Sony Introduces Alpha 7S III Camera in India

Sony India announces the much-awaited addition to its acclaimed Alpha 7S full-frame mirrorless camera series. The Alpha 7S III (model ILCE-7SM3), a perfect partner for professional users with refined features and exceptional performance.  Featuring a brand new 12.1MP (approx., effective) back-illuminated full-frame image sensor with ultra-high 's' series sensitivity and 15+ stop wide dynamic range, a host of impressive video recording capabilities including 4K 120pi and 10-bit 4:2:2 color depth, a new heat dissipating mechanism, dual slot relay recording enabling over one-hour of 4K 60p movie shooting until battery ends, a new autofocus system, and touch screen interface and side flip LCD screen, the new Alpha 7S III will become the ultimate creative tool for video professionals and all types of hybrid still/video shooters. 

"The Alpha 7S III opens up a new world of possibilities for new age content creators. It is the ultimate representation of our efforts to deliver the best technology to our customers", said Mukesh Srivastava, Digital Imaging Head at Sony India. "Engineers at Sony are continuously involved in multiple customer surveys and Alpha 7S III is a result of many such survey findings. It combines the classic S series sensitivity with a feature set, performance level and user experience that is simply unmatched in the industry today at any price segment."

Newly developed BIONZ XR™ image processing engine with eight times more processing power and a brand new 12.1-megapixel (approx., effective) back-illuminated full-frame Exmor R™ CMOS image sensor, significantly reduced rolling shutter effect

The system architecture for the new Alpha 7S III has been completely redesigned to deliver exceptional video and still shooting performance. The new 35mm full-frame 12.1MP (approx., effective) back-illuminated Exmor R™ CMOS image sensor reduces rolling shutter by up to three times^iv and utilizes a variety of advanced light-gathering techniques to ensure high-sensitivity with low noise, allowing users to shoot in low-light situations without needing large-scale lighting setups. In addition to improved image quality, this new image sensor includes a focal plane phase-detection AF system for the first time in an S-series camera. To compliment the new sensor, the Alpha 7S III also includes a new BIONZ XR™ image processing engine that provides up to eight times more processing powerⁱⁱⁱ, minimizes processing latency, and enables many of the hallmark still and imaging features of the camera. The new system also includes the world's brightest and largest9.44 million-dot (approx.) OLED electronic eye-level viewfinder and is the world's first camera with dual CFexpress Type A card slots, enabling high-speed data transfer in a compact size.

Ultra-high sensitivity with ISO range expandable from 40 – 409,600, and improved image quality by approximately 1 stop noise reduction in the middle and high sensitivity ranges

The new CMOS image sensor and BIONZ XR™ image processing engine in the Alpha 7S III delivers legendary S-series sensitivity with significantly enhanced color reproduction and texture renderings for improved overall image quality. The base ISO has been lowered to 80, resulting in a normal range of 80-102,400 (expandable to 80-409,600 for video and 40-409,600 for stills) to provide more flexible ISO plus wide dynamic range with low noise at all settings. It offers improved image quality by approximately 1 stop of noise reduction in the middle and high sensitivity ranges.

Video recording capabilities include 4K 120p, 10 bit 4:2:2 colour depth, All-Intra recording, XAVC HS format with H.265 codec and more

The new Alpha 7S III hosts impressive video recording capabilities including 4K 120pand 10-bit 4:2:2 color depth. The Alpha 7S III offers in-camera 4K recording up to 120 frames per second, 10-bit depth and 4:2:2 color sampling, producing stunning video recording. The new camera offers a more flexible and efficient post-production workflow with a variety of advanced movie recording modes such as All-Intra and MPEG-H HEVC/H.265 coding (XAVC HS™). 

15+ stop dynamic range for movies              

Featuring a brand new 12.1MP back-illuminated full-frame image sensor with ultra-high sensitivity and 15+ stop wide dynamic range making the Alpha 7S III the ultimate creative tool for video professionals and all types of hybrid still/video shooters.

4K 60p 16-bit RAW video HDMI output for the first time in the Alpha™ series

The Alpha 7S III allows up to 4K 60p 16-bit RAW output to an external recorder via HDMI Type-A connector, offering additional post-production flexibility.

Enhanced Real-time Eye AF for movie recording & Fast Hybrid AF system with 759-point phase-detection, AF sensors covering 92% of image sensor

Real-time Tracking and Real-time Eye AF are available in Alpha 7S III to maintain constant focus on the intended subject. Sony's advanced Real-time Eye AF improves detection performance by 30% over the previous system, thanks to the new image processing engine. It ensures accurate, reliable detection, even when the subject's face looks away. Real-time Eye AF is automatically initiated when an eye is detected. The Alpha 7S III also includes a fast Hybrid AF system with 759 phase-detection AF points covering 92% of the image sensor. The camera can also achieve high AF precision to accurately and reliably focus in light down to EV-6, where subjects are difficult to see clearly even with the naked eye. 

New heat dissipating mechanism and dual slot relay recording enables over one-hour long 4K 60p 10-bit 4:2:2 movie shooting until battery ends　　

The Alpha 7S III's design has been updated to ensure effective heat dissipation and minimizes overheating — even during extended continuous recording sessions at 4K 60p 10-bit 4:2:2 video lasting an hour or more. A newly developed unique heat dissipating structure keeps the image sensor and image processing engine temperatures within their normal operating ranges, preventing overheating while maintaining compact body dimensions. The new heat-dissipating structure requires no fan or cabinet vents allowing Alpha 7S III to maintain dust and moisture resistance.

5-axis optical in-body image stabilization supports handheld movie shooting, with added Active Mode to support especially difficult handheld movie shooting

For video on-the-go, the Alpha 7S III is the first Alpha series camera to include Active Mode with 5-axis optical in-body image stabilization to support especially difficult handheld movie shooting. 

Side Opening variable angle LCD & redesigned menu system with touch screen interface and touch operation screen, enhances shooting experience & flexibility

It is also the first Alpha Series E-mount body to feature a side-opening vari-angle rear screen, perfect for gimbal-mounted shots, complicated angles, handheld operation and more. The screen rotates sideways, up and down, and features a 3.0 type 1.44 million-dot (approx.) touch panel LCD monitor, for optimal visibility even in bright outdoor environments. The Alpha 7S III also features a revised menu structure for easier navigation and touch-responsive menu operation for faster, more intuitive control. For creators who shoot both stills and movies, separate settings can now be stored for stills and movie shooting for quick transition between the two.

Dual CF express Type A card slots that enable high speed data processing while keeping the compact size 

The Alpha 7S III features two CFexpress Type A compatible media slots which also support UHS-I and UHS-II SDXC/SDHC cards, enabling high write-and-read speeds while keeping the camera body compact in size. CFexpress Type A cards are ideally suited to high-speed continuous RAW still image shooting as well as 4K 120pⁱ movie recording at high bit rates, providing next-generation write speeds that can quickly clear the buffers of cameras that generate high volumes of still image and movie data. High-speed data transfer to a PC is possible at about 1.7 times faster, then that of SD card. The dual slots can be set to relay mode for extended continuous recording of even the highest bit rate data as well as simultaneous recording and sort by format type recording.

CFexpress Type A/SD Card Reader for establishing efficient workflow

Optimised for the new CFexpress Type A memory cards, the CFexpress Type A/SD card reader (MRW-G2) provides SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2) transfer speed, via its USB Type-C® connector, allowing creators to establish an efficient workflow when dealing with high-resolution images files, 4K video and other types of high-volume data. When combined with a CFexpress Type A card, it allows users to transfer data approximately 2.8 times faster than with conventional media. The MRW-G2 card reader can be used with CFexpress Type A and SDXC/SDHC (UHS-I and UHS-II) memory cards.

Price and Availability

The new Alpha 7S III camera and CFexpress cards will be available across all Sony Center, Alpha Flagship stores, www.ShopatSC.com portal and major electronic stores across India from 15^th October 2020 onwards.