Sony has removed Firmware Update 2.00 for a7 III & a7R III due to a rarely occurring playback problem reported by multiple users.

I’ve been using a7R III with firmware 2.00 since its release and have not experienced the issue – but based on the notes, this may happen if you don’t reformat your SD card in camera after downloading images. Best practice is to always reformat following a download. Doing so may avoid the issue entirely.

Sony is working on updated firmware for release in mid-December. In the mean time, I recommend that those of you running FW 2.00 on a7 III or a7R III, set your cameras to write simultaneously to both card slots until new firmware is released. You should also reformat your SD cards after downloading. Always.

Official Sony Text:

It has come to our attention that the following issues may occur with our a7R III and a7 III interchangeable lens digital cameras.

1. In rare cases, your a7R III or a7 III model may stop functioning while writing RAW data onto an SD card that has already been used multiple times.

This may also cause abnormalities in the files managing the images, preventing the images from displaying on the camera

No image data in the memory card will be corrupted or deleted aside from data that was being written at the time the interruption occurred

If images no longer display on the camera, follow the steps below to use “Recover Image DB” feature:

Select MENU → (Setup) → [Recover Image DB] → desired memory card slot → [Enter]

Then, when taking a picture, back up the data on a PC or other device, and format the memory card on your camera.

2. With the a7R III, taking a picture while using the Auto Review function, may occasionally cause the camera to stop responding.

We will provide an update to the system software addressing to the above issues in mid-December. Until then, please take the following precautions:

While we are preparing to provide new system software, we will no longer offer updates to the current system software.

Before taking any pictures, format the memory cards in both slots on the camera, or use a new memory card.

Ensure the Auto Review function is off when taking pictures.

We would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused while using the affected products and thank you for your understanding.

via: Sony-Asia