Upgrade Guide
Sony A7R II→Sony A7 III
Is it worth upgrading? Spec analysis, key improvements, and our verdict.
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Worthwhile
Clear improvements over the A7R II. Whether it justifies the cost depends on which upgrades matter most to your shooting.
What's new in the A7 III
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Burst rate10fps with AF/AE tracking vs 5fps
-
Battery life~710 shots (CIPA) vs ~290 shots (CIPA)
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Generation3 years newer (2018 vs 2015)
Unchanged or similar
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Resolution24MP (down from 42MP — optimised for low light)
Suitability by genre
| Genre | A7R II | A7 III | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | — | ||
| Landscape | — | ||
| Architecture | — | ||
| Travel | +2.0 | ||
| Vlogging & Video | — | ||
| Sports & Action | — | ||
| Street | — | ||
| Wildlife | — | ||
| Video | — |
Full spec comparison
| Spec | A7R II | A7 III | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £799 | £1,699 | |
| Released | 2015 | 2018 | ↑ |
| Sensor | 42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS | |
| Resolution | 42MP | 24MP | ↓ |
| Video | 4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion | |
| Autofocus | 399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF | |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS) | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops | |
| Burst Rate | 5fps | 10fps with AF/AE tracking | ↑ |
| Battery Life | ~290 shots (CIPA) | ~710 shots (CIPA) | ↑ |
| Weight | 625g (with battery and card) | 565g (body, battery, card) | ↑ |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes | |
| Viewfinder | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification | |
| Screen | 3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch) | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots | |
| Mount | Sony FE (full-frame 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
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