The Sony a7 III has been around for a couple of years now, but even among newer cameras, it stills strikes a competitive balance of capabilities and price for both photographers and videographers. This great video review takes a look at how the camera holds up after a couple of years of usage.
Coming to you from The Hybrid Shooter, this great video discusses how the Sony a7 III has held up in the long run. Personally, I loved the a7 III when I reviewed it. It is a fantastic all-around camera that is an ideal hybrid option for a ton of photographers and videographers, as it can step competently into a wide range of shooting scenarios and handle them with ease, plus it is very affordable as far as full frame bodies go. Of course, it does not have the extreme resolution of the R line or the extreme low-light capabilities of the a7S II, but if you are someone who just needs a capable camera that can handle whatever you throw at it with ease, there are few bodies more up to the task at a better price. Check out the video above for the full rundown.
I immediately recognize the "Sony skin tone" whenever I look at a photo taken with it. Unless the photographer was careful to remove the green cast, boost magenta and color correct in post.
Curious whether you're referring to JPG or RAW. If you're talking about the RAW file, it seems like the problem lies with how your software converter is interpreting the data, not with Sony itself.
More specifically, Adobe's standard profiles are pretty poor at rendering Sony files. It's fairly easy to fix with other profiles and Camera Calibration.
I don't own a Sony camera.
I mean when someone posts a photo on the internet. I don't know why, but I find it super easy to guess when it is a Sony.
Um... that’s why I was replying to the guy who said he had one and sold it.
I’m still rocking mine. Still love it!
far from water you should be good.
for video many wedding videographers use it. for stills, not 1 that I know. id like to find a camera that can do both well and preferebly it would be nice to stay with my nikon lens mount. but nikon doesnt have anything that interests me.
the d780 would be a good choice but no grip/pack and the price is too high imo.
no...im not buying a z camera. no thank you. I never buy first gen of anything.
An OK cam but not a great one. It’s a bit over rated I think. I have the R3 - the build quality is not great, colours are sometimes a bit off and the user interface is poor. The touchscreen and menus are terrible. Another gripe is the rear LCD is poor as well and has a colour cast that makes the review on the back nothing like the actual picture.
Like I said. It’s overrated.
I've been shooting video on the a7III for 50+ projects. I use the EOSHD picture profile to get it to a more Canon look. I've found that if the white balance and exposure are set perfectly, it's beautiful: really great image, 4K and HD. If either of those settings are off, it's a nightmare. There's just not enough data to grade it properly in post. Good all around camera. Wish it had an All-I 10-bit codec.
So two years now is considered "the long run"?
2 year cycles for non-pro cameras tend to be the average these days. The A7 IV should be right around the corner, with massive upgrades in AF, at the very least.
People complaining about the Sony colors...
1) Set AWB priority to white in the menu - this helps cure the hideous yellow tint you get from florescent indoor lighting. Most are unaware of this menu option because it's separate from AWB menu.
2) Adjust creative effect - std to slightly magenta hue. Sure this doesn't effect RAW images but changes jpg and colors you see on back of camera
3) While new adobe profiles for sony are better they still aren't perfect. This is no fault of Sony - if you happen to look at the RAW images in the sony imaging edge desktop software they look fantastic with none of the green tint.
4) I compared the A9II/A7R4 revised colors to my A9. To get similar result drop the white balance ~200 kelvin towards blue and they look nearly identical.
I think AWB-white is the easiest starting point especially when batch processing.
YES! AWB White and centered (not to the right as it starts) is the best. If you ever have done sunsets/rises and get that blue as the grey in shadows this makes white WHITE!!
Best video I’ve seen on Canon vs Sony skin tones. True apples to apples comparison.
https://youtu.be/yMjb7sMiAsg
I shot with the A6300 for years (events, sports, wildlife, landscape), and there were very few things the camera couldn't do. Mainly higher ISOs, consistent tracking, and SOOC video that fit my tastes. The A7 III I got 2 months ago fills in all 3, and is easily by far the most capable camera I've ever owned. And I've owned a ton of cameras (EOS R and D750 being the closest competitors).
There's DR for days around base ISO, making it nearly impossible to blow out highlights or lose important details in the shadows, allowing realistic rendering of both ends without excess noise or artifacts. You can even lift shadows at around ISO 12,800 by about 1 stop without destroying things. And with highlight priority metering, you can ALWAYS prevent highlight clipping, maximizing the potential of the sensor. Add HLG and zebras, and you can see the true representation of RAW's DR on-screen. Makes this camera and any Sony with these features a landscape photographer's dream.
High ISO is just astonishing, with the ability to go up to at least ISO 25,600 and still have noise that can be easily reduced to acceptable levels with NR. Many people say FF is 1 stop better than APS-C, but in this case, it's closer to 2 stops better in both measurements. ISO 6400 was about my noise limit on APS-C, but 25,600 is the new 6400 on FF.
AF is top notch, and while I'd give the A6300 a 66% on tracking (Lock On Flexible Spot), the A7 III would be closer to 85%. Hard to make it lose focus on an object that stays in the frame, and an excellent chance of it reacquiring the subject if it leaves and returns to the frame. All other AF methods are just as good and as reliable as on the A6300 (near perfect), giving extreme confidence that your photos will be in focus at all times. The lens you use will have more effect on the potential of the AF system than the camera itself.
And for video, HLG3 with some tweaks is perfect for me. Color is very close to accurate (yellow-green colors and cyans are slightly off), closer SOOC than any other camera I've owned. DR is great, and keeps things from blowing out in all but the harshest scenes. And since it's HLG and not Log, you can go way down to ISO 125, reducing/eliminating the need for ND filters in many situations. Even works well indoors and in low light, since it doesn't raise the shadows much beyond the black point like Log. Great for keeping interior lighting from blowing out on walls and ceilings.
Really can't wait till lockdown is over, so I can get back to shooting weddings and grab a second one of these, along with more FF lenses. The few limitations I'd faced for the past few years are basically gone, allowing me to shoot how I want without second guessing if I actually can. The IQ and AF on this camera give it near-limitless potential, as long as you don't need super high MP or NFL-level AF.
Anyone serious about video should know that the A7III and all the Sony Alpha bodies don't have an OLPF to remove moire. I notice the artifacts in just about every video made with it online, but no one ever talks about it. I've used the camera extensively through my company, but personally it's not a camera I would purchase for myself. I was also underwhelmed by the accuracy of the LCD, however the EVF is much more accurate. Just a little annoyance
Not true, A7 III has low pass filter. I have never had any issues with moire in downsampled 4K video from A7 III.
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4261674
Not sure what camera you're expecting to get significantly less moire out of:
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/image-comparison/fullscreen?attr29_0=so...
Been shooting with mine for two years now and still love it. Came from an A7SII and before that, a 5D MK2. Wouldn't go back. There are a few features I wish it had on a pro-level. But I've shot commercial work for Adidas, Fashion work for other brands, and weddings with the A7III. Clients have often preferred my photos next to second shooters with 5D MK4s, so I'd say as far as a commercial pipeline is concerned, the A7III is a great value. Sony has plenty of work to do with their color science - I agree with a lot of the comments in regards to skin tones. Basically, you have to do a lot of extra work to get them to a nice place (but you can definitely get them to a nice place with a little effort). That said, anyone who doesn't think Canon destroys skin tones, and has a recognizable color cast, is out of their minds. All camera companies have distinguishable color science, and I think a lot of it comes down to preference.
This video looks like more a review of lenses even with comments on the A7M3. A7M3 was released and priced for the beginner (equal to two Canon T7i's) but with way more options to make even a pro happy!!! For lenses SEL1224G and SEL24240 make it the best travel rig. It came out when the A9 came out and priced below $2K what a bargain. I like to do Astro MW and it is almost equal to my A7S (2014) and as far as landscape is vantastic. 24MP's is like the golden point with APS-C and FF but many, many want a 42 to 100 MP (some have the $$$) well Topaz Gigapixel AI is now here as well as Denoise AI for those High ISO shots. Yes the A9 can do 20 FPS but A7M3 does 10 FPS great for sports to birding (but use Silent mode to prevent damage to the mechanical shutter). Also to see what your camera processed jpeg looked like use ON1 RAW 2020 or Capture One 20 ($50 Sony Pro) to see how really great the camera really is with its in camera processing to boot. To be true to lenses Landscape/Night Cityscape f/8 to f/16 and Astro MW/walkabout cityscape f/1.4 to f/4 but the camera makes the lens great. I still use Canon FD 24/35/50/80 f/1.4 to f/1.8 why? Ever price a modern fast glass!!! With an adapter Sony cameras still let you use your old inexpensive (not cheap) glass with all cameras even the A7M3!!! It would take 2 plus hours to make a video showing all the capabilities and options of the A7M3 showing an overwhelming value, it will be in hands for 20 years like my Canon Ftb.