Is Sony's Xperia 1 III the Ultimate Phone for Photographers?

Phone cameras have become remarkably competent and versatile in recent years, to the point that they can deliver professional-level results in certain situations, particularly when the light is good and you do not need extreme focal lengths. The Sony Xperia 1 III offers some of the most impressive capabilities yet, and this great video review takes a look at how it performs.

Coming to you from Kai W, this awesome video review takes a look at the Sony Xperia 1 III phone. The Xperia 1 III comes with an impressive combination of rear cameras, sure to catch the eyes of many creatives. One thing that I particularly love is that its maximum focal length is 105mm. Most multi-camera phones' "telephoto" lenses actually sit around 50mm or maybe 70mm, which can feel a bit limiting, but 105mm opens up a lot more possibilities. On the other hand, there is a bit of a focal length gap between the 24mm and 70mm, which may annoy some users, but still, having 16mm, 24mm, 70mm, and 105mm in a phone, with optical stabilization available at 24mm, 70mm, and 105mm is quite impressive and makes the Xperia 1 III a versatile performer. Check out the video above for the full rundown on the phone. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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2 Comments

Looks like a great camera phone until you compare it to a Samsung S21 Ultra and the Sony becomes a joke.

S21 has better dynamic range and proper exposure on the front and main rear camera. The Sony crushes blacks and over exposes highlights, while overall looking under exposed.

S21 perform much better when zooming, Sony is soft and mushy in comparison.

Sony screwed up their portrait mode and it over exposes images, completely blowing out highlights.

Sony doesn't let you switch cameras while recording video, Samsung does.

Night mode is a joke on the Sony and low light video is incredibly underexposed compared to Samsung.

Samsung has better image stabilization as well.

Forgetting the camera for a minute and remembering this is a phone which I have personal information on, it's very important to mention Sony gives you 2 years of security updates while Samsung gives you 4 years. The poor software support alone is enough reason to ignore Sony.

Sony may be the leader in mirrorless cameras but their phones fail to sell for a reason.

A 2021 flagship with a MicroSD slot?

Pretty much has me sold. $1300 is steep but hoping it drops down below $1000 within a few months.