Dust, dust, dust. Yes that can be a problem. I’ve shot with Sony for years now and can tell you they hold their charge longer than others. After you turn the power off you’ll hear a faint click a couple of seconds later. That’s supposed to be the discharge. Wait another couple of seconds before releasing the lens. After I started doing this I very rarely get dust on the sensor and I shoot in some very dusty environments.
Exactly.... it's the charge still on the sensor that pulls the dust... a7c owner, learned that after a few lens changes - wait a few seconds to change a lens 😐
That's a very good point, reference the discharge period. I had the A7R IV, and that was a nightmare for dust. I moved to the A1 - massive difference being when you switch it off, the shutter closes over the sensor. I don't understand why, via a firmware update, that Sony cannot do this with the A7R iV
@@s70cas7ic0 So, the A1 and A7RV have a facility that when you power down the camera, the shutter closes over the sensor giving an extra layer of dust protection. However the A7RIV does not. I was wondering why, since it does have a mechanical shutter, it cannot do the same as the A1 and A7RV
The question for any camera is whether it does what you need it to do in a way you are comfortable doing. A James pointed out Sony's have a lot of great features and some irritations. Replace Sony with any other manufacturer and the statement is generally true. The irritations will be different.
I went the other way from Sony to Panasonic precisely for these reasons. Better menus, ergonomics, flip out screen and touch screen . Just the overall experience of taking pictures is more joyful. I use the 24-105 f4 lens for the most part and switch to the 45mm f2.8 for some specific shots.
Every time I watch an unbiased camera review I see how it's mostly about practicality, ease of use and ergonomics. I have been a Nikon user for over 11 years now, however I have used Canon and Sony from time to time. I wouldn't change brands but it's not because of sensor quality, it's because Nikon just fits my hand best and I am used to the controls and menus. The rest is just capturing a sellable image and that's what all cameras do.
I'm in the process of trying to choose my first decent camera and youtubers have made me believe that anyone who doesn't own a Sony simply doesn't exist. Thank you for this honest, non sony-fetishist review video. Very much appreciated!
Dust moves to all directions in the air including up (you can check this with flashlight in your home). Water however, mostly moves down unless we are talking about fog. That said, I don't think it's about the weather sealing but about what happens when you change lenses. Perhaps Sony cameras hold charge on the sensor a bit longer after you turn it off and if you are quickly taking the lens off after switching off the camera, the sensor "sucks" in the dust. I think that's why it seems that Sony cameras "collect" more dust than Lumix (or other) cameras. A7IV has the option to close the shutter while changing lenses. I'm not sure if that really helps but I hope the option becomes available to A7RIV in some firmware update.
My a7r3 takes a while to disable the stabilizer after turning off. I find, if I wait to change the lens after I hear the sensor drop from the center position, it attracts way less dust.
pretty sure my g100 closes the shutter w/o lens automatically, I thought it was a bug. lol. I guess it's a feature. xD also that totally makes sense about changing lenses while the camera is on or right after it's turned off, I usually have a bit of time between turning mine off and changing my lens so I've never had dust creep onto my sensor unless it's off for a bit longer than normal.
Man... I shoot WRC, Hill Climb and other type of Rally events in literally ALL possible weather conditions, from 85%+ humidity, foggy and freezing mornings and very heavy, pouring thunderstorms with dirt and water everywhere all the way to 40 degrees celsius, windy, dusty terrain with dust, rocks and all kinds of particles flying everywhere... I shoot and have always shot primarily on Canon and Nikon cameras but I do own an a7RIV for my non-job related photography. Never have I ever, during my entire career of doing this, had ANY weather sealing issues on ANY of the Nikon or Canon cameras... Currently I'm using a Z6ll for photos and R5 for documenting and other video work. My last event was in Germany and I was there only to take photos. The morning was extremely humid and foggy, 2 degrees celsius with light to medium rain throughout the morning up to 1PM. My Z6ll and 70-200 were COVERED in water, dirt, tree and leaves residue and being rained on for more than 6 hours straight... Do I even need to say how the camera held up to that type abuse?! I would also feel confident to take my R5 on the same shoot, however, I would NEVER, EVER even consider taking my Sony camera on a Rally shoot. NEVER! Sony cameras just feel unreliable and very fragile, especially compared to Nikon and Canon build quality and weather sealing - and I'm talking from experience here. So much so that I am even scared to take my a7RIV for an hour or two of street photography, if there's any rain whatsoever... It just doesn't feel good when you have a 3,600 EUR camera and you have to worry about what kind of weather it is outside. With my Canon and Nikon, I don't even THINK about weather, let alone worry about it, I just take my camera and go out... Sony makes good cameras but they make them with cheap metals and plastic and build them poorly, the overall build quality is just... Something else... Let's just say that... That's why the a7RIV is the last I will be seeing from Sony. No more Sony for me.
just got my A7iii few days ago, having a blast and takes really good images, just upgraded from a canon 700d and wanted to make a switch to Sony. and what an upgrade it is! Low light/dark images are actually usable now even in editing when increasing exposure, the images never turn out too noisy to post/use.
Just got my A7IV. Less resolution (33mp), but it addresses most of your issues: dust protection of the sensor by closing the shutter when switching it of, new menu system, more touch options, even better ergonomics… love it.
@@gamingwithstand6886 Does Panasonic use Sony sensors? For the GH^ and some other cameras, it's designed its own. Whoever does the fabrication is pretty irrelevant.
@@oneeyedphotographer Older Panasonic cameras used Panasonic sensors but they sold that part of the company off too two other companies one is called Tower Jazz. Panasonic cameras started using Sony sensors I believe when the GH3 or GH4 came out and they never had these crazy dust issues.
Love your dry humor, James! You are my favorite YT photography 'influencer'. I typically deride anyone considered to be an 'influencer', but your efforts and presentations have influenced me to 'upgrade' from a Nikon crop system to the Lumix G9 (and I'm loving the image quality, usability and portability). My Sony experience and ownership is a 'point-n-shoot' RX100 VI, hate the menus, love the image quality and portability and inconspicuousness. Please tell me the Lumix MFT system remains in your stable!
For the aperture ring- gaff tape! I use a piece on one of my zoom lenses, to keep the focal length exactly where I want it. Easy to peel back/off if you do need to use the ring.
Sounds like you could do with the A1….touch menu,(new menu system)high resolution,ultimate autofocus,great weather sealing and great ergonomics.Too much for me but I have just got the A7iv,well impressed.Mini A1…👍🏻👍🏻 Just received your book,thank you and have a great new Christmas with the new family member.👍🏻👍🏻
About the weather sealing, theyre fine ive had no issues in rain for about 3 years with my old a7III now, and that things almost been so drenched I couldn't hold it. The dust I fear is due to static on the sensor or something similar pulling the dust up even when tilted down. The A7IV just added an option to auto close the shutter on turning off to help with that, working well for me so far.
As a long time follower it is so reassuring to see you embrace high resolution goodness. I laughed out loud at your comment about the tripod. Love your ongoing authenticity and genuine humility.
I've been using the Sony A7III for 3 years now, yesterday I was daydreaming how nice it would be if you could set a minimum shutter speed... Today I see your video and you showed me that's actually possible! So thanks a lot haha
Menus and touch screen! I totally agree. You can do so much with the touch screen on even cheap Lumix cameras, including navigating the menus, but on my more expensive Sony camera, it has so few functions that I sometimes forget that it even exists.
I don't know if anyone commented this yet. But I think the dust issue is due to the camera being electrically charged for a good few seconds after turning the camera off. This means the sensor is just sucking in dust when you remove the lens soon after shutting off the camera.
A month into my own switch from Lumix to Sony (A7iii & awaiting the A7iv) I love the autofocus. How did I/we cope with the G9 & GH5's? Proper film makers use manual focus they say. Baloney! Just switch to Sony LOL. Agreed the stabilisation is not as good (on the A7iii at least) but it's not that bad if you have a steady hand and warp stabiliser, and there's always the gimbal. High hopes the A7iv will be handheld all the way. And the picture is silky straight out of the camera. So far delighted with the switch and the A7iv hasn't even arrived yet. Awesome videos James. As usual, thanks for the inspiration.
Yeah I just bought the A7riii. I'm coming from Canon. I love Canon, but I decided to try something new since I was using an 8 year old camera, and most of my lenses broke, so I shot with the a6400 and a6600 for about 4 months and loved it. So I decided to get the A7riii as a Full Frame. Do not regret it.
Part of the reason your minimum shutter speeds go up in addition to resolution, is due to the amount of time it takes to complete the exposure. This is different than shutter speed. The shutter speed selects the size of the slit that moves across the sensor and exposes the sensor for the amount of time you set.... but with a larger sensor that opening in the shutter has more distance to travel thus taking a long time to complete the exposure at any given shutter speed... this becomes a much bigger deal with medium format. Nobody seems to talk about it.
At the shutter speeds James was talking about - 1/10s to 1/30s wouldn't the time it takes the shutter to open and close be much shorter than the exposure - so it would completely open quickly, then spend most of the time fully open, then completely close quickly? I realise that at high shutter speeds the shutter is never fully open because it has to start closing before it's much of the way through opening.
So I recently-ish switched/upgraded from a G85 over to the Sony ecosystem (A7C + 28mm Sony prime lens) for filming my videos. I find that any time people compare M4/3 to Sony APC/Full Frame for video, autofocus gets a mention, but it's not focused on enough considering the quality of life improvement that comes from literally never worrying about being out of focus. I really loved the G85 for stills, but it's autofocus was never good enough for my video work (lots of talking head stuff) because it seemingly randomly decides to hunt for focus. You're right, for people that make videos on RUclips, the autofocus upgrade going to Sony is likely worth cost of admission alone.
Thanks for your comment. I'm currently in the process of upgrading my G85. I agree with everything you said. Nice for photo. Completely unreliable for video AF. I've been looking at the S5, A 7C and A7 IV. And I'm having a tough time deciding. Big surprise.... Anyone here have any recommendations?
@@Khiro822 I'll say that I've been very happy with the A7C, BUT I really feel like the A7 IV is probably the better overall camera for most. It has more buttons, a much better view finder, and it's not a huge amount more money. I've already considered selling the A7C to grab the A7 IV, but I don't think you could go wrong between the two. I don't have much experience with the APSC cameras, so I don't have any feedback for those ones.
I have had an A7RIV since they first came out and use it in dusty, sandy and wet areas and NEVER get dust or water on the sensor, and yes I change lenses. Are you shielding the camera from the wind when changing lenses? Dont know why you are having this issue. I have owned A6500, A7RII, A7RIII, A7III, A9, and now A1, A7SIII and A7RIV and have no dust issues with just a few techniques when changing lenses. Be sure to turn off the camera and then wait a second before changing lenses. You must have a magnetic field around you, some people do naturally have this more than others. A real fact. Your clothing and hair can generate static charge. Cheers
I was working for Konica-Minolta (the office equipment division) when they sold the camera division to Sony. They didn't tell us what they had done, just a mass email to all employees that they were getting out of the camera business. It's always interesting to see how far Sony has now taken the products. It was a good move for Sony. I am curious about why you made the move to Sony after being a Lumix brand ambassador (or something like that) for years, but I expect there are things you aren't at liberty to discuss. Thanks for the honest review of the product, including flaws. It really doesn't matter what product you are using, though, as your channel is typically about technique and inspiration, which is hardware independent.
Ain’t sure if you know but…. When your in the menu and you don’t understand it just press the bin button and it gives a little information on the setting your on
Nice waffling, as usual. While I am not currently interested in Sony and don’t expect to be, I was keen to hear your observations. There is always a chance that you could have an insight that can apply in the broader case. Very nice presentation in that regard. One thought about those locking methods - perhaps they used the different actions to further distinguish which knob was being changed should one not be looking whilst operating. That is a technique for aircraft design, like making the flap and gear handles shaped like what they move. Cheers till next week!
The menus! I had the same experience when i switched. Lumix menu set up are so much easier to navigate and understand. I do recognise the shooting handheld at lower shutter speed. I do think the iso handling of sony for photography is better than on lumix. Autofocus (continuous) is so much better true in in Single shot i dont see much differences between Sony and Lumix
Married to an A7RIII shooter I'd agree with you on the dust point. She's fastidious about lens changes but so I was interested to read the comment below about the couple of seconds delay in powering down, below. I'll tell her to count to ten before unlocking the lens.
I too bought into the Sony A7rIV in March of 2021 with the 200-600mm and 20mm 1.8 and just love it. The ergonomics are very good considering I also use the Nikon D4s, a bulk of a camera. I was pleasantly surprised that such a small camera felt so good in my hands. Since it is my first mirrorless camera, I have nothing to compare it too as far as dust on the sensor. I have not had an issue with it and the dust cleans up very easily.
I switched from a Canon 5DS to a Sony A7R III - the menu system for a shock - but it was soon forgiven due to it's improvements in almost every other area.. low light performance, advanced AF, increased FPS, bright monitoring etc.. overall, very happy and glad i made the change!
Iv'e plugged mics so many times into my A7III and it still works fine after almost 3 years. The trick is to push the plug in gently and not jamming it in there like stabbing someone. Often mic jacks are just soldered to a board, and using too much force breaks them loose. I don't know if that's the case with the A7III, and that would be far from ideal, but if you just assume that and treat all mic jacks accordingly, you are going to run into a lot less problems.
I do Wildlife with my Sony A1 and it was the best purchase I ever made. For me the Sony A1 does everything I expect and much more. I use also the Sony A9 II, so this my dream combo. Could not be happier with this setup. The menu system isnt an issue for me at all, this is in my opinion over exaggerated. All the things I need I put on one page and that's it. Easy. Done.
Glad to hear you are enjoying your Sony’s. Love my A7r4, handling is great improvement over my A73 and the viewfinder resolution is also great. People often moan about Sony menus and yeah some of the naming is a bit odd, but you really don’t live in menus that often and you get used to it.
I often heard youtubers complain about the menu system and it put me off of Sony for a while until I bit the bullet and got the A7RIII. It took me a few hours to set up my quick menu options and the even quicker Fn button menu. Never had to worry about rifling through the menu system since, so I'm really baffled about why people are so worried about the "difficult menu" when all it takes is doing a proper first time setup
The dust comes from using the zoom lens, it creates an airstream and transports dust to your sensor. Sony knows this prob it has with a few lenses. Lite a candle, have the lens with the open part close to the flame and turn the zoom ring. Then you will see the flame move as the lens produces air and dust ...
You nailed it - well except for one detail. I am 1 year and 3 months on the A7R IV as my first Sony after 7 years on Canon before that. And I have been telling people the same thing: The menu does not matter much, you set the camera up according to your needs and liking once and be done with it, and it is not *that* bad in comparison either - if I was asked to look for some specific function in the menu of my Canon at some point well after the initial setup, I had to go through the same tedious process of hunting it down by looking through page after page and there also were those "C.Fn I" to "C.Fn III" menu items each leading to a whole bunch of various well hidden settings. The plus side with the Sony is that you can customize it so much, its not only a My Menu there, but also the Fn quick menu and most buttons that you can set up, the latter also to change a whole set of settings. Also agree on the wonderfulness of the resolution - but you are not forced to use it, so the price for it, as you put it is not that bad - a slightly blurry shot that would not have been blurry at lower resolution you can always downscale to that lower resolution and get an equivalent result. Same for ISO, go higher than you would, scale down to half size and you still have more resolution and less noise than most low resolution "ISO wonders". The detail I disagree is the different lock mechanisms of the mode and exposure compensation buttons - this makes perfect sense to me: The mode button you always want to explicitly set once inbetween photos taken and never flip accidently, so it makes sense to always be locked and automatically return to locked state after use. The exposure compensation however, you may not use at all and thus keep it locked or (like me) use a lot (e.g. along with aperture priority) and as such adjusting it back and forth while taking photos and thus keep it permanently unlocked. It'd be very very annoying to use if it was self-locking like the mode dial. Likewise the mode dial would be annoying to use, if instead of one push and twist motion you had to go through 3 steps of unlocking, twisting and relocking each time.
I love my sr4. I got into birding as I go out. Now my 100 400 G master with a 1.4 teleconverter lives on my sr4. I use apsc mode. To help the auto focus and track. I'm happy with 26mp if the right Bird is in focus. Still better than the 24mp that I had before this camera. I would never use apsc mode on a landscape photo though.
As a long time Sony and M4/3 user I can sympathise with you dust problems. I’ve never needed to clean an M4/3 sensor in 12 years of shooting. My Sony A7iii seems to need blowing out at minimum every few days when shooting regularly.
Hi James. Yeah my first venture into Sony wasn't a good one. In 2018 got a brand new A73 and took it to Europe for a 3 week vacation. I did not have a laptop so all previews were done on the lcd. I also power off take the battery out. Flip down and swap lenses. Any case got home and all my photos and videos had dust spots when shot or videod with small apertures. Sold it after 6 months and lucky me i kept all my Canon gear so I still had a parallel system. After 13 months my Canon R6 has one small single dust spot. Now I am looking at A7R4 or the A74 and the Sony lens system since it has matured more than Canon. Does the AR4 not have the shutter lock down mode. I know the new A74 does.
That's a bit strange that high resolution is such a highlight considering never being really excited about the G9s high resolution mode previously. Other than that, great vid!
I used the G9 for about 2 years as my main photo and video camera. While the high res mode was a really groovy feature and very handy, it didn’t work super well in every situation. For me at least, it was a pretty “specific-use-case” sort of feature that only worked well for certain kinds of shots; particularly landscapes with almost no movement. I absolutely loved my G9, but I could understand the high res mode not holding as much weight as a more traditional high res sensor.
@@TheGroovyGuitarDude interesting! I am admittedly not versed in the feature as I have the g85 but I'd love to learn more about the differences. It sounds like they're both composition pics as you need a tripod for both Sony and the g9?
Having a tripod is not good enough to make high-res modes (multi-frame composition) work. Everything in landscapes moves all the time: grass, flowers, leaves, twigs, branches, water surfaces, clouds, and everything which is far distance due to the air turbulence between your camera and infinity.
Just to remember, that high res modes are completely irrelevant for anything serious. They are not much more than a spec sheet gimmick to seduce the ones who count spec sheet gimmicks. I can imagine rare exceptions, where it makes sense when really nothing moves even a half pixel in the scene. Not anything outdoor/nature, of course, but e.g. for photographing classical paintings when contracted by a museum, for example. However, these are situations where other workflows are available for everyone, e.g. tiled gigapixel panoramas.
Nice review. I would like to point out that dust is much more visible with high f numbers and, I presume, high megapixel densities. I've got an A1 and so far have never had to clean dust off, even though I know how to and have done it often with other cameras in the past. I don't want to go through all the formulas, but if you think that you are getting any use out of your high sensor resolution on a full-frame camera then you need to keep your f numbers down around f/4 to avoid diffraction blur. With lenses that wide open, dust is not a problem.
As a Sony shooter, I can honestly say I find the menu system to be quite OK once you have added all the bits you actually do use, into the "My menu" bit of the menu. And all the bits you do use even more, can be added to the Fn-menu which has its own button on the camera. It can even be separated into video and stills, so you don't have the same bits in that menu for those times you shoot video. Quite nice, to be honest. And those 62 megapixels can be addictive, for sure. And to confirm your own theory on stabilization, since you essentially get in closer (digitally) you will spot more pixel movement in the high res file compared to the lower resolutioned file of the Lumix. So it's quite possible that you actually get about the same level of stabilization. Video stabilization doesn't work quite the same as for stills. Since video need smooth stabilization, higher latitude of movement for the sensor will leave you with better stability for video. And since Sony has a smaller lens mount, they can't get that high movement latitude, and suffer for video stabilization. But for stills that doesn't impact it as much, as it can jump around more, as long as it manage to move along with the camera when it shoots, that's all that matters. And I find it works pretty well for that. For video you might want to consider getting a lens that has built in stabilization. Some of the Zeiss lenses are known for very good stabilization for video. Like the 20mm Batis. And in terms of dust. I'm fairly certain you get the dust in when you remove the lens and not while it's on the body. So water getting in shouldn't be an issue. I find it to be very water resistant. I have never used any form of water protection, and all of my bodies have been pretty soaked.
I'd like to to have the image quality and autofocus of the Sony A7R, but don't think I'd be happy with the hardware quality, image stabilization and last, but not least, the value for the money…
All depends what you mean by value for money. Certain capabilities just make it worth it. Also the A7R3 is probably the best value for money out the (can often find it new for $2K). Durability wise… I definitely punish my gear and it pretty much holds up to the abuse.
Great overview James. From all the cameras I have used over the years Nikon & Panasonic seem to have the best ergonomics and menu systems. I am currently using a Nikon D7500 DSLR & a Fujifilm X-S10 mirrorless system. The Fuji 18-55mm f2.8-4 has a separate switch on the lens to go between using the aperture ring manually or assigning aperture to a dial on the camera thus disabling the lens ring-even if you turn it, the aperture will not change thankfully! It's a better design than Sony's if you ask me.
I agree with you about Sonys. Its why I switched from Nikon back in 2019 to the Sony A7R III. Menu system is definitly confusing but after you set up the camera you will never go into it again. I have all the C buttons set to how I shoot and that's that. Very easy to use once set up to how you shoot..........as for the dust, keep a air blower with you to blow the dust off the sensor. Even one of those baby nose gunk suckers work for blowing dust off a sensor. Just make sure it hasnt bene used on your child's nose first. Lol
FWIW, some companies advise caution about sending a high-speed stream of air directly at the sensor unless that air has been filtered. A few years back I bought a bulb blower that had a filter on the intake valve.
I have the same dust problem with my A7R and A7c. I never had that with Nikon, Fujifilm or Olympus gear. Sony cameras seem to attract dust. The A7c has become my main camera, if I don't change the lens and use a lens with an aperture ring it's so easy to use.
Too bad you didn't try Nikon. I know a lot of people are knocking the z line but most of them don't actually know it or have tried it. You wouldn't have had any problem with most of what you listed with your Sony. Ploys Nikon has some of the best raw files of any camera. But Sony makes good great and good lenses. I hope you enjoy it.
Interesting to hear what you thought of the ergonomics, As a Canon shooter of many years I tried the A7R mkiii and I found it very awkward in my hands, just goes to show how much you get used to a certain feel
Still good videos. But actually the pros/cons are the ones I (and most others) expected. So I‘m still fine with my MFT. Eventhough the resolution really looks impressive.
Im still on the fence on switching James. I have used Canon gear over the last 12 years but Sony are making some nice kit. I have my eye on the Sony A7 III but will most likely get the adapter so I can continue to use my glass. Interesting video James. Thanks for sharing.
Realistically you will end up purchasing the Sony glass also. The adapters for EF to FE are not great and reduced AF performance. Why would you not just go Canon mirrorless? Also why the A7III? The A7IV is probably a better option if you are a hybrid shooter, but if you pretty much do photography the A7R3 is often a better deal (I got mine for $2K brand new in a sale).
Consider trying the R6 or the R5. The EF-to-R adapter works flawlessly and you can continue using all your old lenses. I just recently switched to Canon's R-system and I couldn't be happier. In any case, try a rental Sony A7III before buying one. That might make you much less eager to switch ;-)
Agree with Frank. I got the Eos R and a Control Ring adapter and kept my old EF70-200mm f/4. Works well. Don't argue Sony make good kit but I think I will go for the R5 next over a Sont. The ergonomics of Canon beat Sony imho and the menu system plus dust problems really put me off. Canon were slow to the mirrorless party but at least they put a shutter on the R and all the mirrorless cameras they made since.
Update video…. Maybe…. A7RV? I think Sony may have watched your video. Especially with the touchscreen bits. (Just recently moved to A7RV and I’m blown away by it!) My students love your videos by the way!
Very practical review James. I agree with you about the menu, poor experience initially but once I set up the custom buttons on A7iii it was fine. Mind you now I have the A7IV, the menu is huge upgrade. And very true about the aperture rings slipping on the lens, I did that all the time on my 24mm! Glad to hear your enjoying the A7RIV!
Moving from Olympus and Nikon to Sony in 2018, no regrets. Sony changed the world of Photography for low light and fast pace action with such low cost. After being numb to the top tier Sony autofocus of the A1 and all round great A7iii, I changed to the Leica SL2-S and never looked back. The autofocus was not on the same level as Sony but ergonomics and the joy of photography is so different. I don't think I can ever go back to Sony with their "toy-like" ergonomic, no insult to Sony I really appreciate their change ever since the A7RIV but damn Leica handlings is brilliant. So simplified and easy to use.
This video makes me seriously rethink whether I want to switch from Panasonic to Sony.... and that's without mentioning that the Sony tilt screens are much less useful than the Panasonic flip screen.
Obviously not the ideal solution, but the Sony a1 closes the shutter whenever the camera is off or when you remove the lens, which helps with dust. The mode and exposure compensation dial locks are annoying, but kind of makes sense in that you don't want to accidentally change your mode, and can really slow down your work if you do. The toggle lock on the exposure compensation is nice to be able to lock if you're shooting full manual, or toggling unlocked for an auto mode. I think my biggest gripe with Sony after shooting Fuji is how few lenses in the e mount ecosystem have a dedicated aperture ring. I set my aperture setting to the front control dial, but being able to quickly change the aperture with a ring is just so much more convenient. I wish sony didn't only stick those on their G/GM lenses, because it'd push 3rd party manufacturers to include them more often on their lenses if every Sony lens had them.
Even if you shoot in apc mode, you can go into lightroom and go to the crop and choose original imagine instead of as shot and you'll get the whole image
I can understand why Sony went with different dial locking mechanisms, the mode dial settings is changed far less, hence a press and twist makes sense. Conversely, the exposure compensation dial on my a7r3 was super easy to knock off when shooting in Aperture priority, a press and twist approach similar to the dial mode would make it annoying for shooters that use other modes than manual. My two cents, having said that, after 4 years shooting Sony I am likely switching to Fuji as I want smaller and lighter telephoto lenses for landscapes without breaking my back. (maybe an xt4 or who knows, the xh2)
I bought a Sony A7R3 a few years ago. My previous cameras were Nikons with mirrors. On day 1 of using the Sony I saw sensor dust. With my Nikons I had always had the sensors professionally cleaned - about three times a year. I rapidly learned how to clean a sensor with my Sony (somewhat simpler than with Nikon as the mirror and its grease were not involved) and I no longer feel terrified at the evidence of sensor dust. But I do see sensor dust regularly on my Sony and so, whenever changing lenses, I use a Giotto Rocket. Just a matter of adapting.
I still love the original a7 MK1. Lightest of them all with still adequate IQ. Love the control scheme. I am on my second one after not owning FF for half a year. This time bought brand new Fe 28 F2 producing lovely sun stars, and versatile Samyang 75 F1.8. Love this combo. Even on MK1 video AF is reliable.
Added a Fuji GFX100S to my bag a few months back but still find I'm reaching for my Sony most of the time. The functionality and customisation just work for me and I find the Fuji heavy and cumbersome in comparison. And, I'm really struggling to see a significant improvement in IQ over my A7RIV. Edited an image last week that I thought was taken with the Fuji and began to think, yes, I can see a difference ... right up until I noticed the 60.2 megapixel count at the bottom of ACR.
Fair points, I just released my 12 month review this week! I'm a big fan of the locking exposure comp dial, but also the push-to-turn on the mode dial - especially for weddings. I've previously had cameras switching modes while dangling from a holster so it's negated that! SmallRig make a great little cage for the a7C which includes extending the grip, much improves overall ergonomics - well worth checking out 👊
I've been using Sony for 2 years, started with an a7 original and a6000. Last year I upgraded to the a7C, which in hindsight was a mistake over the a7 III. But more importantly my a6000 developed shutter problems and doesn't work, I was considering selling it for parts and getting an upgrade as well, but then I noticed that Sony has seemingly killed off their aps-c lineup along with any budget FF cameras... Ontop of that I've gotten into film as well so I got a canon Eos 5 on the way, which made me think of just ditching Sony and going full EF mount or getting a mirrorless RF with EF adapter, but knowing how canon is trailing in autofocus with mirrorless it would still be a DSLR for now, while they're still alive. OR for digital going M4:3 for the convenience. But whatever I choose won't be for a while yet most likely.
I own a Sony camera, rarely change lenses, and always get a lot of dust. I have one without weather sealing and I do go to places with lots of wind and dust (mountains), but haven't find a solution for my problem. It's definitely not caused by changing lenses.
I didn't notice the wonky photos until you pointed them out! Now I can't keep my eyes off them and I'm taking no notice whatsoever of you! (Well.. you should be used to that by now!? Only kidding, you know we all love you really! LOL)
Thinking of moving from MFT to this camera so was particularly pleased to listen to this remarkably unbiased view. As someone who uses Olympus's combined lens and IBIS to extreme especially in indoor locations I am concerned about your requirement for a tripod. The question now for me is can the ISO be increased without compromising the extreme detail?
As the others have said, the dust issue could very well be static on the sensor. I've gotten into the habit of using my blower every three or four lens changes because of it. That said, I also only use two zooms, and I don't use them that often, so I don't really have anything blowing dust directly on the sensor. Water is so much heavier that it's unlikely to get on the sensor, and I still have yet to get the sensor wet, even in wind-driven snow or our annoyingly humid summers. If you have the time to, try waiting until you feel the sensor stabilization deactivate before changing lenses if you haven't already been doing so. That _should_ help at least a little bit since no power is going to anything around the sensor at that point. You should hear a slight popping noise and feel the thunk when it's off, same as when it turns on unless the a7RIV is different from other Sony cameras.
They do not overheat but you will get hot pixels if you do timelapse/ videos for long. Go to menu, set the date with 2 months in advance than turn it off. Thank me later
The Sony system are excellent !!! Until now I got Sony A7RIII (only as a backup now), Sony A7RIV, Sony A7RIVA, Sony 14mm 1.8 GM, Sony 24mm 1.4 GM, Voigtländer 35mm 2.0 APO Lanthar, Sony Zeiss Sonnar 55mm 1.8, Voigtländer 65mm Macro APO Lanthar, Sony 135mm 1.8 GM, Sony 200-600mm 5.6-6.3 G and a LOT of adapted Lenses ! This is what I wish for new Sony equipment, Sony A7RV with 75 Mp sensor and 9.5 Mp EVF, 1.4x Teleconverter for the Sony 135mm 1.8 GM, Tele Prime Lenses like 300mm 4.0, 400mm 4.5 and 500mm 5.6, thank you very much Sony !
I have always had Canon cameras even back in the film days but it is always interesting to see and hear other peoples thoughts on different gear etc, everyone is different, thank goodness. And no I probably will never change from Canon, thats just my personality and to me they are like an old friend, I make sentimental choices, or not.....
Literally the most unbiased, practical, non-fanboy review I think I've ever seen. I wouldn't be sad if you started reviewing cameras more often.
You said it better than I ever could!
Dust, dust, dust. Yes that can be a problem. I’ve shot with Sony for years now and can tell you they hold their charge longer than others. After you turn the power off you’ll hear a faint click a couple of seconds later. That’s supposed to be the discharge. Wait another couple of seconds before releasing the lens. After I started doing this I very rarely get dust on the sensor and I shoot in some very dusty environments.
Exactly.... it's the charge still on the sensor that pulls the dust... a7c owner, learned that after a few lens changes - wait a few seconds to change a lens 😐
Yes! I was also going to mention this. They are effectively an electro magnet until they discharge the residual energy.
That's a very good point, reference the discharge period. I had the A7R IV, and that was a nightmare for dust. I moved to the A1 - massive difference being when you switch it off, the shutter closes over the sensor. I don't understand why, via a firmware update, that Sony cannot do this with the A7R iV
@@PFB-yo6wi is that the shutter or a dedicated sensor cover?
Camera manufacturer are not keen on leaving the shutter exposed, too delicate.
@@s70cas7ic0 So, the A1 and A7RV have a facility that when you power down the camera, the shutter closes over the sensor giving an extra layer of dust protection. However the A7RIV does not. I was wondering why, since it does have a mechanical shutter, it cannot do the same as the A1 and A7RV
The question for any camera is whether it does what you need it to do in a way you are comfortable doing. A James pointed out Sony's have a lot of great features and some irritations. Replace Sony with any other manufacturer and the statement is generally true. The irritations will be different.
I went the other way from Sony to Panasonic precisely for these reasons. Better menus, ergonomics, flip out screen and touch screen . Just the overall experience of taking pictures is more joyful. I use the 24-105 f4 lens for the most part and switch to the 45mm f2.8 for some specific shots.
Every time I watch an unbiased camera review I see how it's mostly about practicality, ease of use and ergonomics. I have been a Nikon user for over 11 years now, however I have used Canon and Sony from time to time. I wouldn't change brands but it's not because of sensor quality, it's because Nikon just fits my hand best and I am used to the controls and menus. The rest is just capturing a sellable image and that's what all cameras do.
I'm in the process of trying to choose my first decent camera and youtubers have made me believe that anyone who doesn't own a Sony simply doesn't exist. Thank you for this honest, non sony-fetishist review video. Very much appreciated!
Dust moves to all directions in the air including up (you can check this with flashlight in your home). Water however, mostly moves down unless we are talking about fog. That said, I don't think it's about the weather sealing but about what happens when you change lenses. Perhaps Sony cameras hold charge on the sensor a bit longer after you turn it off and if you are quickly taking the lens off after switching off the camera, the sensor "sucks" in the dust. I think that's why it seems that Sony cameras "collect" more dust than Lumix (or other) cameras.
A7IV has the option to close the shutter while changing lenses. I'm not sure if that really helps but I hope the option becomes available to A7RIV in some firmware update.
My a7r3 takes a while to disable the stabilizer after turning off. I find, if I wait to change the lens after I hear the sensor drop from the center position, it attracts way less dust.
pretty sure my g100 closes the shutter w/o lens automatically, I thought it was a bug. lol. I guess it's a feature. xD
also that totally makes sense about changing lenses while the camera is on or right after it's turned off, I usually have a bit of time between turning mine off and changing my lens so I've never had dust creep onto my sensor unless it's off for a bit longer than normal.
@@proksalevente Same here with the a7III. And there's a really noticeable thunk when it does shut off.
@@proksalevente good tip
Man... I shoot WRC, Hill Climb and other type of Rally events in literally ALL possible weather conditions, from 85%+ humidity, foggy and freezing mornings and very heavy, pouring thunderstorms with dirt and water everywhere all the way to 40 degrees celsius, windy, dusty terrain with dust, rocks and all kinds of particles flying everywhere... I shoot and have always shot primarily on Canon and Nikon cameras but I do own an a7RIV for my non-job related photography. Never have I ever, during my entire career of doing this, had ANY weather sealing issues on ANY of the Nikon or Canon cameras... Currently I'm using a Z6ll for photos and R5 for documenting and other video work. My last event was in Germany and I was there only to take photos. The morning was extremely humid and foggy, 2 degrees celsius with light to medium rain throughout the morning up to 1PM. My Z6ll and 70-200 were COVERED in water, dirt, tree and leaves residue and being rained on for more than 6 hours straight... Do I even need to say how the camera held up to that type abuse?! I would also feel confident to take my R5 on the same shoot, however, I would NEVER, EVER even consider taking my Sony camera on a Rally shoot. NEVER! Sony cameras just feel unreliable and very fragile, especially compared to Nikon and Canon build quality and weather sealing - and I'm talking from experience here. So much so that I am even scared to take my a7RIV for an hour or two of street photography, if there's any rain whatsoever... It just doesn't feel good when you have a 3,600 EUR camera and you have to worry about what kind of weather it is outside. With my Canon and Nikon, I don't even THINK about weather, let alone worry about it, I just take my camera and go out...
Sony makes good cameras but they make them with cheap metals and plastic and build them poorly, the overall build quality is just... Something else... Let's just say that... That's why the a7RIV is the last I will be seeing from Sony. No more Sony for me.
just got my A7iii few days ago, having a blast and takes really good images, just upgraded from a canon 700d and wanted to make a switch to Sony. and what an upgrade it is! Low light/dark images are actually usable now even in editing when increasing exposure, the images never turn out too noisy to post/use.
Just got my A7IV. Less resolution (33mp), but it addresses most of your issues: dust protection of the sensor by closing the shutter when switching it of, new menu system, more touch options, even better ergonomics… love it.
The problem I think it's how Sony coats there sensors. Panasonic does not have the dust issues like Sony.
@@gamingwithstand6886 turning off the camera helps to the sensor doesn't act like a literall dust magnet
@@gamingwithstand6886 Does Panasonic use Sony sensors? For the GH^ and some other cameras, it's designed its own. Whoever does the fabrication is pretty irrelevant.
@@oneeyedphotographer Older Panasonic cameras used Panasonic sensors but they sold that part of the company off too two other companies one is called Tower Jazz.
Panasonic cameras started using Sony sensors I believe when the GH3 or GH4 came out and they never had these crazy dust issues.
@@gamingwithstand6886 Apparently the GH5 sensor is a Panasonic design.
Love your dry humor, James! You are my favorite YT photography 'influencer'. I typically deride anyone considered to be an 'influencer', but your efforts and presentations have influenced me to 'upgrade' from a Nikon crop system to the Lumix G9 (and I'm loving the image quality, usability and portability). My Sony experience and ownership is a 'point-n-shoot' RX100 VI, hate the menus, love the image quality and portability and inconspicuousness. Please tell me the Lumix MFT system remains in your stable!
I just wanted to say, I watch your videos because of your love of photography, personality, and humor. I enjoy them, thank you.
For the aperture ring- gaff tape! I use a piece on one of my zoom lenses, to keep the focal length exactly where I want it. Easy to peel back/off if you do need to use the ring.
Sounds like you could do with the A1….touch menu,(new menu system)high resolution,ultimate autofocus,great weather sealing and great ergonomics.Too much for me but I have just got the A7iv,well impressed.Mini A1…👍🏻👍🏻 Just received your book,thank you and have a great new Christmas with the new family member.👍🏻👍🏻
About the weather sealing, theyre fine ive had no issues in rain for about 3 years with my old a7III now, and that things almost been so drenched I couldn't hold it. The dust I fear is due to static on the sensor or something similar pulling the dust up even when tilted down. The A7IV just added an option to auto close the shutter on turning off to help with that, working well for me so far.
As a long time follower it is so reassuring to see you embrace high resolution goodness. I laughed out loud at your comment about the tripod. Love your ongoing authenticity and genuine humility.
I love my G9, but I'm glad you've found what works best for you!
Love my G9 so much I bought a second.
I must admit, I have two too. Could not stand to be without it when I face planted in the mud and had to send the original in for repair!
I've been using the Sony A7III for 3 years now, yesterday I was daydreaming how nice it would be if you could set a minimum shutter speed... Today I see your video and you showed me that's actually possible! So thanks a lot haha
Welcome to the Sony users. Love my Sony gear, it does a good job. 👍
Menus and touch screen! I totally agree. You can do so much with the touch screen on even cheap Lumix cameras, including navigating the menus, but on my more expensive Sony camera, it has so few functions that I sometimes forget that it even exists.
I don't know if anyone commented this yet. But I think the dust issue is due to the camera being electrically charged for a good few seconds after turning the camera off. This means the sensor is just sucking in dust when you remove the lens soon after shutting off the camera.
A month into my own switch from Lumix to Sony (A7iii & awaiting the A7iv) I love the autofocus. How did I/we cope with the G9 & GH5's? Proper film makers use manual focus they say. Baloney! Just switch to Sony LOL. Agreed the stabilisation is not as good (on the A7iii at least) but it's not that bad if you have a steady hand and warp stabiliser, and there's always the gimbal. High hopes the A7iv will be handheld all the way. And the picture is silky straight out of the camera. So far delighted with the switch and the A7iv hasn't even arrived yet. Awesome videos James. As usual, thanks for the inspiration.
Yeah I just bought the A7riii.
I'm coming from Canon. I love Canon, but I decided to try something new since I was using an 8 year old camera, and most of my lenses broke, so I shot with the a6400 and a6600 for about 4 months and loved it. So I decided to get the A7riii as a Full Frame. Do not regret it.
Part of the reason your minimum shutter speeds go up in addition to resolution, is due to the amount of time it takes to complete the exposure. This is different than shutter speed. The shutter speed selects the size of the slit that moves across the sensor and exposes the sensor for the amount of time you set.... but with a larger sensor that opening in the shutter has more distance to travel thus taking a long time to complete the exposure at any given shutter speed... this becomes a much bigger deal with medium format. Nobody seems to talk about it.
Good point.
At the shutter speeds James was talking about - 1/10s to 1/30s wouldn't the time it takes the shutter to open and close be much shorter than the exposure - so it would completely open quickly, then spend most of the time fully open, then completely close quickly? I realise that at high shutter speeds the shutter is never fully open because it has to start closing before it's much of the way through opening.
So I recently-ish switched/upgraded from a G85 over to the Sony ecosystem (A7C + 28mm Sony prime lens) for filming my videos. I find that any time people compare M4/3 to Sony APC/Full Frame for video, autofocus gets a mention, but it's not focused on enough considering the quality of life improvement that comes from literally never worrying about being out of focus. I really loved the G85 for stills, but it's autofocus was never good enough for my video work (lots of talking head stuff) because it seemingly randomly decides to hunt for focus. You're right, for people that make videos on RUclips, the autofocus upgrade going to Sony is likely worth cost of admission alone.
Thanks for your comment. I'm currently in the process of upgrading my G85. I agree with everything you said. Nice for photo. Completely unreliable for video AF. I've been looking at the S5, A 7C and A7 IV. And I'm having a tough time deciding. Big surprise.... Anyone here have any recommendations?
@@Khiro822 I'll say that I've been very happy with the A7C, BUT I really feel like the A7 IV is probably the better overall camera for most. It has more buttons, a much better view finder, and it's not a huge amount more money. I've already considered selling the A7C to grab the A7 IV, but I don't think you could go wrong between the two. I don't have much experience with the APSC cameras, so I don't have any feedback for those ones.
I have had an A7RIV since they first came out and use it in dusty, sandy and wet areas and NEVER get dust or water on the sensor, and yes I change lenses. Are you shielding the camera from the wind when changing lenses? Dont know why you are having this issue. I have owned A6500, A7RII, A7RIII, A7III, A9, and now A1, A7SIII and A7RIV and have no dust issues with just a few techniques when changing lenses. Be sure to turn off the camera and then wait a second before changing lenses. You must have a magnetic field around you, some people do naturally have this more than others. A real fact. Your clothing and hair can generate static charge. Cheers
I was working for Konica-Minolta (the office equipment division) when they sold the camera division to Sony. They didn't tell us what they had done, just a mass email to all employees that they were getting out of the camera business. It's always interesting to see how far Sony has now taken the products. It was a good move for Sony. I am curious about why you made the move to Sony after being a Lumix brand ambassador (or something like that) for years, but I expect there are things you aren't at liberty to discuss. Thanks for the honest review of the product, including flaws. It really doesn't matter what product you are using, though, as your channel is typically about technique and inspiration, which is hardware independent.
Ain’t sure if you know but…. When your in the menu and you don’t understand it just press the bin button and it gives a little information on the setting your on
Awesome! I had no idea - thanks!!
@@JamesPopsysPhoto I may be wrong…. It’s on my Sony RX100V ☹️
Nice waffling, as usual. While I am not currently interested in Sony and don’t expect to be, I was keen to hear your observations. There is always a chance that you could have an insight that can apply in the broader case. Very nice presentation in that regard.
One thought about those locking methods - perhaps they used the different actions to further distinguish which knob was being changed should one not be looking whilst operating. That is a technique for aircraft design, like making the flap and gear handles shaped like what they move.
Cheers till next week!
I moved to Sony in 2019 after using nikon for around 20 yrs and so glad I did. It wasn't an easy decision to make though. I loved my nikon equipment,
The menus! I had the same experience when i switched. Lumix menu set up are so much easier to navigate and understand.
I do recognise the shooting handheld at lower shutter speed.
I do think the iso handling of sony for photography is better than on lumix.
Autofocus (continuous) is so much better true in in Single shot i dont see much differences between Sony and Lumix
Married to an A7RIII shooter I'd agree with you on the dust point. She's fastidious about lens changes but so I was interested to read the comment below about the couple of seconds delay in powering down, below. I'll tell her to count to ten before unlocking the lens.
I too bought into the Sony A7rIV in March of 2021 with the 200-600mm and 20mm 1.8 and just love it. The ergonomics are very good considering I also use the Nikon D4s, a bulk of a camera. I was pleasantly surprised that such a small camera felt so good in my hands. Since it is my first mirrorless camera, I have nothing to compare it too as far as dust on the sensor. I have not had an issue with it and the dust cleans up very easily.
I switched from a Canon 5DS to a Sony A7R III - the menu system for a shock - but it was soon forgiven due to it's improvements in almost every other area.. low light performance, advanced AF, increased FPS, bright monitoring etc.. overall, very happy and glad i made the change!
Iv'e plugged mics so many times into my A7III and it still works fine after almost 3 years. The trick is to push the plug in gently and not jamming it in there like stabbing someone. Often mic jacks are just soldered to a board, and using too much force breaks them loose. I don't know if that's the case with the A7III, and that would be far from ideal, but if you just assume that and treat all mic jacks accordingly, you are going to run into a lot less problems.
I do Wildlife with my Sony A1 and it was the best purchase I ever made. For me the Sony A1 does everything I expect and much more. I use also the Sony A9 II, so this my dream combo. Could not be happier with this setup. The menu system isnt an issue for me at all, this is in my opinion over exaggerated. All the things I need I put on one page and that's it. Easy. Done.
Glad to hear you are enjoying your Sony’s. Love my A7r4, handling is great improvement over my A73 and the viewfinder resolution is also great. People often moan about Sony menus and yeah some of the naming is a bit odd, but you really don’t live in menus that often and you get used to it.
I often heard youtubers complain about the menu system and it put me off of Sony for a while until I bit the bullet and got the A7RIII. It took me a few hours to set up my quick menu options and the even quicker Fn button menu. Never had to worry about rifling through the menu system since, so I'm really baffled about why people are so worried about the "difficult menu" when all it takes is doing a proper first time setup
Nice one James, never mind the dust, thats just housekeeping, 61Mb !! you can't beat it on that size camera!
The dust comes from using the zoom lens, it creates an airstream and transports dust to your sensor. Sony knows this prob it has with a few lenses. Lite a candle, have the lens with the open part close to the flame and turn the zoom ring. Then you will see the flame move as the lens produces air and dust ...
Yeah I think so as well, I never have dust on my sensor, probably because I only have prime lenses.
I don’t think I’m going to light a candle while changing lenses, lol!
You nailed it - well except for one detail.
I am 1 year and 3 months on the A7R IV as my first Sony after 7 years on Canon before that. And I have been telling people the same thing: The menu does not matter much, you set the camera up according to your needs and liking once and be done with it, and it is not *that* bad in comparison either - if I was asked to look for some specific function in the menu of my Canon at some point well after the initial setup, I had to go through the same tedious process of hunting it down by looking through page after page and there also were those "C.Fn I" to "C.Fn III" menu items each leading to a whole bunch of various well hidden settings.
The plus side with the Sony is that you can customize it so much, its not only a My Menu there, but also the Fn quick menu and most buttons that you can set up, the latter also to change a whole set of settings.
Also agree on the wonderfulness of the resolution - but you are not forced to use it, so the price for it, as you put it is not that bad - a slightly blurry shot that would not have been blurry at lower resolution you can always downscale to that lower resolution and get an equivalent result. Same for ISO, go higher than you would, scale down to half size and you still have more resolution and less noise than most low resolution "ISO wonders".
The detail I disagree is the different lock mechanisms of the mode and exposure compensation buttons - this makes perfect sense to me: The mode button you always want to explicitly set once inbetween photos taken and never flip accidently, so it makes sense to always be locked and automatically return to locked state after use. The exposure compensation however, you may not use at all and thus keep it locked or (like me) use a lot (e.g. along with aperture priority) and as such adjusting it back and forth while taking photos and thus keep it permanently unlocked. It'd be very very annoying to use if it was self-locking like the mode dial. Likewise the mode dial would be annoying to use, if instead of one push and twist motion you had to go through 3 steps of unlocking, twisting and relocking each time.
I love my sr4. I got into birding as I go out. Now my 100 400 G master with a 1.4 teleconverter lives on my sr4. I use apsc mode. To help the auto focus and track. I'm happy with 26mp if the right Bird is in focus. Still better than the 24mp that I had before this camera. I would never use apsc mode on a landscape photo though.
As a long time Sony and M4/3 user I can sympathise with you dust problems. I’ve never needed to clean an M4/3 sensor in 12 years of shooting. My Sony A7iii seems to need blowing out at minimum every few days when shooting regularly.
The two different dials mechanisms... maybe it is so doing it by touch you don't get the wrong one?
Nice opening see you next video.
Hi James. Yeah my first venture into Sony wasn't a good one. In 2018 got a brand new A73 and took it to Europe for a 3 week vacation. I did not have a laptop so all previews were done on the lcd. I also power off take the battery out. Flip down and swap lenses. Any case got home and all my photos and videos had dust spots when shot or videod with small apertures. Sold it after 6 months and lucky me i kept all my Canon gear so I still had a parallel system. After 13 months my Canon R6 has one small single dust spot. Now I am looking at A7R4 or the A74 and the Sony lens system since it has matured more than Canon. Does the AR4 not have the shutter lock down mode. I know the new A74 does.
I have no interest in shooting Sony, but your gear videos are great! Some of the only Sony videos that don't drive me crazy.
That's a bit strange that high resolution is such a highlight considering never being really excited about the G9s high resolution mode previously. Other than that, great vid!
I used the G9 for about 2 years as my main photo and video camera. While the high res mode was a really groovy feature and very handy, it didn’t work super well in every situation. For me at least, it was a pretty “specific-use-case” sort of feature that only worked well for certain kinds of shots; particularly landscapes with almost no movement. I absolutely loved my G9, but I could understand the high res mode not holding as much weight as a more traditional high res sensor.
@@TheGroovyGuitarDude interesting! I am admittedly not versed in the feature as I have the g85 but I'd love to learn more about the differences. It sounds like they're both composition pics as you need a tripod for both Sony and the g9?
Having a tripod is not good enough to make high-res modes (multi-frame composition) work. Everything in landscapes moves all the time: grass, flowers, leaves, twigs, branches, water surfaces, clouds, and everything which is far distance due to the air turbulence between your camera and infinity.
@@tubularificationed what does this have to do with anything when comparing G9 and Sony hi rez modes
Just to remember, that high res modes are completely irrelevant for anything serious. They are not much more than a spec sheet gimmick to seduce the ones who count spec sheet gimmicks.
I can imagine rare exceptions, where it makes sense when really nothing moves even a half pixel in the scene. Not anything outdoor/nature, of course, but e.g. for photographing classical paintings when contracted by a museum, for example.
However, these are situations where other workflows are available for everyone, e.g. tiled gigapixel panoramas.
dust is a common problem for the a7 iii. The sensor seems to be electro magnetic and sucks dust in when changing lenses. so dont worry about the water
Excellent context as always. Interest to see what your function menu items are as well !!
I’m shooting the same setups . . . a7R IV for stills and a7c for filming/stills and I couldn’t be happier!.
Nice review. I would like to point out that dust is much more visible with high f numbers and, I presume, high megapixel densities. I've got an A1 and so far have never had to clean dust off, even though I know how to and have done it often with other cameras in the past. I don't want to go through all the formulas, but if you think that you are getting any use out of your high sensor resolution on a full-frame camera then you need to keep your f numbers down around f/4 to avoid diffraction blur. With lenses that wide open, dust is not a problem.
As a Sony shooter, I can honestly say I find the menu system to be quite OK once you have added all the bits you actually do use, into the "My menu" bit of the menu. And all the bits you do use even more, can be added to the Fn-menu which has its own button on the camera. It can even be separated into video and stills, so you don't have the same bits in that menu for those times you shoot video. Quite nice, to be honest.
And those 62 megapixels can be addictive, for sure.
And to confirm your own theory on stabilization, since you essentially get in closer (digitally) you will spot more pixel movement in the high res file compared to the lower resolutioned file of the Lumix. So it's quite possible that you actually get about the same level of stabilization. Video stabilization doesn't work quite the same as for stills. Since video need smooth stabilization, higher latitude of movement for the sensor will leave you with better stability for video. And since Sony has a smaller lens mount, they can't get that high movement latitude, and suffer for video stabilization. But for stills that doesn't impact it as much, as it can jump around more, as long as it manage to move along with the camera when it shoots, that's all that matters. And I find it works pretty well for that. For video you might want to consider getting a lens that has built in stabilization. Some of the Zeiss lenses are known for very good stabilization for video. Like the 20mm Batis.
And in terms of dust. I'm fairly certain you get the dust in when you remove the lens and not while it's on the body. So water getting in shouldn't be an issue. I find it to be very water resistant. I have never used any form of water protection, and all of my bodies have been pretty soaked.
I'd like to to have the image quality and autofocus of the Sony A7R, but don't think I'd be happy with the hardware quality, image stabilization and last, but not least, the value for the money…
All depends what you mean by value for money. Certain capabilities just make it worth it. Also the A7R3 is probably the best value for money out the (can often find it new for $2K). Durability wise… I definitely punish my gear and it pretty much holds up to the abuse.
Great overview James. From all the cameras I have used over the years Nikon & Panasonic seem to have the best ergonomics and menu systems. I am currently using a Nikon D7500 DSLR & a Fujifilm X-S10 mirrorless system. The Fuji 18-55mm f2.8-4 has a separate switch on the lens to go between using the aperture ring manually or assigning aperture to a dial on the camera thus disabling the lens ring-even if you turn it, the aperture will not change thankfully! It's a better design than Sony's if you ask me.
You should consider looking at the A7 IV. The touch screen and dials are better IMO.
You can also protect the sensor with Filtre Clip-in filter
Dust on the sensor!! Welcome to the wonderful world of Sony 😁
You gotta talk more about weather sealing!
I agree with you about Sonys. Its why I switched from Nikon back in 2019 to the Sony A7R III. Menu system is definitly confusing but after you set up the camera you will never go into it again. I have all the C buttons set to how I shoot and that's that. Very easy to use once set up to how you shoot..........as for the dust, keep a air blower with you to blow the dust off the sensor. Even one of those baby nose gunk suckers work for blowing dust off a sensor. Just make sure it hasnt bene used on your child's nose first. Lol
FWIW, some companies advise caution about sending a high-speed stream of air directly at the sensor unless that air has been filtered. A few years back I bought a bulb blower that had a filter on the intake valve.
Been looking to invest in a camera for months and months, so this has been super valuable - thank you! Sony's my #1 candidate as a manufacturer.
Tripod?! A dopleganger has taken James hostage.... Someone call MI6!!!!
I have the same dust problem with my A7R and A7c. I never had that with Nikon, Fujifilm or Olympus gear. Sony cameras seem to attract dust. The A7c has become my main camera, if I don't change the lens and use a lens with an aperture ring it's so easy to use.
Would love to see a rig run down on how you’re currently filming your vidoes on the A7C and what picture profiles/settings you use.
Menus were redesigned starting 7S3
Too bad you didn't try Nikon. I know a lot of people are knocking the z line but most of them don't actually know it or have tried it. You wouldn't have had any problem with most of what you listed with your Sony. Ploys Nikon has some of the best raw files of any camera. But Sony makes good great and good lenses. I hope you enjoy it.
Interesting to hear what you thought of the ergonomics, As a Canon shooter of many years I tried the A7R mkiii and I found it very awkward in my hands, just goes to show how much you get used to a certain feel
Still good videos. But actually the pros/cons are the ones I (and most others) expected. So I‘m still fine with my MFT. Eventhough the resolution really looks impressive.
Im still on the fence on switching James. I have used Canon gear over the last 12 years but Sony are making some nice kit. I have my eye on the Sony A7 III but will most likely get the adapter so I can continue to use my glass. Interesting video James. Thanks for sharing.
@UC5nryrfSJCr_nnVNtj_HAbQ 👍 Thank you. Much appreciated.
Realistically you will end up purchasing the Sony glass also. The adapters for EF to FE are not great and reduced AF performance. Why would you not just go Canon mirrorless? Also why the A7III? The A7IV is probably a better option if you are a hybrid shooter, but if you pretty much do photography the A7R3 is often a better deal (I got mine for $2K brand new in a sale).
Consider trying the R6 or the R5. The EF-to-R adapter works flawlessly and you can continue using all your old lenses. I just recently switched to Canon's R-system and I couldn't be happier. In any case, try a rental Sony A7III before buying one. That might make you much less eager to switch ;-)
Agree with Frank. I got the Eos R and a Control Ring adapter and kept my old EF70-200mm f/4. Works well. Don't argue Sony make good kit but I think I will go for the R5 next over a Sont. The ergonomics of Canon beat Sony imho and the menu system plus dust problems really put me off. Canon were slow to the mirrorless party but at least they put a shutter on the R and all the mirrorless cameras they made since.
adapted glass have downgraded focus performance, especially in low light. some adapter rings don't support video focus for canon lenses.
Update video…. Maybe…. A7RV? I think Sony may have watched your video. Especially with the touchscreen bits. (Just recently moved to A7RV and I’m blown away by it!) My students love your videos by the way!
Very practical review James. I agree with you about the menu, poor experience initially but once I set up the custom buttons on A7iii it was fine. Mind you now I have the A7IV, the menu is huge upgrade. And very true about the aperture rings slipping on the lens, I did that all the time on my 24mm! Glad to hear your enjoying the A7RIV!
I've used my a7RIV with a weather sealed lens in rain I probably shouldn't have for much longer then I should have and it held up like a boss.
Moving from Olympus and Nikon to Sony in 2018, no regrets. Sony changed the world of Photography for low light and fast pace action with such low cost. After being numb to the top tier Sony autofocus of the A1 and all round great A7iii, I changed to the Leica SL2-S and never looked back. The autofocus was not on the same level as Sony but ergonomics and the joy of photography is so different. I don't think I can ever go back to Sony with their "toy-like" ergonomic, no insult to Sony I really appreciate their change ever since the A7RIV but damn Leica handlings is brilliant. So simplified and easy to use.
This video makes me seriously rethink whether I want to switch from Panasonic to Sony.... and that's without mentioning that the Sony tilt screens are much less useful than the Panasonic flip screen.
Obviously not the ideal solution, but the Sony a1 closes the shutter whenever the camera is off or when you remove the lens, which helps with dust.
The mode and exposure compensation dial locks are annoying, but kind of makes sense in that you don't want to accidentally change your mode, and can really slow down your work if you do. The toggle lock on the exposure compensation is nice to be able to lock if you're shooting full manual, or toggling unlocked for an auto mode.
I think my biggest gripe with Sony after shooting Fuji is how few lenses in the e mount ecosystem have a dedicated aperture ring. I set my aperture setting to the front control dial, but being able to quickly change the aperture with a ring is just so much more convenient. I wish sony didn't only stick those on their G/GM lenses, because it'd push 3rd party manufacturers to include them more often on their lenses if every Sony lens had them.
The a7 iv fixes all the menus. So does the a1, if you can afford it!
Simple fix with the aperture ring if you don't ever use it. Stick black scotch tape around it. It'll never move again unless you take that tape off.
Even if you shoot in apc mode, you can go into lightroom and go to the crop and choose original imagine instead of as shot and you'll get the whole image
I just use a bit of black gaffer tape taped across to lock my lenses in A.
I can understand why Sony went with different dial locking mechanisms, the mode dial settings is changed far less, hence a press and twist makes sense. Conversely, the exposure compensation dial on my a7r3 was super easy to knock off when shooting in Aperture priority, a press and twist approach similar to the dial mode would make it annoying for shooters that use other modes than manual. My two cents, having said that, after 4 years shooting Sony I am likely switching to Fuji as I want smaller and lighter telephoto lenses for landscapes without breaking my back. (maybe an xt4 or who knows, the xh2)
I bought a Sony A7R3 a few years ago. My previous cameras were Nikons with mirrors. On day 1 of using the Sony I saw sensor dust. With my Nikons I had always had the sensors professionally cleaned - about three times a year. I rapidly learned how to clean a sensor with my Sony (somewhat simpler than with Nikon as the mirror and its grease were not involved) and I no longer feel terrified at the evidence of sensor dust. But I do see sensor dust regularly on my Sony and so, whenever changing lenses, I use a Giotto Rocket. Just a matter of adapting.
Great vid. I’m a A7riv shooter too, it’s a great workhorse :-)
Love the delivery James ! :-)))
That aperture ring thing, sigma have, with the 85mm any way, started adding an aperture lock on their lenses, absolute lifesaver.
I still love the original a7 MK1. Lightest of them all with still adequate IQ. Love the control scheme. I am on my second one after not owning FF for half a year. This time bought brand new Fe 28 F2 producing lovely sun stars, and versatile Samyang 75 F1.8. Love this combo. Even on MK1 video AF is reliable.
Added a Fuji GFX100S to my bag a few months back but still find I'm reaching for my Sony most of the time. The functionality and customisation just work for me and I find the Fuji heavy and cumbersome in comparison. And, I'm really struggling to see a significant improvement in IQ over my A7RIV. Edited an image last week that I thought was taken with the Fuji and began to think, yes, I can see a difference ... right up until I noticed the 60.2 megapixel count at the bottom of ACR.
Fair points, I just released my 12 month review this week! I'm a big fan of the locking exposure comp dial, but also the push-to-turn on the mode dial - especially for weddings. I've previously had cameras switching modes while dangling from a holster so it's negated that! SmallRig make a great little cage for the a7C which includes extending the grip, much improves overall ergonomics - well worth checking out 👊
People have commented on the dust with Sony cameras before. Iteresting that you have also noticed this.
Get the Sony a1. Turn it off and a little shutter covers the sensor. Divine camera!
I've been using Sony for 2 years, started with an a7 original and a6000. Last year I upgraded to the a7C, which in hindsight was a mistake over the a7 III.
But more importantly my a6000 developed shutter problems and doesn't work, I was considering selling it for parts and getting an upgrade as well, but then I noticed that Sony has seemingly killed off their aps-c lineup along with any budget FF cameras...
Ontop of that I've gotten into film as well so I got a canon Eos 5 on the way, which made me think of just ditching Sony and going full EF mount or getting a mirrorless RF with EF adapter, but knowing how canon is trailing in autofocus with mirrorless it would still be a DSLR for now, while they're still alive.
OR for digital going M4:3 for the convenience. But whatever I choose won't be for a while yet most likely.
Love my A7iii, but yes, it needs a dust blower. Never had a wetness issue and learned the menus by setting up customs
What have you done with James?! Full frame...tripods...resolution... I feel like we don't know you anymore. 🤣
Just brilliant as always James. Hope you’re getting some sleep these days 👍🏼❤️
I own a Sony camera, rarely change lenses, and always get a lot of dust. I have one without weather sealing and I do go to places with lots of wind and dust (mountains), but haven't find a solution for my problem. It's definitely not caused by changing lenses.
I didn't notice the wonky photos until you pointed them out! Now I can't keep my eyes off them and I'm taking no notice whatsoever of you! (Well.. you should be used to that by now!? Only kidding, you know we all love you really! LOL)
Thinking of moving from MFT to this camera so was particularly pleased to listen to this remarkably unbiased view. As someone who uses Olympus's combined lens and IBIS to extreme especially in indoor locations I am concerned about your requirement for a tripod. The question now for me is can the ISO be increased without compromising the extreme detail?
Gaffers tape. I use for zoom creep on my lens.
As the others have said, the dust issue could very well be static on the sensor. I've gotten into the habit of using my blower every three or four lens changes because of it. That said, I also only use two zooms, and I don't use them that often, so I don't really have anything blowing dust directly on the sensor. Water is so much heavier that it's unlikely to get on the sensor, and I still have yet to get the sensor wet, even in wind-driven snow or our annoyingly humid summers.
If you have the time to, try waiting until you feel the sensor stabilization deactivate before changing lenses if you haven't already been doing so. That _should_ help at least a little bit since no power is going to anything around the sensor at that point. You should hear a slight popping noise and feel the thunk when it's off, same as when it turns on unless the a7RIV is different from other Sony cameras.
They do not overheat but you will get hot pixels if you do timelapse/ videos for long. Go to menu, set the date with 2 months in advance than turn it off. Thank me later
The Sony system are excellent !!! Until now I got Sony A7RIII (only as a backup now), Sony A7RIV, Sony A7RIVA, Sony 14mm 1.8 GM, Sony 24mm 1.4 GM, Voigtländer 35mm 2.0 APO Lanthar, Sony Zeiss Sonnar 55mm 1.8, Voigtländer 65mm Macro APO Lanthar, Sony 135mm 1.8 GM, Sony 200-600mm 5.6-6.3 G and a LOT of adapted Lenses ! This is what I wish for new Sony equipment, Sony A7RV with 75 Mp sensor and 9.5 Mp EVF, 1.4x Teleconverter for the Sony 135mm 1.8 GM, Tele Prime Lenses like 300mm 4.0, 400mm 4.5 and 500mm 5.6, thank you very much Sony !
I have always had Canon cameras even back in the film days but it is always interesting to see and hear other peoples thoughts on different gear etc, everyone is different, thank goodness. And no I probably will never change from Canon, thats just my personality and to me they are like an old friend, I make sentimental choices, or not.....
What's the watch you are wearing? It's gorgeous