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Author Topic: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade  (Read 4708 times)

Eric Kellerman

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Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« on: January 24, 2018, 10:12:58 am »

I've had my camera for two weeks. Three annoyances so far, the first more annoying than the others:

1. EyeAF. I frequently use a tripod with a cable shutter release, but there is no way that I know of to engage EyeAF without holding down the programmed button on the camera at the same time. It would be great to be able to toggle EyeAF on and off by pressing a button once.

2. When playing back an image taken in portrait mode, zooming in causes the camera to switch to landscape mode.

3. I can't format a card via the Function menu button. The easiest means of access I have found to the Format command is via My Menu.
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Kevin Raber

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2018, 10:33:12 am »

Eric,  I can tell you Sony has heard these suggestions already.  I have sat with their engineers and talked about a lot of these.  Eye AF especially.  As far as formatting a card I vote that it still goes through the menu with all the chances provided to change your mind.  It only takes a minute.  Plus the formatting time. 
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Eric Kellerman

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2018, 11:31:23 am »

Thank you, Kevin. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Perhaps other a7riii users will also weigh in with suggestions.
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ski542002

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2018, 12:08:42 pm »

Absolutely loving my entry into the Sony system with my A7R3 & 6500; took delivery late December.  Coming from Canon (a lot), and another "now sold" mirrorless system. I don't shoot a lot of "run-and-gun" PR kinds of shooting, but when I do I heavily rely on seeing a brief preview in the viewfinder. Invaluable when I'm shooting people quickly.  I can see immediately their expressions, especially looking for closed eyes. 2 seconds is unnecessarily long for me to make a decision to take another shot(s).  Would love to see a 1 second or even a 1/2 second preview.

As I continue to understand this complex system, I'll have additional requests to submit. Overall fantastic so far!
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HywelPhillips

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2018, 04:30:34 am »

Getting an A7Riii to supplement my A7Rii shortly.

Number one request for firmware- an option to turn off the "star killer" spatial filtering for astro-landscapes.

Hywel
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E.J. Peiker

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2018, 08:52:12 am »

Some items from my forthcoming review of the a7R III:

- Fix the "bug" that puts the camera in shutter button focus mode, regardless of how the camera is set-up when going into pixel shift mode.
- Add back the in-camera intervalometer
- The exposure compensation dial is a useless wheel for manual mode shooters - allow it to be customized
- Lossless compressed RAW
- Eliminate the Star Eater phenomenon
- Allow focusing in Bright Monitoring mode
- Make the touchscrren useful (menu item selections, image review, etc)
- Fix the menu jumping issue -  For example If I last used an item on MyMenu and then took a photo and viewed the image on the rear screen and then hit the Menu button again, the menu comes up on the Playback 1 page rather than the My Menu page that was last used.
- Fix only using the -2 to +2 portion of the metering scale in the viewfinder when shooting in manual mode (the scale goes from -5 to +5 but only from -2 to +2 is active in manual mode)
- Provide an option to write all the camera settings to an SD card for safe keeping like every other camera maker.  Currently, if the camera has to be reset for any reason or if it is serviced, you have to go through every menu item again to set-up the camera.
- Add automatic focus stacking


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JayWPage

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2018, 12:11:55 pm »

- Provide an option to write all the camera settings to an SD card for safe keeping like every other camera maker.  Currently, if the camera has to be reset for any reason or if it is serviced, you have to go through every menu item again to set-up the camera.

It is possible to write camera settings to the card using M1 to M4 under menu item "MR: 1/2 Memory". I have mode 1 to 3 stored on a card as M1 - M3

My wishes are as listed above: allow the eye focus to be locked "on" by using an assigned button, allow manual focus for pixel shift and add a focus stacking feature.

I think the shutter button auto focusing is responsible for the random (and otherwise unexplained), slightly blurry images I have sometimes taken while testing the pixel shift feature.
« Last Edit: January 27, 2018, 11:38:31 am by JayWPage »
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E.J. Peiker

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2018, 12:20:57 pm »

It is possible to write camera settings to the card using M1 to M4 under menu item "MR: 1/2 Memory". I have mode 1 to 3 stored on a card as M1 - M3
Yes that is true.  It would be nice though to be able to write the entire camera set-up, to a card, not just shooting mode set-ups.
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ski542002

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2018, 09:59:35 pm »

Have a definite bug to report that a firmware update will hopefully address.  Just started a post in DPReview to see if others are having this issue.  I apologize for the lengthy description.

“Setting effect on”  PROBLEM:

Having an issue with my A7R3 and live view. In Live View (setting effect IS enabled) when I’m shooting AE. I can dial in exp. comp. and get a very good representation of how the exposure looks, especially when using on-camera fill flash. I know fully well I won’t get a live view representation of my flash exposure, just ambient.

Scenario...
Setting effect is enabled in the menu. At a set aperture/shutter speed the monitor or EVF gives me a close approximation of how the image would look. Thats how it IS supposed to function. IF I mount and turn on ANY hot shoe TTL speed light (I’m using Flashpoint) the Setting effect function automatically DISABLES. That’s NOT how it’s supposed to function. When I’m doing on-camera-speedlight shooting, where the flash is set to fill my ambient, I want a live view (Setting effect enabled). Why is the camera disabling the Setting effect in this scenario without me touching the menus?

UPDATE I tested, IF I turn on a mounted speedlight, the setting effect in either the EVF or monitor disables BUT, even when disabled the Live View Display STILL says "setting effect on", but it IS off.   This “has to be a bug in the A7r3”.

On my A6500, under the same circumstances, the 6500 works as intended.  IF Setting effect IS enabled, it stays enabled regardless of using or not using a mounted speed light.

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the_luminous_french

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2018, 03:37:47 pm »

what a crap level... but i don't think it can be more accurate with a firmware update... probably an hardware precision problem...

and as always, no level when you are shooting repros (upside down)

i'd like to have different ratios (but with full frame raw)... let say square, 4x5, 4x3, 2x3, 16x9

in camera intervalometer


« Last Edit: January 31, 2018, 04:33:05 am by the_luminous_french »
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DannyBurk

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #10 on: January 31, 2018, 01:13:47 am »

More than anything:  in-camera aspect ratios for 1:1, 3:4, 4:5, and panoramic. I have a strong dislike for 3:2 ratio and don't compose for it, and composing in the Sony for 3:4 and 4:5 is particularly difficult since they don't match to the 6x4 gridlines.

It's hard to believe that these haven't been added yet. A Canon 5DSR has all of these and more; even the little Sony RX100V has 1:1 and 3:4!
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jordanreeder

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #11 on: February 12, 2018, 07:03:19 pm »

It would be nice if they could create a vibration delay shutter release function...similar to the Phase One XF  :D

Jordan
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HywelPhillips

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #12 on: February 13, 2018, 05:25:43 am »

It would be nice if they could create a vibration delay shutter release function...similar to the Phase One XF  :D

Jordan

Doesn't electronic first curtain shutter get rid of that problem entirely? I have that on permanently for my A7Rii and get no shutter shock.

Hywel
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E.J. Peiker

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #13 on: February 13, 2018, 08:23:26 am »

Doesn't electronic first curtain shutter get rid of that problem entirely? I have that on permanently for my A7Rii and get no shutter shock.

Hywel
That's not at all the same thing.  There are two different items to address in response to your post.  First, there is still the motion of the shutter closing which has some minimal impact on the end of the exposure with electronic first curtain shutter.  Second, and this is what the post above yours was addressing is a mode where the camera won't take a shot until it is settled.  For example, lets say you are shooting in gusty conditions, even on a sturdy tripod there is some movement of the camera.  A vibration delay shutter does not take a photo until the camera's motion sensors have determined that the motion of the camera is below a threshold where it could impact image quality.  The Phase One XF has such a system and that is what he is referring to - there is also a display of the vibration and you would be surprised how much motion there is even when your body is tellng you that things are completely still.  Another great use of this function would be when shooting off of a bridge - virtually all bridges have some vibration - by using this mode you can be certain that the shot is taken when the motion of the bridge is below the threshold where it could affect the photo.
« Last Edit: February 13, 2018, 08:27:22 am by E.J. Peiker »
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HywelPhillips

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #14 on: February 13, 2018, 01:24:16 pm »

Ah, got you. Cunning, I see the utility of that.

Cheers, Hywel
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the_luminous_french

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #15 on: February 14, 2018, 12:39:02 am »

It would be nice if they could create a vibration delay shutter release function...similar to the Phase One XF  :D

Jordan

For architecture shots i'm using Self Timer (2 seconds)... not the same stuff, but still handy !
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mshea

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #16 on: March 21, 2018, 03:44:21 pm »

I'd like an option for shooting at lower RAW megapixel sizes, like all my Canon's have.

Merrill
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Eric Brody

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #17 on: March 24, 2018, 12:24:07 pm »

My list agrees with that from E.J. Peiker but I'd put at the top as numbers 1, 2, and 3...

lossless compressed files (Nikon and Fuji seem to have had no problem with this)
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the_luminous_french

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #18 on: April 12, 2018, 02:03:42 pm »

still no firmware upgrade... sometimes i wish i had a A7R III made by Fuji ;-)
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Stephen Scharf

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Re: Wishlist for Sony a7riii firmware upgrade
« Reply #19 on: April 12, 2018, 10:58:58 pm »

still no firmware upgrade... sometimes i wish i had a A7R III made by Fuji ;-)

You'll probaby get your firmware upgrade with the A7R IV ships...
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