Sony A7III Update (It's Coming)

I spoke to B&H yesterday and I'm on the shipment list for April with the Sony A7III and Zeiss 55mm. I also got permission to ship it to Gordon after I'm done with it so he can review it too. We should have some fun with that—I've never used any Sony A7[x] past a few exposures in a store or at a show. And I'm completely over my FF GAS, so you know the rose tint will be very faint in the spectacles through which I peer at it.

I'm feeling better (the a-fib mercifully departed yesterday and my heart is keeping time as steadily as Charlie Watts*), and I'm working on a longer piece this morning. With pics. So please check back in an hour or three for that.

Mike

*Whose first musical love, by the way, is jazz.

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Comments

[brian]

The 55mm f/1.8 is a nice lens (you should try it with the Eye Focus feature) but you really should find a way to pair that camera with the new E mount Voigtlander 40mm f/1.2 Nokton during your test run. The manual focus implementation on the Sony cameras (focus peaking plus auto magnification) is excellent; that lens is right in your sweet spot; and, FWIW, it's made the lens sluts at the Fred Miranda forum swoon:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1512530/0

[Joe]

I've never heard a major rock tune speed up throughout its three-odd minutes more than Honky Tonk Women. Charlie. Come on, man.

[cdembrey]

Good to hear that you are back to normal.

I could buy the α7-3 and 55ZA from my petty-cash, and after reading Ken Rockwell, I was tempted—but not enough to click the buy-button.

On the other hand the α7-3 is $1600.00 less than a used Leica M9 and would work fine with my 5cm f/2 Summar :^)

BTW I'm listening to Warren Zevon;s Excitable Boy as I write this.

[Alan Farthing]

Mike next month it will be 6 years since I had an ablation to cure my AF. Today did a 12.8 mile, moderate hike, to make this week's hike total to 39.6 miles; most of it through Eastern English mud!

Not bad for a 73 year old ex AF patient? Heart is keepng as good time as Ed Thigpen.

[Eolake]

Wonderful.
Btw, I love the Micro Four Thirds system as you surely know. But I have sensor envy: the Sony full frame camera has a sensitivity going to effin 500k ISO! (If I recall right) One would think that MFT could manage up to say two steps under that, I’d love that. I wonder why that big gap. That used to be unusual in the industry.

[Dan Walker]

I am not buying the Sony a7 III until after your review. Please provide comments comparing it to 4/3 cameras.

[Earl Dunbar]

Jazz. It’s the other reason I like you.

[TC]

早日康復！ Good to hear you're feeling better.

I've been using a first-generation Sony A7r for the past 4+ years, and it will be interesting to hear your thoughts on the latest version. After playing with them in the store, they always struck me as later versions of the original Datsun 240Z, bigger and heavier, easier to use with all the rough edges smoothed over, but my main reason for not "upgrading" is the rather boring explanation that my original camera still works fine (knock on wood!) and I can't justify the expense.

[David Boyce]

Mr Watt's Quintet isn't half bad. Just saying.

[William Furniss]

The is no more GAS now there is the A7R3. It’s so boringly good.

[Julian]

I'm glad you mentioned Charlie Watts. He's one of the very few drummers to still use the quintessential '60s bare-bones drum kit. Most modern drummers sit behind a vast array of crash cymbals, ride cymbals, toms, roto-toms... you name it, they hit it. Not so, Charlie. I've always admired him for this economy of resources.