I have owned the Sony A7 mark 3 for around six months and I now a lot of people are wondering is the Sony A7mark 3 still worth buying in 2020. Here are my thoughts on the camera and wether the A7 mark 3 is still worth buying in 2020 with the announcement of the A7 mark 4 looming over head. I have had plenty of hands on experience with this camera in a range of different conditions, so I am more than capable of giving a good honest review of the Sony.

Earlier this year I was able to finally upgrade to a full frame mirrorless camera system. After months of research I had narrowed my options down to 3 cameras. In my opinion there are 3 cameras that fall into the entry level full frame mirrorless category that are worth buying. I wanted a camera for landscape/adventure photography primarily, but I do shoot portraiture as well. So for me dynamic range, low light capabilities and auto focus are very important. A good lens line up is also a must, after all a camera is only as good as the lenses you use. Sony has been leading the way in mirrorless for a while know while Nikon and Canon have just started to play catch up. I actually had the opportunity to use the Canon Eosr and the camera was great, I cannot say the same about the Canon Rp. In my opinion the Rp is not in the same category that I was looking to buy into. The Nikon Z 6 looks like a great camera but the lens line up is very limiting, very pricy too. In the end I chose the Sony A7 mark 3, and this is why.

Dynamic Range and low light capabilities

Sony is renowned for there lowlight and dynamic range capabilities. The A7s series has been the choice of nightscapers and videographers filming low light conditions for years. The new Sony A7iii boasts a 24 megapixel sensor over the A7s 12 megapixel sensor making the A7 mark 3 more of an all round camera. Rather than a video/nightscape centric camera like the A7s. The iso capabilities on the A7 mark 3 are absolutely insane, expandable from 50-208,400. To put that in to perspective the Canon Eosr is only expandable from 50-102,400. The Nikon and Canon perform well in low light conditions and both have great dynamic range, but in comparison to the Sony they fall short.

Autofocus

There is no secret that Sonys autofocus is number one. At the time of release in early 2018 the eye Af was an absolute game changer. To this day the Sony cameras have better Af than the Canon and Nikon cameras. The Sony eye Af has completely changed the way I shoot portraits, with the eye Af being so reliable all I have to do is worry about my composition . I have never had to switch to manual focus points shooting portraits in any lighting condition. In fact I am able to catch shots I would not have been able catch without the eye Af, not having to fumble around with manual focus points is just one less thing to worry about. Not only is the eye Af accurate but is lightning fast, in fact the only problem I have had with the auto focus is when using the animal eye Af. I found that the focus was catching the nose of dogs I was shooting more often than the eye, but really if thats the biggest problem I have I am more than happy.

Lens lineup

One of the things that really put Sony in front for me is ther’e massive lens line up. Sony has been making mirrorless cameras and lenses for a fair while know and have built quiet a line up. Unlike Canon and Nikon who have only recently started producing mirrorless cameras and lenses. Sony has a wide range of high quality lenses from ultra wide for landscapes to telephoto zoom lenses for wildlife and sports. But Sony do not just cater for the professional they also have a massive range of great budget friendly lenses. One of the greatest advantages of the Sony E mount is the amount of quality third party lenses available. Sigma and Tamron have been making great lenses for the Sony E mount for the last few years. The sigma lenses in particular are rated very highly and considerably cheaper. This is something that really appeals to people like me who are on a bit of a budget but still want high quality lenses, something that the other brands do not yet have. And to be honest the Sony lenses are quiet reasonably priced in comparison to other full frame mirrorless lenses. For example the Sony Gmaster 85mm F1.4 lens costs roughly $2500 AUD, compared to the Canon RF 85mm F1.2 that costs roughly $4000 AUD. Or if that is a bit out of your budget the Sigma 85mm F1.4 is roughly $1700 AUD Or the Sony 85mm F1.8 for $950 AUD. I am aware that the RF 85 is an F1.2 and for some professionals thats worth the money but thats just the point, if your shooting Canon you only have one option. With Sony you have many at any price range, a massive advantage. Nikon seems to have a lack of commitment to the Z system and has made very few lenses. The lenses that they have made seem quiet good but very over priced, for example the only wide angle for Z system is the 14-30 F4. The lens is very good I have heard but an F4 that costs $2000 AUD seems a bit excessive to me.

Video

when first released the Sony A7 mark 3 was boasted to be the best all round camera on the market. One of the main reasons for this was the great video features along with the impressive still features. If you are a photographer looking to shoot a bit of video or vice verser this is an excellent camera. I myself shoot very little video but its very handy to have. The A7 mark 3 shoots oversampled 4k/24p using the full 24 megapixel sensor (6k), has in body image stabilisation (ibis) coupled with Sony’s great autofocus and lowlight performance to complete the package. The A7 Mark 3 really is a very capable film camera.

Dual SD card slots

The dual SD card slots is a nice feature. For me this wasn’t a massive deal but the Sony is the only camera in this category with dual card slots and I know any one planning on shooting things like weddings would really value this feature. Imagine shooting a wedding and having an SD card fail or get lost, you have just lost images that cannot be recreated. The added security of having files written simultaneously to two cards would be invaluable. The Sony can also be set to record video to one card and stills to another for organisation sake. Duel card slots may not be a big deal for you but it is something I would definitely rather have. Duel SD card setup may be the single feature that makes this the most popular camera in this category for professional shooters and enthusiasts alike.

Frame rates

The Sony A7 mark 3 is capably of shooting up to 10 frames a second while maintaining all autofocus capabilities. You will be able to get about 40 uncompressed RAW files before the buffer in both silent or mechanical shutter. Although if you plan on using the live view function you will only get 8 frames a second.

Size and weight

One of the massive advantages of the new mirrorless systems is being able to make far smaller and more compact cameras. I think the Sony A7 mark 3 would have to be one of the physically smallest full frame camera body on the market. The A7 mark 3 weighs 650 grams roughly 2/3 the weight of a full frame dslr and is about 3/4 the physical size. But realistically if your using the high end professional lenses like the 70-200 F2.8 G master lens it is still going to be big and heavy.

Battery life

A feature that has really let the mirrorless systems down in the past is the battery life. Bad battery life is a deal breaker for most and I would have to agree with that logic. Sony has done really well and the new battery’s hold plenty of charge, I would say the battery life is roughly as good as my 80D DSLR. I would have absolutely no concerns shooting all day with one battery. Another great feature is the USB-C charger, being able to charge your camera from a 12V socket is a massive innovation especially when you do a lot of travelling.

Electric view finder (EVF)

I really like the electric view finder. Being able to judge exposure through your view finder as conditions change is another game changer that has come with the mirrorless systems. Unfortunately the EVF suffers from the same low resolution as the screen that can make judging exposure a little difficult, same goes for focusing manually.

Inbuilt intervalometer

The Sony A7 mark 3 has an inbuilt intervalometer meaning you can shoot high quality time-lapse with out needing to buy an external intervalometer. I only recently found out about this feature when I was looking to purchase an external intervalometer. This feature is really handy for star trails or any time you want to be in the shot yourself. In my opinion this is a far better option than the phone apps because you don’t have to hold any thing and are not limited by the range of your bluetooth.

The bad things

There are however a few not so great things about the Sony A7 mark 3, after all this is not the perfect camera. The first thing I noticed coming from my Canon 80D was the screen. My Canon has a great high resolution fully articulating touch screen, this is one of the things Canon has been getting so right with there latest cameras. The Sony A7 mark 3 on the other hand has a far lower resolution tilt screen. Meaning that the screen tilt upwards in landscape alienation only, I agree that the tilt screen is far better than no tilt but not being able to tilt the screen in portrait orientation is a pain. For example if you are shooting astro from a low angle in portrait orientation like I often do, the only way to see composition or what is going on is to basically lie on the ground. The last thing you want to be doing on a cold night. On top of those problems the screen is far lower in resolution making manual focus a tad tricky at times, my landscape lens the Laowa 15mm F2 is a manual focus only lens so hitting focus at F2 while shooting astro can be tricky. There is nothing worse than getting home after shooting astro and realising that focus was slightly of and the images you just shot are un usable. This has never happened to me using my Canon. A lot of people have said that the small body of the Sony feels quiet awkward in the hand, I myself quiet like how it feels but I can definitely see where these people are coming from. I find my little finger barely fits on the grip and if you had bigger hands than me I could see that being quiet irritating. I have seen grip extensions you can buy that fit to the bottom of the grip that would solve this problem, it just seems a bit ridiculous that this is even a problem. Sony does offer a fully functional vertical/battery grip that fits the A7 mark 3, A7r mark 3 and A9 that would also solve these problems and increase battery life, but this is not something every photographer necessarily wants or needs. Sony menu systems have been renowned for being quiet complex and the A7 mark 3 is definitely no exception. I find there are a few strange abbreviations that I think are more misleading/confusing than helpful and I myself have had to youtube a few menu settings just to find them. Realistically it just takes a bit of time to get used to everything. Then we have what I consider the biggest concern about this camera. The Sony A7 mark 3 was released in in early 2018 making this camera roughly 2 and a half years old. Sony often replaces its cameras every 2-3 years and there are already rumours of the Sony A7 mark 4. The main thing people keep asking, is it worth waiting for the Sony A7 mark 4 or do I just buy the A7 mark 3. In my opinion I can’t imagine the A7 mark 4 being a massive upgrade from the A7 mark 3, I think that Sony will just address the few issues that they are having with the A7 mark 3. Such as the screen resolution and the body will most likely be remade a bit bigger and comfier. The A9 and A7r mark 4 that where both released this year had a bigger and comfier body so I think that that is a pretty good indication of the future of the A7 mark 4. I think apart from that there will be few minimal differences, just the usual slight upgrade in focus speed and and accuracy and the like.

Is the Sony A7 mark 3 worth buying in 2020

If you are a photographer wanting to move to a full frame mirrorless system and do not own a whole lot of Nikon or Canon lenses I think it would be difficult to look past the Sony cameras, especially the A7 mark 3. The A7 mark 3 has the best dynamic range, lowlight capabilities, auto focus along with the biggest range of lenses to choose from. The Sony is also the only camera in this class to have dual card slots and I know that will appeal to a lot of people. But the real nail in the coffin is the price, I picked up my Sony A7 mark 3 up for $2200 AUD. Last time I checked the Eosr and Z6 where both around $2800 AUD and the lenses where all more expensive than the comparable Sony lenses. The A7 mark 4 will inevitably come out it the not too distant future but to be honest if you need to buy a camera right know I would choose the A7 mark 3 without hesitation. If your not in a hurry wait the A7 mark 4 to come out, if the features don’t seem worth the extra money the A7 mark 3 will probably drop to around $1800 which would be an absolute steal.

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Sony A7 mark 3 Review