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The long-awaited Sony Alpha 7S III camera

Sony Electronics announced a long awaited addition to its highly acclaimed Alpha 7S series of full-frame mirrorless cameras – the Alpha 7S III ILCE-7SM3 . Featuring an all-new 12.1 MP full-frame image sensor with ultra-high sensitivity and a wide dynamic range of up to 15+ stops over 15 , a host of impressive video recording capabilities, including 4K 120p and 10-bit 4:2 color depth: 2, a new heat dissipation mechanism and relay memory card recording, a new autofocus system, touch screen and tilt-tilt LCD monitor, the new Alpha 7S III will be the perfect creative tool for video professionals and all types of photographers and videographers.

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“The Alpha 7S III is a true embodiment of Sony’s commitment to offering solutions to eliminate the so-called ‘sore spots’ that arise during shooting,” said Andrey Kurganov, head of marketing of photo and video equipment at Sony Electronics in America and the CIS. “We always listen to feedback from our customers, who are very creative people, persistently pushing innovations that go far beyond their expectations. New camera is the best example of this. Combining the classic sensitivity of the S-Series with a feature set, level of performance and user experience that’s simply unmatched on the market today – at any price point – the Alpha 7S III opens up a new world of creative possibilities for today’s creative project makers.”

The system architecture for the new Alpha 7S III has been completely redesigned to deliver exceptional video and still image performance. All-new 35mm full-frame 12.1 MP approx., Exmor R™ CMOS image sensor with back light reduces jello effect by up to three times and uses various advanced light harvesting techniques to deliver high sensitivity with low noise, allowing operators to shoot in low light without the need for additional light sources.

In addition to improved image quality, this new image sensor includes, for the first time, an autofocus system with phase detection focal plane in an S-Series camera. To complement the new sensor, the Alpha 7S III also includes the new BIONZ XR™ image processor, which provides up to eight times more processing power, minimizes processing latency and delivers many of the camera’s distinctive features. The new system also includes the world’s brightest and largest OLED electronic viewfinder with the highest resolution of 9.44 million dots approximately and is the world’s first XII camera with two CFexpress Type A card slots for high-speed data transfer in a compact size .

Professional video solutions

The Alpha 7S III offers in-camera recording in 4K up to 120 frames per second, 10-bit depth and 4:2:2 color sampling, delivering high quality video. The new camera offers a more flexible and efficient post-production workflow with a variety of advanced video recording modes such as All-intra and MPEG-H HEVC/H.265 coding XAVC HS™ .

The Alpha 7S III makes it easy to integrate footage with other professional camcorders by providing three color gamut settings: S-Gamut, S-Gamut3, andS-Gamut3.Cine, using which you can easily combine footage shot on the Alpha 7S III with footage shot on professional film cameras to simplify your multi-camera post-production workflow. In addition to gamma curves, the S-Log3 Alpha 7S III supports the HLG Hybrid Log-Gamma image profile with minimal post-production. Alpha 7S III also provides 16-bit raw RAW output to an external recorder via HDMI Type-A in up to 4K 60p, for added post-production flexibility.

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Enhanced image quality

The Alpha 7S III’s new CMOS image sensor and new BIONZ XR image processor deliver the legendary S-Series sensitivity with vastly improved color reproduction and tint gradation for high image quality. The base ISO has been lowered to 80, resulting in an operating range of 80-102,400 expandable to 80-409,600 for video and 40-409,600 for stills to provide a more flexible ISO sensitivity range plus wide dynamic range with low noise at all settings. Which delivers improved image quality with noise reduction of about 1 stop in the medium and high sensitivity ranges

Colors and textures of foliage, human skin and more are perfectly and consistently rendered regardless of scene lighting sources. Rendering gradation has also been improved to improve skin tones and highlight highlights in portraits. It also improves Auto White Balance AWB performance, where the new Visible Light + IR sensor function helps achieve more accurate white balance under artificial lighting conditions, including fluorescent and LED lighting.

Improved operability

For the first time in the Alpha “7S” series, the Alpha 7S III offers fast hybrid autofocus, combining phase and contrast autofocus, enabling it to track subjects over a wide area of the frame with outstanding speed, accuracy and smoothness, even when shooting with a shallow depth of field. Unparalleled focus performance is possible with Sony E-mount lenses.

For scenes with a lot of motion, real-time tracking and real-time eye-tracking autofocus are available to maintain constant focus on the main subject. Sony’s enhanced real-time Eye AF system Eye AF improves detection performance by 30% over the previous system, thanks to a new image processing algorithm. It provides accurate and reliable eye detection even when the subject’s face is looking away. Real-time tracking is initiated by simply touching the subject on the screen. When an eye is detected, real-time autofocus on the eye will start automatically.

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Flexible AF settings for movies

Based on customer feedback, the camera includes several autofocus functions for professional users, with the ability seven settings to adjust the AF transition speed to easily adjust the smoothness of the focus transition from subject to subject. Five AF subject shift sensitivity settings are also available, allowing the user to customize how easily autofocus shifts from the subject or stays fixed on the main subject. Touch Tracking allows the user not only to initiate real-time tracking, but also to use it while the camera is mounted in the pendant or while shooting handheld. Touch focus Touch AF can now be used in manual focus mode on the LCD screen or remotely from the Imaging Edge mobile app.

New heat dissipation system

The Alpha 7S III has been redesigned to efficiently dissipate heat and minimize overheating – even during long continuous sessions of 4K 60p 10-bit 4:2:2 video recording for an hour or more. A newly developed unique heat dissipation structure inside the camera keeps the temperature of the image sensor and image processor within their normal operating ranges, preventing overheating while maintaining a compact body size. New design for heat dissipation requires no fan or vents, protecting the Alpha 7S III from dust and moisture

Auxiliary functions for video shooting

Alpha 7S III is the first Alpha series camera to include an active mode combined with 5-axis optical image stabilization in the body for easy, challenging handheld video shooting.

It’s also the first in the Alpha series to feature a tilt-up LCD monitor with different angles around the axis, which increases shooting flexibility and is perfect for gimbal shots, difficult angles, handheld applications and more. The screen rotates sideways, up and down and features a 3.0 touch-panel LCD monitor with 1.44 million dots approximately for optimal visibility, even in bright ambient light.

The Alpha 7S III also offers a choice of 10 presets in the “Creative Look” option, available for both stills and video, making it easy to process content in the camera and use the preset as is, or customize to fit the user.

A digital audio interface has been added to the camera’s Multi-Interface MI shoe to record clearer audio when a compatible external Sony microphone is installed. Combined with the XLR-K3M XLR adapter kit, the Alpha 7S III delivers 4-channel, 24-bit digital audio recording. This feature is a first for the Alpha series. Like other Multi Interface MI shoe accessories, no cables or batteries are required, allowing unlimited freedom to shoot video with the Alpha system.

Additional features for shooting video include an enhanced LCD monitor display with a bold, clearly visible red frame that lets you know recording is in progress even when the camera is caged or gimbaled, custom zoom settings, adjustable white balance during recording, display rotation, interval recording, still image extraction photos from video and more.

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Outstanding camera capabilities

The Alpha 7S III has a fast hybrid autofocus system with 759 phase sensors in the focal plane of the sensor, covering 92% of the image sensor. The camera can also achieve high autofocus accuracy to focus accurately and reliably in lighting as low as EV-6, where objects are difficult to see even with the naked eye. Continuous shooting at up to 10 frames per second or up to 8 frames per second in real-time is possible with a mechanical or electronic shutter for more than 1,000 uncompressed raw RAW images.

The Alpha 7S III also features the world’s first Quad-XGA OLED electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 9.44 million dots and a size 0.64″ high-definition and advanced optics. Alpha 7S III viewfinder offers 0.90 x magnification, 41° diagonal field of view, 25mm large remote eyepiece point for clear, low-distortion corner-to-corner viewing. It is also resistant to dust, fog and moisture, extremely responsive and has switchable modes for different subject types. Every element of the Alpha 7S III viewfinder has been designed and perfected for a professional workflow.

For the first time in Sony Alpha cameras, the Alpha 7S III includes HEIF High Efficiency Image File Format , providing smooth 10-bit gradations and advanced compression technology to maintain image quality while significantly reducing file size and saving storage space. HEIF footage shot in this mode can be played back on a compatible Sony HDR HLG TV through a direct HDMI Type A connection from the Alpha 7S III, providing true dynamic range.

Versatile ergonomics for professional use

Alpha 7S III also features the world’s first-ever dual-compatible CFexpress Type A media slots, which also supports UHS-I and UHS-II SDXC/SDHC. They offer high speed read/write speeds while keeping the camera body compact. CFexpress Type A cards are ideal for high-speed continuous shooting of RAW still images and recording of 4K 120p movies at high data rates, providing next-generation recording speeds that quickly clear the camera’s buffer generating large amounts of images and video data. High-speed data transfer to a PC is possible about 1.7 times faster than an SD card. Dual slots can be used for relay recording to extend continuous recording time, even with high-bitrate data, as well as parallel recording to two cards duplicate or recording split by data type sorting .

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Enhanced menu system with improved touch screen

Alpha 7S III also features an enhanced menu structure for easier navigation and touch menu controls for faster, more intuitive operation. For creators who shoot both stills and movies, you can now save separate settings for stills and video for quick transitions between them.

High reliability gives creators new freedom

Professional users want more than just advanced features and performance. They also need the reliability and durability required of any professional tool. Alpha 7S III features an advanced grip for greater comfort and secure hold, improved dust removal function, and dust and moisture resistance that maximizes reliability in demanding environments. The camera features a rugged, reliable full-size HDMI Type-A connector and is the first camera in the Alpha series to support USB PD Power Delivery mode, which allows for more power from an external source so users can continue recording for extended periods of time with minimal use of the internal battery.

Advanced connectivity to support professional workflow

The Alpha 7S III was designed and configured to support photo and video journalists and sports photographers who need to deliver footage or video as quickly as possible with multiple advanced connectivity options. The camera supports 5 GHz 2.4 GHz wireless LAN IEEE 802.11 ac and offers MIMO multiple-input and multiple-output technology for improved communication with multiple antennas. It doubles the speed of the Alpha 7R IV. It also features new support for USB modem. When connected to a compatible 5G 5th generation cellular technology standard device such as the Sony “Xperia 1 II” smartphone via USB cable, the 5G network can be used to transfer files to an FTP server quickly and consistently. USB connection to a high-speed wired local area network LAN also provides stable and fast FTP transfers for both video and still images. Features USB Type-C™ connector for fast, ultra-fast USB 5G bps USB 3 .2 , which allows high-speed remote data transfer to PC tethering for convenient processing of large images.

Pricing and availability

The price and launch date of the new full-frame Alpha 7S III with interchangeable lenses in America will be announced later.

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John Techno

Greetings, everyone! I am John Techno, and my expedition in the realm of household appliances has been a thrilling adventure spanning over 30 years. What began as a curiosity about the mechanics of these everyday marvels transformed into a fulfilling career journey.

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Comments: 1
  1. Addison Riley

    When will the highly anticipated Sony Alpha 7S III camera be released? I’m excited to know if it will live up to the hype and provide the incredible features that photographers and videographers are expecting. Can you please share any information on the expected launch date and improvements we can anticipate?

    Reply
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