Sony A7iii

A camera maker can’t survive on $3000+ cameras alone.   The Sony A7iii has the potential to be among the best cameras for many enthusiasts, for pros who realize they don’t need to spend $3,000+ and even for well budgeted entry shooters.

The real question is how much does the Sony A7iii take from the flagships A7riii and A9 and how much budget cutting is in the camera.   If you simply took the A7riii and substituted a solid 24 megapixel sensor for the A7riii 42 megapixel sensor and cut the price by $1500, you would have a simply amazing value.   The 42mp sensor is only one of many elements that make the A7riii a great camera and truthfully, 42 mp is far more than most people truly have any use for.

Many of the best advancements of the A7riii come in the body and the Sony A7iii gets all those advancements in comparison to the A7ii and A7rii.  AF point selection becomes much simpler with the joystick control.   You get dual card slots which many pros consider a necessity.   It can be set as a backup, overflow, or videos and images on separate cards, or RAW and JPEGS to separate cards.  The movie record button is finally in a good spot.   Probably the biggest factor:  A larger battery that finally gives you decent battery performance.

It appears that the Sony A7iii didn’t just copy most of the A7riii body.  Based on the announcement, it appears that the Sony A7iii took many of the best features from the flagship A9 and A7riii with some reasonable compromises, to give you a camera that can be considered superior in many ways.

 

• Price of $2,000:  $1,200 less than the A7riii and $2,500 less than the A9
• 693 autofocus points covering 93% of the frame — Same as the A9 and superior to the A7riii
• Top ISO of 204,000 — Same as the A9 and superior to the A7riii
• 10 frames per second with electronic shutter:  Same as the A7riii
• 10 frames per second with mechanical shutter:  same as the A7riii, superior to the A9
• 710 shot CIPA rated battery life.  Superior to the A7riii and the A9.
• 177 jpeg buffer:  Superior to the A7riii
• New 24.2 mp BSI full frame sensor, with 15 stops of dynamic range:  approximately the same dynamic range as the A7riii and superior to the A9.

In other words, the Sony A7iii took many of the best things from both the A9 and A7riii and combined them into a package significantly cheaper than either.

For 90% of full frame buyers, the A7iii is likely the superior choice over both the A7riii and the A9.

If you don’t need 20 frames per second or a blackout free viewfinder, the A7iii appears to give you the sports, speed and autofocus performance of the A9.  If you don’t need 42 megapixels of resolution, the A7iii appears to give you the image quality of the A7riii.

Compared to the competition

At $2,000, I don’t see a camera that can really compete.   Sony is the only mirrorless full frame in the price area, so the only competing cameras are the Nikon D750, the Canon 6dii and the older Sony models.

Sony A7iii vs Nikon D750

• Nikon D750 is nearly four years old.  Now priced at $1800.  I shot with this camera for over three years.  It is a great traditional dSLR.  Fantastic AF system and fantastic image quality.  But the Sony A7iii appears to be the clearly superior camera for just $200 more.  Forget the differences between mirrorless and dSLR.   If the Sony A7iii is using the A9 AF system, then the AF is superior to the D750.   The D750 is essentially using the older generation Sony 24mp sensor, so I therefore strongly suspect the image quality of this new sensor to be markedly superior.   10 frames per second versus 6.5 frames per second on the D750.   Silent shooting, eye-AF, internal body image stabilization, 4k video and fast live view are all features where the Sony A7iii is clearly superior to the D750.  For just $200 more than the D750, the A7iii appears to be much much more camera.

Sony A7iii vs Canon 6dii

• Canon 6dii is a newer Canon entry level full frame.   It received lukewarm reviews when it was released.  While stepping up slightly in resolution, testing and reviews indicate it was a step backwards in image quality.  It offers very poor dynamic range compared to the Sony A7iii.  Its autofocus system is pedestrian at best, with very limited viewfinder based autofocus coverage.  The dual pixel AF works well in live view, but then the shooting speed is limited to just 1-2 frames per second.  Compared to the Sony A7iii which offers 93% AF coverage, 10 frames per second, in the viewfinder or the LCD.  It lacks 4k video.   It doesn’t have dual card slots.   Honestly, the Canon 6Dii looks old and stale next to the A7iii and it is priced only $100 less than the A7iii.

I’m not suggesting that everyone should be shooting Sony.   The Nikon D850 is a great camera and I can think of many reasons to choose it over any Sony camera.  I can say the same thing about the Canon 5div.   But for those in the $1800 to $2000 market, the Sony A7iii seems to me like the very clear winner.

Even compared to the other Sony cameras, the A7iii would be the superior choice to the A9 and A7riii for many photographers.   You can get dynamic range superior to the A9 and autofocus superior to the A7riii in a package much cheaper than either of those cameras.

Whether to upgrade or switch?

• If you currently shoot a Sony APS-C mirrorless, Sony A7 or Sony A7ii, then you should definitely consider upgrading to the A7iii.   A7ii shooters will find the body, image quality and autofocus improvements to be well worth the upgrade.
• If you are still shooting the A7rii and found you weren’t using the full 42 megapixels, you might actually consider the A7iii.  While some would see it as a lateral move or a downgrade, you would be getting a body with a better layout, far superior autofocus system, faster camera and far superior battery life.   Other than losing some resolution, you won’t be missing much.

System switchers

• For current Canon and Nikon users who are thinking about switching, this is a camera worthy of consideration.   I am trying to be objective and not speak as a fanboy.  I’m not telling you that you must dump your deep Canon and Nikon investments or else you’ll never take a good photograph again.   If you are indeed deeply invested in Canon or Nikon glass, then it simply may not be worth the financial costs of switching.   But purely in terms of camera body, compared to the Nikon D750 and Canon 6dii, you will get a more powerful camera in a smaller size with the A7iii.   Thus, if you were already on the edge of considering switching, this may be the camera that should put you over the edge.

Recommended A7iii kit -lenses and accessories

Many people considering the Sony A7iii would be aiming to maximize image quality while minimizing size.  I know it’s my strategy with the Sony A7riii.   In building your kit over the first 1 to 2 years, these are the lenses I would recommend:

• Sony 24-105 f/4 G.  My review is here.  A really great standard zoom lens, reasonably priced and reasonable weight with excellent image quality.   Amazon link here.
• Sony 70-200 F/4 G.   (Review coming).   Very solid performing telephoto zoom.   The size balances nicely on the Sony body.   Price is similar to Nikon and Canon equivalents.  Amazon link here.
• Sony Zeiss 35mm F/2.8.  (Review coming).  While I don’t absolutely love this lens, it’s fantastic if you want a walk-around set up that keeps your camera as small as possible.  The lens is sharp and reasonably fast at 2.8.  Importantly, the lens is tiny.   Amazon link here. 
• Everyone should own a “nifty fifty.”  If you want to control your budget, the Sony 50mm F/1.8 (review soon) is a perfectly decent performer.  It is compact with very good IQ and a very wallet friendly price.  Amazon link here.   If you really want your A7iii to shine, consider the Sony Zeiss 55mm F/1.8 instead.  (review here).  In many ways, it is the lens that defines the Sony mirrorless system as top IQ in a small size.  While I believe it is just slightly overpriced, there is no questioning that it is a great lens.  Amazon link here.  
• Sony FE 85mm F/1.8.  (review here)  Eye-AF makes the Sony cameras great portrait cameras.   And the Sony FE 85mm F/1.8 is simply a spectacular portrait lens.  It is small and light.  It is reasonably priced.   A spoiler on my upcoming review:  I think nearly every Sony photographer should have this lens.  Amazon link here.  

Accessories

• Extra battery.   The battery life of the A7iii is much improved.  But if you’re a serious shooter, you should still always have at least one backup battery.  And Sony seems to have trouble keeping these new batteries in stock.    Amazon link here. 
• UHS-II SD cards.  These cards are much faster than your old SD cards and are supported by one of the A7iii dual card slots.  Amazon link here. 

Beyond the A7iii

Sony is falling behind in APS-C

Where Sony is leading the pact in many ways in full frame, it feels they are letting APS-C slide.   I own the Sony A6300 and it’s a great camera.  At two years old, nobody would call it outdated.  But Sony hasn’t done an APS-C mirrorless camera in about a year and a half, and they haven’t updated entry level models since the Sony A6000 is February 2014.  Four years of age is an eternity for entry level consumer cameras.

The APS-C Competition

Canon just announced their M50 mirrorlesss camera.   If you are an entry to mid level aps-c shooter,  it has the features that the smart phone generation would expect.  It has a fully articulated LCD that can be used for selfies or vlogging.   It has an effective touch screen, totally lacking from the A6000 and A6300.  It has bluetooth for instant photo sharing, while all Sony cameras still only use Wifi and NFC.   These features are all secondary to “serious” shooters but they could be meaningful to an entry level shooter accustomed to using their smart phone for photography.   Sony can’t just cut the price of the A6300 and offer it as an entry level camera either, as it also lacks these types of features.   A selfie LCD is going to be more important to an entry level shooter than a bit more dynamic range in the sensor.

With Nikon expected to get into aps-c mirrorless in the near future, the market will be even more crowded and competitive.   With all the major brands having good mirrorless cameras, Sony won’t be able to rely as much on “brand switchers” for the full frame customer base.  They need to think long term and growing from within.   That means aiming for photographers who may start with an A6000 series camera and advance to full frame after a few years.

This year, Sony really needs to put energy into aps-c at the entry level and at the higher level.

Sony A-mount is dead . . . ?

Sony A-mount has been pronounced dead by many people many times, but then Sony will sporadically release a statement that they intend to continue to develop A-mount, and they have released an occasional body.

Yet, to quote “The Princess Bride,” the Sony A-mount has been “mostly dead” for years.   We are now at the 5 year mark since the last time Sony released a new lens for A-mount, the Sony Zeiss 50mm f/1.4.  Since then, they have updated a few of their SSM drive lenses to SSM2, but haven’t actually released a new focal length or new optical design for A-mount.

Their flagship APS-C camera, the Sony A77ii, will be four years old this June.   That places the upgrade cycle due now.   While not terribly overdue by itself, it is another addition to the silence of the A-mount.   From 2013 to 2016, Sony announced one A-mount camera per year.  They didn’t announce or release any A-mount cameras in 2017.  Their last A-mount camera was the full frame Sony A99ii in late 2016.   While a very capable camera, it is mostly lapped by the A7riii and A9 in capability and definitely in marketing attention.   Sigma and Tamron have stopped making A-mount lenses and have announced they will start making full frame E-mount lenses.

Sony is now past the point where they have more FE and E-mount lenses than A-mount lenses.   Except for telephoto primes, the FE system has far more lens choices than the A-mount system.

As a former A-mount user, it does sadden me a bit.  At some point, Sony will simply stop releasing A-mount bodies.   It simply will get to a point where it is counter-productive to devote manufacturing capacity, inventory space, etc, to the A-mount.   It’s starting to look like that day may have arrived.   Maybe the A-mount is finally fully dead.  Or maybe there will be an A77iii in the coming months, and the A-mount will remain “mostly dead.”

The future does look bright for Sony at least in full frame mirrorless.