Sony has announced an update to its α7 II mirrorless camera released back in 2014. The appropriately-named α7 III taps into the feature sets of Sony's α9 and α7R III cameras for the addition of back-illumination to the full frame sensor, improved autofocus and better battery life.
"With the new α7 III, we've taken many of our newest and most advanced imaging technologies from the acclaimed α9 and α7R III models and paired them with an all-new 24.2 MP back-illuminated sensor to deliver the ultimate full-frame camera for enthusiasts, hobbyists and professionals alike," said Sony's Neal Manowitz. "It's a camera that punches far above its weight class in every capacity. Combined with our impressive selection of 26 native full-frame E-mount lenses, it provides a level of performance that is simply unmatched in the industry."
The α7 III features a 24.2 MP full-frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) Exmor R CMOS sensor with a back-illuminated design, which works with an updated Bionz X image processing engine to offer ISO100 to 51,200 sensitivity, expandable down to ISO50 and up to 204,800, and up to 10 frames per second continuous shooting with tracking autofocus for bursts of up to 177 JPEG images, 89 compressed RAW files or 40 uncompressed RAW images.
Hybrid AF sports 693 phase detection points that cover 93 percent of the image area and 425 contrast detection points. Focus points can be moved quickly thanks to the addition of an autofocus joystick, and the α7 III also comes with Eye AF, which finds and holds focus on the eye of a subject even when the camera or subject moves around.
The camera comes with 5-axis image stabilization, an anti-flicker function to compensate for artificial lighting shoots, can capture stills to 14-bit RAW file format, and has 4K (3,840 x 2,160) HDR video recording capabilities – though 120 fps slow-mo at Full HD with AF tracking is also available.
Elsewhere, Sony has treated the α7 III to dual SD card slots, a USB-C port, cooked-in Wi-Fi for wireless file transfer to a mobile device, and a 610 shot battery life when using the 2.3 million dot OLED EVF, or an extra 100 or so if using the 3-inch LCD monitor.
The Sony α7 III camera is due for release in April for a body-only price of US$2,000, or $2,200 with and FE 28-70 mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens. You can watch an overview video below.
Product page: α7 III
