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Sony A7R vs Sony A7S III

Portability
78
Imaging
74
Features
76
Overall
74
Sony Alpha A7R front
 
Sony Alpha A7S III front
Portability
61
Imaging
65
Features
92
Overall
75

Sony A7R vs Sony A7S III Key Specs

Sony A7R
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 465g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Released February 2014
  • Replacement is Sony A7R II
Sony A7S III
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 80 - 102400 (Boost to 409600)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 699g - 129 x 97 x 81mm
  • Revealed July 2020
  • Superseded the Sony A7S II
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Sony A7R vs Sony A7S III Overview

In this write-up, we will be matching up the Sony A7R versus Sony A7S III, both Pro Mirrorless digital cameras and both are offered by Sony. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the A7R (36MP) and A7S III (12MP) but they possess the same exact sensor sizes (Full frame).

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The A7R was launched 7 years earlier than the A7S III and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the A7R scores vs the A7S III with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A7R over the Sony A7S III

 A7R A7S III 

Reasons to pick Sony A7S III over the Sony A7R

 A7S III A7R 
RevealedJuly 2020February 2014More recent by 78 months
Screen typeFully articulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1440k1230kClearer screen (+210k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A7R and Sony A7S III

 A7R A7S III 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions

Sony A7R vs Sony A7S III Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and size. The Sony A7R has got outer measurements of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") along with a weight of 465 grams (1.03 lbs) while the Sony A7S III has specifications of 129mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2") along with a weight of 699 grams (1.54 lbs).

Examine the Sony A7R versus Sony A7S III in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the A7R against the A7S III.

Sony A7R vs Sony A7S III size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A7R and A7S III is 78 and 61 respectively.

Sony A7R vs Sony A7S III top view buttons comparison

Sony A7R vs Sony A7S III Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements purely by going over a spec sheet. The visual below will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the A7R and A7S III.

Clearly, the 2 cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Sony A7R to deliver greater detail utilizing its extra 24MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures far more aggressively. The older A7R is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A7R vs Sony A7S III sensor size comparison

Sony A7R vs Sony A7S III Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7R vs Sony A7S III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A7R
Portrait photography with Sony A7S III
84
focusing manually
megapixel count fantastic (36MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
71
focusing manually
great sensor size (Full frame)
offers face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Sony A7R Street photography advice
Sony A7S III Street photography advice
80
has a tilting screen
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
lighter than competitors in class (465g)
above average ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
provides focus via touch
weather proof
very good high ISO (102,400)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A7R as a Sports photography camera
Sony A7S III as a Sports photography camera
62
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
megapixel count fantastic (36 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
weather proof
max frames per second very slow (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery power (340 CIPA)
does not have phase detect autofocus
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
offers tracking autofocus
weather proof
better than average battery life (600 shots)
comes with phase detect AF
low megapixels (12MP)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7R Travel photography factors
Sony A7S III Travel photography factors
70
lighter than competitors in class (465 grams)
weather proof
megapixel count fantastic (36 megapixels)
bad battery power (340 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
70
better than average battery life (600 per charge)
weather proof
connects via bluetooth
provides focus via touch
display is selfie friendly
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A7R Landscape photography advice
Sony A7S III Landscape photography advice
78
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
megapixel count fantastic (36MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
does not have low pass filter
above average ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
lack of image stabilization
bad battery power (340 per charge)
77
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
very good high ISO (102,400)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
better than average battery life (600 CIPA)
has double storage slots
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A7R
Vlogging with Sony A7S III
36
includes face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes external mic socket
lighter than competitors in class (465g)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
77
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have external microphone port
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Sony A7R vs Sony A7S III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7R and Sony A7S III
 Sony Alpha A7RSony Alpha A7S III
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha A7R Sony Alpha A7S III
Type Pro Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Released 2014-02-13 2020-07-21
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz X Bionz XR
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Full frame
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 36 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 7360 x 4912 4240 x 2832
Highest native ISO 25600 102400
Highest enhanced ISO - 409600
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 25 759
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E Sony E
Amount of lenses 121 121
Crop factor 1 1
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fully articulated
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,230k dot 1,440k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech Xtra Fine LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,359k dot 9,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.91x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings no built-in flash no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 3840 x 2160 @ 120p / 280 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 100p / 280 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 50p / 200 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 140 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 140 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 100p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 50 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, XAVC S, XAVC HS, XAVC S-1, H.264, H.265
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 465g (1.03 lb) 699g (1.54 lb)
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") 129 x 97 x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 95 85
DXO Color Depth score 25.6 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score 14.1 13.3
DXO Low light score 2746 2993
Other
Battery life 340 photographs 600 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FW50 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots
Storage slots 1 2
Cost at release $1,898 $3,499