- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The Sony α7 III is a full-frame mirrorless camera. It's great for photography, as it takes sharp images that are remarkably low in visual noise, even at high ISO settings. It offers a superb battery life, allowing you to shoot for extended periods without interruption. It's also a good option for amateur videographers, with 4k and FHD recording capability in a wide range of frame rates, a full set of physical inputs and outputs, and exceptional autofocus performance. Unfortunately, the screen doesn't articulate fully, and the menu system is confusing to navigate.
Our Verdict
The Sony Alpha 7 III is very good for travel photography. Images look sharp and mostly free of noise and graininess, even in low-light conditions. It's also fitted with a quick, reliable, and efficient autofocus system. It has a wide shutter speed range, so you can capture stills of fast-moving crowds or take long-exposure shots. Depending on what settings you use and how you shoot, its battery can last you a full day of shooting. It's quite comfortable to use for most people, but it's also a little on the heavy side.
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Superb image quality.
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Great build quality.
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Quick, reliable autofocus system.
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Slightly heavy weight.
The Sony Alpha 7 III is impressive for landscape photography. Images are detailed, color-accurate, and low in visual noise. The camera itself feels quite sturdy, too. Its lens lets in a decent amount of light, giving you a bit of extra flexibility in darker environments. Also, its screen is bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight. Unfortunately, it isn't the most portable to take to remote shooting locations or on long hikes.
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Superb image quality.
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Great build quality.
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Slightly heavy weight.
The Sony Alpha 7 III is great for sport and wildlife photography. While its maximum continuous shooting speed is only decent, it has a very high maximum shutter speed, allowing you to take photos of fast-moving subjects free of motion blur. Its autofocus system can also quickly and reliably focus on moving subjects. Unfortunately, it takes a little while for it to clear its photo buffer when you fill it up, which can interrupt your shooting.
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Superb image quality.
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Great build quality.
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Quick, reliable autofocus system.
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Slightly heavy weight.
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Long buffer clearing time.
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Maximum continuous shooting speed is only fair.
The Sony Alpha 7 III is okay for vlogging. It delivers excellent video quality in both FHD and 4k and superb face tracking autofocus performance. That said, its screen doesn't fully articulate, so you can't see yourself when the camera is pointed at you. Its image stabilization performance also isn't especially effective in regards to smoothing out camera shake.
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Great build quality.
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Great video quality with low visual noise, even in dark environments.
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Outstanding autofocus performance in both 4k and FHD.
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Slightly heavy weight.
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Poor video stabilization in 4k.
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Screen doesn't fully rotate.
The Sony Alpha 7 III is an excellent option for studio video. It has a wide array of inputs and outputs for videography accessories, records very high-quality footage in both 4k and FHD, and delivers superb autofocus performance. Unfortunately, its menu system can be hard to navigate and understand.
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Great video quality with low visual noise, even in dark environments.
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Outstanding autofocus performance in both 4k and FHD.
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Wide variety of inputs and outputs for accessories.
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Unintuitive menu system.
The Sony Alpha 7 III isn't designed for action video. It's too big to mount onto a helmet rig, and it isn't water-resistant. While its image stabilization performance is poor in 4k, it performs better in this regard in FHD. It supports FHD recording at 120 fps, allowing you to create slow-motion videos.
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Great build quality.
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Slightly heavy weight.
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Poor video stabilization in 4k.
- 7.9 Travel Photography
- 8.3 Landscape Photography
- 8.0 Sport & Wildlife Photography
- 6.5 Vlogging
- 8.6 Studio Video
- 4.7 Action Video
- Updated Apr 26, 2022: Having tested a wider array of cameras, we have reevaluated and adjusted this camera's 'Build Quality' score to more accurately reflect its build quality.
- Updated Apr 22, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.
- Updated Jul 16, 2021: Corrected camera and screen size measurements, number of command dials, and 'In The Box' contents.
- Updated Feb 08, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Feb 08, 2021: Early access published.
Check Price
Test Results
- Magnesium alloy and plastic construction feels robust
- Buttons, command dials, and wheels provide great physical feedback
- Screen mechanism is sturdy-feeling
- Door to its battery compartment and SD card slot is solid and mounted on a spring hinge
- Input/outputs are covered by hard plastic flaps
- Screen only tilts and doesn't fully rotate, so you can't see yourself when the camera is pointed at you
- For a camera that feels even better-built, check out the Sony α7 IV.
- Sony a7 III mirrorless camera body
- Sony FE 28-70mm F/3.5-5.6 OSS lens
- Lens caps
- Sensor cap
- Lens hood
- 1x NP-FZ100 battery
- Shoulder strap
- USB cable
- AC adapter
- User manual
- Changing aperture, shutter speed, and ISO is easy with your right eye pressed up against the viewfinder, but slightly more difficult if you shoot with your left eye
- Controls are well-spaced, so you shouldn't accidentally make an input
- Users with very big hands can have their middle fingers pinched between the handgrip and the lens
- Menu can be customized to suit your needs and preferences
- All the physical buttons can have their functions remapped
- Camera has a guide mode to help explain the effects of certain features
- Quite a few features are buried within the sub-menus, like the face and eye-detection features and HDMI output configuration
- Can't use the touchscreen to navigating the menu, forcing you to rely on the less intuitive physical controls
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Sony Alpha 7 III only has one color variant: 'Black', which we tested with the Sony FE 28-70mm F/3.5-5.6 OSS lens, and you can see its label here.
The Sony a7III can also be purchased with several other E-mount lenses, including the Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar T FE F4 ZA OSS lens and Sony - FE 50mm F1.8 lens, but we haven't tested the performance of this camera with other lenses. It can also be purchased without a lens at all.
If someone comes across a differently-equipped variant, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Compared To Other Cameras
The Sony α7 IV replaces the Sony α7 III. It has a new, higher-resolution 33-megapixel sensor and improved autofocus system. Physically, the α7 IV is a little bigger and includes two UHS-II SD card slots, one of which has an integrated CFexpress Type A slot and has a fully articulated touchscreen and improved menu system. The α7 III, on the other hand, has two SD card slots, but only one of them is rated for UHS-II cards and has a tilting screen and more confusing menu. While both are fantastic cameras for photography, the α7 IV supports 10-bit 4:2:2 video recording internally and can capture video at exceptionally high bit rates, making it the better option for videographers. If you're mainly interested in photography, the α7 III still offers a lot of value.
The Panasonic LUMIX GH5s and the Sony α7 III have different strengths and weaknesses. The Panasonic is a better option for videography and filmmaking since it can record 10-bit video internally, offers more 4k frame rate options, and higher bit rates. While the Sony is no slouch in the video department, it's aimed more at photographers. Its full-frame sensor gives you a wider dynamic range and better low-light performance. It also has a much more reliable autofocus system.
The Sony α7 III is better overall than the Sony α6000. It has a full-frame sensor, a newer processor, and a newer, more effective autofocus system. It does a better job tracking moving subjects, performs better in low light at higher ISOs, and includes more video features, including 4k video capability. If you're just starting in photography, the α6000 still offers a lot of value for its price.
The Sony α7 III is a bit better overall than the Sony α6600, mostly because it uses a full-frame sensor while the α6600 has an APS-C sensor. As a result, the α7 III delivers better image quality and performs better at higher ISO levels in low light. Both are mirrorless cameras with highly effective autofocus systems, but the α7 III has a slightly larger EVF. It also has two SD card slots, but unlike the α6600, it isn't weather-sealed. The α6600 is also a bit lighter and more portable.
The Sony a7 III and the Nikon D780 are both enthusiast-oriented full-frame cameras, but they're different camera types. The Sony is a mirrorless camera with an electronic viewfinder that lets you see changes to exposure directly through the finder, while the Nikon is a DSLR with an optical viewfinder that gives you a lag-free, unfiltered view through the lens. The Sony is lighter and more portable and has a more reliable overall autofocus system. However, the Nikon has a longer battery life and more intuitive menu system and controls.