Sony announces long-awaited A7S III 12MP full-frame mirrorless camera

The long-awaited successor to Sony's A7S II camera is now official. The new A7S III full-frame mirrorless camera boasts several "world firsts" as it targets the video market.

The new shooter features a 12MP full-frame BSI CMOS sensor. It is capable of shooting video in 4K with up 120 frames per second, with Full HD at 240fps. There is 5-axis in-body stabilization, dual memory card slots, and a 9.44m dot WXGA OLED Tru-Finder EVF with .90x magnification.

Sony has upgraded the body to be more ergonomic as well as more rugged. It has improved dust and moisture resistance as well as a bigger grip, bigger buttons, and a new REC button.

Standard ISO range is ISO80 to USO102400 and up to ISO40 to ISO409600 with 14-stops of dynamic range possible during still photography.

Sony says that the new 12.1MP BSI CMOS sensor has improved noise performance and color reproduction over the prior generation. More than 15 stops of dynamic range while in video mode aid in what Sony describes as the best 4K in the market.

Other video features include 10bit HLG profile for HDR shooting, 16-bit RAW output, native ISO sensitivity in S-Log, H.265 HEVC encoding, new heat-dissipating structure to keep the camera cool while shooting, and 60 percent improved battery for up to 95 minutes of actual record time.

Pre-order deals on the new Sony A7S III

The new Sony Alpha A7S III can be pre-ordered now from Adorama at up to $200 off when bundled with a lens. Adorama Edge cardholders can also take advantage of an additional 5% back or opt for no interest financing when paid in full within 12 months with the store card.

B&H is also accepting pre-orders for the new digital camera with free expedited shipping. Its Payboo Card will instantly refund sales tax paid on orders shipped to qualifying zip codes, while no interest financing when paid in full within 12 months is available with the B&H Financing Card.

Prices start at $3,498 for the digital camera body only, and the Sony A7S III is expected to ship on Sept. 24. Adorama and B&H are both Sony Authorized Dealers.

Sony A7S III features

12.1 megapixel full-frame BSI CMOS sensor
Up to 15+ stop dynamic range
9.44m dot QXGA OLED Tru-Finder EVF, 0.90x magnification (size can be reduced if too large)
ISO40 to ISO409600
4K 120p recording, 10-bit, 4:2:2
All intra up to 600Mbps
FullHD 240p
New S-Gamut3.Cine
Fast hybrid AF in all recording situations
Real-time eye AF (in video as well), Touch-tracking
759 phase-detection AF points 92% coverage
425 CDAF points
10fps continuous shooting with AF/AE
Articulated vari-angle touch-screen
Dual slots: SD UHS-II / CFexpress Type A card support
Z battery
High-speed readout from the sensor, 2x fast compared to A7S II
Improved rolling shutter, approx. 3x improved compared to A7S II
New BIONZ XR up to 8x faster than BIONZ X
Up to 15+ stops of dynamic range (Video)
Red square "tally light" on/off displayed on screen.

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13 Comments

wonkothesane 1737 comments · 12 Years

About 4 years ago

Great specs. Sony appears to leave the new Canon in the dust. Ok, real real life tests still pending but sure looks juicy. Lowlifht
performance and slo/mo performance appears to be awesome and stabilization works great.

Just... the black magic pocket 6k has its specific cinematic feel. Tempted hard anyway.

gatorguy 24609 comments · 13 Years

wonkothesane said:

Great specs. Sony appears to leave the new Canon in the dust.

Not at all.

It is not a camera meant for photography with that relatively low-MP sensor. It also isn't capable of 6K recording, much less 8K which Canon offers now. What it does is video at 4K and high framerates without stuttering, and that's all most prosumer videographers need. Personally I think it's a lot to pay for a camera that does video well but not so much for stills, but I don't do video anyway.

gatorguy said:

wonkothesane said:

Great specs. Sony appears to leave the new Canon in the dust.

Not at all.

It is not a camera meant for photography with that relatively low-MP sensor. It also isn't capable of 6K recording, much less 8K which Canon offers now. What it does is video at 4K and high framerates without stuttering, and that's all most prosumer videographers need. Personally I think it's a lot to pay for a camera that does video well but not so much for stills, but I don't do video anyway.

I said explicitly that my view is from filming, not photography. At least it doesn’t turn off overheating like the canon. And I’m not into 8k. I look for lowlight and 4K with >> 60 FPS.

melgross 33607 comments · 20 Years

I’ve been watching the reviews, and this seems like an excellent video camera, which is what it is, as long as stills aren’t important.

it doesn’t do 5k, 6k or 8k either. But because of that it doesn’t seem to overheat except under some circumstances.

the camera is an odd duck in a way. As it isn’t really a still camera, no matter how hard Sony promotes it as such, it’s got a body plan that’s not ideal for video. Stills are more of an afterthought. Something closer to a video still in quality. The 15 stops Sony claims is only available in S-Log (Sony Log). When converted to a usable final,video, it drops to something closer to the expected 12 stops.

its not an overall usable camera therefor, and if you want something that is more rounded in use, find something else. But if all you want is video, with an occasional somewhat decent low Rez (12MP) still, then this would be a good choice.

sflocal 6133 comments · 16 Years

The R5 & R6 are primarily a stills camera, with video capabilities. The Sony - for sure - is just a video camera that can do stills.

The stench going on particularly in the Sony crowd, and their hypocrisy is just on a whole different level. They spared no expense to launch a verbal assault on Canon for the video capabilities, yet get their tighty-whities in a wad when having to defend such low resolution for the dismal photo capabilities of a $4K camera.

Just buy what you want. This gets old.