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Sony A7R III vs Sony A99 Comparison

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Sony A7R III

42 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Sony A7R III
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Sony A99

24 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A99
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Sony A7R III vs Sony A99 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Sony cameras cameras with different body types: Sony A7R III, which was introduced in October 2017 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 42.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Sony A99, which was introduced in December 2012 is a Advanced DSLR camera with a 24.0MP Full frame sensor. As you can see, A99 is 5 years older than A7R III. 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 A7R III and Sony A99 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7R III Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-10-25
  • 42MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 32000 ( expands to 50-102400)
  • Sony E Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 3686k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 657g. 127 x 96 x 74 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sony Alpha 7R II Compare

Sony A99 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-12-12
  • 24MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in GPS
  • 812g. 147 x 111 x 78 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 Compare

Sony A7R III was replaced by Sony Alpha A7R IV. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Sony Alpha A7R III
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Sony SLT-A99

Sony A99 was replaced by Sony Alpha a99 II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha a99 II vs Sony SLT-A99
Sony Alpha a99 II vs Sony Alpha A7R III

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7R III and Sony A99 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7R III over Sony SLT-A99
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder Magnification
0.78x vs 0.71x Larger Viewfinder
Max Sensor Resolution
42 MP vs 24 MP 75% more pixels
Max ISO
32.000 vs 25.600 25% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
425 vs 19 406 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution
1.440k dots vs 1.229k dots 17% higher resolution screen
Battery Life
650 shots vs 500 shots 150 more frames with a single charge
Weight
657 g vs 812 g 155 g lighter
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Viewfinder Resolution
3686.4k dot vs 2359k dot 56% higher resolution
Color Depth
26.0 vs 25.0 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
14.7 vs 14.0 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
3523 vs 1555 better High ISO performance
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Shutter Life Expectancy
500000 cycles vs 200000 cycles Longer use without changing the shutter mechanism
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Autofocus at f/8 aperture
425 points vs none Autofocus with teleconverters
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Animal Eye AF Tracking
Yes vs No Easily lock and track focus on animals
Anti Flicker
Yes vs No Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light
Eye Tracking Focus
Yes vs No Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject


Reasons to choose Sony SLT-A99 over Sony Alpha A7R III
GPS
BuiltIn vs None track your location
Sensor Pixel Area
35.50µm2 vs 20.43µm2 73% larger pixel area
Top LCD
Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7R III and Sony SLT-A99
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Adjustable LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fully Articulated Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
42 MP vs 24 MP Bigger prints and more details
Continuous Shooting
10.0fps vs 10.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs Yes better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs Yes Connect off-camera flash
Shutter Life Expectancy
500000 cycles vs 200000 cycles High Shutter Rating
Storage Slot
2 vs 2 Extra Storage Slot
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7R III and Sony SLT-A99
Built-in Flash
No vs No Require external flash
Sony A7R III vs Sony A99: 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 A7R III and Sony A99 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7R III has external dimensions of 127 x 96 x 74 mm (5 x 3.78 x 2.91″) and weighs 657 g (1.45 lb / 23.17 oz) (including batteries). Sony A99 has external dimensions of 147 x 111 x 78 mm (5.79 x 4.37 x 3.07″) and weighs 812 g (1.79 lb / 28.64 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7R III and Sony A99. Sony A7R III is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 20mm narrower, 15mm shorter and 4mm thinner than Sony A99.

Sony A7R III vs Sony A99 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Sony A99 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7R III and Sony A99.
Sony A7R III vs Sony A99 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Sony A99 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7R III is significantly lighter (155g ) than the Sony A99 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 both Sony A7R III and Sony A99 have the same Full frame sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7R III
A99
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7R III
A99
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both A7R III and A99 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7R III and Sony A99's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

Sony A7R III features a Tilting only screen which is mostly only good for shooting from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Sony A99 sports a Fully Articulated screen which is more flexible and useful especially for taking Selfie shots and video.
Sony A7R III vs Sony A99: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7R III has a 42.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Sony A99 has a 24.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.

Sony A7R III's sensor provides 18MP more than Sony A99's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Sony A7R III's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the A7R III and A99 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7R III vs Sony A99 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Sony A99 Cameras


Sony A7R III and Sony A99 have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7R III and Sony A99 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, A7R III has scored 100, 11 points higher than A99.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Sony A7R III 100 26.0 bits 14.7 Evs 3523 ISO
Sony A99 89 25.0 bits 14.0 Evs 1555 ISO
Sony A7R III vs Sony A99 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 Sony A99 has an advantage over Sony A7R III There are 143 lenses for Sony A99's Sony/Minolta Alpha mount, on the other hand there are only 128 lenses for Sony A7R III's Sony E lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Both Sony A7R III and Sony A99 has Sensor based Image stabilization which means that all the lenses will be stabilized in these bodies. A7R III's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 5.0-stops according to CIPA standards.

Lens Type # of Sony A7R III Lenses # of Sony A99 Lenses
Standard Zoom 12 (9 Full Frame) 20 (9 Full Frame)
Standard Prime 18 (9 Full Frame) 9 (7 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom 7 (6 Full Frame) 11 (4 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime 42 (26 Full Frame) 18 (16 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom 9 (7 Full Frame) 26 (22 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime 18 (14 Full Frame) 12 (12 Full Frame)
SuperZoom 8 (1 Full Frame) 19 (4 Full Frame)
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 (0 Full Frame) 4 (2 Full Frame)
Macro Prime 8 (7 Full Frame) 12 (9 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) 10 (10 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 2 (1 Full Frame)
TOTAL 128 (81 Full Frame) 143 (96 Full Frame)


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7R III and Sony A99 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
24 - 70mm 886gr 1543gr 136mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM II Lens Sony 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM II
24 - 70mm 974gr 1786gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS
70 - 200mm 1480gr 2137gr 200mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 70-200mm F2.8 G SSM II Lens Sony 70-200mm F2.8 G SSM II
70 - 200mm 1500gr 2312gr 197mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 50mm F1.4 Lens Sony FE 50mm F1.4
50mm 778gr 1435gr 108mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony CZ  T* 50mm F1.4 ZA SSM Lens Sony CZ T* 50mm F1.4 ZA SSM
50mm 518gr 1330gr 72mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM
16 - 35mm 680gr 1337gr 122mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM II Lens Sony 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM II
16 - 35mm 872gr 1684gr 114mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS Lens Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS
24 - 105mm 663gr 1320gr 113mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sigma 24-105mm F4 DG OS HSM Lens Sigma 24-105mm F4 DG OS HSM
24 - 105mm 885gr 1697gr 109mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS
100 - 400mm 1395gr 2052gr 205mm Amazon B&H Photo
Tamron 150-600mm F5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 Lens Tamron 150-600mm F5-6.3 Di VC USD G2
150 - 600mm 2010gr 2822gr 258mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Sony A7R III and Sony A99 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7R III and Sony A99 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 A7R III for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony A99 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony A99 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony A99 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
425 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 650 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
11 Cross Type Focus sensors
19 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony A99 for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
657g
Body Thickness 74mm
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
812g
Body Thickness 78mm
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Sony A99 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Built-in GPS
Read the details

Sony A7R III vs Sony A99: 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 A7R III and Sony A99, 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 A7R III and Sony A99 scores compare:

Sony A7R III
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #4 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #4 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sony A99
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #17 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #68 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7R III is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Sony A99 in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Sony A7R III
Sony A7R III
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Sony A99
Sony A99
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Sony A99 vs Sony A7R III Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7R III Sony SLT-A99
Brand Sony Sony
Announced 2017-10-25 2012-12-12
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame Full frame
Dimensions 35.9 x 24 mm 35.8 x 23.8 mm
Area 861.60mm2 852.04mm2
Megapixels 42 megapixels 24 megapixels
Max Resolution 7952 x 5304 6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity 32,000 ISO 25,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 102400 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 425 19
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of Available Lenses 128 143
Screen
Type Tilting Fully Articulated
Size 3 3"
Resolution 1,440k dots 1,229k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution 3,686k dots 2,359k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.78x 0.71x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 10.0 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 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 657g 812g
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 74mm 147 x 111 x 78mm
Battery Life 650 shots 500 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None BuiltIn
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 100 89
DxO Color Depth 26.0 25.0
DxO Dynamic Range 14.7 14.0
DxO Low Light ISO 3523 1555
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