As of today, April 17th, 2024, your review is UNIQUE because of the following reasons: 1. You DEMONSTRATE in DETAILS how the global shutter helps reduce the FLICKERING of the lighting in both stills and videos. 2. You also show in details how the global shutter eliminates the BANDING in both stills and videos. No other TH-camr has done it so far. We need MORE REVIEWERS LIKE YOU. Thank you
Unfortunately the review doesn't cover challenging lighting situations where there are different frequencies. While the A9III should be capable of eliminating banding in stills, you'll likely have different exposure levels for each of those light sources.
Great review. It seems nobody is taking about this. I am a wedding videographer and have this problem with banding and flickering a lot too. I was waiting for the fx3ii in hope of a global shutter because I had the impression that would solve the problem
Thank you so much for your review. I’m a commercial photog - events, headshots, etc. - and cover this one annual event where banding is a real challenge. Good to know the A9III can handle much of this. Also appreciate your practical assessment of high ISO in comparison with other Sony cameras. Thinking hard about picking up the A9III.
That’s a great question…I think ideally I would have both, and in a way I do, as I now use the A1 and A9III together for weddings. I’m not sure I would pay for the upgrade from my A1 to the A1II however. If starting from scratch and choosing just one camera for weddings, it’s between the A1II and the A9III, and I think I would lean very slightly toward the A9III, only for that global shutter
I own the A9, A1 and now the A9III for almost 2 month. The A9III is by far the best camera, SONY ever made. As a sports and concert photographer, I already shot thousands of pictures under various lighting conditions. DR and ISO is absolutely no problem. As of today, DxO released PureRAW support for the A9III. I tested the A9III with DxOpureRAW4 at ISO 51200. The results are better than with the A1. It is absolutely stunning, what DXO does to the RAW files of the A9III. Just try it. Also, using the SONY HVL-F60MR2 flash with the A9III is the best flash combo I have ever used. And I have used many, such a Elinchrom and Broncolor. In short, global shutter is the way to go.
Good to hear. I just got mine A9iii and am also a DXO PureRaw 4 user. So looks like I can bump it up to ISO51,200. I was considering limiting it to 12,800 or 25,600. I've also ordered the Sony HVL-F46RM flash. My existing Sony 32M flash can't sync with TTL beyond 1/500. Can the Sony HVL-F60MR2 sync at all speeds with TTL?
@@RobinChee yes, I have 3x HVL-F60RM2. Up to 1/80000 is no problem. Make sure you upgrade to Ver. 2.0 on the flash, set it to NoHSS. I prefere manual mode, as it saves energy. You can shoot more than 20 fps.
Max shutter speed limited by aperture? Surprising. Any idea why that would be. Is it maybe a camera setting that could be changed? On my R1 the max shutter speed of 1/64000 is not limited by aperture. What is different about the sony that would cause that?
Yeah that’s a great question. I wish we had some form of insight into this, however Sony hasn’t shared any. I’m sure there’s some technical reason, but for now…¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thank you for this review especially on the flickering & bending. I would love to see an updated video with the newest firmware installed on the A1 & A9 cameras as there are reports of the A1 having improvements on: AF for further distance and subject recognition, image stabilization, faster boot up time, smaller compressed file to increase the buffer rate without effecting the IQ.... I would not buy the A9III due to the 24MP sensor. As an event photographer coming from Canon/Fuji 16MP~24MP to Sony A7IV 33MP to A7RV 61MP and now A1 50MP I have found the invaluable benefit of high MP sensor that allows me to use a much shorter, lighter and brighter aperture lens to achieve much better results like using a 135mm f/1.8 in APS-C mode to achieve 202.5mm at f/1.8 with much lower ISO or/and faster shutter speed especially during indoor sports events vs my 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II or Tamron 35-15mm f/2.0-f/2.8. 120 FPS Pre-capture and improved AI focus (works poorly on the A7RV due to its old 99ms sensor readout speed and low recalculation speed and none during blackout) are features I can see useful to me as I definitely don't need 120FPS even in sports or the tilt/swivel screen that I ended up having the screen in closed position 99% of the time to protect the LCD screen and just using the high resolution EVF instead on the A7RV (cool to have but just an extra dead weight for the way I shoot). Thanks again for this great video.
Sorry for the late reply; I actually had v 2.00 on my A1 at the time of the review. The only updates to the A1 firmware since have to do with bug fixes for wifi/bt and issues with the 200-600 lens. The A9III AF is definitely in a class of it's own, and a noticeable improvement over the A1
This was EXACTLY why I was considering an A9iii - you just saved me $6k. And for that, I thank you! If the camera doesn’t fix flicker automatically, I’m out. This was such a great practical review. New sub here!
Then you are entirely out. I’ve yet to see any camera that can fix flicker in all situations automatically. And I own both the Sony A9III and Canon Eos R3.
@RandumbTech yeah it definitely still requires some attention and timing when in a tricky led lighting situation. It does have more tools and possibilities for handling flicker and there’s absolutely zero banding, but it’s still not a care free process
That’s an interesting take given that no camera does a GREAT job of fixing flicker automatically. Although, I suppose if that’s the only reason you were considering it, that’s a good call.
That would be amazing if they could. Better yet, if Sony could expand their flicker detect beyond that 100-120hz threshold, I think pretty much all issues with lighting inconsistencies would be solved with this camera
@@jamiesondean It might have to do some sort of sampling. Perhaps the wedding photo industry might be a big enough market. I wonder if this problem got worse over the last ten years as venues change over to LED lighting. Perhaps the LED manufacturers could be prompted to agree to a photographic grade lighting of a uniform standard. Some venues might see this as part of a sales pitch. “We have photographer friendly lighting”. Customers could be educated on flickering lighting (comparison to “Bride of Frankenstein” jakobs ladders and 1920s movies).
from a practical point of view would it not make (more) sense to use the OM-1 M2 and shoot at silent e shutter mode dropping to 1/30sec ( I do this with the A7rIII but since the IS is so bad there is a lot of blurry shots )
Hi! I'm a theater photographer, and have the same issue - it's so annoying. I can't really shoot action at lower shutter speeds like 1/60th to mitigate banding, so the A9iii seems like a great compromise. Are you saying that, you can burst shoot, and some images will be fine while others will be taken when the lights are off? Can you do this at, say, 1/500th of a second or faster without any banding in the images when the light has flickered on?
It really depends on how fast the flicker phase is of the particular lighting. Stage lighting is typically much faster than what I’ve demonstrated, and the faster the phase, the easier and more consistent the A9III will be. In fact, stage lighting should be one area where the A9III can just automatically handle things and have no inconsistencies at any shutter speeds, where any other cameras will show banding.
Great review. I've owned my A9III for about a month, and I find it to be perhaps the best camera I've ever had the privilege of using. Comparing it to my Canon EOS R3, I find that the A9 III takes a technological lead with its otherworldly autofocus. This is further compounded with the amazing performance of the Global Shutter Sensor. Next-level IBIS and all packaged in a much more compact and portable body. And this is done while maintaining excellent ergonomics. It really is hats off to Sony on an amazing product. Comparing to my other Sonys, the A9 III is the most advanced Sony mirrorless camera I've used to date. I'll go one better, looking at the Burano. I believe it's this sensor Sony should have utilized in that camera. The dynamic range is on par and it solves all the problems with rolling shutter that are experienced in a much more costly Burano. I’ve done extensive testing comparing the A9III with the Canon, Fujifilm XH2S, Red and even my GFX100 II. I was surprised to see the massive dynamic range advantage I expected to see from the GFX simply did not exist in practical terms. For video, the A9III reminds me of the Red. Both will shoot a noisy image, but they clean up nicely in post, and the image does so while retaining detail. The FHD mode is great also, with similar performance to the UHD mode… unlike the XH2S that while oversampling the FHD image the output is largely unusable. The noise in FHD on the Fujifilm is different in this mode… it’s not a fine grain… it’s not filmic. It’s just ugly and does not clean up well. Sony deserves high praise for this offering. It is truly the greatest mirrorless camera money can buy as of this writing.
Thanks for sharing your results! It helps a lot, but I have a question about the 135mm F1.8 and 50mm F1.2 GM combo... I too, have this set up but I find my 135mm F1.8 GM renders a total different tone from all my other GM lenses, this is a pain in the butt when the time comes to color match my photos... Do you have this issue with your 135mm F1.8 GM?
I don’t have this issue at all with the 135gm. In fact, all my gm lenses seem to have consistent colour rendering. Only my sigma lenses seem to have slightly warmer colour
Oh lol, yes it always worked! At the time of making this video it just had a firmware version installed that Sony pulled shortly after they released it. Either way, I’m now on the most current firmware for both the A9III and A1
Not with custom buttons, but you could using the Custom Modes (C1, C2, C3). The problem is that the variable shutter speeds will be very specific to the lighting, so unless you are shooting at one place very regularly it wouldn’t make much sense to do this
Unfortunately, yes. The recent firmware allows 1/80,000 for burst shooting, however they have not made any statement about allowing 1/80,000 for apertures faster than f/1.8 as of yet.
Weather chasers are quite keen on the trying the 9iii this spring. Lightning is one of the most worst subjects for inducing flicker and tearing. Here's what a GS should do for us. th-cam.com/video/b3BP_Gy-Fi0/w-d-xo.html
Flickering is a really bad topic. I had it once in a church where I fotografed a concert from a wide distance and I could choose eighter motion blur or banding - the a9iii is a real game changer
0 banding with the A9iii, it's a game changer. Sure you can catch different phases of the lighting, but that's exactly what is happening in reality, that our eyes cannot see. If at some point, the light is off, only the A9iii can capture a dark image.
It's really a problem from the LED manufacturing end that should be fixed. I use at home all LED lights and they're rated at 60Hz but they never flicker even tried 1/1000s and they all look consistent. They have a power regulator as it seems so they're somehow constantly on or something. They cost exactly the same as the flickering ones and they're super cheap as well. I hope one day this stuff can be fixed from an LED point. So far been filming in 23.98fps at 1/50s and never had a problem, but would never try 60 or 120fps on my a7SIII. Amazing review and this is what I really needed to know. This is one of the weddings if you wanna check out. Maybe the excess amount of lights mitigate the effect or maybe because the spotlights we have here that have regulators, I think, are more common and unintentionally put in most homes and weddings halls: th-cam.com/video/DQ47giCG1dY/w-d-xo.html It's a long one, so jump into parts of the video and you'll see even the street lights, that are LED's as well, have zero flickering at 1/50s. Overall never had a problem with 1/50s so far.
Yeah you’re right; it really comes down to the bulbs 💡. Unfortunately, as wedding photographers we can’t control what venues are going to outfit their buildings with. I do find that switching to 24p is a solution for much of the venues with problematic lights, but that only works for video; shooting 1/50sec for stills is going to trade banding for blurring. I think the A9III is a great solution for us event pros that need to handle banding for both stills and video.
@@jamiesondean A9III to me is the best camera in the world overall. Even with 7.7ms at 4K120 on A7SIII you can still notice jello effect sometimes like filming with extreme 5-7x macro. That global shutter look is just glorious. Would I buy it? Not sure, I don't make enough money at the moment and would rather throw similar amount on A1 II instead as I might get a loan for that steep price. Getting the A7Rv for now as it's being sold brand new here at ~$3,000 as an ultimate photography tool and an amazing B-cam for interviews using 8K.
As of today, April 17th, 2024, your review is UNIQUE because of the following reasons: 1. You DEMONSTRATE in DETAILS how the global shutter helps reduce the FLICKERING of the lighting in both stills and videos. 2. You also show in details how the global shutter eliminates the BANDING in both stills and videos. No other TH-camr has done it so far. We need MORE REVIEWERS LIKE YOU. Thank you
Cheers and thank you 🙏
Unfortunately the review doesn't cover challenging lighting situations where there are different frequencies. While the A9III should be capable of eliminating banding in stills, you'll likely have different exposure levels for each of those light sources.
Great review. It seems nobody is taking about this. I am a wedding videographer and have this problem with banding and flickering a lot too. I was waiting for the fx3ii in hope of a global shutter because I had the impression that would solve the problem
An a9iii video thats not 5 months old. Sweet! Well done.
Thank you so much for your review. I’m a commercial photog - events, headshots, etc. - and cover this one annual event where banding is a real challenge. Good to know the A9III can handle much of this. Also appreciate your practical assessment of high ISO in comparison with other Sony cameras. Thinking hard about picking up the A9III.
Nice I would like to see the flash sync with high shutter speeds
Thanks for this video! I’m currently using an a7c. Thinking of going for a9iii. I do hybrid sports
Great video! Thank you for the detailed testing. Now that the A1 MKII has been released would you still go for an A9III for your work?
That’s a great question…I think ideally I would have both, and in a way I do, as I now use the A1 and A9III together for weddings. I’m not sure I would pay for the upgrade from my A1 to the A1II however. If starting from scratch and choosing just one camera for weddings, it’s between the A1II and the A9III, and I think I would lean very slightly toward the A9III, only for that global shutter
I own the A9, A1 and now the A9III for almost 2 month. The A9III is by far the best camera, SONY ever made. As a sports and concert photographer, I already shot thousands of pictures under various lighting conditions. DR and ISO is absolutely no problem. As of today, DxO released PureRAW support for the A9III. I tested the A9III with DxOpureRAW4 at ISO 51200. The results are better than with the A1. It is absolutely stunning, what DXO does to the RAW files of the A9III. Just try it. Also, using the SONY HVL-F60MR2 flash with the A9III is the best flash combo I have ever used. And I have used many, such a Elinchrom and Broncolor. In short, global shutter is the way to go.
Amen!
I completely agree, and it’s actually not even close.
Good to hear. I just got mine A9iii and am also a DXO PureRaw 4 user. So looks like I can bump it up to ISO51,200. I was considering limiting it to 12,800 or 25,600. I've also ordered the Sony HVL-F46RM flash. My existing Sony 32M flash can't sync with TTL beyond 1/500. Can the Sony HVL-F60MR2 sync at all speeds with TTL?
@@RobinChee yes, I have 3x HVL-F60RM2. Up to 1/80000 is no problem. Make sure you upgrade to Ver. 2.0 on the flash, set it to NoHSS. I prefere manual mode, as it saves energy. You can shoot more than 20 fps.
Max shutter speed limited by aperture? Surprising. Any idea why that would be. Is it maybe a camera setting that could be changed? On my R1 the max shutter speed of 1/64000 is not limited by aperture. What is different about the sony that would cause that?
Yeah that’s a great question. I wish we had some form of insight into this, however Sony hasn’t shared any. I’m sure there’s some technical reason, but for now…¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Super helfull! Was loking exactly for this info on a9III vs A1. Thanks!!
great vid
Thank you
Clear and very useful identification of pros and cons. But the music - why is it there?
yes I thought there was someone at the door.
Moire is a big concern for me. My A1 is bad for it but my A9mki is very good.
Thank you for this review especially on the flickering & bending. I would love to see an updated video with the newest firmware installed on the A1 & A9 cameras as there are reports of the A1 having improvements on: AF for further distance and subject recognition, image stabilization, faster boot up time, smaller compressed file to increase the buffer rate without effecting the IQ.... I would not buy the A9III due to the 24MP sensor. As an event photographer coming from Canon/Fuji 16MP~24MP to Sony A7IV 33MP to A7RV 61MP and now A1 50MP I have found the invaluable benefit of high MP sensor that allows me to use a much shorter, lighter and brighter aperture lens to achieve much better results like using a 135mm f/1.8 in APS-C mode to achieve 202.5mm at f/1.8 with much lower ISO or/and faster shutter speed especially during indoor sports events vs my 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II or Tamron 35-15mm f/2.0-f/2.8. 120 FPS Pre-capture and improved AI focus (works poorly on the A7RV due to its old 99ms sensor readout speed and low recalculation speed and none during blackout) are features I can see useful to me as I definitely don't need 120FPS even in sports or the tilt/swivel screen that I ended up having the screen in closed position 99% of the time to protect the LCD screen and just using the high resolution EVF instead on the A7RV (cool to have but just an extra dead weight for the way I shoot). Thanks again for this great video.
Sorry for the late reply; I actually had v 2.00 on my A1 at the time of the review. The only updates to the A1 firmware since have to do with bug fixes for wifi/bt and issues with the 200-600 lens.
The A9III AF is definitely in a class of it's own, and a noticeable improvement over the A1
This was EXACTLY why I was considering an A9iii - you just saved me $6k. And for that, I thank you! If the camera doesn’t fix flicker automatically, I’m out. This was such a great practical review. New sub here!
Then you are entirely out. I’ve yet to see any camera that can fix flicker in all situations automatically. And I own both the Sony A9III and Canon Eos R3.
@RandumbTech yeah it definitely still requires some attention and timing when in a tricky led lighting situation. It does have more tools and possibilities for handling flicker and there’s absolutely zero banding, but it’s still not a care free process
That’s an interesting take given that no camera does a GREAT job of fixing flicker automatically. Although, I suppose if that’s the only reason you were considering it, that’s a good call.
same here !
amazing review, im getting one thanks
I love how practical and concise you reviewed the a9iii! You've earned my sub
perhaps an enterprising tech could devise a gadget that fits in the hotshoe that samples the ambient flickering lights and syncs the shutter speed?
That would be amazing if they could. Better yet, if Sony could expand their flicker detect beyond that 100-120hz threshold, I think pretty much all issues with lighting inconsistencies would be solved with this camera
@@jamiesondean It might have to do some sort of sampling. Perhaps the wedding photo industry might be a big enough market. I wonder if this problem got worse over the last ten years as venues change over to LED lighting. Perhaps the LED manufacturers could be prompted to agree to a photographic grade lighting of a uniform standard. Some venues might see this as part of a sales pitch. “We have photographer friendly lighting”. Customers could be educated on flickering lighting (comparison to “Bride of Frankenstein” jakobs ladders and 1920s movies).
Now, how about a A9III vs A1II review/comparison? ☺️
from a practical point of view would it not make (more) sense to use the OM-1 M2 and shoot at silent e shutter mode dropping to 1/30sec ( I do this with the A7rIII but since the IS is so bad there is a lot of blurry shots )
very good test!! answer lots of questions
Great😍😍😍
Hi! I'm a theater photographer, and have the same issue - it's so annoying. I can't really shoot action at lower shutter speeds like 1/60th to mitigate banding, so the A9iii seems like a great compromise. Are you saying that, you can burst shoot, and some images will be fine while others will be taken when the lights are off? Can you do this at, say, 1/500th of a second or faster without any banding in the images when the light has flickered on?
It really depends on how fast the flicker phase is of the particular lighting. Stage lighting is typically much faster than what I’ve demonstrated, and the faster the phase, the easier and more consistent the A9III will be. In fact, stage lighting should be one area where the A9III can just automatically handle things and have no inconsistencies at any shutter speeds, where any other cameras will show banding.
You can do it at 1/80,000 of a second and there won't be any banding. Just take a 120fps burst and you'll have some perfect shots.
How does it perform with moire tho? Especially when shooting a grooms suit or something similar?
Not even a hint of moire when I used the A9III. The A1 is moderately susceptible to moire though
Great review. I've owned my A9III for about a month, and I find it to be perhaps the best camera I've ever had the privilege of using.
Comparing it to my Canon EOS R3, I find that the A9 III takes a technological lead with its otherworldly autofocus. This is further compounded with the amazing performance of the Global Shutter Sensor. Next-level IBIS and all packaged in a much more compact and portable body. And this is done while maintaining excellent ergonomics. It really is hats off to Sony on an amazing product. Comparing to my other Sonys, the A9 III is the most advanced Sony mirrorless camera I've used to date. I'll go one better, looking at the Burano. I believe it's this sensor Sony should have utilized in that camera. The dynamic range is on par and it solves all the problems with rolling shutter that are experienced in a much more costly Burano.
I’ve done extensive testing comparing the A9III with the Canon, Fujifilm XH2S, Red and even my GFX100 II. I was surprised to see the massive dynamic range advantage I expected to see from the GFX simply did not exist in practical terms. For video, the A9III reminds me of the Red. Both will shoot a noisy image, but they clean up nicely in post, and the image does so while retaining detail. The FHD mode is great also, with similar performance to the UHD mode… unlike the XH2S that while oversampling the FHD image the output is largely unusable. The noise in FHD on the Fujifilm is different in this mode… it’s not a fine grain… it’s not filmic. It’s just ugly and does not clean up well.
Sony deserves high praise for this offering. It is truly the greatest mirrorless camera money can buy as of this writing.
Wow. I was hoping the a9iii was the Camera for flickering lights. But I realize it just doesn't detect it reliably still
Thanks for sharing your results! It helps a lot, but I have a question about the 135mm F1.8 and 50mm F1.2 GM combo... I too, have this set up but I find my 135mm F1.8 GM renders a total different tone from all my other GM lenses, this is a pain in the butt when the time comes to color match my photos...
Do you have this issue with your 135mm F1.8 GM?
I don’t have this issue at all with the 135gm. In fact, all my gm lenses seem to have consistent colour rendering. Only my sigma lenses seem to have slightly warmer colour
When you say your A1 is in purgatory? It still works? Or
Oh lol, yes it always worked! At the time of making this video it just had a firmware version installed that Sony pulled shortly after they released it. Either way, I’m now on the most current firmware for both the A9III and A1
can you dial in the variable shutter speeds such as 1/199sec via Custom buttons ???
Not with custom buttons, but you could using the Custom Modes (C1, C2, C3). The problem is that the variable shutter speeds will be very specific to the lighting, so unless you are shooting at one place very regularly it wouldn’t make much sense to do this
@@jamiesondean thank you that would be a start !
WHOA, so you cannot shoot 1/80000 at 1.2 or 1.4? Is this still a thing since the latest firmware update?
Unfortunately, yes. The recent firmware allows 1/80,000 for burst shooting, however they have not made any statement about allowing 1/80,000 for apertures faster than f/1.8 as of yet.
Weather chasers are quite keen on the trying the 9iii this spring. Lightning is one of the most worst subjects for inducing flicker and tearing. Here's what a GS should do for us.
th-cam.com/video/b3BP_Gy-Fi0/w-d-xo.html
9:01min THE BIG ONE !
Flickering is a really bad topic. I had it once in a church where I fotografed a concert from a wide distance and I could choose eighter motion blur or banding - the a9iii is a real game changer
0 banding with the A9iii, it's a game changer. Sure you can catch different phases of the lighting, but that's exactly what is happening in reality, that our eyes cannot see. If at some point, the light is off, only the A9iii can capture a dark image.
Next time change your metering to get better flicker adjustment
Not sure what you mean, but I’m all ears if you could elaborate
Хватит уже нахваливать, перешёл с а74 на а93, и в спорте по фокусу а74 гораздо лучше. В а93 процент брака по фокусу увеличился до 20%!
It's really a problem from the LED manufacturing end that should be fixed. I use at home all LED lights and they're rated at 60Hz but they never flicker even tried 1/1000s and they all look consistent. They have a power regulator as it seems so they're somehow constantly on or something. They cost exactly the same as the flickering ones and they're super cheap as well. I hope one day this stuff can be fixed from an LED point. So far been filming in 23.98fps at 1/50s and never had a problem, but would never try 60 or 120fps on my a7SIII. Amazing review and this is what I really needed to know.
This is one of the weddings if you wanna check out. Maybe the excess amount of lights mitigate the effect or maybe because the spotlights we have here that have regulators, I think, are more common and unintentionally put in most homes and weddings halls:
th-cam.com/video/DQ47giCG1dY/w-d-xo.html
It's a long one, so jump into parts of the video and you'll see even the street lights, that are LED's as well, have zero flickering at 1/50s. Overall never had a problem with 1/50s so far.
Yeah you’re right; it really comes down to the bulbs 💡. Unfortunately, as wedding photographers we can’t control what venues are going to outfit their buildings with. I do find that switching to 24p is a solution for much of the venues with problematic lights, but that only works for video; shooting 1/50sec for stills is going to trade banding for blurring. I think the A9III is a great solution for us event pros that need to handle banding for both stills and video.
@@jamiesondean A9III to me is the best camera in the world overall. Even with 7.7ms at 4K120 on A7SIII you can still notice jello effect sometimes like filming with extreme 5-7x macro. That global shutter look is just glorious. Would I buy it? Not sure, I don't make enough money at the moment and would rather throw similar amount on A1 II instead as I might get a loan for that steep price. Getting the A7Rv for now as it's being sold brand new here at ~$3,000 as an ultimate photography tool and an amazing B-cam for interviews using 8K.