A7R IIvs Sony A9 III
Sony
A7R II (2015)
Starting from £799 new
Best for Portrait, landscape & studio photography
View A7R II
Sony
Sony A9 III (2023)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Sports & action professionals
View Sony A9 III
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Portrait, Landscape & Studio Photography — A7R II (2015): The A7R II transformed the A7R series — adding IBIS, 4K video, BSI sensor tech, and phase-detect AF in one generation. A landmark Sony camera.
Sports & Action Professionals — Sony A9 III (2023): A paradigm-shifting camera — the global shutter eliminates every rolling shutter limitation that has constrained action photography for years.
Who should buy what
A7R II (2015)
- Landscape and architecture photographers who want 42MP with IBIS for handheld shooting
- Portrait and studio photographers who need high resolution with improved AF reliability
- Sony FE system users who want a capable high-resolution body at a used price
- A7R I owners who need the stabilisation, 4K, and improved AF the original lacked
Sony A9 III (2023)
- Professional sports photographers who need zero blackout and 120fps burst
- Wildlife photographers who demand the most advanced Sony AF available
- Photojournalists who need flash sync at any shutter speed
- A9 II owners upgrading to the world's first full-frame global shutter
Quick take: The a7r ii has the highest resolution at 42mp; the a7r ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | A7R II (2015) | Sony A9 III (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £799 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R | 24.6MP full-frame Exmor RS CMOS (global shutter) |
| Resolution | 42.4MP | 24.6MP |
| Video | 4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p | 4K/120p, 4K/60p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | 399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection | AI subject recognition AF, 759-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS) | 8-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 5fps | 120fps blackout-free electronic |
| Battery Life | ~290 shots (CIPA) | 530 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 625g (with battery and card) | 703g body only |
| Dimensions | 126.9 × 95.7 × 60.3mm | 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification | 0.64" Quad-XGA OLED EVF, 9.44M dots |
| Screen | 3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch) | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) | Sony FE (E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB, Wi-Fi, NFC | USB-C 3.2, HDMI A, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | A7R II | Sony A9 III |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Architecture | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with A7R II
Camera family history