Sony a7R III

The Sony a7R III is a full-frame mirrorless camera released in 2017, built around a high-resolution sensor. That resolution makes it a natural fit for photographers who want large prints, heavy cropping or detailed landscape and studio work.

At 657 g and roughly 127 x 96 x 74 mm, it is a full-frame body that stays manageable to carry on long shooting days. The Sony FE mount accepts Sony FE lenses.

This is a camera aimed first at stills photographers. In-body stabilisation, dual card slots and weather sealing make it a practical companion for extended outdoor shoots, while video is the weaker side of its skill set.

The optics score of 84 is described as exceptional, placing this camera in the top 4% of cameras in our database for Optics. The heart of that result is a 42.4-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, which produces files with plenty of detail for large prints and generous cropping.

In-body stabilisation moves the sensor to counter camera shake, so you can handhold at slower shutter speeds and still expect sharper frames in dim interiors or at dusk. Because the correction happens inside the body, it works with whatever lens you attach.

The electronic viewfinder packs 3.69 million dots, giving a detailed, true-to-life preview of exposure before you shoot. Autofocus offers 425 points, which means plenty of positions to choose from when you place your focus point.

Burst shooting reaches a maximum of 10 fps, useful for short action sequences, though that figure is a peak rate rather than a sustained promise. The ISO range runs from 100 to 32000, and the 1/8000 top shutter speed helps when you want wide apertures in bright light.

Video is not this camera's strength, and the score of 56 is modest. The camera does record 4K footage, so resolution is not the limitation here, but the rest of the video specification is otherwise limited.

The fastest frame rate on offer is 30fps, so there is no overcranking for slow-motion capture. If slow motion matters to your work, you will need to look elsewhere for that effect.

You can record in XAVC S, AVCHD Ver. 2.0 or MP4, giving you a choice of three file formats for your footage.

There is no built-in intervalometer, so timelapse sequences cannot be scheduled on the camera itself and need a separate triggering method.

The features score of 83 is very good. The 3-inch LCD offers 1.44 million dots and touch input, which makes menu navigation quicker. The screen also flips for low or overhead compositions, and live view is available for framing on the screen itself.

Weather sealing protects against dust and moisture in changeable conditions, though it is not a waterproof guarantee. There is no built-in flash, but the camera accepts external flash units for lighting control.

WiFi and Bluetooth are both built in, allowing the camera to connect wirelessly to other devices. GPS is absent, so any location tagging has to be handled separately.

The storage and battery score of 65 is good rather than outstanding. Two card slots accept SD, SDHC and SDXC cards with UHS-II support, so fast cards perform as intended and you can carry a large amount of storage on one shoot.

The NP-FZ100 battery is rated at 650 shots. Treat that as a baseline rather than a promise for every situation, and consider a spare battery if you shoot full days away from power.

There is no USB charging, so topping up from a laptop or power bank over a cable is not an option. That removes some convenience between shoots, and it is one reason the storage and battery score is good rather than outstanding.