The just-announced Sony a7R III is Sony’s latest full-frame mirrorless camera, and it boasts some serious upgrades over its well-reviewed predecessor, the Sony a7R II. Both cameras have the same backlit 42.4MP 35mm sensor, but the a7R III features a faster Bionz X processor and a front-end LSI processor, which Sony borrowed from its super-fast a9, meaning that the a7R III is also super fast.
The a7R III is capable of up to 10 fps continuous shooting speeds with full autofocus and autoexposure tracking, even in silent shutter mode — that’s twice as fast as the a7R II’s 5fps. According to Engadget‘s Chris Velazco, the Sony a7R III is able to shoot at twice the resolution of Sony’s a9, “but the a9 still has the edge in sheer speed because of its stacked, full-frame sensor design.”
The a7R III has similar 4K video capturing capabilities to its predecessor. For the best results, the camera has a Super 35mm format mode that uses full pixel readout without pixel binning to collect a 5K video’s worth of information; it’s then able to oversample it to produce even higher-quality 4K videos.
From the outside, the a7R III shares most of the same physical attributes as the a7R II. There are differences, however, including the addition of a miniature joystick (just like the a9 has) to navigate menus. The display is now a touchscreen, so you can quickly select an autofocus point with your finger. There are two SD card slots, instead of the a7R II’s one. And the camera now charges via USB Type-C, just like your MacBook Pro. The biggest physical change, though, is the incorporation of the A9’s much bigger battery into the A7R III, offering a little more than twice the battery life of the II.
The a7R III will be available to buy near the Thanksgiving holiday and cost $3,199 (body only). If you were saving up for the a9, the new a7R III gives almost the same levels of speed and performance, at a significantly cheaper price.
Further Reading:
“Sony a7R III promises faster bursts, better focusing and longer battery life” — Digital Photography Review
“Sony Unveils the a7R III: 42MP, 10FPS, 15-Stop DR, 5.5-Stop IS, 4K” — PetaPixel
“Sony’s A7R III packs big improvements into a familiar package” — Engadget
