Upgrade Guide
Sony A7R→Sony A7 III
Is it worth upgrading? Spec analysis, key improvements, and our verdict.
→
Worthwhile
Clear improvements over the A7R. Whether it justifies the cost depends on which upgrades matter most to your shooting.
What's new in the A7 III
-
Weather sealingAdded — fully sealed body
-
StabilisationIBIS added — significant for handheld and video
-
Burst rate10fps with AF/AE tracking vs 4fps
-
Battery life~710 shots (CIPA) vs ~340 shots (CIPA)
-
Generation5 years newer (2018 vs 2013)
Unchanged or similar
-
Resolution24MP (down from 36MP — optimised for low light)
Suitability by genre
| Genre | A7R | A7 III | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape | — | ||
| Portrait | +2.0 | ||
| Architecture | — | ||
| Travel | +5.0 | ||
| Sports & Action | — | ||
| Vlogging & Video | — | ||
| Street | — | ||
| Wildlife | — | ||
| Video | — |
Full spec comparison
| Spec | A7R | A7 III | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £349 | £1,699 | |
| Released | 2013 | 2018 | ↑ |
| Sensor | 36.4MP Full-Frame CMOS (no OLPF) | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS | |
| Resolution | 36MP | 24MP | ↓ |
| Video | 1080p/60p | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion | |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF only (no phase-detect on sensor) | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF | |
| Stabilisation | None | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops | |
| Burst Rate | 4fps | 10fps with AF/AE tracking | ↑ |
| Battery Life | ~340 shots (CIPA) | ~710 shots (CIPA) | ↑ |
| Weight | 465g (with battery and card) | 565g (body, battery, card) | ↓ |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes | ↑ |
| Viewfinder | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.71× magnification | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification | |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed LCD, 1.23M dots (no tilt, 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
⚖️ Compare these cameras
See A7R and A7 III next to each other with our interactive comparison tool.
Get a personalised upgrade score
Run the upgrade checker →
Tell us what you shoot and we'll score the A7 III against your specific genres — not just specs.
Other upgrades from the A7R
Related buying guides
Camera family history