Sony A7 III: is it Good for YouTube and Vlogging? Review

The Sony A7 III is a very popular mirrorless camera. It has been in the market since 2018 and it’s simply amazing, but… is it good for vlogging?

You should know that not all cameras work for vloggers and therefore you need to be careful when you start looking for equipment. Especially if you’re new to this world.

So, in this article, we will take a closer look at the Sony A7 III to see if this camera would be a great choice for vloggers or not.

Sony A7 III Overview

The Sony A7 III is a mirrorless full-frame camera that offers a lot of good stuff for photo and video applications. Even today, it is still a powerful gear.

Let’s see its main features:

Design and body construction

As you already know, the Sony A7 III is a mirrorless camera, and what’s great about these cameras is that they are lens-interchangeable and provide excellent image quality but are way much more compact than DSLRs. This makes them more portable and lightweight.

The body is protected against dust and splashes and it has a good grip so it feels safe and comfortable to hold even if you’re moving. The shutter and other buttons are accessible and easy to control as well.

However, although it’s a mirrorless model, it is a little bit heavy, so you can get tired if you’re recording yourself without a tripod.

As for the rear display, it has an LCD screen with a touch panel for easy focusing. The screen tilts up and down but, sadly, it doesn’t rotate to face forward. This is a shame for vloggers because you can’t keep an eye on the framing while recording yourself.

24.2 megapixels full-frame sensor

The Sony A7 III has a 24.2 megapixels full-frame sensor. But what does that mean exactly?

Well, full-frame sensors are mostly used by professional photographers and videographers because they are bigger and more advanced than APS-C sensors (and also more expensive!). They provide superior image quality and capture more information than a cropped sensor.

All this means is that this camera might be small, but it comes with a great digital sensor that will produce superb results for amateurs and professionals. So, if you’re interested in learning more about photography and video to start a serious career in this area, this could be a good choice for you.

The sensor handles noise pretty well so you can work in low-light conditions without ruining image quality. It has an ISO range from 100 to 51200, which can be expanded to 50-204800 for stills. That is insane!

Autofocus and image stabilization

This camera has a fast hybrid autofocus system that offers quick, silent and accurate autofocus, even for tracking subjects. It works really well for recording video, especially when there’s a lot of contrast in the scene.

It also includes several focusing functions to achieve even more precision. One great feature is the Eye AF, which can recognize subjects’ eyes to ensure the perfect focus for portraits.

Additionally, it has a 5-axis image stabilization system that compensates 5 different types of camera shake during handheld shooting with a wide variety of lenses.

Video

The Sony A7 III can record 4K video at 24 or 30 fps. However, when recording 1080p video, you can choose among 24, 30, 60, or 120 fps. So, good news… you can shoot cool slow-motion videos!

Another great thing is that this camera allows users to set different picture profiles to grade footage as much as they want in post-production. It also features an HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) profile to capture HDR video to get more realistic results. All this makes the Sony A7 III an amazing option for professional videographers.

Battery

Usually, mirrorless cameras consume a lot of power because the screen is always on. Luckily, the Sony A7 III includes a bigger and more reliable battery that lasts up to 210 minutes of continuous video recording according to Sony.

But, on the downside, it doesn’t include an external charger for the battery, so you’ll need to buy one if you want to charge the battery outside the camera or if you have to charge an additional battery.

Connectivity

The Sony A7 III has a USB 3.0 Type-C port, a micro-USB port, micro HDMI, 3.5mm microphone input, and 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a standard hot shoe. It also has two SD memory card slots but only one of them supports UHS-II cards.

Furthermore, it has built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC (Near Field Communication), which allows you to connect the camera to an Android or iOS device and use your mobile phone as a remote control for the camera.

Is the Sony A7 III Good for Vogging?

By now you’ve probably noticed this is a great and versatile camera. It has a powerful sensor with an advanced autofocus system, excellent video performance, and many connectivity possibilities.

As a YouTube camera it's great if you want to set it on a tripod at home and you're okay with the lack of flip screen.

However, it’s not the best option for vlogging. Or, at least, not for beginners.

Let me explain why:

The main issue for vloggers is that it doesn’t have a flip screen and it can be really hard to record vlogs if you can’t see what you’re filming. Especially when you’re not using a tripod.

To make sure focus and composition are right, you’ll need a camera with a flip screen.

As an alternative, you could get a monitor like the Feelworld F6 to use as a flip screen.

But still, it would make the camera a lot heavier, and if you're holding the camera with your arm, you'll get tired quickly.

In addition to that, the Sony A7 III is heavier than other mirrorless cameras so it can be uncomfortable for recording handheld for a long time.

Also, this camera is amazing, yes, but it’s too expensive for most vloggers. Unless you really want to do professional photography/video, you probably won’t make use of all the tools this camera offers because you won’t need them, so you might want to save some money and choose a simpler camera.

The Sony a6400 comes to mind as it’s more newbie friendly and still records excellent 4k video.

Recommended Lenses for The Sony a7 III for YouTube and Vlogging

If you have the budget and the knowledge to master this camera and get the best out of it, you might want to invest in a good lens as well.

I can recommend you these options:

To record from home if you can set it up on a tripod and have enough space: Sony FE 50mm f/1.8

50mm lenses are considered the “normal” lenses because they produce clear images with no distortion that are very similar to what we see with our own eyes. This is why they’re great for portraits.

This lens has a strong construction and it provides a high-quality image for many purposes. It has a maximum aperture of f/1.8, which allows you to work in low light conditions and get a beautiful bokeh effect.

Remember that the lower the f-number is, the wider the aperture is. And so, the more light will come into the sensor, which translates into better image quality.

To take with you and record daily vlogs: Sony FE 28mm f/2

To record daily vlogs in a “selfie mode”, you need a wide-angle lens. These lenses include more information of the scene into the frame.

For this camera, 28mm is wide enough to record daily vlogs thanks to its full-frame sensor. For APS-C sensors, you will need wider lenses, like a 24mm lens.

This Sony FE 28mm f/2 is a first-class lens with a wide aperture that will fit you well to record in almost any place. It’s also compact and lightweight so you can easily carry it around.

What do you think about the Sony A7 III mirrorless camera?

Leave a comment below!