The Sony a7R III is the highly anticipated update to the very popular a7R II. Since it uses the same sensor as its predecessor, it might seem like this is more an incremental release, but this helpful video will highlight the newest and most improved features to help you decide if it's worth the upgrade.
Coming to you from Manny Ortiz, this video examines his experience shooting with the a7R III and how it improves upon his time with the a7R II. While the newest iteration of the popular camera isn't a complete overhaul, it does contain some welcome tweaks and additions that should both improve the shooting experience for most photographers and further legitimize it as a tool professionals can rely on both in terms of capability and redundancy. It's also worth noting that while the sensor is the same, Sony managed to pull a bit more dynamic range out of it in the newest iteration, something landscape photographers and the like should appreciate.
And if you're interested in diving into more details on the Sony a7R III, you can check out our hands-on look at the camera here.
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I couldnt agree with Fritz more. Basically you're paying $3200 for a software upgrade (think MagicLantern) and a replacement for a battery grip.... really. Otherwise such a great system, but this isnt worth the mark i factor upgrade...
Lech it's actually quite the opposite of a software upgrade and is an overhaul of the hardware around an image sensor that is still basically among the best in the industry. Granted the materiality of these hardware upgrades will of course vary depending on what you shoot, but for those who shoot subjects that are not static, especially professionally, these hardware upgrades are huge, even though they seem pretty minor on paper.
The a7rII is still a great camera, but it has always been very sluggish and isn't quite up to the task of being the main body for something like wedding photography. This is where the front end LSI goes a very long way because it speeds up the focus acquisition speed, shortens the start up time, allows for a bigger buffer, and boosts up write speeds. This means less chances of missing a shot because the camera could not keep up, which is a big issue with the a7rII in the real world. Also the joystick, improved ergonomics, bigger battery, and dual card slots go a very long way for those of us shooting in fast moving environments where you have one opportunity to very quickly compose and take a key shot. I actually had the chance to shoot a bit with a pre production model on Friday, and the shooting experience is much improved. The camera is very reminiscent of the a9.
Better eye focus, faster tethering, more battery, two memory cards, better dynamic range, joystick for easier focal points, quicker image review.... this thing is a game changer for me. I will purchase as soon as I save up the $ and make the a7rii my backup.
Matt, this post makes no sense. Sorry, bit faster tethering a game changer? Really, youre worried about battery life in a studio setting? 2 catd slots... if youre tethering why is thid important? I dont mean to bust your chops, but that small DR gain can be easily attained in post with neglible tradeoff...
Ill give you the eye focus, but not for $3k and a joystick... spend that on glass...
10 fps is interesting for sports... but yoy didnt mention that.
I think Sony got complacent with the mark iii. All development $s went into that 20 fps A9 demon...
Just saying. A7rii was already miles ahead. Sony knows it.
All great points Lech! So half my shoots are in the studio, where my team and clients are reviewing the images in real time directly on my laptop, and I am shooting fast. As the images start to backup I actually hit a point where I can't trigger the camera. The USB 3 tethering changes this for me. Also wanted to add that the ability to now save to both the memory card and the laptop simultaneously provides me with some extra relief in case something goes wrong with one. The other half of my shoots are on location and I can't tell you how many times I've been in a tough location (i.e. in the ocean with multiple people), only to realize my battery died (worst battery life ever) or my card is full. The DR allows me to pull even more content from tough shots like backlit shots where I don't have an assistant or strobe.
That price point is the same as a Canon Mark IV and cheaper than others. Compared to A7rii, it's an extra $1200, and yes for me, those upgrades are worth an extra $1200 if we're comparing the two. The 10 fps sounds awesome, but I just don't shoot anything that needs that type of speed. Anyway, this camera is everything that I had wished the a7rii had, but that's just for me. Totally understand these factors are not as important to you.
Right on Matt! Thanks for the explanation... im always trying to figure out how to invest in equipment and how/why others do it!
Rally on!
I look at the new model as A7R2.5 I was hoping for a little more sensor real estate but I'll guess there's a A7x with a 70Mb + - in 2018.
I think there are many good features added to the new camera but not enough for me pull the trigger since I am ok with the A7R2.
If the electronic shutter (not the FPS, the distortion) were the same as the A9, I'd have pre-ordered it. Heck, probably even 2 of them, and sold my A9. Because it's not, I may not get it at all and just stick with my A9 and A7RII.
Delightful video. The frames per second is worth it, but DPReview says the A7R III is "almost" as good as the Nikon D850 in capturing shadows and low light (EV ability). So...get the Nikon??
Before I make a decision to upgrade, I want to know what the A7Siii will be like.
For the very few photographers making money off of their a7R II's (or any other camera) maybe, for the YouTubers making money doing videos, absolutely. For most people, probably not, but they are going to once they get brainwashed by the YouTubers. This is not just for Sony brand cameras.
Sony fixed all complains that pros had about a7r2,if photography is not your bread and butter than is no reason to upgrade,still the same image quality and new body will not make you better,does it make the job easier yes
Hey Manny! Don't mess with her coffee maker or alarm clock to charge your Sony batteries.
Something I haven’t seen mentioned yet: is the 30-minute at a time video limit finally removed? Or was this perhaps removed quietly with a firmware update on the RII and I didn’t notice? Tryin to find this out in regards to both this one and the A9...
I shoot mostly model portfolios and editorials, so the A7r ii works rather well. Yet when I saw the upgrades I realized just how much improvement over the original the A7riii. It does get rather sluggish when I'm shooting photos that require movement, or anything in a studio for that matter. I recently had the worse experience with a commercial shoot, when the creative director was wanting to see the images right away but there was such a long wait time for it to process the images (or whatever the hell it was doing) that I was a little embarrassed. I had to stand there for an annoying amount of time, waiting for it to do whatever, and then it refused to preview the photos after it made me wait.If I was on a portrait session, it wouldnt have been an issue. But shooting bigger clients with time constraints, every second is money and standing there waiting on a camera to process can look unprofessional. So Im looking to upgrade.