do this is Panasonicâs Lumix S1H, which under the same conditions managed 117 minutes of 4k 60p before my 128GB card filled with 23% battery remaining – a very similar result to the A7S III, although the S1H applies a crop when filming 4k at 60p. But compare a 65 minute 4k 120p clip on the A7S III with the EOS R5 which can only make 7.5 minute clips in 4k 120p and which under the same conditions shut down about six minutes into a second clip. What about editing these files? You can also charge or operate the camera over USB with a Power Delivery source, and it worked fine with my MacBook and iPad Pro chargers. Both the Canon R5 and the A7S III are mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras that are equipped with a full frame sensor. The old horizontal structure has been swapped for vertical tabs, starting with seven main sections running down the left side. Finished challenges. Sony A7S III movie sample 4k 120p XAVC HS, Sony A7S III movie sample 4k 24p XAVC HS S-log 3, Nikon Z TC-1.4x TC-2.0x teleconverter review, In Camera book - perfect photos out-of-camera. I wish the mode dial had a push-to-lock button, so you don’t have to awkwardly hold the button while turning the dial and I also slightly prefer the layout on Panasonic’s S5, as it has dedicated dials and a button for shooting and AF modes. And as I mentioned earlier, the mic input clears the top of the screen mechanism. This means that Sony A7S III provides 4K (Ultra-HD) video. FilmConvert announced that it has added its picture profile for the Sony a7S III. The biggest downsides are the low-resolution sensor and high $3,500 price tag. It … Those make it much easier to find settings and remember where you are, though a few things like the log functions are still a bit hard to find. True it can get noisy, but the Sony a7S III can easily be regarded as a “night vision device”. That creates a cinéma verité look that’s hard to replicate with other cameras. However, Canon’s recent models looked impressive at first only to have some annoying issues, especially around the area of overheating, when I got to test them in person. It's been 5 long years since its popular predecessor was launched, but now the new Sony A7S III full-frame mirrorless camera is finally with us! That’s a nice bonus considering the extra low-light capability and reduced rolling shutter effect. However, I was able to edit them directly with no transcoding in Davinci Resolve on an NVIDIA RTX 2070 laptop. From my filming experience, ISO 16000 is the cleanest in my opinion when filming in high ISO settings. Since Sony builds the OLED electronic viewfinders used in most cameras, it’s not shocking that the A7S III is the first to get its new 9.44-million dot EVF. Above: Youâll also notice Creative Styles have been rebranded as Creative Looks, with ten available for stills and movies, including vibrant and muted options as well as black and white and sepia. However, rather than offering SD and Memory Stick compatibility, the Mark III becomes the first camera we've encountered to … Itâll cost around $3500 when it goes on sale in September. As such, you’ll likely need to convert them to ProRes or another more editable format. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter. As you can see in the above video (minute 11:57), the lowlight capabilities of this camera are simply insane! What that spec doesn’t say is how great the mechanical shutter feels and sounds. How about rolling shutter? The Canon EOS R5 and the Sony Alpha 7S III are two digital cameras that were revealed to the public in July 2020. 4k footage is uncropped from 24 to 60p. The Sony a7S III is optimized for video, but its 12MP sensor is very capable and performs well in low light. It’s now feasible to use this camera for vlogging or solo shooting. RAW is of course also available and can be set to uncompressed or compressed. It follows your subjects, whether they be human or animal, with otherworldly speed and accuracy. On the plus-side, 1080 240p doesnât crop and autofocus is still available. I found I could get usable shots with manageable noise at up to ISO 51,200 if I exposed correctly or allowed for some underexposure. Above: Touch controls also now extend to the menu system, but the bigger surprise is discovering the brand new user interface, arguably one of the most overdue upgrades on all Sony cameras. Download the video and still image samples here: http://sdp.io/r5iq The Sony a7S III (http://sdp.io/a7s3) is here and it's AMAZING! Share. Details were scarce at the time I made this review, but Iâm guessing external RAW recording will work with a firmware-updated Atomos Ninja V in the ProRes RAW format. Finally, it has all the ports you need on a video-centric camera, including USB-C for both charging and data transfers, along with microphone and headphone ports. If you need more than two channels of audio, you can use Sony’s hot shoe-mounted XLR-K3M audio adapter. I think the A7S III is also the best vlogging camera on the market, period, thanks to the flip-out screen, mic input, stabilization, high-quality video and eye autofocus. The battery is the same as the one in the A7R IV, and I could shoot video for around three hours on a charge. In theory, HEIF should allow a broader dynamic range than JPEG, but again Iâm waiting for better software support before I can fully evaluate it. Youâll also notice all the internal video formats on the A7S III continue to record in the 16:9 shape, with no option to record in the wider Cinema DCI shape. Above: Ok, now for movie recording which is of course the core focus of the A7S III, and Sonyâs made some big upgrades including 4k up to 120p, 1080 up to 240p, and new codecs supporting 10 bit 4:2:2 internal recording. Discover the α7S III with pro movie/still capability from Sony & explore all the Cameras features. It accurately tracks subjects and the face and eye detection is uncanny, though not completely infallible. Of course Canon also now offers 4k 120 with autofocus on the EOS R5, but thereâs no audio and as I mentioned a moment ago, a maximum clip length of 7.5 minutes and likely over-heating after about 15 minutes worth of footage whether youâre recording big clips or lots of little ones. The Canon has a resolution of 44.8 megapixels, whereas the Sony provides 12 MP. They not only support two UHS II SD cards, but also Sony’s new fast but tiny CFexpress type A cards. Sony A7S III camera review The best mirrorless for video, and almost everything else. The USB C port now operates at 3.2 speeds up to 5Gbps, supports USB tethering on mobiles and even works with USB to ethernet adapters for wired network connectivity. Sony’s cameras continue to evolve and the A7S III takes the learnings from the A7R IV and improves on them. In this hands-on review I look at the a7S III in the context of capturing wildlife video and photos. What’s more, it supports 10-bit capture in all 4K modes. Above: You may be divided over touch controls and screen articulation, but I guarantee youâll love the new viewfinder which is the first to employ a 9.44 million dot OLED panel that already trumps the 5.69 million dot viewfinder on the R5, Lumix S and A7r IV. In real terms, it gives you 2048×1536 pixels versus 1600×1200 on those other models, giving it a comfortable step-up in detail and the most life-like image Iâve seen from an EVF. I was very impressed with the quality of 4k 120 on the Sony which virtually matches slower frame rates and only incurs a minor 1.1x crop. Above: The A7S III also joins Canon in allowing you to switch from JPEG to HEIF, and additionally offers the choice of 4:2:0 or 4:2:2 colour sampling. As such, thereâs inevitably some risk of skewing when using the electronic shutter if the lens or subject are in motion, and you can see it as Ben approaches the edge of the frame, but itâs still better than many Iâve tested. It stays locked on, no matter how fast your subject moves, giving you sharp shots for sports, wildlife or lively parties. Two-minute review. For most videographers who occasionally shoot photos, I think this camera will do nicely. Above: Finally for my photo tests, the A7S III features built-in sensor-shift stabilisation. The Sony a7s III is one such camera. In my resolution tests, 1080 footage on the A7S III peaked between 24 and 60p, losing quality at 120p and even more at 240p, although as you can see here the footage can still look good. All words, images, videos and layout, copyright 2005-2020 Gordon Laing. Above: In terms of video, I managed to record two hours and 40 minutes of 4k 24p on a single charge – and in a single clip with no overheating either, but more about that in just a moment. That translates to sharp portraits or candid shots nearly every time. The camera also remembers different settings for photos and video, allowing you to switch between formats without constant adjusting of exposure and focus. Sonyâs animal detection may not yet include eye-detection for birds – a feature that works a treat on Canonâs R5 and R6 – but the A7S III still managed to deliver a very high hit-rate with birds in flight. Here’s everything you need to know about, including the biggest upgrades, coolest new … Thereâs also 2.4 and 5GHz Wifi along with support for FTP file transfer over wireless, USB or ethernet. Ever since its original debut in 2015, the Mark II has been the longstanding low light king and a … I also shot with the A7S III alongside the Canon EOS R5, R6 and Lumix S1H, so look out for my upcoming comparisons if youâd like to see how their photo and video quality measures-up. And also in 4k at 24p, again showing minimal skewing. The 4K files are large and require a CFexpress card at 60 fps, because data rates average 600 Mbps and can hit up to 1200 Mbps. For most types of shooting you can stick to cheaper SD, but you’ll need CFexpress in certain situations -- more on that shortly. Above: Behind a substantial door on the grip side are twin memory card slots, but closer examination reveals each actually supports dual formats allowing you to insert either SD or brand new CF Express Type A cards which currently support write speeds up to 700Mbyte/s. Canon R5 vs Sony A7S III. Just be mindful that high frame-rate 4K 10-bit video at maximum quality requires a fast and costly CFexpress card -- with 80GB and 160GB cards costing $200 and $400, respectively. You donât have to look far though to find a bunch of new features that make their debut on the A7S III. Above: The presence of phase-detect autofocus may be expected from a modern Sony body, but it transforms the usability of the camera compared to its predecessors which were contrast-only. Meanwhile the I in XAVC S I stands for All-intra, using very high bit-rates to encode 1080 or 4k up to 60p in H.264 10-bit 4:2:2; at 60p, youâre looking at 222Mbit/s for 1080 or 600Mbit/s for 4k, and these are the only modes that demand faster SD cards, although bear in mind all of the A7S III movie modes are within the capabilities of decent SD cards, unlike the Canon R5 which requires expensive CF Express for 4k 120p and 8k. Review of the Sony a7S III covering dynamic range, autofocus, IBIS, build & ergonomics, codecs, image quality, & stability with comparisons to the Canon R5. Still, the handling on this camera is among the best. Sure, it would be nice to have higher resolution photos, but the A7S III is more versatile and, dare I say it, more fun to use. It’s also small and light enough to carry around for long stretches. Another feature that makes blurry shots less likely is the in-body stabilization. It has the same resolution and frame rates as an iPhone for still photos (12 MP at 10 FPS), and also only shoots 4K video, albeit with many more format options than an iPhone.. And it still includes the incredible high-ISO performance that the A7S lineup is known for. Testing out the all new Sony A7siii.. 4k 4:2:2 10bit 120fps! Introduction. My only concern is whether the high resolution has an impact on battery life, but so far the camera seems to be operating just fine. Maybe you just want, simply, the best mirrorless camera. The actual resolution of 4240×2832 pixels wonât come near to delivering the detail of higher resolution models, but thereâs a very satisfying crispness to the images which again are bereft of noise until the sensitivity becomes very high. After years of requests, Sony has finally equipped an A7 camera with a fully-articulated, side-hinged screen. Above: The upgraded autofocus is also perfectly capable for tracking fast action, such as Brightonâs seagulls in flight, here with the A7S III fitted with the FE 70-200mm f4 zoom at 200mm f4. And while it can’t supersample 4K like the A7 III (because it has half the sensor resolution), its 4K video is still extremely sharp. When filming 4k at 120p, the A7S III actually takes a 1:1 crop from the sensor without binning or scaling, whereas in all other modes it over-samples from slightly more data. Moving onto stabilisation, the A7S III employs Sonyâs latest sensor-shift IBIS with two modes. Topping off the good news, it has a full-sized HDMI port that’s far less likely to cause problems if you use an external recorder -- and the camera even comes with a cable protector. The Sony A7S III is a high-end full-frame mirrorless camera aimed at pro videographers and low light imaging. You can shoot 4K at up to 120 fps, more than any other hybrid mirrorless camera except Canon’s EOS R5, giving you some crazy creative options. The long-awaited Sony A7S III aims to be the best, most versatile full-frame mirrorless camera for 4K video. Iâd hoped to also try some internal RAW conversions, but Sony doesnât support RAW processing in playback within the camera. Beyond the shutter speed range of 1/8000sec to … The A7S III becomes the first A7 model to inherit Active SteadyShot from the compacts – it applies a crop when filming 4k, but the spare pixels on the sensor means itâs still able to capture a full 4k image without scaling. With all of Sony’s previous cameras, the touch display was only useful for setting touch focus. Announced in July 2020, it comes almost five years after the A7S Mark II, making it one o Cameralabs Camera reviews, lens reviews, photography guides Published Jul 28, 2020 | Richard Butler. The FX6 is a full frame cinema camera with an impressive spec sheet. It limits how much you can blow up shots, but the A7S III’s prodigious low-light and fast autofocus powers make it better for other things. That could be Sony’s 12.1-megapixel A7S III… That might change with a future firmware update, however. Also available, Sony A7S III movie sample 4k 24p XAVCS, Sony A7S III movie sample 4k 120p XAVC HS, Sony A7S III movie sample 1080 24p XAVCS. Above: The screen doesnât just now flip-out, it also debuts a new touch interface. Better still, the main and quick menus can be fully operated using the 3-inch touchscreen. XAVC HS is available at 24 to 120p, with a maximum rate of 280Mbit/s for 4k 120p 10-bit 4:2:2. You can shoot 4K at up to 120 fps, more than any other hybrid mirrorless camera except Canon’s EOS R5, giving you some crazy creative options. If you’d prefer smaller file sizes with no loss of quality, you can shoot XAVC S 4K or XAVC HS 4K files, but your computer will grind if you try to edit them. You can even capture 4K 60 fps RAW footage to an Atomos Ninja 7 recorder, though the exposure is baked into the image, giving you fewer options in post and negating some of the advantages of RAW video. Above: Speaking of power, the A7S III employs the existing Z-series battery of recent models and again can charge it in-camera over USB. Sony a7S III initial review. Sony says itâs monitoring demand for DCI, but among modern rivals itâs now become the exception not to offer it. As usual, it can’t replace a gimbal, but it’s effective for static shooting or smooth panning. The A7S III is nearly identical to the A7R IV, which is a good thing because the A7R IV is Sony’s best handling camera yet. It also debuts a bunch of firsts for the A7 series including a fully-articulated screen, brand new user interface with full touch control, twin slots that support both SD and CF-Express cards, a full-size HDMI port and the highest resolution viewfinder Iâve ever seen. With a wide ISO 40-409,200 sensitivity range and excellent autofocus sensitivity, the A7S III is up there with the best low light shooters. There is a little, but itâs pretty well-controlled. It’s the first mirrorless camera that can keep up to Sony’s pro video cameras in terms of 4K video specs, while also gaining important features like a flip-out display. All rights reserved. It records up to 4K UHD 120fps in 10-bit full-sensor internally. In use I managed to handhold a sharp result at 70mm at 0.4 seconds, corresponding to about five stops over an unstabilised version. The whole concept of the product has changed to achieve this. However, if you’re into video or low-light photography and have the budget, I’d highly recommend the A7S III. It also fully articulates, which is really a must these days for a video-centric camera. Above: And thank the maker! The Sony A7S III is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera designed primarily with video makers in mind. Thereâs also 1080 up to 240p and 16-bit RAW up to 60p over HDMI. Click the links to download my Sony A7S III sample movies – all are MP4 files if you need to add the file extension again. As before you can reposition the AF area by touch, but in a long-overdue upgrade, the Function menu finally gains touch operation, allowing you to tap and drag the full range of settings from exposure compensation to focus and drive modes. The images still look very good at 12800 ISO, although unsurprisingly deteriorate at the highest values. JPEGs are natural with just the right amount of sharpening, while RAW photos let you dial down blown-out highlights or crank up shadows. Now, you can adjust things without any buttons, which is particularly useful when you’re filming with the display toward yourself. Sony a7S III has been announced in summer 2020 – five long years after its predecessor came out. Coming to you from Hyun Ralph Jeong, this great video review takes a look at the Sony a7S III both from a stills and a video perspective. Those nice fat pixels should also mean a nice high dynamic range and I have lots of RAW files to try this out when software becomes available. Despite the very modest amount of spare pixels to over-sample with, Iâd say 4k 24 to 60p was a tiny bit crisper than 4k 120, but it involves serious pixel-peeping to see the difference. And as I mentioned earlier, Sony has sped up the sensor readout speeds, so rolling shutter or jello is now very well controlled -- a big change over past Sony mirrorless cameras. It offers a huge 63 percent increase in resolution over the A7R IV, though frankly I didn’t notice much difference in sharpness. Video autofocus now beats Canon’s vaunted Dual Pixel AF technology, thanks to the sheer speed and AI smarts in Sony’s newest camera. In separate reviews Iâll directly compare the photo and video quality against the R5, R6 and Lumix S1H. In terms of recording times, Sonyâs dumped the half hour limit of some rivals and designed the internals to better dissipate heat without the need for active cooling. The Sony a7S III will sell for around $3500. Incredible low-light performance and every feature you need. In other words, you don’t have to worry much about the battery dying mid-shoot. Above: The ports have received upgrades too, not least to their flexible doors. 4k 120 on the A7S III supports autofocus and audio recording, giving them a lot of flexibility, although like other Sony 120p formats, youâll need to apply the slow-down yourself in the edit. It also feels natural to hold and use, thanks to the nicely contoured grip and assortment of logically placed manual controls. Filmmakers can now rate the a7S III footage with FilmConvert Nitrate and achieve the desired footage look with precise colors. Unlike Canonâs EOS R5 though, you donât need CF Express for the best video modes on the A7S III – I used Sony TOUGH SD cards with 300Mbyte/s writes which supported all video modes. For what I shoot, largely product and street photos, the speed and low-light capabilities outweigh the lack of resolution. Designed for professionals, the α7S III builds on the strengths of the S series, such as high sensitivity and wide dynamic range, while providing pro features like enhanced AF, … That brings us to this camera’s forte, video. Sony has finally announced the A7S III, after years of requests from avid fans. © 2020 Verizon Media. The REC button has been made bigger and moved to the top plate. With Sony A7S III, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 3840 x 2160 at 120p, 60p, 50p,30p,25p,24p fps with bit rates up to 500 mbps and save in MPEG-4, XAVC S, XAVC HS, XAVC S-1, H.264 and H.265 formats. The Canon R5 took way longer to cool-down too and after five minutes would only allow a 2 minute 4k 120 clip, compared to the Sony which was ready for another full shoot. Shooting at ISO 16,000 or 25,600 in a dim lit train station, I could pull detail out of shadows with minimal noise. If budget is an issue and you need an all around hybrid camera, check out the Canon R6, Panasonic S5 or Sony’s own A7 III, all between $2,000 and $2,500. Released in 2020, Sony’s A7S III is the long-awaited replacement to the acclaimed A7S II. Offering some consolation though is the ability to output 16-bit RAW video over HDMI at 4264×2408 pixels up to 60p, from which you could scale or crop a full DCI frame. In my review video you’ll see the A7S III in 1080 24p and again in another clip behaving pretty well. The resolution may sound low compared to rivals, but itâs still enough to capture 4k video and crucially by having fewer pixels in the same area, they can be larger and more sensitive to light. Here you can see it easily following me around the frame using real-time tracking; Iâd say the acquisition is faster than previous bodies for stills and video. Canon’s colors might be a bit warmer and more human, but Sony’s hues are arguably more accurate. Better still, itâll also allow the XLR-K3M accessory to support four channel 24 bit recording using stereo for the shotgun mic and mono for two additional XLR sources. It's at home shooting everything from sports to portraits, and is one of the most impressive all-around cameras we've seen in a long while. Sony a7S III FilmConvert Profile Added. That brings us to this camera’s forte, video. The advantage of that is that you get the same smooth slo-mo, but the footage is a lot easier to edit afterwards. Thereâs 51 pages of settings for still modes or 49 for video modes, and all were easier to find and navigate than the previous system. For photos, don’t be quick to poo-poo the 12.1-megapixel sensor. What to buy, and how to get the most from it. If you need that, get Sony’s similarly priced A7R IV with a category-leading 61 megapixels. The nice thing about the A7S III is 10 bit 4:2:2 sampling is available in any profile or colour mode, unlike the Canons which limit it to log and HDR modes. Combined with Sony’s log and HLG modes, it delivers high dynamic range video perfect for HDR or post-production work. If you want to give your computer a break, you can use the new “S&Q” (slow and quick) motion mode to capture at 60 fps or 120 fps with playback limited to 24 fps with no audio. Another first for Sony is the dual, dual card slots. New to the A7S III are XAVC HS and XAVC S I. XAVC HS is 10-bit 4k only and uses the more efficient H.265 codec to deliver better quality than XAVC S at the same bit rates, although theyâll need greater processing muscle for editing. The mirrorless landscape has changed drastically in that time, with numerous video-capable cameras launching from rivals and Sony itself. The Sony A7S III is finally here, and boy does it deliver. Now I know some of you prefer vertically-tilting screens, but this is a camera primarily aimed at videographers who will welcome the flexibility of a screen that can face-forward without being blocked by the hotshoe or viewfinder. If you drop the frame rate to 60p or lower on the A7S III, youâll find the battery and memory becomes the limiting factor. Announced in July 2020, it comes almost five years after the A7S Mark II, making it one of the most long-awaited upgrades in the A7 series. It also improved autofocus and other features that I already liked, keeping the A7S III far ahead of rivals. Above: Moving on, hereâs Ben, back on his bike, captured with real-time tracking autofocus, first at 10fps using the mechanical shutter and FE 70-200mm f4 at 200mm f4, where again I enjoyed an almost 100% hit rate. The A7S III can shoot at up to 10 frames per second with continuous autofocus, or 20 fps with the silent electronic shutter. Also unlike Canonâs R5 and R6, you can record video to both cards simultaneously for backup in an identical format. Those include shooting control dials for shutter and aperture, a joystick, control wheel, mode dial, exposure compensation dial and multiple buttons. As with video, low-light photography is unmatched, letting you capture shots with very manageable noise at borderline ridiculous ISO levels. That makes it easier to adjust your images in post, especially with the very high dynamic range. The viewfinder refresh was also fast enough for me to easily follow them as they darted around the sky. Itâs bigger than rivals too with 0.91x magnification, the refresh rate is switchable between 60 and 120Hz and itâs an absolute joy to compose and focus with. Video dynamic range is dramatically improved, and it’s now a stellar run-and-gun and vlogging camera. As always Iâve filmed an in-depth video review below which shows you everything including video tests and autofocus demonstrations, but if you prefer to read a written version of the highlights, keep scrolling! Sonyâs quoting 510 photos with the viewfinder or 600 with the screen under CIPA conditions which is a little less than the A7r IV squeezes from the same battery, but comfortably more than the A7S II and also Canonâs EOS R5. Sony claims the A7S III can record an hour of 4k uninterrupted, but I found it could do much better in most modes. Much like nightsight mode on smartphones, this is stupidly useful in so many situations. Above: Before delving into video, letâs talk about photos. Sony FX6 is a $6,000 Sony A7S III in a small camcorder shell By James Artaius 19 November 2020 The full-frame Sony FX6 has arrived with 15 … For the maximum slow-down, youâd choose a frame rate of 240fps and a record rate of 24p for a ten times slowdown which is what I used for all the clips in my review video. Above: Now onto the sensor, which shares the same 12 Megapixel resolution as previous A7S models, but now employs a new back-illuminated design with double the readout speed and phase-detect autofocus across 92% of the area. At 699 grams, it’s surprisingly light considering all the tech packed inside. Those low-light powers are very useful for film school students or even pro filmmakers, letting them shoot indoors and in other circumstances using practical or natural light. Not only is it Sony’s most professional video camera system, it’s also one of the most sophisticated camcorders, shaped like a still camera. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Drop the resolution to 1080 and you can film up to 240p, a speed thatâs beyond the two Canons, although on the A7S III youâll need to access it from the S&Q mode which slows the footage in-camera and doesnât record sound. Facebook's cryptocurrency project rebrands as Diem, Razer enables custom Chroma lighting effects for Opera's gaming browser, Massachusetts lawmakers pass state-wide police ban on facial recognition, Apple's MagSafe Duo Charger is now available for $129. Feature for feature, it's simply the best camera I’ve ever tested. In fact the only time I experienced over-heating on the A7S III was 60 minutes into a single 4k 120p clip, when the warning popped-up and the camera shut-down about five minutes later. It also supports 240 fps for super slow-mo effects. DJI RS 2 and RSC 2 Hands-on Review. Its limitations are down to the high $3,500 price tag and low-resolution sensor, which rules out the A7S III for landscape and other types of high-detail photography. Its superpower, though, is low-light shooting. If you shoot 1080p, the A7S III delivers the best HD quality of any Sony mirrorless camera, because it can supersample the entire sensor. The in-body stabilization is highly effective for video, especially with electronic stabilization, which adds a small crop. Low light is where the Sony A7S III is really in its element. Sony A7S III full-frame mirrorless camera review. Watch this space. Almost everything that I ever complained about past Sony mirrorless cameras has been addressed. It has the same incredible low-light capability of its predecessors, but adds much-needed features like improved stabilization, a flip-out touch display and 4K video at up to 120 fps. Thereâs no headline-grabbing 6k, 8k or internal RAW here, with Sony instead concentrating on delivering the best 4k it possibly can. I got to shoot with a final body running near-final firmware for over a week and in this review Iâll show you everything Iâve learned about the camera so far. This is the third edition in the series of a7s models, and by far the most specialized of all Sony’s full-frame system cameras. 1080 footage on the A7S III is uncropped at all frame rates from 24 to 240p. In contrast, the longer clip length and ability to film about an hourâs worth before a short cooldown is required makes the A7S III much more practical in demanding filming environments. Beyond that, the image is too noisy, so it would only be good for emergency use. You can operate it by touch or using traditional controls, and I liked how the three dials independently adjusted the three menu levels. The A7S III now has a standard sensitivity range of 80 to 102,400 ISO which can be extended down to 40 ISO at the low-end and 409,600 ISO at the high. This is a $500 premium over 2015's Mark II but still $500 lower than the launch price of the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H, which is … Youâll see it in action when vlogging in my review video. Sony a7S III First Impressions Review (4K/120p video, 16-bit Raw video) Best entry-level full-frame mirrorless camera: Nikon Z5 vs. Canon EOS RP. Iâm delighted by the new UI and look forward to seeing it on future models – letâs hope it also becomes available to older ones via a firmware update, although thereâs no news on that yet. Is this the most capable hybrid 4K video camera available today? The physical size and weight of the Sony A7R III and the Sony A7S III are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Just be aware that data rates can hit 1200 Mbps when you’re recording 4K 120 fps using the S&Q settings, so you’ll need CFexpress cards for that. 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