Surprise results from the CineD Lab test: The Sony A9III is the best Sony Alpha camera to date in video mode in terms of dynamic range!

CineD put the Sony A9III to rigorous testing and the conclusion is quite a surprise:

The Sony Alpha 9 III displays fantastic results in our lab test. Rolling shutter by the very nature of the global shutter design is non-existent (effectively 0ms) – the best we have and will ever see for full-frame sensors. It cannot get better from here.

Dynamic range using our Xyla21 chart and IMATEST analysis is average when compared to other full-frame consumer cameras. But as is so often the case, IMATEST results are only one piece of the puzzle looking at the dynamic range of a camera. It basically gives a feel for how noisy images are at the various Xyla stops (patches). And here it can be clearly seen that the global shutter sensor is definitely noisier than its CMOS full-frame counterparts seen in other consumer full-frame cameras.

But Sony applied some magic to the image pipeline including the codecs, as the fine noise of the sensor is conserved in the final image and shadows can be massively pushed in post without ugly larger blotches of noise. This results in a superb 9 stops of exposure latitude with some room towards 10, making it the best Sony Alpha camera to date in video mode in terms of dynamic range! It is also the best consumer full-frame camera in that regard.

What a surprise – all this from a global shutter sensor! Well, as mentioned at the beginning of the article, times are a’changin …

That supports the other findings from youtubers like Gerald Undone. The A9III has quite “workable” files where you can recover quite a lot of information.

Sony A9III at BHphoto. Amazon. Adorama. FotoErhardt. Fotokoch. Calumet. WexUK.

New Meike 85mm f/1.4 STM review at SonyAlphaBlog: “very good performances”

Meike 85mm AF lens at Meike Global (Click here).

SonyAlphaBlog reviewed the new Meike 85mm f/1.4 STM and concluded:

The Meike 85mm F1.4 STM (470$) offers you very good performances globally for the price of a F1.8 lens. It delivers very good to excellent sharpness , its bokeh and background blur are very nice and smooth, the AF is good and ergonomics are very nice with the aperture ring (clicks) and focus hold button. The main weaknesses are its sized weight, resistance to flare, the long minimum focusing distance and some little yellow tint to the images that can be easily corrected.

Alternatives are the Samyang 85mm F1.4 AF V1 with overall similar performances with better color rendition but less good bokeh balls that can be found sometimes at 500 euros , the new Samyang 85mm F1.4 AF II being more expensive at 700 euros and less sharp.

The best overall is the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art (1099 euros) which is a superlative lens in all domains: optical performances, artistic rendering , AF performance, ergonomics , build quality but also size and weight and price but it cost 2,5X the price of the Meike

Recommended for budget shooters that really want the F1.4

Albert Dros: Laowa 10mm f/2.8 FF Lens First Impressions review

Laowa 10mm f/2.8 at BHphoto, Adorama, Venusoptics, FotoErhardt, Fotokoch, WexUK.

Albert Dros tested the new Laowa 10mm lens and surely like it a lot:

One more review from Wex:

All four new E-mount autofocus lenses preorders list:
Sony 24-50mm G at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FotoErhardt, Calumet, Fotokoch, WexUK, ParkCameras, Jessops.
Laowa 10mm f/2.8 at BHphoto, Adorama, Venusoptics, FotoErhardt, Fotokoch, WexUK.
Sigma 500mm f/5.6 at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, FotoErhardt, Fotokoch, Calumet, WexUK.
Sigma 15mm f/1.4 fisheye at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, FotoErhardt, Fotokoch, Calumet, WexUK.