What's goin' on hybrid shooters,
it's Jason Vong and
today, I'm very excited
to be sharing with you guys my
user experience review
on the new Sony A73.
[Vivienne] Wrong camera.
Fuck.
(standby buzzing)
Alright, so it looks like we accidentally
picked up the wrong camera
for today's introduction,
so we're heading back right
now to get the other one,
but I mean, who can blame me?
Both cameras look and
feel nearly identical,
with of course, the
obvious different labels
in the corners, the lock
button on the mode dial,
the PC terminal port on the A7R3,
and the forever low mic port on the A73.
Obviously there are
differences in performance
and features and we'll
get into that very soon,
but first we gotta talk
about the similarities
and why they make us so happy.
The joystick!
The dual SD card slots!
The bigger battery!
These are the things
that pros and reviewers
have been asking for for the last
couple of years now, and
boom, Sony delivered.
(Vivienne clapping)
The inclusion of the joystick makes
changing focus spots a
lot easier and quicker,
although both cameras have
the option of touch focus,
having something tactile like this gives
us more finer controls
over our auto-focus.
The dual SD card slots allows
for redundant recording,
so in the event one card fails,
you still have another card retaining
all of your photos and
videos from the same session.
You can of course, utilize the
dual SD card slots differently.
For instance you can write
RAW files exclusively
on the first card, and
JPEGS on the second card,
or even separate photos and video files
on different cards, and
if your shooting videos,
make sure to turn on
auto-continuous recording
so when one card fills
up, it will start writing
to the second card seamlessly.
But by far the most welcome improvement
is the bigger battery.
The A9 and the Series 3 cameras are
sporting the new FZ-100 batteries
which holds more charge
and lasts way longer
without bulking the
camera bodies too much.
It's also big enough to where
I can fit a label with both my
first and my last names.
But seriously, that's the biggest reason
why I tell my video shooters
to upgrade to these cameras.
You're getting about 2 to 2 1/2 hours
of 4k 24p recording per battery,
plus because of these new batteries,
it makes shooting 4k
on the Series 3 cameras
no longer a struggle.
For one, the screen does not
dim like its predecessor.
In fact, you can amp up
the monitor brightness
now to better gauge your
shot in bright sunlight.
While we're out here in the hot sun,
let's just talk about
it okay, overheating.
I've experienced none of it
with either of these cameras.
Now, in the past my 6300 has overheated
from long 4k recording, and that
has long been fixed now, with an update.
My A7R2 as well has
overheated in the hot sun,
but I'm happy to report
that both the A7R3,
and the A73 were shooting
out in the hot sunny weather,
80 degrees, two and a half hour long,
shooting 4k, 24p and it didn't
even get an overheating signal.
In fact, you cooking eggrolls here?
(Jason sniffing)
- [Vivienne] What?
- Gosh, it's hot, I think it's me.
(Jason sniffing)
You sure you don't want to come
on in the hot sun and get a nice tan?
- [Vivienne] No, I don't like the sun.
- You sure, Effuse? Feels
kinda nice today, it's kind--
(standby buzzing)
So what are the differences
between both of these cameras?
Well, lets start off with
the the biggest first:
42 megapixels versus 24 megapixels.
The the R on the A7R3
stands for resolution.
So it makes sense that your getting about
twice of it with this camera.
The advantage of having more megapixels
not only shows more details,
but also allows for extra
flexibility in editing.
There are less penalties when
you're doing any sort of heavy cropping,
there are a lot more data to sample off of
when doing blemish control
and post processing
and of course, the ability
to have larger prints.
But there is a downside shooting
exclusively 42 megapixels.
Things can get very expensive, very fast.
First, to really maximize
the amount of details
you can potentially get from
a high-resolution camera,
you would need lenses that can
resolve a lot of those details,
and the Sony G Master lenses
are designed exactly for that.
However, they do have a hefty price-tag.
On top of that, more storage spaces.
42 megapixels per photo is going to
fill up your SD cards and hard drives
faster than before, so
you'll need more of 'em.
Unfortunately, there is no option
to shoot smaller RAW files,
only the option to shoot smaller JPEGS.
Now, ideally the folks who
will be buying this camera,
would be in these types of businesses,
including but limited to,
commercial, fashion, architecture,
landscape and wildlife.
But honestly, 24 megapixels is enough
for anything and everything.
It doesn't make the A73 any
less of a professional camera.
In fact, it's still
pretty much the standard,
so I wouldn't worry too much about it.
It's large enough to do any
large, billboard-size prints,
and an absolute overkill
for Instagram photos.
And speaking of megapixels,
I feel like it's a good time
to bring up Super 35 Mode.
For those of you who are unaware,
the Sony Alpha Full Frame cameras
are capable of also shooting in crop mode,
meaning you can use APSC lenses on the
A7R3 and the A73 without any vignetting.
The camera will crop in 1.5 times,
therefore filling up the frame.
So if you're transitioning
from an A6000 series camera,
you can still use all of your old lenses,
however the drawback is
the amount of megapixels
produced when shooting in Super 35 mode.
It's not as bad on the A7R3 as it drops
from 42 megapixels to
18, still a decent amount
of megapixels to play
with, but on the A73,
you're gonna be going down
from 24 megapixels to 10 megapixels.
With that said, some
photographers who use APSC lenses
would still shoot in
full-frame mode regardless,
as they prefer to retain
the high megapixel count
and choosing to crop
the vignetting in post.
However, using Super 35 Mode
is incredibly advantageous
when you're shooting 4k videos.
If you're using full frame lenses,
you essentially have two
different sets of focal lengths.
For example, the Zeiss
55 millimeter 1.8 is
55 in full frame, but in Super 35,
it's roughly 83 millimeters,
this 24 to 70 would be
as it is in full frame,
but in Super 35, it becomes
a 35 to 105 millimeter equivalent.
This is incredibly helpful,
to get an extra reach
add your full frame lenses.
Unlike in photo mode, there
is minimal quality loss
when shooting 4k videos in Super 35 mode.
In fact, with the A7R3,
you're technically getting
better quality as the
camera will be shooting 5k
in a 4k composition, offering
more details in your footage
than it would in regular full frame 4k.
On the other, though,
in full frame, the A730
will be shooting 6k in a 4k composition,
outperforming the A7R3 in terms of
image quality in video mode.
Now, is that a big deal in the real world?
Likely not, as your audience
may not be able to tell
a huge difference between the
two unless shown side-by-side,
and you really forcing them to pixel peep.
Let's talk about the autofocus now.
On paper the A730 has the clear advantage
of 693 face-detection autofocus points,
versus 399 on the A7R3.
The A730 has more focus points
spread out on the screen,
meaning it can grab and
stick focus on a subject
that is close or gets close
to the edge of the frame.
But when it comes to the speed at which
both cameras grab focus, they
honestly felt the same to me.
Fast and reliable.
Both cameras are capable of continuous
face detection autofocus
and eye detection autofocus,
just like their series two predecessors,
but that doesn't mean Sony
didn't make any improvements.
Compared to the Sony A7R2,
both the A7R3 and the A73
does a great job keeping
the subjects face in focus
even when it's slightly obscured.
In fact, what surprised me
the most was the fact that
both series three cameras
does a great job picking up
a face from quite a bit of distance away.
For example, I shot wedding
ceremonies, and both times,
right when the doors opened up,
the cameras would lock focus
on the bride's face right away
at the start of the aisle,
and it did a great job tracking
her and keeping her in focus
as she walks down the aisle.
In the past, the bride would
have to be in a medium shot
before the A7R2 detects and
locks focus on their face,
so I'm honestly very impressed
with the new autofocus performance.
Thanks to the new image
processors being implemented
into the series three cameras,
photos are being written in
much faster than before, plus clearing out
the buffer a lot quicker.
Especially on the A7R3 with
the 42 megapixel photos
shooting both raw and jpeg,
you can get in about 76 shots
versus 22 on the A7R2, I
mean just listen to that.
I can't tell you how much it's been joy
to have this camera keep up
with me as I get trigger-happy.
Also, previously on the
A7R2, the camera would lockup
after you max out the bufer,
rendering it completely
inoperable until its finished,
but now you'll be able
to preview your photos
while the A7R3 finishes
writing in the background,
tremendous improvement on this.
If you're a fan of slow motion,
then I got some good news for you.
Both cameras are capable of
shooting 120 frames per second
in 1080P with no cropping,
and is a definite improvement
in the image quality as well,
compared to the series two cameras.
Now, one thing I would highly
advise is to avoid using
S and Q when doing slow
motion, as this mode shoots
at a lesser bit rate per frame.
Although the footage will be played back
in slow motion automatically,
fellow YouTuber
ZedProMedia and I did notice
the quality did not match up
to the footage we got in
shooting in regular 60 or 120P,
and slowing it down in post afterwards.
However, if you're doing
any sort of time-lapses or
hyperlapses, then S and Q
will be a great mode to use
when shooting one to 15 frames.
While we're on the topic of frame rates,
there is a 1.2 times crop when
shooting 4k 30 on the A73.
Now, I personally don't
shoot 4k 30 too often,
but for folks that do,
just be mindful of that,
the A7R3 will not have this crop.
And yes, I am bummed that
Sony did not include 4k 60
on either of these
cameras, which is honestly
the biggest deal-breaker
for me personally.
But they were still able to
hook me with a bigger battery,
the joystick, the dual SE card slot,
and the new color science,
which I'll get into
in just a bit, but our only
hope of seeing 4k 60 now
is in the next low light
beast, the Sony A7S3.
Speaking of low-light, though,
the A73's low light
performance is quite on-par
with the current A7S2, as
demonstrated by Max Yuryev,
the A73 is capable of
keeping up with the A7S2,
as high is ISO 12800, that
is honestly very impressive.
For the full low-light
performance comparison,
be sure to check out Max's
video linked up here,
and in description box below.
In the real world, I
witnessed it first hand,
how clean my jpegs and
footage looked at ISO 6400.
Even at 12800, it looked
incredible, a number I would
never-ever dare touch on the A7R3, R2,
and especially the 6500.
Now, I know a lot of video
people will be asking me this,
should they not wait for the A7S3 then,
if the A73's low light
is already this good?
Well, if you're constantly
finding yourself
in the dimly-lit situation,
and I'll throw this in too,
in need of 4k 60, then yeah,
maybe you wait for the A7S3,
but if none of those matter
to you, then go ahead
and get yourself the A73,
it also has SLOG2, three,
and hybrid log gamma profiles as well.
Same goes for the A7R3, so
both cameras are well-equipped
to do high-production video work.
Let's talk about in-body
image stablization.
Both cameras have it, and has proven
to be one of the greatest
blessings in camera body history,
especially if you do a lot
of hand-held video work.
But I'm gonna say the A7R3
here has the slight advantage
with it's 5.5 axis in-body
image stabilization,
versus just five on the A73.
Now half a stop of
difference may not sound
like a whole lot, but
a solid difference of
extra stability is definitely there.
Another subtle difference
is the EVF and LCD display.
Now on paper, the A73 has a slightly lower
resolution display compared
to the A7R3, but when
I'm out on the field, it's
not something that I notice
when jumping back and
forth between two cameras.
However, others have reported the A73 has
a similar soft display like
the A7R2, so for video shooters
who rely on punching manual focus a lot,
it'll be a little hard to
gauge focus, so you may want
to consider an external monitor.
The A7R3 has a sharper
display, and I can confirm
the punch-in manual focus on
this camera is much better.
In fact, I just found
out during this review,
that the sunny-weather monitor brightness
is noticeably brighter on the
A7R3 than it is on the A73.
Now, what's not a subtle difference is the
newly-implemented color science
in this series three
cameras, which I think
a lot of camera-switchers
are gonna be happy about
when they come over to Sony, both cameras
now favor the red tones a little more.
All right, so we've spent
a little too much time
on the video portion of this
review, so let's get back
on to the photography
track, let's talk about
off-camera flash options,
most Sony shooters
are using Flashpoint or Godox,
they're both the same thing.
They're relatively inexpensive compared
to the other competition out there,
for the quality that you're getting.
The most popular one right
now is the Evolv 200 model,
which is equivalent to three
speed lights, great for
outdoor portraits and perfect
for wedding receptions.
If you're looking for something
that can overpower the sun,
or just more power in general,
then consider the Xplor 600 model.
For general speed lights,
look into the R2 units.
I have a more in-depth buying
guide on these flashes,
so click up here to check it out.
All right, there are a
couple of bees pollinating
the flowers right now, what
a magical moment, and I'm
just firing shots away thanks
to the science shooting feature.
It allows me to capture
this magical moment
without disturbing my surrounding,
perfect for quiet events
and weddings too, oh (bleep).
- [Director] Why are there any bees?
However, if you start to notice
any banding in your photos,
you'll want to turn
off silent shooting and
electronic front curtain
off, as those are some
of the known causes to that issue.
(heavy sigh)
All right, so it's time for everybody's
least favorite topic, money.
How much of it are you
going to have to take
from your kids college savings fund?
Well, the A7R3's gonna
run you about $3,200,
while the A73 will run you about $2,000.
If at this point of the review
you're still gonna be asking
me if the ace of an R3
is worth the extra $1,200 over the A73,
(inhale loudly)
then go ahead and get yourself
the A73, trust me on it,
take the extra money and get yourself
some decent prime lenses,
there'll be folks out there
who would know if they need
the 42 megapixels or not.
Now, if you're coming
from an older Sony A7,
or A6000 series camera,
then absolutely I think
either of these cameras are
definitely worth the upgrade.
A6000, A63, A6500 users,
if you've been wanting
to hop on the full-frame
train for a while now,
then there's no better time
to do it than with the A73.
A7, A72 users, you're going to find
the auto-focus performance on
the A73 tremendously improved,
light-years ahead of your current model.
A7R2, A7S2 users, the bigger battery alone
will make you want to cross
over, it certainly made me do it
and I've never been happier.
Was there anything that
I missed in this video,
were there anything
crucial that you discover
from both of these
cameras that you feel like
current Sony users and
potential future Sony users
should know, leave in
the comments down below.
As time goes on, more
experiences will be unfold,
new tips and tricks will be discovered,
so definitely subscribe
to my YouTube Channel.
For future micro-updates on both
the ace of an R3 and
the A73, give this video
a like and leave in
the comments down below
which camera you decide to pick up
after watching this review, both cameras,
all of the lenses, all of
the accessories that I used
and featured in this video
are linked in the description box below,
so don't forget to check that out.
Guys, I'll see you guys
in my next video, peace.
