The Sony a7RIV was launched as a medium format killer, but it turns out that statement was largely hype from a PDR marketing perspective. With Photons to Photos releasing their PDR results it looks like Sony was unable to provide photographers with a leap in PDR performance even though the previous 42MP sensor was used in the Sony a7RII and Sony a7RIII. Sony had plenty of time to improve PDR, but it looks like it has only improved very slightly over the a7RII/a7RIII at low ISO while getting worse at high ISO.
This leads me to the conclusion that Full Frame will not improve much in the future without a big development like BSI, which could also be applied to the larger sensor inside cameras like the GFX since the sensor is now being produced in ever-increasing volume. Fujifilm made a very smart move by staying out of the Full Frame market and getting a head start with larger sensors. I think Canon and Nikon plan to make the jump to a larger sensor too when the technology comes down in price more, which will leave Sony behind if they do not start developing a medium format camera.
One mount to rule them all was a great idea from Sony and I think Canon/Nikon copied their strategy for their mirrorless cameras. It would be a very smart move and we could see medium format cameras from them in the not too distance future if the GFX keeps selling well. Sony still has an advantage against all of the manufactures for growing their market share though. The current price of the Sony a7RIII is unbeatable and it will only get better. If consumers are overly price-conscious we could see a major contraction in the high-end camera market, while having a boom in the low price professional market.
Personally, I would like to see Samsung get back into producing sensor again to maybe end Sony’s camera sensor dominance since they are the only sensor manufacturer to surpass Sony’s performance. Sony has to0 much control over the entire market. I think we might see a little more out of Full Frame sensors in the future if there is a breakthrough like BSI, but large sensors still have room for growth and any technological breakthrough will likely show up in larger sensors even faster now since Fujifilm is selling a decent amount of mirrorless medium format cameras in addition to Hasselblad and Phase One, which sell significantly less.
I’m not going to get into other performance metrics here, but the GFX100 is surprisingly fast and it will get better with time. We can always use more performance to make capturing an image easier, but I never missed a shot with my GFX50S due to speed and the GFX100 is much faster. In short Sony’s AF advantage isn’t enough for me to use a Sony camera over any camera in Fujifilm’s line up at this time.
via SonyAddict, Photons to Photos
Follow Fujiaddict on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube
Fujifilm GFX News, Rumors, and Collaboration
Fujifilm GFX Owners Group
Fujifilm GFX Page
Fujifilm GFX100: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Fujifilm GFX50R: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Fujifilm GFX 50S: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony a7RIV: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony a7RIII: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
