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This week, Sony surprised many with the release of the Sony A7RIV. This is a 61 megapixel monster that delivers 26 megapixel images – in crop mode! This will be very beneficial to anyone who wants some extra reach out of their lenses. Essentially, it will make primes behave more like a post-processing zoom lens since you have a great ability to crop in without losing a lot of detail.
The Sony A7RIV Just Made the Sony A7RIII One of the Best Value Cameras
Links: Sony A7RIII | Sony A7RIV | Sony A7III
New Features of the Sony A7RIV
It also brought some new features and adjusted ergonomics. Some of the new features included a very bumped up Pixel Shift mode that will allow for up to a 240mp capture (but only useful for subjects that are not moving as it is actually shifting the pixel position for each capture so it has to be still). They also included a second UHS-II card slot to replace the older, slower SD slot. Finally, it is bringing a couple of video features like constant Eye-AF as well as a new interface for their newly announced digital microphone.
All in all, it is quite an impressive camera without a staggering price – it is set to sell at $3,499. Yes, that is a lot of money but for the professionals that want that kind of resolution, it is really a great deal.
Checkout this great post by DPReview to see more about the Sony A7RIV!
How the Sony A7RIV Makes the Sony A7RII a Greater Value Now
But, enough about the Sony A7RIV! The point of this post is to point out what an incredible deal the “old” Sony A7RIII now is! The starting point is that you can now buy the Sony A7RIII on sale for $2,499, vs the original launch price of $3,199 or the new retail of $2,999!
Sony A7RIII vs the Sony A7III in Price and Value
When the Sony A7III was released, everyone was saying what an incredible value it was (and still is) and it is one of the best all-around value cameras in the full-frame space right now. That hasn’t changed. However, if you are thinking of buying a late model Sony full-frame camera, the math has changed a bit! Instead of the Sony A7RIII sitting at 50% more than the cost of the A7III, the sale price of the A7RIII is now just $500 more.
So, is the Sony A7RIII worth the buy at this point or should people still steer towards the Sony A7III? There are a couple of high points about the Sony A7RIII that could make the decision simpler.
Key Points that Can Make the Sony A7RIII Better for the Traveling Photographer
One is the vastly better EVF on the Sony A7RIII. While the one on the Sony A7III isn’t bad, it is definitely harder to look at after trying the Sony A7RIII! The other, and even better feature, is the extra megapixels.
Crop Mode = More Flexibility with Field of View
The Sony A7III has 24 megapixel, a veritable sweet spot when it comes to handling the images in post and storage while still giving a great amount of details. The Sony A7RIII has 42 megapixels, or almost double the megapixel count of the A7III. While that many megapixels sounds nice, you will need to keep in mind the extra processing power and storage you will need if handling multiple images at that size.
But, when it comes to the traveling photographer, having that many megapixels could make your gear bag lighter. That is because of the awesome Sony feature of the crop mode on full-frame cameras. With the push if a designated button, you can turn the Sony A7RIII’s full frame mode into the APS-C mode to increase the “zoom” ability from the lens you are using. Once you press that shutter button, you will capture an image that is sized at 18 megapixels – still a very good, detailed image file.
This means that you can hit the crop button and instantly turn a 85mm prime into a pseudo 127.5mm lens (with a stop of light loss, of course). That gives you more flexibility with the lens selection you choose as well as the ability to leave one or two lenses at home on a trip and still “zoom” to capture that more close-up shot.
The Sony A7III has this feature as well but it will only turnout a 10 megapixel image. That is still very good for online use but not as good for prints.
So, for the time-being (the sale is scheduled to end July 20 but will definitely come again before the year is out), the Sony A7RIII sits at the very alluring price of $2,499 – $500 more than the Sony A7III and $1,000 less than the new Sony A7IV. I think this makes the Sony A7RIII one of the best values to be had as of now – specifically for the traveling photographer that is looking for a full-frame camera.