Sony a7RIII Vs a7III – Which Camera Is Better?

Picking a professional camera can be quite the chore, especially when you look at all the options available for you in the marketplace. So, now you’re considering your options and you are stuck between Sony a7RIII Vs a7III. At the end of this article, you would be able to decide which of these two cameras is better for you.


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The world of mirrorless cameras has been dominated by Sony in the past few years. Yes, there are other brands in the same space, however, other big boys like Nikon and canon came late to the party.

These two cameras are both flagships released by Sony at one point or the other. This means that they are both really great professional cameras. So, if at the end of this article you pick either of these cameras, you would have made a very good choice.

This Sony a7RIII Vs a7III article promises to be informative, leaving no stone unturned. Because there are so many features to talk about with these two cameras, these is going to be quite a long read. If you don’t have the time to read through the whole article, check out our comparison overview below.

Table of Contents

Sony a7RIII Vs a7III – Comparison Overview

Alright, a quick one. Looking at the features of these two cameras- Sony a7RIII Vs a7III, we found out that they were pretty similar. When the a7RIII dropped, it was the talk of the town, then few months later, the Sony a7III dropped with similar features.

If you’re just someone looking into getting into photography, or perhaps you’re a photographer who just loves the art and doesn’t care so much about technical stuff, then either of these cameras will work well for you.

Looking at price to comparison ratio, these are some of the best mirrorless cameras out there, so we think their prices are quite reflective of that. They are both professional mirrorless cameras, and those don’t come cheap. However, they’re not all hype and they deliver the job exquisitely, so we have to say they are worth every dollar.

If you want to know our choice, and the reason why we made that choice, for the winner of Sony a7RIII Vs a7III, scroll down to the end of this article.


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Sony a7RIII Vs a7III – Comparison Of Key Features

	Sony a7RIII	Sony a7III
Announcement date	25^th October, 2017.	27^th February, 2018.
Resolution (Megapixels)	42	24
ISO	100 – 32000 (expands to 50 -102,4000)	100 – 51200 (expands to 50 – 204, 800)
Battery Life (per full charge)	650 shots	610 shots
JPEG Buffer	82 shots	163 shots
Weight	657g	650g


Get the Sony a7RIII now!	Get the Sony a7III now!

Before we begin to throw words at your face, here is a quick video to watch. It’s by a customer who has used both of the cameras we’re looking at today. We feel that the video will give a lot of perspective to the Sony a7RIII Vs a7III argument.

It will also help you understand the features we’ll be looking at during the course of this article.

Sony a7RIII Vs a7III – What Situation Is What Camera Best For?

Sony a7RIII	Sony a7III
When it comes to professional cameras, the a7RIII is definitely at the top of the game. If you’re a professional photographer or videographer, this is one camera to be looking at getting.	The Sony a7III is also regarded as one of the best professional cameras out there, certainly one of the best from Sony. If you’re looking for a professional mirrorless camera, you can’t look too far from either of these two cameras.
The battery life for this camera is pretty good. Although this is a mirrorless camera, it’s not as small and compact are the more budget-friendly options. Because of its size, this camera is able to fit in a big-sized battery into this camera. If you know one thing about batteries, it’s that bigger is most likely better. If you want something that would last you a reasonable amount of time, this is a camera you want.	The battery life of this camera is also pretty good. Although, one thing you need to take into consideration is the kind of work you’re doing with the camera. The more tasking the job you’re doing is, the easier the battery will drain. For example, using the live view electronic viewfinder reducing the battery life a lot. Also, shooting in high resolution like 4K video, also drains the battery a lot. If you’re going to be running tasks like that, you might want to get some extra batteries, just in case.
With the more megapixels on this camera, you want to get this if you print really large pictures. With more megapixels, your larger prints stay looking very sharp, and not pixelated.	When it comes to taking pictures in low-light, we often talk about maximum ISO setting available. This camera offers a lot more in this regard than the a7RIII. With this extended ISO setting, you have a more flexibility with your camera, in low-lighting conditions.
Both of these cameras come with relatively new technology that enables you to do a lot of things with your camera. Things like, shoot 4K video, in-camera stabilization, and so on, all come with these two cameras.	All of the features that these two cameras possess, most of which are relatively new technology, will be discussed later in this Sony a7RIII Vs a7III article.


Get the Sony a7RIII now!	Get the Sony a7III now!

Sony a7RIII Vs a7III – What Features Do They Have In Common?

In this section, we would be looking at all the features that these two cameras share. Both of the cameras in the Sony a7RIII Vs a7III comparison are made by the same company, Sony. They also belong to the same series, Alpha.

Because of that, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that these two cameras have a lot of common features. However, because they are different cameras, there might be slight differences in the implementation, degree of use, or amount of these features in either of these cameras. Trust us to highlight them, if any.

Let’s go!

Mirrorless Cameras

The first mirrorless camera was released in 2004. Four years later, Panasonic released their first commercial mirrorless camera. In that time, mirrorless cameras where not very popular as many people still preferred DSLRs. Well, that was until Sony came into the marketplace.

If you’ve been using cameras, you already know the big players in the industry: Canon, and Nikon. More often than not, if you want to pick up a good DSLR camera, it had to be one of these two. And that’s the first reason why we love mirrorless cameras.

In the mirrorless camera industry, you get a lot more than a duopoly. With mirrorless cameras, you have a host of good cameras to choose from, made by different brands, across different price points.

Companies like Panasonic, Fujifilm, and so on, can give you great value for money with their cameras. You’re no longer stuck choosing between a Nikon and a Canon camera. In fact, these two brands become unpopular when you talk about mirrorless cameras, with Sony being the biggest player in that industry.

Traveling with a camera has been the dream of many, and with jobs like vlogging, youtubing, digital nomads, and so on, that dream can become a reality. To do this, people often prefer a lightweight camera.

Mirrorless cameras generally weigh a lot less than DSLRs. This is not to say that all the mirrorless cameras are lightweight. For one, the two cameras – Sony a7RIII Vs a7III, are not lightweight. This is because they are professional cameras and have full-frame sensors.

However, if you do want, there are a lot of very small, very compact mirrorless cameras that you can pick up. Although these two cameras – Sony a7RIII Vs a7III, are not lightweight, they’re still considerably smaller and more compact than professional DSLRs.


Get the Sony a7RIII now!	Get the Sony a7III now!

What Are Mirrorless Cameras?

We’re sure this is the question you’re now asking yourself. To explain that, we need to look at the system that operates in the DSLR.

So, in a DSLR camera, there is mechanism with which light is sent to the optical viewfinder for you to be able to see your frame, and sent to an autofocus sensor for autofocusing. This mechanism involves a mirror and a prism.

The light outside the camera gets into the camera through its lens. Through this lens, the light hits a mirror, on which it splits. Part of the light is sent upwards to a prism. The light then bounces of this prism in order to straighten it for the optical viewfinder. The second part of the light is sent downwards to an autofocus sensor.

With mirrorless cameras, there are no mirrors, prisms, or autofocus sensor. The light outside the camera passes through the camera’s lens and hits an electronic sensor. This sensor is responsible for two things: converting the light to a digital image, and autofocus.

While the latter explains itself, the former is so that it is visible to the photographer, through an LCD screen, or an electronic viewfinder. The difference between an electronic viewfinder and an optical viewfinder will be explained at a later part in this Sony a7RIII Vs a7III article.

Now, you can see why mirrorless cameras are a lot smaller and much more compact than DSLRs. They don’t have to fit mirrors and prisms into them. It’s also why they weigh a lot lesser than DSLRs.

Fun fact: You know that shutter sound that we’ve all grown accustomed to hearing? Well, that is caused by the flipping of the mirror in the DSLR. The mirror is flipped completely to allow the light hit the camera’s film.

What Do Mirrorless Cameras Do Better Than DSLRs?

Alright! Now that we know what mirrorless cameras are and how they operate, let’s look at what they do better than DSLRs and what they don’t do better than DSLRs:

1. Weight And Portability

Mirrorless cameras are often a lot lighter and more portable than DSLRs. This is simply because, in the mirrorless camera, there is no mirror mechanism inside. We know well that mechanical equipment is often a lot heavier than electronic equipment.

Replacing a mirror, prism, and an autofocus sensor with a single electronic sensor, reduces the weight of the mirrorless camera by a ton, not literally, though. Also, this reduction in weight makes mirrorless cameras a better choice when it comes to portability.

If you’re one who likes to travel with their camera, you’ll really like how much less weight mirrorless cameras give you to carry about.

2. Continuous Shooting

If you shoot fast moving objects, say a sports event, or wildlife, you will be interested in this.

Mirrorless cameras are better for continuous shooting. Remember the flipping mirror we talked about earlier? Well, that’s the reason for this. In a DSLR camera, there are a lot of moving parts, when the shutter button is clicked. This movement restricts how many frames your camera can take in a second.

You can see this being played out in some of the best cameras in both worlds. The Canon EOS-1D X Mark II is a professional DSLR camera, one of the best out there. It has a continuous shooting rate of 14 frames per second. The Sony a9, one of the best mirrorless cameras, has a continuous shooting rate of 20 frames per second, which is simply, incredible!

3. Video Shooting

Before we had mirrorless cameras, DSLRs where the gods of capturing video. These cameras where the first to implement HD and Full HD capture. Also, there are a lot of different lenses and camera accessories available to the DSLR, which just make them really convenient for video.

However, because of advancements in technology, and innovation, mirrorless cameras are catching up, and dare we say, beating the DSLR, when it comes to video shooting.

The biggest of these advancements is the availability of 4K video on low-budget mirrorless cameras. Technology is moving, and nobody wants to be left out. Everyone wants to shoot videos in 4K, regardless of their budget. Mirrorless cameras help you do that.

While DSLRs also have the 4K video feature, you can’t find it on a budget-friendly DSLR. You can only find that feature on the very expensive flagships, which are not affordable to all.

Mirrorless cameras also have a autofocus live view, which shows you what part of your shoot is focused on, live. This is done using either the LCD, or an electronic viewfinder.

Another feature that enhances video shooting is the processing power of mirrorless cameras. These cameras depend more on software than hardware. Because of that, they have immense processing speeds and power, capable of capturing heavyweight videos.

Finally, Sony, as well as other manufacturers, have begun to produce different lens types and accessories for mirrorless cameras. This move is aimed to make mirrorless cameras as convenient to shoot on, as DSLRs are.

What They Don’t Do Better Than DSLRs

1. Battery Life

The reduction in size of mirrorless cameras comes at a cost, battery size. Reducing the overall size of the camera, the battery size of this camera had to be reduced. With batteries, bigger often means, more capacity. So, reducing the battery size of the batteries in mirrorless cameras, reduced their capacity too.

Apart from the reduction in size, this low battery life is also caused by the fact that mirrorless cameras depend on their batteries a lot more than DSLRs. The LCD screen on the mirrorless camera is a big battery drainer, so is electronic viewfinder.

We can see this in the two cameras we’re talking about today- Sony a7RIII Vs a7III. These two cameras are professional cameras, but they come with only about 600 shots per full charge. Even the most basic and entry-level DSLR cameras come with over 600 shots per full charge.

The more professional DSLR cameras can go all the way up to 4000 shots per full charge.

2. Autofocus

Because DSLRs have a specific sensor responsible for autofocus, they generally have better focusing than mirrorless cameras.

However, with the top mirrorless cameras the technology integrated into their electronic sensors make their autofocusing good enough to compete with DSLRs.

Electronic Viewfinders

Both of these cameras come with electronic viewfinders. Electronic viewfinders are often compared with optical viewfinder. But honestly, there is no competition. This is probably one of the biggest advantages that mirrorless cameras have over DSLRs.

Just like we explained earlier, with optical viewfinders, all you’re seeing is raw light. However, with an electronic viewfinder, what you see is a digital image.

So, what’s the difference?

Because electronic viewfinders see a digital image, things like focus, ISO settings and exposure, have already been added to the light. So, what you see is a live preview of exactly how your picture is going to come out.

This really helps in low-lighting conditions. Using an optical viewfinder when you’re shooting in a dark place is pretty useless. Because of the low amount of light, you can barely see your frame through the viewfinder. On the other hand, with electronic viewfinders, you can see your frame clearly by tweaking your exposure and ISO settings.

Electronic viewfinders also have a huge advantage over LCD screens, which are often used in their place. LCD screens are difficult to use when there’s plenty of light, because of the amount of light reflecting on the surface of the screen. Whereas with a viewfinder, this doesn’t happen.

Still don’t understand? Check out the video below that explains the difference between an Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) and an Optical Viewfinder (OVF).

Wireless Connectivity

Both of these cameras have wireless connectivity integrated into them. In the age we live in, this is very important. With wireless connectivity, your camera is able to connect to the internet, as well as, other devices, for the purpose of communication or transferring of files.

An added feature to this is something called NFC (Near Field Communication). Basically, NFC is a communication system that enables you to connect your camera to compatible devices, once they’re close by.

The most used aspect of this feature is connecting your smartphone to your camera. Once paired and connected, you can use your smartphone, in place of your remote control, to control your camera. The remote controls that come with these cameras are pretty decent. However, a lot of people just prefer to use their smartphones instead, for convenience. If you’re one of those people, NFC gives you the option to do that.

Finally, both of these cameras come with Bluetooth connectivity. So, you can now connect your camera to any Bluetooth enabled device and use it to transfer your files.


Get the Sony a7RIII now!	Get the Sony a7III now!

Environmental Sealing

These two cameras come with an environmental sealing feature. With this feature, your camera is protected from harsh weather conditions. Now, you don’t have to run indoors immediately the weather turns on you. You can finish your shoot, without any hiccup.

This is possible because these cameras are made with magnesium alloy frames. These frames are moisture and dust resistant. However, these cameras are not water resistant. Therefore, do not put either of these cameras into a pool of water.

Image Stabilization

Getting a stable and clear image, one that is void of blurriness caused by minor camera movements, is the first major step to professionalism. However, this is something that is very difficult to achieve, especially with video.

Most times, people just use a tripod and expect that everything will be as stable as ever. Well, that is not always the case as something as light as a breeze can shake the camera a bit, shaking the footage too.

However, with image stabilization, which these two cameras provide, you do not have to worry about that. This image stabilization consists of different techniques taken by the camera to keep the sensor stable and the image still, even after slight camera movements.

Something to note, though, once these slight camera movements increase and become very noticeable by the camera, it’s difficult to keep the image still.

RAW Support

RAW is an image saving format, just like JPEG is. It is named that way, because it saves the image in it’s most untouched and unprocessed format.

When a camera saves in JPEG, the image is first taken in RAW, then processed and compressed, before it’s converted to a JPEG file. This processing and compression take away information from the image, information that may have been useful in post-production.

RAW images are really large, so you have to worry about storage space when taking this. You can always change it in the settings, whether to save in JPEG, or in RAW, so that’s not a problem. However, it is very handy to have it as an option, for when you want it.

External Microphone Jack And Headphone Jack

When taking video recordings, there are two things that are needed, an external microphone for clear audio, and a headphone for monitoring said audio.

These two cameras come equipped with an external microphone jack, and a headphone jack, that allow you connect these two accessories to carry out the aforementioned tasks.

Dual Card Slots

Both of these cameras offer you the option of having two memory card slots. Remember the RAW support and how much storage space it would take? Well, that’s where this feature comes into play.

With dual card slots, you have a more flexible option, when it comes to storage. Also, you have more storage space to shoot with. Which is handy for a long day out.

Continuous Shooting

Both of these cameras come with a continuous shooting rate of 10 frames per second. Although there are better out there, this is pretty impressive.

This means that both of these cameras will be able to take impressive videos and action shots. If you want a camera to shoot fast-paced videos or pictures, say, sports events and things like that, then you definitely want to take a look at these two cameras.

AE Bracketing

Exposure is one of the key pillars of photography. More often than not, it is what differentiates a good picture, and a bad one. AE Bracketing is referred to as Auto Exposure Bracketing. Exposure bracketing is when you take multiple shots of the same scene, with different exposure settings.

These settings often range from underexposed, to correctly exposed, to over exposed. They are often three or more shots per time. The reason this is referred to as “auto” is because, instead of you to have to take the multiple shots, one after another, with this feature, you can take multiple shots, with multiple settings, on one shutter click.

AE Bracketing has two major uses. They are:

When you’re not sure what exposure setting is right. This is especially when you’re outdoors and you don’t have the time to check the preview of every image. With this feature, you’ll be able to do everything quicker and with a lot more ease.
HDR Images: This uses AE bracketing to take multiple shots of the same scene, producing the same image, with different exposure settings. At the end, these different shots are combined together to form one perfectly exposed image.

Check out the video below to find out more about AE Bracketing, it’s benefits, and how to use the feature on these two cameras- Sony a7RIII Vs a7III:

Touchscreen

The LCD screens on these two cameras- Sony a7RIII Vs a7III, come with a touchscreen feature. This feature enables you to communicate and interact with your camera like your smartphone. It makes navigation stress-free and settings, easy to get to.


Get the Sony a7RIII now!	Get the Sony a7III now!

Video Shooting Modes

Mirrorless cameras are equipped with the latest technology that enable them shoot different types of videos. These two cameras- Sony a7RIII Vs a7III, are professional mirrorless cameras. Because of that, it doesn’t come as a surprise to us that they both are capable of shooting different types of videos.

These video types are:

4K Video: Get really clear videos with this Ultra-High Definition shooting feature. Just make sure you have enough storage space and a very fast computer to process it.
Slow-motion Videos: These cameras- Sony a7RIII Vs a7III allow you to shoot live slow-motion videos.

Other common features present in the two cameras in this Sony a7RIII Vs a7III comparison article are:

They both support UHS (Ultra-High Speed) memory cards: UHS-II.
Focus peaking: Both cameras give you a live preview of what’s in focus by highlighting.
Face Detection Focus: Good for taking portrait pictures.
External Flash Shoe: For connecting your external flash to your two cameras.

Sony a7RIII Vs a7III – Features Unique To Each Product

In this section of this Sony a7RIII Vs a7III comparison article, we would be looking at the features that appear in either of these cameras, but not in the other.

Features Unique To The Sony a7RIII

Maximum Sensor Resolution: 42 MP (Mega Pixels)

When comparing two cameras, this is the feature that is looked at the most, and this Sony a7RIII Vs a7III comparison is no different. People would often feel like the Sony a7RIII is better because it has more megapixels, but that is not the case.

Any professional photographer will tell you that 20 MP, or anything above, is good enough for professional photography. In fact, as you increase the maximum sensor resolution, it has both advantages, and one huge disadvantage.

The disadvantage is that you get a lot more noise on your photos, once you increase the ISO settings. The higher your ISO setting is, the more noise you get on your photos. However, with more megapixels, this noise is more pronounced, appearing at lower ISO settings than cameras with lesser megapixels.

If you don’t take a lot of photos in the dark, or you prefer to use flash and just keep the ISO settings at the minimum, then having more megapixels is very good for you, because it only brings with it, advantages.

The first advantage of this is that it creates a lot more detail on the picture. This results in clearer and more detailed images. With this, you can print really large prints, without your picture getting pixelated. To check this out, you can zoom in on your pictures. With a higher megapixel, you can zoom an incredible percentage, and still see a clear picture that is not pixelated.

Flash Sync Port

On a camera, a flash sync port is described as an output device responsible for firing an external flash. This is meant to trigger the external flash when the shutter opens. This is used for larger external flash poles.

Features Unique To The Sony a7III

Maximum ISO – 51,200


Get the Sony a7RIII now!	Get the Sony a7III now!

The maximum ISO available on this camera is 60% more than the Sony a7RIII, at 51,200. Honestly, this one might just be something for the spec sheet because not very many people need ISO settings this high.

However, it’s good that you have a wide range of ISO for flexibility’s sake.

Sony a7RIII Vs a7III – Unique Pros

Sony a7RIII

It has 42 MP, which is 75% more than what is available on the Sony a7III.
The LCD on the Sony a7RIII has a better screen resolution at 1,440k dots.
This comes with a flash sync port that helps connect to an external flash pole.

Sony a7III

It costs less.
Although by little, this camera is lighter than the Sony a7RIII.
It has a higher maximum ISO.

Sony a7RIII Vs a7III – Unique Cons

Sony a7RIII

It has a lesser maximum ISO.
It is more expensive than the Sony a7III.

Sony a7III

It has a maximum sensor resolution of 24 MP, which is good enough, but not as high as that of the Sony a7RIII.
It does not come with a flash sync port.

Sony a7RIII Vs a7III – Pros Common To Both Products

	Sony a7RIII	Sony a7III
Better Connectivity	Both of these cameras offer wireless connectivity with their cameras. With this option, it is easier for the camera to communicate with other devices, as well as, transfer files. This wireless connectivity includes Near Field Communication, which allows the camera pair with compatible devices. This feature enables you to use your smartphone as a remote control for your camera. Finally, both of these cameras come with in-built Bluetooth. Looking at the vast array of devices that are Bluetooth enabled, this is definitely something that will make transferring of files a lot easier and faster.	Same as the Sony a7RIII.
Image Stabilization	This includes a variety of techniques performed by these cameras, in order to keep the lens stable, even when the camera subtly moves. With image stabilization, you have pictures and videos that are completely still. They do not have the blurriness that is caused by subtle camera movements.	Same as the Sony a7RIII.
You can shoot RAW!	A lot of people prefer their images unprocessed and uncompressed, in other words, in their RAW format. Both of these cameras allow you to save RAW photos. Although these are quite large, the definitely give you a lot more information to work with when you’re editing.	Same as the Sony a7RIII.
Electronic Viewfinder	Both of these cameras come with electronic viewfinder. This helps you frame your pictures better, and gives you a live preview of what your picture is going to come out looking like.	Same as the Sony a7RIII.
High Maximum Sensor Resolution	With maximum screen resolutions of over 20 MP, both of these cameras will produce really clear and bright images. With this, you can produce bigger prints, without losing any of the details. One thing to note though, this camera comes with 42 MP.	Although still very high, the maximum sensor resolution on this camera is 24 MP, which is lower than that on the Sony a7RIII.
Easy navigation and interaction with your camera	Both of these cameras come with a touchscreen feature. With this feature, you are able to interact with your camera like you would with your smartphone. This is super easy and makes the interaction with your camera a lot better.	Same as the Sony a7RIII.
Fast Continuous Shooting Speeds	Both of these cameras come with a continuous shooting rate of 10 Frames Per Second. This helps to take better action photos.	Same as the Sony a7RIII.
Great for recording and monitoring audio	Because of their microphone port and headphone port, these cameras are able to connect to accessories that make recording of audio a lot easier.	Same as the Sony a7RIII.
Storage	These devices each come with 2 memory card slots. This helps a lot with storage flexibility. In a scenario where you’re shooting and one memory card gets corrupt, you can easily switch to the other one. Also, they both support the use of UHS-II memory cards. This helps to save and transfer files in Ultra-High Speeds.	Same as the Sony a7RIII.


Get the Sony a7RIII now!	Get the Sony a7III now!

Sony a7RIII Vs a7III – Common Cons

	Sony a7RIII	Sony a7III
No built-in flash	Neither of these cameras come with an in-built flash. Without this feature, you have to carry an external flash with you, everywhere you go. When you’re trying to travel light, this is not something you want to always include in your travel pack.	Same as the Sony a7RIII.
No panoramas	Neither of these cameras have the ability to shoot several shots and combine then into a panoramic photo.	Same as the Sony a7RIII.
No GPS	Although this is not such a big one, geotagging does look cool on pictures. This is a feature you won’t get with either of these cameras, as they do not come with GPS.	Same as the Sony a7RIII.

Sony a7RIII Vs a7III – General Feeling Amongst Users

Sony a7RIII	Sony a7III
People who bought this camera were really delighted with their purchase. Yes, it’s a hefty price to pay, but the quality you get out of it is simply incredible. If you’re a professional photographer, this is something you definitely want to look into getting.	People who bought this camera were also really happy. A lot of good reviews about this particular camera. People really felt it was a good improvement from the previous version of the camera, which is always a good report.


Get the Sony a7RIII now!	Get the Sony a7III now!

Sony a7RIII Vs a7III – What Do We Think?

Well, this is the last straw for the Sony a7RIII Vs a7III. Honestly, if we were to pick an overall winner, we would go with the a7III. This decision is very hard, because there are some things that the a7RIII does better than the a7III.

Sony a7RIII	Sony a7III
Get the Sony a7RIII now!	Get the Sony a7III now!