Sony is known to produce some of the best cameras. Two of the best professional-grade mirrorless cameras in the market right now are Sony A7III and Sony A7RIII. In a glance, these two models look very similar to each other. However, there are very significant differences that set Sony A7III vs A7RIII apart. So, which one is better for you?
Continue reading below to learn more about:
– The design and dimensions of each model
– The viewfinder and display quality of each model
– The resolution and image quality of Sony A7III vs A7RIII
– The autofocus performance of Sony A7III and Sony A7RIII
– The distinctive features and capabilities of each model
– Which model that is generally more recommended
Design
If not for the product name that is written on the front-left side of each camera, it will be very difficult to distinguish Sony A7III vs A7RIII apart. They look very similar to each other. The dimensions are even almost identical. Most of the button layouts and colors are, too. See also: Nikon D5300 vs. Sony A6000.
Each camera here measures 127 mm x 96 mm x 74 mm without any lens. Sony A7III is a tiny bit lighter at 657 grams, but the difference to Sony A7RIII’s 650 grams won’t be noticeable. Both models have weather-sealed magnesium-alloy construction. They are very rugged and durable, and they are sealed very well so that they won’t be affected by environmental factors at all.
Each of them comes with an LCD screen that can act as a touchscreen for the AF area, an electronic viewfinder, a USB Type-C port, and two memory card slots. One of the memory card slots is UHS-II compliant.Sony A7III has a smooth shooting dial on the top, whereas Sony A7RIII’s shooting dial isn’t smooth. They each work with an NP-FZ100 battery.
Viewfinder and Display
It is obvious that the company wants to present Sony A7III as a relatively more affordable option than Sony A7RIII. Besides the glaring price difference – SonyA7III is more than a thousand bucks cheaper – the specifications also tell so.
Sony A7III is equipped with a 3-inch tilting display. The resolution of the display is good, which is 922k dots. The electronic viewfinder is also very good. It has a resolution of 2,359,296 dots.
However, Sony A7RIII is even more awesome. Its 3-inch tilting display has a resolution of 1.440k dots. So, the display is much sharper and more detailed. Furthermore, the electronic viewfinder boasts a resolution of 3,686,400 dots. Aiming and framing your shots with this viewfinder will be much more convenient.
Sensor and Buffer
Both cameras here come with the company’s Exmor R backside-illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensors. Backside illumination allows the sensor to gather more light than regular sensors, so that the overall brightness and low-light performance are enhanced. Both cameras work with powerful LSI chips that improve their processing and readout speeds. Both can capture in 14-bit RAW with compressed and uncompressed options available.
But the sensor of Sony A7III ‘only’ has a resolution of 24.2 MP. This is indeed already good enough for various photography needs. The ISO range is from 100 – 51200, expandable to 50 – 204,800. This camera has a built-in AA filter to reduce moire. This camera is a good choice if you often need to shoot in challenging light conditions.
On the other hand, Sony A7RIII boasts a 42.4 MP sensor. The resolution is much, much higher. It is especially useful if you often need to print your shots on large-sized media, or if you want your pics to be highly crop-tolerant. In addition, this camera doesn’t have an AA filter, so the images are generally sharper and more detailed. However, the maximum native ISO is only 3,200, which is expandable to 102,400.
Sony A7III and Sony A7RIII has a photo burst speed of 10 fps. However, Sony A7III can store more frames in its buffer. It can capture up to 177 JPG files or 89 RAW files in the buffer. Meanwhile, Sony A7RIII is limited to 76 JPG files or 76 compressed RAW files.
Autofocus
The next big difference between Sony A7III vs A7RIII is the autofocus (AF). It is interesting that Sony A7III is packed with a more powerful AF system. The one on Sony A7RIII isn’t bad at all, but if you want the best AF performance, this isn’t the way to go.
Sony A7III has a total of 693 phase-detection points, which cover 93 percent of the entire sensor surface. It has significantly more phase-detection points, so the performance in tracking moving subjects is much better. It is very accurate and reliable. The minimum sensitivity is -3 EV, and there are some useful features such as the AF Track Sens and the Eye AF. The algorithm is based on the company’s flagship model, Sony A9.
Sony A7RIII has 399 phase-detection points which cover 68 percent of the sensor surface. However, it has the same number of contrast-detection points as Sony A7III, which is 425 points. It also has a minimum sensitivity of -3 EV and similar features. The performance when focusing on static subjects is just as good as Sony A7III, but it struggles slightly when tracking moving subjects such as flying birds.
Other Features
Both models come with 5-axis stabilization, which is extremely useful when you are shooting without a tripod. This feature greatly reduces blurs.Both models can work with OSS lenses. Two axes will be used on the lens while the remaining three are used on the sensor.
However, Sony A7III has a slightly lower Ev rating for the E-mount, which is 5 Ev. Sony A7RIII currently has the most advanced E-mount with the 5.5 Evrating. In addition, Sony A7RIII has a special feature called Pixel Shift Multi Shoot.
This feature utilizes the sensor shift mechanism to snap four images in a burst while moving the sensor one pixel from shot to shot. The four images are then merged into one. It increases the color accuracy and detail without changing the resolution.Note that Sony A7RIII’s Pixel Shift Multi Shoot is only usable for static subjects. It can’t work with moving subjects. Also, you can’t merge the images in-camera. You need to use the Sony Imaging Edge Software.
While both models support 4K footage at 30fps and 100Mbps, Sony A7III is able to use the full width of the sensor so that it doesn’t experience pixel binning. The videos are generally sharper and cleaner. Meanwhile, Sony A7RIII has more visible noise, especially at high ISO levels.
Both models have similar interfaces. They each have a headphone output, a microphone input, a USB Type-C port, a USB 2.0 port, and one Micro HDMI Type-D port. Sony A7III doesn’t have a flash sync port. Sony A7RIII has an additional port that is dedicated for flash sync.
Sony A7III vs. A7RIII
Conclusion
In general, Sony A7III is more recommended. It gives a better value for the money. It is significantly more affordable, while still having comparable image quality. The photo burst and AF performance are better. The video quality is also generally higher.
