I’ve truly taken my time to do the Phoblographer’s Sony a9 III review. Others rushed it out — and you can tell. When the Sony a9 III was released, Sony’s marketing didn’t do a good job of visually communicating what this camera could do for strobists. More importantly, it didn’t address how photographers who see instead of look could make great art with it. If you’re wondering about that statement, it’s about creating instead of simply capturing. You’re probably saying that it’s a camera for nature and sports. That statement isn’t wrong, but it’s also the single most revolutionary camera for strobists. But most importantly, this is probably Sony’s best camera for anyone who has a sense of imagination and uses strobes. I tested it photojournalistically at the St. Patrick’s For All Day Parade here in Queens this past weekend. And the camera truly blew me away.
Before we go on, note that this isn’t our full Sony a9 III review. Instead, it’s a special report. Thanks to Lensrentals for loaning us the camera.
Table of Contents
The Secret Setting You Need to Know About
When I originally tested the Sony a9 III, I was amazed that this camera didn’t need to go into high-speed sync. That’s because it has a global shutter, so the flash could sync normally at any setting. During the announcement day, I couldn’t grasp why the camera and Profoto lights still did so. It wasn’t until a friend who works for a retailer told me about this secret menu item. It’s called Flash Timing Setting — and it’s something others haven’t talked about. The sweet spot is to set it to 400 and above.
With this setting activated, the camera and a strobe, like the Profoto B10 I used, can shoot pretty seamlessly, and the camera won’t say that it’s in high-speed sync mode when you’re into somewhere like 1/12,800. But you also have to do other things too. The flash can’t be in TTL mode, you have to set it manually. Typically, you have to be at full power with a strobe such as the B10. In some situations, though, you can dial it back a bit.
I truly wish that I could do TTL and fast shutter sync. But I also know how to light manually. With all this in mind, I took the knowledge to the parade and shot photos. For the record, below is the original photo and slightly edited photo from the Sony a9 III.
All of this is only possible because of the Sony A9 III’s global shutter.
Using the Sony a9 III With Flash
Before photographing people at the parade, I did a test shot with a tree. I shot with the B10 at 9.5/10, 1/80,000th, f2, and ISO 160 or 250. Surprisingly, everything was blacked out except for the tree illuminated by my B10 with a 24-inch softbox. With this in mind, I knew I could make it look like everyone is against a black background or at least make the scenes appear to be shot at night. I used the Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 lens, which is by far my absolute favorite piece of glass for Sony. Nothing Sony makes can compare to this.
Asking people for portraits is easy for me. I’ve never had major trouble getting people to agree, and with renewed energy from Jamel Shabazz, I was pretty excited to shoot this parade. St. Patrick’s for All takes place in Sunnyside and Woodside in Queens, NY. It started because other groups weren’t allowed to march in the big one in Manhattan. So, our neighborhoods made our own. After all, everyone is supposed to be Irish on St. Patrick’s, right?
Going around Skillman Ave, I found it so much easier to completely obliterate the background when shooting in the shade. At 12pm, when the sun was in full force, I could at least make some scenes look like nighttime.
People probably don’t understand what’s so unique about this situation here. The Profoto B10 doesn’t even have 300-watt seconds of power, it’s only 250. Can you make these images with high-speed sync? Not really — the power on the flash isn’t able to be all that strong because of how high-speed sync works with a super flash strobing effect. So with the Sony a9 III, you can fire manual flash at full power or under and still sync at speeds like 1/80,000. Essentially, you’re prolonging the battery life of your strobe, and it’s not working as hard. Plug, you’re getting more light.
The shutter speed kills the ambient light, the aperture controls flash exposure, and the ISO controls the overall sensitivity.
What’s more, I was able to diffuse the strobe in a 24 inch softbox and still get really beautiful photographs.
Do I think a photojournalist would do this? Absolutely! It means that you can turn anywhere you go into a studio. I also think it’s nice to have the creative effect of using the flash to emphasize only your subjects and not much else. It isn’t meant to be used always, but it is fun.
Note that when you’re using off-camera flash and the Live View setting effect on, the camera won’t be able to show you what you’re getting. So turn it off, and use your imagination. That’s why I’m saying it’s such a good camera for photographers who see instead of look.
A Big Surprise
If I hadn’t learned about this setting, I don’t think that I would’ve really taken the Sony a9 III very seriously. But it’s a camera that’s meant to be. And it’s all involving a hidden setting.
If you’re a strobist, this camera could be the one for you. The Sony a9 III costs quite a bit of money, though. And as it is, I’m still not totally sold on its ability to track people of color in low light. Nikon and Leica can do this exceptionally well.