The first show of 2018 was The Frame Defect’s “In Error” EP Release show at the Bovine Sex Club, which I actually had never been in all my years of concert going in Toronto. Red Handed Denial also played that night, seeing as the bands are great friends and also share a bassist (so no you didn’t imagine it, Dom did appear in both sets of photos).
Sony a7R III Quick Impressions
I figured the venue was going to be small with not-so-spectacular lighting, I didn’t feel like using flash, but mostly I just have been very bored of shooting, so I borrowed my friend’s new Sony a7R III for the night. I’ve never used a mirrorless camera before and consciously avoided knowing anything about it because I didn’t want to be tempted to switch systems!!! I am very, very committed and loyal to the Canon gear that I have accumulated over the years… Anyway, I didn’t spend much time with the camera before shooting with it so I had to figure things out on the fly.
Things I didn’t enjoy:
- There’s no way to only have image review on the LCD and not in the viewfinder. I would like to see image review once in a while but turning it on for 2 seconds mean I lose shooting time because it shows up in the EVF as well…
- The many AF modes were so confusing and I wish I had more time to test out all the options to see which one would work best
- Too many options is actually an issue, or having to click too many buttons to locate the correct setting in the menu made it harder to switch modes on the fly.
- Large file sizes… I don’t want 42MB files! All it means is perhaps being more selective in the photos I keep. Is there a point keeping 50 burst photos anyway (not really)?
Things I liked:
- It’s so light, it doesn’t strain my neck or wrist, this is a giant plus
- The burst mode is crazy fast, works well for drummer shots
- It does quite well in lowlight, I would have to admit it’s probably even better than my current gear
- Needless to say the photo quality is obviously better: the a7R III sensor has TWICE the resolution of the 6D
I’ll admit after writing this all down I’m now more inclined to switch than before, and then I look at the lens prices and I’m like… probably not.
All photos here shot on Sony a7R III with a 20mm f/2.8 and a 50mm f/1.8
The Frame Defect
Go listen to them.
Lauren of Red Handed Denial’s doing guest vocals on Monophobic, so much joy :’)
Red Handed Denial
The Author
I arrived at the venue towards the end of their set, grabbed a few shots while getting warmed up.
