It’s finally here! The RX100M3! And the good news is that the A7s got a price too:
Preorders:
Sony A7s preorder in USA/CA at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), Sony (Click here), Sony Canada.
RX100M3 preorders in USA at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), Sony (Click here).
RX100M3 preorders in Eu at Sony DE, UK, ES, FR, IT, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, NO, FI, PT.
RX100M3 in Asia at Amazon Japan.
Sony A7s EU pages (no preorder yet): Sony DE, UK, ES, FR, IT, NL, SE, FI, PL.
By using these preorder links for your preorder you will support SAR! Thanks!
Previews, Hands-on and Tests:
First impression by Dpreview, Hands-on pics at Photogrpaphyblog, Hands-on at ePhotozine, Official RX100M3 Sony.net site. First impression at Trustedreviews.
Videos:
Image samples:
Sony.net.
Official Press Release:
A7s pricing info at Engadget, Dpreview, Imaging Resource.
Dpreview, ThePhoBlographer, Imaging Resource, Cameras.Reviewed, Photographyblog, ePhotozine, Engadget, DSLRmagazine (Spanish), TheVerge, Photoscala (German), Quesabesde (Spanish), Focus Numerique (French), DC.watch (Japanese).
Poll:
[poll id=”184″]
[poll id=”185″]
Preorders:
Sony A7s preorder in USA at Amazon US (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here).
RX100M3 preorders in USA at Amazon (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here).
RX100M3 preorders in Eu at Sony DE, UK, ES, FR, IT, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, NO, FI, PT.
RX100M3 in Asia at Amazon Japan.
SonyAlphaRumors support note:If you use these store links to preorder the camera I will earn a small commission that will help me to cover the cots and if preorders are high also reward me a bit for the daily work I do on SAR. Thanks for your help guys!!!!
0 Responses
very excited to see the full story of the RX100m3
BTW , we need to agree now , do we call it RX100 III or RX100m3 ?!
http://www.sony.jp/cyber-shot/rx/rx100m3/
Japan site
Who said $1800!!?? .crycry
Evil
At $799 US, this looks like a winner (expensive, but probably worth it).
So what’s the A7s’ price for Sony Employees ?
$2500? gtfo of here!
Honestly though, I’m not realistically considering a full-frame camera in the near future.
I’ll just continue with aps-c a-mount and lovely minolta glass that I have.
Curb your GAS. The struggle is real.
don’t worry it will be less than 2,000 in a few Months
The a99 didn’t budge in price for over a year.
i’m exited on the rx100 m3 like i always wanted the nex line to be ^^ …. the pricing of the a7s not so much …T_T why
thanks for the Amazon link 🙂 just pre-ordered one through your referral link
thanks!!!!!!!
I ordered through your B&H link!
I like the rx100 III. Might pick one up in 2-3 years when they go for 250$ like the rx100 I just picked up from the sony store today.
well, maybe in 3 or 4 month, they will drop it to 550, then it come closer to reality. Let’s the “must have” boys pass by and then see how they keep sitting on it.
850 euros for a compact is really too much ! It should be 600 max.
Can you have a friend in the US buy it for you and ship it to you? It’s the equivalent of 580 Euros here.
Well that’s not the issue, I mean that Sony is exaggerating.
The A7 price is really fair, but this much for a compact camera is a lot !
If A7 pricing is fair can be discussed, it can not record 4k internal, GH4 can at lower price, then it uses the good ol’ reworked D700 sensor we find in Nikon’s ancient flagship and compared to other A7 cameras, it is much too high in price. Now, compared to what Sony’s video gear costs, it is for video fans a bargain, they get a good tool with extraordinary low light skills for a fair price. For still shooters, it is absolutely non of interest since the first noise is visible at 6500 Iso, even at 3200 iso there is loss of detail. Maybe with Nikon’s exmor processor it could do a better job. Video, where pictures pass by fast is another thing than stills where you look at same shot for long periods and see all details. To me, the A7 with 24mpix is still the best compromise among the 3 A7 models. Let’s wait to see stills made by some good shooters to see what’s really about. I await from such a camera to give me a clean 12500 iso shot right out of the box without any need to pass by a software rework or processing. Never forget that in resolution, we come back to D700 FF and D7/D40 APSC resolution, with a better dynamic range, but still the same rough picture detail we knew at popular digital photography’s beginnings. Now, find full sized shots of Nikon’s DF and look at the full size resolution and detail, it’s just disappointing. But there is no magic, what you get more on one side, you lose on the other one. And, to make shots you reduce and print at 9×13 cm for a family album, it’s just too much money you spend, unless you think you need that, for sure.
Goddamnit, the force is strong in this one. I beg to differ, that this a7s is a bit of a different beast than D700.
well let’s become friends now then.
agree, it’s 250eur overpriced. The problem we have is that US dealers on e-bay do not sell outside US. The sales seem to boom in that country in decay.
i wonder what your definition of ‘a compact’ is to justify a much lower price.
$799? My credit card just leapt out of my wallet like the salmon coming home to spawn.
Jap samples here
http://www.sony.jp/cyber-shot/products/DSC-RX100M3/sample.html
Wooooowww will buy two RX100, one will be the mk.3 and the other will be either a mk.1 o 2 for my gf.
you’re a troll, buy the Mk3 for your girlfriend and the Mk2 for you. Why so sexist here 🙂 Every time you borrow the Mk3 you can pay with a hug and a kiss, is that not nice.
hahaha or maybe save some money and manage ourselves with the mk3 only. I like your idea more haha
I Ordered the A7S via your B&H link. Very excited about the video options.
thansk you too! 🙂
sweet! and TQ supporting SAR!
Good for you, enjoy your new camera!
Brave or foolish? At the moment you have no idea how good this camera is at video. The rolling shutter already looks poor compared to a lot of other cameras. Remember the A7 and A7r both have worse video quality than a GH-3 and worst still compared to a E-M1. Both use smaller sensors. There is no guarantee at this stage that it will even be as good as a GH-4. Just because it has a large sensor does not mean a thing at this stage because the video quality can still be crippled else where. If B&H allow the order to be cancelled without any financial loss then that is fine. Then again if you are one of the first to get it and the quality of the video is not great rather than waiting for some decent test reports to be done. That will be a loss. Huge gamble.
The E-M1 video is dreadful quality , Olympus is far from the best for video. are you having a laugh suggesting the E-M1 is better than the GH3 .For video the EM1 is not even a match for the 5yr old GH1. You Olympus fans need a hard dose of reality lol
The E-M1 fan boys are out of control, every time a new camera is released they feel the need to attack it in order to validate their purchase of the E-M1. The E-M1 is an good camera with a vast lens selection, good ergonomics and advanced image stabilization. It will take acceptable pictures in the hands of a mediocre photographer but is still well behind the best for both still and movie image quality. The GH-3 completely demolishes the E-M1 in video quality, the A7s will demolish the EM-1 in both still and video quality and by a significant margin. Sorry for the dose of reality but there it is, get over it and enjoy your camera.
500,000 JPY just to get the camera set up with XLR and Atomos Shogun for 4K, before even buying an FE lens means that for me, the FS700 remains the better value option overall despite their differing qualities and price points.
Might seem like a strange comparison to many on here, but for videographers in a similar situation to myself, it’s the product that delivers the most to suit the needs at hand that finds it’s way into the camera bag. If the A7s drops in price to be below 200,000 JPY, then I will likely reevaluate. 250,000 JPY for body only is not my target price point. That doesn’t mean the camera is not worth that, it just doesn’t justify it’s worth for me.
Its all about that small form factor and the EVF, nothing like this exists on the market. It will sell well as a B cam
Small form factor is really a bit of a gimmick once you’ve added the Atomos Shogun or other 4K external recorder, mics and the arms and rods and rigs and other paraphernalia to hold it all together!
As far as nothing else like this existing on the market? Hmmm…not quite sure about that as the GH4 from Panasonic is also a 4K capable mirrorless camera, although it’s sensor size is notably different. It all depends on what you are intending to shoot and whether you need a ‘stealth option’. Having invested heavily into the Emount system, the natural progression for me is the A7s over the GH4 though. If money was no option, I’d buy the FS700, A7s and possibly even the EA50!! Unfortunately, I have don’t have that luxury… FS700 still comes out on top for me as the better value, but thanks to it being 230,000 JPY, the race is closer thank I first imagined! 🙂
the price is 230,000
http://pur.store.sony.jp/Qnavi/Main/Ichigan-e_001017/
So it is! I’m quite pleased about that as it means it potentially comes back into focus for me. The simple reason is that the total package for 4K and some sort of rig etc. is going to take it to the circa 500,000 JPY point and that is my sticking point.
Ah-Haa! Bingo! $2500 match with my speculated price 🙂 so this is not about early rumors of $2750;
the $2750 price was a guess based on the European price. As usual US price is always lower than the “calculated” price. That’s good news for you 🙂
That’s been the pre-order price at B&H Photo for over a month, all the naysayers scoffed and claimed it would cost much more.
Shoot I’ll admit I thought it was going to be over $3k. The specs seemed to demand it. I’m more than happy to say I was wrong, however, and now thoroughly look forward to getting this in my kit.
Why does the A7s have Silent Shutter and the A7r does not? I am always so fucked when I want to take pictures in quiet places or even the street because it sounds like I am slaughtering someone. FML.
One thing I can’t find anywhere in the posted specs. Does the RX100 MKIII use a full sensor readout for video, or is it still pixel binning / line skipping?
Yes it does full pixel read out, just read dpreviews preview had mention it
Thanks for that. I just spotted it. Last piece of the equation for me (as I live in Asia) is what will be the frame rates for the PAL version. Some Sony cameras only have 50P/25P and others have added 24P as well. Hope this one has 24P on the PAL version.
the RX100ii PAL version was switchable to NTSC , I hope this feature will be on the RX100m3
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/52034218
Most sony cameras are pal/NTSC switchable
I’m not so sure, there’s a true full pixel readout like the A7s’ where the entire sensor is scanned, debayered then downscaled the same way cameras do jpeg when the image size is set to small and then there’s the “full pixel readout” of the RX1, which probably just uses every pixel in the binning process without skipping and is a lot faster and reduces rolling shutter but sacrifices resolution. If it did it the way the A7s does it would probably only be capable of 1080 at 24, maybe 25p and not the 60p like the RX1 does. I’m guessing video resolution will be similar to the RX1’s with a better codec.
A7s released on June 20 Japan
Here is the link [Japanese],
http://www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/201405/14-0516B/
I will hate SOny for this announcement!.
They have given 3-4 announcement only for sony’s camera and no announcement for this 16-35 and the other FE lenses!!!.
I wish no buyers for this A7s so Sony learn to make lenses first to make beautiful and expensive camera !
they just announced the FE 28-135 f4 month ago
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/more-info-about-the-new-28-135mm-f4-0-fe-powerzoom-and-a7s-xlr-kit/
they announced 7 FE lenses and released 5 FE lenses in less than 8 months
The announcements FE lenses are unnecessary if i can’t buy or use them!
I have 24-70 : Can i need a Big and fat 28-135 or a dark 28-70?
Easy the answer 🙂
I waiting news from sony since december and i wish to see other 1-2 primes so we can have a full starting set. (24-35-55-85mm and a 135mm if we are Lucky).
Sony promises us some lenses but this announcements are useless if they continue to announce similar lenses!
Use vintage lenses or A lenses for me is a bad think because i ask: Why do i spent 7xx-1xxx€ for this lenses?
Vintage lenses: good quality but sometimes too expensive and no AF or corrections into lightroom or similar.
A mounts lenses : Expensive, big, fat and you need LEA4 for use them with AF and SLT Mirrors but without IBIS!!!
I understand that not all lenses are suited for you , ofcourse this it true for other users as well . I just mentioned that sony has been doing a good job on the number of lenses they created on the last year , it’s not fair to dismiss their effort on some lenses because it’s not suited for your use cases .
and I agree with you that a photographer need more lenses to do their job or hobby , and I hope sony and other third party will cover your lenses need soon
also I strongly agree with you that vintage good glass is expensive , and maybe their prices will go even higher if mirrorless got more market share
As alisaad619 said, they’ve already announced 12 different lenses between the 2 mounts in less than 1yr and the 16-35 lens was in fact officially announced two weeks ago. No pricing or availability but the announcement is enough to know they are close. Be cool, man. Be cool.
I agree. The 16-35 wasn’t really officially announced: There are no photos and you can’t preorder it either. Although I need it badly by then, I’m afraid it won’t come till August, otherwise we would have already heard more about it.
But three different a7Xes…
Why so late preorders in Eu?
RX100 III. It’s already announce in Japan today.
Spec. in Japanese is 35mm equiv = 25-73mm
Price is Y 95,018 (included tax).
Availability is May 30.
http://www.biccamera.com/bicbic/jsp/w/catalog/detail.jsp?JAN_CODE=4905524985917
Admin, now that this is out of the way. Please tell us what you heard about the MF?
I also pre-ordered the RX100 mk3 via your link.
Still amazed by the improvements. Sure, the EVF and new lens get most of the attention, but some others are not often discussed here, like:
– 120fps @ 720p
– Play Memories Apps
– Upper and lower ISO limits on Auto ISO (I sure hope they bring this to the A7 line-up via firmware update in the future).
– The built-in Auto ND filter
– The enhanced IS mode
– The AF focus follow
– Zebra/Peak/Histogram
IMO, this would have been worth a major number upgrade, like RX200.
competely agree with you , there are small improvement on a lot of aspects of the mark3
BTW , I read somewhere that it’s a marketing strategy to name something “mark x” instead of a new name , and they do that if the first product is successful so it carry the existing mind share
“Upper and lower ISO limits on Auto ISO (I sure hope they bring this to the A7 line-up via firmware update in the future).”
On A7: Click to the right while choosing Auto ISO, there is the option.
Many thanks for pointing that out! I completely missed that feature on the A7.
what!? mk3 has 120fps2720p..? why A7/Ayr such expensive FF does not have?
all the sony cams with XAVC S have 120fps (like A7s . handycam cx900 and AX100 )
that is not fair for A7/A7r, such prices but not entitled ><|" ; hmm… if my budget lower than A7s and wanted 120fps and interchangeable lens system, look like I don't have a choice right? until sony release new system again…
yup , No APS-C ILCs with XAVC S , probably the A6000 mark II will have that .
Sad….
thx!!!!
this EVF excitement, I don’t get it, in my opinion this camera is too small for a viewfinder to be practical when composing pictures, I would definitely trade it for 250$ off the price, I would buy it then for this new lens
the EVF is the same size and resulotion as A6000 , A58 and RX10 , it’s amazing that sony managed to engineer such big EVF on this tiny camera
and I guess wither it will be useful or not is a personal preference
it is an engineering achievement, I agree, I just can’t picture myself pushing really small compact camera against my face and trying to compose a picture through EVF, personal preference for sure, I hope they will manage to engineer swivel screen next time
yeah I kind of see your point 🙂 , and try it at stores when it come out , maybe you will arrive to a different conclusion .
One of the things that made me switch from 5n to 6000 is EVF. On my summer vacations, I’d usually be guessing what’s going on on my display, because it was useless under the (not even very bright) sun. Not to mention that I couldn’t use MF lenses because of that. I’m still waiting for a6000, so I’m not sure how it looks shooting with EVF, but it would certainly be helpful in those situations.
i tried the a6000 evf and actually i like it. it’s big enough to do composing and that tough came from someone like me that use the nikon d600 with it’s big and bright ovf everyday.
I assure you it works just fine. There are already a number of very small cameras with EVF, and even OVF. It’s really not a problem.
Composing shots in the sun is sometimes very difficult to impossible. I would not buy a camera at this price that does not have a EVF/OVF. In fact I bought a Fuji largely because of the OVF.
I have sympathy with your view though, a cheaper version without the EVF would suit many people.
Then buy an RX100, or RX100 II.
Everything about this cam is so utterly amazing that I can’t understand how they managed to build it. So small yet so powerfull. A DSLR in a matchbox.
Preorder Links Eu not working.You cannot preorder on Sony Store!
What’s wrong with the price? 800$ = 850euro ?? It’s not even 1$=1euro stealing..
usually the higher VAT in Europe
VAT in Europe is around 20% so even taking this into account the USA price + vat should be around £570 instead we get nearer £800 .Unlike the USA there is no possibility to avoid VAT . I will just pick it up on my travels
be careful about the custom, if they catch you carry something cost more than 430euro, they will charge you 19% VAT and an extra fine depending on your income
850 EUR = 1160 USD (145% from 800 USD)…
so You think we have 45% VAT in Europe?
That is 45% of 800 USD, not 145%.
LOL. 1160 is 45% of 800? As in 1160 < 800? How on earth does that make sense to you?
If you are paying sales tax in the US then you are doing it wrong, it can be avoided. 😉
I know it is a bit of a dull question compared to all the exciting stuff, But, does anyone know for sure if the EVF has dipotre correction . I hate wearing my glasses to compose , hence why the EVF is such an important/vital option for me.
it does… its a leaver on the top. see dpreview’s preview
Thanks, thats great news lol
looks like there is no stabilization ???!!!
there is optical and electronic image stabilization 🙂
yes and I just saw it is 5 axis !!!!!! even in video !!
Don’t fall for it. It’s “five axis compensation” which is done in software and not hardware (at least this is what I deduct from the press release).
It’s full of boring marketing text and I haven’t found a word regarding the optical stabilization.
In spec there is only a very short mention of optical steadyshot. Whether it works with video? In high speed mode?
As usual the marketing specs for a Sony product are very poorly translated. It has optical and electronic stabilization. It has optical only for stills. It has electronic only for video. And finally, it has an “active” mode which mixes optical and electronic stabilization in video mode.
Much improved video specification but the ability to input an external microphone has been removed : (
No EU prices. I guess they do not plan to sell any A7s here.
The majority has spoken. $2500 is a disastrous price for Sony.
It’s a specialist, niche product with no peer (full frame, 4k, tiny, 4:2:2 clean output, and usable* 25,600 ISO video). It would be ridiculous to declare failure for this product when it just launched. Come back in a couple years and see how it did.
And about “majority has spoken”: The majority has absolutely no representation whatsoever here or anywhere linked from here. Enthusiasts complaining on blogs are not the majority of the market.
No preorder for europe yet!!
The camera also has Intelligent Active Mode – another first for Cyber-shot RX series cameras – which utilizes Sony’s frame analysis technology and 5-axis compensation to dramatically reduce the effects of camera shake while shooting movies.
http://blog.sony.com/press/28315/
Interesting feature. It’s worth noting that it further crops the image to a smaller size than even the normal stabilized video mode, though, in case that matters to you.
The Good: The PAL version is switchable to NTSC. The Bad: The Multi Interface Shoe has been removed, and there is no Mic input. Maybe Mic In through the Multi USB port?
Better to use an external 24 bit PCM recorder anyway.
If that´s true it´s awesome!
If you are looking at the RX100 for video, you would probably be better off to go for one of the 1″ sensor camcorders, don’t you think? Something like http://store.sony.com/4k-camcorder-with-1-sensor-zid27-FDRAX100/B/cat-27-catid-All-Advanced-Camcorders ? Sure it’s more money but it’s well over double the video feature set. Same sensor, lens from the RX10, multi interface shoe, etc. etc.
Thanks for the tip. I actually have a GH4 on order, which should arrive in the next week or so. What I am after the RX100M3 for, is just a small camera that goes everywhere with you, and can be used as a B Cam when required. Only drawback is the missing Mic socket, but I can always use a Zoom H4n if audio is critical. Just sold my RX100, so I only need to add $400 to get the new one. I allready have spare batteries & a charger as well.
Hi Andrea
Regarding the RX100M3 I can’t find anything on Sony’s web specification mentioning the ND option.
There is also nothing mentioned regarding the SD interface – is it SDXC, UHS-I or maybe UHS-II
Could you catch some reliable info on that?
Thx ®ards
Dirk
2 5 0 0 Euro is only 1345 away from my next thing iwant and need.
Kinemini 4k—- okay. Sony seems to be in a parallel Universe–and
not to touch the old claims.
The tyni monster rx-100-3 is the real baragin for money and the cam
at first ( if only 10 bit intern oh what a..:) and fills up till you rerach the
fs-700( now to expensive)…if they would have brought oNE R7( 14megapix)
in a real 1200,- € situation–tehn may bee-but so it goes in the pants..
torkelin big Sony-monsta taht does not find the line.
and wanks all and more aside from me–so go with canon in the next bar
BUT NOT WITH MY MONEY!! basta finito
Hum, anybody has a clue how we’re supposed to use an external flash ?
1) Put, camera on the tripod,
2) set shutter release priority – 1 sec.,
3) Release shutter,
4) Release flash trigger (immediately),
5) Curse sony.
Who is putting a huge flash on a point and shoot anyways, the vast majority never even used the hotshot on the RX100s before this…
You don’t. This is a compact camera.
If your flash has slave it can be trigger by the on camera flash
This image was produced outdoors in daylight in the field with one off camera flash (YN-560) with very minimal editing in post (to remove a stray leaf off the bottom of the image). The original RX100 was used which had no hotshoe. Flash and camera were handheld.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/zacheryjensen/7723217892/
now, if I wanted 24-70 for my A7, I would buy.. RX100Mk3. Think about it, FE24-70 has poor quality, is priced higher, and is heavier and bigger. On top of that, by getting RX100 instead, you get better low-light capabilities (1.8 to 2.8 on backlit sensor should be better than f4 on A7), better video (50mbps XAVCS, at least untill A7 gets update with that), and a backup camera! I think I’ll aim for A7+16-35 (let’s pray it’s actually worth the money) + 55, and for the standard zoom just get rx.
I wonder, does this model have a bounce flash too. E.g. the ability to tilt the built in flash?
yes it does
you can see it on Cnet hands-on video
Do you have a link to the Cnet hands on, please?
I saw it on youtube but it’s not there now , probably will pop-up again very soon
Ah ok 🙂 Tempting, we currently have a nex 6 and nex F3, debating selling the F3 to get a RX100iii. Not as good quality but I think we would have it on us more often due to size. Which seems a fair compromise.
I have the A57 , and I’m going to sell it and use only the rx100 III for the next year , I think the ability to have a great camera on my pocket is very huge because I miss a lot of good photographic chances with the A57 .
also the fact that the rx100 III look like a ponit and shoot will give more chances to shoot on places a big camera will not be allowed to shoot at or to get rid of the awarness that a big camera cause on the scene
A7s… Just wait for the promotional price in like 2-3 months after release. The A7s will be a $1900-$2000 camera relatively soon. So, sit back – wait for the initial euphoria, then the people who try to break it and find some problem or another, and then when the dust settles, you pick one up for under $2k.
Now it’s 6 months after A7 and A7r release and it’s still at full price at amazon and B&H
it’s hard to predict sony prices behavior , and if I had to guess the A7s will be at full price for a long time (due to the uniqueness of the product that will make sony make less of them for a smaller but excited market )
With the A7/A7r, all of those “trade in any camera for $300” specials are kind of a win-and-nod discount. So, while they preserve the appearance of steady pricing… discounts are already happening. You are right though – it’s hard to predict what they might do.
yeah , sony do more promotion than straight discount (sometimes they give free vertical grips )
and almost always the discount have direct correlation with how much they made to how,much they sold ratio , for example the sony A5000 got released about a month ago and it’s now 150$ discounted , I guess that because they made than they predicted they will sell
and some other cameras like the RX series hold it’s prices for a year because it sell as they predicted or don’t have a lot of stacked up inventory
but anyway , it’s always saver to wait if you don’t need the camera at the moment
Even if there is no deliberate discount you could grab a great deal. 6 months after its release, I got a basically new A7R used for $1575 USD. At that price… who can say no?
Patience + eBay skills = great deals.
Oh and Sony warranties have no verbiage indicating non-transferability, you just need the proof of purchase/receipt.
The price always goes down, especially in the first few months.
In the UK:
A7 released at £1300, now £1160 at Amazon
A7R released ar £1700, now £1600 at Amazon
and Amazon are not the cheapest seller in the UK
Even for these two very competitively priced cameras
I’m not aware of the UK prices , sorry about that 🙁
I still don’t understand what does it mean by full pixel readout for Full HD and 4K movie recording. It noted “Uses full width of sensor in 30p (25p)/24p video setting”. Does it mean other cameras (5D, GH etc) do line skipping during the sensor readout process, and A7S do line skipping during software process (after full readout from sensor)?
And there is no crop zoom on Full HD? Only have crop zoom on HD (720p)?
Anyone who clear about this please clarify. Thank you very much!
I understand on 4K, the A7S does pixel to pixel, so no question for that. My question is about 1080p. Thank you.
It sounds like full sensor readout for video is only available in 4k at those specific frame rates. If it’s a full pixel readout at 4k it can’t be a full pixel readout at 1080 unless it cropped the field of view accordingly.
“The sensor reads out image data from every pixel, even during Full HD and 4K movie output (*1 When used in 24p/30p (25p) movie setting.)”
http://www.sony.net/Products/di/en-us/products/vq5f/index.html
Cameras like the 5D use line skipping. Cameras like the GH2, GH3, and GH4 use binning. (well, the GH4 doesn’t use binning in 4k mode, but I think it does in 1080p mode)
it mean that the camera read the whole 5K resolution and then process it and down-sample it to 1080p
Yes. Older cameras do line skipping. It is well known
It’s likely that it will read the full sensor width (as that’s often how CMOS sensors work – as they tend to read a line at a time). However, I’d be amazed if the 4K was anything other than 1:1 pixel mapping (like the GH4) on output – which would yield a modest crop. Sony also stated no “pixel binning” which implies to me that they are not combining the output from more than one pixel location in 4K video.
Probably they will just discard those edge pixels. Quite what they are doing with HD is interesting. The best outcome will be if each output pixel maps to a 2×2 Bayer matrix, which means full colour sampling at each output pixel location. As the new sensoris capable of 30fps 4K, then that ought (in principle) to be possible at 30 FPS. However, there’s also the possibility that it will line skip alternate lines, which would not be so great.
nb. at frame rates higher than 30FPS it looks like some form of line skipping is required (probably because of sensor read rates) as Sony only claim full read rates at 30FPS and below. However, 60FPS 1080P HD should still be excellent. There will still be 1:1 pixel mapping, but without full colour readout at each output location.
Initial price to high, but as others have stated- just wait. It’ll drop in a few months and you’ll be able to grab it for under 2k easily. I give it 4 months.
Ok, just like I thought- amazon says the A7S is rated at 15.3 stops of dynamic range. I knew it would be around that- but oddly enough quite a few thought it wouldn’t. Now, dxo states anything below .5 is of little difference. But, we are talking about a full 1EV above the A99 and A7/R. Now that is pretty damn good folks. I mean, I have an a900 arounf 12EV. That’s a nice step up. Who on here would buy this just for that?
You have to be careful about the definition of DR as to where the floor level is set. With DXOmark the floor level is set where the noise equals the signal level, but other testers use different standards. Then there’s the issue at what output MP size it’s defined (SNR increases as you downsize images). In short, only compare measurements using the same test protocols.
If it the A7S does achieve 15.3 stops DR using DXOmarks methodology, then that’s a truly excellent result as it’s a full stop more than the Nikon D800E, which is just about the best of the FF cameras in this respect (at base ISO). It also bodes very well for high ISO, where maintaining good DR will be most important for photographers and videographers attracted to this sort of camera.
Sony is over its head on this one. Really? A7r 36mp $> A7 24mp $< A7s 12mp? Never knew fake light(ISO) cost so much. 36mp vs 12mp (3x less) $=quality? ISO? Just because it a "newer camera?":/
Actually good point, I forgot about the fact that- at least in terms of DR- it drastically falls as ISO climbs. So there goes that 15.3 stops of dynamic range advantage. I’m leaning toward skipping this one. I thought it might be my first e-mount camera, but each one seems to always be missing something I’d consider essential. Oh well.
If it was $1500 or $1600 WITH internal 4K recording directly to sd card. Also SD UHS-II support and no camera overheating issues when video recording. Plus continuous recording like on camcorders. I would think about it.
buy a GH4, only the sensor is inferior, “everything else” is better, you think? Isn’t the GH4 $1600 as you wish?
to me ISO advantage is very important. I usually bring my camera to cafe, restaurants, parks at night, which means I need a superd camera with good ISO.
I use my 35 f1.8 and I have the sony 43 flash and a soft box on that. Really nice soft light with no glares from direct flash.
Technically speaking although I don’t know about technical issues, to get cleaner high ISO output you should increase pixel size and to increase pixel size you need to reduce the MP for the sensor.
that’s why Nikon D4s has a 16MP while Nikon D800 has a 36MP.
D4s is double the price of the D800 btw.
The advantage I see with having good software/artificial lighting is that you could go without a flash and still shoot okay images without high noise. I just want to see if the camera overheats during video recording. I read that the A7 and A7r overheat. Could you imagine if the A7s overheats! That will ruin the whole concept of great low light +4K ability. Its like saying my car can go 1000mph but when I reach 180mph it overheats and turns off.
So many camera bodies but no lenses? Sony needs to start making more FE lenses and stop with the bodies.
At 12mp its really a portrait – family camera(close up shots). Not for large group shot. you wont be able to zoom in on a person without seeing pixelation.
2 words…. Too Much.
2 words… For You
Another 2 words.. And Me
RX100mkIII – where is the flash?
http://store.sony.com/SNYNA_27/pimg/pSNYNA-DSCRX100M3~B_alternate2_v500.png
A tad over the $2,400 I predicted for the A7S, but in the ballpark. Roughly half way between the GH4 and the EOS 5D Mk III.
Why does the RX100M3 get a SGNL video on release day, but not the A77II? I’m trying to gauge if the A77II is worth buying, but all I can find online are a few spec videos and videos in German. Aren’t there usually more pre-release reviews available? Didn’t the A7 have the The Camera Store video review on announcement day?
Would be nice, if sony would upgrade the number of frame for Time Lapse would be raised by at least factor 10!!
Or even better: SAR could suggest it to his sources 😉