Sony A7III

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18576266
The 5D4 beats out the 1DX, there is no reason to get the 1DX. Canon doesn't offer what I want or need at this time. The 5D4 is great, one of the best cameras Canon has made to date, but it has shortcomings. The 1DX2 has other shortcomings. Put the two together, and I would be close.

I won't be out that much money. I always try to get my gear at the lowest prices I can. I have had the 5D4 for almost 2 years now, and paid then what people are paying new on sale now. Ditto with the 7D2. What I would be out would be akin to having rented the 5D4 for $250 each year. Not bad in my book.

The first round of changes would be the sale of the 7D2 and SL2, and a couple of lenses, the older ones that I don't use often. Not sure which I would look at, whether the a7r3 or the a73. Once I get closer to making a move this summer or late spring, I will know better.

May I ask what the shortcomings of both are of the 5D4 vs 1DXII for your particular shooting? What league are you shooting and from the sidelines or stands?

idkdc wrote in post #18576267
May I ask what the shortcomings of both are of the 5D4 vs 1DXII for your particular shooting? What league are you shooting and from the sidelines or stands?

Shooting NBA (G League, but main league players are often sent down, and others called up) from the floor close enough to have players and the ball fly into me. I would love 10fps or more, while also keeping the resolution of the 5D4 or very close to it. Faster dumps of the buffer would be great as well. WiFi connection for a web service to upload images to Google Drive are also a bit slow, causing me loss of shots during the game. I know all Canon cameras, and shot with almost all of them. Need ISO of 6400 to 25600 to keep the shutter speeds where I need them. Right now the 5D4 is the best for what I am shooting. This is a contract position with the Pacers, so this isn't a hobbyist role, this is a paid gig.

Once permission is given, there will be 2 remote cameras, the SL2 behind the glass with a wide angle, and then the 7D2 on the floor for a low angle. Thus why the video was especially interesting to me, because I have all the gear other than a floor plate to do this extra shooting.

Sample Shots from the last game:

idkdc wrote in post #18576267
May I ask what the shortcomings of both are of the 5D4 vs 1DXII for your particular shooting? What league are you shooting and from the sidelines or stands?

May I ask why you are so desperate to talk someone out of buying a Sony camera?

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18576271
Shooting NBA from the floor close enough to have players and the ball fly into me. I would love 10fps or more, while also keeping the resolution of the 5D4 or very close to it. Faster dumps of the buffer would be great as well. WiFi connection for a web service to upload images to Google Drive are also a bit slow, causing me loss of shots during the game. I know all Canon cameras, and shot with almost all of them. Need ISO of 6400 to 25600 to keep the shutter speeds where I need them. Right now the 5D4 is the best for what I am shooting. This is a contract position with the Pacers, so this isn't a hobbyist role, this is a paid gig.

Once permission is given, there will be 2 remote cameras, the SL2 behind the glass with a wide angle, and then the 7D2 on the floor for a low angle. Thus why the video was especially interesting to me, because I have all the gear other than a floor plate to do this extra shooting.

Is the A7III better at wifi transfer rate than the 5D4? I heard bad things about the older A7 cameras and didn't find the XT2 terribly fast; not up to date on how fast wireless is on the newer models. How is the A7III buffer dump compared to CFAST / XQD? UHS II cards are faster than the 5D4 CF in theory though. I thought the only high speed option wifi option was the 1DX and 1DXII wifi modules at 1.2 Gigabit speeds. Are you transferring JPG or Raw files?

Are you planning on renting to compare the autofocus system? In the past, I have not had a good experience with mirrorless cameras for shooting action, which is why I have kept my DSLR's so far. Curious to know how your switch goes. Are you planning on one or two identical A7III's? Or one A9? Does the A7III have the same zero blackout functionality of the A9?

idkdc wrote in post #18576277
Is the A7III better at wifi transfer rate than the 5D4? I heard bad things about the older A7 cameras and didn't find the XT2 terribly fast; not up to date on how fast wireless is on the newer models. How is the A7III buffer dump compared to CFAST / XQD? UHS II cards are faster than the 5D4 CF in theory though. I thought the only high speed option wifi option was the 1DX and 1DXII wifi modules at 1.2 Gigabit speeds. Are you transferring JPG or Raw files?

Are you planning on renting to compare the autofocus system? In the past, I have not had a good experience with mirrorless cameras for shooting action, which is why I have kept my DSLR's so far. Curious to know how your switch goes. Are you planning on one or two identical A7III's? Or one A9? Does the A7III have the same zero blackout functionality of the A9?

I don't know about the transfer rate, that is one of the concerns I have already brought up. Since only one slot is UHSII, if I want to shoot to both cards, I am already in trouble in that regard.

I also don't know about the wireless aspects. It isn't a huge deal, they want me to dump some photos near real time for social medial usage each quarter, so there is a period of downtime as the 5D4 connects to my phone, then the camera logs into Google Drive, then goes through photos to select and subsequently upload. That takes a couple of minutes each quarter. Not great. I might be better off just taking the card out and doing something else while keeping the camera freed up for action. I have the 5D4 dialed in for OOC jpegs for this need, even at high ISO, and have even created a custom picture style just for this particular event to help with the IQ.

I might rent, but am not sure yet. The A9 has received great comments by sports shooters. The A7III shares that AF system for the most part, but is sampled at 1/3 the rate of the A9. I may have no choice but to just save up for the A9. Depending on LLC revenue this year, and bonus potential at work, I might be able to do that. Ultimately that is where I will need to be, I am sure. Somebody is selling an A9 for $3350 on another board right now, wish I had that, but I need to keep funds around because I believe we will owe quite a bit to the IRS for this filing year.

Just for fun, this is the shot I took just before the ball about smacked into my camera/lens. I have been hit a few times, with many close calls! I was able to stop this one though.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18576278
I don't know about the transfer rate, that is one of the concerns I have already brought up. Since only one slot is UHSII, if I want to shoot to both cards, I am already in trouble in that regard.

I also don't know about the wireless aspects. It isn't a huge deal, they want me to dump some photos near real time for social medial usage each quarter, so there is a period of downtime as the 5D4 connects to my phone, then the camera logs into Google Drive, then goes through photos to select and subsequently upload. That takes a couple of minutes each quarter. Not great. I might be better off just taking the card out and doing something else while keeping the camera freed up for action. I have the 5D4 dialed in for OOC jpegs for this need, even at high ISO, and have even created a custom picture style just for this particular event to help with the IQ.

I might rent, but am not sure yet. The A9 has received great comments by sports shooters. The A7III shares that AF system for the most part, but is sampled at 1/3 the rate of the A9. I may have no choice but to just save up for the A9. Depending on LLC revenue this year, and bonus potential at work, I might be able to do that. Ultimately that is where I will need to be, I am sure. Somebody is selling an A9 for $3350 on another board right now, wish I had that, but I need to keep funds around because I believe we will owe quite a bit to the IRS for this filing year.

Just for fun, this is the shot I took just before the ball about smacked into my camera/lens. I have been hit a few times, with many close calls! I was able to stop this one though.

If you really need fast image uploads, FTP configuration .with the 1DX or 1DXII wireless modules would solve your problem, I think. Do you need or want the resolution? The A7III is only 4 MP higher than the 1DXII. Seems like we're splitting hairs for social media use (I mean to convey this with neutral tone)
Have you investigated Sony professional services repair service quality and turnaround? As a sports shooter, you may need to rely on it as in the situations you describe.

I have thought in the past about the A9 for its weight and silent shutter for concerts, but never really gave it a thought for sports shooting tbh. I am happy to see what your results are if you decide to go that route.

idkdc wrote in post #18576290
If you really need fast image uploads, FTP configuration .with the 1DX or 1DXII wireless modules would solve your problem, I think. Do you need or want the resolution? The A7III is only 4 MP higher than the 1DXII. Seems like we're splitting hairs for social media use (I mean to convey this with neutral tone)
Have you investigated Sony professional services repair service quality and turnaround? As a sports shooter, you may need to rely on it as in the situations you describe.

I have thought in the past about the A9 for its weight and silent shutter for concerts, but never really gave it a thought for sports shooting tbh. I am happy to see what your results are if you decide to go that route.

The real time photos are just a side result. I am using the web services on the camera, not the phone. FTP isn't any faster than any of web services set up to connect online and transfer.

They are not using me for the real time photos, but full res images for marketing material, posters, banners, etc. I deliver all of about 15 or so images during the game real-time, 3-5 per quarter, the several hundred other results are for different uses.

I am not sure where you are going. I am not a novice at this, I know specifically what I want and need in my equipment. I appreciate the help you think you are giving, however Canon has nothing at this time that gets me to my goal. I make due with what I have now, they seem happy with the results, however I want and need more to please my own wants. Sony seems to have gone quite a bit further with the A9 and maybe A7III, but still seems to be a bit deficient in other areas. In any case, they have caught my attention and I will pursue this further. Funds are not an issue, it is just the timing of when I pull the funds out.

In the meantime, the 5D4 delivers as best a result as any Canon DSLR can for what I am shooting, so I will continue with that, until later this summer.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18576294
The real time photos are just a side result. I am using the web services on the camera, not the phone. FTP isn't any faster than the web services set up to connect online. They are not using me for the real time photos, but full res images for marketing material, posters, banners, etc.

With respect, is it the marketing department's need for 24 vs. 20 MP or your want? If you're shooting billboards, the 36 MP D800 at $1000 used would do you better. Can you pinpoint the 5D4 wireless time delay to pre-send/UI setup time, transfer rate between camera and wireless network, or transfer rate between wireless network and Google Drive? JPG transfer of a handful of photos on the 5D4 should be fine, although I found the interface slow personally. I've used the 1DX II ethernet (125 MB/s) and it's as fast as it can get even with raw files, and the wireless module is supposedly faster on paper (1.2*125 MB/s).

idkdc wrote in post #18576297
Is it the marketing department's need for 24 vs. 20 MP or your want? If you're shooting billboards, the 36 MP D800 at $1000 used would do you better. Can you pinpoint the 5D4 wireless time delay to pre-send/UI setup time, transfer rate between camera and wireless network, or transfer rate between wireless network and Google Drive? JPG transfer of a handful of photos on the 5D4 should be fine, although I found the interface slow. I've used the 1DX II ethernet (125 MB/s) and it's as fast as it can get even with raw files, and the wireless module is supposedly faster on paper (1.2*125 MB/s).

I am not moving to another DSLR, especially Nikon. If I move to another platform, it will be one that is more flexible with lens selections. If I move to Nikon, then I cannot use the lenses I already have and would be forced to switch lenses. My long term goal also isn't to run multiple manufacturer bodies, because I don't want a mixed bag of processing.

I don't know where the delay is. I could get there an hour early and start to run some tests, but really don't want to. My cell connection is better than using the facility's router too. I am not sure I can even FTP to Google Drive. They don't have have an FTP drop account, nor do I. I could set one up somewhere in the cloud or on my NAS, but at this point, I already have them set up to pull the shared folder on Google Drive to find photos. It is a bit too late in the season, I am not going to change that. I am sure it is just the wireless module inside the camera, it will sometimes even lose connections to the iPhone sitting just inches away. It isn't the greatest wireless capability unfortunately, and yes, the interface is quite clunky. The selection of images and when to transfer is terrible.

When the camera is down for transfer of images, I just pull out the 7D2 and shoot away. However, I may lose that ability if I start to shoot remotely.

An ethernet cable to an external wireless module is likely more reliable, albeit a bit clunky IMO.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18576299
I am not moving to another DSLR, especially Nikon. If I move to another platform, it will be one that is more flexible with lens selections. If I move to Nikon, then I cannot use the lenses I already have and would be forced to switch lenses. My long term goal also isn't to run multiple manufacturer bodies, because I don't want a mixed bag of processing.

I don't know where the delay is. I could get there an hour early and start to run some tests, but really don't want to. My cell connection is better than using the facility's router too. I am not sure I can even FTP to Google Drive. They don't have have an FTP drop account, nor do I. I could set one up somewhere in the cloud or on my NAS, but at this point, I already have them set up to pull the shared folder on Google Drive to find photos. It is a bit too late in the season, I am not going to change that. I am sure it is just the wireless module inside the camera, it will sometimes even lose connections to the iPhone sitting just inches away. It isn't the greatest wireless capability unfortunately.

When the camera is down for transfer of images, I just pull out the 7D2 and shoot away. However, I may lose that ability if I start to shoot remotely.

An ethernet cable to an external wireless module is likely more reliable, albeit a bit clunky IMO.

Oh, I didn't realize you intended to use your Canon lenses with the A7III. Well, let me know how your testing goes, or not. I think a used 1DX II would take care of all of your problems for less money lost, but to each his/her own. Good luck and have fun.

Canon lenses I adapted to at least the a9 and a7r3 are limited to 3fps

Team speed you might wanna look into that.

That is probably why I will slowly transition, do senior portraits with the Sony, and then eventually get native glass later.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18576448
That is probably why I will slowly transition, do senior portraits with the Sony, and then eventually get native glass later.

What if you sold all your canon gear, bought the body and one good lens for sports, and kept one canon prime for portraits?

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18576448
That is probably why I will slowly transition, do senior portraits with the Sony, and then eventually get native glass later.

I feel the same. I can adapt now for me but buy the wife a standard zoom the 50 and the 85 to make her happy. In fact my first sony gear ever arrived last night the cheap 50 1.8. This will be all I can shoot for now until the adapter comes in.

ericz34 wrote in post #18576465
What if you sold all your canon gear, bought the body and one good lens for sports, and kept one canon prime for portraits?

I like Teamspeed’s cautiously curiosity-satisfying approach in that it: minimizes initial investment while minimizing risk. It allows seriously exploring a different system without the risk of the disaster of fully committing to a system switch only to later conclude - after much use - the old system was a better fit.