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Opinion: the Sony a7 III could be the new Nikon D750

15 Apr

For the past few years, I’ve been recommending the Nikon D750 to enthusiasts and semi-professionals needing a reliable DSLR to grow in to – probably more than any other ILC on the market. It was even my Gear of the Year in 2015 for its excellent feature set to price ratio.

Though it debuted in late 2014, the D750 remains a relevant and reliable workhorse years later. 24MP of resolution on a full frame sensor is a sweet spot for a lot of shooters, and the D750 still offers competitive dynamic range and excellent high ISO performance. It also has terrific autofocus, with Nikon’s reliable 3D Tracking.

The D750 has proven to be among the most future-proof full frame DSLRs in recent memory

And as far as full frame DSLRs go, it’s among the lightest ever made. But it’s also a camera we know will likely stand the test of time thanks to aggressive weather-sealing and sturdy construction. In short, the D750 has proven to be among the most future-proof full frame DSLRs in recent memory. Even today it’s still priced aggressively enough – with technology that is relevant – to warrant my recommendation, not to mention the recommendation of the DPReview staff in our Best Camera Under $ 2000 roundup.

Time for a new recommendation?

I swapped out my Nikon D750 to shoot a show with the Sony a7 III: the combination of excellent AF coverage and good low light IQ left me questioning whether it’s time to recommend this Sony over the Nikon I’ve come to love.
ISO 12800 | 1/400 sec | F4 | Shot on Sony FE 35mm F1.4 ZA | Edited to taste in ACR

But like all of us, the D750 is starting to show its age. Though it offers an articulating LCD (a Nikon full frame first), the live view experience is just plain unrefined when compared to a modern mirrorless camera. This is because the D750 relies on Contrast Detect AF in live view, which is painfully slow and often misses.

Though the 51-point AF system performs admirably, even in low light, it only covers the central potion of the frame, limiting compositional freedom when using 3D Tracking. And though the D750 offers decent-looking 1080/60p video, the lack of continuous AF in video limits its use. Plus the lack of 4K makes the camera’s video spec feel dated.

The a7 III just might be my go-to recommendation moving forward

If only a camera matched or surpassed what the D750 is capable of, all for a similar cost! Enter the Sony a7 III. Its debut price is a couple hundred dollars less than that of the Nikon and as of this writing it can be had for just a few hundred dollars more than the now heavily discounted D750 (new). As a result, the a7 III just might be my go-to recommendation moving forward.

On paper, it has all the ingredients to make it a relevant camera for years to come. This includes a 24MP Full Frame sensor, high-quality stabilized 4K video (with AF-C), AF points covering 93% of the frame with reliable subject tracking and Eye AF, solid battery life, a small form factor and good build quality. Plus, every lens you put on it – even adapted ones – automatically becomes stabilized thanks to its 5-axis IBIS system (rated at 5 stops).

Sony a7 III, on paper vs in use

AF performance from the a7 III is excellent, even in challenging light.
ISO 12800 | 1/400 sec | F2.8 | Shot on Sony FE 35mm F1.4 ZA | Edited to taste in ACR

Of course specs are one thing and in the field operation is another – something a few readers occasionally forget. That said, I’ve been really impressed by how refined this recent generation of Sony full frame cameras are – the Sony a9 was even my 2017 Gear of the Year. And thankfully one evening spent shooting live music with the a7 III proved that it largely operates like its $ 4500 high-speed sibling.

The a7 III’s lock-on AF is reassuringly effective at tracking a subject and nailing focus in low light, just like the D750’s 3D Tracking. The main difference? The AF point coverage is significantly greater on the Sony, giving me far more room to place my subject in the frame. On the downside, it’s nearly impossible to see what AF point you’ve selected on a Sony when shooting in the dark (or even in daylight) because the AF area does not illuminate when moved with the joystick. To work around this, I left my initial medium lock-on point dead center and began each new acquisition with my subject in the middle of the frame.

One evening spent shooting live music with the a7 III proved that it largely operates like its $ 4500 high speed sibling

Image quality also impressed me – I was pleased with the Raw files I came back with and was able to make some nice edits despite the high ISO nature of my shots. But don’t take my word alone, have a look at our studio scene, which proves both cameras (a7 III and D750) perform exceptionally in low light. The a7 III’s shadows are actually cleaner at high ISO, thanks to its higher dynamic range at ISOs above 500.

The live view experience using the LCD, by the very nature of mirrorless, was also refreshing. Unlike the D750, AF works the same when using the LCD or EVF. This meant I could actually use the LCD to get shots without having to worry about missed focus.

And while I didn’t make use of the camera’s silent shooting mode, it’s something I could certainly see appealing to wedding or event shooters. Same goes for the a7 III’s over-sampled 4K video; though I didn’t put it to use at the show, the footage I’ve seen from fellow editors proves it’s both extremely detailed and offers high dynamic range with minimal rolling shutter.

Normally I micro adjust lenses before a shoot. With the a7 III there’s no need.
ISO 12800 | 1/400 sec | F2 | Shot on Sony FE 85mm F1.8 | Edited to taste in ACR

Lingering hesitations

Despite my largely positive shooting experience with the camera, I still have a few hesitations about it: First, there is a perceivable lag when turning dials on the a7 III (and other Sony cameras for that matter), something that is not the case with other DSLRs at this price point. I also find the EVF can take a fraction of a second to engage when one’s eye is brought to the finder. This sounds like nitpicking, but those used to an optical EVF might find they miss shots, as I did, due to this. Other annoyances include the occasional operation error.

The lack of weather-sealing on the battery door concerns me when it comes to the longevity of this camera

Fortunately, all of those concerns can likely be addressed via firmware. But something that can’t be fixed so easily is the lack of weather-sealing on the battery door, which concerns me when it comes to the longevity of this camera – I’d hate to recommend a product that might fail due to a little water. Adding to my concerns, our pals over at Imaging Resource ran a sort-of-scientific test looking at the weather sealing on high-end cameras, including the a7R III. The results were, to put it lightly, not encouraging for Sony cameras.

Another hesitation in recommending the well-priced a7 III is the present lack of well-priced autofocusing glass available for it. One major reason I like to point folks to the D750, especially those on a budget, is due to the enormous catalog of autofocusing lenses offered for the system at varying prices. With Sony full frame, most AF lenses are pricey, large and the selection is currently limited. But it’s encouraging to see third party lens manufacturers like Sigma, Tamron and Tokina getting into the FE game.

The Takeaway

The a7 III is a lot of camera for the money and will likely be a technologically relevant product for quite some time – if Sony’s a6000-series is any indication, the a7 III will have a long and fruitful product life, with price breaks every so often for years to come. My few hesitations aside, I feel that the a7 III gets enough right for the right price to almost certainly be my new go-to full frame recommendation moving forward.

That said, I’m going to hold off making any serious recommendations until our full technical review – to be published soon – goes live.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Tech Insights teardown confirms Galaxy S9 uses Samsung and Sony image sensors

12 Apr

The analysts at Tech Insights have torn down the Samsung Galaxy S9 in order to analyze the device’s camera sensors and, as usual, the summary of their findings makes interesting reading for anyone who has an interest in image sensor technology. The main takeaway from Tech Insight’s report is that Samsung is once again using different image sensors by region.

Depending on where you buy the Galaxy S9, your device will either come with a Samsung S5K2L3 or Sony IMX345 chip.

Both imagers use a 3-layer stacked structure, comprising a CMOS image sensor, image signal processor (ISP) and DRAM. The Sony IMX345 is very similar in structure to the IMX400, the world’s first 3-layer stacked imager that was introduced on the Sony Xperia XZ flagship a year ago.

The Samsung S5K2L3 ISOCELL Fast sensor is the Korean manufacturer’s first 3-layer stacked model. In contrast to Sony’s custom solution with the DRAM in the middle, Samsung has opted for connecting the DRAM chip face-to-back on the ISP. The assembly also includes a dummy silicon structure filling the unoccupied space next to the DRAM chip.

This definitely won’t translate into noticeable performance or image quality differences between Galaxy S9 smartphones, but it does seem to show that Samsung is far from its goal of dethroning Sony to become #1 in the global image sensor market—it’s hard to dethrone the competition when you’re still using their sensors.

For a lot more detail on the sensor structure and assembly head over to Tech Insights, where you can also purchase even more in-depth reports if you really want to dive deep.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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SLR Magic announces new MicroPrime CINE lenses for Sony E-Mount

11 Apr

Credit: SLR Magic

Lens maker SLR Magic is exhibiting a new lineup of cinema lenses at NAB 2018 this year. The new MicroPrime CINE lenses are designed for the Sony E-Mount, and there are five of them in all. The first four—a 25mm T1.5, 35mm T1.3, 50mm T1.2, and 75mm T1.5—will all be released in May, and a fifth 18mm T2.9 will be ready “by Q3 2018.”

According to SLR Magic, the MicroPrime lenses are designed with an image circle large enough to cover full-frame sensors, a similar weight distribution across the lineup for easy lens swapping when using a gimbal, and an internal focusing mechanism. The company also says the focus gears were designed with “a throw slightly longer than photographic lenses but still manageable when a motorized follow focus is not used.”

The image below shows a basic set of specs for all five of the MicroPrime CINE lenses, although there is one mistake in the table: the lineup features an 82mm filter thread across all five lenses, not 77mm as the image below shows.

Basic spec sheet for the 25mm T1.5, 35mm T1.3, 50mm T1.2, and 75mm T1.5 MicroPrime CINE lenses. Credit: SLR Magic

SLR Magic is exhibiting the first four MicroPrimes at NAB 2018 this week, but if you’re not in Vegas you can expect to see these lenses at authorized SLR Magic dealers starting in May for $ 800 each. The MicroPrime CINE 18mm T2.9 will join its siblings sometime in Q3 2018.

Press Release

The SLR Magic MicroPrime CINE lens series in E-mount

Hong Kong, China (April 9^th, 2018) – SLR Magic will present a new family of CINE lenses, MicroPrime series, to the public in the upcoming NAB Show 2018 in Las Vegas at the SLR Magic booth (Upper Central Hall, C-2663). The SLR Magic MicroPrime CINE 25mm T1.5, 35mm T1.3, 50mm T1.2, and 75mm T1.5 are the first lenses of the family.

The SLR Magic MicroPrime CINE lenses are designed to be compact and robust for use in a professional setting. The MicroPrime CINE lenses have a large image circle that covers up to full frame. Witness markings on the lenses are all calibrated for the accuracy professionals need in the field. Each lens is balanced, with a similar weight distribution so that recalibration is not required upon switching lenses when using a 3-axis gimbal. Lens gears are built-in with a throw slightly longer than photographic lenses but still manageable when a motorized follow focus is not used. Each lens features an internal focusing mechanism, and comes with a standard 85mm diameter suitable for matte box use. In the situation where a smaller setup is required, each lenses also comes with a 82mm filter thread for use with 82mm Fixed ND filters.

We place the highest priority on the development of our lenses, to fulfill the demands of professional cinematographers.

SLR Magic is exhibiting the first lenses of the MicroPrime cinema series at the 2018 NAB Show. The SLR Magic stand will be in upper central hall (C-2663) during the show, which is to be held in Las Vegas from the 9^thto the 12^thof April 2018.

The SLR Magic MicroPrime CINE 25mm T1.5, 35mm T1.3, 50mm T1.2, and 75mm T1.5 (MSRP: $ 800 US) will be available from authorized SLR Magic dealers starting in May 2018. The SLR Magic 18mm T2.9 will be ready by Q3 2018.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Sony unveils FS5 II Super 35mm camera with 4K HDR and 120fps RAW

10 Apr

Sony has announced the latest member of its professional Super 35mm lineup, the FS5 II. Similar in looks and functionality to its predecessor, the upgrades to the FS5 II are mostly features that were available to its predecessor through paid updates—only now they’re ‘free’.

Inside, the Super 35 Exmor CMOS sensor remains untouched. Likewise, the E-mount body of the camera remains identical aside from the updated nameplate and a different color neutral density dial. Where the camera gets the biggest changes is in its color science, Raw shooting modes, and high frame rate functionality.

The stand-out feature of the FS5 II is the updated color science that’s gone into it. Sony says it’s taken everything it’s learned from developing the 6K Venice camera and brought it into the much more compact (and affordable) FS5 II. The changes are said to yield ‘rich mid-range colours, alluring facial tones, and a softer tonal look’. Also added are nine color profiles, including a few designed specifically for S-Log2 and S-Log3.

Here’s a closer look at the new camcorder:

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Also present in the FS5 II is Sony’s ‘Instant HDR’ workflow. This is one of the features available for the FS5 via a paid update, but it comes standard on the FS5 II. The Instant HDR workflow eliminates the need for color grading footage. This effectively means HDR video can be streamed straight from the camera when shot in HLG/BT.2020 mode.

Finally, the FS5 II features dual SD card slots that can internally record video up to 4K/30p and Full HD video at 1080/120p. For higher-resolution and RAW video, an external recorder is needed; however, if you are using an external recorder, the FS5 II can output 4K/60p video and even RAW 4K/120p, but only in four second bursts. At 2K, the FS5 II can output continuous RAW footage at 240fps.

The FS5 II is expected to launch in June 2018 for $ 4,750 USD body-only. For more details, check out the overview video at the top or head over to the Sony Pro website.

Sony Introduces FS5 II with 4K HDR, 120fps RAW and New Color Science

Sony’s Popular Super 35 mm handheld Camcorder Adds New Functionality Based on User Demand

Sony’s new Large Format Sensor lineup is expanding with the introduction of the FS5 II (Body: PXW-FS5M2, Lens Kit: PXW-FS5M2K). Complete with stunning 4096 x 2160 4K HDR and 120fps performance at 60Hz mode (and 100fps at 50Hz mode), as well as RAW capabilities, the new Super 35 mm camcorder marries outstanding image quality with an ergonomic modular frame, offering content creators ultimate creative flexibility.

In addition to S-Log 2/3, the FS5 II offers Instant HDR Workflow to produce HDR content, when shooting in HLG/BT.2020 mode, for quick post-production without the need for grading.

The FS5 II interchangeable lens, E-mount camcorder offers flexibility for applications including web commercials, music video production, dramas, corporate and event videography and documentaries.

Designed to meet the requirements of today’s content creators, the FS5 II features an all-new look with a refined picture tone to capture natural highlights, subtle, alluring and well rendered facial tones and a softer tonal look, for capturing lifelike portrayals. Using the accumulated expertise of Sony’s digital cinematography camera VENICE, the FS5 II promises a fresh and vivid look while still retaining plenty of creative options in post-production, as a result of its high performance 4K Super 35 Exmor® CMOS sensor.

Takuro Ema, product manager for Sony Professional Solutions Americas explains, “When Sony develops new camera technologies we gather feedback from all ends of the production chain – from DOPs to post production professionals. This camera was no exception. We’ve evolved and developed our hugely popular FS5 with default shooting capabilities and the FS5 II is now a powerful addition to the Large Format Sensor line-up which promises even more flexibility and creative choices.”

The FS5 II builds on Sony’s heritage for image quality, delivering stunning High Frame rate shots supporting four seconds of 120fps in 4K and continuous 240fps at 60Hz mode and 200fps at 50Hz mode in 2K (2048X1080) RAW output when used in conjunction with a compatible external recorder. Continuous 4K 60fps RAW output at 59.94p is fully supported, with 50fps supported at 50Hz mode.

The camcorder also offers High Frame Rate (HFR) recording to an internal SD card at Full HD 10bit 4:2:2 image quality and a frame rate of up to 240 fps of 8-second cache recording, allowing up to 10 x slow motion and capturing 239.76fps at HD or 2K, and playback at 23.98p. Continuous recording of 120fps in Full HD is also supported.

With an Instant HDR Workflow users can now reduce time in post-production and produce high-quality HDR content quickly without the need of grading. For productions of longer lead-times, S-Log 2/3 allows the HDR image to be fine-tuned via color grading.

Lightweight but robust, theFS5 II’s well balanced 0.8kg body, adaptability and creative features make it a perfect fit for movie shooting, while its modular design makes it easy to reconfigure for any application including mounting on a gimbal or drone. Sony’s unique Electronic Variable ND filter with Auto ND function covers a wide range of exposure adjustment, as well as creating a wide range of shallow Depth of Field control.

Now with ten Picture Profile settings, the FS5 II allows users to instantly and easily configure the camera for different shooting styles, such as cinematic and online content creation.

The FS5 II is planned to be available in June, with expected pricing as follows:

PXW-FS5M2, body only — $ 4,750 USD and $ 5,940 CAD
PXW-FS5M2K, with lens — $ 5,250 USD and $ 6,560 CAD

For further information, please visit www.sony.com/pro.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Shooting the Sony a7 III around the Pacific Northwest: Sample gallery updated

24 Mar

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Now that we’ve gotten the Sony a7 III in our Seattle offices and are working our way through our full review, we’ve updated our sample gallery with a selection of our favorite images from our neck of the woods.

From cherry blossoms at the University of Washinton to coastal lighthouses and even a few furry friends for good measure, check out our gallery for a taste of Seattle in the springtime.

See our updated Sony a7 III gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Sony World Photography Awards reveals 2018 Open category and National Awards winners

23 Mar

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

The World Photo Organization is taking its time announcing the winners of this year’s Sony World Photography Awards. Overall winners—including the coveted Photographer of the Year award—won’t be revealed until next month. But in the meantime, World Photo is teasing us, first with the shortlist announced last month, and now with the winners of the 10 Open categories and the 63 National Awards winners.

The Open competition is open to photographers of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels, and several of this year’s category winners are not professional photographers by trade.

This week’s announcement reveals the winner of each of the 10 categories—Architecture, Culture, Enhanced, Landscape & Nature, Motion, Portraiture, Still Life, Street Photography, Travel, and Wildlife. All ten winning photographers walk away with “the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony,” but only one will be named Open Photographer of the Year on April 19th, earning an additional $ 5,000 worth of prize money.

The National Awards competition, meanwhile, seeks to identify “the best single image taken by a local photographer” in nearly 70 countries across the world. Scroll through the gallery above to see all 10 Open category winners, and then click here to view all 63 National Awards winners.

Press Release

World’s best single images revealed by the 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

Winners of the 10 Open categories, plus all 63 National Awards announced today
Huge diversity of genres and topics across the global winners

March 20, 2018 – ?Selected from hundreds of thousands of entries worldwide, the winners of the Open competition and National Awards of the 2018 Sony World Photography Awards are announced today.

The 10 Open category winners were chosen by an expert panel of judges as the world’s very best single photographs, and the National Awards winners selected as the strongest single image taken by a local photographer across nearly 70 countries. The winning works and their photographers are truly international, with images coming from Australia, Argentina, Cambodia, China, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and beyond.

Subject matter across the photographs could also not have been more diverse. Photographers chose a variety of stunning landscapes, personal portraits, touching encounters and sporting moments as their inspiration.

Chair of judges Zelda Cheatle comments:

“Judging the Open competition and National Awards allowed me to discover high calibre international work of great interest. In choosing the winners, the images all had to have something special – whether it be composition, impact, skill, a portrayal of a unique event or informing in a new way. Above all else, each winner had to be an exceptional photograph.”

All Open category and National Award winners receive the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony. In addition, the winning work will be published in the 2018 Awards’ book and shown at the Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition in London from April 20 – May 6.

The ten Open category winners will now go on to compete for the Open Photographer of the Year, winning $ 5,000 (USD). This photographer, along with the Professional categories winners, will be announced in London on April 19.

Produced by the World Photography Organisation, the Sony World Photography Awards is the world’s most diverse photography competition. The 11th edition saw a record breaking 320,000 submissions by photographers from more than 200 countries and territories, presenting some of the world’s finest contemporary photography captured over the past year.

Open category winners

Photographers worldwide may enter any of the Open competition’s 10 categories, with judges looking for the best single image fitting each categories’ brief. Many of the winners are non-professional photographers, making their achievement even more remarkable.

The Open category winners are:

Architecture: Andreas Pohl, German with the image The Man and the Mysterious Tower
Culture: Panos Skordas, Greek with image Young Minotaur
Enhanced: Klaus Lenzen, German with image Every Breath you Take
Landscape & Nature: Veselin Atanasov, Bulgarian with image Early Autumn
Motion: Fajar Kristianto, Indonesian with image The Highest Platform
Portraiture: Nick Dolding, British with image Emile
Still Life: Richard Frishman, American with image Sunday Buffet at Jerry Mikeska’s BBQ; Columbus, Texas 2017
Street Photography: Manuel Armenis, German with image Old Friends
Travel: Mikkel Beiter, Danish with image Shapes of Lofoten
Wildlife: Justuna Zdu?czyk, Polish with image An Unexpected Meeting

National Awards winners

Running across nearly 70 countries, the National Awards program seeks to recognize and reward the best single image taken by a local photographer. The 63 National Award winners can be found in full at: https://www.worldphoto.org/2018-national-awards

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Andreas Pohl, Germany, Winner, Open, Architecture (Open competition), 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

Vertical wind tunnel build in the years 1934 to 1936 for aeronautical studies in Berlin-Adlershof. Photo was taken on 9th January 2017 at 4:26 pm when the dusk had already set in. I took the photo because I had it in mind for more than 2 years without a chance… cause there is not much snow in Berlin.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Manuel Armenis, Germany, Winner, Open Street Photography and Winner, Germany National Award, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

Hamburg, Germany. Spring of 2017. The most graceful lady of her neighborhood, despite the burden of old age. Always stylish, colorful, in good spirits, smiling, never complaining, even though the everyday is a struggle and a challenge for her. And never to be seen without her best friend—her little dog.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Justyna Zdunczyk, Poland, Winner, Open Wildlife and Winner, Poland National Award, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

I was about to leave the Sequoia National Park when, from the corner of my eye, I saw a beautiful clearing bathed in fog. Without thinking too much, I ran with the camera to take some pictures.

When I reached the clearing, I heard the crack of broken twigs… I can’t say that I was not afraid since Sequoia National Park is a home for black bears and people are warned about it at every step. When I turned around, fortunately there was not any bear, instead I saw a curious mule deer walking towards me who cheerfully chewed his supper. Soon after other deers joined him and we just stood there together for a while and watched each other. It was one of the most beautiful moments during my trip thru California, this autumn.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Panos Skordas, Greece, Winner, Open Culture, and Winner, Greece National Award, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

Picture taken in the actual palace of king Minos, on the island of Crete. Costume and mask made by me, model with lots of patience… my son.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Fajar Kristianto, Indonesia, Winner, Open Motion and Winner, Indonesia National Award, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

The new aquatic stadium for The 18th Asian Games just has opened in Gelora Bung Karno sports complex, Jakarta. It will be held in two cities, Jakarta and Palembang. A diving athlete was in the middle of a training session while I was capturing this moment.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Nick Dolding, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open, Portraiture (Open competition), 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

The stylish Emile shot for Paypal looking suitably aloof and hoity in a set with just a little nod towards Wes Anderson.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Veselin Atanasov, Winner, Open Landscape & Nature and Winner, Bulgaria National Award, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

The autumn has begun to decorate with its colors the woods of the Balkans. National Park – Central Balkan, Bulgaria.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Mikkel Beiter, Denmark, Winner, Open Travel and Denmark National Award, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

This composition is quite popular amongst photographers at the moment, and it’s easy to understand why! The beautiful Mount Olstinden has almost the same shape as the roof of this cute yellow cabin and the yellow color creates some amazing contrast to the snow covered mountain.

This place can be found in the Lofoten Archipelago at the small island named Sakrisøy. I’ve removed a small cabin in the left side during post process. Beside that, color correction, contrast and sharpness has been done in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Klaus Lenzen, Germany, Winner, Open, Enhanced (Open competition), 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

The picture was taken in summer 2017 from 35 individual images of swimmers at the triathlon in the Duesseldorf Media Harbor. I was able to take a picture of them from above, while the athletes crossed a pedestrian bridge capturing their very individual “breathing techniques“.

I was inspired by the work of Andreas Gursky, therefore I took the individual images with the highest possible sharpness. That enables me to display or print the overall picture in large format.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Richard Frishman, United States, Winner, Open Still Life and Winner, United States National Award, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

Documenting our American culture through our roadside landscape, I found this curious juxtaposition while looking for lunch in rural Texas, the heart of hunting country. Mikeska’s Bar-B-Q is famous for its Sunday BBQ buffet and its taxidermy.

Authentic to the scene depicted, this highly-detailed image is constructed of over 100 individual photographs meticulously stitched together.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Sony a7 III studio scene published

21 Mar

The Sony a7 III is a 24MP full frame mirrorless camera with a BSI CMOS sensor. It’s the third generation of Sony’s entry-level full frame camera but it comes with a significant number of the features and improvements introduced with the pro sports a9 model.

On paper, at least, the specifications look like an impressive all-rounder, with very little in the way of corner-cutting to keep the camera down to a certain price or capabilities omitted to avoid cannibalizing the sales of more expensive models.

Key Features:

24MP full frame BSI CMOS sensor
93% AF coverage (693 phase detection points, 425 for contrast detection)
Oversampled 4K/24p video taken from full width 6K (cropped-in 5K for 30p)
In-body image stabilization
10 fps continuous shooting
2.36m dot OLED viewfinder
AF joystick
Touchscreen
Larger, ‘Z-type’ battery
Dual SD card slots
USB 3.1 Type C

Stills

The move to a BSI CMOS sensor, combined with the adoption of the latest technologies, such as dual gain design promises improved low light performance, compared with the somewhat under-performing chips in the previous models.

The Eye AF function, which finds and focuses on eyes within the scene makes extremely simple to shoot in-focus portraits.

Video

The a7 series is the last in Sony’s lineup to receive 4K video capture, but gets one of the best implementations, as a result. It can read the full width of its sensor (roughly 6000 x 3375 pixels) then process and downsample the footage, resulting in higher detail levels than would be possible shooting with a 3840 x 2160 pixel sensor. This

Beyond this, the a7 III has all the other video support tools and features Sony tends to include: focus peaking to aid manual focus, zebra warnings to help guide exposure and the ability to display a corrected preview when shooting Log footage.

Ergonomics

The a7 III gains the same body as the a7R III, giving it a more substantial grip and an autofocus joystick on the rear plate. There’s also an extra custom button on the left rear shoulder. By default this acts as a ‘Protect’ button for ensuring your favorite images don’t get deleted but there’s also the option to assign it to rate images, with a menu option to select how many rating steps are used.

As with the other recent Sonys, you can assign different functions to each custom button for stills and playback (and video?)

There’s also a touchscreen, primarily used for setting the AF point, either as a touchpad, when the camera is to your eye, or for direct selection when it isn’t.

Compared to its peers:

	Sony a7m3	Sony a7m2	Sony a7Rm3	Nikon D750	Pentax K-1 II
MSRP (body only)	$ 2000	$ 1700	$ 3200	$ 2300	$ 2000
Pixel Count	24MP	24MP	42.4MP	24MP	36.4MP
CMOS type	BSI	FSI	BSI	FSI	FSI
Cont. shooting rate (fps)	10		10	6.5
Rear LCD res
Rear LCD articulation	Tilt up/down	Tilt up/down	Tilt up/down	Tilt up/down	Tilt up/down
Viewfinder magn.	0.78x	0.71x	0.78x	0.70x	0.70x
Viewfinder res (dots)	2.36m	2.36m	3.69m	N/A	N/A
Highest video res	UHD 4K/30p	1080/60p	UHD 4K/30p	1080/60p	1080/30p (as 60i)
Max bitrate	100 Mbps	50 Mbps	100 Mbps	~24 Mbps	~20 Mbps
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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Sony a7 III dynamic range and high ISO improve over its predecessor

17 Mar

Sony recently announced the a7 III, a comparatively affordable full frame mirrorless camera that incorporates a host of advanced features derived from the a9 and a7R III. The combination of price point and feature set makes it attractive to both enthusiasts and pros, particularly those looking to get into full frame or perhaps even make the switch to mirrorless. While we’ve already shot quite a bit with it and offered our thoughts on the camera as a whole, we hadn’t had a chance to take a deep dive into its image quality performance.

And we know many of you are wondering: what’s the dynamic range like? The high ISO performance?

Let’s take a look.

Low light (high ISO) performance


a7 IIIISO 25,600	a7R IIIISO 25,600	a7 IIISO 25,600

Low light performance has improved markedly over the a7 II, putting it more or less in-line with the a7R III (and therefore a9) when images are viewed at the same size (we’ve downsized the a7R III shot to 24MP). These are 100% crops here (if you’re viewing on a smartphone or Retina / 4K display, see this footnote* below). Roll over the captions, or click on any of the images to view our full studio scene images for each camera.

This is a great result, but also comes as no surprise: noise performance is broadly determined by a combination of sensor size and technology, and we’ve recently seen some significant improvements to sensor technology made by Sony. In particular, the backside-illuminated (BSI) and dual gain architecture of most recent Sony sensors helps squeeze every last bit of performance out of these already low noise imaging chips. Furthermore, the original a7 and a7 II lagged in high ISO performance, often failing to surpass the best APS-C sensors.

Dynamic range vs. the a7R III

The a7 III more or less matches the base ISO dynamic range of the a7R III, when both are viewed at common size (we’ve normalized all our graphs to 8MP). That means both cameras will give you similar ability to make use of (brighten) shadows in Raw files if you want to show a wider dynamic range than shown with the default tone curve.

In numbers, that’s 14.6 EV and 14.8 EV for the a7 III and a7R III, respectively, which falls within our margin of error. You might see a difference in extreme pushes or exposure adjustments, but it’s not likely to be photographically relevant.

a7 III (orange) vs. a7R III (blue). There’s a slight chance you might notice the 0.2 EV advantage of the a7R III at base ISO or the 0.3 EV advantage of the a7 III at higher ISOs, but we doubt it. As our test scene images show, the two cameras look very similar when viewed at the same output size.

Note the jump in dynamic range at ISO 640 for both cameras. That’s essentially the camera’s second ‘base’ ISO, where the second stage of the dual-gain architecture kicks in. At ISOs 640 and above, most recent Sony sensors use a higher gain mode that essentially amplifies the signal at the pixel-level to get it above the (already pretty low) noise floor.** In laymen’s terms, that just means ‘more picture, less noise’, particularly in shadows – hence the increase in dynamic range.

Our analysis shows the a7 III to just edge out the a7R III at these higher ISOs, albeit only by about 0.3 EV (which happens to be right around our margin of error). You might see this in the deepest shadows – in fact, if you look very closely at the darkest patch in our ISO 25,600 rollover above, you can kind of see a tad bit less noise in the a7 III, but is that photographically relevant? Up to you.

… but it shows a marked improvement over its predecessor

While base ISO dynamic range remains the same as its predecessor, the dual-gain design brings a marked improvement at high ISO. Shadows at high ISO will be notably cleaner on the a7 III, and that’s before you consider the better overall high ISO performance – even in brighter tones – likely due to either a more efficient sensor or lower upstream read noise.

Compared with the a7 II (green), the a7 III (orange) shows much better dynamic range (at least 1.6 EV) at higher ISOs. Also, whereas you can see noise reduction being applied to the a7 II’s Raw at 25,600, it doesn’t kick in until ISO 64,000 (beyond the graph) on the Mark III.

Compressed continuous drive performance

If you shoot compressed Raw, the camera drops to 12-bit sensor readout in continuous drive modes. This negatively impacts dynamic range, dropping 1.4 EV at base ISO and roughly 1 EV at ISO 640. Dynamic range catches up at higher ISOs, though never quite matches the performance of 14-bit readout. Even at ISO 6400, 12-bit files are roughly 0.4 EV behind – though this is unlikely to significantly impact your photography. The differences at lower ISOs and at ISO 640, on the other hand, you might notice in more extreme pushes.

a7 III Uncompressed (orange) vs. Compressed 12-bit (light orange) performance. We’re not sure about the jumps at ISO 160 and 800, but for the most part there’s a drop in dynamic range at lower ISOs that more or less evens out at the higher ISOs.

In Single drive mode, compressed Raw continues to use 14-bit sensor readout, so measured roughly the same dynamic range as Uncompressed (it dropped 0.1 EV, but that’s within our margin of error).

And if you’re confused about when the camera drops to 12-bit – which is the only time you’d see these drops in DR – the only combination that diverges from 14-bit is when you shoot compressed Raw in (any) continuous drive mode. All other combinations of Mechanical or Electronic shutter, drive mode or Raw type are 14-bit.

vs. a7R II

We threw this one in here because the a7 III and a7R II are currently being sold for roughly similar price (the latter is $ 400 more expensive), so we’re aware of some discussion about choosing between the two. You’re unlikely to notice our measured 0.2 EV higher base ISO dynamic range of the a7 III, but you might notice the 0.5 EV advantage at ISO 640. At higher ISOs the cameras even out.

Realistically though, there’s not much difference between these cameras.

a7 III (orange) vs a7R II (red) dynamic range. You might notice the 0.5 EV advantage of the a7 III at ISO 640, but for the most part performance is similar.

Summary

We’ve summarized our results in numbers in the table below.

	ISO 100 (24MP)	ISO 100 (8MP)	ISO 640 (24MP)	ISO 640 (8MP)
a7 III	13.8 EV	14.6 EV	13.4 EV	14.2 EV
a7 III (compressed 12-bit)	12.4 EV	13.2 EV	12.3 EV	13.2 EV
a7 II	13.9 EV	14.7 EV	11.8 EV	12.6 EV
a7R III	14 EV	14.8 EV	13.1 EV	13.9 EV
a7R II	13.6 EV	14.4 EV	12.9 EV	13.7 EV
a9	12.6 EV	13.4 EV	12.4 EV	13.2 EV

So what’s the take-away? The a7 III’s image quality more or less matches what we’ve come to expect from modern, well-performing full-frame sensors. There’s really not much difference between the a7 III, the a7R III, the a7R II, or the Nikon D850 for that matter.

The a7 III does show a marked improvement over its predecessor at high ISOs, both in dynamic range and general noise performance, thanks to a number of sensor improvements (efficiency, BSI, dual-gain, etc.). Interestingly, the a7 III, which we’d imagine shares a similar sensor to the a9 minus the stacked design, offers roughly 1 EV more dynamic range than that camera at ISOs 100 and 640 (though the cameras even out at the highest ISOs). General noise performance of the a9 – if you’re not pushing your files – is similar though.

The a7 III’s image quality more or less matches what we’ve come to expect from modern, well-performing full-frame sensors

The a7 III offers great image quality performance at an affordable price point. That said, it’s not image quality that sets this camera apart from its contemporaries but, rather, its significant other capabilities like autofocus, silent shooting, video and a number of other things we’ll be delving into in our full review.

* Retina & smartphone optimized 100% crops:


a7 IIIISO 25,600	a7R IIIISO 25,600	a7 IIISO 25,600

** Technically speaking, it’s not exactly more amplification. Rather, the sensor switches to a different circuit within the pixel that has different capacitance at the floating diffusion node. This essentially generates a larger voltage swing (signal) per photoelectron captured, which means the signal – your picture – is less affected by the noise floor of the sensor and electronics.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Samsung wants to dethrone Sony, reach #1 in the global image sensor market

17 Mar

According to a new report out of South Korea, Samsung is increasing production of its ISOCELL image sensors at its Hwasung, South Korea location in a bid to clinch the #1 spot in image sensors worldwide.

However, this feat is definitely easier said than done. Current market leader Sony has a comfortable advantage over its South Korean rival, and certainly won’t go down without a fight. In the lucrative smartphone segment alone, Sony currently has a 46 percent market share versus Samsung’s much smaller 19 percent.

That said, technologically at least, Samsung is well-placed to take on the challenge. Its latest Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S9/S9 Plus devices all come with innovative imaging technologies and offer excellent camera performance built on Samsung’s own sensor technology.

The company rebranded its image sensor range as Isocell in June 2017. Since then, Samsung has not only expanded its high-end sensor offerings, it also designed low-cost image sensor modules that are easy to implement into devices by other manufacturers. Several of those, for example Xiaomi and Meizu, are already using Samsung image sensors.

However, market leadership cannot be achieved with smartphones alone. Samsung is also planning to grow in the automotive space where CMOS sensors are increasingly used in the autonomous vehicle space and for other applications. In this segment, Samsung will face stiff competition from the likes of Bosch and Continental.

Whoever ends up ruling the image sensor market, a large company like Samsung challenging Sony’s quasi-monopoly for image sensors can only be good news for consumers.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Sony interview: ‘If cameras are going to develop, manufacturers have to develop mirrorless technologies’

16 Mar

Kenji Tanaka, Senior General Manager of Sony’s Digital Imaging Business Group, pictured in Yokohama for the 2018 CP+ show.

At the recent CP+ show in Yokohama, we sat down with executives from several major camera and lens manufacturers. Among them was Kenji Tanaka, of Sony. In our interview we discussed the new a7 III, as well as Sony’s plans to attract more professional users, without ignoring entry-level and APS-C customers.

The following interview has been edited slightly for clarity and flow.

What is your target customer for the new Alpha a7 III?

We describe it as a basic model but maybe our definition is different [to other manufacturers]. What we mean is that any customer can use this model. Many professionals could use the a7 III, I think. I hope that many kinds of customer will be happy with this model, so we’re not strictly defining a target customer for the a7R III.

The new Sony Alpha a7 III is ostensibly an entry-level model in Sony’s a7-series lineup but despite its relative affordability, it’s packed with features.

Sony had a very busy year last year – what are your priorities going into 2018 and beyond?

We’re displaying the 400mm F2.8 [at CP+] – of course many articles are written about the a7 III, but as well as the camera bodies, the lenses are very important. Especially lenses like the 400mmm F2.8 – sports photographers are a new category for us.

One of the most important lenses for sports photographers is the 400mm F2.8

Last year we launched the a9 and some sports photographers are already using the a9, for example at the Olympics, but one of the most important lenses for sports photographers is the 400mm F2.8. The weight is very light. Usually sports photographers use monopods because the lenses are very heavy, but the weight of our 400mm F2.8 is very light, and you can use it handheld, which makes it easy to create different kinds of photographs. We already announced the development of this lens, and the launch is scheduled for this summer.

How important is feedback from sports photographers?

It’s very important. Not only when it comes to quality, but also durability. The winter Olympics for example, with the low temperatures, whether a product works in those tough conditions is very important. Whether or not we will launch a new product, the proof of concept is very important.

For a product aimed at a hobbyist, maybe it’s less important but for the 400mm F2.8 we’re really dedicated to create a ‘monster’ lens.

Sony was showing a prototype of its forthcoming 400mm F2.8 at CP+, which Mr. Tanaka sees as an essential weapon in Sony’s arsenal of lenses if the company is going to attract professional sports photographers to the brand.

There have been questions about the weather sealing of a7-series and a9 cameras. Is this something you want to address?

In really bad conditions, in really heavy rain, will photographers keep on taking pictures [for long periods of time?] I don’t think so. In those conditions, most photographers will use some kind of rain cover. But of course durability is very important. Photographers should be able to shoot [in poor weather]. We have an internal ‘weather test’ and for each kind of customer we will aim to produce products with adequate durability.

For a professional camera, the requirement for durability is higher

Is that something that your professional users are asking for?

Yes. But we need a balance between durability, and size and weight. For a professional camera, the requirement for durability is higher, but for hobbyist kinds of camera, the priority is smaller size and lower weight.

Tamron and Sigma are now creating lenses for Sony FE – is this a good thing for Sony?

Yes, it’s a good thing. The E-mount is an open standard – anyone can create a lens for the E-mount system. Of course there are criteria for compatibility, but because we think that the E-mount is a good technology, we think that the open format is good for the market and good for customers.

Tamron’s first lens for full-frame Sony mirrorless cameras will be the upcoming 28-75mm F2.8 zoom. Sigma is planning its own range of native E-Mount primes and zooms, too.

How long will it be before Canon and Nikon join Sony and mirrorless full-frame becomes the norm?

This is just my personal opinion, but I think that maybe by next year’s CP+ you’ll see full-frame mirrorless cameras from Canon and Nikon. I think [by then] they will be participating in this market.

If cameras are going to develop, manufacturers have to develop mirrorless technologies

Just look at our technologies, like eye focus. All of those are made possible because of data from image sensors. In DSLRs, the data comes from separate sensors. The main imaging sensor is blacked out, 90% of the time by the mirror. The sensor is turned off. But the imaging sensor is very important. So if cameras are going to develop, and be able to capture the moment [more effectively], manufacturers have to develop mirrorless technologies. So within one year, I think.

Do you think we’ll see mostly mirrorless cameras at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo?

Yes.

How many of those cameras do you want to be made by Sony?

Many! But the professional market is very conservative, so we’re taking it step by step. We saw some photographers using the Alpha 9 at this year’s winter Olympics but of course the majority was Canon and Nikon. But the number of Sony photographers is increasing.

The Sony Alpha a9’s innovative wide-coverage autofocus system makes it a powerful tool in the hands of an experienced sports photographer.

A lot of our readers want more Sony APS-C lenses…

We know that some people think we’ve neglected the APS-C market, but it’s just an issue of prioritization. A couple of years ago we introduced the a6500. Then the next year we introduced the a9, and the a7R III. But we think that the APS-C market, and APS-C customers are both very important, because the majority of the market is APS-C, and we’re developing many kinds of APS-C products, so please be patient – we will never ignore APS-C.

Some of your competitors keep flagship products up to date over time with firmware updates. This seems like the opposite strategy to Sony. Is this something that might change?

We’re still in the early stages of challenging the market with our products, and the new model cycle is relatively rapid, compared to our competitors. But the next step is to increase our market share. And if we want to reach new customers, we need [to make] new types of cameras.

We’re still in the early stages of challenging the market with our products, and the new model cycle is relatively rapid

Sony makes a lot of key devices, for example image sensors and processors. I’m originally an engineer. Engineers always want to provide the latest sensor, the latest processor, and so on. Maybe this is one of the reasons our product release cycle is faster than some of our competitors. [But] user-upgradable software is very important. Our new model cycle is speedy, however I think that firmware updates are something we should offer.

Editor’s note:

Our conversation with Mr. Tanaka was candid and interesting, coming in the middle of a very busy period for Sony. The company has released a lot of high-end products over the past 18 months, and shows no signs of slowing down. We don’t know how far out the new 400mm F2.8 sports lens is, but given recent sightings of at least one working prototype ‘in the wild’ at the winter Olympics, it could be pretty imminent.

Mr. Tanaka knows that Sony won’t have the full-frame mirrorless field to itself for much longer, and welcomes the competition

Mostly I came away from this interview with the strong sense that Sony isn’t planning on resting on its laurels. Mr. Tanaka knows that his company won’t have the full-frame mirrorless field to itself for much longer, and welcomes the inevitable competition from established DSLR manufacturers like Canon and Nikon, as well as third-party lens manufacturers like Sigma and Tamron. As he correctly points out, some of the most useful features to emerge in the photography market in recent years could only have been possible thanks to mirrorless technologies, and Sony deserves enormous credit for developing and perfecting many of these technologies faster than any other manufacturer.

Sony will not ignore either APS-C users, or entry-level full-frame customers

It was very reassuring to hear Mr. Tanaka stress the importance of durability, as well as technology in Sony’s high-end cameras. Concerns have been raised about the ability of some of its products to withstand use in wet conditions, but clearly this is something that the company is mindful of – especially in cameras and lenses designed for professional use.

That’s not to say that Sony is focused entirely on breaking into the professional market. Mr. Tanaka was at pains to reassure us that Sony will not ignore either APS-C users, or entry-level full-frame customers. The new a7 III is proof of the latter point – a ‘basic’ model in Sony’s terminology, but one that I suspect will satisfy the needs of many enthusiasts and even professionals.

Previous Sony interviews:

CP+ 2017 – Sony interview: ‘We need to offer new imaging experiences’

‘We want to make lenses that can be used forever’: Sony engineer discusses G Master lenses

Interview: Kimio Maki of Sony – ‘the customer’s voice is the most important data for me’

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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