Sony has announced the A7 III mirrorless cameras as successor to the three-year-old A7 II. It combines some of the best features of the A9 and A7R III into an affordable $2,000 package (body only).

One of the biggest differences between the A7 III and its predecessor is a brand new 24.2-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor with back-illuminated technology (BSI). A back-illuminated sensor allows the A7 III to collect more light than before and Sony claims it's capable of 15 stops of dynamic range at low sensitivities. Sony adds that the new sensor should help improve colour reproduction of skin tones and landscape images, and it's capable of an extremely high ISO of 204,800.

The A7 III inherits the same autofocus system that can be found on the A9, so it features 693 phase detection points that cover 93 per cent of the sensor area, along with Sony's own 4D focus system that tracks subjects and predicts their movements.

Sony's new mirrorless camera can shoot full-resolution images at up to 10fps with continuous AF tracking, to produce 177 JPEGs, 89 compressed RAW or 40 uncompressed RAW images.

Furthermore, the A7 III can record 4K HDR video, or full HD 1080p video at up to 120fps and the image processor allows the camera to take 710 photos on a single charge.

On the back is a 2.3 million dot OLED viewfinder, a USB Type-C port and an AF joystick which is weather resistant. You also get 11 customisable buttons and a customisable "My Menu" function that lets you create a menu page with the most regularly used settings.

The new Sony A7 III will be available from March for £2,000 body only, or £2,200 with an SEL2870 kit lens.