The latest Sony A7R V (Alpha 7R V) is a great camera, but more for professionals. It packs a humongous 61MP sensor, super snappy autofocus, and an excellent four-way LCD display. With a hefty S$5,749 price tag for the body only, it's probably too much an ask for the normal consumer. If you're a beginner, you may want to grab the Sony A7 IV, or the Sony A7 III instead.
Quick specs
- 61MP 35mm full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor
- 100 to 32,000 ISO range
- Up to 530 shots per full charge
- 8K 24p and 4K 60p video
However, if budget isn't an issue, you'll love the image quality of the 61MP sensor. Noise does creep in significantly after 1,600 ISO, though. But even at 12,800 ISO I found images were still usable, just speckled with noise when you zoom in. If you want even more resolution, you can use the Pixel Shift mode (found on the older A7R IV, too) to get an image with 240.8MP. You'll need a tripod, but the Imaging Edge software can somewhat compensate for hand held. I wouldn't use this camera if I need super fast burst shots for sports — this camera maxes out at 10fps, far from the impressive Canon EOS R3‘s 30fps.
The main reason to get the A7R V is the new autofocus AI, which can lock on insects, trains, birds, animals, and humans easily. It's good enough to get the focus lock on the eyes of a bird in flight even though I could barely keep up with the flying. It may be similar in performance to the Canon R6 MKII, which has similar autofocus capabilities. We're hoping to test the R6 MKII soon, and will update this review accordingly. The autofocus tracking can also be configured for left or right eyes for humans, or set it to only focus on bird heads only, instead of the eye, head, and body.
Another useful feature for professionals is the bracket focus, which lets you automatically snap a series of photos for focus stacking. It's really useful for product photography to keep your objects sharp and in focus. The bigger sensor size may make sense for astro shots, but I haven't been able to do proper star trails since the weather has been ridiculously cloudy the last two weeks. Design-wise, the Sony A7R V is similar to other Sony cameras, and comes with a great four-way LCD display. I love how it lets me play around with angles much better than my current A7 III. The EVF is also excellent. Video modes also include 4K 60p and 8K 24p/25p.
There's no doubt the Sony A7R V is a great camera. It's perfect for landscapes, and the autofocus means it's great for portraits or weddings. However, it's really a working camera for professionals. But if you got the cash, why not? Get it from Sony, Lazada, or Shopee.
Note: Review unit provided by Sony. We used the Sony SEL2470GM2 and the Sony FE 100-400mm G Master to test the camera.
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