I told you many times before that the Sony A7sIII is the oldest Full Frame E-mount camera in the lineup. But so far NONE of my trusted sources hinted about the possibility of a successor coming any time soon. PetaPixel explains perfectly what the “problem” with the lineup is:
With the introduction of the FX3, Sony kickstarted its Cinema Line, pulling what made the a7S series compelling into a different family. Between the Alpha line becoming consistently better at video with each new model and the FX3 launching, it’s easy to see why people think the a7S IV may never come. The case against the camera is pretty strong.
PetaPixel believes that the only reason FOR a new A7sIV is the new global shutter tech:
If Sony wants — and “wants” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here — to continue the a7S line with an a7S IV, I think putting the a9 III’s 24-megapixel global shutter sensor in an Alpha-series body and adding the video features the a9 III is missing into the mix would make for a very compelling hybrid camera in a traditional SLR-style body — something I believe people still want.
But Jordan Drake still thinks there will be NO new A7sIV:
What could Sony take away from the a9 III to make a less expensive, more video-centric hybrid camera? The ethernet port? Some burst shooting options? None of that would allow a significant enough discount for the a7S IV to make sense.
But what if you put that sensor in an FX series video body? The FX9 is woefully outdated at this point, with a slow 24MP sensor and dated recording modes. Simply add the a9 III’s global shutter and record modes to that body, and it’s immediately a compelling choice for high-end work. And similarly, this sensor could be added to the fan-cooled, easily rigged FX3/30 body. The lack of an EVF and fundamentally different design would differentiate this hypothetical camera from the a9 III and could probably be substantially cheaper
I honestly don’t know if the A7sIV would find enough buyers at this point. The A9III and the future FX3III are probably too close in terms of features to really make the A7sIV stand out. What are your thoughts on that?
