Photons to Photos is the gold standard for independent sensor testing and while we usually end up getting a look at their dynamic range results first this time they decided to publish read noise vs ISO results first, which you can manipulate here. When comping the Sony a7III to the Sony a7II, Sony a7RIII, and Sony a9 we get some interesting results, because the a7III comes out on top almost across the board and well into the extended ISO ranges. In fact, Sony only has one camera that beats it sometimes in Photons to Photos testing, which you can see below.
The Sony a7S is the only Sony camera to have consistently lower read noise at most ISO’s compared to the Sony a7III so calling the Sony a7III, a7S like isn’t really an exaggeration. You can manipulate the data here. Unfortunately, Photons to Photos hasn’t published their Dynamic range results so we will have to rely on DPReviews, which pretty much verify that they are in line with the marketing of the Sony a7III, which you can see below.
The a7 III’s image quality more or less matches what we’ve come to expect from modern, well-performing full-frame sensors. There’s really not much difference between the a7 III, the a7R III, the a7R II, or the Nikon D850 for that matter.
The a7 III does show a marked improvement over its predecessor at high ISOs, both in dynamic range and general noise performance, thanks to a number of sensor improvements (efficiency, BSI, dual-gain, etc.). Interestingly, the a7 III, which we’d imagine shares a similar sensor to the a9 minus the stacked design, offers roughly 1 EV more dynamic range than that camera at ISOs 100 and 640 (though the cameras even out at the highest ISOs). General noise performance of the a9 – if you’re not pushing your files – is similar though.
The a7 III offers great image quality performance at an affordable price point. That said, it’s not image quality that sets this camera apart from its contemporaries but, rather, its significant other capabilities like autofocus, silent shooting, video and a number of other things we’ll be delving into in our full review. – DPReivew
The Sony a7III numbers look as good or better than the marketing and that’s really not uncommon from Sony today. Sony has technological superiority over all other camera makers at this time, but there hasn’t been a serious challenger in a long time. Canon and Nikon are going to try to bring their A game and Fujifilm has made gains over the past year with lots of third party support and an ever-expanding ecosystem that users love.
The release of the Sony a7III might give Sony a little breathing room until other companies release their mirrorless full frame cameras, but Fujifilm will try to sure up their Professional APS-C dominance by year end if Sony doesn’t release a professional APS-C camera soon. 2018 will is going to be a great year for mirrorless fans.
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Sony a7III: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony a9: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony a7RIII: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony a7SII: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony HVL-F60RM: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
