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Sony A7r iii UK realease Date

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 7:15 am
by Phil Shaw
I just got an email saying the the first UK shipment of Sony A7rIII bodies will be arriving on Friday (17th) and that I will receive mine on Saturday  :D

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 7:47 am
by rene
Congratulations Phil. Can’t be long before I receive mine. Have you eliminated all your Canon kit?
Rene

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 8:22 am
by MND
Congrats.

Stick a 100-400 on it and let us know how it focuses. If it’s good I’m in.

Cheers

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 1:47 pm
by David Osborn
Hi Phil,
I’m currently sat on the fence and wondering which way to jump, so would be especially interested in your initial thoughts on the A7r3.
I’m certainly tempted but would like to have some feedback on usage.
Thanks
David

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 3:43 pm
by E.J. Peiker
While the sensor is essentially the same, the overall usability and utility of the camera has been greatly enhanced. Virtually every system in the camera has been upgraded and works more seamlessly without all of the annoying little lags its predecessor had. For slow methodical work, there isn't that much change but if you ever find yourself hurrying at the edges of the day, everything just works a whole lot better.

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 4:16 pm
by David Osborn
Thanks EJ - your thoughts are always appreciated.
Regards, David

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 4:50 pm
by signgrap
Of special interest to me is the improved AF. This won't affect my landscape work but for shooting people especially in low light, I'll be able to get sharp photos without missing the opportune moment due to slow auto focus acquisition. The a7RII is terrible when shooting in low light and trying to get fast AF, it just won't, and this is with shooting fast primes. All the reports I've seen so far say the a7RIII AF is a huge improvement over the a7RII. If these reports continue to pan out, I just may have to upgrade.

Re:

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 6:11 pm
by E.J. Peiker
signgrap wrote:Of special interest to me is the improved AF. This won't affect my landscape work but for shooting people especially in low light, I'll be able to get sharp photos without missing the opportune moment due to slow auto focus acquisition. The a7RII is terrible when shooting in low light and trying to get fast AF, it just won't, and this is with shooting fast primes. All the reports I've seen so far say the a7RIII AF is a huge improvement over the a7RII. If these reports continue to pan out, I just may have to upgrade.
The biggest difference for people is that the eye focus is now awesome!  And for general photography, the joystick for AF point selection is a huge improvement and that frees up the dial for other functions that can be accessed in a single click while shooting without first having to hit the center button.

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 3:22 am
by David Osborn
Once again thanks for your input EJ.
Not to sure what eye focus actually is - but I’ll now check.
im particularly interested in AF speed and accuracy and the buffer performance if anyone has any comments.

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 6:25 am
by Phil Shaw
Hi David,
In order to give you an answer to your question about AF speed and accuracy, I would need to know what lens/lenses you intend using with it, and what types of subject you intend to shoot. For somethings like bif, the A9 is definitely better due to its edge to edge focusing sensors, but for general purpose nature and landscape photography, the A7R3 is great (best with native FE mount lenses).

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 6:48 pm
by David Osborn
Hi Phil,
Thanks for picking up.
It’s really a general inquiry from someone sat on the fence. I’m a long time Canon user and feel that it might be time to take a leap of faith and make the change, so I’d be interested in general comments on performance.
I’m not sure if short term it might be best to run with both systems, but I’d either be looking at the A9 or A7r3, together with the Sony 100-400 and if I chose the A7r I’d get a wide angle.
So really looking for real life comments on performance and image quality as compared to the EOS1dx, 5D4 & 7D2.
Even though the A9 is the ‘action’ camera, could the A7r be used for bif successfully?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Thanks
David

Re:

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 7:06 pm
by MND
David Osborn wrote:Hi Phil,
Thanks for picking up.
It’s really a general inquiry from someone sat on the fence. I’m a long time Canon user and feel that it might be time to take a leap of faith and make the change, so I’d be interested in general comments on performance.
I’m not sure if short term it might be best to run with both systems, but I’d either be looking at the A9 or A7r3, together with the Sony 100-400 and if I chose the A7r I’d get a wide angle.
So really looking for real life comments on performance and image quality as compared to the EOS1dx, 5D4 & 7D2.
Even though the A9 is the ‘action’ camera, could the A7r be used for bif successfully?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Thanks
David
David,

I got my A7Riii this afternoon, after a charge to 75% and a cursory attempt at the settings I attached my 100-400GM. It's nice and light compared to my D500 and D850 with the 300mm PF, it's not quite as snappy in focussing as the Nikons but it's not at all far behind and perfectly useable. I'm used to the A7Rii and the 100-400GM was not great with that camera so I'm really pleased at how well the iii handles it. It was getting too dark to try BIF but I did try the Batis 18mm at a sunset and I've been using the cats as models for the Batis 85mm. I'm very happy with the results using Capture 1. The uncompressed files are huge and it's causing C1 to cough and splutter. I'm keeping it to use alongside my D850 but I'll sell the D500. I cant help with comparisons with the Canon's I'm afraid but in the next day or so I'll try and do a bit of bird photography and report on that.

How's Naaarfolk these days? I used to live just over the border in Lincs.

Cheers

Re: Re:

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 7:36 pm
by Mike in O
MND wrote:
David Osborn wrote:Hi Phil,
Thanks for picking up.
It’s really a general inquiry from someone sat on the fence. I’m a long time Canon user and feel that it might be time to take a leap of faith and make the change, so I’d be interested in general comments on performance.
I’m not sure if short term it might be best to run with both systems, but I’d either be looking at the A9 or A7r3, together with the Sony 100-400 and if I chose the A7r I’d get a wide angle.
So really looking for real life comments on performance and image quality as compared to the EOS1dx, 5D4 & 7D2.
Even though the A9 is the ‘action’ camera, could the A7r be used for bif successfully?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Thanks
David
David,

I got my A7Riii this afternoon, after a charge to 75% and a cursory attempt at the settings I attached my 100-400GM. It's nice and light compared to my D500 and D850 with the 300mm PF, it's not quite as snappy in focussing as the Nikons but it's not at all far behind and perfectly useable. I'm used to the A7Rii and the 100-400GM was not great with that camera so I'm really pleased at how well the iii handles it. It was getting too dark to try BIF but I did try the Batis 18mm at a sunset and I've been using the cats as models for the Batis 85mm. I'm very happy with the results using Capture 1. The uncompressed files are huge and it's causing C1 to cough and splutter. I'm keeping it to use alongside my D850 but I'll sell the D500. I cant help with comparisons with the Canon's I'm afraid but in the next day or so I'll try and do a bit of bird photography and report on that.

How's Naaarfolk these days? I used to live just over the border in Lincs.

Cheers
Forget about using uncompressed raw unless you happen to be shooting at night with neon or street lights.

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 8:02 pm
by signgrap
Mike, I'd be very interested in your opinion on how the auto focus (AF) of the a7RII compares with that of the a7RIII. I do a fair amount of indoor photography for non-profits. Lots of dinners and award presentations frequently in venues with low light levels. I currently use an a7RII with mixed results due to slow AF acquisition or missed focus. In most of these situations I'll use flash as fill or a primary light source. What is most annoying is the delay that takes place when the focus acquisition is slow - meaning the expression you saw is now something everybody would like to forget when the shutter is finally released. My primary photography focus is landscape but I do enough photography for these non-profits that I'd purchase the a7RIII if I'd see a MARKED improvement in AF performance in the situations described above. Any insights you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 9:09 pm
by MND
Dick,

I no longer have my A7Rii to compare it with but I can tell you that focus lock on is much better. I was using Small Flexible Spot to lock onto a cats eye and there was no hunting at all using the Batis 85. Would Eye AF be a better option for your non profit applications? I did try that briefly this evening in subdued light and it locked on with any hesitation.

I'm still learning the differences and getting used to new button layout. I do like the AF On button and new Menu format. I'll post more as I go along.

Cheers

Re: Re:

Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:17 pm
by David Osborn
MND wrote:
David Osborn wrote:Hi Phil,
Thanks for picking up.
It’s really a general inquiry from someone sat on the fence. I’m a long time Canon user and feel that it might be time to take a leap of faith and make the change, so I’d be interested in general comments on performance.
I’m not sure if short term it might be best to run with both systems, but I’d either be looking at the A9 or A7r3, together with the Sony 100-400 and if I chose the A7r I’d get a wide angle.
So really looking for real life comments on performance and image quality as compared to the EOS1dx, 5D4 & 7D2.
Even though the A9 is the ‘action’ camera, could the A7r be used for bif successfully?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Thanks
David
David,

I got my A7Riii this afternoon, after a charge to 75% and a cursory attempt at the settings I attached my 100-400GM. It's nice and light compared to my D500 and D850 with the 300mm PF, it's not quite as snappy in focussing as the Nikons but it's not at all far behind and perfectly useable. I'm used to the A7Rii and the 100-400GM was not great with that camera so I'm really pleased at how well the iii handles it. It was getting too dark to try BIF but I did try the Batis 18mm at a sunset and I've been using the cats as models for the Batis 85mm. I'm very happy with the results using Capture 1. The uncompressed files are huge and it's causing C1 to cough and splutter. I'm keeping it to use alongside my D850 but I'll sell the D500. I cant help with comparisons with the Canon's I'm afraid but in the next day or so I'll try and do a bit of bird photography and report on that.

How's Naaarfolk these days? I used to live just over the border in Lincs.

Cheers
Hi Mike,
Thanks for your input -all very interesting and I look forward to hearing your thoughts as you progress.
Lil’ old Norfolks fine thanks, although a little cold and windy at the moment with snow expected over the weekend, which is incredibly unusual for us. Where did you live then?
Thanks 
Regards 
David