The Sony a7S III Is Almost the Perfect Camera

The Sony a7S III Is Almost the Perfect Camera

The Sony a7S III was just announced and it's so close to being my "perfect" camera. 

I would love to own multiple copies of a single camera that can cover all of our photo/video needs but right now, we shoot stills with Sony and Nikon cameras and we shoot our videos with Panasonic GH5s. I was planning to switch over to Canon and buy a few R5s or R6s until I learned about them overheating... I'm not willing to deal with that again. 

When Sony announced the a7S III, I got excited because it could be my perfect hybrid camera. In the video below, I went live to discuss the features of this camera and compare it to Canon's offerings. 

During my live video, multiple people told me I needed to see Gerald Undone's review of the a7S III. It is quite good and he does a great job of getting me excited about this camera. 

I wish the Sony a7S III was a little larger and easier to hold, I wish it had around 20 megapixels instead of just 12, and I wish it was $2,500, rather than $3,500. But, those are really my only complaints currently, and I'm excited to test this camera out for myself. 

Lee Morris's picture

Lee Morris is a professional photographer based in Charleston SC, and is the co-owner of Fstoppers.com

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Is it the perfect camera because of it's 4k 120p? If you don't really need 120p that often then why not go for the Canon R6. Pretty much has everything you need, Lee?

Because it's more fashionable to comment on a camera that hasn't even hit the stores yet... and it attracts more clicks on the website.

Disagree Rayann. I don't see anything wrong with Lee's article here and I pretty much agree with him on being the perfect camera for non-hybrid video shooters.

That's why I'm asking Lee if he would consider the R6 as it does tick most of the boxes except for 4k120, record limit and potential over-heating. Also the price point is great.

I'm 98% convinced on purchasing the R6 but prefer to wait for more real world footage comparisons.

For predominantly video, and in particular the types of videos Lee does, I would think the record limit and the overheating issues with the R6 are too problematic to make that a worthwhile purchase. Their video shoots will all likely be longer than 30 minutes. Additionally, at least for me, not being able to dual record video to both cards in the R6 is a massive fail from Canon. It renders the dual card slot feature useless for videographers.

For their live stuff, yes, the record limit is a problem. But for their video tutorials they certainly don't record for greater than 30 min for a single shot. Agree about the not recording to both cards simultaneously. In regards to overheating I would still like to see more real world testing on the R6. I wont be buying the R5.

" the perfect camera for non-hybrid video shooters". That's how the title should read.

:-D

unlimited record time on the r6?

How can this almost be the perfect camera when you have to carry a different set of cameras for your stills? I know you travel a lot as I do and I like to keep all unnecessary weight down. If you have to carry 2-3 a7s3 and also have to carry 2 extra bodies for stills then this is far from perfect solution. also the hassle of carrying and switching bodies just so you can shoot stills is very inconvenient.

What would be perfect is if Sony releases a9iii body with this video functionality. I use a9 and a7riv and for video I usually have to use a7riv for video because of profiles that a9ii STILL doesn't have.

I'm sure r5 overheating issue will be fixed at some point(or r5mk2) and that camera is something I wish Sony would exceed. We are not always shooting in a cave or pointing lens at a distant meteorite in the sky. If light is low I have supplemental lighting(such as pavotube) without needing to crank iso to 16000. 24-45megapixel(like s1h) video cam with 10-bit and raw functionality is key. 8k frame grabs would also be very useful for me.

It's the perfect camera NOW, but in six to twelve months it will be an antique paperweight hopelessly outclassed by whatever is then the fashionably perfect camera.

Not only does film photography slow the photographer down, it also slows the passing of fashionable fads.

And slows my ability to make money with it ;)

I thought you were getting rich off this site!? :-D

The A7s2 was the go to camera for a lot of people up until the A7iii came out. That was 3 years. For most cameras the 6-12 months is true but for something like the a7siii its sorta a niche camera. I think it was the Gerald Undone video where he said the a7siii looks pretty much the same at iso 100k as the canon r5 at base iso for video. For the people that need that kind of flexibility they will spend the money.

I have no use for a 12 megapixel camera. And I don't shoot video, nor do I ever want to.

Who is this camera marketed to? What does it excel at, from a stills perspective?

From a still perspective it is not marketed to anyone. Perhaps just instagrammers and the like. Non-print.