Sony a7 III - Review

it took a long time for Sony to re-use the body composition introduced in last year’s high-resolution, pro-grade a7R III model entry level. But apart from the friendly price (for full frame), the a7 III ($1,999.99, body only) is nothing but an entry level when it comes to its feature set. Its BSI CMOS sensor passes through all types of light, and offers an amazingly powerful range. It can shoot at 10fps, with an autofocus system that integrates almost every image sensor. It also has sensitive video chops as well, recording smooth, sharp images in 4K, and slow motion in 1080p. It runs circles around competing models in this price range, and is the choice of our organizers for consumers of full entry level.

In addition to the physical option only, Sony offers the a7 III for a $2,199.99 ticket paired with a FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 lens. The 28-70mm is one of the oldest lenses in the series. I would like to see another new, very useful FE 24-105mm F4 package. The 24-105mm is a $ 1,300 lens, however, I think kit prices can be restricted to most consumers.

The handling is not much different than the a7 II. You still get more EV dialing, paired with well-designed C1 and C2 keys, and Mode dialing - not lock dialing like the one in the a7R III. The shutter output is above the handgrip, slightly smaller than the entire top plate, and set at an angle. The On / Off button is around. Capture with command dialing, accessible using your right index finger. The back partner is slightly removed from the EV drive and is easily answered with your right thumb.

The rear controls are similar to the a7R III and a9. The well-designed C3 button and Menu button are on top of the rear LCD, to the left of the EVF eyecup. On the right, you continue to the top, you find Record, AF-ON and AEL. Below them, integrated between the rear thumb rest and the LCD are the focus point selector buttons and the Fn button.

The flat back dial dial drops down to the column; has a button in the center and controls to adjust the Display, ISO, and Drive mode - no Dedicated Dialing as far as the A9, which is something Sony has decided to drop in the A7 series. The dial itself has deep rows so you can rotate it comfortably, and the rotating motion feels much better than the same dialing in the a7 II - there is more resistance, and the dial is heavier physically so the pressure buttons provide a softer response.

Integrating background controls are the Play and Delete buttons. The latter is twice as big as the C4-designed button when in shooting mode. Automatically changes the touch sensitivity of the rear screen. Touch operations are limited. You cannot navigate the menus by touch. But you can tap on the screen to set a focus point. Even if the camera is set to a wider range, tapping on a specific location will add and change to a more flexible location, which can be removed with a touch or with a play stick; the return to a wide area is done by using the button in the center dialing command. This focus point adjustment method works for both video capture and video format.

The camera also supports focus adjustment using an LCD when firing guns and EVF. Just load your finger on the display and the focus area will move. You can override the layout as wide as you can when shooting using a rear LCD to shoot the gun.

Speaking of menus, Sony has long been criticized for its long, sophisticated menu system. A7 III includes some tools to help reduce the stress of trying to find the settings you want to adjust when you open multiple options pages. My menu is fully customizable, so custom settings can be added for quick access. It’s a straightforward step, though I wish Sony would go ahead and better plan and split menu options.

The menu divides the camera capture settings into two tabs, each with multiple pages, but mixing things up a bit. There are settings for both movies and still booking a few dedicated pages for compressed video capture in between. Some clean organization can help make getting the right setting easier.

Upgrading owners of a7 and a7 II will see that the application category no longer exists. A7 III does not support PlayMemories camera applications. That alone is not a big loss - downloading apps to expand the camera’s power has been a flawed concept, especially without the support of third-party developers. But some of the features found in PlayMemories, such as the ability to turn off the shutter using the EVF optical sensor, are not included in the A7 III firmware. The expiration date has been added with Firmware 3.0 and, while the A7 III is not able to extract the finished video, it will automatically burn the images periodically so you can associate them with the video over time. The camera delivers ample 6K expiration time adjustment.

The rear display is a 3-inch LCD with touch-up support. It is a step back from the one used in the a7 II, which is a 1,228k dot design with "white pixels" to cut sunlight on bright days. This is a 921k pedestrian design. Nevertheless, I shot with it under the scorching sun of the Nevada desert and had no problem seeing the screen.

The screen tilts up and down, but does not move out of the body and looks forward as a true variant of angle display. It's a shame, because it limits the vlogger's ability to set shots and video recordings while focusing on frames, and the a7 III otherwise has too strong videos. There are also some touch controls when updating photos; remarkably you can swipe around a magnified gun with your finger while playing photos in the back.