Upgrade Guide

Sony A7R→Sony A7S III

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

You own

Sony

A7R

£349

2013

→

Upgrade to

Sony

A7S III

£2999 (+£2,650)

2020

✅

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 A7S III

↑

Weather sealing

Added — fully sealed body
↑

Stabilisation

IBIS added — significant for handheld and video
↑

Burst rate

10fps mechanical vs 4fps
↑

Battery life

~600 shots (CIPA) / ~70min continuous 4K recording vs ~340 shots (CIPA)
↑

Generation

7 years newer (2020 vs 2013)

Unchanged or similar

Suitability by genre

Full spec comparison

Spec	A7R	A7S III
Price	£349	£2,999
Released	2013	2020	↑
Sensor	36.4MP Full-Frame CMOS (no OLPF)	12.1MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS (12-bit, back-illuminated)
Resolution	36MP	12MP	↓
Video	1080p/60p	4K/120p 10-bit, 4K/60p 10-bit S-Cinetone/S-Log3, 1080p/240p
Autofocus	Contrast-detect AF only (no phase-detect on sensor)	Phase-detect, 759 points, real-time Eye AF (human & animal), subject recognition
Stabilisation	None	5.5-stop IBIS
Burst Rate	4fps	10fps mechanical	↑
Battery Life	~340 shots (CIPA)	~600 shots (CIPA) / ~70min continuous 4K recording	↑
Weight	465g (with battery and card)	699g (body, battery, card)	↓
Weather Sealed	No	Yes	↑
Viewfinder	EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.71× magnification	OLED EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification — best EVF Sony has made
Screen	3.0" fixed LCD, 1.23M dots (no tilt, 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 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.

Other upgrades from the A7R

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Camera family history