Sony a9 III Review: A COSTLY Revolution!
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
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Products featured:
FJ400 Strobe 400Ws with AC/DC Battery: www.fjwestcott.com/products/f...
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The Sony a9 III and its full-frame global shutter sent shockwaves through the photo/video community when it was first announced. But now we have a production model and can tell you if this camera lives up to the hype, or if the compromises overshadow the revolutionary technology.
This review took a real team effort and an extensive written version can be found on PetaPixel. Make sure to check there to see a lot of photos and get a more detailed breakdown of what you can expect from this camera: petapixel.com/2024/01/27/sony...
Rental equipment provided by The Camera Store
www.thecamerastore.com
0:00 - Intro
0:52 - handling
2:04 - Burst Shooting
3:43 - Image quality
5:51 - Autofocus
7:06 - Flash photography
13:49 - Video performance
17:35 - The wrap - Věda a technologie
Other CZcams channels: Forgive the intro because I’m using a new lav in my studio.
Chris & Jordan: Forgive the intro, but I’m standing in life threatening conditions.
This channel rules.
With no gloves or hat to speak of 😄. I really like Chris & Jordan, have been following them for a decade, but the clothing choises are dubious in real harsh conditions. I live in Finland and have been photographing in -35C, so I know how brutal it can be and what the gear should look like.
0:45 Blah Blah Blah, Y'all WEAK!!! Lemme hit My VAPE
The description of how flashes work (fixed intensity + variable duration = variable output) and the effect that has on high shutter speeds with the A93 was the best I have heard yet on CZcams by any reviewer. Great job.
@@richrollin4867HSS is just flash going off multiple times when the shutter scans. It should fill the sensor by lighting it in sections when the shutter opening is scanning across the frame. But electronic shutters at high speeds may scan line by line so there is always some time when the flash is off and the sensor is reading a few lines. Might be one day when flashes actually can give a really long continuous burst of light or just stick with slower shutter and HSS off when working with flash
@@richrollin4867 why
@@richrollin4867nikon users are weird 😧
I laughed till I cried when Chris pulled ou the scraper to clean the INSIDE of his windshield!
7:27 that kickboxer is SUAVE AF! 😂
Also wow Jordan! You should consider being a model to save up for your own a9III.
I have to admit that footage from a moving vehicle did look real nice & natural.
I would love a global shutter when I film certain music events, with crap lights. But it's absurd that those events are the lowest paying, so I'm not gonna get this for those.
Do that for bragging rights, as long as you have a constant cashflow from what you do the most.
Now I got my A9III, I tested it with Elinchrom, Broncolor Satos 3200 and Sony HVL-F60RM2 flashes. The flash speed you get out of the Sony HVL-F60RM2 is absolutely mind blowing. The flash processor and the camera processor talk to each other and automatically does all the adjustment. This small 60 Joule flash works at in Hi+ (120fps), 1/16000, f/1.8, ISO 250 without any problem. Every pictures is perfectly sharp, with excellent colour. Just put it into the hot shoe on the A9III and start shooting in any mode. No fiddling, nothing. This is by far the best speed-light for SONY cameras. Nothing comes close. Period. With AF-C, the flash automatically adjust the exposure to where you focus the camera while tracking a fast moving object. Forget all the other flashes.
Chris, it's unnecessary to outcompete the sun using the equipment when your subject already radiates brighter. 😎😂
Seriously, this is a very good presentation of what the A9III offers with the global shutter, and what can be expected with some other cameras in the coming years. It helps me confirm that, for the photography that I do, the mechanical and electronic shutters are adequate, and the investment in a camera in 2023 should last for most of the decade. Thank you.
I’m in awe of Jordan’s athleticism.
Rightfully so.
- Jordan
Evie the dog was attempting to match Jordan's style.
You guys go through all that Calgary weather for all of us. Thanks! And great work as always!
I wish you would have included a review of the new Composite RAW mode. I imagine it would dramatically improve the low light performance.
I’m surprised they didn’t find a way to automate the flash timing, maybe have you hit an auto configure button and then press the shutter once while the camera works out and sets the delay.
It's a flash problem not a camera problem. Before, the camera had to sync with the camera, now the flash has to synch with camera. One way around, is a flash with a rectangular flash curve.
@@renestaempfli1071 It would be easy to implement this auto function. The camera shoots a burst of five images, with 1-2 sek between every picture, like in the high pixel mode and than compares the light in the face or objekt. If there is a difference, it knows wich timing is right.
@@Benjamin_Jehne maybe it is, but then where on the slope of the flash curve do you want to place the time slice of the shutter speed, near the peak, or at t0.x? For professional use, the flash should have a rectangular flash curve.
Reserved for the a9III II
@@renestaempfli1071 Rectangular flash curve is what HSS is trying to achieve. It'd be kind of awkward to have to use that for a global shutter. Automating the flash calibration in the camera would be really easy to do but somehow Sony decided to leave syncing to the user. And of course it should be synced to the peak of the flash, why would you want it to be after the peak? Then you'd have to fire your flashes at higher settings than necessary every time and lose effective max power.
Hi guys! I just saw the sequence on ISO performance and I gotta be honest, I didn't see much of a difference. It didn't look bad at any rate! And that's when I thought of this: How about you make a video on the progress of digital photography technology as a whole? How does ISO performance compare in notable cameras from different eras (5D, 700D, D90, 5DIII, A7, A7III, Eos R, Z6, recent models etc...)? What about Dynamic Range, burst rate, viewfinder etc.? I feel that a video like this would really put things into perspective! Reviews are great but they are mostly only referencing the last generation (which is fair).
I can safely assume that older cameras will have worse ISO performance except for maybe the EOS R and the Z6. Those cameras are amazing with low light to this day, but everything else will definitely be worse
@@butterman6075 Yes, that's kind of a given. It would be interesting to see in a direct comparison how far we have come
DXO PhotoLab will take care of the noise, so it’s not that big of a deal if you use this software.
that jordan drake running towards the camera autofocus test had me in stitches
Jordan is looking positively majestic in the segment going over the flash vs shutter speed
Thank you for noticing!
- Jordan
His grace whilst running towards the camera is simply unmatched.
I'm sweating in 36 degrees Celsius and about 92% humidity in Cairns, Australia and I hear you say "warmed to negative 32 degrees Celsius.." and I shivered
great vid as always. Incredible action camera.
Thank you for this informative and entertaining review. For me, the global shutter advantage for video and high flash synch useful for outdoor flash outweighs the slight decrease in low light performance. Nice that photographers have that choice.
Grea review guys. It was interesting to learn more about this kind of flash photography.
Thanks for that review 😊
exchanging my a9ii with an a9iii on Monday ...
It finally starts looking like a true camera body, love the design changes
Great review as always
Great review. It is good understand what we are trading off on top of the cost.
I'd love to see a comparison with RED Komodo.
Also love to see this sensor implemented on the upcoming FX9II.
Great and honest review loved it :).
Thank you so much, guys, for going over the flash synch workflow! This is clearly a stills-based camera, and the flash synch advantages of its global shutter is clearly its most exciting feature. Unfortunately, SO many people speak of the global shutter as a video feature and neglect to mention flash at all or just in passing. It's cool to see the tunability of the flash timing, because that was my biggest question around it, being on the Godox system...how fast can this thing actually get and with which trigger/strobe etc... Cheers!🍻
It was a sad day when I thought you two were gone forever. I’m glad you are back! Suggestions: more comparison videos, not only in the same category, but putting different categories together (micro vs full frame). I especially like the ones where the footage is side by side and the viewer is supposed to guess which image they like more. Next suggestion: you guys need more subscribers. Reach out to other CZcamsrs to do guest videos and collaboration videos. Tony and Chelsea are big fans, for example. Finally: I’d love another G9 II video. Happy new year.
They've had Ted Forbes (The Art of Photography) as a guest on the channel last summer (both in a video with Chris and in a podcast episode). I also seem to remember Gordon Laing being on the podcast not long ago. So it's not something they've never done.
what the fuck are you talking about op?? i think you live in an alternate reality
Excellent review - especially the flash caveats.
Yeah seems a fast read out sensor that doesn’t impact image quality is the better option for most people, unless you really need the 120fps raw shooting.
I’d also be interested to know how the flash behaves in an auto flash scenario, where the camera may not be able to account for the fact that the flash duration may be longer than the exposure, which may make auto flash unreliable at shorter exposures?
This episode is priceless 😂 Look at Jordan’s face !
The music behind Jordan running has me in stitches😂
That's juat ridiculously cold. I appreciate the solid effort. Hope you still have all your fingers and toes.
I am cool with everything - noise, lower dynamic range, except, can't handle the high price! Just reduced the price about a one K, you are in business, Sony.
Thanks much, Chris and Jordan for the review. You rock, even in minus 40 degree!
I was able to play briefly with a preproduction that a tech rep had. The other problem with the flash is that as your shutter speed goes up, your timing setup in the camera has to be more precise. So part of why your images are not as well exposed as your shutter speed raises is that you are not fully syncing the shutter release and the flash duration any longer. As your window of time that is your shutter speed narrows, you are no longer fully lined up with the flash, so instead of half black frames that would be caused by a mechanical shutter, you are improperly exposed.
Love the weather wish I was up there
Canadian winters are savage. I remember -45 (-65 c after windchill) and having to wear a full mask. It mus have been savage to run through that with an exposed face.
Not in Vancouver …. Er… RainCouver
His coat is OPEN at the top? I think they added the vapour and the snow in post, and it's actually summer.
@@Kit2Canada Vancouver was lovely. Yes a bit wet but once we got to Calgary then went north, it got colder than the North Pole at that time.
you dont die in that weather?
@@RayValdezPhotography Lots of layers and you don't expose skin for more than 20-30 seconds. When you breathe in the hairs on the inside of you nostrils freeze and they unfreeze as you breathe out. A face covering is mandatory.
Yes, you can die but Canadians are used to it and you can easily get advice when you go there. If you're on the coast, Vancouver is an example, you don't see those temperatures of even close.
The 120FPS Jordan Run is the video i didn't know i needed in my life.
Jordan, would you consider switching to the a9 iii for your show? If not, what are the limiting factors stopping you from doing so? How does it compare to your experience with the other cameras you use for the show and how important are the differences for your workflow? I understand the broader differences, but I just want to hear from you how those impact your style of shooting. Thanks!
I would seriously consider using the a9 III as my primary camera, it was a very enjoyable shooting experience. Chris and Jaron will attest that I spent the whole trip raving about how nice the a9 III was to use.
I still prefer Panasonic’s lenses for video work, and Sony is missing some assist features like waveforms I’ve come to rely on, so I don’t anticipate switching. I can see renting the a9 III for video projects regularly, when I want the global shutter look.
- Jordan
@@PetaPixeland what about the Nikon Z8/9? I recall you really enjoyed it too. I'm curious.
@@PetaPixellooking at the available codecs it seems like the data rates for typical 4K 24p recording are way under what you'd get from a camera recording ProRes. Sony seems to reserve ProRes only for their absolute top line stuff like the Venice. It's a shame because I've seen XAVC even from high end cameras fall flat on its face when grading something that would've been no big deal for a camera recording ProRes.
@@benbunch4159it's a shame people are not offering better raw codecs. I would also love to see some non-apple proprietary stuff like BRAW for example.
Unfortunately the ProRes formats are still proprietary and closed, meaning there are no publish standards for them unless you pay exorbitant licensing fees.
They are all good cameras. You buy this a9 iii for the speed, not for low light performance irt iq or pro video. The z8 is better for that.
Jordan looks Majestic AF when running. 💪 💪
Chris, thank you for this awesome review! I know now the negative effects of a global shutter.
Great review. Questions regarding video features. Does it have DUAL ISO? Will the footage match with the other sony cinema cameras in sLog3? What is the crop factor in shooting 4K @ 24fps , and 60 and 120. ???. Does i have LUT in the viewfinder when you shoot Slog3?
Sony’s flash works fawlessy, when you update to firmware. TTL works every speed and exposure is perfect. I have A9iii and Sony HVL-60RM2.
With the blackout free shooting, can you output clean HDMI to a ninja v while shooting photos, to get both photos and video simultaneously? Or will the footage have some strobing effect to it?
10:43 - I LOVE Jordan's portraits
Really enjoying Chris rocking out the Thypoch Simera 28mm F1.4. I would love to hear Chris & Jordan's thoughts on this new M mount lens which seems very promising!
Stay tuned!
If it materializes, this will means it will be Thypoc (and not Leica, Carl Zeiss, Cosina/Voigtlander, 7Artisans, TTArtisan, Light Lens Lab, or Laowa) that scores the first standalone M-mount lens review in PPTV history! Looking forward to that…
What are ya’lls thoughts on getting this for shooting sports but do portrait and wedding videography? I’m torn between this and the A1
Guy in the beginning hitting his dab pen kills me 😂
As an old guy, it's saddens me to say I don't even know what that means. 😢
Smoking the devil's lettuce in concentrated form with a type of electric vape device@@falxonPSN
@@falxonPSN it means he’s hitting his weed pen lol! Never too old to learn something new
Great review, this makes me not want to buy it based on the messing around in camera to adjust for flash when shooting higher than 250th
Thank you for a lovely show. I have a completely random question: What jacket is Chris wearing? It doesn't look warm.
What a beautiful dog. 🐶
Global shutter without needing to work with P2 cards and QTGMC (the deinterlacing in Resolve is wet garbage and AI deinterlacing is kind of the same, QTGMC is still the best option).
From a video perspective, I'm hyped.
It means it’s time for flash manufacturers to start producing higher power LED flashes, or companies like Rotolight to up their ante as well. I love my a1 but in certain circumstances the global shutter of the a9 III.. I’ll spend this quarters gear budget on the 300 2.8 GM and wait till we get more and more user feedback on the a9 III for possibly a Sept-November purchase
You might need some sunnies Chris for that bright snow and sun haha
i don't plan on buying one (think $$$), but the combination of pre-capture and global shutter for small (=fast) bird photography seems very promising.
PCIe 3.0 vs 4.0 is a serious hardware change. They look similar by the names but the chips and copper wiring (high frequency means more intereference) are different. A firmware won't upgrade it.
16:24 I would really like to know the shutter speed needed to get rid of motion blur in Active Dynamic Mode. Many thanks!
Nice review! Does anyone know if this camera allows APSC/s35 crop mode in 4K? Or is it like the a7sIII? Thanks!
I want to know how the flash sync with regular pc sync cable, will it be any difference than using wireless transmitter.
Money aside, is this the best video podcast mirrorless camera? Or is there a better or more well rounded one? There would be some creative action skits but mostly roundtable talks. Autofocus is a huge plus. Room light with some added podcast lights but on a budget when it comes to that. One or two man podcast with a tripod, or filming 1st person sometimes.
Can"t wait for the medium format global sensors
Jordan, after seeing the little compromises of this sensor in low light performance and dynamic range, what do you think of the new sensor by RED? It’s a larger sensor with more megapixels, it can record up to 8k at 120fps and they claimed 17 stops of DR. How is that even possible?
It’s interesting to me that Sony did not include a “low ISO” mode that accumulates multiple frames; at 180fps, you could shoot 4 frames in 1/40th of a second at a effective iso of 80 (ish); for static scenes in good light you can match a z8 with this.
Probably too much processing needed to be handled
I'd think the processor is more than capable, even Fuji xs20 have in camera HDR by stacking photos, but TBH I find the RAW files at ISO250 to be pretty good even in sunset backlit situations
@@kanaheiusagi does the xs20 do that at (180fps/4= 45 fps)?
Amazing Camera for low iso high light fast situations
Did you have to increase the shutter speed when stabilizing the video so you don't see blur trails?
Seems like a nice camera. That price point tho'. As a videographer, if I must have the benefits of global shutter, I might just rent a Zcam or RED or Sony PMW-F55 or maybe rent the A9III for those shots. I personally don't find my everyday to require that level of shutter at that price. AND, no ND. I guess, I'm just not an early adopter kind of guy.
Great review, so it's really a specialists camera. Not a one camera that can do it all like the A7IV or A1. Which was to be expected.
This requires expensive lighting companies to no longer abandon the HSS function and have faster and longer duration times. The price due to the function of lights is more ridiculously expensive than the price of a9iii. 1/4000 shutter speed is a miracle that allows you to set the flash comfortably in any outdoor shooting.
Thankyou ❤❤❤
Red said “hold my beer” Sony! With the new the Vraptor!
“i’m not playing call of duty on this thing” got me good
A global shutter is a must have for lightning photography!
I'd definitely love the A9iii for concert photography. I'm currently with dual A7iv and would really love some higher burst and the ability to shoot with electronic shutter nut that isn't possible with mixed lighting and the rolling shutter but I'd assume the worse low light performance and DR don't really improve my work as I shoot a lot at night/indoors (at least half of the year) and easily ISO6400 or higher
Maybe it is worth investigating and renting one unit for a small gig one night out
@@salmiakki5638 I’ve thought about that, it’s not even as expensive as I‘d have imagined at 75€/day
Its just overly exaggerated. I've shot the a9III and a7IV side by side, and the noise at ISO12800 is quite comparable.
I wouldn't be surprised if flash manufacturers started trying to automate the delay settings
Living in Texas I can't even imagine -40 degrees...
Great explanation of flash sync. Thanks for making these great videos!
01:09 the handling, the best sony handling ... for canon or nikon, they have the best grip straight from the start.
Forget the camera, where did you find a hair gel that didn't freeze at those temperatures?
I'm looking at my a9III and a7IV's ISO12800 RAW files at 100% using Adobe Colour profile (photos taken with tripod with everything the same, same composition, same lens, etc), and honestly the noise is quite similar. How is that APSC equivalent?
Tony Northrup made the same statement and apparently took it back. I think noise and DR are the least of the problems nowadays, specially being that close as we could see it in many reviews on YT.
They compared it to an a7Rv which is gonna have way less noise when you scale down its 61MP image to compare the images (unless they used it in APSC crop). They should have used an a7iii/a7c to have a fair comparison. The funny thing is they even explained this concept in another video, where they showed an a7Riv gives better noise results when compared to the a7Siii, you just have to scale down the image at the same dimensions, not look at them at 100%
Nothing more cinematic than Jordan running.
Hello team, whith what camera did you film the video ?
So this would not be a good camera to use in the Antelope Canyons in Arizona?
2:52 and we get "video killed the radio star" playing in the background
Now RED just released new global shutter camera, do you know why that one seems to have a really high dynamic range?
3:07 Takes some balls to casually throw a 6k camera from one hand to the other. Hats off
at 10:00 "when your shutter speed is faster than your flash" I remember the first time I fell in love with photography, it was at the time of the SLR cameras the alpha9 full-frame of Sony, didn't have even Liveview, now we have the a9III with a global electronic shutter, crazy times, weirdly enough the DigitalRevTV days were far more exciting about photography technology than now. maybe it is nostalgia maybe it is something else, honestly the a9III's only flaw is noise, the a9IV will be a flawless camera, my solution to get the excitement back is to stop innovating on camera body technology and only focus on lenses, not lenses made only for high MP count but for micro-contrast too.
I live in Chicago and I can't believe that you guys did intro outside. It's slightly warmer in Chicago, but I would never make CZcams video outside because it's too darn cold. Thanks for the great video!!
I'm getting too Jelly watching ya videos, you all are having too much fun with the a9iii. The camera offers me everything I've been wanting to help with E-shutter and video recording. Problem is? Its a $6,000 usd camera! Solution is? Sony will likely bring their GS to all of their future cameras now. Great review and the A9iii has revolutionize cameras once again.
Funny how you need a lot of cameras if you like/need variety and don't want or can't make too many compromises with just one all-in-one solution.
Probably more by design than actual technical limitations. Or a camera line of 1 or 2 models would be enough. And maybe 1 or 2 cheaper versions.
Thanks for risking your life for this review :).
Looks like "the only global shutter fullframe camera" crown was short winded now that RED has a large format global shutter sensor camera with lots and lots of dynamic range. Though i suppose that ones just video. Crazy how fast its coming in though!
Which designer made your jacket? Orange is my favorite color.
How does it perform in the macro world? Handheld and static application. Is there any advantage?
No real advantage, you'll want more resolution over speed for macro.
Got one on the Pre- Order and received it on Jan 18th... Happy with it so far.
This is the first full frame global shutter camera with huge advantages. To me the biggest is, not to worry about rolling shutter or banding. Is this worth the compromise in image quality and price for a 24 MP camera? - The A9 III comes with additional nice perks like the magnificent LCD flip mechanism and great viewfinder as well. Maybe, if you are able to fork out US$6k, you can afford the A1 in your bag as well and stop worrying about anything regarding image quality.
I would love to see Sony combine the global shutter with their new dual-layer sensor design. That would resolve the ISO/dynamic range issue.
Anddddddd jordan takes the shoot!
Why the hell doesnt the camera sample the flash at a given shutter speed and then either adjusts for peak power or gives you the reading to manually adjust the sensor read delay?
This trial and error seems so 1980. It perhaps makes for a good conversation starter and benis comparison, but is not optimal.
I wonder what this means for the eventual a1 II. The original a1 was defined by its blend of speed and resolution, like a hybrid of an a9 and a7R. But with the image quality penalties that come with a global shutter, I don't see them using it in a new flagship, unfortunately.
They will use it. Sony will not release an A1-ii without a Global Shutter. They have 1 year to improve the GS sensor even more and they will do that.
what about advantages and disadvantages for street shooting?
Fast silent shooting and great AF for advantage
Cost and size for disadvantage.
The A7RV has a pixel count 2.5 times the A9iii. Is there a reason why the A9iii is so limited?