Sony a7S III vs a7S II Low Light Comparison | Is The a7S II Actually Better?

In this video I compare the low light capabilities of the Sony A7s III vs its predecessor the a7S II to see if the new version is better and if so, by how much? You'd think that with its back side illuminated sensor, improved colour science and 10 bit recording capabilities the a7S III should run rings around it's older sister...but it's just not that simple. Enjoy!

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#lowlight #sonya7siii #a7s3 #a7siii

[pcmaster]

Very interesting, the perceived sharpness from ISO 50k upwards (3:00) is way better for the A7S2 than the A7S3, but that's probably due to the NR in the S3 too

[frankvehafric]

Well, there's also the 2, 200 dollar price difference between a clean used A7SII and a new or newish A7SIII. As a retired person who is a hobbyist and not a pro, that's a significant variable.

[azyzmakhavi]

I'd rather choose a camera that gives better light at lower ISO such as a7sii because it avoids more noise.

[tompotten]

That shot at 6:21 is stunning, great video as usual Harv!

[Ahmadmzazai]

Wtf! You should have at least a million subscribers. Excellent personality and excellent content

[andreiwindstorm]

Honestly I like the colors more on the A7s II, and in fact it reproduced the colors more naturally in a city at night, I don't know why you're stating the opposite. The III looks like a dud with all that cold colors and green blobs and noise reduction. Sure the magenta artefacts are annoying on the A7S II at maximum iso, but no one in their right mind will go over 80-102 k anyway, so...

[KoelAnderson]

Great video Harv! An adjustable NR option would be great in a firmware update

[NightOwlsMedia]

outstanding video man! Thank you for the details and hard work!

[Arri.]

Id like to thank you Harv for making comparison between a7sii & a7siii

[markdelanoy]

Not sure if you knew this or it was said earlier (you mention it briefly at the end)... but per Philip Bloom if you externally record (atomos ninja v) it looks like crap out of camera but after using the noise reduction software of your choice... presto no noise. External recording apparently skips the internal noise reduction. If you dual record (internal vs. external) the external won't have the noise reduction whereas the internal will. To your point about Sony "please fix this" yes... but you do have alternatives if you want (and you get prores RAW, etc. but there's all of those costs (recorder, ssd's, batteries, cables, aka more stuff). Future video idea assuming you have an Atomos Ninja V (or can get a loaner) ... try this video again with both a7s-m2 and an m3 but use the Atomos. I'd be curious how they compare. m2 can only do 4:2:0 and limited prores when using the Ninja V. I'd also be curious about CINE2 on the m2 (per Gerald undone) and S-LOG3 on the m3 in low light.

[Josh.Vanjani]

Woah, I was literally just talking with a friend about this topic this morning! Definitely sharing it with him! Must be on the same wavelength ha ha 😎

[arnoldshining]

Loved the vid! I would also love a video on the new phantom luts for the a7s iii!

[Puertosimo]

Have you tried a comparison with the a7III? From what I see with some test, the a7III appear much cleaner than a7sIII (speaking of linear profiles). Log, after 12800, is better in the a7sIII. Color are always better in a7sIII. But speaking only of noise, I see much more noise in the a7sIII than a7III (visible especially in low light/underexposed situation). I also thought that there is much more noise reduction going on in the a7III but I haven't prove of that. I'm trying to figure out if I'm doing something wrong or that's effectively the case. Thanks!

[AiurMedia]

interesting comparison, i use a7sii shooting in slog2 at 12800iso all the time it's fantastic

[AlexandreG]

The fact that you show repeated footage side by side, that was shot at the same time, makes this a real comparison, opposite to what most channels around do.
They always manage to show a split screen comparison showing each side of the footage for each camera, making it a wasted comparison. Sometimes they do that correctly but they shoot it one after another instead of simultaneously, which depending on the subject, can make it an unfair comparison

[michellopes]

For stills, a shot at 204.800 ISO has acceptable noise?

[TheCentury]

I liked those shots in Bristol they have a character

[geckovision]

Thanks. Very nice work. The idea lower ISO values to avoid needing an ND filter is probably more intriguing than anything else for me. Did you find this was substantial for you too?

[PsychicWorldTV]

Hello Harv another awesome video please give us Raw desperate to hear your opinions and workflow I follow your channel religiously it has made all the difference in my work thank you

[DigitalDre]

Can you please compare a7iii to a7siii in good lighting conditions? In 4k30 please