Sony A9 III Any theatre photographers out there using a Sony a9iii?

[workatron]

Any theatre photographers out there using a Sony a9iii?

I'm a Nikon user (20 years now) and 99% of my work is theatre photography (both in the rehearsal room and then production photography at the dress rehearsal.

My workhorse cameras are two z7's and they are so great, super sharp, great colour, but they are coming on for 5-6 years now and they slightly falling apart and Its getting to the point where i need to think of upgrading. Trouble is the upgrade in nikon terms is a purely electrical sensor (no mechanical) As a theatre photographer this fill me with dread! I've seen enough of problems in theatres with banding, weird LED lighting and projection and video screens being used more and more, the idea that i would be stuck with no getout has been the source of nightmares!

I read about the a9iii and its global sensor (so no rolling shutter). I've been trying to do as much research into it but from a theatre photographer perspective i haven't really come across any real life reviews on it. So i wondered if any of you had any thoughts you could share with me on how it works for you in the theatre/concerts? I guess there are things i wonder about, such as how does it deal with low light? Or very contrasted scenes? Does it look noisy under high ISO's? Its only 24MP, its not that low, but lower that alot of others. Does the 24MP work for you and your clients ok? How about when images get blown up? I've read its got lower dynamic range, have you noticed that is a problem?

I guess basically for the price it is, is it worth it?

 

[AlphaWorld]

Any theatre photographers out there using a Sony a9iii?

I'm a Nikon user (20 years now) and 99% of my work is theatre photography (both in the rehearsal room and then production photography at the dress rehearsal.

My workhorse cameras are two z7's and they are so great, super sharp, great colour, but they are coming on for 5-6 years now and they slightly falling apart and Its getting to the point where i need to think of upgrading. Trouble is the upgrade in nikon terms is a purely electrical sensor (no mechanical) As a theatre photographer this fill me with dread! I've seen enough of problems in theatres with banding, weird LED lighting and projection and video screens being used more and more, the idea that i would be stuck with no getout has been the source of nightmares!

I read about the a9iii and its global sensor (so no rolling shutter). I've been trying to do as much research into it but from a theatre photographer perspective i haven't really come across any real life reviews on it. So i wondered if any of you had any thoughts you could share with me on how it works for you in the theatre/concerts? I guess there are things i wonder about, such as how does it deal with low light? Or very contrasted scenes? Does it look noisy under high ISO's? Its only 24MP, its not that low, but lower that alot of others. Does the 24MP work for you and your clients ok? How about when images get blown up? I've read its got lower dynamic range, have you noticed that is a problem?

I guess basically for the price it is, is it worth it?

I am not a theatre shooter, but I have been using the A9 III since the release.

First off, unless you turn on “fake shutter sound”, the camera is silent.

The AF is solid, with finding human eyes with ease. It really can track and focus in between frames at 120fps, so running at slower frame rates (which is recommended!) gives it more time to focus. If you are shooting something like dance, you can shoot bursts to guarantee catching the perfect moment of a grand jet, or a dramatic lift.

The base ISO is 250, so it starts 1 and a third stops faster than other Sonys. There was a fair bit of disparagement on it when it was announced, but if you compare it with other cameras at the same ISO (not at their base ISOs), the noise is pretty much the same. So if you are already going to be at ISO 250 or higher, there is no harm in using the A9III.

I would suggest renting one with one or two Sony lenses (like the 70-200 f/2.8 GM II (make sure to get the Mark II version!).