Sony Japan published this table. The lenses with the mark “*1” will get a firmware update in December to make them compatible with the A9III. While the lenses with the mark “*2” will always have an aperture value that is fixed at the aperture value set for the first frame.
Here are the notes (google translated from Japanese):
1: A software update of the lens body is required. The software is scheduled to be released after December 2023.
2: When shooting continuously at 60 frames/second or 120 frames/second, the lens aperture value is fixed at the aperture value set for the first frame. By setting the ISO sensitivity setting to AUTO or using the shooting mode in P/A mode, it is possible to achieve appropriate exposure according to changes in subject brightness even during continuous shooting.
Sony reported a +11% revenue compared to last year. Sony did not report other details about the camera market situation. All we know from previous Sony manager interviews is that Sony has strong sales in China and more in general in the vlogger segment.
Back in September Sony registered three new camera models in China. We now know what two of them are (The LR1 and the A9III). The third model is definitely a new video oriented model.
“WW559681” code was for the LR1
“WW459276” code was for the A9III
“WW279317” is definitely a new video oriented camera because it’s produced in Shanghai were Sony makes video cameras. So this could be for example a new FX6 or FX9 successor!
So this is it, no A7sIV or A1II coming any time soon. In January we will likely get this new FX6/FX9 or other video camera.
The rep couldn’t give me a price or official release date other than “It’ll be next month”. He also was surprised by how light it was. “And everyone thought it would be heavy.” I’d say it somewhat like holding a Tamron 70/180 which I was holding right before going to sigma to check it out. I’ve also owned the Sony 70-200 and that’s how I know the weight was less than that. I am curious if this was possibly an early copy and they maybe shed weight or need to add something to it. But it was a working copy. It’s internal zoom and the lens has super smooth rings. Images looked sharp too. There’s custom 1/2 switches that they couldn’t tell me what it was for yet. My downside to it would definitely be that it’s really long.
Tamron 70-180mm f2.8 VC VXD G2 Sony E | Video Review
Today deals at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, FotoErhardt DE, FotoKoch DE.
Protective Gear for Landscape Photography (Explora).
How to Utilize the Adobe Color Wheel (42West).
Sony AX53 vs. Sony AX43. Which One is Better? By Patrick Murphy-Racey
Mastering Macro Photography: Choosing the Right Focal Length | Laowa Macro Master Class (Youtube Laowa).
Small Sensors for Small Subjects? Advantages of the Secret Weapon for Macro Photography (Thomas Eisl).
SIGMA Nomenclature: What to Know About SIGMA’s Lenses, Acronyms, and More (42West).
What Is Your Favorite Camera Bag? (Explora).
Liek with any nw camera release testers are trying to find out the limitations of this camera. We found a couple of them being discussed:
ThePhoBlographer pointed out towards a “racial bias” in the human AI:
Better autofocus performance for people of color: Nikon did it. Why can’t you, Sony?
They also still don’t like the Sony colors:
With the a9 III, the color issues seem to be fixed a bit. Sony still isn’t touching Canon, Fujifilm, or Leica on color quality — but it surely is better than it was. You have to think about shooting with the a9 III, like shooting with slide film. Your exposure has to be perfect, or else you probably won’t get anywhere otherwise. It’s still not the perfect camera, but it surely has improved over previous ones.
The first experience with the Sony A9 III was fleeting and intense. We appreciated the revised ergonomics of the case, as well as the ultra-fast burst. The camera responds perfectly, the images do not suffer from any distortion and with bursts of up to 120 fps and an exposure time of up to 1/80,000s, it is possible to obtain THE shot at the right time. Even if this must be confirmed with more in-depth tests, it would seem that the increase in sensitivity of the camera is less convincing than with a device with a similar sensor, but with a more traditional shutter. Indeed, at first glance, it could be that a shot taken at 1000 ISO on the A9 III would correspond to an image at 2000 ISO on the A9 II, for example.
PetaPixel sees the potential bottleneck in the Type A cards:
Sony has put a bottleneck on how fast it can clear its camera’s buffer, which is where all photos it captures go as they are shot before they are written to memory, that can possibly happen by not using the CFexpress 4.0 standard. For those who argue it’s probably because the standard was only announced this past August, that doesn’t hold water: memory card makers and camera manufacturers are directly involved in setting the standard. That’s why memory card makers like ProGrade Digital were able to release a new CFexpress 4.0 standard card and reader almost immediately.
Sony knew it was coming a long time ago and still chose not to include it in the a9 III. It is also worth noting that the CFexpress 4.0 standard is fully backward compatible with no drawbacks, meaning there is no disadvantage to include it from a user’s standpoint.
Sony declined to explain why CFexpress 4.0 was not included in the a9 III.
To end this on a positive note:
Dpreview posted a short hands-on report and writes:
Ergonomics has long been an area of criticism of Sony, with the company generally making improvements, generation on generation. The a9 III continues this pattern with a significantly reworked hand grip. There’s a more pronounced bump at the top of the camera and a grip that encourages a slightly curved-in hand-hold, pushing your finger back towards the shutter button. The two custom buttons behind the shutter release are now raised, making them easier to reach. We used the camera with the new 300mm F2.8 and other sizable lenses for several hours and found it to be the most comfortable Sony camera yet.
