Sony A7iii (a.k.a. A7M3)

1/400 sec., f4, 500 ISO
The follow focus on this camera works well for you once you've figured out the best way to use it!

I'm really excited about this camera, so I'm gonna write more about it. The lens with which all these shots were taken (Sony FE 4/24-105 G OSS) is also terrific.
If you are here, then you've watched some of the video reviews on this camera. I'm not going to make a video review; I'll let you skim over this till you get to the juicy part you want to read about. It goes quicker for you that way.

This is a still excerpted from a 4K video taken with the A7iii

I'm not much of a fan of the video formats: Introductory music and teaser - Photographer introduces himself and his location - He/She says what he's going to cover in the video - He makes some jokes, usually with friends (usually a "guy thing") - (This next part I hate:) He tells you that this new, "basic" camera has a lot of the same features as the much more expensive A7riii and/or A9 - He wonders how Sony could afford to do that - He tells you what is missing (only 10fps, no lock button on the PASM dial, etc.) - Then he gets to the point half-way through the video. Half of the information will be so basic that your grandmother could have told it to you - There will be one tweak or hint that will be useful. Unfortunately, you'll forget it after a couple of days and not know which of the dozens (soon to be hundreds) of Sony A7iii videos you saw it in. Luckily, you can always come back here to read about the camera!

In my last blog I said I'd pass on my real-world discoveries to you. First, two tweaks that you won't find in the manuals:
1. To stop the Eye-start AF (developed by Minolta in 1992) from blacking out your display when the strap or your fingers get too close to the viewfinder, simply pull out the display a few millimeters and you won't have the problem any more.
2. When reviewing the pictures you've just taken, quickly tap twice on the display to zoom in and then move the photo with your finger to view the part you want to see. Tap twice again to return to the normal view.

1/250, f5, 100 ISO
It is a shame that this JPEG is so muddy. I think it may, however, be due to the fact that I had the noise reduction set to "Normal", which would even affect the low-ISO images. 

1/320 sec., f5, 100 ISO

1/50 sec., f4.5, 6,400 ISO
The detail on the building is pretty much lost at this ISO
and with "Normal" in-camera noise reduction.
That will be different when converting from RAW.

 

These two photos were taken at 1/80 sec., f4 and 4,000 ISO

 

Count the whiskers! It was nearly dark when I took this picture at 1/20 sec., f5 and 12,800 ISO

The thing I first fell in love with here was the ability to set minimum shutter speed settings while in Auto ISO mode. I'm sure I asked for it in some forum years ago. And here it is!
So you are inside shooting an event and want to get the best quality photo but need to maintain a certain shutter speed to keep from capturing blurry hand and head movements. You set the ISO ASS (Auto Minimum Shutter Speed) accordingly: Slower, Slow, Standard, Fast, Faster. Or set it to the specific shutter speed you need/prefer - anywhere from 30" to 1/8000"! That is an amazing plus for this camera!

1/50 sec., f4, 2,000 ISO

1/100 sec., f4, 4,000 ISO
Pretty clear bell on that trombone even at this high setting!

Last time I wrote that I'd tell you about the pros and cons of the touch screen. Well, in the mean time I have not come up with any cons except that you might smear the display with your fingers, but even that hasn't happened yet with mine. I thought my nose would continually move the focus point when I hit the display, but that has yet to happen. To be on the safe side, though, I've set the active part of the touch screen to the right-hand 1/4 and then have the movements set to "absolute position". This way I can easily change the movable focus point with your thumb. (More on your thumb in the next post.)

Saving some really good news for last today:
First, the new NP-FZ100 battery life is amazing. I shot a two-hour concert and was still at 78%. I don't need any more than that, although I will want a second one in my bag (€90 - ouch!) when I'm out all day. With the tiny old NP-FW50, I'd have been on 17% and reaching for a new one.

1/250, f4, 8,000 ISO
That is amazing detail for this setting!

Second, the start-up time for turning on the camera is lightning fast. I don't know how the engineers managed it this time (and not in previous iterations!), but it's a pleasure.

Next time I'll write a bit about exposure and white balance settings that are new and improved in the A7iii. Let me know if you have any specific questions regarding this camera, and I'll try to answer them for you.

Finally, Sony!

As you all know by now, I've been shooting with Sony Alpha cameras since 2008: A300, A550, A700, A77, A7, RX100, RX100iii...and now the A7iii. I toyed with the idea of getting the full-frame A99ii because I have many good Alpha (and old Minolta) lenses, but it just wasn't exactly right for me. With a resolution of 45MP (35-83 MB files!), my two dozen hard drives would have to reproduce like rabbits to keep up with the files!

When Sony came out with the A7, Mark 3, I was honestly surprised. I had stopped looking, hadn't even read Sony Alpha Rumors in a while, no longer expecting the company to come up with "my" camera. I needed a silent shutter (for classical concerts and weddings). I wanted only 24MP and some great high ISO performance (the A7s ii was also in my sights with its 12MP and 409000 ISO capabilities, though it's more of a filmmaker's camera). I liked the fact that Sony had put a touchscreen on the A6500 and wondered why, in the day of smart phones, they hadn't done so on all their new cameras; I wanted that, too. And, like all other members of the Sony online forums, I wanted to be able to program buttons and menus to my liking. A better battery life was also a "must".


Well, well, well! Sony, ya done it! You have made a camera that suits me and my needs. And it doesn't even cost an arm and a leg - well not in the US at least. There it is only $1999 for the body, as opposed to the €2299 in Germany. However, the retailers here are making up for some of the difference by including a five-year full warranty, something that would normally cost €90. I purchased a good, all-around lens to go with it, the Sony FE 4/24-105 G OSS (€1349 in Germany, $1298 in the US), and I don't think I'll ever take it off. More about the lens later. By the way, the best place I've seen to get this combination in Germany is Foto Erhardt - "only" €3499.

The FE lenses from Sony are indeed expensive, but they are also for the most part good. I have to think of my friend Christian, who has done well with the 3-4 professional lenses he's been using with his Canon 5D, Mark ii, for years now. In contrast to him, I made a game out of buying and testing just about every lens from every maker that fit on my Sony Alphas, even going so far as to use the old Minolta glass on the A7 with an adapter. There is just so much that 30-year-old lenses can do with a 24MP sensor. Those are limitations that simply disappear when you screw on a Zeiss or Sony G lens.

As with any new camera - or piece of electronic equipment - you need a couple of days to read the manuals and play with the menus until you know what all the abbreviations mean, such as "Loc. Info. Link Set." or "Disp. cont. AF area". Much of the menu was the same as on the A7 or even the A77. But, oh, the differences!

I'll be writing about them one section at a time in subsequent blogs: AWB improvements, minimum shutter speed settings, AF tracking sensitivity, personal menu settings, highly improved sharing capabilities, the touch screen (pros and cons), bracketing improvements, spot metering coordination, double zoom capabilities, settings for recording media, and much more!


So when I was finally ready for some real-world shooting, I grabbed the new dynamic duo and headed up the hill to a workshop and concert featuring the Munich ensemble, Harmonic Brass. This was the perfect opportunity to use the silent shutter capability, or so I thought. Lesson learned: the new anti-flicker software shuts off when you turn on the silent shutter. The workshops were taking place in rooms lit by fluorescent lights. The camera recognizes the flickering light and sets the shutter speed to offset it, but only when you let the shutter click and clack. Under incandescent lighting or sunlight there is no problem. So I ended up with many photos with broad gray and white bands - not too attractive.

Shot at 2500 ISO, 1/250 sec. at f5. Horizontal flicker banding is noticeable. 

But - speaking of light - if there is not much light, this camera has the power to sensitize its sensor and make the best of every lumen. I was shooting RAW + JPEG, even though Adobe has yet to come out with a RAW converter. Sony has one that you can use on individual photos, but you won't want to use it for entire series because it takes too long. Lesson learned: turn the noise reduction down to "LOW" because "NORMAL" will result in giving you nice watercolor pictures at high ISO levels. The colors are very appealing and the highlights on the brass instruments and the catch-lights in the musicians' eyes come through well. But upon closer inspection, the faces and details remind me of a James Gurney painting. By the way, he is one of the most amazing living artists I know of, so this is not necessarily a critique of the noise reduction. But I shoot RAW when I know I can convert them in Lightroom, so this will soon be a moot point for me.

Shot at 4000 ISO, 1/200 sec. and f4.5

Shot at 8000 ISO, 1/200 sec. at f4 with noise reduction set to "Normal"

In the photo below you can see what a JPEG image looks like when processed in the camera and then in the Sony RAW converter program. (The two different white balance settings will help you keep the two straight: bluish is JPEG; brownish is RAW.)

Shot as a JPEG at 5000 ISO, 1/100 sec. and f4 with noise reduction set to "Normal"

Same as above but shot as a RAW (Sony ARW) file and converted with the Sony Edit program

Here are close crops of the two photos above. I find the noise reduction quite attractive on the brass instruments, but I'll have to shoot some different motifs with various amounts of NR and sharpening/NR in post-processing to judge which I prefer for standard situations. Let me know what you think of these shots!

From JPEG

Converted from RAW

The Fifth Season

Just like anything else in life, Carnival comes and then it goes again. So many things and people pop in and out of our lives that it is important to appreciate them fully when they are present. It is just as crucial, however, to let them go when they are gone and to take the experience for what it was - no more and no less.

Carnival in Cologne is one of the biggest celebrations in Germany for letting it all hang out. People disguise themselves behind masks of characters they wish they were. The decision regarding next year's costume and make-up is not taken lightly by the serious revelers. They know that they will be throwing themselves into a large, cold crowd. Will others have similar costumes? Will they blend in or stick out? To what extent do they wish to shine? How much will they dare this year?

Blending out their everyday lives, they thrust themselves into the Fifth Season, the time of year during which different rules apply. The faithful side-step their vows, dieters down unhealthy amounts of sweets and alcoholics jump off the wagon into the streets which are paved with shards from beer, vodka and alcopop bottles.

Taking a break from the perceived boredom of everyday interactions, the Jecken set out on their search for a good time either alone or in groups. Often not aware of their limits, they end up making fools of themselves, but do they regret anything afterwards?

Meanwhile, the parade passes by, tons of candy are thrown into the cheering crowds and the lonely hearts are still waiting for their lovers.