Continuous shooting at up to 10 fps2 with either silent shooting or mechanical shutter and full auto focus (AF)/auto exposure (AE) tracking
Three hundred and ninety-nine phase-detection AF points covering 68%3 of image area, 425 contrast AF points and approximately two times more effective Eye AF4
Five-axis optical in-body image stabilisation with a 5.5 step5 shutter speed advantage
4K6 movie shooting with full pixel readout and no pixel binning7
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| Source: Sony. The new α7R III camera. |
Sony has added the α7R III (model ILCE-7RM3) to their full-frame mirrorless camera lineup. Thanks to an evolutionary leap in image processing power and efficiency, the new α7R III combines a high-resolution 42.4 MP1 back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor with shooting speeds at up to 10 fps2 with full AF/AE tracking, as well as beautiful image and 4K6 video quality, a 15-stop9 dynamic range, high sensitivity with noise reduction of almost a full stop4 and more.
New level of image quality
The 42.4MP high-resolution, back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor utilises a gapless on-chip lens design and anti-reflective (AR) coating on the surface of the sensor’s seal glass to dramatically improve light collection efficiency, resulting in high sensitivity with low-noise performance and a wide dynamic range.
Sony’s new α7R III also features a new front-end LSI that effectively doubles4 the readout speed of the image sensor, as well as an updated BIONZ X processing engine that boosts processing speed by approximately 1.8 times compared to the α7R II. These components work together to enable shooting at faster speeds while supporting an ISO range of 100 - 32,000 (expandable to ISO 50 – 102,400 for still images) and a 15-stop9 dynamic range at low sensitivity settings.
This new full-frame model was built without an optical low pass filter to maximise resolution, and can output in 14-bit RAW format even when shooting in silent or continuous mode. The camera is equipped with a five-axis optical image stabilisation system that has been finetuned to support its high-resolution shooting capacity, resulting in a 5.5 step5 shutter speed advantage, the world’s highest10 compensation performance for an image stabilisation system. A new low-vibration shutter reduces vibration and image blur in all modes, including at high-speed 10 fps shooting. Enhancements have also been made to increase accurate colour reproduction of skintones.
AF and AF/AE tracking at up to 10 fps2
The α7R III full-frame mirrorless camera is equipped with a refined image processing system that allows it to shoot full 42.4 megapixel images at up to 10 fps with continuous, accurate AF/AE tracking for up to 76 JPEG/RAW images or 28 uncompressed RAW images11. The 10 fps mode is available with either a mechanical shutter or a completely silent shooting12. The camera can also shoot continuously at up to 8 fps13 in live view mode with minimal lag observed through the viewfinder or LCD screens. These high speed options ensure that fast-moving subjects can be captured with extreme accuracy and incredible image detail.
For added convenience, many of the cameras key functions are operable even while large groups of burst images are being written to the memory card. These include access to the Function (Fn) and Menu buttons, image playback and several other menus and parameters14.
Additionally, if there is fluorescent or artificial lighting present in a shooting environment, users can activate the Anti-flicker15 function to allow the α7R III to automatically detect frequency of the lighting and time the shutter to minimise its effect on images being captured. This cuts down on any exposure or colour anomalies that can sometimes occur at the top and bottom of images shot at high shutter speeds.
The upgraded focusing system of the α7R III consists of 399 focal-plane phase-detection AF points that cover approximately 68% of the image area in both the horizontal and vertical directions. There are also 425 contrast AF points, an increase of 400 points compared to the α7R II. This advanced system delivers AF acquisition in about half the time as the α7R II in low-light conditions, with tracking that is approximately twice as accurate. The Eye AF feature is also approximately twice as effective, and is available when utilising Sony’s A-mount lenses with an adapter16.
Additional improvements in focusing flexibility include AF availability in Focus Magnifier mode, focal-plane phase-detection AF support when using A-mount lenses17, an AF On button, and a multi-selector or joystick for moving focusing points quickly.
4K video
The new α7R III is exceptionally capable as a video camera, offering 4K (3,840x2,160 pixels) video recording across the full width of the full-frame image sensor. When shooting in Super 35mm format, the camera uses full pixel readout without pixel binning to collect 5K18 of information, oversampling it to produce high quality 4K footage with exceptional detail and depth.
A new HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma)19 is available on the α7R III that supports an Instant HDR workflow, allowing HDR (HLG)-compatible TVs to play back true-to-life 4K HDR imagery. Further, both S-Log2 and S-Log3 are available for increased colour grading flexibility. The camera can also record Full HD at 120 fps at up to 100 Mbps6, allowing footage to be reviewed and eventually edited into 4x or 5x slow motion20 video files in Full HD resolution with AF tracking.
Customisation for professionals
Sony’s newest full-frame camera is equipped for professional operation. It has dual media slots, with support in one slot for UHS-II type SD memory cards. Users have a variety of options for storing their content, including separate JPEG/RAW recording, separate still image/movie recording, relay recording and more. Battery life has been greatly extended as well, as the new camera utilises Sony’s Z series battery which has approximately 2.2 times the capacity of the W series battery that was paired with the α7R II.
The α7R III features an upgraded high-resolution, high-luminance Quad-VGA OLED TruFinder with approximately 3,686K dots for extremely accurate, true-to-life detail reproduction. The TruFinder, also found in the Sony α9 camera, utilises a ZEISS T* coating to greatly reduce reflections, and has a fluorine coating on the outer lens that repels dirt. It also has a customisable frame rate, with options of either 50 fps or 100 fps21 to best match the action.
The LCD screen has been upgraded as well, with a resolution of 1.44M dots and WhiteMagic technology that improves viewing in bright, outdoor conditions. Standard or High display quality settings are also available for both the viewfinder and monitor. This setting takes advantage of the large amount of data read from the 42.4MP sensor to provide extra-fine viewfinder and monitor displays for a more natural view.
The new camera also offers a multi-selector joystick that provides a fast, efficient way to shift focus points, as well as an AF on button to activate autofocus when shooting stills or movies.
The new α7R III allows for convenient transfer of files to a smartphone, tablet, computer or FTP server via Wi-Fi, while also including a synch terminal, enabling external flash units and cables to be connected directly for convenient flash synch. A SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.1 Gen 1) USB Type-C Terminal is also available for increased flexibility in power supply or connected accessories, as well as a faster image transfer speed when connected to a PC.
New Imaging Edge Software Suite
Imaging Edge extends the creative capabilities of the entire shooting process – from pre-processing to post-processing. The suite includes three PC applications, Remote, Viewerand Edit. Available for free download, the applications support live-view PC remote shooting and RAW development.
Also making its debut on the α7R III is a new Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode, which takes full advantage of the five-axis optical in-body stabilisation to create super-high resolution composite images. In this mode, the camera shifts the sensor in one-pixel increments to capture four separate pixel-shifted images containing approximately 169.6 MP22 of image data. These four images can be composited together and processed by Imaging Edge to produce a still image with overwhelming resolution and unprecedented colour accuracy.
Details:
The Sony α7R III Full-frame Interchangeable Lens Camera will be available at all Sony stores, Sony Centres and selected Sony authorised dealers in Singapore from end-November 2017.
1 Approximately, effective
2 Up to 10 fps in continuous “Hi+” mode, and up to 8 fps in continuous “Hi” mode. Maximum fps will depend on camera settings
3 Approximately 68% of the image area in both the horizontal and vertical directions
4 Compared to the α7R II, according to Sony testing
5 CIPA standards. Pitch/yaw shake only. Planar T* FE 50mm F1.4 ZA lens. Long exposure NR off
6 A Class 10 or higher SDHC/SDXC memory card is required for XAVC S format movie recording. UHS speed class 3 or higher is required for 100 Mbps recording
7 In Super 35mm mode
8 Approximately. Pixel binning is a technique used to reduce noise.
10 Among digital cameras with a full-frame image sensor. As of October 2017 press release, based on Sony research 11 Hi+ continuous mode with UHS-II compatible SDXC memory card. Sony test conditions
12 Some distortion may occur with fast-moving subjects of if the camera is moved sideways rapidly
13 Hi mode. Maximum fps will depend on camera setting
14 Not all menu parameters can be edited while data is being written to the memory card
15 Only 100 Hz and 120 Hz flicker is detected. Continuous shooting speed may decrease. Flicker-free shooting is not available during silent shooting, BULB exposure, or movie shooting
17 With SSM or SAM lenses only. With the LA-EA3 mount adapter. Focal plane phase-detection AF not supported for movie recording. AF-C can only be used when the Phase detection” AF system is selected, but focus is fixed at the first frame during continuous shooting in any mode other than Continuous: Lo (Hi+, Hi, Mid)
18 Fifteen-megapixel
19 Connect this product to an HDR (HLG)-compatible Sony TV via a USB cable when displaying HDR (HLG) movies
20 Sound not recorded. Class 10 or higher SDHC/SDXC memory card required
21 In PAL. 60fps or 120fps in NTSC
21 In PAL. 60fps or 120fps in NTSC
