Smooth Reflections vs Multishot?

[AndyPtak]

Now that the a7R4 has been announced and prices are coming down on the R3 and R2 I'm considering getting one or the other. The R2 is the last one that can use the Smooth Reflections app which I love for architectural interiors, but the R3 has multishot. Does anyone have experience with both and knows what the quality comparison would be? Thanks.

 

[ggibson]

I assume you're talking about pixel shift on the A7rIII and IV. Pixel shift is superior in resolution to smooth reflection (especially in the IV where it uses 16 samples at 1/2 pixel shifts), whereas smooth reflection is mostly capable of improving shadow noise from averaging multiple frames and maybe a very minor resolution increase. But of course, you can accomplish smooth reflection-like processing in photoshop using multiple pixel-shifted captures on the mk III and IV cameras. Or if you don't need the resolution of pixel shift, just use the built-in intervalometer to take multiple shots and stack them afterwards, doing the same processing that Smooth Reflection is doing. The Smooth Reflection app is quite convenient in that it speeds up your processing time, but it does not accomplish anything that is not possible using photoshop after the fact.

 

[AndyPtak]

I assume you're talking about pixel shift on the A7rIII and IV. Pixel shift is superior in resolution to smooth reflection (especially in the IV where it uses 16 samples at 1/2 pixel shifts), whereas smooth reflection is mostly capable of improving shadow noise from averaging multiple frames and maybe a very minor resolution increase. But of course, you can accomplish smooth reflection-like processing in photoshop using multiple pixel-shifted captures on the mk III and IV cameras. Or if you don't need the resolution of pixel shift, just use the built-in intervalometer to take multiple shots and stack them afterwards, doing the same processing that Smooth Reflection is doing. The Smooth Reflection app is quite convenient in that it speeds up your processing time, but it does not accomplish anything that is not possible using photoshop after the fact.

Thanks Graham. That's what I was looking for. I know that Smooth Reflections can be replicated in other ways but I sure do like not having to stack a bunch of shots in PS in order to start work. I find that Smooth Reflections softens a bit of the harsh crunchyness I find in Sony files sometimes and being able to do t in camera is such a bonus for me. Thanks again.