Sony
A1 2021
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
£4199
new today at Wex Photo Video
Decision tools · Compare
A1 vs A7 III
Quick take: The A1 has the highest resolution at 50MP; the A7 III is the most affordable.
16 specs side by side·14 genres scored·UK prices from Wex Photo Video and Clifton Cameras
How to read this page. Highlighted cells win that row on the spec alone. Genre scores are the engine's base scores (enthusiast, photo and video); Camera Match re-weights them for your level and priorities. Price buttons are affiliate links; the price you pay is the same.
Price buttons are affiliate links — GearFrame may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects a score. Learn more
Verdictwhich should you buy?
A1 — Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting: 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
A7 III — All-Round Photography & Video: 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)
is the right camera for you if…
- 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)
is the right camera for you if…
- 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
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | A1Sony · 2021 | A7 IIISony · 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,199 | £1,099Best |
| Sensor | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 50.1MPBest | 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/AEBest | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~430 shots (CIPA) | ~710 shots (CIPA)Best |
| Weight | 737g (with battery and card) | 565g (body only)Best |
| 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 |
Wins the row — price, resolution, burst, battery, weight and sealing are compared; text specs aren't ranked.
How they score by genreengine base scores out of 10
Genre
A1
A7 III
Portrait
8.2/10
7.6/10
Street
6.1/10
6.2/10
Travel
6.0/10
6.3/10
Wedding & Events
7.9/10
7.5/10
Filmmaking
7.8/10
6.4/10
Documentary
7.6/10
6.8/10
Sports & Action
8.8/10
7.3/10
Landscape
7.6/10
6.2/10
Wildlife
8.7/10
7.5/10
Casual
4.8/10
5.4/10
Food
7.4/10
6.6/10
Macro
7.3/10
5.8/10
Architecture
7.9/10
6.1/10
Astrophotography
6.8/10
7.4/10
Scores come from the same engine as Camera Match: verified specifications weighted by what each genre needs, with documented adjustments. The product page and this table show the enthusiast base score. See how scores are calculated →
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