Sony A7R III Review

January 23, 2018 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The Sony A7R III is the company's latest professional 35mm full-frame compact system camera. It features the same back-illuminated full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor as its predecessor, the A7R II, with a resolution of 42.4 megapixels and no optical low pass filter, but offers a long list of significant improvements that make the new Mark III a completely different beast. Chief among these are the fastest continuous shooting speed of 10fps with full AF/AE tracking (up from 5fps on the A7R II), faster hybrid AF system with more contrast AF points and a thumb-operated AF joystick and AF On button on the rear, dual SD card slots, a much larger capacity battery (finally!), upgraded electronic viewfinder and a touchscreen LCD, 5.5 stops of image stabilisation rather than 4.5 stops, 14-bit rather than 12-bit Raw files, 4K movies with full pixel readout in the Super 35 mode, new Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode, anti-flicker mode, and an expanded dynamic range of 15 stops at low sensitivity settings. The Sony A7R III retails for around $3200 / £3200 body-only.

Ease of Use

Sony A7R III
Front of the Sony A7R III

Sony have once again resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes to the third generation of the A7R camera, which at first glance looks very similar to its 18-month-old predecessor. Look more closely, though, and you'll notice some subtle but important changes that make this latest version easier to use, following the lead of the flagship A9 camera that was released last year. From the front, the A7R III has a larger hand-grip than the Mark II, principally because it now has a larger capacity battery that almost doubles the CIPA-rated battery life to 650 shots, finally addressing one of the most common complaints about Sony's mirrorless camera range. Subsequently the A7R III is slightly heavier then the Mark II, but both easier to hold and capable of lasting for a full day's shooting on one battery.

The other physical changes have been made on the rear of the camera, where Sony have added a thumb-operated joystick to set the AF point, something that several rival cameras now offer and a much more intuitive method than using the navigation pad, as on the Mark II. Accompanying this is another addition in the form of a new AF-On button, which makes it a snip to back-button focus using your thumb, rather than half-pressing the shutter button, a method that many photographers swear by. The main casualty of these changes is the loss of the A7R II's AF/MF switch, which you'll now need to set via the Function menu.

Sony A7R III
Rear of the Sony A7R III

The A7R II's awkwardly positioned one-touch movie record button, which was previously located on the corner of the rear thumb-grip, has been moved directly to the right of the viewfinder, a much better location., while the C3 button is now on the rear-left of the camera. Look under the memory card flap and you'll find not one, but two, SD card slots, although somewhat disappointingly only one of them supports the fastest UHS-II standard, a missed opportunity on such a fast shooting camera. Finally, Sony have alos added a PC Sync port and both USB-2 and USB-C / 3 ports, the latter meaning that you can power and tether the camera at the same time. We'd also have liked to have seen the A9's continuous shooting/bracketing dial, which is located to the left of the viewfinder on the A9, replicated on the A7R III.

Which brings us on to one of the major upgrades to the A7R III, its continuous shooting speed. While the Mark II was no slouch considering the 42-megapixel sensor, the new Mark III takes things to another level by offering 10fps burst shooting with Full AF/AE tracking for up to 76 JPEG / RAW images or 28 uncompressed RAW images in one high-speed burst, available with either the mechanical shutter or a completely silent electronic shutter. It can also shoot continuously at up to 8fps in live view mode, much like the A6500 camera. It wasn't so long long ago that only professional sports DSLRs like the Canon EOS 1Dx and the Nikon D5 could shoot in excess of 10fps, thanks mainly to having lower-megapixel sensors, so it's testament to Sony's engineering team that this is now possible on a high-resolution camera like the A7R III. If you need even more speed, then the 24-megapixel Sony A9 can shoot at a blistering 20fps with full-time AF, but you'll have to sacrifice 18 megapixels to get that out-and-out speed, something that most photographers don't need in most situations. For us, the A7R III currently offers the best balance of resolution and shooting speed of any camera currently on the market.

Sony A7R III
Top of the Sony A7R III

As well as shooting speed, the new A7R III is also much faster in other ways. The older version took forever to startup, prompting many users to just leave it on all the time in sleep mode, which didn't really combine well with the short battery life. Thankfully the Mark III starts-up almost instantly and is ready for shooting in less than a second, and its general operating performance feels a lot snappier too. The auto-focusing speed has also been improved, another key criticism of the A7R II, with Sony claiming that it's 2x as fast at locking on to your subject, 2x as fast at tracking a moving subject, and 2x as fast at recognising and focusing on an eye using the dedicated Eye AF mode, ideal for shooting portraits, all at light levels down to -3EV. Using the two cameras side-by-side, we noticed a big difference between them in all of these areas, so if you ever had any issues with the previous model (and lots of people did), the new A7R III certainly addresses them and more.

The 399-point focal plane phase-detection AF system on the A7R III works very well with non-native lenses, including both Sony A-mount lenses when they are mounted on the camera using an LA-EA3 or LA-EA1 mount adapter, and a wide variety of third-party lenses via a suitable adapter. We tested the A7R III with a large number of Canon lenses using Metabones and Sigma adapters, and remarkably AF speeds were often the same as using the lens mounted on a Canon DSLR. Note that Eye AF is also now available with non-native lenses, something that the Mark II didn't support.

Sony A7R III
Tilting LCD Screen

The Sony A7R III once again features in-body 5-axis image stabilization, but now offers an improved 5.5-stops of compensation versus the 4.5 stops of its predecessor, ensuring parity with most of its principal rivals. The in-body system ensures that the A7R III can stabilize all kinds of lenses, not just those with the Sony FE designation, although third party lenses without any electronic contacts only benefit from three axes of compensation, and you need to manually input which focal length you’re using.

The brand new Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode captures four consecutive frames which are shifted up, down, left and right by one pixel each, which can then be combined into a single image using Sony's new Imaging Edge software, resulting in a more detailed image with better tonal gradation. Note that it doesn't work with moving subjects, though, and the camera needs to be perfectly still too, limiting its usefulness somewhat. We also found the Imaging Edge software to be very slow at combining the Pixel Shift images, and generally non-intutive, so hopefully the mainstream Raw conversion programs will add support for this feature sooner rather than later.

The A7R III features a much better electronic viewfinder, now using a Quad-VGA Tru-Finder OLED unit with approximately 3,686k dots that is twice as bright, quicker to startup and and runs at 120fps. The LCD screen on the rear has also been improved, offering the same specification as on the flagship A9 camera. It's the same 3-inch size and tilts in the same way as on the A7R II, but is now also touch sensitive, which can be used for some elements of operation, including operating the auto-focus whilst looking through the EVF, a feature that we've seen on several other high-end mirrorless cameras recently. Unfortunately Sony have stopped short of offering a full touchscreen experience - somewhat inexplicably, you can't use the menu system in this way, press the on-screen icons, or even scroll through images during playback, a la smartphones.

Sony A7R III
The Sony A7R III In-hand

The Sony A7R III can shoot and record 4K video in multiple formats, including full-frame and now the Super 35mm formats across the entire width of the image sensor without any pixel binning. It can output uncompressed UHD 4K, 3840 x 2160 pixel video (30p/24p/25p) at a 4:2:2 color depth without down-sampling to either the inserted memory card or over HDMI to compatible third party recorders. A new HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) mode is available that supports an Instant HDR workflow, while both S-Log2 and S-Log3 are available for increased colour grading flexibility. The A7R III supports the XAVC S format, which is based on the professional XAVC codec, and can record Full HD at 120fps at up to 100Mbps, which allows footage to be edited into 4x or 5x slow-motion files, with a new S&Q mode (Slow and Quick motion) on the shooting dial providing selectable frame rates ranging from 1fps to 120fps.

Press the Menu button on the back of the camera and a number of shooting and set up folders appear on screen, with white text on a black background aiding visibility. The A7R III uses the same newly revised menu system as the A6500 and A9, which is clearer and easier to navigate than on the previous A7 cameras, although still frustratingly difficult to navigate though, with no less than 35 different screens of options. As denoted by symbols on the side of the camera, the Sony A7R III is wi-fi and NFC capable, and it also now offers location data acquisition via a Bluetooth connection to a compatible mobile device.

Overall, although the two cameras look similar, the Sony A7R III is much improved when compared to the A7R II, both in terms of handling, performance and feature-set. Now let's take a look at its image quality...

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 42 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 15Mb.

The Sony A7R III has an extensive and very usable ISO range of 50-102,400. ISO 50-6400 is virtually noise-free, while ISO 12800 and 25600 produce more than acceptable results, and even ISO 51200 and 102400 are OK for emergency use. The RAW samples illustrate just how much processing the camera does by default, as they're much noisier at all ISO values than their JPEG counterparts, with fewer unwanted colour artifacts.

The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and the Bulb mode offering lots of scope for creative night photography. The new Pixel Shift Multi Shot mode alllows you to combine four images into one image with more detail using the Sony Imaging Edge software, although it doesn't work for moving subjects at all.

The Dynamic Range Optimizer function extracts more detail from the shadow and highlight areas in an image, without introducing any unwanted noise or other artifacts. The High Dynamic Range mode combines two shots taken at different exposures to produce one image with greater dynamic range than a single image would produce. It only works for JPEGs and for still subjects, but does produce some very effective results.

The various Picture Effects quickly produce special looks that would otherwise require you to spend a lot of time in the digital darkroom, while the Creative Styles provide a quick and easy way to tweak the camera's JPEG images.

Noise

There are 10 ISO settings available on the Sony A7R III. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting for both JPEG and RAW formats.

JPEG RAW

ISO 50 (100% Crop)

ISO 50 (100% Crop)

iso50.jpg iso50raw.jpg
   

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

iso100.jpg iso100raw.jpg
   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

iso200.jpg iso200raw.jpg
   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

iso400.jpg iso400raw.jpg
   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

iso800.jpg iso800raw.jpg
   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

iso1600.jpg iso1600raw.jpg
   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

iso3200.jpg iso3200raw.jpg
   

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

iso6400.jpg iso6400raw.jpg
   

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

iso12800.jpg iso12800raw.jpg
   

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

iso25600.jpg iso25600raw.jpg
   

ISO 51200 (100% Crop)

ISO 51200 (100% Crop)

iso51200.jpg iso51200raw.jpg
   

ISO 102400 (100% Crop)

ISO 102400 (100% Crop)

iso102400.jpg iso102400raw.jpg
   

File Quality

The Sony A7R III has 3 different image quality settings available, with Extra Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

42M Extra Fine (25.8Mb) (100% Crop) 42M Fine (11.8Mb) (100% Crop)
quality_extrafine.jpg quality_fine.jpg
   
42M Standard (7.84Mb) (100% Crop) 42M RAW (81.9Mb) (100% Crop)
quality_standard.jpg quality_raw.jpg

Night

The Sony A7R III's maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds and there's also a Bulb mode for even longer exposures, which is excellent news if you're seriously interested in night photography.

Night

night.jpg

Pixel Shift Multi Shoot

 

Off

pixel_shift_02.jpg
 

On

pixel_shift_02a.jpg
 

Off

pixel_shift_03.jpg
 

On

pixel_shift_03a.jpg

Image Stabilisation

The Sony A7R III features built-in 5-axis optical image stabilization worth up to 5 shutter speed stops, depending on your hand-holding technique.

Off

On

antishake1.jpg antishake2.jpg
   
antishake3.jpg antishake4.jpg

Dynamic Range Optimizer

D-Range Optimiser (DRO) is Sony's solution to improve shadow detail in photos taken in contrasty light. There are 5 different levels and an Auto option.

Off

Level 1
drange_01.jpg drange_02.jpg
   
Level 2 Level 3
drange_03.jpg drange_04.jpg
   
Level 4 Level 5
drange_05.jpg drange_06.jpg

High Dynamic Range

High Dynamic Range Optimiser (HDR) is Sony's solution for capturing more contrast than a single exposure can handle by combining two exposures into one image. There are 5 different EV settings and an Auto option.

Off

1EV
hdr_01.jpg hdr_02.jpg
   
2EV 3EV
hdr_03.jpg hdr_04.jpg
   
4EV 5EV
hdr_05.jpg hdr_06.jpg

Creative Styles

There are 13 Creative Style preset effects that you can use to change the look of your images.

Standard

Vivid

creative_style_01.jpg creative_style_02.jpg
   

Neutral

Clear

creative_style_03.jpg creative_style_04.jpg
   

Deep

Light

creative_style_05.jpg creative_style_06.jpg
   

Portrait

Landscape

creative_style_07.jpg creative_style_08.jpg
   

Sunset

Night Scene

creative_style_09.jpg creative_style_10.jpg
   

Autumn Leaves

Black & White

creative_style_11.jpg creative_style_12.jpg
   

Sepia

 
creative_style_13.jpg  

Picture Effects

The Sony A7R III offers a range of thirteen creative Picture Effects.

Off

Toy Camera

picture_effect_01.jpg picture_effect_02.jpg
   

Pop Color

Posterization

picture_effect_03.jpg picture_effect_04.jpg
   

Retro Photo

Soft High-key

picture_effect_05.jpg picture_effect_06.jpg
   

Partial Color (Red)

High Contrast Mono

picture_effect_07.jpg picture_effect_08.jpg
   

Soft Focus

HDR Painting

picture_effect_09.jpg picture_effect_10.jpg
   

Rich-tone Mono

Miniature

picture_effect_11.jpg picture_effect_12.jpg
   

Watercolor

Illustration

picture_effect_13.jpg picture_effect_14.jpg

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Sony A7R III camera, which were all taken using the 42 megapixel Extra Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Sony A7R III enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Sony RAW (ARW) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 25fps. Please note that this 15 second movie is 188Mb in size.

Product Images

Sony A7R III

Front of the Sony A7R III

 
Sony A7R III

Front of the Sony A7R III

 
Sony A7R III

Side of the Sony A7R III

 
Sony A7R III

Side of the Sony A7R III

 
Sony A7R III

Side of the Sony A7R III

 
Sony A7R III

Side of the Sony A7R III

 
Sony A7R III

Rear of the Sony A7R III

 
Sony A7R III

Rear of the Sony A7R III / Turned On

 
Sony A7R III

Rear of the Sony A7R III / Image Displayed

 

Sony A7R III

Rear of the Sony A7R III / Status Screen

 
Sony A7R III
Rear of the Sony A7R III / Function Menu
 
Sony A7R III
Rear of the Sony A7R III / Main Menu
 
Sony A7R III
Tilting LCD Screen
 
Sony A7R III
Tilting LCD Screen
 
Sony A7R III
Tilting LCD Screen
 
Sony A7R III
Tilting LCD Screen
 
Sony A7R III
Top of the Sony A7R III
 
Sony A7R III
Bottom of the Sony A7R III
 
Sony A7R III
Side of the Sony A7R III
 
Sony A7R III
Side of the Sony A7R III
 
Sony A7R III
Front of the Sony A7R III
 
Sony A7R III
Front of the Sony A7R III
 
Sony A7R III
Memory Card Slot
 
Sony A7R III
Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The A7R III is the most well-balanced Sony camera to date, offering a compelling mix of resolution, speed and size that also makes it one of the best cameras that we've ever reviewed, be that mirrorless or DSLR. 

Sony's aggressive strategy of launching several new cameras every 18 months has certainly paid dividends with the A7R III, which builds on the solid foundations of the Mark II model by adding most of the recent flagship A9's standout features, along with a few of its own. Although it can't match the A9 in terms of sheer shooting speed, the A7R III's 10fps mode is more than fast enough for most situations and most photographers, especially given the huge 42 megapixel resolution that's on offer. 

We've used the A7R III for shooting sports, at night, on the street, and just generally as a carry everywhere camera, and it's excelled at virtually everything. Sure, there are a few things that we'd still like to see improved, most notably the complicated menu system, limited touchscreen functionality and unintuitive Imaging Edge software for pixel shift conversions, but that list is noticeably smaller than with most new cameras. If you mainly shoot sports or wildlife, the A9 has the edge, but the A7R III is definitely better at shooting a wider variety of subjects.

With rumors abounding that Canon and Nikon will finally join the serious mirrorless party in earnest this year, Sony have jumped their gun by releasing a camera that's simply better than its direct rivals, be they mirrorless or DSLR. If the Big Two do actually launch full-frame compact system cameras, they've certainly got a lot of catching-up to do to even match the A7R III, never mind beat it. 2018 could certainly be an interesting year in the high-end camera market...

5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 5
Features 5
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 5
Value for money 4.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Sony A7R III.

Canon EOS 5DS R

The Canon EOS 5DS R DSLR boasts a massive 50 megapixel sensor with a low-pass cancellation filter to maximise the sharpness of the camera's sensor. Does the brand new Canon 5DS R offer the best image quality from a DSLR? Read our detailed Canon EOS 5DS R review to find out...

Canon EOS 5Ds

The EOS 5Ds DSLR camera has finally arrived, boasting a massive 50 megapixel sensor and proven design. Does the brand new Canon 5Ds offer high enough image quality to justify its £2999 / $3699 asking price? Read our detailed Canon EOS 5Ds review with full-size JPEG, Raw and video samples to find out...

Nikon D850

The Nikon D850 is a brand new 45.7 megapixel full-frame BSI sensor DSLR camera with no optical low pass filter. The D850 also offers 4K video recording, a 3.2-inch tilting LCD touchscreen, 153-point AF system, an optical viewfinder with 0.75x magnification, 7fps burst shooting and 1,840 shot battery life. Read our in-depth Nikon D850 review to find out if this is the best all-round DSLR camera on the market...

Pentax K-1

The new K-1 is the long-awaited full-frame DSLR camera from Pentax, based around a 36.4 megapixel CMOS sensor. Is this the best ever Pentax DSLR? Read our in-depth Pentax K-1 review to find out...

Sony A7R II

The Sony A7R II is a hotly-anticipated full-frame compact system camera that promises to outclass the DSLR competition. Is this the best full-frame camera on the market? Read our Sony A7R II review to find out...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Sony A7R III from around the web.

techradar.com »

The Alpha A7R III is Sony's latest high-resolution mirrorless camera, and an update of the excellent Alpha A7R II, which was responsible for tempting many a photographer away from the comfort of their Canon and Nikon DSLRs. This latest model looks to draw on many of the technologies used in the speed-orientated Sony Alpha A9, which is just as well, because with the likes of Nikon's brilliant D850 offering a tempting combination of high resolution and high performance the Alpha A7R II was beginning to look a little pedestrian.
Read the full review »

trustedreviews.com »

The Sony Alpha 7R III is Sony’s latest high-resolution, full-frame mirrorless camera. It offers impressive all-round specifications, with a 42.4MP sensor, 10fps continuous shooting, a hybrid AF system that employs 399 phase-detection points covering approximately 68% of the frame, and 4K video recording. It costs £3200 body-only.
Read the full review »

dpreview.com »

The Sony a7R Mark III is the company's latest high-resolution full frame mirrorless camera. Much like Nikon's recent D850, it's one that combines this resolution with high speed and fast autofocus capabilities to a degree we've not previously seen. Like its predecessor, the Mark III is built around a 42MP BSI CMOS sensor, but unlike the a7R II, it can shoot at ten frames per second.
Read the full review »

cameralabs.com »

Sony’s Alpha A7r Mark III is a full-frame mirrorless camera with 42.4 Megapixels, 4k HDR video and 10fps continuous shooting with autofocus. Announced in October 2017, it’s the successor to the A7r Mark II launched just over two years earlier. The new Mark III shares the same 42.4 Megapixel Back-Illuminated CMOS sensor as its predecessor as well as the same body shape, but inside there’s a number of important differences, not to mention a few on the outside too.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Lens

Lens Compatibility
Sony E-mount lenses
Lens Mount
E-mount

Image Sensor

Aspect Ratio
3:2
Number Of Pixels (Effective)
Approx. 42.4 megapixels
Number of Pixels (total)
Approx. 43.6 megapixels
Type
35mm full frame (35.9×24.0mm), Exmor R CMOS sensor
Anti-Dust System
Charge protection coating on optical filter and image sensor shift mechanism

Recording (still images)

Recording Format
JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver.2.31, MPF Baseline compliant), RAW (Sony ARW 2.3 format)
Image Size (pixels) [3:2]
35mm full frame L: 7952 x 5304 (42M), M: 5168 x 3448 (18M), S: 3984 x 2656 (11M), APS-C L: 5168 x 3448 (18M), M: 3984 x 2656 (11M), S: 2592 x 1728 (4.5M)
Image Size (pixels) [16:9]
35mm full frame L: 7952 x 4472 (36M), M: 5168 x 2912 (15M), S: 3984 x 2240 (8.9M), APS-C L: 5168 x 2912 (15M), M: 3984 x 2240 (8.9M), S: 2592 x 1456 (3.8M)
Image Quality Modes
RAW, RAW & JPEG (Extra fine, Fine, Standard), JPEG (Extra fine, Fine, Standard)
Picture Effect
Posterization (Color), Posterization (B/W), Pop Color, Retro Photo, Partial Color (R/G/B/Y), High Contrast Monochrome, Toy Camera(Normal/Cool/Warm/Green/Magenta), Soft High-key
Creative Style
Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Clear, Deep, Light, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Autumn leaves, Black & White, Sepia,Style Box(1-6), (Contrast (-3 to +3 steps), Saturation (-3 to +3 steps), Sharpness (-3 to +3 steps))
Picture Profile
Yes (Off / PP1-PP10) Parameters: Black level, Gamma (Movie, Still, Cine1-4, ITU709, ITU709 [800%], S-Log2, S-Log3, HLG, HLG1-3), Black Gamma, Knee, Color Mode, Saturation, Color Phase, Color Depth, Detail, Copy, Reset
Dynamic Range Functions
Off, Dynamic Range Optimizer (Auto/Level (1-5)), Auto High Dynamic Range (Auto Exposure Difference, Exposure Difference Level (1-6 EV, 1.0 EV step))
Colour Space
sRGB standard (with sYCC gamut) and Adobe RGB standard compatible with TRILUMINOS Color
14bit RAW
Yes
Uncompressed RAW
Yes

Recording (movie)

Recording Format
XAVC S, AVCHD format Ver. 2.0 compliant
Video Compression
XAVC S: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, AVCHD: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
Audio Recording Format
XAVC S: LPCM 2ch, AVCHD: Dolby Digital (AC-3) 2ch, Dolby Digital Stereo Creator
Colour Space
xvYCC standard (x.v.Color when connected via HDMI cable) compatible with TRILUMINOS Color
Picture Effect
8 types: Posterization (Color), Posterization (B/W), Pop Color, Retro Photo, Partial Color (R/G/B/Y), High Contrast Monochrome, Toy Camera(Normal/Cool/Warm/Green/Magenta), Soft High-key , Rich-tone Monochrome
Creative Style
Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Clear, Deep, Light, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Autumn leaves, Black & White, Sepia, Style Box (1-6), (Contrast (-3 to +3 steps), Saturation (-3 to +3 steps), Sharpness (-3 to +3 steps))
Picture Profile
Yes (Off / PP1-PP10) Parameters: Black level, Gamma (Movie, Still, Cine1-4, ITU709, ITU709 [800%], S-Log2, S-Log3, HLG, HLG1-3), Black Gamma, Knee, Color Mode, Saturation, Color Phase, Color Depth, Detail, Copy, Reset
Image Size (Pixels), NTSC
XAVC S 4K: 3840 x 2160 (30p, 100M), 3840 x 2160 (24p, 100M), 3840 x 2160 (30p, 60M), 3840 x 2160 (24p, 60M) XAVC S HD: 1920 x 1080 (120p, 100M), 1920 x 1080 (120p, 60M), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50M), 1920 x 1080 (30p, 50M), 1920 x 1080 (24p, 50M), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 25M), 1920 x 1080 (30p, 16M) AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 (60i, 24M, FX), 1920 x 1080(60i, 17M, FH)
Image Size (pixels), PAL
XAVC S 4K: 3840 x 2160 (25p, 100M), 3840 x 2160 (25p, 60M) XAVC S HD: 1920 x 1080 (100p, 100M), 1920 x 1080 (100p, 60M), 1920 x 1080 (50p, 50M), 1920 x 1080 (25p, 50M), 1920 x 1080 (50p, 25M), 1920 x 1080 (25p, 16M) AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 (50i, 24M, FX), 1920 x 1080 (50i, 17M, FH)
Image frame rate
NTSC mode: 1fps,2fps,4fps,8fps,15fps,30fps,60fps,120fps, PAL mode: 1fps,2fps,3fps,6fps,12fps,25fps,50fps,100fps
Image size (frame rate)
NTSC mode: 1920x1080 (60p, 30p, 24p), PAL mode: 1920x1080 (50p, 25p)
Movie Functions
Audio Level Display, Audio Rec Level, PAL/NTSC Selector, Yes (1280 x 720(9Mbps)), TC/UB, (TC Preset/UB Preset/TC Format/TC Run/TC Make/UB Time Rec), Auto Slow Shutter, REC Control, Clean HDMI Info.(ON/OFF selectable), Gamma Disp. Assist
HDMI Output
3840 x 2160 (25p), 1920 x 1080(50p), 1920 x 1080(50i), 1920 x 1080(24p), 1920 x 1080(60p), 1920 x 1080(60i), 3840 x 2160(30p), 3840 x 2160(24p),YCbCr 4:2:2 8bit / RGB 8bit

Recording System

Location information Link from smartphone
Yes
Media
Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, Memory Stick Micro(M2), SD memory card, SDHC memory card (UHS-I/II compliant), SDXC memory card (UHS-I/II compliant), microSD memory card, microSDHC memory card, microSDXC memory card
Memory Card Slot
SLOT1:Slot for SD(UHS-I/II compliant) memory card, SLOT2:Multi slot for Memory Stick Duo/SD(UHS-I compliant) memory card

Noise Reduction

Noise Reduction
Long exposure NR: On/Off , available at shutter speeds longer than 1 sec. High ISO NR: Normal/Low/Off
Multi Frame NR
-

White Balance

White Balance Modes
Auto / Daylight / Shade / Cloudy / Incandescent / Fluorescent Warm White / Cool White / Day White / Daylight / Flash /Underwater/ Color Temperature 2500 to 9900K & color filter G7 to M7(57-step), A7 to B7(29-step) / Custom
AWB Micro Adjustment
Yes G7 to M7,57-stepA7 to B7,29-step
Priority Set in AWB
Yes
Bracketing
3 frames, H/L selectable

Focus

Focus Type
Fast Hybrid AF (phase-detection AF/contrast-detection AF)1
Focus Sensor
Exmor R CMOS sensor
Focus Point
35mm full frame: 399 points (phase-detection AF), APS-C mode with full frame lens: 323 points (phase-detection AF), with APS-C lens: 255 points (phase-detection AF) / 425 points (contrast-detection AF)
Focus Sensitivity Range
EV-3 to EV20 (ISO100 equivalent with F2.0 lens attached)
Focus Mode
AF-A (Automatic AF), AF-S (Single-shot AF), AF-C ( Continuous AF), DMF (Direct Manual Focus), Manual Focus
Focus Area
Wide (399 points (phase-detection AF), 425 points(contrast-detection AF)) / Zone / Center / Flexible Spot (S/M/L) /Expanded Flexible Spot/ Lock-on AF ( Wide / Zone / Center / Flexible Spot (S/M/L)/Expanded Flexible Spot)
Other Features
Eye-start AF (only with LA-EA2 or LA-EA4 attached(Sold separately)), Lock-on AF, Eye AF, AF micro adjustment, (Sold separately), with LA-EA2 or LA-EA4, Predictive control, Focus lock, AF Track Sens, Swt.V/H AF Area, AF Area Regist.
AF Illuminator
Yes (with Built-in LED type)
AF Illuminator range
Approx. 0.3m - approx. 3.0m (with FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS attached)
Focus type with LA-EA3 (Sold separately)
Selectable(phase-detection, contrast-detection)

Exposure

Metering Type
1200-zone evaluative metering
Metering Sensor
Exmor R CMOS sensor
Metering Sensitivity
EV-3 to EV20 (at ISO100 equivalent with F2.0 lens attached)
Metering Mode
Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot, Spot Standard/Large, Entire Screen Avg., Highlight
Exposure Compensation
+/- 5.0EV (1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps selectable), (with exposure compensation dial : +/- 3EV (1/3 EV steps))
Exposure Bracketing
Bracket: Cont., Bracket: Single, 3/5/9 frames selectable. With 3 or 5 frames, in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0 EV increments, with 9 frames, in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, or 1.0 EV increments.
AE Lock
Locked when shutter button is pressed halfway. Available with AE lock button. (On/Off/Auto)
Exposure Modes
AUTO (iAuto), Programmed AE (P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter-speed priority (S), Manual (M), Movie (Programmed AE (P) / Aperture priority (A) / Shutter-speed priority (S) / Manual (M) ), Slow & Quick Motion (Programmed AE (P) / Aperture priority (A) / Shutter-speed priority (S) / Manual (M) )
ISO Sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index)
Still images: ISO 100-32000 (Expandable to ISO 50 to 102400), AUTO (ISO 100-12800, selectable lower limit and upper limit), Movies: ISO 100-32000 equivalent, AUTO (ISO 100-12800, selectable lower limit and upper limit)
Anti-flicker Shoot.
Yes

Viewfinder

Viewfinder Type
1.3 cm (0.5-type) electronic viewfinder (color), Quad-VGA OLED
Number of Dots
3 686 400 dots
Brightness Control (Viewfinder)
Auto/Manual (5 steps between -2 and +2)
Color Temperature Control
Manual (5 steps)
Field Coverage
100%
Magnification
approx. 0.78 x (with 50mm lens at infinity, -1m-1)
Dioptre Adjustment
-4.0 to +3.0m-1
Eye Point
Approx. 23mm from the eyepiece lens, 18.5mm from the eyepiece frame at -1m-1 (CIPA standard)
Finder Frame Rate Selection
NTSC: Std 60fps, Hi 12fps; PAL: Std 50fps, Hi 100fps
Display Contents
Graphic Display, Display All Info., No Disp. Info., Digital Level Gauge, Histogram

LCD Screen

Type
7.5cm (3.0-type) type TFT
Number of Dots
1,440,000 dots
Touch Panel
Yes
Brightness Control
Manual (5 steps between -2 and +2), Sunny Weather mode
Adjustable Angle
Up by approx. 107 degrees, Down by approx. 41 degrees
Display Selecter (Finder/LCD)
Yes (Auto/Manual)
Real-time Image Adjustment Display (LCD)
On/Off
Quick Navi
Yes
Focus Magnifier
Yes (35mm full frame: 6.2x, 12.4x, APS-C: 4.0x, 8.0x)
Zebra
Yes, (selectable level + range or lower limit as custom setting)
Peaking MF
Yes (Level setting: High/Mid/Low/Off, Color: White/Red/Yellow)
Others
(Rule of 3rds Grid/Square Grid/Diag. + Square Grid/Off), Movie Marker, (Center/Aspect/Safety Zone/Guideframe), WhiteMagic™, Grid Line
Display Content
Graphic Display, Display All Info., No Disp. Info., Digital Level Gauge, Histogram, For viewfinder, Monitor Off

Other Features

PlayMemories Camera Apps™
-
Clear Image Zoom
Still images:Approx. 2x, Movies:Approx. 1.5x (4K), Approx. 2x (HD)
Digital Zoom
Smart zoom (Still images):35mm full frame: M:approx 1.5x, S:approx 2x, APS-C: M:approx 1.3x, S:approx 2x, Digital zoom (Still images):35mm full frame: L:approx 4x, M:approx 6.2x, S:approx 8x, APS-C: L:approx 4x, M:approx 5.2x, S:approx 8x, Digital zoom (Movie):35mm full frame: approx 4x , APS-C: approx 4x
Face Detection
Modes: Face Priority inAF(On/Off), Face Priority in Multi Metering(On/Off), Regist. Faces Priority(On/Off), Face registration, Max. number of detectable:8
Others
Touch Focus:Yes (Available with LCD monitor or Viewfinder operation), ISO AUTO Min. SS, Bright Monitoring, Set File Name, Copyright Info, FTP Transfer Func., Help guide, Area Setting, Shop Front Mode, Video Light Mode, Zoom Ring Rotate
Eye-Fi ready
-

Shutter

Type
Electronically-controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane type
Shutter Speed
Still images:1/8000 to 30 sec, Bulb, Movies: 1/8000 to 1/4 (1/3 steps); up to 1/60 in AUTO mode (up to 1/30 in Auto slow shutter mode);
Flash Sync. Speed
1/250 sec.2
Electronic Front Curtain Shutter
Yes (ON/OFF)
Silent Shooting
Yes (ON/OFF)

Image Stabilization

Type
Image Sensor-Shift mechanism with 5-axis compensation (Compensation depends on lens specifications)
Compensation Effect
5.5 stops (based on CIPA standard. Pitch/yaw shake only. With Planar T* FE 50mm F1.4 ZA lens mounted. Long exposure NR off.)

Flash Control

Control
Pre-flash TTL
Flash Compensation
+/- 3.0 EV (switchable between 1/3 and 1/2 EV steps)
Flash Bracketing
3/5/9 frames selectable. With 3 or 5 frames, in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 EV increments, with 9 frames, in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1.0 EV increments.
Flash Modes
Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction (on/off selectable), Wireless3, Hi-speed sync.3
External Flash Compatibility
Sony α System Flash compatible with Multi Interface Shoe, attach the shoe adaptor for flash compatible with Auto-lock accessory shoe
FE Level Lock
Yes
Wireless Control
Yes (Light signal: Available with Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Hi-speed sync. /Radio signal: Available with Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Hi-speed sync.)

Drive

Drive Modes
Single Shooting, Continuous shooting (Hi+/Hi/Mid/Lo selectable), Self-timer, Self-timer (Cont.), Bracket: Single, Bracket: Cont., White Balance bracket, DRO bracket
Continuous Drive Speed (approx. max.)
Continuous shooting: Hi+: max. 10 fps, Hi: max. 8 fps, Mid: max. 6fps, Lo: max. 3 fps 4
No. of recordable frames (approx.)
JPEG Extra fine L: 76 frames, JPEG Fine L: 76 frames, JPEG Standard L: 76 frames, RAW: 76 frames, RAW&JPG: 76 frames, RAW(Uncompressed): 28 frames, RAW(Uncompressed)&JPG: 28 frames, 4
Self-Timer
10 sec. delay/5 sec. delay/2 sec. delay/Continuous self-timer (3 frames after 10 sec. delay/5 frames after 10 sec. delay/3 frames after 5 sec. delay/5 frames after 5 sec. delay/3 frames after 2 sec. delay/5 frames after 2 sec. delay)/Bracketing self-timer
Pixel Shift Multi Shooting  
Yes 5

Playback

Photo Capture
Yes
Modes
Single (with or without shooting information Y RGB histogram & highlight/shadow warning), 9/25-frame index view, Enlarged display mode (L: 19.9x, M: 12.9x, S: 10.0x), Auto Review (10/5/2 sec,Off), Image orientation (Auto/Manual/Off selectable), Slideshow, Folder selection (Date/ Still/ AVCHD/XAVC S HD/XAVC S 4K), Forward/Rewind (movie), Delete, Protect, Rating, Disp Cont Shoot Grp

Interface

PC Interface
Mass-storage, MTP, PC remote
Multi / Micro USB Terminal
Yes6
USB Type-C™ Terminal
Yes (SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.1 Gen 1) compatible)
NFC™
Yes (NFC forum Type 3 Tag compatible), One-touch remote, One-touch sharing
Wireless LAN (Built-In)
Wi-Fi Compatible, IEEE 802.11b/g/n(2.4GHz band) , View on Smartphone: Yes, Send to Computer: Yes, View on TV 7 
Bluetooth
Yes (Bluetooth Standard Ver. 4.1 (2.4GHz band))
HD Output
4K movie output/4K still image PB, BRAVIA Sync(Control for HDMI), HDMI micro connector (Type-D), PhotoTV HD
Multi Interface Shoe
Yes8
Mic Terminal
Yes (3.5 mm Stereo minijack)
Sync Terminal
Yes
Headphone Terminal
Yes (3.5 mm Stereo minijack)
Vertical Grip Connector
Yes
PC Remote
Yes
LAN Terminal
-

Audio

Microphone
Built-in stereo microphone or XLR-K2M/XLR-K1M/ECM-XYST1M (sold separately)
Speaker
Built-in,monaural

Print

Compatible Standards
Exif Print, Print Image Matching III, DPOF setting

Custom function

Type
Custom key settings, Programmable Setting (Body 3 sets /memory card 4 sets), My Menu, Reg Cust Shoot Set

Lens Compensation

Setting
Peripheral Shading, Chromatic Aberration, Distortion

Power

Supplied Battery
One rechargeable battery pack NP-FZ100
Battery Life (Still Images)
Approx. 530 shots (Viewfinder) / approx. 650 shots (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard)9
Battery Life (Movie, actual recording)
Approx. 100 min (Viewfinder) / Approx. 115 min (LCD monitor), (CIPA standard)1011
Battery Life (Movie, continuous recording)
Approx. 180 min (Viewfinder) / Approx. 190 min (LCD monitor), (CIPA standard)1012
Internal Battery Charge
Yes (Available with Multi/Micro USB Terminal or USB Type-C™ Terminal)
Power consumption with Viewfinder
Still images: approx. 3.7W (with FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens attached), Movies: approx5.5W (with FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens attached)
Power consumption with LCD screen
Still images: approx. 3.0W (with FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens attached), Movies: approx5.2W (with FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens attached)
USB Power supply
Yes (Available with Multi/Micro USB Terminal or USB Type-C™ Terminal)

Others

Operating Temperature
32 - 104 degrees F / 0 - 40 degrees C

Size & Weight

Weight (with battery and memory card included)
657g / 1lb 7.2 oz.
Dimensions (W x H x D)
Approx. 126.9mm x 95.6mm x 73.7mm, Approx. 126.9mm x 95.6mm x 62.7mm (from grip to monitor)/Approx. 5 x 3 7/8 x 3 inches, Approx. 5 x 3 7/8 x 2 1/2 inches (from grip to monitor)

What's In The Box

  • Power cord
  • Rechargeable Battery NP-FZ100
  • Cable Protector
  • Battery Charger BC-QZ1
  • Shoulder strap
  • Body cap
  • Accessory shoe cap
  • Eyepiece cup
  • USB Type-C™ cable
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News

The Sony A7R III is a new compact system camera with a 42.4 megapixel back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor with 15-stops of dynamic range, continuous shooting speeds at up to 10 fps with full AF/AE tracking, 399 phase-detection AF points, 5-axis optical in-body image stabilization and 4K video quality.

The Sony A7R III will ship in Europe in November 2017, priced at approximately £3,200, and $3,200 in the US.

Sony Press Release 

Sony’s New Full-frame α7R III Interchangeable Lens Camera Delivers the Ultimate Combination of Resolution and Speed

Innovative Full-frame Mirrorless Model Offers 42.4 MP High-Resolution, 10 fps Continuous Shooting, Fast and Precise AF Performance in a Compact Body

  • 35mm Full-Frame 42.4 MP[i] Back-Illuminated Exmor R™ CMOS Image Sensor with Evolved Image Processing
  • Continuous Shooting at up to 10 fps[ii] with either Silent Shooting or Mechanical Shutter and full Auto Focus/Auto Exposure tracking
  • 399 phase-detection AF points covering 68%[iii] of image area, 425 contrast AF points and approximately 2 times more effective Eye AF[iv]
  • 5-axis optical in-body image stabilization with a 5.5 step[v] shutter speed advantage
  • High Resolution 4K[vi] Movie Shooting with full pixel readout and no pixel binning[vii]
  • Completely redesigned for professionals, including upgraded Auto Focus, Dual SD Card Slots, Extended Battery Life, SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.1 Gen 1) USB Type-C™ Terminal and more
  • Compact, Lightweight body at only 23 oz[viii]

Sony today announced an impressive addition to their full-frame mirrorless camera line-up, the α7R III (model ILCE-7RM3).    

Thanks to an evolutionary leap in image processing power and efficiency, the new α7R III combines a high-resolution 42.4 MPi back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor with impressive shooting speeds at up to 10 fpsii with full AF/AE tracking, as well as beautiful image and 4K6 video quality, wide 15-stop9 dynamic range, high sensitivity with noise reduction of almost a full stop4 and more. With these immense capabilities and a compact, lightweight body, it’s an extremely versatile tool for photographers, videographers, multi-media creators and all other types of professionals that demand reliability, flexibility and versatility.

A New Level of Image Quality

The 42.4MP high-resolution, back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor utilises a gapless on-chip lens design and AR (anti-reflective) coating on the surface of the sensor’s seal glass to dramatically improve light collection efficiency, resulting in high sensitivity with low-noise performance and wide dynamic range. 

Sony’s new α7R III also features a new front-end LSI that effectively doubles* the readout speed of the image sensor, as well as an updated BIONZ X™ processing-engine that boosts processing speed by approximately 1.8 times compared to the α7R II.  These powerful components work together to allow the camera to shoot at faster speeds while also enabling its impressive ISO range of 100 - 32000 (expandable to ISO 50 – 102400 for still images) and massive 15-stop[ix] dynamic range at low sensitivity settings.  This ensures outstanding overall performance at all settings and in all shooting conditions.

This new full-frame model was built without an optical low pass filter to maximise resolution, while also having the ability to output 14 bit RAW format even when shooting in silent or continuous mode.  The camera is equipped with an innovative 5-axis optical image stabilisation system that has been fine-tuned to support its high-resolution shooting capacity, resulting in a 5.5 stepv shutter speed advantage, the world’s highest[x] compensation performance for an image stabilisation system.  There is also a new low-vibration shutter that reduces vibration and image blur in all modes, including the high speed 10 fps shooting, as well as several advancements in accurate colour reproductions of skin tones. 

High-Performance AF and AF/AE Tracking at up to 10 fpsii

The innovative new α7R III full-frame mirrorless camera is equipped with a refined image processing system that allows it to shoot full 42.4MP images at up to 10 fps with continuous, accurate AF/AE tracking for up to 76 JPEG / RAW images or 28 uncompressed RAW images[xi].  This high speed 10 fps mode is available with either a mechanical shutter or a completely silent shooting[xii], adding to the immense flexibility of the camera.  The camera can also shoot continuously at up to 8 fps[xiii] in live view mode with minimal lag in the viewfinder or LCD screen.  These high speed options ensure that fast moving subjects can be captured with extreme accuracy and incredible image detail. 

For added convenience, while large groups of burst images are being written to the memory card, many of the cameras key functions are operable, including access to the ‘Fn’ (Function) and ‘Menu’ buttons, image playback and several other menus and parameters* including image rating and other functions that facilitate on-location image sorting. 

Additionally, if there is fluorescent or artificial lighting present in a shooting environment, users can activate the Anti-flicker[xiv] function to allow the α7R III to automatically detect frequency of the lighting and time the shutter to minimise its effect on images being captured.  This minimises any exposure or colour anomalies that can sometimes occur at the top and bottom of images shot at high shutter speeds. 

The upgraded focusing system of the α7R III is comprised of 399 focal-plane phase-detection AF points that cover approximately 68% of the image area in both the horizontal and vertical directions.  There is also 425 contrast AF points, an increase of 400 points compared to the α7R II.  This advanced system delivers AF acquisition in about half the time as the α7R II in low-light conditions, with tracking that is approximately 2 times more accurate as well.  The acclaimed Eye AF feature is also approximately 2 times more effective, and is available when utilising Sony’s A-mount lenses with an adapter.[xv]

Additional improvements in focusing flexibility include AF availability in Focus Magnifier mode, focal-plane phase-detection AF support when using A-mount lenses[xvi], an ‘AF On’ button, a multi-selector or ‘joystick’ for moving focusing points quickly, flexible touch focus functionality and much more. 

High Quality 4K for the Video Professionals

The new α7R III is exceptionally capable as a video camera, offering 4K (3840x2160 pixels) video recording across the full width of the full-frame image sensor.  When shooting in Super 35mm format, the camera uses full pixel readout without pixel binning to collect 5K[xvii] of information, oversampling it to produce high quality 4K footage with exceptional detail and depth. 

A new HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma)[xviii] is available on the α7R III that supports an Instant HDR workflow, allowing HDR (HLG) compatible TV’s to playback beautiful, true-to-life 4K HDR imagery.  Further, both S-Log2 and S-Log3 are available for increased colour grading flexibility.  The camera can also record Full HD at 120 fps at up to 100 Mbpsvi, allowing footage to be reviewed and eventually edited into 4x or 5x slow motion[xix] video files in Full HD resolution with AF tracking.

Build, Design and Customisation for Professionals

Sony’s newest full-frame camera is equipped with a variety of enhanced capabilities that give it a true professional operational style.  These include dual media slots, with support in one slot for UHS-II type SD memory cards.  Users have a variety of options for storing their content, including separate JPEG / RAW recording, separate still image / movie recording, relay recording and more.  Battery life has been greatly extended as well, as the new camera utilises Sony’s Z series battery that have approximately 2.2 times the capacity of the W series battery utilised in the α7R II.

The α7R III features an upgraded high-resolution, high-luminance Quad-VGA OLED Tru-Finder™ with approximately 3,686k dots for extremely accurate, true-to-life detail reproduction.  The Tru-Finder, also found in the acclaimed Sony α9 camera, utilises a ZEISS® T* Coating to greatly reduce reflections, and has a fluorine coating on the outer lens that repels dirt.  It also has a customisable frame rate, with options of either 50 fps or 100 fps[xx] to best match the action.  The LCD screen has been upgraded as well, with a resolution of 1.44M dots and WhiteMagic™ technology that improves viewing in bright, outdoor conditions. “Standard” or “High” display quality settings are also available for both the viewfinder and monitor as well. “High” takes advantage of the large amount of data read from the 42.4MP sensor to provide extra fine viewfinder and monitor displays for a more natural view. 

The new camera also offers a multi-selector joystick that provides a fast, efficient way to shift focus points, as well as an ‘AF ON’ button to activate autofocus when shooting stills or movies.

The new α7R III allows for convenient transfer of files to a smartphone, tablet, computer or FTP server via Wi-Fi®, while also including a sync terminal, enabling external flash units and cables to be connected directly for convenient flash sync.  A SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.1 Gen 1) USB Type-C™ Terminal is also available for increased flexibility in power supply or connected accessories, as well as a faster image transfer speed when connected to a PC.

New “Imaging Edge” Software Suite and Pixel Shift Multi Shooting Mode

New with the α7R III is a software suite called “Imaging Edge” that extends the creative capabilities of the entire shooting process – from pre-processing to post-processing.   “Imaging Edge” provides three PC applications called ‘Remote’, ‘Viewer’ and ‘Edit’, available for free download, which support live-view PC remote shooting and RAW development.   

Also making its debut on the versatile α7R III is a new Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode, which takes full advantage of the advanced 5-axis optical in-body stabilisation to create beautiful true-to-life, super-high resolution composite images.  In this mode, the camera precisely shifts the sensor in 1-pixel increments to capture four separate pixel-shifted images containing a total of approximately 169.6 MP* of image data.  These four images can be composited together and processed utilising the new “Imaging Edge” software suite.  This ultimately results in a still image with overwhelming resolution and an unprecedented level of colour accuracy, and is ideal for photographing architecture, art or any other still life photography subject with many intricate details and colours.

Pricing and Availability

The Sony α7R III Full-frame Interchangeable Lens Camera will ship in Europe in November 2017, priced at approximately £3,200. 

About Sony Corporation

Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, imaging, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, interactive entertainment and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world.  Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $76 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017.  Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/

[i] Approximately, effective

[ii] Up to 10 fps in continuous “Hi+” mode, and up to 8 fps in continuous “Hi” mode. Maximum fps will depend on camera settings

[iii] Approximately 68% of the image area in both the horizontal and vertical directions

[iv] Compared to the α7R II, according to Sony testing

[v] CIPA standards. Pitch/yaw shake only. Planar T* FE 50mm F1.4 ZA lens. Long exposure NR off

[vi] A Class 10 or higher SDHC/SDXC memory card is required for XAVC S format movie recording. UHS speed class 3 or higher is required for 100 Mbps recording

[vii] In Super 35mm mode.

[viii] Approximately

[ix] Sony test conditions for still images

[x] Among digital cameras with a full-frame image sensor. As of October 2017 press release, based on Sony research

[xi] “Hi+” continuous mode with UHS-II compatible SDXC memory card. Sony test conditions.

[xii] Some distortion may occur with fast-moving subjects of if the camera is moved sideways rapidly

[xiii] “Hi” mode. Maximum fps will depend on camera setting.

[xiv] Only 100 Hz and 120 Hz flicker is detected. Continuous shooting speed may decrease. Flicker-free shooting is not available during silent shooting, BULB exposure, or movie recording

[xv] With SSM or SAM lenses only. Eye AF not supported for movie recording. AF-C can only be used when the “Phase detection” AF system is selected, but focus is fixed at the first frame during continuous shooting in any mode other than “Continuous: Lo” (Hi+, Hi, Mid).

[xvi] With SSM or SAM lenses only. With the LA-EA3 mount adapter. Focal plane phase-detection AF not supported for movie recording. AF-C can only be used when the “Phase detection” AF system is selected, but focus is fixed at the first frame during continuous shooting in any mode other than “Continuous: Lo” (Hi+, Hi, Mid).

[xvii] 15-megapixel

[xviii] Connect this product to an HDR (HLG) compatible Sony TV via a USB cable when displaying HDR (HLG) movies

[xix] Sound not recorded. Class 10 or higher SDHC/SDXC memory card required

[xx] In PAL. 60fps or 120fps in NTSC


Image Gallery

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First Impressions

The Sony A7R III is a new premium compact system camera that boasts a 42 megapixel 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor, ISO range of 50-102400, 10fps burst shooting, 5.5-stop in-body image stabilisation, a tilting touchscreen and an electronic viewfinder. We've spent some time getting to know the Sony A7R II, so check out our first impressions of Sony's new compact system camera...

Sony A7R III - Ease of Use

Sony A7R III

At first glance the Sony A7R III looks very much like its predecessor, the A7R II, with Sony resisting the urge to make wholesale changes, but it somehow manages to squeeze a thumb-operated AF joystick, dedicated AF On button, dual SD card slots and a bigger capacity battery into the same design. The inclusion of the larger capacity battery means that the hand-grip is larger than on the A7R II, making the camera slightly heavier but also easier to hold, especially when using longer lenses.

Sony A7R III

This is a very fast camera given the high megapixel count, featuring 10fps burst shooting with Full AF/AE tracking for up to 76 JPEG / RAW images or 28 uncompressed RAW images in one high-speed burst, available with either the mechanical shutter or a completely silent electronic shutter. It can also shoot continuously at up to 8fps in live view mode, much like the A6500 camera. So although it's not as blisteringly fast as the flagship A9 camera, the Sony A7R III is probably speedy enough for most photographers' needs. 

Sony A7R III

The A7R III features an upgraded electronic viewfinder with approximately 3,686k dots and a 3-inch LCD screen with 1.44M dots, the same specification as on the flagship A9 camera. The LCD screen is also touch sensitive, which can be used for some elements of operation, including operating the auto-focus whilst looking through the EVF.

Sony A7R III

Compared to its predecessor, the auto-focusing system in the A7R III is much improved (claimed to be 2x faster tracking than the A7R II), with 399 focal-plane phase-detection AF points that cover approximately 68% of the image area and 425 contrast AF points, some 400 more than the A7R II. AF aquisition, tracking and Eye AF are all claimed to be twice as fast and accurate, so if you've ever had any issues with the previous model, the new A7R III promises to address them and more. We certainly enjoyed using the impressive Eye AF feature, which definitely delivered a lot of keepers.

Sony A7R III

Other key differences between the new A7R III and the A7R ii include 1.8x faster processing speed, 1 stop better noise performance, 14-bit rather than 12-bit Raw files, 5.5 stop image stabilisation rather than 4.5 stop, a new anti-flicker mode and a much bigger buffer (76 versus 23 shots).

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony A7R III camera.

Sony A7R III - Image Quality

Sony A7R III

The Sony A7R III has the same 42 megapixel CMOS sensor as the A7R II camera, but thanks to some significant internal improvements it offers an expanded dynamic range of 15 stops at low sensitivity settings, so it should deliver even better image quality than its already impressive predecessor. We've spent today shooting with the A7R III and can now bring you some full-size JPEGs, Raw images and movies.

Take a look at some sample images and a movie taken with the Sony A7R III camera.

On the video side, it can again record 4K movies across the entire width of the image sensor, but now uses full pixel readout in the Super 35 mode to improve the quality further. A new HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) mode is available that supports an Instant HDR workflow, while both S-Log2 and S-Log3 are available for increased colour grading flexibility.

Sony A7R III - Early Verdict

Somewhat surprisingly, Sony have introduced an upgraded version of their highest-resolution camera, the A7R series, rather than update the three year old, lower resolution, cheaper A7 model, perhaps as a direct response to the Nikon D850 that was launched last month. Whatever their motives, our first impressions are that the new A7R III could well be the best Sony mirrorless camera yet, offering a compelling mix of speed and sheer resolution that should more than satisfy all-round photographers who don't need the out-and-out speed of the 20fps A9 camera.

So what do you think of the new Sony A7R III? Leave a comment below..

Hands On

Want to see exactly what the new Sony A7R III camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony A7R III camera, including a side-by-side comparison with the previous A7R II model and a look at the internal component parts.

A gallery of hands-on photos of the new Sony A7R III camera.

Image Gallery

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Preview Images

Ahead of our full review, here are some sample images taken with the Sony A7R III camera and the FE 24-105mm f/4 and FE 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses. The Sony A7R III is a new compact system camera with a 42 megapixel 35mm full-frame sensor.

A gallery of JPEG and RAW sample images taken with the Sony A7R III camera.

Sony A7R III Sample Images

Sample RAW Images

The Sony A7R III enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Sony RAW (ARW) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 25fps. Please note that this 15 second movie is 188Mb in size.

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