Upgrade Guide

Sony A6500→Sony A7 III

Is it worth upgrading? Spec analysis, key improvements, and our verdict.

You own

Sony

A6500

£649

2016

→

Upgrade to

Sony

A7 III

£1699 (+£1,050)

2018

✅

Worthwhile

Clear improvements over the A6500. Whether it justifies the cost depends on which upgrades matter most to your shooting.

What's new in the A7 III

Unchanged or similar

Suitability by genre

Full spec comparison

Spec	A6500	A7 III
Price	£649	£1,699
Released	2016	2018	↑
Sensor	24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS	24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS
Resolution	24MP	24MP
Video	4K/30p (full pixel readout), 1080p/120p	4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion
Autofocus	425 phase-detect + 169 contrast-detect AF points, face/eye detection	Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF
Stabilisation	IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops (first Sony APS-C with IBIS)	5-axis IBIS, 5 stops
Burst Rate	11fps	10fps with AF/AE tracking	↓
Battery Life	~310 shots (CIPA)	~710 shots (CIPA)	↑
Weight	453g (with battery and card)	565g (body, battery, card)	↓
Weather Sealed	Yes	Yes
Viewfinder	EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification	EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification
Screen	3.0" fully articulating touchscreen	3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots
Mount	Sony E-mount	Sony E-mount
Memory Cards	Single SD UHS-I slot	Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2)

Compare side-by-side

See A6500 and A7 III next to each other with our interactive comparison tool.

Get a personalised upgrade score

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Other upgrades from the A6500

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Camera family history