The Sony a7s III has likely been further delayed because of Coronavirus, which means it needs to be that much better.
A solid argument can be made to say that the Sony a7s III is the red-headed stepchild of the family. I mean, Sony has been saying that it’s coming for over two years now. With the delays caused by COVID-19, and the rest of the industry catching up or superseding what Sony can do with most video options, the Sony a7s III will need to be just that much better. Canon, Nikon, and Panasonic all have camera options that output some of the highest quality videos in the market segment. While Sony has always been ahead of the curve, this delay has made it seem like they’re very behind. It makes us wonder what Sony has up their sleeve.
We Need More Than Just a Sony a7r IV Variant
Sony’s traditional approach has been to recycle body exteriors until a major generation upgrade. The Sony a9 II and the Sony a7r IV have very similar camera bodies, and we could only expect that the Sony a7s III will have the same. This brings with it several other features like the faster scroll through the menu and all the video options it could have. The video world will surely need a lot more. But we’re a photo publication, and so we should fully discuss what sort of features a photographer will need.
A 24MP or 16MP Sensor That Retains Details Are Super High ISOs
If you’ve ever used the Sony a7s II, you’ll know that you lose all details when you get into the near nuclear range for high ISO settings. We can’t have that with the Sony a7s III when it comes out. There’s a serious need for the sensor in the camera to be able to make jaws drop in the same way that Night Mode on phones does. The way to do this is with a higher megapixel sensor and an even better processor. Details at higher ISO settings are imperative for the industry to improve upon and to help justify what a camera can do versus a phone. While most of us understand this, most consumers still don’t. But, the Sony a7s III has the potential to inspire a whole generation of new Astrophotographers.
Built-In Light Pollution Control
The concept of built-in light pollution control done via the firmware, processor, or sensor could be a game-changing feature. Astrophotographers would, of course, use this, but it would also mean that photographers who live in cities could then do something that wasn’t available before. That would be one of the biggest reasons to buy the Sony a7s III, and it would change the entire industry. This, perhaps more than anything else, could make people want to buy it who never even considered the camera before. Here in NYC, where we test most of the gear, there aren’t a lot of places we can shoot without light pollution. We know of some, but this is a feature that I’ve always wanted.
Features from the PlayMemories Apps to Return
Many know that Sony has been basically gimping their cameras in some ways. They have the potential to be significantly better, but they’re not. Instead, we get many other things. I’m not just talking about their archaic thought process behind the touchscreen, but also the features that the PlayMemories Apps had. Let’s talk about a few:
- Multiple exposures
- Automatic porting to social media
- Touchless shutter
- The Digital Filter
- Sony basically had a Cinemagraph feature
Lots of photographers would kill for these features, and if they built them in from the start, it would justify a much higher price tag.
A Faster Frame Rate Than the Sony a9 II
If and when the Sony a7s III hits the market, it should potentially be able to shoot at a faster frame rate than the Sony a9 II. It will probably have fewer megapixels and so shooting at something like 30fps or even 60fps at the full resolution will make the camera seriously revolutionary. Just think about the images you could possibility shoot when combined with super high ISO output. It would create a camera that would make things that were never possible before.
Face Detection AF That’s Leaps and Bounds Better Than the Sony a7r IV in Low Light
The Sony a7s III would need to have exceptional autofocus in low light. The Sony a9 II is excellent in this regard, but the Sony a7r IV has consistently given us trouble in low light. Arguably, the Sony a7s III is built to accomplish this, if and when it launches. So again, we’d love to see this feature be something that brings us the next Planet Earth series on Netflix.