Sony Alpha A7s III Release Rumors Have Been Circulating

There has been an uptick in the rumors that the Sony Alpha A7s III is nearing release. The Alpha A7s II was released more than four years ago in September of 2015. Rumors have it that an announcement regarding the A7s III will come out at next year's NAB show. It's also been nearly a year since the a6400 by Sony was released. So it would make sense to us that the A7s III is on the horizon heading into 2020.

Here's what we DO know (or think we know) so far

Release date

It would appear that we can expect the Sony Alpha A7s III to be out in the first half of 2020. Since the a6400 release in February of 2019, the timeline would support a major release like the A7s III in early-mid 2020. In August 2019 a Sony exec did confirm that they were continuing the Alpha A7s line which is when the original release was supposed to happen. However, when BlackMagic released the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K in August, Sony had to take a step back and regroup.

Specs

• 4K60
• 4:2:2 10-bit internal
• Stacked CMOS sensor with integral memory
• Possible 15.3MP sensor
• 61MP mode possibly

The rumors have it that the new Sony Alpha A7s III will shoot 4K HDR 60p. Earlier rumors hinted at a possibility of 4K video up to 120 fps, but we aren't holding our breath for that. It would make sense that Sony would include 4K60 to compete with the Panasonic GH5 and the Panasonic S1. If Sony is able to incorporate Full-Frame 4K60 into the A7s III, it will be the second Full Frame mirrorless camera capable of shooting 4K60. (The first being the S1.) The Sony A7s II features were very video-heavy, so there are high expectations for the video features of the Sony Alpha A7s III. The A7s II records 4K video at 30p, so the new camera will most likely allow DCI 4K shooting at 60p or better. And the Sony A7s III will also likely be able to shoot 1080p FHD video a up to 240 fps!

Price

Of course it's too soon to know the actual price range the camera will fall into. But based on the specs that are rumored, and compared to the A7s II, we'd anticipate the Sony Alpha A7s III to fall right around the $3000 price point or above. Of course if specs are higher or lower than the rumors, this price will fluctuate. The A7s II cost $3000 when first released in 2015. We'd imagine the A7s III will be at least that much. We'd imagine it's more likely to head north of that figure, but hopefully stays pretty close.

Other possible features of the Sony Alpha A7s III

Another probability is the removal of the 30-minute recording cap that the Sony Alpha A7s II has currently. We'd be pretty surprised to see that the limit wasn't lifted from the A7s III, based on user feedback. The ergonomic design will likely be similar to the A7s II, although perhaps slightly larger. Sony Alpha Rumors has suggested that it will be include a cooling vent similar to the Panasonic S1H. Rumors suggest that the A7S III is likely to be constructed similar to the A7R IV and A7 III. This will likely include the addition of a joystick for added maneuverability while handling the camera. We anticipate a magnesium body construction, but are curious to see if the back panel on the Sony A7s III is also magnesium (like the A7R IV), or if Sony goes with plastic (like the A7 III) instead. It's doubtful that the A7s III will have same 3.8m-dot electronic viewfinder as the A7R IV. We'd expect the 2.3m-dot EVF to remain the same as on the Sony alpha A7s II. And we imagine the 3.0-inch LCD monitor on the A7s III will offer touchscreen functionality. This will make navigating menus and reviewing content much more easy and intuitive.

Comparison of Sony A7s III to A7s II

Based on the above listed specs, it would appear that the A7s III will be a substantial improvement on the already awesome A7s II. The A7s II was touted for it's great video capabilities. And if the rumors are true, the A7s III will only improve upon those. We're most excited for the 4K60 and also to see if Sony bumps that up even higher! We really like the possibility of the removal of the 30-minute time constraint currently on the A7s II. For a camera geared more towards shooting video, it is a no brainer to remove shooting limits. The A7s II came out over four years ago, which is an eternity in terms of camera lifespan. It's no secret that Sony has planned another release of the A7s line, a fact which they confirmed in August. There is a good chance the A7s III will improve slightly on the sensor size of the A7s II. The question is by how much?

What sparked these recent rumors?

The leak of a document showing Sony filing a new sensor (the "IMX521CQR") started the recent flourish in rumors. The document has led many to speculate that it is the Sony Alpha A7s III. Based on other recent Sony releases, it is very possible that this sensor is related to the A7s III. The release of an (now debunked) image showing the "A7s III" being tested in the wild also fueled the rumors. However, there is still a good chance that the A7s III release is on the horizon - sometime in 2020, even if that image was fake.