Sony A7S vs Canon 1D MIII Comparison

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Sony A7S

12 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Canon 1D MIII

10 MP | APS-H (28.7 x 18.7 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Sony A7S vs Canon 1D MIII Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A7S, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 12.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Canon 1D MIII, which was introduced in February 2007 is a Pro DSLR camera with a 10.0MP APS-H sensor. As you can see, 1D MIII is 7 years older than A7S. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7S Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-04-06

12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 409600

Sony E Mount

3 Tilting Screen

2359k dot Electronic viewfinder

5 fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

120 fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

489g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Canon 1D MIII Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2007-02-22

10MP - APS-H CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 3200 ( expands to 50-6400)

Canon EF Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

10 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

1335g. 156 x 157 x 80 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Canon EOS 1D Mark II N Compare

Sony A7S was replaced by Sony Alpha 7S II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Sony Alpha A7S
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Canon 1D MIII was replaced by Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV vs Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV vs Sony Alpha A7S

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs None	Better connectivity
LCD Screen	Tilting vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution	12 MP vs 10 MP	19% more pixels
Max ISO	409.600 vs 3.200	12700% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution	1.230k dots vs 230k dots	434% higher resolution screen
Weight	489 g vs 1335 g	846 g lighter
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Color Depth	23.9 vs 22.7	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	13.2 vs 11.7	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	3702 vs 1078	better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area	71.24µm² vs 53.24µm²	33% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs None	Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
NFC Connection	Yes vs No	Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Reasons to choose Canon EOS-1D Mark III over Sony Alpha A7S

Viewfinder Magnification	0.76x vs 0.71x	Larger Viewfinder
Number of Focus Points	45 vs 25	20 more focus points
Continuous Shooting	10.0fps vs 5.0fps	5 fps faster
Battery Life	2200 shots vs 360 shots	1840 more frames with a single charge
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs With optional app	creative shooting
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
Autofocus at f/8 aperture	Center point vs none	Autofocus with teleconverters

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Canon EOS-1D Mark III

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Optical)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs Yes	shoot at tough conditions

Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Canon EOS-1D Mark III

In-body Image Stabilization	No vs No	No Built-in stabilization
Built-in Flash	No vs No	Require external flash

Sony A7S vs Canon 1D MIII: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Canon 1D MIII has external dimensions of 156 x 157 x 80 mm (6.14 x 6.18 x 3.15″) and weighs 1335 g (2.94 lb / 47.09 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII. Sony A7S is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 29mm narrower, 63mm shorter and 32mm thinner than Canon 1D MIII.

Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII.

Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII.

Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7S is significantly lighter (846g ) than the Canon 1D MIII which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A7S has a Full frame sensor and Canon 1D MIII has a smaller APS-H sensor, Canon 1D MIII's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S

1D MIII

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S

1D MIII

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Both A7S and 1D MIII have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

On the other hand, Sony A7S features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels whereas the Canon 1D MIII has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.

Sony A7S vs Canon 1D MIII: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Canon 1D MIII has a 10.0MP APS-H (28.7 x 18.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Below you can see the A7S and 1D MIII sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII Cameras

As seen above, Sony A7S has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Canon 1D MIII. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, A7S has scored 87, 16 points higher than 1D MIII.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Sony A7S	87	23.9 bits	13.2 Evs	3702 ISO
Canon 1D MIII	71	22.7 bits	11.7 Evs	1078 ISO

Sony A7S vs Canon 1D MIII Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Canon 1D MIII has an advantage over Sony A7S There are 250 lenses for Canon 1D MIII's Canon EF mount, on the other hand there are only 128 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 31 lenses for Sony E mount and 76 lenses for Canon EF mount with IS.

Lens Type	# of Sony A7S Lenses	# of Canon 1D MIII Lenses
Standard Zoom	12 (9 Full Frame)	22
Standard Prime	18 (9 Full Frame)	17
Wideangle Zoom	7 (6 Full Frame)	20
Wideangle Prime	42 (26 Full Frame)	46
Telephoto Zoom	9 (7 Full Frame)	50
Telephoto Prime	18 (14 Full Frame)	43
SuperZoom	8 (1 Full Frame)	9
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	2 (0 Full Frame)	3
Macro Prime	8 (7 Full Frame)	24
Perspective Control Prime	2 (2 Full Frame)	16
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	n/a
TOTAL	128 (81 Full Frame)	250

What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Sony A7S for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Canon 1D MIII for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large APS-H (28.7 x 18.7 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Canon 1D MIII for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large APS-H (28.7 x 18.7 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Canon 1D MIII for Sports Photography

GOOD

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
19 Cross Type Focus sensors
45 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 2200 shots
Good Low Light ISO
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon 1D MIII for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details

Large APS-H (28.7 x 18.7 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1335g
Body Thickness 80mm
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 1D MIII for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Large APS-H (28.7 x 18.7 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Canon 1D MIII: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Sony A7S and Canon 1D MIII scores compare:

Sony A7S

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #71 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Canon 1D MIII

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #17 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked #470 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7S is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon 1D MIII in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Canon 1D MIII vs Sony A7S Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Sony Alpha A7S	Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Brand	Sony	Canon
Announced	2014-04-06	2007-02-22
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	Large SLR
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	Full frame	APS-H
Dimensions	35.8 x 23.9 mm	28.7 x 18.7 mm
Area	855.62mm²	536.69mm²
Megapixels	12 megapixels	10 megapixels
Max Resolution	4240 x 2832	3888 x 2592
Max Native Light sensitivity	409,600 ISO	3,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	6400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	50 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	25	45
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Sony E	Canon EF
Number of Available Lenses	128	250
Screen
Type	Tilting	Fixed type
Size	3	3"
Resolution	1,230k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Resolution	2,359k dots	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.71x	0.76x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	No
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/300s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	5.0 fps	10.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	None
Video Formats	MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC	n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	489g	1335g
Dimensions	127 x 94 x 48mm	156 x 157 x 80mm
Battery Life	360 shots	2200 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording	With Downloadable App
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	87	71
DxO Color Depth	23.9	22.7
DxO Dynamic Range	13.2	11.7
DxO Low Light ISO	3702	1078
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