Sony’s latest full-frame mirrorless, the Sony Alpha a7 III, continues to up the pressure on traditional DSLRs. Not only does it do everything you’d expect in an equivalent DSLR – fast AF, 4K video, 10 fps, 24MP, etc., but it does some things better. Access to the augmented information available on it Electronic Viewfinder, super-high-performance phase detect AF that works even when shooting video, and 5-way image stabilization. All in a 1.5 pound package. For action shooters who can find the right Sony-mount lenses to pair with it, the $2K price should be well worth it. B&H is taking pre-orders starting 11am February 28.! For now I’m sticking with my Nikon D850 as my primary camera, but if I didn’t have such a large collection of Nikon lenses, I’d be pretty close to making a switch.

Full Specs:

Sony A7 III Specs

Imaging

Lens Mount
Sony E-Mount

Camera Format
Full-Frame

Pixels
Actual: 25.3 Megapixel
Effective: 24.2 Megapixel

Max Resolution
24 MP: 6000 x 4000

Aspect Ratio
3:2, 16:9

Sensor Type / Size
CMOS, 35.6 x 23.8 mm

File Formats
Still Images: JPEG, RAW
Movies: AVCHD Ver. 2.0, MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, XAVC S
Audio: AC3, Dolby Digital 2ch, Linear PCM (Stereo)

Bit Depth
14-Bit

Dust Reduction System
Yes

Memory Card Type
SD
SDHC
SDXC
Memory Stick Pro Duo
Memory Stick PRO HG-Duo

Image Stabilization
Sensor-Shift, 5-Way

AV Recording

Video Recording
Yes, NTSC/PAL

Video Format
3840 x 2160p at 23.98, 25, 29.97 fps (100 Mb/s XAVC S via H.264)
3840 x 2160p at 23.98, 25, 29.97 fps (60 Mb/s XAVC S via H.264)
1920 x 1080p at 100, 120 fps (100 Mb/s XAVC S via H.264)
1920 x 1080p at 100, 120 fps (60 Mb/s XAVC S via H.264)
1920 x 1080p at 23.98, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94 fps (50 Mb/s XAVC S via H.264)
1920 x 1080p at 50, 59.94 fps (25 Mb/s XAVC S via H.264)
1920 x 1080p at 25, 29.97 fps (16 Mb/s XAVC S via H.264)
1920 x 1080i at 50, 59.94 fps (24 Mb/s AVCHD via H.264)
1920 x 1080i at 50, 59.94 fps (17 Mb/s AVCHD via H.264)

Aspect Ratio
16:9

Video Clip Length
Up to 29 Min

Audio Recording
Built-In Mic: With Video (Stereo)
Optional External Mic: With Video (Stereo)

Focus Control

Focus Type
Auto & Manual

Focus Mode
Automatic (A), Continuous-Servo AF (C), Direct Manual Focus (DMF), Manual Focus (M), Single-servo AF (S)

Autofocus Points
Phase Detection: 693
Contrast Detection: 425

Viewfinder/Display

Viewfinder Type
Electronic

Viewfinder Size
0.5"

Viewfinder Pixel Count
2,359,000

Viewfinder Eye Point
23.00 mm

Viewfinder Coverage
100%

Viewfinder Magnification
Approx. 0.78x

Diopter Adjustment
-4 to +3 m

Display Screen
3" Rear Touchscreen Tilting LCD (921,600)

Screen Coverage
100%

Exposure Control

ISO Sensitivity
Auto, 100-51200 (Extended Mode: 50-204800)

Shutter
30 - 1/8000 Second , Bulb Mode

Remote Control
RM-VPR1, VCT-XPR10, VCT-VPR1, RM-SPR1, RMT-VP1K (Optional)

Metering Method
Center-Weighted Average Metering, Multi-Zone Metering, Spot Metering, Highlight Weighted

Exposure Modes
Modes: Aperture Priority, Auto, Manual, Movie, Program, Shutter Priority
Metering Range: EV -3.0 - EV 20.0
Compensation: -5 EV to +5 EV (in 1/3 or 1/2 EV Steps)

White Balance Modes
Auto, Cloudy, Color Temperature, Custom, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent (Cool White), Fluorescent (Daylight), Fluorescent (Warm White), Incandescent, Shade, Underwater

Buffer/Continuous Shooting
Up to 10 fps at 24.2 MP for up to 89 Frames in Raw Format
Up to 10 fps at 24.2 MP for up to 177 Frames in JPEG Format
Up to 8 fps at 24.2 MP
Up to 6 fps at 24.2 MP
Up to 3 fps at 24.2 MP

Flash

Flash Modes
Auto
Fill-In
Hi-Speed Sync
Off
Rear Sync
Red-Eye Reduction
Slow Sync
Wireless

Built-in Flash
No

Max Sync Speed
1 / 250 Second

Flash Compensation
-3 EV to +3 EV (in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps)

Dedicated Flash System
TTL

External Flash Connection
Hot Shoe

Performance

Self Timer
10 Seconds, 5 Seconds, 2 Seconds

Connectivity
1/8" Headphone, 1/8" Microphone, HDMI D (Micro), USB 2.0 Micro-B, USB 3.0, USB Type-C

Wi-Fi Capable
Yes

Power

Battery
1 x NP-FZ100 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Pack, 7.2 VDC, 2280 mAh

Operating/Storage Temperature
Operating
32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C)

Physical

Dimensions (W x H x D)
5.0 x 3.8 x 2.9" / 126.9 x 95.6 x 73.7 mm

Weight
1.43 lb / 650 g