Sony A9iii vs Sony A7RV for Wildlife and Nature Photography
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ธ.ค. 2023
- Which would you choose as a wildlife photographer: Sony A9iii or Sony A7RV?
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I can wait. Best review on youtube. Congratulations ❤
Thanks!
Once you've shot with 61 Megapixels is quite difficult to go back to 24 for wildlife photography. One scenario where the A9III would shine is birds in flight diving for food or doing acrobatic maneuvers, it all happens so quickly and the A9III would be perfect for that with its burst to 120 FPS (assuming you have long enough lenses to fill the frame). Action sports the A9III would be king because it's going to capture shots that no other camera can and the focusing system aided by the super fast sensor and processing is definitely the best currently available. Hopefully by the time I upgrade Sony will have a higher megapixel version of the global shutter sensor.
Yes, we mentioned kingfishers diving too. The iii would be amazing right? We can't wait to see the next gen renditions too!
Very very helpful 🎉 thank you for creating this video, nice having a cup of coffee with you guys😊
I currently shoot with the Sony a1 and the Sony a7R IV, there are things in the a9 III that are desirable but, I will not be changing right away. This is an exciting time to be a photographer with all the new stuff on the way.
It is right?! We are in the same boat.
how is the dynamic range and low light performance on the a7r5 ? thanks. loved this video!
These innovative specs are mind blowing! Great video, you two, thank you for sitting and breaking down the details with us🙂
They are right? You are welcome 😁
Enjoyed listening to both of you chewing the fat on the A7R5 vs A9 mk3, thank you.
My situation is a little different to yours, I’m ~70% a landscape shooter, the remainder is a bit of everything else.
I have an A7R3, which I purchased at the end of 2017, at launch. It’s an amazing camera, but the tech marches on. I used the A7R3 for all my shooting for a few years, but around 2020, I picked up a used GFX 50R, which rapidly became my Landscape camera of choice, with the A7R3 being used for everything else (where I need fast AF, IBIS, long lenses etc). Because I’ve split my cameras like this, it’s pushing my Sony even more into the fast shooting niche for me, hence why I’ve been thinking of upgrading it.
Both A9iii & A7Rv offer lots of advantages vs the A7R3 - AF improvements, handling improvements, LCD articulation improvements etc.
Like you though, I feel neither is ideal for me & I want to ‘cherry pick’ features from both.
I want the higher res for cropping, but, and I’m surprised you didn’t make more of a fuss about it in your video, I think the pre-capture is a very desirable feature on the A9iii, possibly more than the global shutter & 120fps shooting.
I think listening to your video, it’s acted like a bit of a sanity check on what I would actually use feature wise on the A9iii. I can see it would provide shooting opportunities that the other Sonys don’t, or rather, would be hard and frustrating to achieve with a degree of luck thrown in….but, for me, those shots would be relatively rare events…..&, I would miss the MP’s!
Yes you sound as torn as we are! The precapture took us by surprise. It is interesting but I didn't know what to say! It sounds like how iPhone do the live photo? But then the still image is much worse quality.
@@CattailChronicles ….yes, very torn 😀
It’s all good really though, I mean, we just have to be patient, and I’m sure pre-capture will find it’s way into a higher MP Sony body, and probably pretty soon too, if not the global shutter. I think with even 30 fps, the pre capture would still be very useful.
I’m not familiar with the Live Photo on iPhones, but I have a pretty good idea of what pre capture can do for us. Of course, it would only be available when on electronic shutter, but again, I think that’s manageable.
What an interesting video. I currently shoot with an A7 IV which I have had for 2 years. I love it. But have entertained the thought of adding a second body. When the A9 III first came out, like everyone else I was fascinated by the technology. Global Shutter. High speed FPS. Incredible AF. And I thought this is the successor to the A1. But after careful thought and watching lots of video reviews like this one, that nagging question of resolution still stands in the way. I shoot primarily birds and actually just purchased the new 300 2.8 GM with both the 1.4 and 2.0 TCs and have absolutely enjoyed shooting with it. I replaced my 200-600 effectively with this lens because it is so light, sharp and fast. Then I thought if I paired it with the A9 III I would be ready for any type of bird situation. Fast moving swallows. Eagles plucking a fish out of the lake. Ospreys hunting. The thought of nailing focus and not missing that critical moment appealed to me. But then that nagging question of resolution. ISO issues. And loss of dynamic range. So many variables. So then my attention turned to the A7RV. I thought, that camera has the 61 MP. Same AF. And similar form factor. At 2k less no less. So then I run across your video and it helped me think a little more deeper about the issues of resolution etc. So because I like my A7 IV so much and am pretty much used to it, my inclination is to wait and see how this A9 III does out there in the real world of users as it is still very fresh and new. Plus hoping that Sony will eventually announce the refresh of the A1 with a new Mark II version because truthfully, I think that would cover all of my needs perfectly. I've got my fingers crossed. Thank you for your in depth analysis. It helped quite a bit!
Yeah we've been contemplating all these same things. We are also anxiously awaiting the A1m2!
I got the Sony a7RV and love it and looking to get a second camera to have on be so don’t have to change lenses as much and thinking of getting the a9iii when it comes out in march
Both great cameras right?
@@CattailChronicles yes and was thinking of getting the a1 until i heard about the a 9iii and for the price of buying the a1 was thinking of going ahead and getting the a9iii
I own both a9ii and a1, can’t beat the 50mp on a1. I am using a9ii as a back up body. So it would be hard for me to think to switch to a9iii with 24mp. I just hope Sony releases a major FW update for a1 and brings in the pro capture feature. With a1 capability, global shutter is not a big deal breaker.
Yup A1 is still myain choice. Yes we are due for a FW updates aren't we?!
24 Mpixe is too little for wildlife where often you crop a lot. Best Sony for wildlife today would probably be A1, but if you are not in a hurry wait for A1 ii for better (A9 iii like) ergonomics
Totally agree. Exciting to think of camera in one year. Come on Sony A1 ii !
I thought the same as you about the “lack” of MPs but when I used to shoot Canon and had the 1Dx m11 ( 20 MPs I think) I used to crop very heavily and was mostly happy with the results , don’t matter how many MPs you have so much can interfere with how much you can crop, I only shoot wildlife so that’s the perspective I’m coming from ,
So i currently have an a7rV in my hands. bit of a minefield for focus settings. does your husband have a video for that at all? I only have this camera right now as my mate reckons it will do as well but with better quality than A1 for sports so he has given me this for a week to test and i can swap to an A1 if i feel inclined in 7 days
We rented the A7RV for two weeks and still only scratched the surface of all the focus settings! If you are photographing sports the 30 fps of the A1 might be better.
I shoot with the Sony a7IV and I’m happy for the moment with the 33MP and being able to go down to 50 ISO when I want to blur moving water. My focus is on saving up for the 300mm f2.8 lens. I already have a teleconverter in case I need more reach. Thank you for the comparison of these cameras. And I agree with Steve that in a few years, global shutter will be in future Sony models. Fingers crossed!
Oh let's us know what you think of the 300. We couldn't think of a use case that our other lenses don't cover. What do you photograph primarily?
@@CattailChronicles I shoot wildlife, with some landscape now and then. I have the Sony 200-600 but the weight is an issue for me (chronic back pain). Apparently the 300mm is surprisingly light. And I want to finally take the $$$ plunge and get a prime lens. Cheers and have a great rest of the week!👋🏼
Mam, love to listen you two discussing the AI and all about the revolutionary global shutter.
I have a question may be not relevant to today's discussion, but will be happy if you reply.
In A7R5 can we pre program and save different settings? Like sunset, sunrise, portrait, family function with bright lighting etc. As per my wish list?
Hmmm, not sure. We only rented it for a few days. Lots to explore!
For the wildlife I shoot, I want speed more than megapixels. I have the original A9 and what bothers me the most is the lack of pre-shot buffering. I have written on other sites that my next Sony camera with have pre-shot buffering, and it's up to Sony when that happens. Well, it's happening. I also shot Olympus m4/3's and they've had pre-shot buffering for years. Another issue is rolling shutter distortions on hummingbirds and hummingbird moths (the wings look weird). Not a problem with the A9 mostly as its readout speed is quick enough. My Olympus cameras get distortions. I don't have the latest OM-1, but even that is not as fast as the A9. As the A1 readout speed is faster than the A9, I imagine that rolling shutter is not much of an issue. I believe the A7R5 has too slow a readout speed for me. And no pre-shot buffering...which is why I could not even consider it. Obviously, with the A9iii, rolling shutter does not exist. It has pre-shot buffering. It has super fast FPS, which I also like as it enables the perfect action shot.
I also do timelapse and the Olympus will make video's of your timelapse. I love that. Unfortunately, the Olympus is limited to 999 shots in-camera time lapse. The A9 does 9,999 shots in-camera time lapse, but no video produced. The A9iii will do both. And I have also used flash and didn't like the limitations of high speed sync from my flashes. The A9iii will allow my flashes to sync at whatever speed they are capable of. It won't be 1/80,000 as that is only available on the latest model Sony flashes and the professional Profoto flashes, and I have an older Sony flash and some Godox and Metz flashes. But I don't need 1/80,000 sync speed. Give me 1/8,000 and I'll be happy. So...bottom line. I'm getting the A9iii and will use it for wildlife. I have the older A7Rii with 42MP...and will keep that for landscape photography. As it is, I rarely crop my photos. Don't want 61MP as my computer is not the latest and fastest....the files are just too big. I don't even like uncompressed raw from my A7Rii...files too big.
Great points! There is a photopher in Estes Park who sets up a perch, feeder and 3 speedlights for the hummingbirds. He might have a motion sensing trigger too? Let us know what you think of the A9iii when you get it. Thanks!
I had the A7rV and have the A1. I just swapped the A7rV for the A9iii. Oh my!!! Fly-aways, tree swallows and later this summer Brooks Falls bears, it's just amazing. AF, like the A7rV with it's AI chip is great. And the cpu and AI chip have faster readout to work with. It's very very good on the A9iii. My Om1mk2 is even better though. This is particullarly so on songbirds buried in branches. At this point it's the best I've used. I thought I'd see a big difference 50mp on my A1 vs the a9iii, but not so much. I think people think 2x the megapixels and 2x the resolution......but, horizontal resolution or vertical resolution are not 2x. So the actual lines per mm resoltuion in either direction is much less than 2x. For instance the horizontal pixels on the A1 are 8640 vs 6000 on the A9iii. And whatever optical performance you lens has, this is not like cropping to 24mp. You still have that lens projecting onto a full frame. Thus, count me surprised in the vast majority of cases there is no practical difference. The fact I can get fly aways and the really fast birds (tree swallows I'm talking about you), the wings are actually properly resolved rather than being distorted on the A1. I did a fly away sequence of an Eastern Phoebe using pre-capture. The next 40 frames or 1/3 of a second showed it facing backwards with it's head only and then leaping off backwards and rotating it's body in the next 40 frames to match it's head. It's a fascinating sequence. In a sequence like this you see what you're missing when you can't have a meaningful snippet at 120 fps. I'll be using this combo with my 600 f4 with 1.4 tc for the bears at brooks falls and going to enjoy having the pre-capture for when the salmon gets caught leaping into the waiting mouth of the bear, and then having 180 frames or so of the 1.6 seconds to pick out that perfect moment! A9iii, not just for sports!
Oh wow, this camera is sounding more and more amazing! The bear trip sounds wonderful, let us know how it goes :)
I’m still using my Nikon DSLR’s, but mirrorless is certainly the future.
I know every year I delay, my Nikon F mount lenses probably get lower resale value.
I’ll probably get something like the Z9 and use the adaptor for my F mount lenses and slowly transition to Z mount lenses.
Lots of people I know shoot Sony but Nikon has always been good to me.
Sinuses to shoot Nikon. They have put some great cameras out lately. I've heard the Z9 is awesome.
@@CattailChronicles I met a few photographers when I was in Arizona that were shooting the Z8 and really liked it but if I’m going to bite the bullet and go mirrorless, I’ll go with the Z9.
Now if I can just find a spare $6k😀
I have done well with the A7R3 but added the A7CR to my collection. Yes, those 61mps look absolutely great. Even the 42mps in the A7R3 look good even when cropping. Truthfully, I have no need for the A9III and will leave that to the sports photographers who need the incredible capabilities.
Yeah, that's our conclusion too.
From a recent A9III review by Tony Northrup, it seems the benefits of the A9III are more for the wildlife video shooters than wildlife photographers as it has animal/bird eye auto focus in video mode which I understand the other Sony bodies don't have... Tony says he would rather use the Nikon Z9 for wildlife video for 8K/60 video to allow crop in wildlife video to 4k. Also as A9III has only 24Mega Pickles as you say, so the A9III is clearly more people/sports focused rather than wildlife focused when photographers can get close without scaring away the subjects being snapped.
Enjoying your videos and looking to get the 200-600 Sony lens for my A7IV.
💯 agree.
The A9III is an amazing camera but the 24mp means you have to have the 600mm f4 or 300/400 2.8 + TCs in order to really get the most from it for action and wildlife. I'm keeping my A1 and RX-1RII combo for a while.
Agreed. Happy New Year!
a9 III handsdown. I photographed wildlife and birds with a9 II with no problem, as you know this is not a high megapickel camera either.
We loved our A9ii such an amazing camera. Did you upgrade to the a9iii?
@@CattailChronicles I very well may, I am waiting to see what the a1 II has going for it.
Nice video!!! I love my a9 and a7r5!!!! The a9iii has nothing that interest me!!! If I need speed the a9 gets the job done! But to tell you the truth the a7r5 works great for me in wildlife and landscape! I love the fact that I can crop almost as much as I want on birds that are a little further out! (200-600) I love the view finder, and rear screen!!! Something that the A1 dose not have! In a year or two I may get a used A1 to replace my A9!😊👍👍👍
Great combo. Yeah that articulating screen on the A7RV is wonderful. Can't wait to see what's out in a year.
having the A7Rv and the A9, waiting for the A1II than maybe I can get my hands on a used A1 in the future, to replace the
A9...the A9III no not for me, the price and 120 fps I don' need that for BIF and wildlife/nature 20-30 fps is more than enough....a
A1 50mgp stacked 20fps is all I need,.... thanks good comperison video guys, Greetings from the Netherlands
Hello! You are welcome. We are right there with you waiting it out.
My thoughts Exactly! A1 mk1 Do me Just Fine
I have the same combo as you. I love what I have. Maybe in a year or two I'll look for a used A1. I shoot landscape and wildlife! My a7r5 does just fine for me in all categories!!!
Okay@@marvinspates924 and faster moving objects with the A7rv? some say it works fine, and others its not easy...having the RV 3 weeks now feels fantastic the AF the 61mgp, shooting with the A9 for 4 years...I had the A7RIII with the 200-600 never a great combo for me, to much blurry images...
@@marvinspates924 I guess you must find the right settings with te A7Rv any tips?
Pre capture/auto capture is the way to go for wildlife photography. Go with Nikon!
This is a new feature to us, do you use it on your Nikon?
I’m curious if any A1 users see any rolling shutter or anything, or banning for that matter. I don’t see the point for A1 shooters to switch
I have had that issue in video. But yeah I don't notice it enough to change cameras.
I was looking to upgrade from a7riii to a9iii but not so sure right now. I do portrait work but also afl sports in australia. A7riii has been pretty shit for sports and the colours arent great on it eirher so i was keen on 9iii. However price here is 10k then add to fact you need cf cards that are super expensive are also rewuired for the a9iii. Its going to cost you 12k here or 7.5 in the US by the time you initially kit it out. So ive been tossing up to get A1 instead even though its a few years old now which i can get on sale right now for 7.5k aud. I thought a out a7r5 but low fps and screen blackout even though it has AI focus
Agree with getting the A1. 30 fps is more than enough for me. However you could rent it first to be sure. Also check out the 5 min video Tony Northrup did about the sharpness of the A9III.
@CattailChronicles thankyou, yes I saw that video re sharpness yesterday. I also saw a video on iso and even at identical exposure settings vs the test with a9ii, a9iii was coming out darker exposure. A9iii totally a niche camera. I can get A1 on sale at the moment it's usually 8.9k aud here but I can get it for 7.5k over next couple of days. I can also claim on tax so helps. Even if a1ii comes put sometime in 2024 its going to be north of 10000 here. I've also had some other replies with those who do sports who own r5 and a1 and say aq still smokes it in focus for fast subjects
I think having the option to crop extensively with 60 MP would be vital literally because wild animals like their flight zone.
Agreed.
Maybe, your microphone has voice isolation? I didn't hear the geese. Would love to, though. Great set, by the way. 😉
Oh yes I process out the noise, it was much louder in person. Ah the fancy old patio table set did the job. Haha.
@@CattailChronicles .... and I love your backdrop. ☺
Wait for 5 more years for improved global shutter technology:
1)Base ISO 50
2)50 MP
3)superb noise control
4)lower price as other manufacturers also make such sensors
Wait.
Agreed.
Sony a7Rv, which I own along with the a1...is an incredible camera... The a9iii while is has some incredible features, with it's low megapixel count, not so useful iso min/max, just isn't a camera I would ever consider.
I don't think the a9iii was ever aimed at wildlife photographers, from the outset.
I'll wait 5 maybe 10 years and when they give me a 50-60 megapixel global shutter, with iso min/ max ISO same as the a7Rv... with 1/80,000 shutter speed and I'll upgrade.
The a1 has a major update coming in the new year, though not sure if it will have the features many a1 owners would like and I think only when they release the a1 ii will the a1 again, be the camera.
For now my a7RV, is an insanely capable camera, that suits me just fine... and my a1, with it's extra fast shutter speed, is perfect for my birds in flight...and to be honest I'm 63 and I have a feeling, I will be long past retirement, before Sony give me a camera to make me want it so bad, I give up the combo I have.
That's a great pair of cameras! I'm with you, can't wait to see what future A1 could be.
I want it all 😂. I think I’ll be getting an A7Rv until the point that Sony comes out with the new A1 with a global shutter.
Agreed! Maybe 2025 will hold a new A1 model?
@@CattailChronicles 🤞😆
I will keep My A1 and will get a 2nd A1, was disappointed with MP'S on the A9III. Global shutter is not a big enough deal for Me, Have the RV to and it's a slug compared to the A1. With the stacked sensor on the A1 no rolling shutter and I don't shoot with flash or shoot bullets that I need the insane shutter speed and shutter sync with flash meh. The A1 hardly misses focus, I miss more shots with the RV and it's so called AI focus than the A1 and pre-capture would be nice but I can live without it.
Oh darn I had higher hopes for the V and keep forgetting it's only 8fps. Yup I'm sticking with my A1 also.
A9III at $6K and only 25MP?? I have the A7R V and get more keepers with the new Ai features and its got 61MP for those photos that need a bit of cropping. Im not big on high shutter speeds and needing to filter through all of the shots, but will be keeping an eye out for the next version of the A1. I think thats going to be the camera to save your money for.
I'm sure the A1ii will be great, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does NOT have global shutter. I will guess that 5 years from now, precious few cameras will have global shutter. Maybe 10 yrs from now you will see it wide spread.
Same.
Hopefully it's sooner!
Shizz i want them all but im broke af
Been there.
A7rv ....I'm in No Rush.
Same.
The global shutter of the A9iii is no reason for me to buy, as I have never noticed rolling shutter in my wildlife images (I use the A1 and A7Rv). Where it is attractive is the Pre-capture, as I have had birds take off before I can react, and I miss the shot. The 30fps of the A1 is more than enough for me, but the 10fps of the A7Rv is rather slow. Also the blackout free viewfinder of both the A9iii and A1 make a big difference shooting birds in flight - very difficult to follow with the A7Rv (or any other Sony camera) with blackouts. So the A7Rv is great for slower moving subjects, but difficult to capture fast moving birds in flight. The A9iii would be wonderful, except for having only 24mp which is really not enough - as so often with wildlife photography it is necessary to heavily crop. So my conclusion is the A1 is still the best camera for wildlife photography. I won’t consider upgrading before the A1, mark 2 arrives - that will no doubt have all the features of the A9iii but with a 50mp sensor.
Totally agree with you 💯. Thanks for bringing up the no blackout too. I can't stand the blackout where Steve doesn't even notice. Maybe Sony will let us build out the A1 ii ?
A1 syncs to 1/400 of a second without HSS. No other Sony body can come close to that besides a9iii of course.
I am always on electronic shutter so the sync speed is 1/200.
@@CattailChronicles only the A1 and now a93 lets you use electronic shutter and flash. A73 does not.
61 MP creates lot of noise as soon as ISO goes above 2000. You cannot shoot bird in flight with A7RV at 10 fps.
A7RV is good for all other stuff .. you need to have a tripod for golden hour shooting.
A9iii if you can get closer to your subject there is nothing like it 😁
Hope Sony releases new camera with below specs one day 👇🏻
Sensor - 36-42 MP stacked sensor with 30 fps - not too much MP and not too low MP - Just perfect
Same AF system as A9iii
ISO50 to 100000
Max shutter speed - 1/32000
2 CF express type a slots
$4500 price
I would call it A7RS M1 (A7R stacked)😊.. ideally this should have been A9 iii
Price jump from A9ii to A9iii is Insane 🤯
Ok I think you just designed a perfect camera!