Appreciate your take on this. But the reason why I bought the A7RV was that it provides the maximum flexibility in the Sony system for both photo and video. While shooting I can pair it with FF lenses, but also S35 lenses and still have the resolution to not impact my post production. The only thing you can't do is 120 fps, but that's not something I ever used on my other cameras. And the usability of this camera is the best hybrid Sony has to offer. The EVF is wonderful, and the tilt screen is so good. Not having to flip it out for waist level shooting is great, but being able to flip it into any angle plus flipping it into the body to protect the screen makes it the gold standard. The IBIS for handheld shooting is only behind the ZV-E1's dynamic stabilization (but even that is hampered because of the massive crop). Pairing this body with the XLR handle from the FX line makes it a beast of a video production camera when you're not putting yourself in situations where you need 12,800 ISO for video. This camera can easily be found for under $3K and it delivers on so many fronts. I liked it so much that I got the A7CR (the two biggest losses are the EVF and the tilt screen), but that much versatility in a smaller body is just crazy.
i have a Sony A7r3a and use it as my main event camera. i LOVE the ability to crop. knowing i have pixels to spare. i often frame wider than i would if using a 24mp camera which allows me a freedom in my post processing. the A7R3 series is by far the most value you can currently purchase. BIG thumbs up.
I used a Nikon D300s yesterday in Cambridge, and trust me, 12MP is all we need for street photography. I had cropped a few shots to only 1/3 of the frame, and there are perfectly acceptable even viewed on a 4K monitor. There's too much hype about megapixels, just enjoy what you already have, George!
I missed the DSLR era and picked up a D300s to pair with my F100 and AF-D lenses. It is amazing how good the 12MP files look and the camera is really fun to use.
@@rumrill5020 It's a great camera, build like a brick and the colours are amazing. I find it best to slightly under-expose to get the saturated colours. I'd had it for over 12 years and still going strong. Along with my D200 they are my 'heritage' cameras that I always have fun when I'd fed up or bored with the more modern mirrorless cameras. The sound of the mirror and shutter actuation is sublime! Brings back memories of days long gone when I used to shoot SLRs.
Try the Nikon Z5 with a 40mm and 50mm S --- you will love it! 24MP camera, just fine. You will love the color rendering and easy menus. The ergonomics are that of a camera. :)
@@GeorgeHolden That shot reminded me of how much I miss street photography, the experience of moving with the flow in the moment and then getting home and discovering that extra elements of a composition came together well though not having anticipated them. And sometimes even in very "poetic" ways. No other form of photography has matched those "magic" moments for me. Time to hit the streets again.
Still find my 6dII perfectly acceptable, I'd of course love more MP but do I need it really? nah. But I will say your reflection shots with this after you went on about selling one camera are dope shots!
Regarding the large file sizes that come off the camera - you need not shoot all photos at full resolution. I believe you can set the photos to be taken at a lower resolution as well, in case you want to save some storage space and avoid deleting images :)
As they say: ‘different strokes for different folks’. Personally, I find it difficult to do wide angle street photography as I like to have a clear subject without too much clutter around it. So I usually shoot with a telephoto length lens. Even then as I don’t want it to be too big or imposing, I will use a shorter lens and crop quite heavily. The A7r3 has always been my dream camera. Apart from the lack of weather sealing.
I had the Sony A7r3 and sold it after some weeks. For my use case (photography with vintage lenses) the difference to my A7 wasn't significant enough and I disliked the bigger body.
Another nice video George! Informative and inspiring. I have a question though: Do you ever take photos at night? 😂😅 I really like your photos and style and wondered how you would translate this to night photography
Thanks! I do sometimes shoot at night, I used to much more and you'll likely see more low light images from me in winter 😅 I like a lot of light usually!
I had the Sony A7RIII and it was NOT overkill for me ! Right now it is cheaper than a Sony A7IV, so I will recommend a Sony A7RIIIA over a Sony A7IV ! Now I use Sony A7RIVA and Sony A7RV which NOT are overkill for me !!!
It is understandable that a 12 Mp camera is enough for you, but to say that it is an overkill is an exaggeration. I have many full format cameras. APC-S and micro4/3, for the type of photography you do I think an Olympus E-5Mk2 would be perfect. With the Sony 7RIII it is very important to have the right lens for the type of photography you want to do. For your case, there are three relatively cheap and good lenses: Sony FE 35 F1.8, FE 85 F1.8 and maybe FE 20-70 F4 G.You can always use the APC-S mode, with which you would also have focal lengths of 50, 125 and a 30-105 zoom for free and 15 Mp.
George, have have you ever considered the advantage in these street photography transactions of having a camera with two card slots? You are definitely going to pay a price in weight and bulk, but what that offers you is the freedom that if you buy a pocket full of cheap memory cards and if you are going to take a candid of someone, just pop one of those suckers in the secondary slot and take the photo - *then gift it to them.* You have no idea how that changes that awkward transaction when you want to take a photo of a private person in public but have no real means to show proper reciprocity. This method does. That old guy or that grandmother does not know who to turn that SD card into a photograph - but they have a niece or nephew, or a grandchild who does. If they seem uncertain, suggest that method. Just be sure do delete any extraneous photos from that SD card before you gift it to them. And, you should be careful about actually publishing those photos. Believe you me, it will change your life as a street photographer, at a reasonable cost, if for no other reason you will feel less inhibited in stealing your neighbors' privacy. Oh, some weird guy named George took our photo on the high-street, here it is! Let's get it printed!
That's an interesting idea! I do often send people the images if we chat and usually things go well because I have a good reason for taking their photograph. It is harder with older folks because as you say they're not as tech savvy!
@@GeorgeHolden full POV videos, I’m a Sony shooter myself and really enjoy your videos. Hopefully you can make some more in the future. Have a great day!
Hi George, like your videos. But this has too many topics for my taste... And no conclusions? How will you go on with your purchase? I love your humour and your different angles/points of view. Please keep going! yours Dirk
Thanks! I suppose the only topic that needs a conclusion is the camera decision? Truth be told it's too early to say! I appreciate the feedback though, I had considered multiple video ideas but thought a blend of each could be an interesting idea in itself.
@@GeorgeHoldenthought it was a good topic! 48MP would be way too much camera for me as well for how I shoot. Seems like the A6700 with it’s relatively small size, very comfortable ergonomic grip (great to hold on long walks), modern autofocus, and 24MP sensor (that keeps the file sizes down), would be a really good/great street photography camera on paper. I understand you moved on from this though so I acknowledge there were things about it that you were not in love with. The A7Riii for the flip up screen, EVF, & joystick are attractive draws but man, 48MP per shot is not conducive to HD disk space for any volume shooter.
@@GeorgeHolden why did you sell it? Because in the “photo only” and “no more than 24MP preferably Sony” realm it’s a pretty good match for your needs it seems. That’s how I use mine at least and it does the job very well!
@@fadiheterjagi sold it a while ago, sadly to make way for my video b-cam for freelance work - which I have now sold too! Who knows maybe I'll complete the loop and going back to A7C 😅
TBH it came across like either you bought this camera simply to make a youtube video saying you shouldn't have bought this camera, or you don't know enough about your own photography to be buying this camera.
Hmmm, far from it as I'm a Sony shooter with all e mount lenses, I'm not selling the camera anytime soon. Also if I were to buy a camera specifically to make a video, this camera isn't a strategic choice
Almost every modern mirrorless camera is overkill if you are just doing street photography snapshots. A newer smartphone is the perfect choice. Small, lightweight, fits in your pocket, 13mm-120mm or more focal length and everyone is used to seeing people holding their phones, so youre never going to stand out. There are a handful of great apps that simulate everything from disposable and instant cameras, to classic film cameras. Also a newer app that looks like the top of a Fuji camera with all the manual control dials that has Fujis film simulations and you can even create your own recipes in the app. Zero reason to spend thousands on a camera and lens for street photography in 2024.
Everything besides smartphone is an overkil for poining and taking shots of unsuspecting people, especially huge and bulky camera like this one. Its not overkill at all, you just using it wrong.
Besides maybe a Sony Xperia I don't think any smartphone is useful for street photography, I've tried plenty with an iPhone but the lack of manual control is frustrating
@@GeorgeHolden I bought an A7Cii a few months ago and have since sold my A7Siii and A7RV. The A7Cii is an incredible performer in a tiny package. It literally does it all. I have it paired with the new 24-50 and it’s a dream setup.
@@cameraprepper7938 Yes, its less $$$. But, it's also 7 year old tech. The A7Cii would be a massive upgrade, if you can live with ~ 10 less MP, etc. It has 10 bit 4:22, AI AF, Custom Aspect Ratio (only found in the A7Cii), and Sony's latest (and best IMO) color science. It's all a give or take, but the smaller (street/travel) body punches well above its size (I used to own the A7Riii).
@@cameraprepper7938 Exactly - picked up an A7R3 for less than $1000. You just can't trivialize that type of value. Camera's are tools, use them accordingly.
The RV shoots small and medium RAW. 15 and 26 MP. 61 MP images are an exception! and not regularly set. Almost no content creator puts light on that aspect and almost everybody is pointing to this "huuuge resolution" they don't need with all the shortcomings. Why is that ? Large uncompressed Raw is only for the tripod shots for your large 400dpi prints. 95% all the time the camera is set to M-Raw.
You can slim down the A7r3 kit quite a bit by mounting a Sony 20mm f2,8 APS-C pancake lens and shooting in crop mode. The image is 18mpx and without a full frame lens the kit in hand is reasonably small. I also have done a lot of shooting with my A7R3 and a Zeiss 35mm f2.8. That lens gets a lot of mediocrity vibe from reviewers but I like it.
I agree, I have the Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar 35mm 2.8 T* ZA Lens, I have read a lot of reviews and watched a lot of reviews of that Lens, so I was surprised at how good it is in REAL use ! I do NOT trust those hyped reviewers any more !
@@GeorgeHolden That Samyang lens is mediocrity ! Today when there are a LOT of used Sony (Carl) Zeiss Sonnar 35mm 2.8 T* ZA Lenses, today I will NOT recommend the Samyang lens. Last year I bought a used Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar 35mm 2.8 T* ZA used for US $215 (taxes included) in excellent condition, I have even seen them cheaper !
the A7R3 is as far up the R line I will go. Its the most you'd ever need from a photography camera. If you can't get a good photo with it and think you need to go further up the R line... you are the problem not the camera
I had the A7RIII, for my need of photography, I need more megapixels, when I bought the A7RIII, the A7RIV came a couple of month later, since that I have never used the A7RIII which I sold later. But A Sony A7RIII can be more than enough for most people ! Right now the A7RIIIA are cheaper than a A7IV !
Showing the still results with live video on the sides, is a bit distracting and doesn’t do justice to the photo. Just my feedback and maybe it’s just me.
Great review. I agree, i still shoot 4,5,6,10,14,16 mpix esp in 4/3 or N1 systems and when printed (usually 5x7 or larger) have great pictures. To get true double quality as image is 2d we need 4x the pixels. When i got my k1 i was slightly disappointed. I also got an a7riii to replace my nex7 and although its much better i was never wowed. Handling is a different issue with the a7riii, and im a regular fp / fpL user. Horses for courses. To summarize, the current crop (pun) of 24mp full frame cameras are beasts with their dr, high iso noise, ibis and af features.. extra mp is great but its definitely not the thing it was when going from 2 to 4 to 6 to 10 etc we had in the past. As far as lenses go i use the yongnuo 85/1.8 in ef mount and its great, so i expect the 7a lens to be great too.
@GeorgeHolden truth. I had that camera a few years ago, and it got er done. If you're into the older cameras, maybe give the Sony DSC-R1 if you can find one. I grabbed one for about 100 some odd bucks, and it's definitely unique. It's a tad bit slow, uses old memory cards, and only has about a 10 MP sensor, but the photos are surprisingly crispy, and it's a nod back to where cameras were kinda interesting. Might be too slow for your type of work but I found it fun to shoot with.
You should give a try with a 16 years old camera: the legend D700. Special fullframe sensor designed by Nikon and built by Panasonic (Matsushita), 12mp, wonderfuls colors, etc... you can find it on mpb around 250-300€
How do you reconcile that your ‘advice’ from all your tender years of ‘experience’ is applicable to all visitors to your feed?? Incredible ignorance, presumption & arrogance.
