Upgrade Guide

Sony A7 III→Sony A7R

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

You own

Sony

A7 III

£1699

2018

→

Upgrade to

Sony

A7R

£349 (-£1,350)

2013

⚖️

Situational

One clear hardware improvement over the A7 III. Worth it if that specific upgrade aligns with what you shoot.

What's new in the A7R

Unchanged or similar

Suitability by genre

Full spec comparison

Spec	A7 III	A7R
Price	£1,699	£349
Released	2018	2013	↓
Sensor	24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS	36.4MP Full-Frame CMOS (no OLPF)
Resolution	24MP	36MP	↑
Video	4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion	1080p/60p
Autofocus	Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF	Contrast-detect AF only (no phase-detect on sensor)
Stabilisation	5-axis IBIS, 5 stops	None
Burst Rate	10fps with AF/AE tracking	4fps	↓
Battery Life	~710 shots (CIPA)	~340 shots (CIPA)	↓
Weight	565g (body, battery, card)	465g (with battery and card)	↑
Weather Sealed	Yes	No	↓
Viewfinder	EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification	EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.71× magnification
Screen	3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots	3.0" fixed LCD, 1.23M dots (no tilt, no touch)
Mount	Sony E-mount	Sony FE (full-frame E-mount)
Memory Cards	Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2)	Single SD UHS-I slot

Compare side-by-side

See A7 III and A7R next to each other with our interactive comparison tool.

Get a personalised upgrade score

Tell us what you shoot and we'll score the A7R against your specific genres — not just specs.

Other upgrades from the A7 III

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Camera family history