I used to be able to buy a brand new digicam earlier this 12 months, upgrading from my Sony a6500/a6000 setup that I have been operating for a number of years. I selected to “improve” to a seven-year-old digicam, however why?

Can a 2018 Digicam Nonetheless Be Good in 2025?

Whereas, on the earth of tech, seven years might be like a lifetime, the world of cameras is not fairly that manner. Have there been developments in digicam know-how since 2018? Completely. Are these developments ground-breaking and earth-shattering on the subject of picture or video high quality? Not fairly.

The Sony A7 III was launched in April 2018, nearly seven years in the past now. It was a reasonably unbelievable digicam for the time and still is today. With a 24.2MP full-frame sensor and the flexibility to file 4K30 video, it nonetheless holds its personal in 2025 fairly nicely.

The A7 III Isn’t as Good as Newer APS-C Cameras, Although, Proper?

This was a call I needed to make, and I really feel I made the correct one after loads of analysis and looking out round.

There are quite a lot of cameras in the marketplace. I had two Sony cameras beforehand, each APS-C: the a6500 and the a6000. The a6500 is principally the APS-C model of the A7 III, whereas the a6000 was fairly a bit older. Both manner, when on the lookout for a brand new digicam, I used to be introduced with a number of choices, including things like the a6700.

Actually, the a6700 and the A7 III are the 2 cameras I will examine right here, and I will clarify why I made a decision to go together with the A7 III over the a6700.

The a6700 is a good digicam, for certain. It is across the identical value because the A7 III, with each being within the $1,000 to $1,500 vary relying on the sale or if you are going to use it.

I’ve been on the APS-C practice for a while (I bought my a6500 again in 2018.) APS-C is nice for the shape issue, however the sensors can typically depart so much to be desired in sure areas. Sony APS-C sensors have a 1.5x crop issue, which suggests a 50mm lens is admittedly the equal of a 75mm lens.

This may be good or unhealthy. For me, it was unhealthy as a result of after I was making an attempt to get broad lenses to seize extra of a scene, I needed to go actually broad. Whereas 28mm must be broad sufficient for speaking head pictures, on an APS-C sensor, 28mm is admittedly 42mm, which is stepping into the vary of telephoto. Due to this, I had to purchase a 16mm lens simply to get the equal area of view to a 24mm lens.

So, the crop issue was an enormous driving drive for me to go full-frame this time round. One other driving issue is how significantly better full-frame sensors are in low mild. APS-C cameras should not recognized for his or her nice low-light efficiency, whereas cameras just like the A7 III are unbelievable in low-light, and you may drive the ISO up a great bit earlier than it begins to get actually noisy.

“However, the a6700 can shoot 4K60 10-bit 4:2:2 video, and the A7 III is proscribed to 4K30 8-bit 4:2:0 video, so the a6700 is best!” I can hear it already. The actual fact of the matter is the common individual will not discover a distinction between 4K30 8-bit or 4K60 10-bit. Most social media platforms need 30 FPS footage anyway, and Instagram particularly asks for 1080×1920 vertical video at 30 FPS, so whether or not your digicam does 4K30 or 4K60, whether or not it is 8- or 10-bit, whether or not it is 4:2:0 or 4:2:2, Instagram (and by extension, Fb, TikTok, and YouTube shorts) does not actually care.

On the picture aspect of issues, the A7 III really captures far more knowledge than you get with the APS-C lineup of cameras. The APS-C cameras, together with the a6700, seize what’s known as “compressed RAW” images. These aren’t true RAW sensor readouts. Whereas they’re nonetheless RAW images, there are compression algorithms at play right here and it is not fairly the identical. However, with the A7 III, you possibly can select whether or not to seize compressed RAW or uncompressed, 14-bit RAW images. Personally, I’m going for the 14-bit uncompressed, so I’ve as a lot data to work with in submit as doable, and I’ve completely liked the improve from compressed to uncompressed RAW.

Far more essential than the uncooked specs of a digicam is the lens you’ve got and the way you utilize it. With the A7 III, I’ve a full-frame sensor, which suggests I can use full-frame lenses and benefit from the wider area of view. It additionally lets me file 4K30 or 1080p120, which is a lot for my (and most of the people’s) use instances.

In the end, you may must be the one to resolve whether or not you want 4K60 10-bit footage or if 4K30 8-bit is sufficient for you and whether or not you need to have the ability to seize 14-bit uncompressed RAW or compressed RAW. For me, the professionals of the full-frame sensor outweigh the cons, arms down.

Full-Body Options and Picture High quality Make the A7 III a Nice Alternative Nonetheless

In 2025, the A7 III continues to be a unbelievable digicam, I feel. It has an incredible sensor, stable video recording choices, and even options like USB-C output as a webcam (or clear HDMI output to be used with a seize card.)

The picture high quality on the A7 III is unmatched in its value vary, I imagine. Full-price, the A7 III runs $1,800 whereas the newer A7 IV prices $2,500. There are sometimes gross sales on the A7 III that deliver it all the way down to $1,500 new, and you may sometimes discover it on the used marketplace for $1,000 to $1,200 all day, even with lenses included.

I discovered a equipment that included the A7 III, two batteries, a Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 lens, and a number of other different filters and such for $1,000 regionally. It was an incredible deal, and also you doubtless will not discover the precise deal I did. However I see A7 III programs on a regular basis for $1,000 to $1,200 across the Nashville space the place I reside.

At that value, the A7 III is unbeatable, I feel. It offers you professional-quality ends in a full-frame physique at a comparatively reasonably priced value in comparison with different cameras in its class.

In the event you can reside with out all the brand new bells and whistles that the a6700 or A7 IV comes with, then I feel the A7 III is a unbelievable alternative for a digicam for most individuals. That is why I selected it in 2025. I needed an incredible digicam to deliver with me on trip, to take product images with, and to file YouTube movies on. And the A7 III checked each single field I wanted to, together with value.