SONY ALPHA A7 III
The third generation of the a7 is all grown up and aims to call time on conventional DSLRs
No longer the poor relation of ‘proper’ cameras, sony’s mirrorless a7 iii shoehorns a vast array of impressive features and specs into its diminutive body. A new-generation 24.2MP full-frame sensor has better light-gathering potential and faster data throughput, as well as five-stop, five-axis stabilisation. Coupled to the updated BiONZ X image processor, the net gains are a bigger isO range than in the Canon and Nikon cameras, and a fast 10fps maximum drive rate for stills.
The fast frame rate makes the sony well suited to action sports and wildlife photography, where its performance is backed up by a fast and highly accurate hybrid autofocus system. This is based on nearly 700 phase-detection sites on the image sensor, coupled with more than 400 contrast-detection points.
Although the a7 iii might look a bit basic compared with the other cameras on test, its controls are well thought out. The buttons, dials and joypad-like ‘multi-selector’ give quick access to important shooting parameters, and the menu system is wide ranging yet less labyrinthine than in some sony cameras. There’s also a touchscreen, although it only has tilt rather than full articulation. The sony has an electronic rather than optical viewfinder, but it’s a particularly good one, with a super-high 2,359K resolution.
For outright image quality, the sony leads the group for dynamic range. Colour accuracy is also very good, with auto white balance performing well. image noise at high isO settings is worse than from any of the DsLRs on test but, overall, it’s a fabulous camera.