Announced: | 25 Oct 2017 |
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Sensor Resolution: | 42Mp |
Sensor Type: | Full frame BSI-CMOS |
ISO: | 100-32000 |
Weight: | 657g |
Physical Dimensions: | 127 x 96 x 74 mm |
Viewfinder: | Electronic |
Screen Type: | 3" Tilting |
Video Resolutions: | 3840 x 2160 |
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The arrival on the market of Sony A7R III was a major event in the field of digital cameras. Because it was one of those Mirrorless models that somehow made the (qualitative) hegemony of Reflex tremble. Compared to the previous A7R II, Sony full frame experienced many technological innovations. But the Japanese company had already shaken the market of digital cameras with its flagship A9 in 2015.
Among the features that made Sony A7R III a model very similar to a reflex, there is the full frame sensor that exploits pixels backlight and a phase detection AF, fundamental for moving scenes. Also the battery, a typical problem of mirrorless, has improved and can last up to 530 shots approximately.
No roundness, very square, the camera body of Sony A7R III is not really attractive, but it will make the austere design lovers very happy with its 70’s look. Personally, I am a fan of this vintage taste, very well-finished even if it’s not a tropicalized camera.
Made of magnesium alloy, Sony A7R III has very contained size, although it is not a full frame: 126.9 x 95.6 millimeters. The grip is quite jutting and it might not be enough for very big hands. Obviously, I’m talking about the camera body: it’s clear that weight and protrusion of the lenses make the difference in the manageability. Anyway, in terms of portability, there have been some improvements compared to the previous Sony A7R III.
Seen frontally, Sony A7R III shows the lens bayonet, through which you can glimpse the full frame sensor. On the lower left there’s the button to unlock the lenses, on the top the autofocus sign and the self-timer. On the grip, the front ring.
On the top you can see the mount for flash over the viewfinder and on the left there are the speakers. On the right, all classic commands and three customizable buttons. Then, the shutter button and the on/off switch.
On the back of Sony A7R III there is the settings menu and a third customizable button. The red button, on the top right of the display is for video recording. Then there are the AF button, the electronic ring and the AE-L button to inhibit the exposure meter. On the right of the LCD display – anti-reflex and adjustable, 1,440,000 dots – there’s a joystick for Autofocus manual selection. To complete the picture, you can find the “Recycle bin”, the image play, the FN button for scrolling images fast and a ring for navigating the menu.
On the sides, there are the connectivity outputs, micro usb (standard and C-type), micro HDMI, jack for earphones and microphone, PC access.
The sensor of Sony A7R III is the same of the excellent A7R II, 42.4 megapixel Full frame. The Bionz X processor is at its debut and brings many improvements in terms of dynamic range, ISO range and fast image acquisition.
On top of that, also the hybrid autofocus of Sony A7R III offers new advances: with a 399 phase detection system in “collaboration” with a 425 dots contrast detection. What can I say? Fast and very precise, it is one of many plus of this surprising Sony A7R III. The selectable areas are several, for an always more customized use.
The problem of many mirrorless cameras is the mechanical shutter. In Sony A7R III, such problem is solved thanks to a new mechanical device with 1/ 8000s at 30 seconds speed. This new system makes burst mode 10 frames per second.
Finally, the electronic viewfinder of Sony A7R III, one of the best seen on mirrorless cameras: resolution is 3,686,400 dots, up to 0.78X zoom. The performance is so good that it doesn’t seem to look through a viewfinder, especially during the day. In low lights it clicks a little, but it’s better than many reflex cameras, anyway.
Nothing to complain about connectivity: WiFi, NFC and bluetooth.
The high number of pixels makes this camera perfect for panoramic pictures to be printed also in large formats. Its contained weight (657 grams) is particularly favorable during trips without portability problems. Sony A7R III is also excellent for wedding photo books, thanks to the Eye AF mode that immediately recognize the eyes of the subjects, focusing them rapidly. The same goes for studio portraits.
Moving to video recording, same satisfaction: with Sony A7R III you can shoot 4k videos (3840 X 2160) in super 35 mm format (in Full Frame, the performance is 4K at 30p). You can also record 2k videos, 1080p at 120 fps.
Having tried to record some clips, I can say the quality is pretty high, but the settings are not as intuitive as they should be. Autofocus, besides, is limited to continuous or manual mode, unlike the several modes for pictures.
If you didn’t catch it… we’re in front of one of the best mirrorless ever produced. Sure, the price isn’t exactly cheap, but in the end it doesn’t seem so high if you think about the performance that Sony A7R III can offer.
Shooting speed and burst mode are top-level, as well as noise reduction, resolution, and dynamic range. And then there’s the Pixel Shift: it’s a setting that takes four shots of the same image, changing the exposure each time. The outcome is greater sharpness, better definition and noise reduction.
The technological novelties of Sony A7R, then, are evident and not insignificant. And they make this excellent mirrorless a full-fledged professional camera, not less than some high-range reflex cameras by Nikon or Canon.
Review | compare Sony Alpha A7R III with | overall score | Portrait | Landscape | Sport | Street | Everyday | |
SonyAlpha A7R III | 72 | 69 | 69 | 72 | 73 | 74 | buy on | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CanonEOS R6 Mark II | 78 | 68 | 67 | 86 | 77 | 80 | buy on | |
FujifilmGFX 100S | 78 | 93 | 94 | 71 | 67 | 67 | buy on | |
FujifilmGFX 100 | 76 | 93 | 94 | 74 | 62 | 63 | buy on | |
SonyAlpha a1 | 75 | 70 | 70 | 75 | 74 | 76 | buy on | |
SonyAlpha A7c | 72 | 65 | 66 | 69 | 75 | 76 | buy on | |
FujifilmX-Pro3 | 65 | 53 | 50 | 62 | 77 | 78 | buy on |
The Sony Alpha A7R III is a mirrorless camera launched on 25/10/2017.
Technically speaking, the Sony Alpha A7R III ranks in the best 5% of its category (and in the best 98 of all cameras in our database) scoring 72 overall. The Sony Alpha A7R III weights 657 gr and spans 127 x 96 x 74 mm. This means that it is one of the largest and heaviest cameras within its category.
Going into details, whatever the technical specification of interest, the Sony Alpha A7R III behaves better than average in its category:
However, the technical performance of your camera should be put in context. Indeed, depending on the type of photography you are interested in, each individual camera feature can impact your pictures to a different extent. This is the reason why we developed the iCamRank. iCamRank has been designed to weight all the individual technical specifications of each camera in the camerarace database, depending on different shooting conditions. Thus, here is what we suggest, depending on the photography type you like most:
Last but not least, the price. You can find the Sony Alpha A7R III sold on Amazon for a price comprised between 5803.34 GBP and 5803.34 GBP, well above the average for this camera type.
Overall, Sony Alpha A7R III is a good value for money. However, alternatives are also available, which you may want to take into consideration before taking the final decision. Click here to see alternative options.
Sensor Type
BSI-CMOS
Sensor Size
Full frame
Sensor Dimensions
35.9 x 24.0 mm
Sensor Area
861.6 mm2
Sensor Resolution
42 Mp
Max Image Resolution
7952 x 5304
Max Native ISO
32000
Min Native ISO
100
RAW Support
Manual Focus
Lens Mount
Sony E
Number of Lenses
73
Focal Length Multiplier
1
Screen Type
Tilting
Screen Size
3.0"
Screen Resolution
1440Kdot
Live View
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution
3686000.0
Viewfinder Coverage
100
Viewfinder Magnification
0.78
Min Shutter Speed
30s
Max Shutter Speed
1/8000s
Continuous Shooting
10fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range
None
Max Flash Sync
-
Flash Modes
Off Auto Fill-flash Slow Sync Rear Sync Red-eye reduction Wireless Hi-speed sync
External Flash
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
DxO Overall Score
100
DxO Color Depth
26
DxO Dynamic Range
14.7
DxO Low Light ISO
3523
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF MultiArea
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points
425
Number of Cross Focus Points
0
Video Resolutions
3840 x 2160 (30p 25p 24p) 1920 x 1080 (60p 60i 24p) 1440 x 1080 (30p) 640 x 480 (30p)
Max Video Resolution
3840x2160
Video Formats
MPEG-4 AVCHD XAVC S
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Wireless Connectivity
Built-in
HDMI
USB
USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec)
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Weight
657g
Physical Dimensions
127 x 96 x 74 mm
Battery Life
650
Battery Type
Battery Pack
Battery Model
NP-FZ100
Self Timer
Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Timelapse Recording
GPS
Storage Type
Two SD SDHC SDXC slots (UHS-II support on one)
Storage Slots
2
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