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Sony latest α7 III is priced at RM8999 — we also went hands-on with this monster of a MILC!
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Sony latest α7 III is priced at RM8999 — we also went hands-on with this monster of a MILC!

by Vyncent ChanApril 5, 2018
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Sony latest addition to their α7 lineup of mirrorless full-frame cameras comes in the form of the Sony α7 III, a beast of a mirrorless camera with a new 24.2MP BSI Exmor R sensor and a maximum ISO of 204800 for stills. Slap on the 10 fps burst with continuous autofocus and autoexposure, and this is a camera that should satisfy most photographers, if not everyone.

Glorious full-frame sensor

Sony latest α7 III is priced at RM8999 — we also went hands-on with this monster of a MILC! 23

The α7 III’s new full-frame 24.2MP Exmor R CMOS sensor is paired with front-end LSI which doubles the readout speed of the image sensor. Coupled with the updated BIONZ X processing engine which speeds up processing times by 1.8x compared to the α7 II, this is a speed monster. The new processing engine also enables an expanded ISO range of 50 – 204800 for stills (native ISO 100 – 51200) and a massive 15-stop dynamic range.

Focused

Sony latest α7 III is priced at RM8999 — we also went hands-on with this monster of a MILC! 24

The α7 III features a new 693-point PDAF focusing system inherited from the flagship α9 which covers 93% of the sensor area. This works in addition to the 425 contrast AF points, allowing it to achieve fast and reliable focusing and tracking even in challenging conditions. The AF response and tracking speed has also doubled, enabling photographers to capture motion with much greater precision and accuracy. The Eye AF feature is also available, automatically locking focus onto the eyes of the subject, a hallmark of good portraits.

Fast shooter

Sony latest α7 III is priced at RM8999 — we also went hands-on with this monster of a MILC! 25

The faster image processing and focusing allows the α7 III to shoot full resolution shots at 10 fps with continuous AF/AE tracking. To take full advantage of this, you will need the faster UHS-II cards, which will let you shoot 177 JPEGs, 89 compressed RAW images or 40 uncompressed RAW images at high speed. Those who are more interested in videography will also be pleased to know that the α7 III  can use the full sensor to record oversampled 4K videos at 24fps. It can also capture 1.6x more data if you want 4K@30fps videos with oversampling. The α7 III is not only fast when it comes to taking shots, it can also transfer the shots to your PC faster via a USB Type-C (5 Gbps) port and even directly upload to a FTP or your smart device via WiFi.

Extra usable

Sony latest α7 III is priced at RM8999 — we also went hands-on with this monster of a MILC! 26

The Sony α7 III’s NP-FZ100 battery offers 2.2x the capacity of the ubiquitous NP-FW50 battery, enabling up to 710 shots per charge (CIPA measurement). The dual media slots shared with the α9 and α7R III uses two cards in a variety of modes — separate JPEG/RAW recording, separate stills/video recording, relay recording, and more. Also it means you would have effectively doubled your storage without having to pay extra for large capacity cards. The high resolution XGA OLED Tru-Finder and large tiltable 921k-dots 3.0″ display also lets you compose your shots with ease.

Hands-on experience

Sony latest α7 III is priced at RM8999 — we also went hands-on with this monster of a MILC! 27

The Sony Fast was a joy to hold, especially with the shorter prime lenses. The autofocus was fast regardless whether we were shooting with the standard FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA or telephoto FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS. So fast that as the dancers and models moved around the shooting range, shots fired off at 10 fps still turned up well focused. Thanks to the UHS-II cards, there wasn’t a need to take a break just so that the camera could write to the card. The following are some shots taken in Auto with the FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens:

I would say the camera does very well, capable of shooting amazing images without meddling with any settings, unlike lesser cameras which would have required a much more skillful person behind the camera than yours truly. While easy to use, the camera offers tonnes of options and settings to tweak. I counted three pages full of settings, which should make photography enthusiasts grin with glee.

Price and availability

Sony latest α7 III is priced at RM8999 — we also went hands-on with this monster of a MILC! 28

The Sony α7 III will be priced at RM8999 (body only), and will be available starting April 2018. It will work with the large array of EF-mount lenses. Let us know what do you think of the Sony  α7 III!

Pokdepinion: I just do not have enough kidneys to get this camera, as much as I loved the feel and performance…

About The Author
Vyncent Chan
Technology enthusiast, casual gamer, pharmacy graduate. Strongly opposes proprietary standards and always on the look out for incredible bang-for-buck.

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