Published: October 25, 2017
Booyah!!! Sony Announces the Sony a7R III
THIS is the camera you’ve been waiting for! All the good stuff you wanted from Sony a9 and LOTS MORE!
I’ll be posting more later but here are the highlights:
• 42.4 MP with 10 FPS Continuous Shooting with either Mechanical or Electronic Shutter
• Completely new Low vibration shutter
• Uses the new NP-FZ100 Lithium-Ion Battery (from Sony a9)
• USB 3.1 Type-C Tethering Connection
• Dual SD Card Slots
• PC Terminal
• Pixel Shift Multi Shooting combines four sequential captures to eliminate color interpolation
• New LSI and Image Processor for better image quality from the same 42.4 mp sensor used in a7RII
• 4K HDR with Hybrid-Log-gamma S-Log3
• Enhanced Eye AF
• 5.5 Step 5-Axis Image Stabilization
• 15 Stop Dynamic Range
* Compatible with a9 vertical grip: Sony VG-C3EM Vertical Grip (available here)
Order Sony a7R III from B&H Photo | Amazon | Sony
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42 thoughts on “Sony Announces the Sony a7R III”
There goes all the wind out of Nkon’s (D850) sails 🙂
Just fantastic announcements from Sony!
Personally I was hoping for a 400/4 so I could sell the 400DOii I’m adapting.
I suppose there are more high paid sports shooters than old weak togs who can’t heft the 2.8!
Regardless Sony will bring down the Canikon kindoms!
Looking forward to your hands-on review. It has the same snesor as the A7R ii, that is not improved after more than 2 years? even though they claim that the IQ coming out of the A7R iii is better eg. 1 more stop of dynamic range, I wonder how 🙂
Sensor is only half the story. The new image processor and front-end LSI get more out of the sensor than a7RII could! Just like turning a street car to a 200mph stock car!
Will be ordering!
I’m assuming the video is only 8-bit and there’s no full sensor read-out on hdmi port ?
Sony did everything I was expecting. I was just waiting for the A7III !!
8bit 4-2-0 internal or 4-2-2 to an external recorder. Like a7RII, a7R III allows HDMI display of EITHER the full width of the sensor or Super35 crop. Your choice…
I have the old a7. I assume my FE lenses will work on the a7riii. right?
It IS an E-mount camera…
All the good stuff you wanted from Sony a9 – except a9 autofocus, electronic shutter, and blackout free viewfinder.
Actually a7R III does have an electronic shutter option, but like a7RII it’s called “Silent Shooting” and it’s blackout free up to 8 FPS in that mode.
I would like to confirm that the A7 R III still uses the micro HDMI port. It would have been great if it had gone at least one size up. That would give it much better endurance and a better contact. I think there would have been enough room for any larger size on that side of the camera……
same micro HDMI port
Do you know when it will be available at, for instance, Best Buy? I mean, not the “pre-order”, just there in stock.
Pre-orders will get priority. I wouldn’t expect to get one before Christmas unless you place an order.
Is this really all that better than the a7r ii? I have an original a7 and am wanting to upgrade, but I’m torn between the r ii and iii. I haven’t minded much carrying around extra batteries for my 7, so the expanded battery doesn’t make much difference to me. I don’t do video either.
However, the autofocus of the a7 in low light has been a real issue (forcing me to manual focus a lot more than I would like). Both cameras should be a significant upgrade in that regard, but is the r iii’s extra stop of low light performance worth the extra $800? I’m sure I could also appreciate the touch screen, dual as slots, and joystick, but I’ve been fine without them. I guess if I could get some assurance that this new focus ability would even come close to the a9 (which I’ve played around with a bit and adore), then I’d pick up the iii without regrets.
What do you think? Should I get the iii or save some money and get the ii? That 800 could go a long way towards a new lens or other equipment.
It’s nice to have two great options. This may help you decide: Top 15 Reasons to Upgrade to Sony a7R III
Thanks!
Is the body the same as the A9 or is it the same as the A7r II?
Neither. It looks closer to a7R II but is compatible with compatible with Sony NP-FZ100 Lithium-Ion Battery and VG-C3EM Vertical Grip from Sony a9
Hi Brian.
I seen a claim of improved peaking on the BH site: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1369441-REG/sony_ilce7rm2_b_alpha_a7r_iii_mirrorless.html
“This updated viewfinder design also affords the use of autofocus in the Focus Magnifier mode as well as improved focusing peaking to benefit manual focus operation.”
Can you elaborate whats new?
Great thanks know. There’s so much that’s new that I’m still finding things I hadn’t seen…
Hey Brian.
I currently have the A6500 and have been waiting for the new A7 model(s) to drop before I purchased a FF and now that the A7RIII has been announced, how is the EYE AF in comparison? Is the touch focus a bit laggy or more responsive? I didn’t see Sony mention it in the specs or anyone in particular but, is there any chance that they included the zero blackout at all? Thanks in advance.
I don’t shoot a6500 so I cannot compare them – but a7R III has no blackout up to 8 FPS in Silent Shooting Mode.
Brian – I may have missed any info on purchase option for the battery grip. Is it available for pre-order? I mean the grip with two batteries in it…
It’s available now. It’s the same vertical grip as a9: Sony VG-C3EM Vertical Grip (available here)
I’ve tested it and can confirm it fits and works.
I probably should have called it “vertical grip”. – Is that available for pre-order yet?
No problem. I knew what you meant. It’s available now.
Sony VG-C3EM Vertical Grip (available here)
Brian can you confirm you can tether this camera with Lightroom? The a7rii was hopeless for this.
Adobe is the problem. They have no plans to ever support native tethering of any Sony camera.
But Capture One Pro for Sony ($50) will support a7R III tethering around the time of the release and it’s a much better interface for tethering anyway.
Sony will also release their own tethering and viewing software as a download for the camera.
I wish Sony would tell us if they plan on releasing an A7S iii
That is the only reason I am holding back pre-ordering the A7R iii
Camera companies never announce what they have not yet announced.
Brian,
Do you know if Sony has just kept the standard 3:2 ratio (stills) and 16:9 (video)?
Was really hoping to see some different aspect ratios included, like 1:1 and 5:4.
Any idea if this has been implemented?
Thanks in advance 🙂
The Beta firmware .01 only has 3:2 and 16:9, so one of the things in my product feedback to the head of Sony camera engineering was a request for 1:1 and 4:3 for a7R III, a9 and all future cameras.
Hi Brian,
Thanks for that… I cannot quite believe with all those other technical achievements that they have still not managed this…
It already exists in some Sony cameras… RX1R2 and RX100 series..
Can you please add a 5:4 and 6:7 crops if possible? I use these all the time on the Fuji GFX as it matches most closely the format of my medium format film cameras..
Oh, the panoramic option is pretty amazing too 😉
Thanks again!
The longer the list, the less chance it happens.
Fair enough….
Best of luck getting this to happen.
Hey Brian,
Always love your posts. How would you compare the AF speed on the a7R III vs the a9? Also, is the touchscreen better than the a9? The a9 touchscreen is a little laggy, and you can’t use it to select menu options.
Thanks!
Wow! This will make my transition to Sony complete. Still shooting hybrid with a7rii and 6D. Now I only need Sony to release an FE 24/1.4 ZA and Sony FE 135/2 ZA…or GM.
Hey Brian,
I have the Sony A7R II and mostly use it with MF lenses and focus peaking. Would it be worth the upgrade to the A7RIII? Is the focus peaking that much better than on the A7R II? Because I’m not sure if I need all the other advantages that the A7RIII offers. So in your opinion, would it be worth to upgrade?
Thanks!
Focus peaking is the same. There’s really not much that can change there. You’d need to weigh the other factors. If you’re happy with battery life (or already have plenty of spare batteries) it may come down to performance such as buffer size and 2 point improvement in image quality.
Thank you so much Brian. I already love the A7RII and I do have plenty of spare batteries. S for now I will stick to the A7RII because in my case I don’t think it’s worth the upgrade.
Will the A7III be able to use PlayMemories apps? Did they include the sweep panorama mode in the A7III?
Whoops …. I thought this was for the A7III and not the A7RIII