Sony a9iii and 300 GM Announced - Official Discussion Thread

BlackRockArt · Nov 8, 2023

DavidT said:
Ordered the grip as well.

I have tiny teeny hands,

sized, the A9 body is perfect fit. I don't have muscles, my arms are pencil thin, I love the weight of A9.

Oliver

Platalea ajaja · Nov 8, 2023

sh1209 said:
For me personally the 24mp sensor is a non starter right out of the gate and the price is absolutely insane! It makes me think the A1ii will be $8k lol. With this camera even with the 600/1.4tc combo 24mp leaves little room for cropping. IMO it should have at least been 40mp and came in around $4k

I think $8K is probably quite likely. Of course we are doing nothing but guessing, but based on recent Sony body releases (both the A9III and A7II) that's not an unreasonable guess. That's a lot of change......

I've seen a copy of the 300 2.8 and man, it is tiny! Very tempting but just don't really have a need for that focal length. Now if they would only do that shrink job with a 400 2.8 and add a built in TC....could be a divorce ticket right there!

sh1209 · Nov 8, 2023

Platalea ajaja said:
I think $8K is probably quite likely. Of course we are doing nothing but guessing, but based on recent Sony body releases (both the A9III and A7II) that's not an unreasonable guess. That's a lot of change......

I've seen a copy of the 300 2.8 and man, it is tiny! Very tempting but just don't really have a need for that focal length. Now if they would only do that shrink job with a 400 2.8 and add a built in TC....could be a divorce ticket right there!

It seems like a lens that would have to be used with a tele converter to be of any relevance in the wildlife Arena. Thats never been a focal length I have desired for any camera manufacturer the small size nice I’ll just stick with the hundred – 400 and 600 GM

Rectory Photography · Nov 8, 2023

I think for wildlife, whilst not at all perfect in terms of 24mp which is on the low side for wildlife in my view....the A9 iii would be a good second camera to run alongside an A1 until a higher MP camera with some of the A9 iii performance is released. That way if you need more MP you have it with the A1 and in speed/pre capture situations with closer subjects, the A9 mkiii steps in. As an owner of a single A1 body, I have been waiting for a second camera anyway for security reasons (if a camera is out of action), am excited by the possibilities with pre capture, and would like two different lenses on seperate bodies in certain situations. The only real worry i would have is iso performance and dynamic range, which i'm sure will be addressed by reviews. That in my opinion would be the most powerful current combination for Sony wildlife shooters until a higher mp camera with its other features is released.

DavidT · Nov 8, 2023

FB101 said:
The new features included in the A9iii are super attractive (8 stop ibis, new back screen, pre-capture, new battery management in the grip, speed boost etc...) but 24MP with unknown image quality for $6k ... not sold yet. I will happily wait for early adopters to weigh in.
I was ready to put down my cash for that camera with a 33 to 40MP stacked sensor instead but this version of the A9iii leaves me unsure.

If I was a sports shooter though, my downpayment would be in for sure. It's an incredible camera.

I’m with you. I was hoping for mid 30’s.

DavidT · Nov 8, 2023

John Navitsky said:
the more i think about it, the less sure i am that we'll see a high mp global shutter version soon (ie, a1). in some ways i could see them splitting into three distinct sensor lines. traditional sensors (low cost, high quality), stacked sensor (general purpose, action) and global shutter ("specialized" with trade-offs).

I think you’re right. I don’t think every camera needs a global shutter and not ever camera needs a stacked sensor.

The a1 was the first camera that was pretty good for everything. Nikon has followed up with a Z8 that fits the same vain as good at most things.

I think Sony is continuing to have cameras that will be more specialized for individuals needed purpose however the a1 I think will continue to be the do it all camera minus say the high flash sync and 120fps but will be a stacked sensor with higher MP but maybe caps out at 40-60 fps.

It would bridge capability but without being a specialized camera. In truth I hope that’s the case because I dread the thought of a $10k camera.

eaj101 · Nov 8, 2023

A9III, 24mp + $6000 = underwhelmed. 300f2.8 @ 3lbs = impressed.

John Woodworth · Nov 8, 2023

ChrisM said:
I thought that the A1 would be my last camera...

joe43 · Nov 8, 2023

I am a Nikon shooter who still has and uses the Nikon 300mm f2.8 G VR II lens. I love the f2.8, for light gathering and bokeh. I hate the f2.8 for its weight at 6+ pounds. I am blown away by the low weight of the new Sony f2.8 300mm. If Nikon does not know how they did it, they better learn quickly. There is no way I would evet buy a Nikon Z mount 300mm f2.8 at 6 pounds. If they could make one at 3.5 lbs it would get my attention. Adding a tc to a 300mm f2.8 would not bother me at all.

arbitrage · Nov 8, 2023

Steve said:
Normally, I have no issue with 24MP, heck, I've shot lower res cameras a lot longer than I have higher res ones and I'm pretty good about filling the frame. Most of the time if I have to crop heavily, I just don't shoot. However, the more I learn about the camera, the more I'm curious about the noise levels. Sony didn't mention them and ISO 25K isn't all that high of a top end compared to other 24MP cameras (not that I shoot that high anyway). It makes you wonder if ISO is going to be what we usually see at 24MP.

The frame rate is interesting for sure. Even with slower birds, I often find 20 or 30 FPS can leave significant gaps between wingbeats that I might want to have. I love the idea of the "boost" button. I'd keep the camera at 15, 20 FPS and press as needed when things heat up. IMO, embracing new technology often opens doors we haven't noticed before, so I'm in. I also think that I'd be more likely to st my high FPS to 60 at first, just to see. I have a feeling that's more than enough for most situations.

You can have a read through this discussion at FM which is the only place I've seen some theorizing on what the ISO 250 may translate to and reasons for it. It has also been confirmed that the A9III is not a dual-gain sensor which plays into the discussion. Some of the discussion went over my head but it was worthwhile reading anyways:

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1831489/9#16386417

MatthewK · Nov 8, 2023

sh1209 said:
It seems like a lens that would have to be used with a tele converter to be of any relevance in the wildlife Arena. Thats never been a focal length I have desired for any camera manufacturer the small size nice I’ll just stick with the hundred – 400 and 600 GM

Right there with you.. even it had been Nikon that made this 300, it’d be a non-starter for my photography simply because bird life basically starts at 600mm. Relying on TCs is less than ideal.

If I were someone who needed a 300mm lens, I’d be stoked about this one though. 500PF vibes, that good feeling of using gear that isn’t destroying your arms and back all day. Once you shoot that way, you’ll never want to go back to the heavy gear again. Great job to Sony, and cheers to all of you that end up getting one!

ChrisM · Nov 8, 2023

The new 300mm f2.8GM appears to be an optical marvel next to being stunningly lightweight.
Mark Galer has a nice elaborate review and praises the performance with the Sony 2TC:

"I think the sharpness when using the 2x tele was the thing that took me most by surprise (apart from the weight)."

That is quite a statement. He also posts samples in his review, he has a link to his flickr page with some really convincing samples at 600mm.

I would love to see a comparison from this new 300GM with 2x TC vs the 200-600G at 600mm, and why not also vs the Nikon Z600PF? Perhaps Steve will do one should he get this lens.

ChrisM · Nov 8, 2023

MatthewK said:
Right there with you.. even it had been Nikon that made this 300, it’d be a non-starter for my photography simply because bird life basically starts at 600mm. Relying on TCs is less than ideal.

If I were someone who needed a 300mm lens, I’d be stoked about this one though. 500PF vibes, that good feeling of using gear that isn’t destroying your arms and back all day. Once you shoot that way, you’ll never want to go back to the heavy gear again. Great job to Sony, and cheers to all of you that end up getting one!

Exhausting.

Of course you're right, but we Sony guys have to have something to put next to Nikon's PF achievements

This 300GM is not ideal, but I did use the Canon 400DOII with the 2x TC and was amazed by the sharpness, even though I really did not like the 7DII, and ended up selling all Canon gear for the Nikon D500+500PF. I never thought using a lens with 2xTC on all the time was at all a serious option, but the 400DOII kind of changed my mind on that.

The Sony 300GM appears to do just as well with 2xTC, and get's me to 600mm f5.6 with pretty modest weight and size. I am not saying I will run to the store to get one, as I indeed will never use it at 300mm, but still it has my interest for mimicking a lens I have always wanted: a lightweight 600mm f5.6. And it would also give me a 420mm f4 with a 1.4TC, which is a very useful focal length/aperture for BIF.

Doug Herr · Nov 8, 2023

sh1209 said:
It [300mm] seems like a lens that would have to be used with a tele converter to be of any relevance in the wildlife Arena.

I've used 280mm and 300mm lenses for wildlife photos, without TCs. It takes a lot of studying the critter and a big dose of patience but it certainly can be done (all photos on ISO 64 Kodachrome).