Now I don’t write that often about gear. But less than 2 weeks ago I picked up Sony’s latest offering to the world of full frame cameras the a7 iii. For the last 12 years, I’ve been shooting with full frame Canons. First I had the 1d mark ii, then the 1Ds mark ii and finally the 5D mark ii. Notice how I like the mark ii versions of my cameras. There is a method to this madness. It’s often the case that the first version of any camera, from any manufacturer, simply doesn’t quite live up to the hype. Often plagued by technical issues or simply lacking features that should be included. Mark ii versions often seem to be more solid options.

With so many technological advancements, I honestly think there’s never been a better time to be a photographer

Sony were no different in this aspect. They had problems with overheating and the lack of a silent shutter put me off both the mark i and ii versions. Then 4 months ago Sony released the a7 mark iii. It promised everything I thought I wanted. But I didn’t rush in a place a pre-order. I wanted others to do that first and find out if there were any real problems with this camera.

It didn’t take long to discover that this piece of kit was simply amazing and it was time to retire my old Canon gear. It was on a quick trip back to the UK that I picked up the a7 iii.

For those who haven’t seen the specs (or reviews) check them out here on Amazon 

Don’t get me wrong the Canons worked amazingly for many years. It’s just that recently they haven’t kept up with the technological advancements of Sony. They are still missing lots of technology, things like silent shutter, eye autofocus, in body stabilisation. Not to mention the disadvantages of the extra size and weight that a DSLR has.

Changing from one Camera brand to another isn’t a decision that any photographer should take lightly. It’s not cheap for starters and then there’s a whole new learning curve to start. Another one of my major concerns and why I hadn’t jumped to Sony earlier were lenses. The 2 Lenses I have for the a7 iii are the 28mm f/2 and the 55mm f/1.8. Both very good lenses and, more importantly, small. I’m giving up on zoom lenses for the moment and sticking to primes 100%

So far I love the Sony, it’s very fast and quiet (well silent!), the autofocus is also incredible. At the moment I’m struggling to find any downsides to the system… Actually, I’ve thought of one! I’d really like to see some more small lenses. The decent lenses that do exist for the Sonys are generally quite large.

Both Canon and Nikon seem to now be at least trying to catch up with recent announcements of the R-mount (Canon) and Z-mount (Nikon) series of cameras. Looking at the specs I don’t think either will challenge the a7 iii, but I’m sure both companies will get there, I have no doubt about that.

For those following me on my journey through Europe I’ve uploaded an up to date map (actually it’s not quite up to date as we arrived in Crete last night). I think we’ll be in Greece for a couple of months at least.