The recent launch of Sony’s newest full-frame camera, the α7R III, provides photographers with a variety of enhanced capabilities that give the camera a true professional operational style. Gordon Laing of CameraLabs.com took a look at these new features and shared his thoughts in his latest video review.
"Externally the α7R III appears to share the same body as the α7R II, at least when viewed from the front or the top," said Laing. "Turn to the back though and you'll find the α7R III inherits some key controls from the α9. You get a larger rear wheel with much more tactile feedback than before. You get a joystick that's a delight for positioning the auto focus area or navigating menus. Above this is the AF-ON button, beloved by so many photographers. And to its left, a much more sensibly located movie record button. And the screen is now touch sensitive too!"
Laing goes on to talk about the high-resolution viewfinder and shows an example of the eye detection tracking a model in continuous auto focus mode.
"While you still need to hold a button down like the shift key in AF-C mode, it still tracks remarkably well. Continuous auto focus is also supported with the silent electronic shutter at 10 frames per second," said Laing.
He then takes a look at the grip side of the camera and reveals the dual SD memory card slots that now support relay recording. On the other side he shows the USB and USB-C ports, allowing tethering and USB power simultaneously. Another major improvement Laing found worthy of mentioning was the battery life.
"You'll be delighted to find that Sony has managed to squeeze the latest battery from the α9 into the α7R III's smaller body. This more than doubles the battery life, and you can also fit the α9's optional battery grip to accommodate two packs to double it again," said Laing.
Also making its debut on the versatile α7R III is a new Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode.
"The α7R III now features a Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode, that captures four RAW images shifted by one pixel in each direction. These can then be combined in software later to eliminate false color," said Laing.
He also tests the camera's 4K video in a variety of circumstances and in different modes. At the completion of his tests, Laing concludes that, "Overall the upgrades to the α7R III make for a greatly improved experience over the α7R II. Especially the fast shooting and auto focus coupled with the controls, battery, dual card slots and viewfinder of the α9."
Watch the full video below:
Check out Gordon Laing's full review for the α7R III at CameraLabs.com.
