After using the A7III for about a month, I'm still in two minds about using it as my main B-roll camera.
Currently, I'm still loving the M5 and M6. Although resolution is not as crisp as the 4K or even the 1080 on the A7III, the M5/6 is a far greater joy to use on account of their rock-solid touchsceen Dual Pixel Autofocus and intuitive touch menu.
The A7III 's menu I feel has become even worse. The only saving grace is that there is greater flexibility in assigning custom buttons. APS-C mode can now be toggled on and off easily and so is the viewfinder/ LCD toggle function.
I must have spent close to an hour trying to configure the A7III to autofocus like the M5 and even then it's still not as fast as DPAF. In APS-C mode however the focus tracking improves markedly, making me a fan of shooting in cropped mode now.
Luckily, the low-light performance of the A7III is astounding even in APS-C mode. I have no qualms shooting at ISO 10,000 with the A7III but I get nervous going to ISO 3200 on the M5.
In cropped mode, the A7III really shines with older APS-C lenses. I tested a Sony 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 Motorised Zoom and it felt like shooting with top-end camcorder. Touch focus was fast and accurate. A little bokeh is still possible and thanks to the insanely clean ISO, zooming at constant f6.3 is a viable strategy for most venues.
The A7III's Optical Image stabilisation is good in static shots but not as steady as the electronic IS of the M5. But Canon's EIS is also the main culprit for the M5's softer looking 1080p.
Perhaps the most significant advantage of the A7III over the EOS-M range is audio. Headphones and mic ports work like they should and the optional XLR-K2M takes the audio performance to another level. The A7III is definitely a much better interview camera then the M5.
Currently, I'm still loving the M5 and M6. Although resolution is not as crisp as the 4K or even the 1080 on the A7III, the M5/6 is a far greater joy to use on account of their rock-solid touchsceen Dual Pixel Autofocus and intuitive touch menu.
The A7III 's menu I feel has become even worse. The only saving grace is that there is greater flexibility in assigning custom buttons. APS-C mode can now be toggled on and off easily and so is the viewfinder/ LCD toggle function.
I must have spent close to an hour trying to configure the A7III to autofocus like the M5 and even then it's still not as fast as DPAF. In APS-C mode however the focus tracking improves markedly, making me a fan of shooting in cropped mode now.
Luckily, the low-light performance of the A7III is astounding even in APS-C mode. I have no qualms shooting at ISO 10,000 with the A7III but I get nervous going to ISO 3200 on the M5.
In cropped mode, the A7III really shines with older APS-C lenses. I tested a Sony 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 Motorised Zoom and it felt like shooting with top-end camcorder. Touch focus was fast and accurate. A little bokeh is still possible and thanks to the insanely clean ISO, zooming at constant f6.3 is a viable strategy for most venues.
The A7III's Optical Image stabilisation is good in static shots but not as steady as the electronic IS of the M5. But Canon's EIS is also the main culprit for the M5's softer looking 1080p.
Perhaps the most significant advantage of the A7III over the EOS-M range is audio. Headphones and mic ports work like they should and the optional XLR-K2M takes the audio performance to another level. The A7III is definitely a much better interview camera then the M5.
