Upgrade Guide

Sony A7S III→Sony A7R

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

You own

Sony

A7S III

£2999

2020

→

Upgrade to

Sony

A7R

£349 (-£2,650)

2013

⚖️

Situational

One clear hardware improvement over the A7S 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	A7S III	A7R
Price	£2,999	£349
Released	2020	2013	↓
Sensor	12.1MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS (12-bit, back-illuminated)	36.4MP Full-Frame CMOS (no OLPF)
Resolution	12MP	36MP	↑
Video	4K/120p 10-bit, 4K/60p 10-bit S-Cinetone/S-Log3, 1080p/240p	1080p/60p
Autofocus	Phase-detect, 759 points, real-time Eye AF (human & animal), subject recognition	Contrast-detect AF only (no phase-detect on sensor)
Stabilisation	5.5-stop IBIS	None
Burst Rate	10fps mechanical	4fps	↓
Battery Life	~600 shots (CIPA) / ~70min continuous 4K recording	~340 shots (CIPA)	↓
Weight	699g (body, battery, card)	465g (with battery and card)	↑
Weather Sealed	Yes	No	↓
Viewfinder	OLED EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification — best EVF Sony has made	EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.71× magnification
Screen	3.0" vari-angle touchscreen, 1.44M 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 CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II (both slots)	Single SD UHS-I slot

Compare side-by-side

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

Get a personalised upgrade score

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