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by Bruce Sherman on Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:12 pm
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I am seriously considering getting one of the Sony FF cameras. I shoot birds and other wildlife 90% of the time.

It seems like Sony is coming out with a new model very frequently.

I do not need or want 60 MP images. Something in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 would suit me.

I do want something with very accurate auto-focus, maybe even something with animal eye detection. If I understand what I's reading animal eye detection is only availabe on the a9, a9II, and a7RV III. These are a little more $ than I want to spend. The a7III seems to fit my needs, but does it have animal eye detection?

Thanks in advance for any help.
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by SantaFeJoe on Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:28 am
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It’s available:

https://www.dpreview.com/news/254321893 ... iii-a7-iii

Joe
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by mikeojohnson on Tue Nov 19, 2019 6:48 am
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If you shoot a lot of birds in flight, my experience is the 9 series is noticeably better at tracking than the 7. 7 is good, but the 9 is the best I have ever had.
Mike
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by scorless on Tue Nov 19, 2019 11:37 am
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My experience is the same as Mike's. Maybe consider a used a9 to reduce the cost.
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by Jeff Pearl on Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:25 pm
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I have Sony A7-III w FE 4/24-105 lens, and I never had much luck getting decent BIF shots. I am still running Version 1.0. I'm selling that camera now. I think A9 would be better choice, but others know better than me. Maybe you should rent first for comparison before buying.
 

by DChan on Tue Nov 19, 2019 3:26 pm
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Unless your animal photos have always been out of focus, you have been incapable of taking a photo without eye focus AF, I'd say why limit your camera choice to those with animal eye AF?
 

by E.J. Peiker on Tue Nov 19, 2019 9:56 pm
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For wildlife, your best bet is an a9, you don't need an a9 II.
 

by Phil Shaw on Wed Nov 20, 2019 12:25 pm
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Shooting birds in flight with the A9 and a Sony GM lens is like cheating.  If you decide to go that route, also budget for the battery grip.  Be prepared to re-learn how to shoot and you will avoid initial frustrations.  Don't expect the Eye-AF to work reliably on birds, it does sometimes if you are close enough and/or the bird's eye is large and 'owl-like'.
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by GregCromie on Thu Dec 19, 2019 8:06 pm
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You could also check out this round of up of reviews over at ShotKit.com. They seem to be reviewing a lot of the cameras you are considering and have been mentioned here. It is quite a good article.

https://shotkit.com/sony-camera-guide/
 

by sdaconsulting on Sun Dec 22, 2019 3:12 pm
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I'd get the A9 or A9 2 (for best AF available) and the A7R4 (for maximum resolution especially in crop mode when you are focal length limited).
Matthew Cromer
 

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