Upgrade Guide

Sony A7 III→Sony A1

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

You own

Sony

A7 III

£1699

2018

→

Upgrade to

Sony

£5999 (+£4,300)

2021

✅

Worthwhile

Clear improvements over the A7 III. Whether it justifies the cost depends on which upgrades matter most to your shooting.

What's new in the A1

Suitability by genre

Full spec comparison

Spec	A7 III	A1
Price	£1,699	£5,999
Released	2018	2021	↑
Sensor	24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS	50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS
Resolution	24MP	50MP	↑
Video	4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion	8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p
Autofocus	Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF	Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points
Stabilisation	5-axis IBIS, 5 stops	IBIS — up to 5.5 stops
Burst Rate	10fps with AF/AE tracking	30fps electronic with full AF/AE	↑
Battery Life	~710 shots (CIPA)	~430 shots (CIPA)	↓
Weight	565g (body, battery, card)	737g (with battery)	↓
Weather Sealed	Yes	Yes
Viewfinder	EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification	EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps
Screen	3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots	3.0" fully tilting touchscreen
Mount	Sony E-mount	Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount)
Memory Cards	Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2)	Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II

Compare side-by-side

See A7 III and A1 next to each other with our interactive comparison tool.

Get a personalised upgrade score

Tell us what you shoot and we'll score the A1 against your specific genres — not just specs.

Other upgrades from the A7 III

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Camera family history