A1vs A7 III
VS
Which should you buy?
Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
All-Round Photography & Video — A7 III (2018): Still one of the best all-round cameras money can buy — particularly strong used. The A7 III proved that full-frame doesn't have to mean compromises, and nothing at this price point has meaningfully beaten it.
Who should buy what
A1 (2021)
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
A7 III (2018)
- Enthusiast photographers upgrading from APS-C for the first time
- Working photographers who need reliable AF and weather sealing
- Anyone who shoots in low light regularly
- Hybrid shooters needing both stills and video performance
Quick take: The a1 has the highest resolution at 50mp; the a7 iii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | A1 (2021) | A7 III (2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,999 | £1,699 |
| Sensor | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 50.1MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~430 shots (CIPA) | ~710 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 737g (with battery) | 565g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II | Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2) |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | USB-C (USB 3.2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | A1 | A7 III |
|---|---|---|
| Sports | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Wedding | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Video | — |
More comparisons with A1
Camera family history