Should I switch to Sony? Are Sony colors really that bad compared to other systems? You guys have no idea how many messages like that I’m getting. I’ve never been impressed with Sony cameras, even though most reviews about the Sony A7iii have been extremely positive. Wedding photographers seem to love Sony, I just didn’t care as my love for the Fujifilm system kept me loyal for a while. Until I tried the A7iii. This is my review of (in my mind) currently the best camera for wedding photography.

Sony A7iii + Zeiss 35mm + LKO

Two biggest reason I never wanted to get into the Sony system have always been infamous Sony colors and the build quality. I’m not gonna lie, Sony cameras never got my heart beating like Fujifilm did or, more recently, Leica that I fell in love with the second I held it in my hands.

I spent last few years using Fujifilm cameras for weddings and even though I still think they have the nicest colors on the market and are super fun to use, there have been times when I really missed having a full frame camera. Especially in low light and hectic situations during weddings where you just need to trust your camera fully without compromises. Full frame is not a must in my opinion. But if I have two photos side by side, I’d always pick the it over a photo from a crop sensor camera.

Those Sony colors

After testing the Sony A7iii for few hours, I noticed how rich the colors are. I rushed to edit the photos and got really excited – Sony colors are actually very good! I compared the photos to Canon, Fujifilm and Nikon files and I’d say the Sony ones looked the best in most cases. I actually spent way too much time playing around, noticing small differences and how the files react to different Lightroom sliders and I ended up creating a new preset specifically for Sony. I’m an editing geek and I should seek help.

Bottom line – I was really wrong about the Sony colors in the past. Colors alone are obviously not the reason to switch, so here’s another one. The ISO performance is the best I’ve seen. You can also underexpose by a stop or two without ever worrying about ruining the photo. The balance between dynamic range and character is probably my favorite thing about this camera.

I’ve always felt that modern cameras (Nikon D850, Canon 5D4 etc) take really flat photos in order to save details in highlights and shadows, which is great but the files lack character in my opinion. That was the reason I got rid of all my Canon gear a while ago and went all in with Fujifilm. Sony seems to figure out the balance perfectly.

Sony A7iii + Zeiss 35mm F1.4 + LKO

Sony for wedding photography

Here’s my opinion. I believe the Sony A7iii is a best camera for wedding photography now in 2019. I’m gonna lie, it’s not the most exciting camera I’ve had, it’s not really fun to use, nor does it inspire to shoot more or bring it with you everywhere you go (it’s also pretty big when combined with fast F1.4 lenses).

But it offers everything you need as a wedding photographer – great autofocus, amazing ISO and dynamic range, nice colors, customizable buttons, variety of great lenses (I got the Zeiss 35mm f1.4 and Sony 85mm f1.8 as well as a Leica to Sony adapter so I can use my analog lenses, blogpost about that later maybe?).

I’ve shot two weddings with my setup so far, one in the rain up in the hills in California, one in snow in the middle of mountains (west coast in spring, ladies and gentlemen) and the camera didn’t disappoint. I also photographed a couple on a hike in Yosemite and complained once or twice about the weight and size, something I’ll always miss about my old Fujifilm friend.

Few things I don’t like about the camera: the body feels a bit plastic and fragile, the dials are useless as I shoot in manual mode anyway (some of the Sony lenses have an aperture ring though, much appreciated), the EVF and LCD could also be better. I really don’t like all the clutter you have to see on your display, just give me my basic settings and hide all the icons and info I don’t even need to see, please.

To summarize my thoughts: I was really wrong about the Sony, for way too long. It’s a beast of a camera and I’m excited about the switch.

 

Read more reviews and articles on my photography blog HERE.

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