Sony FX30: an aps-c FX3

... Since the fx30 was announced, ive also gotten in discussions that reminded me that the a7siii/fx3 is actually a Quad Bayer sensor that doesn't make any special use of the extra photosites. But having 4x the photosites Doubles the read noise. So, the argument is that those cameras could have better DR and noise if they had sprung for a better sensor design.

I think the argument is that users should have an option to choose, especially in stills. And in daytime.

BTW that new Samsung 200 MPX sensor has a 16X bin.

good point about the Quad Bayer. What is it exactly? i’ve not paid attention to it since the early days of the As73

It's a design where the camera sort of/kind of combines the data in certain (4-pixel) groupings in order to gain the low light performance at the expense of the resolution. Most smartphones give you that option. A7SIII does not.
 
Last edited:
JimGao, yeah, that's true re: shooting experience. I remember my 2nd shooter at a wedding a couple years back came with a bmpcc4k and zeiss cp.2's. I was looking at his monitor thinking, "wow, that looks a lot better than what I'm getting" when I realized that his monitor simply looked a lot better

Re: a7siii Quad bayer sensor and increased read noise: https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/surp...-bayer-sensor/
 
Last edited:
I think the argument is that users should have an option to choose, especially in stills. And in daytime.

The specific argument I had with someone in the comments section of sonyalpharumors was that he said the fx3 won't let you defeat in-camera noise reduction because it has really noisy RAW output on account of this sensor design.

The article I linked ij the above post speculates that Sony used a 48MP sensor to save money since they had already developed it. But it's not the optimal design for the camera
 
certainly difficult to speculate why, but at least we know that the A7S3 is the best in low light and one of the best in dynamic range that Sony has produced in the Alpha series.

My only hope is that as DLD suggests that there might be an 8K firmware update someday, just for fun.
 
The specific argument I had with someone in the comments section of sonyalpharumors was that he said the fx3 won't let you defeat in-camera noise reduction because it has really noisy RAW output on account of this sensor design.

The article I linked ij the above post speculates that Sony used a 48MP sensor to save money since they had already developed it. But it's not the optimal design for the camera

I'll speculate that Sony didn't want an active Quad Bayer sensor and 48 MPX for stills at that price point, which was the price point that the cartel agreed to for this particular item with these particular set of features. With 48 MPX, it would have been a dominant hybrid at $3,500. Plus, some shooters might have wondered why Sony didn't want to make it an 8K model.

And the answer is because the cartel wasn't ready for it yet. Now, presuming A7RV is announced soon, it may be.

Or maybe it'll be an A7SIV. Or maybe there's going to be a four year wait for SIV. Because Sony needs to temporarily step aside for Nikon, Sigma and Panasonic, or as we know them, Sony's Jr.

PS. Panasonic is apparently not out yet, releasing a couple of 1" camcorders in time for the IBC.
 
I'll speculate that Sony didn't want an active Quad Bayer sensor and 48 MPX for stills at that price point, which was the price point that the cartel agreed to for this particular item with these particular set of features. With 48 MPX, it would have been a dominant hybrid at $3,500. Plus, some shooters might have wondered why Sony didn't want to make it an 8K model.

Sure, I can understand why they wouldn't want to put out an 8K/4K quad bayer model.

But the question I was discussing with some other folks is why they didn't create a native 12MP sensor for the A7SIII. Such a sensor probably could have performed marginally better in a couple important regards than the 48MP sensor they used. The thinking was that they probably saved money reusing an extant 48MP sensor rather than developing a new 12MP one
 
Sure, I can understand why they wouldn't want to put out an 8K/4K quad bayer model.

But the question I was discussing with some other folks is why they didn't create a native 12MP sensor for the A7SIII. Such a sensor probably could have performed marginally better in a couple important regards than the 48MP sensor they used. The thinking was that they probably saved money reusing an extant 48MP sensor rather than developing a new 12MP one

That makes sense.
 
Sure, I can understand why they wouldn't want to put out an 8K/4K quad bayer model.

But the question I was discussing with some other folks is why they didn't create a native 12MP sensor for the A7SIII. Such a sensor probably could have performed marginally better in a couple important regards than the 48MP sensor they used. The thinking was that they probably saved money reusing an extant 48MP sensor rather than developing a new 12MP one

I'll speculate again - Sony may have had other plans for that sensor but then Covid interfered with the best laid plans. Conceivably, it may have been something like A7SIIIc much like the barely reworked A7c. At the end, they did release A7IVa. Maybe they were considering something similar with A7SIII.

Or not.
 
Is it possible an e mount to e mount speed booster will be made? my guess is no?

I don't believe so. Certainly, it would need to have more complex optics than a typical speedbooster. I don't think anyone will try to make it. But a canon/sony speedbooster should work just fine
 
An e-mount to e-mount wouldn't be a "speed booster". One would just get the lowest f-stop lens such as Noctilux or Nikkor S Noct. If ya gots the cash.
 
I suppose the 24-105 FF would still function great with a Super 35mm crop and not lose too much lens resolution.
 
Or 26th.

Also rumors of a 45MPX 8K Nikon Z7III (not 61MPX 8K Z8, which may come out in 2023), which also sets up Sony A7RV ... with Z8 specs in 2022.
 
Last edited:
Sony always makes these loaded, intriguing cameras for not that much money, something Canon rarely ever does.
 
I always wanted to make a film about samurai. Just didn't have the perfect camera for it.
 
Back
Top