silent mode fps on Sony A7 III/A9?

Hello,

 

I shoot ballet from the audience (or at least within earshot of the audience) and need a high fps rate in silent mode. My Canon 5D mk4 only gives me about 3 or 4 fps in silent. I understand that shooting electronically, the A7 III can fire at 10 fps and most of what I have found online indicates that it can do 10 fps in silent mode. But someone told me last night that in silent mode it slows to 5 fps. I tried it briefly but didn't have time to verify either way. Can someone here speak to this issue and let me know what fps i would get shooting at ISO 3200 @1/500? 5 fps isn't enough of an improvement over my Canon to justify a switch but 10fps would be.

 

I'd also be interested to know the silent fps on the A9, same settings.

 

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

The Sony A9 fires at 20 fps maximum in silent mode, and 10 fps max using the mechanical shutter. For uncompressed RAW in silent mode, the maximum speed is 12 fps. The speed may be less for some lenses in AF-C (continuous) mode. There is no blackout between frames if the shutter speed is 1/125 or faster.

 

For the full, 20 fps rate, use compressed RAW or JPEG (or both). That said, shooting under similar conditions as the OP, 12 fps is more than adequate for capturing optimum facial expressions and positions (opera, chamber and orchestral concerts). There's always the option of 4K video (8 MP) at 30 fps or 2K video (2 MP) at up to 120 fps. Video is always completely silent.

The Sony A9 fires at 20 fps maximum in silent mode, and 10 fps max using the mechanical shutter. For uncompressed RAW in silent mode, the maximum speed is 12 fps. The speed may be less for some lenses in AF-C (continuous) mode. There is no blackout between frames if the shutter speed is 1/125 or faster.

 

For the full, 20 fps rate, use compressed RAW or JPEG (or both). That said, shooting under similar conditions as the OP, 12 fps is more than adequate for capturing optimum facial expressions and positions (opera, chamber and orchestral concerts). There's always the option of 4K video (8 MP) at 30 fps or 2K video (2 MP) at up to 120 fps. Video is always completely silent.

Thanks for the feedback. So to make sure I'm understanding correctly, with the A9, shooting RAW with electronic shutter in silent mode at 1/320 or 1/500, I should be able to get 12 fps? FYI I would probably be using the Sigma 135 1.8 lens.

The A9 updates focus and exposure 60/second, but apparently AF can slow the process in some lenses. In that case, and if the subject distance is relatively constant, you could use manual focus or DMF mode. Sony G and Zeiss Batis lenses work at full speed, and I would expect the Sigma to do likewise. There may be better information on the web concerning the Sigma.

I took an A7 III with a Sony FE 28mm lens, set silent shooting, manual exposure 1/500 f/8 ISO3200, and drive mode to Hi+. I pressed my shutter as the screen clock changed on the second and lifted at the end of the third second. Shooting RAW I got 33 frames. The claimed 10fps stands up I think.

In lieu of laboratory instrumentation, I have found various smart phone applications useful for timing camera functions. A metronome app for musicians is useful for coordinating sound and visual effects within a few hundredths of a second. For counting frames, a digital stopwatch displays to the nearest 1/100th second, which would make counting fps a simple task.

 

I have used a metronome app to check the synchronization of sound and video, and to estimate the shutter lag (pressing the shutter on the click, reading the elapsed time in from the image). You could use a digital oscilloscope, but apps are a lot cheaper.