A7Riii/A6700/A7Cii upgrade or not

[Cheese51]

Hi all,

I currently have a Sony A7Riii, the original one, not the improved viewfinder version. I also have the 50mm f2.5 lens and 85mm f1.8 lenses for it.

I’m going on a long family trip in April travelling around Florida and the Caribbean, so need camera(s) for general family/tourist photography with a bit of video too (maybe 75/25 photo to video). I don't do much low light photography.

I’ve been thinking about these options:

• Sell the A7Riii for something else, maybe the A6700 or A7Cii and get some different/additional lenses

• Keep the A7Riii but add some new lenses to that setup

• Keep the A7Riii and the lenses I’ve got and get the A6700 as well with a longer zoom (70-200 full frame equivalent) and add a wideangle prime for the A7Riii and take both systems.

The image quality is great out of the A7Riii but the autofocus seems outdated and the video is definitely outdated, I've had it 6 years now. I’m not sure how it holds up to more modern Sony cameras though – is this camera still a good option in 2024?

Doubts I have about the A6700/A7Cii are the viewfinder. Not sure if it is good enough. I put a lot of priority on the ergonomics and touch points of a camera, e.g. grip, EVF and screen. The A7Riii grip is bad (minimal room between grip and bigger lenses) but at least the screens are okay.

If I had an A6700 do you have any thoughts on the best all round lenses to put on it?

I don't need the 42 megapixels of my current camera although it is nice to have, but I'd be fine with dropping to 33 or 26mp.

I’ve probably got a max £2.5k budget for anything additional to what I have, but of course selling what I have and replacing it would push the budget up by about £1.5k

Thanks for any help.

 

[Craig Gillette]

Hi all,

I currently have a Sony A7Riii, the original one, not the improved viewfinder version. I also have the 50mm f2.5 lens and 85mm f1.8 lenses for it.

I’m going on a long family trip in April travelling around Florida and the Caribbean, so need camera(s) for general family/tourist photography with a bit of video too (maybe 75/25 photo to video). I don't do much low light photography.

I’ve been thinking about these options:

• Sell the A7Riii for something else, maybe the A6700 or A7Cii and get some different/additional lenses

• Keep the A7Riii but add some new lenses to that setup
• Keep the A7Riii and the lenses I’ve got and get the A6700 as well with a longer zoom (70-200 full frame equivalent) and add a wideangle prime for the A7Riii and take both systems.

I have an A7Riv and also recently added an A6700 to my earlier aps-c mirror-less kit. While the lenses, aps-c and ff, can be used up or down, the crop factor is a consideration. Perhaps a bit more inconvenient with mid-range zooms. I just got a 24/1.8 ff prime and it's fine on the a6700 at 36mm.

The aps-c lenses tend to be smaller,lighter and less expensive than the ffs but that's very dependent on the actual lenses being considered.

For example, an ff 24-xx zoom could be used on the aps-c but it's angle of view cropped is 36mm which is longer than many like these days for their mid-ranges. A 16mm-xx or 18mm-xx aps-c zoom would be 24mm or 28mm but depending on the ff body resolution the cropped resolution may be lower than desired. More a problem for prints, maybe, than on-line sharing.

For me, I find my FF Tamron 28-200/2.8-5.6is about as big as I'd like as a walk-around on the smaller bodies. They'll work on larger lenses but I don't mind the 28-200 on the A7Riv to walk around with, I'd tolerate it on the A6700. The a7riv and 28-200 is about a pound heavier than the A6700 and 18-135 as a reference.

The image quality is great out of the A7Riii but the autofocus seems outdated and the video is definitely outdated, I've had it 6 years now. I’m not sure how it holds up to more modern Sony cameras though – is this camera still a good option in 2024?

It's a very good camera. There have been some system improvements up to the A7Riv then A7Rv but some think it's still a sweet spot for resolution and low light on the higher res side. I do a little video but think you might find a more recent camera better suited to more current video practices.

Doubts I have about the A6700/A7Cii are the viewfinder. Not sure if it is good enough. I put a lot of priority on the ergonomics and touch points of a camera, e.g. grip, EVF and screen. The A7Riii grip is bad (minimal room between grip and bigger lenses) but at least the screens are okay.

I have an A6700 and don't mind the finder, but I've moved along from a couple of earlier aps-c bodies, too. The smaller cameras do have compressed surface space so perhaps some controls are closer together or fewer buttons, etc. goes with the size, of course.

That said, you should spend some time with the A6700 or A7C series if considering them because the finders are perhaps the thing that is the biggest problem for some.

I think all the bodies in the A7s (except the a7Cs) and A7R series after the A7Riii are a larger body.

If I had an A6700 do you have any thoughts on the best all round lenses to put on it?

The Sony 16-55/2.8 is "the best." But it's kind of hefty and comparatively expensive. The Tamron 17-70/2.8 is kind of large but less expensive. I use the Sony 18-135/3.5-5.6 almost exclusively on my aps-cs. Rounded a bit, it's 28-200 in ff terms. It's not too big or heavy, only $400 when kitted with the A6700 (or was, anyways, last I looked.). The Sigma 18-50/2.8 is a bit smaller and lighter (I think), constant aperture and reportedly very good image quality. My favorite is the 18-135 and i like the focal range enough that my primary walk around in ff is the Tamron 28-200.

I don't need the 42 megapixels of my current camera although it is nice to have, but I'd be fine with dropping to 33 or 26mp.

I’ve probably got a max £2.5k budget for anything additional to what I have, but of course selling what I have and replacing it would push the budget up by about £1.5k

Thanks for any help.

 

[Nielk Mike]

The Tamron 28-200 is a very good lens. Perfect for travel if one doesn't know what to expect. Wider than 28 is really not neccessary - but: You can also think about the 16-35f4PZ. That lens provides you with 16-50mm easily in crop mode (and 70 is also still very good). Your 85f1.8 can double as 135ish in crop mode and I would say that 180 is still very good. So two realtively small lenses. Only investment is the 16-35. It is worth it! Don't go APS-C now that you already have the a7rIII. The a7cII would also be a step back. If at all, the a7cR would be a step forward.

 

[Canon2018]

Hi all,

I currently have a Sony A7Riii, the original one, not the improved viewfinder version. I also have the 50mm f2.5 lens and 85mm f1.8 lenses for it.

I’m going on a long family trip in April travelling around Florida and the Caribbean, so need camera(s) for general family/tourist photography with a bit of video too (maybe 75/25 photo to video). I don't do much low light photography.

I’ve been thinking about these options:

• Sell the A7Riii for something else, maybe the A6700 or A7Cii and get some different/additional lenses

• Keep the A7Riii but add some new lenses to that setup

• Keep the A7Riii and the lenses I’ve got and get the A6700 as well with a longer zoom (70-200 full frame equivalent) and add a wideangle prime for the A7Riii and take both systems.

The image quality is great out of the A7Riii but the autofocus seems outdated and the video is definitely outdated, I've had it 6 years now. I’m not sure how it holds up to more modern Sony cameras though – is this camera still a good option in 2024?

Doubts I have about the A6700/A7Cii are the viewfinder. Not sure if it is good enough. I put a lot of priority on the ergonomics and touch points of a camera, e.g. grip, EVF and screen. The A7Riii grip is bad (minimal room between grip and bigger lenses) but at least the screens are okay.

If I had an A6700 do you have any thoughts on the best all round lenses to put on it?

I don't need the 42 megapixels of my current camera although it is nice to have, but I'd be fine with dropping to 33 or 26mp.

I’ve probably got a max £2.5k budget for anything additional to what I have, but of course selling what I have and replacing it would push the budget up by about £1.5k

Thanks for any help.

If you are after the best AF, it is important to get the best lenses that won't slow down the system. The best lens for the A6700 would be the Sony 16-55 2.8. Lightning-fast AF and great sharpness. I also tested the Tamron 17-70 and the Sigma 18-50. Although these are good lenses, their AF is not on the Sony's level. I can also recommend the 70-350G.

Although I have no experience with FF, you might consider keeping the A7RIII and adding the 24-105. With the massive 42MP sensor, you could sometimes use the APS-C-mode and travel without a dedicated telephoto lens.

 

[Cheese51]

Thanks for your responses although I'm still not sure what to do; can't make my mind up

 

[Canon2018]

Thanks for your responses although I'm still not sure what to do; can't make my mind up

If you are generally happy with your A7RIII, it is certainly no mistake to stick to what you have. In many cases, it is more useful to add a new lens to your system.

 

[wpstl]

Hi all,

I currently have a Sony A7Riii, the original one, not the improved viewfinder version.

Just an FYI...There was no version of the A7RIII with an improved viewfinder; it was an improved LCD screen in the A version.

 

[A7Fan]

The only way to know for sure about the viewfinder, ergonomics and feel of the camera is to get one in your hand. If you can rent or borrow one for a couple of days you will know when you return it.

I currently own the A7RIIIa and the A7CII. AF on the A7CII is far better and far faster than the RIII. I agree with the post above about sticking with FF but that's my two cents of advice. A used copy of the 28-60 on the A7CII is a great lightweight combo if you are not worried about low light.