Sony A7S III Unveiled! Sony skips the high-res race, goes all-out on 4K quality, performance & features

posted Tuesday, July 28, 2020 at 10:00 AM EDT

Click here to read our in-depth Sony A7S III Preview

The day is finally here, Sony fans! Five years later, the long-awaited Sony A7S III has been officially unveiled, and boy does it appear to be an absolute beast for anyone on the market for a high-performance, video-centric full-frame camera. Like its predecessors, the A7S III remains the video-focused model among Sony's trio of Alpha 7 full-frame mirrorless cameras, and with this latest-generation model, Sony's packed in some serious video features not previously found inside cameras of this form factor and price point.

Indeed, they've taken an interesting path with the A7S III. Rather than go all-out with super-high-resolution video options like a few competing cameras, Sony has instead doubled-down on 4K, aiming to create the best and most versatile full-frame ILC for 4K recording. In fact, Sony has simply said that the A7S III is "purpose-built for 4K video." As such, Sony tailored its design and engineering for serious 4K-shooting features and performance, including essentially unlimited 4K video recording at up to 60p (the A7S III is "spec'd" for 1 hour of continuous 4Kp60 video, though ambient temperature conditions could allow for longer recording), but the camera can also shoot 4K up to 120fps as well as Full HD at up to an impressive 240fps. Other video features include full pixel readout with no binning in all 4K modes, 10-bit 4:2:2 in all modes with internal recording, 16-bit 4Kp60 RAW out via HDMI, 15+ stops of dynamic range with S-Log3 and more.

The heart of the camera is an all-new 12MP full-frame BSI CMOS sensor paired to a new image processing engine, the BIONZ XR. The camera's updated sensor offers faster readout performance for better rolling shutter performance, faster AF and more. Autofocus also gains a massive upgrade with well over 700 phase-detection AF points and total AF coverage spanning nearly the entire sensor. And, like its' predecessor, the A7S III's unique low-resolution gives it serious low-light and high ISO performance, with a maximum high ISO sensitivity of 409,600.

Set to go on sale in September, the A7S III will be sold body-only for at an estimated retail price of $3,498 USD. There's a whole lot more to cover with the new A7S III! For all the details and specs, head on over to our in-depth Sony A7S III preview.

(Please note: Full specs and product images were not available prior to announcement. We are in the process of updating our A7S III Preview with more details as we receive them.)