Upgrade Guide
Sony Sony RX100 VII→Sony A7S III
Is it worth upgrading? Spec analysis, key improvements, and our verdict.
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Worthwhile
Clear improvements over the Sony RX100 VII. Whether it justifies the cost depends on which upgrades matter most to your shooting.
What's new in the A7S III
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Weather sealingAdded — fully sealed body
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StabilisationIBIS added — significant for handheld and video
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Battery life~600 shots (CIPA) / ~70min continuous 4K recording vs ~260 shots (CIPA)
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Generation1 year newer (2020 vs 2019)
Unchanged or similar
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Resolution12MP (down from 20MP — optimised for low light)
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Sony RX100 VII | A7S III | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | -2.0 | ||
| Vlogging & Video | — | ||
| Family & Everyday | — | ||
| Wildlife | +2.0 | ||
| Street | +2.0 | ||
| Portrait | +3.0 | ||
| Video | — |
Full spec comparison
| Spec | Sony RX100 VII | A7S III | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,099 | £2,999 | |
| Released | 2019 | 2020 | ↑ |
| Sensor | 20.1MP 1-inch Exmor RS BSI CMOS (stacked) | 12.1MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS (12-bit, back-illuminated) | |
| Resolution | 20MP | 12MP | ↓ |
| Video | 4K/30p HLG, FHD/960fps super slow-motion | 4K/120p 10-bit, 4K/60p 10-bit S-Cinetone/S-Log3, 1080p/240p | |
| Autofocus | 357-point phase-detect + 425 contrast, Eye AF, tracking | Phase-detect, 759 points, real-time Eye AF (human & animal), subject recognition | |
| Stabilisation | 3-stop Optical SteadyShot | 5.5-stop IBIS | |
| Burst Rate | 20fps AF/AE tracking (90fps short burst) | 10fps mechanical | ↓ |
| Battery Life | ~260 shots (CIPA) | ~600 shots (CIPA) / ~70min continuous 4K recording | ↑ |
| Weight | 302g with battery and card | 699g (body, battery, card) | ↓ |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes | ↑ |
| Viewfinder | Pop-up EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.59× magnification | OLED EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification — best EVF Sony has made | |
| Screen | 3.0" tilting touchscreen | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen, 1.44M dots | |
| Mount | Fixed Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 24-200mm f/2.8-4.5 | Sony E-mount | |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II (both slots) |
Compare side-by-side
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