Comparison Sony A7 III kit 28-70 vs Sony A7 II kit 28-70

The result shown by the camera in the DxOMark ranking.

DxOMark is one of the most popular and respected resources for expert camera testing. According to the test results, the camera receives a certain number of points; The more points, the higher the final score.

— CCD (CCD). Abbreviation for Charge-Coupled Device. In such sensors, information is read from the photosensitive element according to the “line at a time” principle — an electronic signal is output to the image processor in the form of separate lines (there is also a “frame at a time” variant). In general, such matrices have good characteristics, but they are more expensive than CMOS. In addition, they are poorly suited for some specific conditions — for example, shooting with point light sources in the frame — which is why you have to use various additional technologies in the camera, which also affect the cost.

— CMOS (CMOS). The main advantages of CMOS matrices are ease of manufacture, low cost and power consumption, more compact dimensions than those of CCDs, and the ability to transfer a number of functions (focus, exposure metering, etc.) directly to the sensor, thus reducing the dimensions of the camera. In addition, the camera processor can read the entire image from such a matrix at once (rather than line by line, as in CCD); this avoids distortion when shooting fast-moving objects. The main disadvantage of CMOS is the increased possibility of noise, especially at high ISO values.

— CMOS (CMOS) BSI. BSI is an abbreviation for the English phrase "Backside Illumination". This is the name of "inverted" CMOS sensors, the light on which does not penetrate from the side of the photodiodes, but from the back of the matrix (from the side of the subst...rate). With this implementation, the photodiodes receive more light, since it is not blocked by other elements of the image sensor. As a result, back-illuminated sensors boast high light sensitivity, which allows you to create images of better quality with less noise when shooting in low light conditions. BSI CMOS sensors require less light to properly expose a photo. In production, back-illuminated sensors are more expensive than traditional CMOS sensors.

— LiveMOS. A variety of matrices made using the technology of metal oxide semiconductors (MOS, MOS — Metal-Oxide Semiconductor). Compared to CMOS sensors, it has a simplified design, which provides less tendency to overheat and, as a result, a lower noise level. It is well suited for the "live" viewing mode (viewing in real time) of the image from the matrix on the screen or in the camera's viewfinder, which is why it received the word "Live" in the title. They also feature high data transfer rates.

The sensitivity range of a digital camera matrix. In digital photography, light sensitivity is expressed in the same ISO units as in film photography; however, unlike film, the light sensitivity of the sensor in a digital camera can be changed, which gives you more options for adjusting shooting parameters. High maximum light sensitivity is important if you have to use a lens with a low aperture (see Aperture), as well as when shooting dimly lit scenes and fast-moving objects; in the latter case, high ISO allows you to use low shutter speeds, which minimizes image blur. However, note that with an increase in the value of the applied ISO, the level of noise in the resulting images also increases.

Aperture of the lens installed in the camera or supplied with it in the kit (for models with detachable optics).

In a simplified way, this parameter can be described as the ability of the lens to transmit light - in other words, how much the light flux weakens when passing through the optics. It is believed that two main indicators affect the characteristics of light transmission: the size of the relative opening of the lens and its focal length. Aperture is the ratio of the first indicator to the second; in this case, the size of the active hole is taken as one and is generally omitted when recording, as a result, such a recording looks, for example, like this: f / 2.0. Accordingly, the larger the number after the fraction sign, the lower the aperture ratio, the less light the lens transmits.

Zoom lenses (zoom lenses), as a rule, have different aperture values for different focal lengths. For such optics, two values of this parameter are indicated in the characteristics, for the minimum and maximum focal lengths, for example, f / 2.8–4.5. There are also vario lenses that maintain a constant aperture over the entire range of focal lengths, but they are much more expensive than analogs with variable aperture.

The high light transmission of the lens is important if the camera is planned to be used for shooting in low light conditions or for shooting fast moving objects: high-aperture optics allow you to shoot at low sensor sensitivity (which...reduces the likelihood of noise) and at low shutter speeds (at which moving objects are less blurry) . This parameter also determines the depth of field of the imaged space: the higher the aperture ratio, the smaller the depth of field. Therefore, for shooting with artistic background blur (“bokeh”), it is recommended to use fast lenses.

The number of scene programs provided in the camera design.

Scene programs are preset settings for some of the most common shooting scenes - for example, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Sunset, etc. In addition to these presets, this list may include special effects and creative tools (such as color swap or fisheye), as well as exposure modes (see below). The presence of scene programs is especially useful for beginners and non-professional photographers, as it eliminates the need to tinker with each setting separately - just select the most suitable program, and all the necessary settings will be set automatically. The more scene programs the camera design provides, the wider its automatic adjustment capabilities.

The highest number of shots a camera can capture “in one go” in JPEG continuous shooting.

The technical features of modern digital cameras are such that during continuous shooting, photos have to be recorded in a special buffer, and only then, after the end of the series, they can be copied to a memory card. This buffer has a limited size, so the number of frames in one series is also limited. At the same time, we note that this indicator is usually indicated for shooting at the highest possible resolution (see "Maximum image size"); at lower resolutions, the volume of each image is reduced, and the number of frames in the series may turn out to be more than stated in the specifications.

JPEG, the most popular digital photography format today, is smaller and requires less processing power than RAW (see "Recording in RAW Format"). Therefore, in a JPEG series, as a rule, more frames are available to the photographer. However, in some models that have two separate buffers (for RAW and JPEG), it may be the other way around.

The highest number of shots the camera can capture “in one shot” when shooting in RAW format continuously (see “Recording in RAW Format”).

The technical features of modern digital cameras are such that during continuous shooting, photos have to be recorded in a special buffer, and only then, after the end of the series, they can be transferred to a memory card. This buffer has a limited size, so the number of frames in one series is also limited. At the same time, we note that this indicator is usually indicated for shooting at the highest possible resolution (see "Maximum image size"); at lower resolutions, the volume of each image is reduced, and the number of frames in the series may be more than stated in the specifications.

RAW images take up more space and require more processing power than "finished" JPEGs. Therefore, the number of frames in a series of this format is usually lower than that of JPEG. However, there are exceptions — usually these are cameras that have two separate buffers (for RAW and JPEG).

The maximum resolution and frame rate of video captured by the camera in Full HD (1080p).

The traditional Full HD video resolution in this case is 1920x1080; other options are more specific and practically do not occur in modern cameras. Regarding the frame rate, it is worth noting first of all that a normal (not slow-motion) video is shot at a speed of up to 60 fps, and in this case, the higher the frame rate, the smoother the video will be, the less jerks will be noticeable when moving in the frame. If the frame rate is 100 fps or higher, this usually means that the camera has a slow-motion video mode.

The maximum resolution and frame rate of video captured by the camera in the Ultra HD (4K) standard.

UHD 4K refers to resolutions with a frame size of approximately 4,000 horizontal pixels. Specifically, in cameras for video shooting, resolutions of 3840x2160 and 4096x2160 are most often used. Regarding the frame rate, it is worth noting first of all that a normal (not slow-motion) video is shot at a speed of up to 60 fps, and in this case, the higher the frame rate, the smoother the video will be, the less jerks will be noticeable when moving in the frame. If the frame rate is 100 fps or higher, this usually means that the camera has a slow-motion video mode.