Sony Alpha A7R III

SONY A7R III: full review

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.

Camera body

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.

Technical details of SONY A7R III

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.

SONY A7R III: taking pictures and recording videos

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.

My opinion on SONY A7R III

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.