After shooting more than half a million images on Canon DSLR cameras, I just switched to the new Sony A7 III.

Lyon, duck on the Saone

Reading early reviews of the A7 III got me really curious last month. Tests came in an I was sold. I had resisted the Sony call before but this “basic” full frame model was just too much camera for such a bargain.

This is after my first week of shooting: some comments I haven’t seen much on the reviews I have read. Here are my highlights for now.

A steep learning curve

Small but packed with controls, it is somewhat disserviced by a very dense and obscure manual. Sony at its best. Worrying about their software, rootkits and quirks, still…

The in-camera help is somewhat useful, I find my way around progressively. This camera is packed with features hidden below a frustrating ergonomy. A very large number of opportunities to custimize most buttons promises shortcutting the maddening menus.

Autofocus magic

693 phase detection autofocusing points, spread over the entire surface (93%) of the frame aided by 425 contrast detection points. Focuses down to -3 Ev. Just magical to watch and pilot with the tiny thumb stick.

On the 6D, with live preview on, focusing was all but impossible. It took forever to lock onto static subject, forget about moving ones. Supposedly the MkII fares better. On the new 6DMkII, the viewfinder the focusing spots are even more crammed into the center, I probably will only miss the sensitive center focusing point. Getting full frame focusing freedom is fantastic.

Phase detection in green, contrast in blue

On the Sony A7 III, the AF can lock on a specific object in the frame, using “flexible spot”, and then gets followed as you recompose, zoom, move closer… Eye focus tracks eyes, and feels like mind reading magic. How many times did I get the focus wrong with wide open lenses.

Electronic viewfinder revolution

Biggest surprise for me was how I like the electronic viewfinder. Turns out I had not anticipated a couple of very interesting aspects:

WYSIWYG. Obviously, but it had only registered in my logical brain. Seing it in low light made me realize I could actually see content and colour in low light. Exposure is a lot more easy to correct with the exposure compensation thumb wheel (on top).

No need for a depth of field preview button which makes the image way too dark anyways. The lens stops down but the viewfinder brightens up the image to show you exactly what the image depth of field will be. Very cool.

Finally, the addition of the histogram, or whatever you fancy on top of the image made for a very rich understanding of the cameras’s function.

Giant dynamic range leap

Back Side Illumination sensor (BSI). I knew about all the benefits of low noise, but did not realize the benefit in terms of dynamic range. 15 stops claimed in 14 bits raw seems like a stretch :-) (does BionX compress DR ?). But Canon was staying below 12 stops (with the 6DMk II) or maybe 13.5 with the 1DxMkII so this is a huge improvement.

From Confluence museum

Stabilised sensor upgrades all lenses

New to me, on top of lens stabilization, the sensor 5 axis stabilization really does improve the sharpness of the image on non stabilized lenses.

Combining the best of lens stabilization for long focals with sensor 5 axis (2 shift and 3 rotates) on shorter lenses for really sharp images. Call me convinced. This article gives a precise pro/con for both types. Silence is golden.

Blazing UHS II card interface

Practically more than 200MB/s written to SD card is just crazy. Strangely enough compressed files do not seem to take up less space than regular files on the 6D, around 25MB. The buffer (89 raw images compressed) empties really quick, you can really take advantage of the 10fps continuous shooting. Canon does not touch this.

UHS-II fast SD cards (2000x) are expensive, but deliver on the promise of solid state storage. Regular SD cards (even class 10) actually lag behind modern hard drives.

GPS trick

I was somewhat frustrated by the lack of GPS. It turns out Sony has a nifty trick up their sleeve, leveraging your smartphone’s bluetooth low power connection with their strangely named “PlayMemories Mobile” application. In fact this tool combines image playback, transfer, remote shooting and location information linkage.

The pairing is done either with NFC or through a QR code shown on the back screen. Well done.

Video potential

Not really my thing, but this camera really makes me want to try. It does not play any of the Canon cheap tricks (no mic in on 6D, no 4K even on MkII) on the “basic” full frame body.

Good video shooting capability actually brings in actual silent photo mode. Quite a relief for those times when any noise is distracting.

Articulated screen

Much happier with Sony’s way of articulating the screen than Canon’s flip out for the MkII which worried me mechanically. I don’t need the full twist/swivel which just enables selfies and portrait shots.

Lenses and flashes

For now only using Sigma Art lenses on the MC-11 adaptor with no issues. Can’t wait to get a 85mm which I only tested. Sony choices are expensive but seem high quality. Not sure how I will switch flashes yet…

The adaptor on Canon lenses works OK on L series (no AF lock and track) but did not on my 50mm f/1.4.

What is missing from this “basic” camera

Global shutter maybe, with very high speed rolling shutter reserved for the A9 and completely out of reach for other cameras until Sony shares their chip stacking technology. The A7 III has a 1/8000 sec mechanical shutter already, not sure why I would use 1/32000s. 20fps is nice but not really necessary for me. The A9 only has 25 contrast detection points though which is a let down at more than 2x the price.

Double the resolution on the A7 RIII, but less of a frame coverage on AF. Lock button on the camera mode wheel. Pixel shift multi shooting would have been nice to get super high resolution on a tripod since the hardware is the same.

Missing the extended battery capacity of Canon cameras, but not a big deal. Just need more backup batteries.

Conclusion

In a smaller, lighter, more customisable package, Sony packs a massive improvement for me: crazy image quality + incredible AF. My fingers still fumble but that will disappear quick. I can’t wait to shoot again.