Sony A7ii vs A7iii: Have They Gone Completely Mad?

When Sony released the MarkIII of the A7, boy did they make a splash in the camera world!

Normally when camera manufacturers make a model upgrade like this, they make a few changes, sometimes some nice ones, and that is that.

But in this case, some of the big changes in the A7iii mirrorless camera are remarkable. Especially since this is only mark iii of this particular model.

I will go into a lot more detail in the “Sony A7 ii vs A7 iii Differences” section below, but first, you can do a quick side-by-side and see what has changed in the areas of the camera you care about.

Let’s jump right in…

The Differences: Sony A7 ii vs A7 iii

Starting with the most important and high-impact differences between these mirrorless Sony Alpha cameras. The list below will quickly show you what has changed and why it matters.

• Auto Focus: The A7 iii now has 93% frame coverage with a whopping 693 points of auto-focus (vs 117 in the A7ii). On top of this, they have a new Eye-Focus system that tracks and auto-focuses on eyes in the frame, great for photographing people.
• Battery life & Charging: The new A7 iii has blown the A7ii out of the water with the battery life here. There is now almost double the battery life on board. On top of that, if you are shooting in one location, and can manage to connect the camera via USB, you can also charge on the fly. Something most cameras at this price will never have.
• Video Quality & Frame Rates: Sony is renowned for their video and they have upped their game on this model with 4K at 30fps, and the HD now has 120fps which is awesome for slo-mo. The A7 ii can only do HD up to 60 fps, which is respectable and ok for non-video people, but come on, the A7 iii has changed the game here.
• Burst Rate: Sony has also thrown down the gauntlet here with 10 frames per second, a rate rarely seen on a mid-range camera. Compare it to the older model with 5 (still decent) and you will be amazed.
• Wireless Connectivity: I think it’s fair to say that expecting all three: WiFi, NFC, and Bluetooth these days is ok. The A7 iii delivers, while the A7ii, some 4 years old now does not have Bluetooth. Is that a problem? No, you can still connect to your phone, but it’s not as good as Bluetooth, right?
• Card Slots: For most everyday photographers this is not a big deal, but if you shoot a lot, especially professionally you will appreciate the ability to change out cards, backup, etc via two card slots and the A7iii has them!
• LCD: The specs are the same here, but many reviewers have said that Sony has improved their LCDs between these models, which is not surprising given the time they have had to work on this model.
• ISO Performance Range: Not much has changed here on the A7iii, there is just a slight increase to 51200 on the Sony A7 iii
• Weight & Size: The Sony A7iii is a little bigger and heavier, but considering what they have packed into this camera, it’s not a huge difference

The Sony A7iii is head and shoulders above the A7ii in a whole range of areas that will impress anyone. However, just be aware that this camera retails for around two thousand bucks, body only. The A7ii, being so many years older, is often 1/3 cheaper or more. I cannot give specifics on price, but you can check out the current prices on Amazon below.

Shared Features

Aside from all those differences, what do these cameras have in common?

• In-Body Image Stabilization: Something both photographers and videographers will appreciate, having that extra in-body stabilization can make your shots on the move so much better, even with a zoom.
• Wide Shutter Speed Range: from a high 1/8000 to 30 seconds, you can shoot just about anything with these cameras. The only thing it is missing, which even my old Lumix has, is an intervalometer for Timelapses.
• Quality LCD: The 3 inch LCD touch screen with 9200 dots is going to give you enough detail to create great image quality for live view, and there is always a viewfinder if you want to save the battery.
• 24 Megapixel Full Frame Mirrorless Camera: Full-frame mirrorless is not as common as you would think, so it’s great that Sony is such a fan of this format. Lots of detail in the 24 Megapixel sensor and full-frame gives us lots of options.
• Kit Lenses: There are actually lots of options on which kit lens you can get when you purchase. Whether you choose wider, more zoom or a fixed lens is really up to you.

Both the A7ii and iii are great cameras with tonnes of features that have put Sony up there with Canon and Nikon in my opinion. Including a fantastic dynamic range that will certainly keep any budding or pro photographer happy!

Sony A7 ii Review

Sony A7 iii Review

Which Should You Get? A7ii or A7iii

If you have the extra 500 bucks or more then definitely go with the A7iii. It has 4K video, which is more future-proof these days, as well as an insane auto-focus system and a few other bells and whistles you are going to love.

However, if you want to save cash, the A7ii is a great place to start and will take photos almost as well. The trick is just to become a good photographer :>