In summary
The α7S III will appeal to professional and semi-professional photographers, in particular for its its ability to produce high-quality stills in very dim lighting, and for its sophisticated video features with extended video recording times.
Full review
Announced in late July, the third-generation model in Sony’s video-orientated Alpha 7S series, the α7S III, is physically similar to its predecessors (and other Sony α7 models) but introduces a new 12.1-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor and BIONZ XR image processor with a dual-processor arrangement that provides eight times more processing power than the previous BIONZ X engine. A new SteadyShot INSIDE stabilisation system claims up to 5.5 stops of shake correction, a full stop more than the system in the α7S II. We reviewed the camera with the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM (model SEL2470GM) lens.
Angled view of the Sony α7S III with the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM (model SEL2470GM) lens used for our review. Source: Sony.)
Who’s it For?
Logically, those most likely to be interested in the α7S III are professional and semi-professional photographers who shoot video and those who need to record high-quality stills in very dim lighting. Its price tag positions it well above the budgets of typical photo enthusiasts, most of whom will not require the sophisticated video features the α7S III offers.
There are other models in Sony’s α7 range which are better suited to high-end stills photographers as well as photo enthusiasts who shoot stills and movies. Covering so much of the potential professional and enthusiast market, Sony has enjoyed a big advantage over its rivals for several years, although they are starting to catch up, although not yet in the market slot occupied by the α7S III.
Although it sticks with 4K as its top resolution instead of venturing into higher-resolution modes, the main advantages of the α7S III are its high-end video features and extended video recording times. Being able to record an hour of 4K 50p video in a clip (depending on ambient temperature and recording card capacity) gives this camera a huge lead over competing stills/video models.
Video
A key feature of the α7S III is its video capabilities, which start with the ability to record 4K video without pixel binning, although some adjustments are required to achieve the 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio from the 3:2 aspect ratio of the sensor. This means the 4240 x 2832 pixel output from the sensor has to be downsampled to 4K UHD resolution at 3840 x 2160 pixels per frame. (It’s worth noting that the Cinema 4K resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels is not offered.)
The use of fast, high-capacity CFexpress cards confirms the α7S III has been designed primarily for use by professional videographers. (Source: Sony.)
Sony has also modified the camera’s body design to include a new heat-dissipating structure without requiring cooling fans (which consume battery power) or vents (which could reduce weather resistance). The company claims this will enable users to record an hour or more of 10-bit 4:2:2 4K footage at 60 fps or 50fps, depending on the relevant broadcast standard.
With the elimination of the AVCHD recording option provided in the previous model, the new camera now offers only its proprietary XAVC S option, with an advanced XAVC HS setting that uses more efficient H.265 HEVC encoding to provide higher quality at equivalent bitrates but is more demanding at the editing stage. The α7S III also introduces a new XAVC S-I recording format, which uses H.264 MP4 encoding and All-Intra compression and requires less processing power for post-processing.
In-camera 4K recording is supported at up to 120/100 frames/second (NTSC/PAL format) and users can record 10-bit video with 4:2:2 chroma sub-sampling for improved colour quality and editing flexibility. The camera also offers 10-bit and 8-bit 4:2:0 options as well as Slow & Quick recording modes that include 10-bit 4:2:2 support. As expected recording options include S-Log2 and S-Log3 Picture Profiles, which claim over 15 stops of dynamic range for greater flexibility in post-processing.
The α7S III also supports up to 4K 60p 16-bit RAW video output to an external recorder via an HDMI Type-A connector, offering additional post-production flexibility. Advanced movie recording modes like All-Intra and MPEG-H HEVC/H.265 coding (XAVC HS only) Provide scope for more flexible and efficient post-production workflows.
Users will find it easy to integrate video recordings with other professional camcorders through the choice of three colour gamut settings – S-Gamut, S-Gamut3, and S-Gamut3.Cine – which will allow users to match footage shot on the α7S III with footage shot on the professional camcorders. This versatility will be especially useful for multi-camera post-production workflows.
Ten Picture Profiles have also been provided, covering Log profiles with gamma settings for stills and movies, the latter including the ITU709, Cine1 and Cine2, S-Log2, S-Log3/ S-Gamut3 and S-Gamut3.Cine settings. Picture Profile adjustments include Black Level, Gamma Curve, Black Gamma, Knee, Colour mode, Saturation, Colour Phase/Colour Depth and Detail.
In addition to S-Log3 gamma curves, users can select an HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) picture profile with minimum post-production. The Gamma Display Assist function can be used to reproduce contrast equivalent to that of normal gamma when movies are recorded with S-Log gamma or images with the HLG gamma are recorded since their low contrast can be difficult to monitor during shooting. It also works when such movies are played back.
Autofocusing options in the new camera have been expanded to provide more flexibility and better performance for professional videographers. Users can adjust AF Transition Speed with seven settings for creating purpose-designed rack-focus transitions.
Five AF Subject Shift Sensitivity settings allow users to customise how easily the focus will stay with the locked-on subject or switch to a new subject entering the frame. Touch Tracking allows the user to initiate Real-time Tracking and also compose and shoot while using the camera on a gimbal. Touch focus can also be applied remotely from the Imaging Edge Mobile application.
The monitor display has also been improved with a clearly visible red frame that shows when recording is in progress, including when the camera is mounted on a rig or gimbal. Other new in-camera functions include custom zoom settings, adjustable white balance while recording, display rotation, interval recording and still frame extraction from movies.
Sony’s Active Mode function with 5-axis optical in-body image stabilisation is offered for the first time in an Alpha series camera, providing additional support for handheld movie shooting. A digital audio interface has also been added to the camera’s Multi Interface (MI) Shoe to enable clearer audio recordings from a compatible Sony external microphone. Used with Sony’s XLR-K3M XLR Adaptor Kit, it provides 4-channel 24-bit digital audio recording capability for the first time in an Alpha series camera.
What Else is New?
Another noteworthy feature of the new camera is its buffer capacity, which is much deeper than average thanks in part to its fast BIONZ XR processor and use of CFexpress memory cards. According to the specifications, it can accommodate more than 1000 frames recorded at 10 fps in any format, JPEG, HEIF, RAW (compressed or uncompressed) or RAW+JPEG/RAW+HEIF pairs. This is exceptional, even by today’s standards.
The HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) is supported for the first time in a Sony camera, as an alternative to JPEG (which is also supported). Users can choose to record RAW.RAW file pairs with either HEIF or JPEG files as the other partner. HEIF stills can be played back on a compatible Sony HDR (HLG) TV via a direct HDMI Type-A connection from the camera. We were unable to test this function.
Interestingly, we were also unable to edit the HEIF images we recorded with the review camera, either with Sony’s Imaging Edge software or with the latest version of Adobe Photoshop (which normall supports the HEIF file format). Nor were we able to use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional, which we have used with previous HEIF files,
Furthermore, when we discovered this and tried playing back cards from which files had been copied and which were re-inserted into the camera, none of these files were recognised – not even basic JPEGs – even though they had been copied without alteration. So we’d be cautious about recording HEIF images with this camera until there is a clear path to subsequent accessing and editing.
On a more positive front, the α7S III is also the first in its line to feature Sony’s Fast Hybrid AF system, which combines phase-detection and contrast-detection. The camera also benefits from AI-based improvements to the phase detection AF system, along with Real-time Eye AF which enables the camera to identify and track eyes, including when subjects are in profile or partially obscured.
Real-time Tracking can identify faces, heads and bodies of humans and analyse subject colour, pattern, depth, and face information to track the subject. Touch Tracking is also provided to enable users to track a subject touched on the LCD screen. Users can also adjust tracking sensitivity to reduce the risk of the camera re-focusing during a recording if the subject remains still for a period of time.
The α7S III gains 10 new presets in a new Creative Look menu of customisable adjustments that can be made to still photos and movie clips to create interesting moods. Users can adjust the contrast, highlights, shadows, saturation, sharpness and clarity and fade each ‘look’ from the camera’s menu.
Improvements have been made to the camera’s menu system, including the separation of stills and video settings in both the camera’s menu and the customisable Fn menu. A new My Menu tab enables users to store frequently-used groups of settings for quick access.
Build and Ergonomics
Like the α7S II, the α7S III is made in Sony’s factory in Ayutthaya, Thailand. Physically, it’s a bit larger and heavier than its predecessor but maintains the same overall design and build quality. It’s equally dust- and moisture-resistant and its control layout is consistent with current Sony α7 cameras. However, some minor cosmetic changes have been made to the body design to improve overall handling
Front views of the α7S II (top) and α7S III (below) with no lenses fitted, showing the overall similarities in their designs. (Source: Sony.)
These include improvements to the grip moulding and the layout and design of the buttons and dials. Lengthening the grip has pushed the front control dial upwards, making it more accessible, while the AF illuminator/self-timer LED is larger in the new model and includes a visible light and IR sensor.
Top views of the α7S II (top) and α7S III (below) with no lenses fitted. Note the different sizes of the grip mouldings, with the new camera having a deeper grip. (Source: Sony.)
The most important change to the top panel is the relocation of the movie record button to replace the C1 Custom button, making it much more easily accessible. The rear dial has also been moved to the top panel, where it sits between the mode and EV compensation dials instead of being semi-embedded in the top of the rear panel. This is another improvement to accessibility.
Rear views of the α7S II (top) and α7S III (below). (Source: Sony.)
The main addition to the rear panel is the ‘joystick’ multi-selector which is mainly used for moving the focus area around the screen. Users can also customised the centre button to access a pre-defined function. By default the Focus Standard function is assigned to this button.
Changes to the top panel have required a small amount of button shuffling on the new camera. The thumb rest has been moved down and a new AEL button placed above it. The combines AF/MF lock and AEL button has been replaced by the joystick multi-selector. The C1 button, which was on the top panel in the previous model has been moved down to the left of the new AF-On button just above the joystick, which is larger and easier to access for AF acquisition in Manual Focus mode. The C3 button has been moved to the left of the menu button.
The LCD monitor on the Mark III is also fully-articulating, providing greater flexibility than the tilting screen on the previous model. But its 1,440,000-dots resolution is only a minor improvement on the 1,228,800-dot screen on the Mark II.
A more significant improvement is the larger, 9.44 million-dot electronic viewfinder, which has much higher resolution than the 2,359,296-dot ‘finder in the previous model. It also offers a higher 0.9x (vs 0.78x) finder magnification, a 41-degree diagonal field of view and a 25mm high eyepoint (up from 23mm in the α7S II).
Each card slot on the α7S III can accept either a CFexpress Type A or a UHS II SD memory card. (Source: Sony.)
Where the α7S II had a single UHS I card slot that could record video at up to 100Mbps (12.5MB/second), the α7S III is the first camera to be released with dual memory card slots, which can accept either UHS II SD or CFexpress Type A cards. Because the connection pins are on opposite sides of the slots for each card type, the SD cards must be flipped over so the pins face outwards.
Recording rates are six times faster, making capture at 75MB/second possible with the CFexpress cards. The camera can also stream raw video footage to an external recorder via its HDMI port.
A further improvement is with the battery in the new camera, which is the larger NP-Z100 model. It is CIPA rated for approximately 510 shots/charge with the EVF or 600 shots with the monitor, up from 310 or 370 shots/charge respectively with the previous model. The α7S III is the first Alpha series camera to support USB PD (Power Delivery), allowing higher power to be supplied from an external source to extend recording times with minimal internal battery usage.
Sensor and Image Processor
The 35.6 x 23.8 mm Exmor R CMOS sensor in the α7S III is new, although it retains the 12-megapixel resolution of the previous model, which means the sizes of stills images are essentially unchanged. But unlike the sensor in the previous model it uses back-illumination in which the photodiodes sit atop the wiring, providing greater light-capturing capabilities.
A resolution of 12 megapixels on a ‘full frame’ chip means each photosite has a surface area of 8.4 microns square, which is significantly more than the 5.9-micron pixel pitch of Sony’s 24-megapixel cameras and almost double that of Sony’s latest α7R models. Larger light-capturing photosites enable the new camera to offer a native ISO of ISO 80-102400 for both stills and movie capture plus an expanded ISO range of ISO 40 for stills plus up to ISO 409600 for both stills and movies.
The new dual-chip BIONZ XR image processor provides up to 8x more processing power than previous chips. It also minimises processing latency, increasing the speeds of both image and video processing and improving camera responsiveness.
Connectivity
A few important changes have occurred in the connectivity options provided in the new camera. While it retains the built-in Wi-Fi, the α7S III supports 5GHz/2.4GHz wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11ac) and offers MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) to improve communication quality through use of multiple antennas.
Most of the interface ports are located on the left hand side panel. (Source: Sony.)
It also includes new USB tethering support, which supports stable FTP file transfer when the camera is connected to a 5G- compatible device via USB cable. USB to high-speed wired LAN connectivity is also available and offers stable and fast FTP transfer for both movies and stills.
The camera is supplied with a USB Type-C connector that supports fast SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps (USB 3.2) data transfer, enabling tethered data transfer.
Playback and Software
The playback button on the rear panel accesses all the standard playback functions for both stills and movie clips, using the image database that is automatically created when a memory card is inserted into the camera. These include selecting which card to playback from as well as rotating, resizing and rating images and copying images between cards.
Users can also choose which type of file to playback from the available stills and movie modes and still frames can be extracted from movie clips. Bursts of images are normally grouped for playback by default, although they can be ungrouped via a setting in the menu. Users can also select whether to display a focus frame around the area where the camera focused.
As has become usual, no software is supplied with the camera; just a stack of multi-lingual printed manuals that are little more than set-up guides. However, they also provide links in the form of URLs and QR codes that will take you to the products’ downloads pages.
Here can be found both the basic Help Guide (Web manual), which is also available in printable PDF format plus a basic Startup Guide in PDF format. Video tutorials can also be accessed from the downloads page, along with Sony’s Imaging Edge software for desktop and mobile, Movie Edit add-on and PlayMemories Home.
Performance
Our subjective assessments of stills taken by the camera showed them to be similar in many respects to the results we obtained from the α7S II. JPEGs were recorded with excellent colour accuracy and well-controlled saturation. They also captured a relatively wide dynamic range, thanks in part to the DRO (dynamic range optimisation) function. ARW.RAW files provided plenty of scope for post-capture adjustments to bring out shadow details without compromising highlights.
Video performance was generally outstanding, and the camera defaulted to a relatively flat gamma in movie mode, which recorded a wide brightness range that provided plenty of scope for post-capture production. We’ve retained much of the gamut in the stills frames grabbed from the original footage we recorded, which are shown in the Samples section below.
Autofocusing in movie mode was also excellent and the system was able to keep track of moving subjects, even when other moving objects entered and crossed the frame. Rapid motion of the subject across the frame could produce slight unsharpness in a couple of frames but focus was quickly restored.
The camera’s built-in microphones recorded decent audio quality but users of this camera would normally fit an accessory mic for any video work. We weren’t able to test the camera’s operational capabilities with an external recorder.
Imatest showed the camera plus FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lens to be an excellent combination that came close to meeting expectations for the sensor’s resolution with JPEGs but comfortably exceeded expectations with raw files. Resolution remained high for both file types across the camera’s sensitivity range, with just a slight decline starting at ISO 51200. The effects of noise-reduction processing only became visible in shots taken at ISO 102400 and above. The graph below shows the results of our Imatest tests.
Actual shooting tests confirmed the low light performance of the review camera was outstanding. In long exposures at night, noise was barely visible in shots taken at ISO 25600 and only just discernible at ISO 51200, although its effects became progressively more apparent as sensitivity was increased. At the highest (ISO 409600) setting, the default noise-reduction processing was obvious through overall softening across the frame. Surprisingly, colour reproduction was barely affected at this point.
White balance performance was similar to other Sony cameras we’ve reviewed and generally very good, partly because the camera provides three auto correction options: standard, ambience priority and white priority. All three settings delivered almost neutral colour rendition under fluorescent lighting, as expected.
The white priority auto setting also removed much of the warm cast imparted by incandescent lights and warm-toned LED lighting. As expected, more of the warm tone remained when the ambience priority auto WB setting was used.
Sony doesn’t provide a preset for LED lighting but the Incandescent preset tended towards slight over-correction with both tungsten and LED lights. The various fluorescent lighting settings also imparted slightly different colour casts without bringing the image colours any closer to neutral. Manual measurement produced neutral colour rendition with all three lighting types and the camera provides easily-=accessible settings for tweaking colour biases on the fly.
Autofocusing was almost always fast and accurate and we experienced no incidences of hunting, even when shooting in very low light levels. Focus tracking of moving subjects worked especially well when recording video clips and the ability to shift focus quickly by touching the LCD screen proved valuable for obtaining smooth recordings.
The camera’s built-in stabilisation was also very competent and handy with the unstabilised lens we were given. We were able to use shutter speeds as slow as 0.4 second and get more than half the shots taken acceptably sharp.
We carried out our timing tests with an 80GB Sony TOUGH CFexpress Type A card, which has an 800MB/s read speed rating and a write speed rating of 700MB/s. This card was provided by Sony to enable the speed and capacity needed for XAVC S movie clips.
The average start-up time when the card had been used previously in the camera was 0.6 seconds, which is much faster than the previous camera. Capture lag was negligible, regardless of whether shots were pre-focused, although it took roughly two seconds for the display to refresh.
Shot-to-shot times ranged from 0.4 to 0.7 seconds, depending upon how fast as we could keep pressing the shutter button. Like its predecessor, the α7S III has no built-in flash so cycle times couldn’t be measured.
We used the LED indicator on the camera to estimate processing times. Large/ExtraFine JPEG were processed in about half a second. Both compressed and uncompressed ARW.RAW files and RAW+JPEG pairs took just under a second on average.
Because of the camera’s huge buffer capacity, we opted to record bursts of approximately 10 seconds for our measurements. With the High-speed+ continuous shooting mode the review camera recorded 96 Large/ExtraFine JPEGs in 9.3 seconds in the burst mode without pausing. This comes close to the 10 frames/second rate specified for the camera. It took approximately 4.1 seconds to process this burst.
With uncompressed ARW.RAW files, we recorded 100 frames in 9.4 seconds and measures roughly the same processing time for the burst. Recording and processing times for bursts were largely similar for compressed raw files and RAW+JPEG pairs.
In the normal high-speed continuous shooting mode, the camera appears able to keep up a continuous capture rate of around five frames/second with all file formats for as long as there’s space to accommodate them. This suggests shots are processed on-the-fly.
Conclusion
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SPECS
Image sensor: 35.6 x 23.8 mm Exmor R CMOS sensor with 12.9 million photosites (12.1 megapixels effective)
Image processor: BIONZ XR
Lens mount: Sony E-mount
Focal length crop factor: 1x
Digital zoom: Clear Image Zoom up to 2x; Smart Zoom up to 2x (4x for APS-C crop)
Image formats: Stills: JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver. 2.32), HEIF (MPEG-A MIAF compliant), ARW.RAW 4.0 (14-bit), RAW+JPEG; Movies: XAVC S: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, XAVC HS: MPEG-H HEVC/H.265; Audio – XAVC S:LPCM 2ch,LPCM 2ch(48kHz 16bit), LPCM 2ch(48kHz 24bit), LPCM 4ch(48kHz 24bit), MPEG-4 AAC-LC 2ch
Image Quality modes: RAW (Compressed / Uncompressed), JPEG (Extra fine / Fine / Standard), HEIF(4:2:0 / 4:2:2) (Extra fine / Fine / Standard), RAW & JPEG, RAW & HEIF
Image Sizes: Stills 3:2 aspect ratio – 4240 x 2832, 2768 x 1848, 2128 x 1416; APS-C crop – 2768 x 1848, 2128 x 1416, 1376 x 920; Movies (PAL format): XAVC HS 4K: 3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 10bit) (Approx.): 100p (200Mbps), 50p (150Mbps / 75Mbps / 45Mbps); 3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.): 100p (280Mbps), 50p (200Mbps / 100Mbps); 1920 x 1080 (4:2:0, 8bit) 100p (100Mbps / 60Mbps), 50p (50Mbps / 25Mbps), 25p (50Mbps / 16Mbps), 50p (50Mbps), 25p (50Mbps); XAVC S-I: 3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) 50p (500Mbps), 25p (250Mbps); 1920 x 1080 (4:2:2, 10bit) 50p (185Mbps), 25p (93Mbps); Slow & Quick Motion: 1fps,2fps,3fps,6fps,12fps,25fps,50fps,100fps, 200fps
Aspect ratios: 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 1:1
Image Stabilisation: Body-integrated 5-axis optical image stabilisation, Active Mode for movies; 5.5 stops (based on CIPA standards)
Dust removal: Sensor-shift type
Shutter (speed range): Electronically-controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane shutter (Stills: 30-1/8000 seconds plus Bulb; Movies: 1/4 to 1/8000 second); flash synch at 1/250 sec.
Exposure Compensation: +/-5 EV in 1/3EV steps (+/-EV for movies)
Exposure bracketing: 3/5/9 frames selectable.
Other bracketing options:
Self-timer: 2, 5 or 10 seconds delay plus Continuous self-timer, Bracketing self-timer
Interval recording: Yes, for time-lapse
Focus system: Fast Hybrid AF with 759 phase-detection AF points and enhanced Real-time Eye AF; EV-6 to EV20 range
AF selection: Wide, Zone, Centre, Flexible Spot, Expanded Flexible Spot, Tracking; Eye AF; Predictive control, Focus lock, AF Track Sens. (Still), AF Subj. Shift Sensitivity (Movie), AF Transition Speed (Movie), Switch V/H AF Area, AF Area Regist., Circ. of Focus Point
Focus modes: AF-A (Automatic AF), AF-S (Single-shot AF), AF-C (Continuous AF), DMF (Direct Manual Focus), Manual Focus
Exposure metering: 1200-zone evaluative system with Multi-segment, Centre-weighted average and spot (Standard/Large), Entire Screen average and Highlight metering patterns
Shooting modes: AUTO(iAuto), Programmed AE (P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter-speed priority (S), Manual (M), Movie (Programmed AE (P) / Aperture priority (A) / Shutter-speed priority (S) / Manual (M) / Flexible Exp. Mode), Slow & Quick Motion (Programmed AE (P) / Aperture priority (A) / Shutter-speed priority (S) / Manual (M) / Flexible Exp. Mode)
Picture Profile modes: Off / PP1-PP10; Parameters: Black level, Gamma (Movie, Still, Cine1-4, ITU709, ITU709 [800%], S-Log2, S-Log3, HLG, HLG1-3), Black Gamma, Knee, Colour Mode, Saturation, Colour Phase, Colour Depth, Detail, Copy, Reset
Colour space options: sRGB (with sYCC gamut), Adobe RGB, Rec. ITU-R BT.2100 standard (BT.2020 gamut); (compatible with TRILUMINOS Color)
Creative Look modes: ST, PT, NT, VV, VV2, FL, IN, SH, BW, SE, Custom Look (1-6)
Dynamic Range functions: Off, Dynamic Range Optimiser (Auto/Level (1-5))
ISO range: Still images: ISO 80-102400 (ISO numbers up from ISO 40 to ISO 409600 can be set as expanded ISO range.), Movies: ISO 80-102400 equivalent (ISO numbers up to ISO 409600 can be set as expanded ISO range.)
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, Underwater, Colour Temperature (2500 to 9900K) & colour filter, Custom
Flash: External flashguns only
Flash modes: Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction (on/off selectable)
Flash exposure adjustment: +/- EV in 1/3EV steps
Sequence shooting: Max.10 frames/sec. with locked AF
Buffer capacity: Over 1000 JPEGs or RAW files
Storage Media: Dual slots for SD (UHS-I / UHS-II compliant) or CFexpress Type A cards
Viewfinder: 1.6 cm colour EVF with 9,437,184 dots, 100% FOV coverage, 0.09x magnification, 25 mm eyepoint, _4 to +3 dpt adjustment, 50/100 fps refresh rate
LCD monitor: Vari-angle 7.5 cm touch panel TFT LCD with 1,440,000 dots, 5 steps of brightness control between -2 and +2, Sunny Weather mode
Interface terminals: SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps (USB 3.2) Type-C, Mass-storage / MTP, Multi Interface Shoe, 3.5 mm Stereo minijacks for headphones and microphone, vertical grip connector
Wi-Fi function: Built-in Wi-Fi; Bluetooth Standard Ver. 5.0 (2.4GHz band)
Power supply: NP-FZ100 rechargeable Li-ion battery; CIPA rated for approx. 510 shots (Viewfinder) / Approx. 600 shots (LCD monitor); supports USB charging
Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 128.9 x 96.9 x 69.7 mm
Weight: Approx. 699 grams with battery and card
Distributor: Sony Australia; 1300 720 071
TESTS
Based on JPEG files recorded with the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lens.
Based on ARW.RAW files converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw.
SAMPLES
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting, Standard mode.
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting, Ambient Priority mode.
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting, White Priority mode.
Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.
Auto white balance with warm-toned LED lighting, Standard mode.
Auto white balance with warm-toned LED lighting, Ambient Priority mode.
Auto white balance with warm-toned LED lighting, White Priority mode.
ISO 40, 30-second exposure at f/2.8; 50mm focal length.
ISO 100, 25-second exposure at f/3.5; 50mm focal length.
ISO 800, 15-second exposure at f/5; 50mm focal length.
ISO 6400, 10-second exposure at f/8; 50mm focal length.
ISO 25600, 5-second exposure at f/10; 50mm focal length.
ISO 51200, 2-second exposure at f/10; 50mm focal length.
ISO 102400, 1-second exposure at f/11; 50mm focal length.
ISO 20400, 1/2-second exposure at f/11; 50mm focal length.
ISO 409600, 1/4-second exposure at f/11; 50mm focal length.
24mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/80 second at f/8.
35mm focal length, ISO 1250, 1/40 second at f/8.
60mm focal length, ISO 10000, 1/60 second at f/8.
42mm focal length, ISO 5000, 1/25 second at f/16.
24mm focal length, ISO 12800, 1/6 second at f/11.
68mm focal length, ISO 12800, 1/15 second at f/16.
39mm focal length, ISO 25600, 1/20 second at f/13.
24mm focal length, ISO 409600, 1/1000 second at f/13.
Close-up; 56mm focal length, ISO 12800, 1/10 second at f/16.
24mm focal length, ISO 25600, 1/15 second at f/11.
70mm focal length, ISO 80, 1/250 second at f/11.
31mm focal length, ISO 80, 1/125 second at f/8.
24mm focal length, ISO 80, 1/160 second at f/11.
46mm focal length, ISO 64, 1/100 second at f/14.
40mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/125 second at f/16.
70mm focal length, ISO 80, 1/200 second at f/16.
58mm focal length, ISO 80, 1/250 second at f/10.
Stabilisation test; 70mm focal length, ISO 40, 1/2 second at f/2.8.
Wide brightness range scene; 46mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/125 second at f/7.1.
Wide brightness range scene; 70mm focal length, ISO 25600, 1/100 second at f/8.
70mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/15 second at f/6.3.
Still frame from 4K XAVC S video clip; 3840 x 2160 at 100p/280M.
Still frame from 4K XAVC S video clip; 3840 x 2160 at 50p/200M.
Still frame from 4K XAVC HS video clip; 3840 x 2160 at 100p/200M.
Still frame from 4K XAVC HS video clip; 3840 x 2160 at 50p/150M.
Still frame from 4K XAVC S-I video clip; 3840 x 2160 at 50p/500M.
Still frame from FHD XAVC S video clip; 1920 x 1080 at 50p/185M.
Still frame from FHD XAVC S video clip; 1920 x 1080 at 50p/50M
Still frame from FHD XAVC S video clip; 1920 x 1080 at 25p/16M.
Rating
RRP: AU$5749, US$3500 (body only)
- Build: 9.0
- Ease of use: 8.7
- Autofocusing: 9.0
- Still image quality JPEG: 8.8
- Still image quality RAW: 9.2
- Video quality: 9.0
BUY
