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While those who splashed out the A7S III might feel slightly aggrieved that the FX3 has arrived just six months on, they will largely be hybrid shooters with slightly different needs. High Dynamic Range Optimiser (HDR) is Sony's solution for capturing more contrast than a single exposure can handle by combining two exposures into one image. There are 6 different EV settings and an Auto option. Sony has also combined the new sensor with a new processing engine dubbed Bionz XR, which is said to enable up to 8x faster processing. However, while the a7S's body exactly resembles its original 24 and 36MP sister models, the a7 and a7R (the a7 II's design is slightly different), it includes a whole raft of features and tools to support the videographer. These include the low contrast S-Log2 tone curve that allows more of the camera's dynamic range to be fitted into its video files and the option to record time code. Photographers more interested in stills may wish to note that most of these video features have subsequently been included in the newer a7 II, which also features revised ergonomics and in-body image stabilization. Key Features
Models sold in some countries/regions support IEEE 802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz) only. 5GHz communication may be restricted in some countries and regions. There are 10 ISO settings available on the Sony A7S. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting for both JPEG and RAW formats: JPEG Furthermore, not opening up the aperture means extended DOF, which means the camera has to search a wider range to detect focus. This becomes particularly egregious at smaller apertures. Say you want to ensure an erratically moving subject is absolutely in focus as it's running, and you're moving alongside it as well. You may wish to choose F8 for a higher hit rate. But the AF would be slowed due to DOF.
Ease of Use
Sony says the A7S II remains targeted at those who need a mix of video and stills, like wedding photographers who don't need to make large prints, concert photographers and astrophotographers. For those kind of shooters, the A7S III's 4K video powers are important, but the FX3 is a camera that's really built around them. S’ stands for sensitivity, and that is precisely what Sony’s a7S cameras deliver. First announced shortly after the debut pairing of the a7 and a7R, the a7S was notable for delivering a staggering maximum ISO of 409,600, allowing it to effectively see in the dark. Whether or not you need a 10-bit full-frame video camera is another matter –if depends on where you're planning to publish your videos and how much grading you tend to do. An 8-bit camera like the A7S II may still be fine for your needs, and it's also worth bearing in mind that there are more affordable 10-bit cameras (albeit with smaller sensors) than the A7S III, such as the Panasonic GH5. 3. Design
With the A7 IV, you’ll be able to shoot a wide range of subjects including fast-moving sport and action. Noise is also controlled well and the level of detail in images won’t disappoint. So the SLOG base ISO of 3200 was chosen why? I get that its for video but there has to be a reason Sony chose it for this particular sensor." Above: Sony A7s II vs Sony A7r II (APSC) vs Sony A7r II (full-frame) – 4k daylight resolution at 100 ISO.Sony has often received criticism for the complexity of its mirrorless cameras’ menus. Obviously, with such a feature-rich camera as the A7S III, there’s still going to be a long menu, however, Sony has given the matter some serious thought and the menu looks to be better laid out than on previous cameras with better grouping of key features. Adding to the A7S's snapshot simplicity, these features accompany face recognition and smile shutter functionality on board, the former mode biasing human faces in the frame and the latter mode firing the shutter when it detects a smiling subject. The Face Detection system automatically adjusts the focus, exposure and white balance for people in the frame, and can even be set to distinguish between children and adults. Smile Detection offers three self-explanatory options, Big, Normal and Slight. Used in conjunction, the Face and Smile Detection systems do result in more hits than misses, especially in contrasty lighting conditions, although all those smiling faces could ultimately freak you out a little! The self-portrait options in the self-timer menu work by automatically taking the shot with a two second delay after either one or two people have entered the frame. Up to 10 fps in continuous “Hi+” mode and up to 8 fps in “H” mode. CFexpress Type A memory card. Sony tests.
Sony internal test. 77 deg F (25 deg C) (ambient, camera when recording started), Auto Power Off Temperature: High. The value will vary depending on the shooting conditions. Yes exactly, that's what we were wondering. And we never got an answer to it from any Sony rep, unfortunately. The A7S's EVF system also performs very well indoors in low light, typically the scourge of most EVFs which have to "gain-up" to produce a usable picture, resulting in a noticeably grainier picture. The A7S doesn't suffer from this unwanted effect at all, making its electronic viewfinder the equal of and in many areas better than a DSLR's optical viewfinder. The truest testament to the A7S is that we almost exclusively used it by holding it up to eye-level, something that we wouldn't do unless the EVF was of sufficient quality. While it looks very similar to the A7R IV and A7 III, the A7S III is a little different because it has a variable screen (whoop!). It means it’s a millimetre or two larger here and there. Another useful, filmmaker-friendly design feature on the FX3 are its thread holes, which effectively mean it has a built-in cage to help you turn it into a mobile video rig.
Battery consumption is often an issue with mirrorless cameras, the A7S III uses the Sony NP-FZ100 rechargeable battery which lasts for about 60% longer than the A7S II’s battery. It enables up to 95 minutes of video to be recorded instead of 60minutes with the A7S II and around 600 images to be captured (when the LCD is used) instead of 370. You need to configure a custom button to access these My Dials modes. This can either give direct access one of the My Dial presets (toggling or just when the button is held), or can cycle between presets. Dual dual-format card slots One thing that you won't see on the spec sheets is that the a7S III has a totally re-designed menu system. Sony had already added better categorization and color coding to its menus before but this is a much more profound redesign. According to Sony, the 3-inch vari-angle screen wasn’t a request for the A7S III, it was a demand. It’s certainly something I’ve mentioned on many occasions. If low-light shooting is your thing, then the Sony A7S should be right at the top of your shopping list. Offering a killer combination of massive ISO range, 15-stop dynamic range, sensible 12 megapixel resolution on a full-frame sensor, truly silent shooting mode and autofocusing down to EV-4, the new Sony A7S is the most capable low-light camera that we've ever tested. It does still have a few flaws, most notably the slightly sluggish auto-focusing, in-camera charging, and the still limited number of FE lenses, but all in all the Sony A7S is a great addition to last year's exciting A7 and A7R.
I don't know the exact methods delineated by the ISO Standard to determined ISO properly but one that reflects efficient photon collection is a good start although not strictly scientific. Another area Sony has regularly been criticized for (by others as well as us) is the under-utilization of their touchscreens. The a7S III puts this right by letting you control both the Fn menu and main menus using the touchscreen. The Sony A7 III and A7R IV have been around so long now that it’s easy to forget the handling updates that the Mark III cameras made over the Mark II versions. The A7S II still has the awkwardly placed via record button but thankfully that’s been resolved in the Mark III upgrade. One of the biggest differences between the Sony A7S III and A7S II is battery life, with Sony's new video flagship getting a significant upgrade thanks to the inclusion of its Z battery. I’m very pleased to see that there are two Function (Fn) menus, one for stills and one for video. Both of these can be customised.
you have any interest at all in shooting video. Its sophisticated video capabilities make the a7S II the undisputed champ in the a7 stable when it comes to movies. The Sony FX3 and Sony A7S III are variants on the same concept – they're both small, 4K full-frame cameras that are particularly strong in low-light and offer highly compact setups for solo shooters. All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 12 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5Mb.
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