Mirrorless cameras are king right now, and for Nikon and Sony, their Z7 and a7R III cameras represent the pinnacle of performance.
These cameras have plenty in common, too…I’ve said it before in my full Nikon Z7 hands-on review that the Z7 is unmistakably a Nikon.
Both sport high-resolution sensors. Both are fully capable of still photography and 4K video. Both cameras, Sony A7 Riii and Nikon Z7, also have a similar price point.
There are numerous differences between these high-powered mirrorless cameras as well. Let’s explore how they stack up against each other.
Nikon Z7 vs Sony a7R III Specs
Here’s a quick glance at the Nikon Z7 specs:
- 45.7-megapixel full frame BSI CMOS sensor
- EXPEED 6 image processor
- Native ISO Range: 64-25,600 (expandable to 32-102400)
- 3.69-million dot OLED electronic viewfinder
- 3.2-inch tilting touchscreen LCD with 2.1-million dots
- 9 fps burst shooting (12-bit RAW)
- 493-point autofocus system
- 5-axis image stabilization
- 4K UHD video at 30 fps
- Magnesium alloy body
- Full weather sealing
And here are the Sony a7R III specs:
- 42.4-megapixel full frame BSI CMOS sensor
- BIONZ X image processor
- Native ISO range 50-32,000 (expandable to 102,400)
- 3.69-million dot OLED electronic viewfinder
- 3-inch tilting touchscreen LCD with 1.44-million dots
- 10 fps burst shooting
- 399-point autofocus system
- 5-axis image stabilization
- 4K UHD video at 30 fps
- Magnesium alloy body
- Full weather sealing
Nikon Z7 vs Sony a7R III Design & Build
Coming from a Nikon D810 and a Nikon D850, I was concerned that the Z7 would feel like a little toy in my hand, but that’s simply not the case.
The chunky grip on the Z7 is surprisingly deep and feels familiar if you’re a Nikon shooter. That familiarity is extended thanks to the buttons and joystick that are well-placed on the body and the top-plate information display Nikon shooters have grown to love on DSLRs (though this one is OLED rather than LCD).
The Z7 has full weather sealing, including around the battery door. The sealing feels substantial and gives you the confidence that if you encounter rain, your camera won’t be destroyed.
The 2.1-million-dot touchscreen LCD on the Z7 is big, bright, and resolute. It lets you tackle a variety of tasks, from interacting with the menu to sorting through images to setting the autofocus point.
The LCD also uses Nikon’s touch-friendly i menu, which can be used to change settings by simply tapping the screen.
The Z7’s 3.68-million-dot OLED EVF is something to behold. Not only is it beautifully bright and sharp, but it maintains full resolution while shooting (which the a7R III’s EVF does not).
I’ve had a Sony a6300 for quite some time, so I wasn’t as worried about the design of the a7R III and how I would adapt to it.
That being the case, I wasn’t surprised to find the a7R III’s grip on the smallish side. Granted, Sony has increased the size of the grip over the years, but it’s still small, particularly on the vertical plane.
Like the Z7, the a7R III is fully weather sealed, though in comparing the two cameras, I have to say that the Nikon’s weather sealing feels more substantial, though I still wouldn’t hesitate to use the a7R III in inclement weather.
In the touchscreen department, the Sony has a tilting one like the Nikon, but it isn’t nearly as functional, and that’s not just because it has just 1.44-million-dots of resolution.
In fact, Sony shooters know that the touchscreen is disabled by default - which honestly makes zero sense - and shows that the company simply hasn’t embraced touch-enabled screens like Nikon has. Furthermore, when it is enabled, it’s easy to accidentally trigger something with the LCD, which is even more frustrating than it being off by default.
The a7R III’s EVF has 3.68-million-dots of resolution just like the Nikon. As noted above, though, the full resolution of the EVF is only available in playback mode. When shooting the resolution drops, and it drops even more when shooting in burst mode.
That being the case, from a design and build standpoint, the Nikon is the winner for me.
Nikon Z7 vs Sony a7R III Image Quality
This will be a short discussion because both of these cameras offer impeccable image quality.
Yes, there’s a slight difference in resolution, but it’s so minimal that it really doesn’t matter.
Both cameras offer superb dynamic range, excellent color rendition, and ISO performance that rivals anything on the market today. You can see these elements in action with the Z7 in the video above by AdoramaTV.
Likewise, both cameras have excellent on-sensor phase-detect autofocus systems that offer top-notch performance and image quality when tracking moving subjects. The Z7 has face detection that works quite well, though the Sony’s Eye AF system is impossible to beat from a performance standpoint. See a live demo of the Sony a7RIII in Adorama’s video above.
Honestly, the only knock I have is that the Sony’s autofocus points are grey, which can be difficult to see, while the Nikon has super bright AF points that are easily noticeable.
This is one measure in which these cameras are very, very evenly matched, so it’s difficult to determine a winner.
Nikon Z7 vs Sony a7R III Video Specs
In years past, video has been an afterthought on Nikon cameras. And though the Nikon Z6 is a much better camera for video than the Z7, the Z7 can hold its own.
Both the Z7 and the a7R III are capable of 4K UHD recording at 30p. Both cameras also offer 1080/120p recording for slow motion.
Additionally, both of these cameras can capture full sensor 4K video, albeit with limited sampling. In the case of the Z7, that takes the form of line skipping while on the a7R III pixel binning is used.
In either case, to get the best-quality video, it’s better to record in APS-C format, which crops the video but gives you the highest quality results.
You’ll find further similarities between these cameras on the video front.
Both the Nikon and Sony have zebra warnings and internal LUTs, as well as focus peaking and five-axis image stabilization systems. The phase-detect autofocus systems on both cameras offer excellent autofocus when shooting video as well.
Nikon Z7 vs Sony a7R III Ease of Use
Nikon didn’t just work on making the Z7 feel right from an ergonomics standpoint. They also wanted to ensure Nikon users found the camera easy to use.
They’ve achieved that with the camera’s user interface, which comes from Nikon’s DSLR systems.
In fact, the Z7’s menu is nearly a tit-for-tat copy of the D850’s menu, which I’ve grown to love over the two years I’ve had the D850.
By comparison, the a7R III’s menu system is characteristically Sony.
I’ll give props to Sony for improving their menu systems over the years to make them easier to use, but they can still be on the confusing side.
In particular, Sony likes to bury some features deep in the menu system, which causes you to have to search and search for that one thing you need to change. That being said, you can customize the menus to your liking (you can do the same on the Nikon), so you can minimize the frustration of trying to find the hidden feature you need.
From a customization standpoint, the a7R III, though its menu is far less user-friendly, does offer far more customization options. If you’re willing to spend the time to get it just how you want it, the Sony’s menu could end up being far more functional for you than what’s offered by the Z7.
However, the Z7 is far easier to use right out of the box, and for that reason, it’s the winner in the ease of use department.
Nikon Z7 vs Sony a7R III Performance
Unsurprisingly, both of these cameras offer top-flight performance on a number of metrics.
The Z7, for example, can shoot 5.5 fps out of the box, which isn’t terribly spectacular, but live view is updated in between shots, which is a nice feature.
Besides, if you need a higher frame rate, you simply put the camera in High+ mode which gets you 8 fps image capture in 14-bit RAW. You can bump that up to 9 fps in 12-bit RAW. It’s important to note that when shooting in High+, autofocus is adjusted between shots but the exposure is locked.
The biggest performance issue with the Z7 is its buffer. It holds just 23 12-bit RAW files and 18 14-bit RAW files. I’ll be the first to admit that the XQD card makes quick work of clearing the buffer, but it’s still easy to reach the buffer’s limit.
The a7R III has an advantage in the performance department because it can shoot at 10 fps out of the box. Likewise, the Sony offers continuous AF/AE when shooting in continuous mode.
The Sony outperforms the Nikon when it comes to the buffer as well: it can accommodate 28 uncompressed RAW files or 76 compressed RAW files.
The better performance trend for the Sony continues with battery life. The a7R III is rated to 650 shots while the Z7 is rated to just 330.
While real-world testing often reveals better battery life than the rating, that’s still a mighty big difference between these cameras.
Nikon Z7 vs Sony a7R III Price
Given that these cameras are so evenly matched across the board, the determining factor for which one you purchase might well be the price.
The Nikon Z7 sells for a shade under $3,400.00 (body only). The Sony a7R III is currently on sale for $2,800.00.
Ultimately, most Nikon shooters aren’t going to switch to the a7R III to save $600. Likewise, I can’t imagine many Sony shooters spending an extra $600 for the Z7. Instead, I imagine brand loyalty will win out with folks who have already committed to one ecosystem or the other.
Regardless of which you choose, you’ll be getting a fantastic, highly capable camera.