Sony α7 III

Full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera

Sony α7 III
Overview

Maker	Sony
Type	Full-Frame Sony α (Alpha)
Released	April 10, 2018
Intro price	$1,999 USD body, $2,199 USD kit (28-70mm Zoom Lens)
Lens
Lens mount	Sony E-mount
Lens	Interchangeable
Compatible lenses	All E-mount lenses
Sensor/medium
Sensor type	BSI-CMOS
Sensor size	35.6 × 23.8 mm (Full frame type)
Maximum resolution	6000 × 4000 (24 megapixels)
Recording medium	SD, SDHC, or SDXC memory card
Focusing
Focus areas	693 focus points
Exposure/metering
Exposure modes	P/A/S/M (stills/movie)
Flash
Flash	No
Shutter
Shutter	Mechanical, Electronic
Shutter speeds	1/8000 s to 30 s, BULB
Continuous shooting	10 frames per second
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Yes (electronic)
Image processing
Image processor	BIONZ X
White balance	Auto, Multiple preset options, Custom white balance
General
Video recording	XAVC S 4K, XAVC S HD, AVCHD
LCD screen	76 mm (3 in) with 921,600 dots
Battery	NP-FZ100
AV Port(s)	HDMI D (Micro)
Data Port(s)	USB 2.0 Micro-B, USB 3.0 Type-C, 802.11/WiFi
Dimensions	127 by 96 by 74 mm (5.0 by 3.8 by 2.9 in)
Weight	650 g including battery
Made in	China
Chronology
Predecessor	Sony α7 II
Successor	Sony α7 IV

The Sony α7 III (model ILCE-7M3) is a full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera manufactured by Sony.^[1]^[2]^[3] It was announced^[4] on 26 February 2018 as the successor to the Sony α7 II and available April 10, 2018. Described by Sony as "the basic model," the camera shares many features with the high-end Sony α7R III and α9 models.^[5] It was succeeded by the Sony α7 IV, announced on October 21, 2021.

Features

The camera features several advancements over the previous model, the α7 II, incorporating some features from the higher-end α7R III and α9.^[6]

24 MP full-frame BSI CMOS sensor
693 Phase Detection AF Points with 93% coverage, inherited from α9 and 425 contrast AF points
Continuous eye autofocus mode called Eye AF with High Tracking ability
5-axis optical in-body image stabilization with a 5.0 step shutter speed advantage
10 fps continuous shooting (mechanical or silent)
Multiple 4K (3840x2160) video modes: 4K/24p oversampled from 6K sensor output, or 4K/30p oversampled from 5K cropped portion of sensor
15 stops of dynamic range
Full HD (1920x1080) video at 120 fps
Larger 'Z'-series (NP-FZ100) battery from α9 and α7R III that is rated at 710 shots (CIPA measurement) - offering the world's longest battery life of any mirrorless camera
Upgraded operability and functionality including addition of joystick for adjusting focus points, Dual SD Card Slots, SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.1 Gen 1) USB Type-C Terminal
ISO range from 100 to 51,200 (expandable to 204,800)
Weather sealed, magnesium alloy body
No built-in flash.
2.36 million dot OLED viewfinder with 0.78x magnification
Supports 4 different video file formats (XAVC S 4K, XAVC S HD, or AVCHD)

Improvements over the Sony α7 II

The Sony α7 III improved in a number of aspects compared to its predecessor, the α7 II, which was released four years earlier in November, 2014.

4K video modes and 120fps full HD video instead of the A7 II's limited full HD (1920x1080) movie modes.
Continuous burst increased to 10fps instead of 5fps.
Maximum ISO sensitivity of 51,200 instead of 25,600.
Upgraded sensor with 693 Phase Detection auto-focus points vs. 117 contrast AF points.
Newer Z battery system (NP-FZ100) rated to 710 shots instead of 340.
Battery capacity 7.2V / 16.4Wh (2280mAh).
Dual SD card slots instead of a single card slot.
Bluetooth for increased phone communication options.
Introduction of a touch screen but lower resolution 922,000 dot display instead of 1.23 million.
Newer ergonomic layout similar to the earlier A9 and A7R III including the addition of a joystick.

The camera's rounded feature set and launch price were highly praised. Reviewers noted it as a flexible and competitive tool for all types of photography.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]

Issues

The Sony A7 III does not have a vertical AA filter, it only has a horizontal one. It improves sharpness, but also creates a visible amount of moiré on clothes and hair.^[11]

References

^ Hall 2018-03-27T16:05:32.85ZCameras, Phil (27 March 2018). "Sony Alpha A7 III review". TechRadar. Retrieved 31 May 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ "Sony A7 III review: A peerless full-frame mirrorless camera". Engadget. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
^ Topham, Michael (October 2018). "Sony A7 III Review". Trusted Reviews. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
^ "Sony A7III press release: "Sony Expands Full-frame Mirrorless Lineup with Introduction of New α7 III Camera" - sonyalpharumors". sonyalpharumors. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
^ Sony | Camera Channel (26 February 2018), Sony | α | α7 III - Unveil, retrieved 25 November 2018
^ ^a ^b Carey Rose, Rishi Sanyal, Dan Bracaglia (23 April 2018). "Sony a7 III Review". DPReview. Retrieved 20 August 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Fisher, Jim (2 May 2019). "Sony a7 III Review". PCMAG. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
^ Cooke, Alex (7 June 2018). "The Camera You Should Want: Fstoppers Reviews the Sony a7 III". Fstoppers. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
^ Etienne, Stefan (30 March 2018). "Sony A7 III and A7R III review: mirrorless magic". The Verge. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
^ Mathies, Daven (15 November 2018). "Sony A7 III review". www.digitaltrends.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
^ "Sony a7 III Review". DPReview. Retrieved 15 February 2023.