Sony has registered a new camera in China: This is the new Sony A9III folks!!!

[Brownie]

Here you go @spudhead!

On September 4th Sony registered a new camera model in China. This has 5.1G (MHz) compatibility which usually means this is a mid to high end level camera. The ZV-1II for example only had a 2.4G registration. If you wonder how long it takes until this camera will get announced just look at the recent history:

• Sony ZV-E1 was registered on December 12 and announced on March 29 (3,5 months)
• Sony ZV-1II was registered on February 2 and announced on May 23 (3,5 months)
• Sony A6700 was registered on February 16 and announced on July 12 (4 months)
• Sony A7cII and A7cR were registered on June 12 and announced on August 29 (2.5 months)

So as you see the chances are high the camera will be announced between end of November 2023 and early January 2024. This is EXACTLY the timeframe I told you MANY times for the A9III launch!

Reminder: Sony also has three “minor” camera registrations from June 12. One is surely for the just announced LR1…not sure if the other two are for Burano and something else…

Sony has registered a new camera in China: This is the new Sony A9III folks!!! – sonyalpharumors

www.sonyalpharumors.com

 

[spudhead]

Here you go @spudhead!

Sony has registered a new camera in China: This is the new Sony A9III folks!!! – sonyalpharumors

www.sonyalpharumors.com

Yep seen it already seen it

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Logged on to see that. There will be some happy forum members when this is officially announced!

 

[spudhead]

Logged on to see that. There will be some happy forum members when this is officially announced!

Maybe not Chris its possibly another crop body I will believe it when I see it, this wait is not even funny anymore

 

[Brownie]

It was about 3-1/2 years between the A7 III and A7 IV
It was about 3-1/2 years between the A7R IV and A7R V
The A1 was released in March of 2021. If they drop it just before the next Olympics, it'll be about 3-1/2 years.
The A9II was released in November of 2019, so pushing 4 to 4-1/2 years if they release it when SAR says they will.

So yeah, the A9 is past due based on Sony's pattern.

 

[spudhead]

It was about 3-1/2 years between the A7 III and A7 IV
It was about 3-1/2 years between the A7R IV and A7R V
The A1 was released in March of 2021. If they drop it just before the next Olympics, it'll be about 3-1/2 years.
The A9II was released in November of 2019, so pushing 4 to 4-1/2 years if they release it when SAR says they will.

So yeah, the A9 is past due based on Sony's pattern.

I think they have an issue with how to spec the a9iii and price it without it hurting the a1

 

[Brownie]

I think they have an issue with how to spec the a9iii and price it without it hurting the a1

I think you're right, at least in part. If they're this close to an announcement they probably have it sorted out.

How many MP? Too few and they won't compete with Canon and Nikon, too many and they'll encroach on the A1. How fast? Same issue. One thing they won't compromise on is AF, it's their claim to fame.

Sony had it a lot easier when they were the kings of mirrorless FF. Now that they trade that title back and forth with Canon and Nikon is edging their way in, they have to rethink their pricing. That's why we're seeing the RV on sale so early in its lifecycle, and the IV going on sale all of a sudden when it hasn't since it was released, at least in the US. It's also why the 6700 and the new pair of 7c cameras are priced lower than many expected. Sony now has to reckon with competition that hasn't existed at this level until recently.

This may mean big holiday sales and the 9III being announced shortly after.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Le Yawn...

 

[Landshark99]

I have no need for the A9III, it will probably be the same mp as the A9II just faster with even better af

 

[Brownie]

I have no need for the A9III, it will probably be the same mp as the A9II just faster with even better af

You're probably right, but I don't think Sony can afford to do that with the Z8 out there as a very fast, 45MP camera for $3500.

 

[AlphaWorld]

You're probably right, but I don't think Sony can afford to do that with the Z8 out there as a very fast, 45MP camera for $3500.

I don’t think so. The A9 III will be competing with the Canon R3 and its successor. The fast low-res body - there is still demand for such a camera.

The Z8 lines up against the A1, beating it on price (a lot!). Makes you wonder about a possible A1C…

I don’t know if Nikon can afford to run as many camera lines as Sony or Canon, and maybe they have decided not to try for the low-res / high speed niche, arguing that someone wanting a Nikon in that niche can be steered to the Z8? Could be a clever move on their part, or perhaps a pragmatic acceptance that they won’t have the penetration?

 

[Brownie]

I don’t think so. The A9 III will be competing with the Canon R3 and its successor. The fast low-res body - there is still demand for such a camera.

The Z8 lines up against the A1, beating it on price (a lot!). Makes you wonder about a possible A1C…

I don’t know if Nikon can afford to run as many camera lines as Sony or Canon, and maybe they have decided not to try for the low-res / high speed niche, arguing that someone wanting a Nikon in that niche can be steered to the Z8? Could be a clever move on their part, or perhaps a pragmatic acceptance that they won’t have the penetration?

The Z9 is clearly the Flagship and the A1 competition, not the Z8.

 

[AlphaWorld]

The Z9 is clearly the Flagship and the A1 competition, not the Z8.

There’s little difference between the Z9 and Z8 (well, big difference in weight!). Apart from the battery / grip, is there another difference?

To me it makes sense to line the two up together.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

There’s little difference between the Z9 and Z8 (well, big difference in weight!). Apart from the battery / grip, is there another difference?

To me it makes sense to line the two up together.

And price!

 

[Brownie]

There’s little difference between the Z9 and Z8 (well, big difference in weight!). Apart from the battery / grip, is there another difference?

To me it makes sense to line the two up together.

There are differences, one is the price. The Z9 is their flagship. Is there something else we need to know to understand where it falls in the pecking order?

 

[liggy]

IIRC the Z8 has mixed card slots. Only one CF slot - the other is SD only.

Still a lot of bang for the buck if you're a Nikon shooter.
Both of them are just too big and unattractive for me to use as a general use camera.

 

[RogerSmith]

Sony might be in a tough spot on this one. Keep it at 24mp and professional journalists will be fine, their workflows unchanged. But enthusiasts and hobbyists will be displeased as they were looking for cropping and overall resolution (and the lighter or absent AA filter that seems to be paired to higher MP sensors).

 

[liggy]

Sony might be in a tough spot on this one. Keep it at 24mp and professional journalists will be fine, their workflows unchanged. But enthusiasts and hobbyists will be displeased as they were looking for cropping and overall resolution (and the lighter or absent AA filter that seems to be paired to higher MP sensors).

If Sony goes to 33mp, takes out the AA and adds the AI trained subject recognition I could see upgrading from the A9II to the III instead of the A1 II whenever that comes out.

Having more pixels is really useful for cropping so another 24mp body wouldn’t interest me. 40mp would be even better but might step on the A1s toes a bit.

 

[Brownie]

40mp would be even better but might step on the A1s toes a bit.

I wonder how much of a concern that is with the A1ii being rumored? But then, since they held the same sensor in the RV as the RIV, we can probably expect them to stay with the 50MP sensor. Seems like they do that regularly

Same size sensor A7 > A7II > A7III
Same size Sensor A9 > A9II
Same size sensor A7SII > A7SIII
Same size sensor A7R IV > A7R V

I'm betting the A7 V, when released, will have the same sensor as the A7 IV with the fancier AF.

The thing is neither the current 33 nor the 42 are suitable for a fast camera. Neither is stacked and neither one fast enough for that kind of speed. If they do go with more MP it will have to be completely new. Since the earlier rumors promised it to be the fastest camera ever made, there's a good chance they won't stray too far from the 24MP. One rumor put it at 29MP. Is it worth what will probably be $4500-$5000 for 'AI' AF and a 5% bump in MP?

 

[spudhead]

I wonder how much of a concern that is with the A1ii being rumored? But then, since they held the same sensor in the RV as the RIV, we can probably expect them to stay with the 50MP sensor. Seems like they do that regularly

Same size sensor A7 > A7II > A7III
Same size Sensor A9 > A9II
Same size sensor A7SII > A7SIII
Same size sensor A7R IV > A7R V

I'm betting the A7 V, when released, will have the same sensor as the A7 IV with the fancier AF.

The thing is neither the current 33 nor the 42 are suitable for a fast camera. Neither is stacked and neither one fast enough for that kind of speed. If they do go with more MP it will have to be completely new. Since the earlier rumors promised it to be the fastest camera ever made, there's a good chance they won't stray too far from the 24MP. One rumor put it at 29MP. Is it worth what will probably be $4500-$5000 for 'AI' AF and a 5% bump in MP?

not to me Tim it would be the a1 mk1 in that case, and what a waste of time waiting, I wont buy the a1 mk2

 

[Brownie]

Whoops, 20% bump, not 5%. I meant to say a 5MP increase and misworded.

 

[liggy]

Who am I kidding... I'd probably just wait for the A1 II.

Trying to get a young friend to teach me video editing.

 

[spudhead]

Who am I kidding... I'd probably just wait for the A1 II.

Trying to get a young friend to teach me video editing.

why?

 

[liggy]

why?

Why on the video or A1 II?

Video - Mostly for promoting my band. My main retirement activity has been playing music. One of the reasons I retired a little early was that my musical collaborator and friend for over 30 years died unexpectedly and it really threw me for a loop. On top of that my mother in law passed shortly thereafter and she was really sweet - a big loss and to make matters worse or pooch was going on 18 and passed a month after that.

We had just discussed version 5.0 of our next band. He was an excellent musician and did the hard job of being bandleader which frankly - I hate. Hustling gigs, arranging rehearsals, managing the musicians, crafting set lists for specific audiences / venues etc. - it's a giant PITA.

I like to show up and play but the current band is killing it so I need to get a bit more promotional material on board because I have some of the best musicians in Seattle on board now. I committed to only playing about 4x per year so each gig is more special - more of an event than a regular thing. All the cats are on board with that.

I'm playing with 4 other bands around town so I get to have fun without the responsibility with those bands and that keeps me playing regularly.


Why on the A1 MkII?

If I opted for the A9III I'm sure I'd get GAS when the A1 II comes out and it would be more cost effective just to buy once, cry once.

In the meantime the A9II is a most excellent backup to the A1 and the A1 is still the most amazing camera I've ever used.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

If Sony goes to 33mp, takes out the AA and adds the AI trained subject recognition I could see upgrading from the A9II to the III instead of the A1 II whenever that comes out.

Having more pixels is really useful for cropping so another 24mp body wouldn’t interest me. 40mp would be even better but might step on the A1s toes a bit.

Interesting point about the sensors not being stacked and not suitable for ultra fast, but most of the Canon range aren't using stacked sensors (only the R3 and R5) but are still giving 20 and 30fps on E Shutter. Most use the 24mp sensor except the R7 which is 32mp APSC. I do wonder how bad rolling shutter is.

 

[AlphaWorld]

I wonder how much of a concern that is with the A1ii being rumored? But then, since they held the same sensor in the RV as the RIV, we can probably expect them to stay with the 50MP sensor. Seems like they do that regularly

Same size sensor A7 > A7II > A7III
Same size Sensor A9 > A9II
Same size sensor A7SII > A7SIII
Same size sensor A7R IV > A7R V

I'm betting the A7 V, when released, will have the same sensor as the A7 IV with the fancier AF.

The thing is neither the current 33 nor the 42 are suitable for a fast camera. Neither is stacked and neither one fast enough for that kind of speed. If they do go with more MP it will have to be completely new. Since the earlier rumors promised it to be the fastest camera ever made, there's a good chance they won't stray too far from the 24MP. One rumor put it at 29MP. Is it worth what will probably be $4500-$5000 for 'AI' AF and a 5% bump in MP?

And A7RII, A7RIII, too.

But the A9II was a sort-of semi-model - not really enough to justify a full model, but Sony needed a new sport camera for the Tokyo Olympics, and the A1 wasn’t ready for release, so they cobbled together the A9II.

I agree that they almost certainly won’t be using the A1 sensor in the A9 III, so they’ll need a new stacked sensor - something super-fast. I’m hoping they concentrate on the speed and ignore the noise about “gotta have more pixels” - that isn’t coming from their target market, anyway.

For the A1 II, though, I’m hoping it gets a new sensor - I’d welcome more speed, or more pixels, or a bit of both. You could argue that they have precedent with A7RII not using the same sensor as the A7R.

I wonder if Sony might have something interesting planned for the A7V - maybe keep the resolution the same, but use a somewhat faster, but still unstacked sensor - Canon have such a sensor in their R5, don’t they? The idea being to reduce the rolling shutter.

The next few releases could be very interesting (a lot more so than the last one )

 

[andrewluke]

Interesting point about the sensors not being stacked and not suitable for ultra fast, but most of the Canon range aren't using stacked sensors (only the R3 and R5) but are still giving 20 and 30fps on E Shutter. Most use the 24mp sensor except the R7 which is 32mp APSC. I do wonder how bad rolling shutter is.

Canon R5 does not have stacked sensor

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Canon R5 does not have stacked sensor

So there you go, and it's does 20fps, no rolling?

 

[andrewluke]

So there you go, and it's does 20fps, no rolling?

Canon R5: Is the Electronic Shutter Usable for Action Photography

The R5 is an incredible camera, but there are still some question marks. One, for example, is how useful the electronic shutter really is, in difficult scenarios like bird photography or sport. The electronic shutter mode for the Canon EOS R5 has an impressive spec sheet with 20 fps, all while...

fstoppers.com

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Ha I was just looking at that. So it does, so it's pants then