Well, as you can see from the video above, I upgraded from my Canon 5D Mark III. I really love that camera, but I have had it for almost 6 years, so I feel that I got my money’s worth. I am going to wait until I have thenew camera for a bit, but I will eventually sell the 5D.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Dipping a toe in the Sony Pool
I don’t get paid to use certain brands of camera equipment, so I don’t have any loyalty to Canon versus other brands. Don’t get me wrong, I do have some nostalgic feelings since I started shooting digitally with Canon’s Powershot point and shoot, then switched to the 20D, and then to the 5D Mark III. Almost all of my lenses are Canon, as well.
That being said, I have been intrigued with the Sony’s full frame mirrorless cameras since they first came to market. The high dynamic range and comparatively ridiculous number of megapixels was enough to make anyone look. Sony’s lack of native lenses, the short battery life, and the not-so-great autofocus kept me on the sidelines....until now.
That being said, I have been intrigued with the Sony’s full frame mirrorless cameras since they first came to market. The high dynamic range and comparatively ridiculous number of megapixels was enough to make anyone look. Sony’s lack of native lenses, the short battery life, and the not-so-great autofocus kept me on the sidelines....until now.
Sony AR7 Mark III
All of my prior concerns with Sony’s cameras have been resolved (for the most part), if the many reviews are correct. The stable of Sony lenses has grown, the battery life has been greatly improved, and the autofocus is supposed to be a huge improvement. I also wanted a camera that can shoot 4K video and the Sony fills that need, as well
Sony Lenses
Sony’s lenses can be very expensive. That is the main drawback of their system, but to get by while I save up money for lenses, I bought a Metabones adapter. One of the great things about Sony is that it can work with many different camera mounts via adapters. I may eventually sell all of my Canon gear, but that won’t offset what I will need to spend for replacement lenses, so I want to save up so I can at least have the option to get something like a 70-200 and a 1.4x teleconverter just to have something try to see what I am missing (if anything). After that, I may stick with adapters for a while if they work okay with the setup.
I can get by with just that lens for a while if need be. That being said if the Metabones + Canon works fantastically out of the box, I may hold out in case Canon comes along with something that fits my needs better down the road. Until I see how everything works, I can’t really make an informed decision. Luckily, we have a lens rental shop nearby, so I can do some direct comparisons and insure that I won’t have remorse over getting rid of my Canon glass....if that time comes.
I can get by with just that lens for a while if need be. That being said if the Metabones + Canon works fantastically out of the box, I may hold out in case Canon comes along with something that fits my needs better down the road. Until I see how everything works, I can’t really make an informed decision. Luckily, we have a lens rental shop nearby, so I can do some direct comparisons and insure that I won’t have remorse over getting rid of my Canon glass....if that time comes.
Why change?
When I bought the Canon 5D Mark III, it was because it was the best all around camera for my needs at the time. TheSony mirrorless fills that role the best, for my needs, right now. The fact that it is mirrorless means it can be paired with some lightweight travel lenses (it can actually work perfectly with the APS-C lenses for the A6500) if I want to travel with small, lightweight gear. That is one aspect. The Sony sensor is reportedly great in low light and one of the best in the business. It can shoot 4K video in a format that is easy to process. It can shoot up to 10 frames a second with full sized RAW files. It also has a silent mode, which will be great for photographing pups and wildlife.
It can, in theory, work with my Canon lenses with an adapter with little trade off, right out of the box. The 42.4 megapixels and 5-axis image stabilization is a huge plus. While I would prefer a fully articulating LED screen, I like the fact that the LED can pop out for shots low to the ground or on a table and also be used with the camera overhead. I also appreciate the fact that it can pair with the iPhone for GPS data instead of needing to use a third party app. Also, the app allows you to take photos remotely from an iOS device, which will come in handy shooting hummingbirds in the summer.
It can, in theory, work with my Canon lenses with an adapter with little trade off, right out of the box. The 42.4 megapixels and 5-axis image stabilization is a huge plus. While I would prefer a fully articulating LED screen, I like the fact that the LED can pop out for shots low to the ground or on a table and also be used with the camera overhead. I also appreciate the fact that it can pair with the iPhone for GPS data instead of needing to use a third party app. Also, the app allows you to take photos remotely from an iOS device, which will come in handy shooting hummingbirds in the summer.
The Wrap Up
I am really looking forward to trying the A7R MarkIII out with my current lenses for both video and photos. I will provide an “initial thoughts” post once I get a little bit of time with it. As anyone that reads my blog knows, I also have other hobbies, so these type of purchases are usually few and far between, so I spend a lot of time reading specs, reviews, watching YouTube videos, etc. to make the most informed decision I can. However, I have never used this camera, so my thoughts at this point are based solely on speculation.
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I have taken a few (edited) photos since opening the box yesterday. I am pretty happy out of the gate, but I will definitely write articles on the different lenses with theadapter as I have time.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
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