Lens Rentals has some of the best data/experience available for camera/lens durability around and they finally did a Sony a7RIII tear down once and for all proving that Sony did indeed improve the weather resistance of the Sony a7RIII in some fundamental ways while making some surprising mistakes. Below are some of the major improvements.
Sony did a very good job covering every button, joystick, and even scroll wheel with enhanced weather sealing, but the bottom of the Sony a7RIII was not improved from previous generations. It seems the bottom of the Sony a7RIII lets all the water in during weather resistance testing.
Lens Rentals also points out one more issue with the bottom of the Sony a7RIII. The tripod mount is designed in a way that it can be punched out by a tripod base plate, which leaves a piece of metal rolling around within the camera. If that happens to you Lensrentals teardown guide will help you remove the metal piece so your camera won’t short out.
The Lens Rental tear down is a lengthy one, but in summary:
Sony spoke truly. Except for the bottom this camera has thorough and extensive weather sealing, as good as any camera I’ve seen. (Before you Pentax guys start, I have not taken apart a Pentax so it may be completely sealed in a super glue matrix for all I know.)
That being said, the bottom of the camera is not protected worth a damn. If you’re out in a sprinkle or shower, this probably doesn’t matter; water hits the top first. But if you’re in severe weather, near surf, or might set your camera down where someone might spill something, you need to be aware of that. If I knew I was heading out in such conditions, honestly I’d tape up the bottom of the camera or encase it in plastic taped all around the body. Yeah, battery changes will be a pain, but the new battery is supposed to last a lot longer.
You can also go over Lensrentals old Sony a7R teardown here and see how the camera has improved their design. Spoiler alert: quite a bit…
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