Sony A7S III Review

No matter the period, cameras are always popular among the masses. Companies have been investing in offering the best products to users. In grabbing most customer attention, Sony has always been on top.

The A7 camera series by Sony has proved to be offering the user’s needs. Sony A7S III is a version of the A7 series with a low-resolution camera with high sensitivity. This camera was designed after five years of hard work, especially for filmmakers.

It was introduced as a videography camera, but it can still shoot photographs. The still pictures of Sony’s A7S III will be raw and Jpeg images, but there is an option to shoot a 10-bit image.

Sony A7S III is better for filming than it is for photography, but that is common among all the cameras of this category. It has the exact resolution for still photos as an iPhone, 12 megapixels. Sony A7S III can only be used for shoots of 4K video, albeit with several other options, which makes it more than an iPhone.

The rest of the demanded details of Sony’s A7S III are thoroughly explained in this article. We have included all the significant features trying our best to provide a realistic review.

Sony A7S III Review

The A7S III is said to be the most reliable videography camera in all the A7 series of Sony. It is designed for 4K shoots. This makes the camera give slightly less detailed results than some videography cameras. But Sony has made the A7S III an improved camera by improving the rolling shutter rate and extended record times.

Compared to the rest of the A7S series, this one is better at capturing pics in low light.

Handling/Control

Sony A7S III is the size of the usual cameras and has the shape of most of the mirrorless cameras. It measures 3.8 by 5.1 by 2.7 inches and weighs about 1.4lbs without a lens. It is colored in black with magnesium alloy from the inside for dust and water protection.

The buttons of the Sony A7S III are okay with a deep grip. It also features a separate mic jack, an expressive 3″ screen, and a full-size HDMI port.

The REC buttons are slightly bigger and can be found on the top plate. The AF button now can be used for one-shot autofocus. This can be done while you are using the manual focus setting of your camera.

The grip of the A7S is almost identical to the one of A7R and A9 II. The deep hand easy-grip comes with a finger rest. The body is built to use big lenses such as bigger zoom lenses or telephoto ones. The camera can still be used with a wrist strap if you attach a lens.

Sensor

Sony A7S III comes with a 12mp resolution sensor. According to the company, the BSI design will boost the low light performance. It features an ISO of 80, which may bring a dynamic range. The sensor readout rate has been improved. Sony A7S III can shoot UHD 4K at up to 60p from its full width (4.2K) or 120p from a native UHD 4K region (a 1.1x crop).

Processor

Sony A7S III comes with the new Bionz X processor. It is a dual-chip processing system, which allows the camera to handle the video and image separately. This will reduce the latency rate allowing more complex image processing.

Autofocus

The advanced autofocus system of the camera automatically detects faces, heads, and eyes using the appropriate focusing method. The face detection method allows video recording without the risk of refocusing on a different person. The autofocus feature includes:

• Contrast Detect
• Phase Detect
• Multi-area
• Center
• Selective single-point
• Tracking
• Single
• Continuous
• Touch
• Face Detection
• Live View

White balance sensor

The white balance sensor is standard in smartphones these days. We have also seen them in cameras as well like Canon. Nikon and Olympus but are rare. The Sony A7S III comes with a white balance sensor. It reacts quickly to changes in the scene.

This sensor will help to reduce unpredictable white shifts as you capture a video. With the help of this sensor, the sudden fill of the screen with a new color will be reduced or exempted.

Video Compression

Compression options in a camera are the most significant improvement any company can bring. The A7S III works on 10-bit video capturing.

Ultra High-definition 4K Videos

The maximum of the camera’s UHD footage is taken from the full 4240-pixel width of the sensor. Every time you shoot, the video will turn out extra sharp and crystal clear, no matter the shooting circumstances.

Sony A7S III Video performance

Sony A7S III is a videography camera with a rolling shutter of sub 10ms in all modes. The readout rate is a bit slow. The A7S used to shoot a 4K. This means it has fewer data to the readout, which will decrease the risk of rolling shutter. To give you a better review of the rolling shutter, I have put the different shutter rates at different modes in a table:

Video mode	Rolling shutter rate
4K 60p / 30p / 24p	8.7ms
4K 120p	7.7ms
4K Steady Shot Active (60p / 30p / 24P)	7.8ms

You will require a crop to deliver 4K(120p) because you need an 8.3ms rolling shutter rate to shoot 120 frames per second. The sub 10ms rolling shutter rate is excellent for capturing fast-moving objects.

Dual Gain Sensor

Almost all the cameras these days are built to have large sensors. However, this is not the case with Sony A7S III. It has a dual gain sensor instead of a large one. This means you will need to switch from a high dynamic range readout circuit to a lower readout for higher ISOs.

The ISO rating of each camera depends upon the gamma curve. The Song A7S III moves to its higher gain of 4.33EV about the base set. So if you are working near the ISO where the camera mode changes, you better change your gain to higher.

Stills

The video stills feature makes it possible to assess the resolution and sampling method used to capture videos. The Sony A7S III offers a benefit with its low pixel count; it can shoot 4K from the entire width of its sensors. It is the only Sony camera capturing 4k/120p from a large sensor area. The low pixel count allows it to capture a touchless detail than 24MP.

Of course, the final results will be much less detailed than any 2X oversampled camera, like Canon EOS R5. Still, the footage of A7S III will be easy to deliver for extended periods.

Battery Life

Sony A7S III uses a Sony NP-FZ100 battery. The Z series battery is an upgrade in the A7 series. The Z series battery provides nearly twice the battery life as other still cameras. You can capture approximately 600 shots on CIPA standards. You can undoubtedly get more photos if you use the 10fps drive.

The expected time for capturing videos is about 95 minutes of recording. There have not been any overheating issues yet, but you might face them if you record in hot areas for more than 20 minutes. Remember, your battery might get eaten up if you use a 4K 120 setting with IBIS at high bit rates.

Sony A7S III Specifications:

Bod type:

• Mirrorless
• Weather sealed

Sensor:

• 12 megapixels
• Eight × 35.6 mm CMOS
• 4µm pixel pitch
• 3:2 aspect ratio
• 01 crop factor
• Ultrasonic cleaner

ISO:

• ISO 80 ～ 102,400.
• ISO 40 (L), ISO 204,800 (H1) and ISO 409,600 (H2)

Image Sizes:

• 4,240 × 2,832 pixels (12 MP or 12,007,680 pixels)
• 2,768 × 1,848 (Medium, 5.1 MP)
• 2,128 × 1,416 (Small, 3 MP)

Cropped Aspect Ratios

• Square 1:1, Ideal-Format 4:3 and 16:9 crops from the above

APS-C crop:

• 2,768 × 1,848 (Large, 5.1 MP)
• 2,128 × 1,416 (Medium, 3 MP)
• 1,376 × 920 (Small, 1.3 MP)

Still Formats

• JPG
• Standard, Fine or Extra Fine
• sRGB and Adobe RGB

Dimensions:

• Eight by 5.1 by 2.7 inches

Weight:

• 4lbs

Raw:

• 14-bit RAW0

Video:

• File Formats
• XAVC S (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264) or XAVC HS (MPEG-H HEVC/H.265)

Autofocus

• 759 phase-detection AF points
• 425 contrast-detection points
• Range rated LV-6 (+20 with an f/2 lens)

Finder:

• 16mm/0.64″ 9,437,184 dot OLED
• 90× magnification
• 41° diagonal apparent angle
• 25mm eye-point
• Auto brightness control
• -4 (+3 diopters)

Shutter:

• Mechanical & Silent Electronic Shutters
• ¹/_8,000(30 seconds)
• ¹/₂₅₀ flash sync speed

Frame Rates:

• To 10 FPS with tracking autofocus & exposure

Buffer (Burst) Sizes:

• Over 1,000 frames, JPG and/or uncompressed raw

Flash:

• ¹/₂₅₀sync speed

Built-in Flash:

• NONE

External Flash:

• Dedicated hot shoe
• No Prontor-Compur (PC) terminal

LCD Monitor:

• 95″ diagonal flipping touch screen.
• 1,440,000 dots

Other features:

• 1/8,000 maximum shutter speed
• Ideal format (4:3), Square 1:1 and 16:9 as-shot crops
• Fast 10 FPS still shooting
• Innumerable video format options.
• Dual cards capacity

• Bluetooth 5.0
• No .MOV or .M4V video
• XAVC S or XAVC HS

Pros:

• 12MP sensor
• 4K recording at 10-bit quality
• 120fps slow motion
• Face recognition
• Autofocus
• 3-inch display size
• Subject tracking at 10fps
• High sensitivity at low light
• 5-axis IBIS
• Dust and water protection
• Touchscreen
• Wi-Fi
• Microphone connectivity

Cons:

• Autofocus does not work on SLR lens adapters
• No waveform monitoring
• No automatic brightness control
• No ability to save and recall camera settings to and from a card
• No GPS

Conclusion

The Sony A7S III is an excellent option for filming. Its performance is long-lasting, with most video focus features.

The quality of the captures in 4K and HD is remarkable. The colors are beautifully adjusted in the camera and give a natural look to your file. The high ISO performance is extraordinary. Sony had promised to introduce 15 stops of range, and honestly, they have not disappointed.

The 4K files are not the only impressive thing about the A7S III. The result of Sony H.265 is equally remarkable. The standard colors of A7S III are some of the best from Sony.

Sony has introduced considerable improvements in the A7S III. The handling and connectivity are easy. Sony A7S III can be an excellent option for most videographers as it comes with more battery life and twice the resolution for half the price of high-resolution cameras. If you need a high ISO, this is the camera you need.

Although it is pricier than other cameras with low resolution, it has several benefits for low light videography. The Sony A7S III is undoubtedly the finest hybrid video camera anyone can buy, so why not make it yours today <– Affiliate link  🙂 No doubt the company has successfully given the filmmakers what they needed.