Sony a9 mark III Initial thoughts

Since receiving a preproduction model, I have intensely tested the new Sony a9 mark III. I had hoped to write a mini-review by now, but it simply wouldn’t be objective, fair or accurate this early on. There is a new level of menu item adjustments (yes, even more choices to make), with too many combinations to test everything thoroughly. I received my production models early last week, and I will write a full review and let you know the best settings once I get home from my Alaska Eagles Galore Workshops in mid-March (Two spots have opened up due to cancellations). Until then, stay tuned for tidbits (bits & bobs).

I wanted to test the camera as much as freeze the wingtips, so I adjusted my ISO to 25,600 (Which happens to be the camera’s maximum native sensitivity), shutter speed to 1/5,000s and shot wide open at f/8 (600 f/4 lens plus 2X extender). I can honestly say I am impressed so far; I applied some noise removal software (in Adobe Camera Raw) and love the resulting images.

The auto-focus works even better than the now three-year-old flagship, the Alpha 1. Still, my time with difficult-to-photograph birds has been limited, and I haven’t tried all of the AF menu setting combinations, so I feel it is too early to make the final judgement on how much better.

120 Frames per second RAW capture is insane! You must learn to become a ruthless editor and cull everything but the best images. Gone are the days of my wishing for a slightly later or earlier frame to get a better wing position! This camera is a real game-changer!