Upgrade Guide

Sony A7R II→Sony A7S III

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

You own

Sony

A7R II

£799

2015

→

Upgrade to

Sony

A7S III

£2999 (+£2,200)

2020

✅

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 A7S III

↑

Stabilisation

Improved — 5.5-stop IBIS
↑

Burst rate

10fps mechanical vs 5fps
↑

Battery life

~600 shots (CIPA) / ~70min continuous 4K recording vs ~290 shots (CIPA)
↑

Generation

5 years newer (2020 vs 2015)

Unchanged or similar

Suitability by genre

Full spec comparison

Spec	A7R II	A7S III
Price	£799	£2,999
Released	2015	2020	↑
Sensor	42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R	12.1MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS (12-bit, back-illuminated)
Resolution	42MP	12MP	↓
Video	4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p	4K/120p 10-bit, 4K/60p 10-bit S-Cinetone/S-Log3, 1080p/240p
Autofocus	399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection	Phase-detect, 759 points, real-time Eye AF (human & animal), subject recognition
Stabilisation	IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS)	5.5-stop IBIS
Burst Rate	5fps	10fps mechanical	↑
Battery Life	~290 shots (CIPA)	~600 shots (CIPA) / ~70min continuous 4K recording	↑
Weight	625g (with battery and card)	699g (body, battery, card)	↓
Weather Sealed	Yes	Yes
Viewfinder	EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification	OLED EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification — best EVF Sony has made
Screen	3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch)	3.0" vari-angle touchscreen, 1.44M dots
Mount	Sony FE (full-frame E-mount)	Sony E-mount
Memory Cards	Single SD UHS-I slot	Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II (both slots)

Compare side-by-side

See A7R II and A7S III next to each other with our interactive comparison tool.

Get a personalised upgrade score

Tell us what you shoot and we'll score the A7S III against your specific genres — not just specs.

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