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- Location
- Minnesota
- Name
- Chris
Why? Just curious. I’ve shot with the A7iv and the a7R3…I thought the output was nice on both. But as I’m not a Sony guy (just bought the A7RV last week and haven’t had a chance to use it yet), what’s the difference? Why would you want the swap?
This is mostly tongue-in-cheek boredom on a Saturday morning. After tens of thousands of shots at the track I've learned some things about what would be the perfect setup. I thought at some point I wanted/needed speed, MP, etc. etc. Nah...
I like everything about the A7 IV and really don't 'need' them to change anything. However, in a perfect world...
As a rule I'm not a big cropping person and would rather compose correctly. But, if there's a car at the line that I know can launch very fast, I tend to zoom out to give myself a little more time and space for a complete panning burst. There isn't any time to correct once it goes, and if I misjudge it can result in a shot that has too much of the surrounding area in the frame. With the A7R III I know I can give them a bit more space and still end up with a nice sized file after a crop. Having said that, I don't think I want to deal with more than 40-45MP, although if push came to shove it wouldn't be out of the question.
The frame rate is just "Gee, I wish". For a while I had myself convinced I needed a much faster camera, like the Z8 or A1. The M4 maxes out at 6 frames per second when shooting uncompressed or lossless compressed RAW. The RM3 gets 8 frames shooting RAW. 8 frames seems to be a nice balance between "I missed the perfect frame" and "Holy crap! I don't want to cull 10,000 frames!" Having shot drag racing and more recently had an experience shooting ARCA racing, I've learned that not much happens in 1/20 of a second that is missed at 1/8, or for that matter 1/6. I would say the same is true for air shows. It just feels like a nice balance. Ironically, if I were to buy some kind of speed-demon camera, it would need to have the ability to shoot slower!
So, before someone asks why I don't just shoot the A7R III instead, it doesn't do as good a job in the AF department. An 8-frame burst on the M4 will result in 8 shots in focus. That drops significantly on the RM3, although right now I'm trying some different settings to see if it can be improved and have made some inroads. The camera is also a bit too small to hold comfortably for a long period, thankfully they improved the ergonomics on the their more recent bodies.
I like everything about the A7 IV and really don't 'need' them to change anything. However, in a perfect world...
As a rule I'm not a big cropping person and would rather compose correctly. But, if there's a car at the line that I know can launch very fast, I tend to zoom out to give myself a little more time and space for a complete panning burst. There isn't any time to correct once it goes, and if I misjudge it can result in a shot that has too much of the surrounding area in the frame. With the A7R III I know I can give them a bit more space and still end up with a nice sized file after a crop. Having said that, I don't think I want to deal with more than 40-45MP, although if push came to shove it wouldn't be out of the question.
The frame rate is just "Gee, I wish". For a while I had myself convinced I needed a much faster camera, like the Z8 or A1. The M4 maxes out at 6 frames per second when shooting uncompressed or lossless compressed RAW. The RM3 gets 8 frames shooting RAW. 8 frames seems to be a nice balance between "I missed the perfect frame" and "Holy crap! I don't want to cull 10,000 frames!" Having shot drag racing and more recently had an experience shooting ARCA racing, I've learned that not much happens in 1/20 of a second that is missed at 1/8, or for that matter 1/6. I would say the same is true for air shows. It just feels like a nice balance. Ironically, if I were to buy some kind of speed-demon camera, it would need to have the ability to shoot slower!
So, before someone asks why I don't just shoot the A7R III instead, it doesn't do as good a job in the AF department. An 8-frame burst on the M4 will result in 8 shots in focus. That drops significantly on the RM3, although right now I'm trying some different settings to see if it can be improved and have made some inroads. The camera is also a bit too small to hold comfortably for a long period, thankfully they improved the ergonomics on the their more recent bodies.
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Why not ask for the frame rate of the A9 since you can always choose a slower rate if it's too fast?
Well, because it's a silly post and I only want 8!
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If 8's enough, OK.
The readout speed of A7R IV is on the slow side if you are shooting e-shutter. I don't know A7RV changed that or not... I saw that also in other camera reviews eg Leica, Sigma FP that use the same 60MP sensor:
How fast is the Sony a7RIV silent shutter? - the last word
How fast is the Sony a7RIII silent shutter? - the last word
It looks like A7R V still has the same read out speed as A7R IV:
Sony Alpha 7R V Review
I understand it why you want the R3 update as a R3 owner. I guess I wasn't clear. Sony is pushing the A7R IV/V sensor tech which is used as Medium Format 100MP also, but the slow speed of sensor reading is causing rolling shutter problems with these cameras. As you say Sony could have updated the R3 af system which would be a good update for the R3...
True, but Sony never advertised the R series cameras as speed cameras. If they made them fast it would undermine the A9 and A1 series. They push the R cameras to landscape and those who want the resolution. The A9III is to be released this year, and the A1ii probably early next year. Those cameras will continue to fill the roles Sony has set for them. To be honest, I think Nikon has pulled a coup with the Z8. They've released a fast, high MP camera and dropped it in a price-point slot that Sony is unlikely to match without upsetting their product lines.
I don't expect them to ever update the R3, it's not in their nature. They'd prefer me to buy a new more expensive camera! I doubt there'll ever be another firmware update for it either.
- Location
- Beaumaris, Melbourne, Australia
- Name
- John ...
You really just need Pro Capture and 40 frames per second ...
