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Tech · Sony · 2018

Sony a7 III

The full-frame body most people start with used: great sensor, huge lens pool, cramped grip and menus.

Used mirrorless bodies that still earn their keep — #3

Overall

8.1

out of 10

Axis scores

Strongest on Value (9.0), weakest on Design (7.2), a 1.8-point spread. The 8.1 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

Sony a7 III — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. Sony a7 III: Performance 8.8, Value 9.0, Durability 7.8, Ease of use 7.6, Design 7.2.PerformanceSony a7 III — Performance 8.8 out of 108.8ValueSony a7 III — Value 9.0 out of 109.0DurabilitySony a7 III — Durability 7.8 out of 107.8Ease of useSony a7 III — Ease of use 7.6 out of 107.6DesignSony a7 III — Design 7.2 out of 107.2Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Sensor
24.2MP full-frame BSI CMOS
Stabilization
5-axis in-body
Burst
Up to 10 fps
Video
4K up to 30p
Card slots
Dual SD (one UHS-II)
Battery
NP-FZ100, about 610 shots (CIPA, viewfinder)
Mount
Sony E

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • You want full frame with stabilization for the least outlay
  • You want the widest choice of used and third-party lenses (Sigma, Tamron, Samyang, Viltrox)
  • Battery life matters, since the NP-FZ100 lasts well past a day of casual shooting

Skip it if

  • Your hands are large and a shallow grip will annoy you every day
  • You need 4K at 60p or 10-bit video

The a7 III sold in huge numbers, and that is the main reason to buy one now. There are more used copies, more used E-mount lenses, and more third-party options than for any other body here. It is the camera most likely to resell easily if you change your mind.

The sensor still holds up against much newer bodies in dynamic range and high-ISO noise, according to DPReview’s comparison scenes. Its eye autofocus was the feature that defined this generation, and it still works well for people.

The compromises are in handling. The grip is short, the menus are a maze until you set up a custom menu, and the rear screen tilts but doesn’t flip forward. Only one of the two card slots is UHS-II, so writing to both at once slows the buffer during bursts.

Listings with a high shutter count are common because many of these were working cameras. Sony doesn’t publish a shutter rating for this body, so treat a count well into six figures as a reason to price in a shutter replacement.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.