The Exmor R CMOS 35mm full-frame sensor offers 24.2 megapixel resolution, backside illumination, and a gapless lens-on-chip design for high sensitivity and wide dynamic range. Copper wires and a front-end LSI achieve twice the readout speed.

Combining a new-generation image processing system and a new sensor, an improvement in image quality of up to 1.5 steps is achieved. A wide ISO sensitivity range of up to ISO 51200 is standard. A dynamic range of up to 15 steps is achieved at low sensitivity settings. Updated detail reproduction and range-specific noise reduction work together to provide noise reduction and the impression of overall high resolution. Color reproduction, especially for skin tones and natural subjects, has also been significantly improved. The α7 III also supports 14-bit RAW output even for silent or continuous shooting.

An upgraded image processor and the α9's AF algorithms optimized for the α7 III provide improved AF speed, precision, and tracking performance. 693 AF points for phase detection and 425 AF points for contrast detection enable wide and dense coverage of the image area. With autofocus speed improved to twice the normal speed and more precise AF tracking performance, you can quickly capture and keep in focus moving subjects with unpredictable movements. The α7 III's autofocus works reliably, even down to EV -3 brightness.

AF phase detection works even when an A-mount lens is attached to the α7 III using an LA-EA3 adapter. The 693-point AF system for phase detection provides wide coverage, fast response times, and extremely powerful tracking.

AF with Eye Detection provides more precise support for AF-C mode and greatly improves portrait shooting. The faster AF speed makes it easier to take portraits of a moving subject, even when the subject is looking down and away from the camera, or when the face is partially obscured by backlight. The α7 III supports eye-detection AF for A-mount lenses that can be attached using an adapter.

The new AF-ON button activates autofocus without first pressing the shutter button halfway. This allows you to concentrate on taking a picture at the decisive moment. Use the multi-select button to move the focus point quickly and efficiently. You can select and move the metering point intuitively, so you can take fabulous shots of moving subjects.

AF tracking sensitivity can be adjusted in five steps when shooting subjects that move outside the focus area. Autofocus fields and points remain the same or change when switching between horizontal and vertical orientations, depending on the shooting situation. Focus area registration allows frequently used focus point settings to be saved and assigned to custom buttons. This allows you to recall them quickly and conveniently at the touch of a button when needed.

Due to the improvements made to the shutter, charger, and image processor, the α7 III is capable of continuous shooting at up to 10 frames per second with AF/AE tracking (up to 8 frames per second with minimal display lag in Live View continuous shooting mode), capturing even very moving subjects easily and reliably. Up to 177 full-resolution JPEG images (standard), 89 compressed RAW images, or 40 uncompressed RAW images can be captured in a single burst. Electronic shutter control enables silent, vibration-free shooting of animals and other sensitive scenes where even the slightest noise would spell the end of your desired image.

Images captured during continuous shooting can be displayed as a group. These groups can be deleted or protected in one quick operation. With higher continuous capacity and compatibility with UHS-II media, writing data to memory cards in the camera has been noticeably optimized. The Fn and Menu buttons can be used to change settings immediately after continuous shooting, even before the write operation is complete.

Flicker caused by fluorescent and other artificial light is automatically detected, and the shutter is timed to minimize flicker in photos. This suppresses exposure and color inconsistencies in continuous shooting, as well as exposure and color anomalies that occur at the top and bottom of images taken at fast shutter speeds, and lets you shoot indoors much more easily.