Sony α7 III vs α7 II: Which Camera Is Better?

Sony

Black (Body Only)

α7 II

Black W/ 28-70mm Lens

a7 III

Black W/ 28-70mm Lens

α7 II

Notice: Two or more of the products being compared have been tested with different test methodologies. Some of the results aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our cameras test methodology.

Threshold

0.10

Travel Photography

7.8

7.3

Photo AF-C Center Point

5.8

Battery

9.4

6.8

Minimum Shutter Speed Achieved

1/20 s

1/10 s

Screen Max Brightness

665 cd/m²

990 cd/m²

Full Comparison

Travel Photography

7.8

7.3

Landscape Photography

8.3

8.2

Sports & Wildlife Photography

8.0

6.6

Vlogging

6.9

4.9

Studio Video

8.2

4.0

Action Video

3.5

2.5

Raw Photo

8.6

8.4

Design

Portability

4.1

4.6

Portability Picture

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Height

3.8" (9.6 cm)

Width

5.4" (13.8 cm)

5.5" (13.9 cm)

Depth

3.1" (7.9 cm)

2.9" (7.3 cm)

Volume

63.9 in³ (1,046.6 cm³)

59.4 in³ (972.8 cm³)

Weight

1.43 lbs (0.65 kg)

1.34 lbs (0.61 kg)

Build Quality

8.0

Build Quality Picture

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Body

Body Picture

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Body Type

SLR-Style

Water Resistance

Mirrorless

Yes

Rugged

Hot Shoe

Yes

Customizable Button

Yes

Command Dial

Tripod Mount

Yes

Lens Mount

E-Mount

Built-In Flash

Fastest Shutter Speed

1/8,000 s

In The Box

In The Box Picture

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Ergonomics & Comfort

8.5

Hand Grip Picture

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Hand Grip: Small Hand

Yes

Hand Grip: Medium Hand

Yes

Hand Grip: Large Hand

Yes

Hand Grip: Extra-Large Hand

Viewfinder

EVF Menu Picture

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Viewfinder Type

Electronic

Advertised Coverage

100%

Advertised Resolution

2.36 million dots

Advertised Magnification

0.78

0.71

Screen

6.7

6.8

Screen Picture

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Screen Articulation Type

Tilting

Screen Max Brightness

665 cd/m²

990 cd/m²

Advertised Resolution

0.92 million dots

1.23 million dots

Size

3.0" (7.5 cm)

Touchscreen

Limited

Menu System

6.5

6.0

Screen Menu Picture

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Guide Mode

Yes

App Name

Imaging Edge Mobile

Built-In Lens

0.0

Aperture Vs Focal Length

Maximum Aperture

No built-in lens

Max Aperture (Full-Frame Equivalent)

N/A

Minimum Focal Length

N/A

Maximum Focal Length

N/A

Max Focal Length (Full-Frame Equivalent)

N/A

Optical Image Stabilization

Light Falloff Picture

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Luminance

N/A

Light Falloff

N/A

Sensor

Sensor Type

BSI CMOS

CMOS

Advertised Effective Pixels

24.2 MP

24.3 MP

Processor

BIONZ X

Sensor Size

Full Frame

Extended ISO Minimum

Native ISO Minimum (Base ISO)

100

Native ISO Maximum

51,200

25,600

Tested Firmware

Version 3.10

Ver. 4.01

Battery

9.4

6.8

Battery Type

Sony NP-FZ100

Sony NP-FW50

USB Charging

Yes

Power Delivery While Recording

Yes

Advertised Battery Life In Photo

610 photos

350 photos

Tested Battery Life In Video

137 min

104 min

Photo General

Photo Shooting Speed

7.3

4.7

Low Speed Continuous

4 fps

High Speed Continuous

10 fps

5 fps

Silent Shooting Continuous

9 fps

N/A

Raw Buffer Size

40 Photos

11 Photos

JPEG Buffer Size

164 Photos

65 Photos

Buffer Empty Time

10 s

13 s

Photo AF-C Tracking

6.8

5.0

Autofocus Tracking Shots

Run 01

AF-C Tracking 01

Cycle through frames

Run 01

AF-C Tracking 01

Cycle through frames

Perfect Focus Hit Rate

50%

35%

Usable Focus Hit Rate

85%

56%

Photo AF-C Center Point

5.8

Autofocus Center Point Shots

Run 01

AF-C Center Point 01

Cycle through frames

Run 01

AF-C Center Point 01

Cycle through frames

Perfect Focus Hit Rate

100%

60%

Usable Focus Hit Rate

100%

76%

Photo Image Stabilization

7.3

8.0

Stabilization Slideshow

Minimum Shutter Speed Achieved

1/20 s

1/10 s

In-Body Image Stabilization

Yes

Photo Image Quality

Photo RAW Dynamic Range

9.0

8.8

Dynamic Range Scene

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Dynamic Range At Base ISO

11.2 f-stops

11.1 f-stops

Dynamic Range At 1/500s Exposure Time

9.8 f-stops

Dynamic Range At 1/2000s Exposure Time

8.0 f-stops

7.4 f-stops

Dynamic Range At 1/4000s Exposure Time

7.3 f-stops

6.8 f-stops

Photo RAW Sharpness

8.9

Sharpness Scene Crop

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MTF Graph

Preview Graph

Vertical Edge MTF50 At Base ISO

1,993 LW/PH

2,041 LW/PH

Horizontal Edge MTF50 At Base ISO

2,541 LW/PH

2,574 LW/PH

Photo RAW Noise

7.9

7.6

Noise Scene Crop

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Noise Vs Exposure Time

Preview Graph

SNR 18% At 1/8 Exposure Time (125 ms)

34.5 dB

34.0dB

SNR 18% At 1/30 Exposure Time (33 ms)

32.6 dB

31.9 dB

SNR 18% At 1/125 Exposure Time (8 ms)

28.7 dB

27.6 dB

SNR 18% At 1/500 Exposure Time (2 ms)

23.4 dB

22.2dB

Pictures Sample Gallery

The Skate Park Picture

Sample Gallery - Skate Park

JPEG Skate Park Picture

RAW Skate Park Picture

The Polish Church Picture

Sample Gallery - Church

JPEG Polish Church Picture

RAW Polish Church Picture

The Studio Picture

Sample Gallery - Studio

JPEG Studio Picture

RAW Studio Picture

The Stairway Picture

Sample Gallery - Stairway

JPEG Stairway Picture

RAW Stairway Picture

Video General

Video Features

Full HD Video

Yes

4k Video

Yes

6k Video

Clean HDMI Output

Yes

Advertised Max Chroma Sampling Over HDMI

4:2:2

Not Advertised

Advertised Max Bit Depth Over HDMI

8 bits

N/A

Log Picture Profile

Yes

Recording Light

Audio

Audio Test Sample

Audio Recording

Stereo

Microphone Level Display

Yes

Video File Format And Compression

MP4 H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC

Yes

MP4 H.265 / HEVC

MOV H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC

MOV H.265 / HEVC

AVCHD H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC

Yes

All-I Compression

4k Video

4k Video Frame Rate

7.2

0.0

240 fps In 4k

120 fps In 4k

60 fps In 4k

30 fps In 4k

Yes, with a Crop

24 fps In 4k

Yes

4k Crop At Max Available fps

1.165 x

N/A

4k Video Internal Recording

7.8

0.0

Bitrate Maximum In 4k

100 Mbps

N/A

Bitrate Minimum In 4k

60 Mbps

N/A

Chroma Sampling In 4k

4:2:0

Bit Depth In 4k

8 Bit

0 Bit

Record Time Limit In 4k

30 min

0 min

Overheat Recording Interruptions in 4k

N/A

4k Video Autofocus Performance

8.9

0.0

4k Object Tracking Video

Object Tracking In 4k

9.7

4k Face Tracking Video

Face Tracking In 4k

9.5

Face Detection In 4k

Yes

Eye Detection In 4k

4k Video Quality

0.0

4k Sample Low Light Video

Low Light Capability In 4k

4k Test Scene Extract

Test Scene Extract In 4k

N/A

4k Video Rolling Shutter Effect

6.4

0.0

Rolling Shutter Video in 4k

4k Rolling Shutter

5.7°

N/A

Full HD Video

FHD Video Frame Rate

9.5

8.5

240 fps In FHD

120 fps In FHD

Yes

60 fps In FHD

Yes

30 fps In FHD

Yes

24 fps In FHD

Yes

FHD Crop At Max Available fps

1 x

FHD Video Internal Recording

7.7

7.5

Bitrate Maximum In FHD

100 Mbps

50 Mbps

Bitrate Minimum In FHD

16 Mbps

21 Mbps

Chroma Sampling In FHD

4:2:0

Bit Depth In FHD

8 Bit

Record Time Limit in FHD

30 min

FHD Video Autofocus Performance

9.0

6.9

Object Tracking Video

Object Tracking In FHD

6.5

FHD Face Tracking Video

Face Tracking In FHD

9.5

8.0

Face Detection In FHD

Yes

Eye Detection In FHD

FHD Video Quality

7.5

FHD Sample Low Light Video

Low Light Capability In FHD

8.0

FHD Test Scene Extract In FHD

Test Scene Extract In FHD

7.0

FHD Video Rolling Shutter Effect

7.5

6.8

Rolling Shutter Video in FHD

FHD Rolling Shutter

3.0°

4.7°

Video Image Quality

Video Dynamic Range

8.3

Base ISO Video Dynamic Range Waveform

Strict SNR Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO

7.20 stops

Lenient SNR Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO

10.51 stops

Background Floor Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO

13.92 stops

Storage And Connectivity

Storage

Card Slot Picture

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Card 1 Slot

SD Card UHS-II

SD Card UHS-I

Card 2 Slot

SD Card UHS-I

No 2nd Card Slot

Inputs / Outputs

9.5

7.8

Input Picture

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USB

USB-C

Micro USB

HDMI

Micro (Type D)

Headphones

Yes

Microphone

Stereo

Wi-Fi

Yes

Bluetooth

Yes

Check Price

Black (Body Only)

a7 III

Sony

Black (Body Only)

α7 II

Black W/ 28-70mm Lens

a7 III

Black W/ 28-70mm Lens

α7 II