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The new king of high ISO is coming
- Thread starter singveld
- Start date
OMG total silent shutter - total electronic shutter.
OMG this camera is fxxking fantastic.
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Sony adds silent mode and 15.3 stops in RAW via fw upgrade on the new Sony A7S!
Our friend David from Photoclubalpha got a confirmation from Sony that the Sony A7s has a complete silent shutter mode! Early beta testers of the A7s got a firmware upgrade that adds the feature. The firmware fixes and upgrades are:
- α7S now offers a ‘Silent Shooting’ mode
- ISO range for Movie Shooting extended to ISO100 – 102400, expandable to ISO100 – 409600
- Dynamic Range extended to 15.3 stops as sensor RAW output
David writes:
This is not the same as the Electronic First Curtain shutter found on the A7, A99, A77, A6000 and so on but conspicuously absent on the A7R. Nor is it the same as the near-silent leaf shutter terminated exposure mode of the RX100 models, RX10, or RX1 models. It’s completely free of all mechanical action and totally silent.
Sounds terrific!
OMG this camera is fxxking fantastic.
----------------------------------------
Sony adds silent mode and 15.3 stops in RAW via fw upgrade on the new Sony A7S!
Our friend David from Photoclubalpha got a confirmation from Sony that the Sony A7s has a complete silent shutter mode! Early beta testers of the A7s got a firmware upgrade that adds the feature. The firmware fixes and upgrades are:
- α7S now offers a ‘Silent Shooting’ mode
- ISO range for Movie Shooting extended to ISO100 – 102400, expandable to ISO100 – 409600
- Dynamic Range extended to 15.3 stops as sensor RAW output
David writes:
This is not the same as the Electronic First Curtain shutter found on the A7, A99, A77, A6000 and so on but conspicuously absent on the A7R. Nor is it the same as the near-silent leaf shutter terminated exposure mode of the RX100 models, RX10, or RX1 models. It’s completely free of all mechanical action and totally silent.
Sounds terrific!
Released on the heels of the a7 and a7R mirrorless cameras, at the end of 2013, Sony has just announced the third model in this series: the a7S. Unlike the previous two models, the a7S, which stands for “Sensitivity,” is built with an entirely different kind of image-maker in mind. Right off the bat, the a7S's major selling points are a reduced resolution, yet still full-frame, 12.2MP CMOS sensor; the ability to record Ultra HD 4K (3840 x 2160) video with no pixel binning to an external recorder; and an expandable sensitivity range to ISO 409600.
At the core of the a7S is a newly-designed 12.2MP full-frame Exmor CMOS sensor, which works in conjunction with the same BIONZ X image processor found in the a7 and a7R cameras. The upgraded performance and enhanced technology found in the S model is capable of delivering an extended dynamic range, notably low image noise, and an extended sensitivity range of ISO 50-409600. Like the a7R, the a7S's sensor structure incorporates the unique on-chip gapless lens design to help increase light-gathering efficiency and promote greater image quality across the entirety of the sensor plane.
The combination of the processor and sensor also accentuates performance-related attributes throughout the camera system, including an apt 25-point contrast-detection AF system, which is sensitive to light levels as low as -4 EV; a top Speed Priority continuous shooting rate of 5 fps, as well as a 2.5 fps shooting rate with maintained autofocus; and support for an array of advanced video-recording capabilities.
Speaking of video capabilities, the a7S sees the most marked differences compared to its a7 counterparts with its ability to record 8-bit 4:2:2 UHD 3840 x 2160-resolution video to an optional external recorder via its micro HDMI output. For UHD video, the a7S utilizes a full pixel readout, eliminating any pixel-binning process. Beyond a noticeable difference in image quality alone, this technology also helps to lessen the chances of aliasing, false color artifacts, and moiré from occurring.
The a7S also gives you the option of recording HD resolutions internally to an SD memory card. Internally, 1080p recording has been boosted over the other a7 cameras by making use of the high-quality XAVC S format, with a data rate of 50Mbps. Video recording can be done using both the full-frame and cropped APS-C-sized regions of the image sensor, with the latter affording you the ability to record HD 720p video at a up to 120 fps for super slow-motion playback.
In an effort to improve on the professional video-recording capabilities of the a7S, support is available for the Sony’s S-Log2 Gamma setting, which expands the effective dynamic range by 1300% for increased detail in shadow and highlight regions. Dedicated picture profiles, such as black, level, gamma, and color adjustments, and a variety of markers, including zebra, can be employed for greater exposure control.
In regard to the physical structure of the a7S, it resembles that of the a7 and a7R: compact and sleek. It features the same 0.5" XGA OLED Tru-Finder EVF, with 2.36m-dot resolution, and the tilting 3.0" 921.6k-dot Xtra Fine LCD monitor. For extending the viewing and control capabilities of the camera, built-in Wi-Fi connectivity with NFC enables instant sharing and support for remote camera control from linked mobile devices.
In comparison to the a7 and a7R, the new a7S firmly holds its own and serves to further round out the broad-ranged abilities of the entire a7 series. While the a7R meets the high-resolution photographer's needs and the a7 sits as a versatile all-rounder, the a7S is poised to live up to its namesake in regard to Sensitivity. It is positioned to appeal to photographers and videographers who have a need to produce high-resolution video content as well as the ability to work in some of the most challenging of lighting conditions imaginable.
ridiculous in what?
The fight is now on for High ISO bragging rights but the figures are way beyond practical applications.
Ever more exciting: Spectacular Sony A7S will boast silent shooting, wider movie sensitivity and more
Launched this April, the full-frame Sony A7S mirrorless -- which sports an exquisitely sensitive, low-light friendly 4K image sensor -- has to be one of the most thrilling camera announcements in recent memory.
Ever since it was first announced, the A7S has had fans of low-light shooting or high-quality video on the edge of their seats in anticipation of its availability. Doubly-so with last month's news that the A7S would be shipping at a reasonably affordable US$2,500. Now, more news has come to light that will take the excitement up another notch or two, especially for nature shooters and others for whom a quiet camera is a must-have.
The reason? An announcement from Sony Europe that, when it goes on sale next month, the new model will boast a Silent Shooting function. The press release, spotted by the folks at Photoclubalpha, doesn't elaborate, but rumor has it that the Silent Shooting mode is fully electronic. That is to say that no mechanical shutter curtain is used either to start or stop exposure, unlike some cameras which can use an electronic first curtain for reduced noise, but still rely on a noise-inducing mechanical second curtain to complete the exposure.
If true, the Sony A7S is going to be uniquely-suited to any environment where silence is key, whether to avoid attracting the attention of your subject, to prevent untoward noise from being captured on a simultaneous still / video shoot, or for any other reason.
Nor is that all! The press release also touts an expanded movie sensitivity range that now starts from ISO 100 equivalent, rather than the ISO 200 lower limit we'd been expecting. (The upper limit of ISO 102,400 equivalent in movie mode, expandable to ISO 409,600, remains unchanged.) And Sony also says that it has achieved a wider-than-expected dynamic range of 15.3 stops when shooting in raw format.
All of which is likely to make the queue to get hands-on with a Sony A7S even longer. For much more on this very interesting camera, read our Sony A7S preview.
Launched this April, the full-frame Sony A7S mirrorless -- which sports an exquisitely sensitive, low-light friendly 4K image sensor -- has to be one of the most thrilling camera announcements in recent memory.
Ever since it was first announced, the A7S has had fans of low-light shooting or high-quality video on the edge of their seats in anticipation of its availability. Doubly-so with last month's news that the A7S would be shipping at a reasonably affordable US$2,500. Now, more news has come to light that will take the excitement up another notch or two, especially for nature shooters and others for whom a quiet camera is a must-have.
The reason? An announcement from Sony Europe that, when it goes on sale next month, the new model will boast a Silent Shooting function. The press release, spotted by the folks at Photoclubalpha, doesn't elaborate, but rumor has it that the Silent Shooting mode is fully electronic. That is to say that no mechanical shutter curtain is used either to start or stop exposure, unlike some cameras which can use an electronic first curtain for reduced noise, but still rely on a noise-inducing mechanical second curtain to complete the exposure.
If true, the Sony A7S is going to be uniquely-suited to any environment where silence is key, whether to avoid attracting the attention of your subject, to prevent untoward noise from being captured on a simultaneous still / video shoot, or for any other reason.
Nor is that all! The press release also touts an expanded movie sensitivity range that now starts from ISO 100 equivalent, rather than the ISO 200 lower limit we'd been expecting. (The upper limit of ISO 102,400 equivalent in movie mode, expandable to ISO 409,600, remains unchanged.) And Sony also says that it has achieved a wider-than-expected dynamic range of 15.3 stops when shooting in raw format.
All of which is likely to make the queue to get hands-on with a Sony A7S even longer. For much more on this very interesting camera, read our Sony A7S preview.
Sony confirm silent mode in A7S
Today, Sony confirmed a rumour – no doubt started as a result of pre-production tester leaks – that the A7S would have a completely silent all-electronic shutter mode. This is not the same as the Electronic First Curtain shutter found on the A7, A99, A77, A6000 and so on but conspicuously absent on the A7R. Nor is it the same as the near-silent leaf shutter terminated exposure mode of the RX100 models, RX10, or RX1 models. It’s completely free of all mechanical action and totally silent.
A7S seen with LA-EA4 and 24mm f/2 Carl Zeiss. I’ve got the adaptor, and this lens – they do work well on the A7R, but I don’t use them as my tiny Voigtlander Color Skopar SL II 20mm f/3.5, mounted on a Nikon fit Kipon tilt-shift adaptor, delivers the goods without the bulk or the battery drain. The 24mm also works well on the LA-EA3 adaptor without SLT mirror, but focusing is excruciatingly slow.
The silent shutter has been implemented as a firmware upgrade to the early production samples and future stocks, along with several other important firmware enhancements – all of which will have Sony owners wondering why improvements to their six-month old or one-year old purchases are not equally forthcoming. These are however improvements to a £2,100 camera body which will not hit the shops until the end of July 2014.
The firmware fixes and upgrades are:
α7S now offers a ‘Silent Shooting’ mode
ISO range for Movie Shooting extended to ISO100 – 102400, expandable to ISO100 – 409600
Dynamic Range extended to 15.3 stops as sensor RAW output
The silent mode is an option, and we would guess it carries some penalty in terms of available shutter speeds or noise performance. They say “For situations where absolute silence is required on a shoot, such as nature shoots or behind the scenes at a movie production, the α7S will offer the user the ability to activate ‘Silent Shooting’, thus making the photographer as unobtrusive as possible.”
A further upgrade is the expansion of the ISO range when shooting movies (previously limited to the native range). The α7S now offers the ability to shoot between ISO 100 -102,400 (native range) and is expandable to ISO 100-409,600 whilst still shooting capability remains at a staggering ISO 100-102,400 (again, the native range) expandable to ISO 50-409,600. The sensor’s dynamic range has also been further extended to 15.3 stops sensor RAW output. Technical note: as the bit depth remains unchanged and is presumed to be 14-bit ARW, this enhancement implies a modified raw gamma curve.
Other system improvements
You may wonder why we’ve pretty much given up reporting on new Sony products. Despite running three photographic magazines, we can’t easily get hold of review samples as all three magazines are professional or enthusiast market only. I’ve now run out of money and can’t afford to buy any of the new cameras or lenses, as the rate at which they have been released and the price levels make this difficult, and the dramatic collapse in secondhand values has clobbered my recent workround of buying-testing-selling. Things like the 28-70mm FE OSS lens for the A7 are worth almost nothing (under £200 used even from a UK dealer now) and most gear is losing 35-40% of its launch month value within two or three months. Also, the performance of much of this kit tends to be flawed or just not that impressive. It’s really hard to justify spending thousands on Sony gear which then turns out to be very ordinary, when companies like Olympus, Fujfilm, Nikon and Canon only need an email or a phone call to send test kit out just as soon as it’s available.
To work further against Sony’s interests, so much of the older Minolta and other optical gear I have been trying – even something as basic as my 70-210mm f/4 ‘beercan’ on the A7R with LA-EA4 – produces such beautiful results. What money I have spent recently has been on adaptors and on vintage lenses including Voigtlander, Canon and Nikon. I’ve not lost a penny on buying and selling these to find the best choices.
That's no longer a camera its a night vision device.
with a 35mm prime, maybe you should replace you olympus with this.
FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS (SEL70200G), A mode, 1/3200 sec., F5.6, ISO 12800, Auto white balance
Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS (SEL2470Z), A mode, 1/40 sec., F4, ISO 3200, Auto white balance
Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS (SEL2470Z), A mode, 1/25 sec., F8, +0.3 EV, ISO 100, Daylight white balance
FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS (SEL70200G), A mode, 1/3200 sec., F5.6, ISO 12800, Auto white balance
Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS (SEL2470Z), A mode, 1/40 sec., F4, ISO 3200, Auto white balance
Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS (SEL2470Z), A mode, 1/25 sec., F8, +0.3 EV, ISO 100, Daylight white balance
Here is a chart containing 100% crops of Sony A7S ARW files converted to JPEGs with no adjustments.
You can find the full res photos at
http://www.photographybay.com/2014/05/17/sony-a7s-full-res-sample-photos/
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