Sony a7R III Review
- 42 MP CMOS sensor
- 10 FPS shooting with full auto focus, or 8 FPS shooting with live updates
- 5-axis image stabilization
- 4K footage
- 3.69M-dot Viewfinder
- 3in tilting LCD touch-screen
- Silent shooting mode
- Battery life of 650 shots
Photo by ?? Claudio Schwarz | @purzlbaum on Unsplash
If you are a professional photographer then chances are you already know a lot about the Sony a7R III. The Sony a7R III came out in late 2017 and has since been replaced with a newer model.
This makes the Sony a7R III an especially attractive option for professional photographers who are looking to save some money with their camera purchases.
However, if you’re a beginner, beware. This camera has a ton of high-end features, which is a good thing, but that also means that it can be difficult for a newbie to learn the ropes with. Just be aware of that as you consider what camera to purchase.
Without further ado let's jump into this Sony a7R III review.
Sony a7R III Specs
The Sony a7R III was Sony's best high-resolution full-frame mirrorless camera when it dropped 3 years ago. It comes with a 42 MP sensor and a burst rate of 10 frames per second.
When this camera first dropped, people couldn't stop talking about the autofocus system, which borrowed features of Sony's impeccable a9.
The viewfinder features an impressive 3.69M-dots. The camera can also shoot in an impressive 4K mode which is oversampled from 5K footage.
The image stabilization in this camera is also something to talk about. It is a 5-axis stabilization rated at 5.5 stops with a 50 mm lens.
The only way to make the Sony a7R III look less impressive is by putting it next to the Sony a7R IV.
Other Sony a7R III specs include:
Sony a7R III Body & Design
The Sony a7R III feels just like all of the other camera bodies in this line. It measures 3.8 by 5 by 2.9 inches and weighs 1.5 pounds. It is dust and splash proof. As compared to earlier models, the touch sensitivity on the LCD screen is far better. Additionally, the EVF is larger.
This body does not come with a built-in flash, but this version does come with a dedicated control to change your auto focus, which is a first for the line. This camera also comes with a flash sync socket, headphone and microphone connectors, an HDMI output, and a micro-USB/multi connector socket.
Sony a7R III Build & Handling
A large part of a camera's handling is its battery life. The Sony a7R III got a huge battery upgrade. Previous Sony a7R models used the FW50 battery, which is only rated for around three hundred shots. But this model is now rated for 650 shots, if you are using the rear LCD, or 530 shots if you opt to use the viewfinder.
This made the Sony a7R III much more competitive as a professional-grade body, at least in my book. In fact, when I first started shooting with the Sony a7R III, I was able to get a thousand images out of one charge.
It's also important to note the weight of the Sony a7R III. It is just under 2 lbs, which is a bit heavy for my taste. But its weight also means that it can handle much larger glass.
The connectivity of the Sony a7 III is very similar to other Sony bodies from the same time period. It comes with built-in Bluetooth, NFC, and Wi-Fi. You can use Bluetooth to set your camera's clock or to remain connected to your phone. NFC will allow you to connect to Sony's mobile app. Wi-Fi will be used for image transfer. If you have ever worked with the Sony A9, both of these models have the same connectivity.
One problem I have with the handling of the Sony a7R III is its menu layout. For a period of time, Sony was creating cameras with menus that were dense and difficult to understand. While this isn't a dealbreaker for me, I do suggest that you become accustomed to this menu for at least a couple of hours before you attempt to shoot with the camera.
Sony a7R III Autofocus
Photo by ?? Claudio Schwarz | @purzlbaum on Unsplash
I briefly touched on one of my favorite Sony a7R III features earlier: its autofocus. There are a couple of different autofocus modes on this camera, the Widest Setting mode which chooses what to focus on for me, is one I have come to really like. The Flexible Spot focus mode which will restrict the focus of the camera to a specific area is also very helpful.
However, this camera also comes with Zone, Center, Expanded Flexible Spot, and Lock on Area autofocus modes.
Sony's Eye AF was retroactively applied to the Sony a7R III with a firmware update. If you haven't worked with this autofocus mode yet, it's quite simple. The camera will automatically detect any eyes, so long as they are within the autofocus range you have supplied. Otherwise the camera will just go back to face detect.
All of these autofocus modes though don't mean much if they can't perform.
Thankfully, Jason Vong has a whole video series on mastering autofocus with the Sony a7R III. Take a look above.
Sony a7R III Video Performance
Thank you to Jeremy Vessey for the video test above.
The Sony a7R III shoots video at 4K quality and comes with a standard 3.5 mm microphone jack. But most importantly the autofocus works just as good while shooting video.
The resulting footage is full frame without any pixel binning. If you want to you can edit your footage from the camera, too.
Sony a7R III Image Quality
The image quality of this camera is as to be expected. It is quite excellent. This camera uses the same sensor as its predecessor although the raw dynamic range is now rated at 15 stops.
As mentioned earlier, the 5-axis stabilization system is now slightly improved.
This camera is capable of taking excellent photographs, and given its large sensor, it is also capable of creating composite shots that are so much better. These composite shots must be put together using Sony software after your shoot, but it is a feature that is not to be missed.
The camera's ISO range of 100 to 32,000 means that this camera can handle low-light shooting beautifully.
This camera does come with one downside when it comes to its image quality. It applies noise reduction to your RAW images, which will be a problem for astrophotographers.
Take a look at an image quality test in the video above, conducted by Matt Granger.
Sony a7R III Price
Photo by ?? Claudio Schwarz | @purzlbaum on Unsplash
Since the Sony a7R III has been replaced by the Sony a7R IV, it is cheaper than it has ever been. Despite the fact that this camera has an insane amount of features, you can pick one up used for as little as $2,200 on MPB.
The Sony a7R III price makes it an especially attractive camera for professional photographers who are looking to expand their gear.
Another option is to pick up a Sony a7R III off of MPB that is in like-new condition. You can do so for $2,300, which is just $100 more than the cheapest used version.
Regardless of which option you choose, you can rest assured that these cameras will come in the exact condition you ordered, because unlike other used camera retail websites, MPB has professional photographers on staff to rate the quality of their used equipment.
So, you will not only be saving money by buying used camera gear, but you will be saving money by ensuring you are not ripped off.
