I have been shooting this little guy nearly every day for a year now and know it inside and out. I'm a working, full time photographer and I shoot Sony. There - I said it. My Nikons and Canons sit in the studio and make excellent gifts for my kids, my nieces and nephews when birthdays or holidays sneak up on me.
I am SO pleased with this little body I don't even know where to start. The resolution and low light capability are nothing short of amazing. Paired with a Zeiss 55 FE1.8, there is NOTHING out there - at any price - that will challenge the resolution and separation this little set up will produce; in a wide range of conditions, even at twice the bulk and weight. I have dozens of exceptional lenses and around 10 bodies left, and by FAR - the A7r with the Zeiss are my bread and butter - day in, day out.
It is not a forgiving rig - make no mistake - it will amplify any and all errors on your part, so be prepared to revisit your basic skill practice. It is SO sharp that any technique weakness you have WILL be apparent. I spent the first day setting the customizable button settings and haven't touched the mode dial since - it's on M and will stay there for ANOTHER 100k exposures. The EVF is phenomenal and compared with just the last generation, is largely lag free.
I primarily do portraits and environmental editorial work and for my niche, it absolutely ROCKS. The EF focus is a portrait artist's dream feature and it works under most conditions once you learn how to use it. There is a learning curve for this body, but the results are so spectacular it's a non-issue. Landscapes are right at the peak of this little guy's power curve and in capable hands, you will HAVE to go to medium format to overtake it. Resolution and sharpness (with the right glass of course) is stunning, colors are absolutely perfect and I have found no weakness in any use where a tripod is a viable option - NONE.
The stories of a loud shutter are grossly overstated. The myths of shutter shake are complete BS. Any image that comes out with anything less than breathtaking sharpness and resolution is due to operator error - period.
Sports? Not my first choice. Fast action? Probably not. Uber long lenses and wildlife? Maybe but the tiny body hanging off a 400mm f2.8 is disconcerting, visually as well as tactically. Huge glass needs a hefty body for balance and the A7r just doesn't have it, and while the shutter isn't a lot louder than any other FF dslr, the lack of a first curtain or silent mode makes other options better for skitterish critters.
Pros for me:
Size and weight are ideal. Solid but not heavy or bulky.
INFINITE glass possibilities. All my old Minoltas, Voightlanders, Leicas, Zeiss, and (now) repurposed Canon and Nikon FF glass produce BETTER results on the A7r than they ever did on their native bodies.
A (finally) standard hot shoe means lighting possibilities are VASTLY improved over previous Sony offerings. Strobes, speed lights and bare bulb - old or new - they're all usable again - YAY
EVF is astonishing. WYSIWYG and it really is WYG
Focus peaking makes focus stacking SO easy, even a caveman like me can do it.
Tethered use - via lightroom or Capture one - sorely absent in previous Sony models.
Wireless triggers (ramp, bulb, interval and time lapse in addition to a zillion different triggering methods like light, vibration, sound, facial recognition, etc) open up some amazing possibilities.
While not silent, it is small and unobtrusive for street use - not at all intimidating and it can actually be carried all day without a chiropractor on call. (And there are some truly phenomenal 20-40mm pancakes out there that SHINE on this body)
Good 3rd party batteries are cheap and perform well, and they're small - easily fit 3+ in a pocket.
Assign almost any button to the functions YOU use most - and there are PLENTY of buttons.
Highly customizable as far as your presets and ranges - if you know what you normally use and have some time under your belt, you rarely need to go into the menus.
Eye Focus - a life saver for super fast glass in a portrait setting - and YES - it really works ;)
If I do my part, this little body delivers STUNNING images consistently.
With the dedicated lenses, no switching to fine tune (with auto zoom!) focus manually - and with peaking, precise control is easy
Cons for me
Limited multiple exposure capability (but I'm hoping for a firmware update to address it beyond the 2 exposure current limit)
CD focus only unless using the Sony adapter with PD (which works well most of the time but it's noisy as hell and feels like something might break)
Useless for IR - the filter is ridiculously effective - I'll have one converted when I can swing a second A7r body)
Battery life. Around 300 images with EVF and LCD in use and radio trigger on top (but I carry several batteries at all times, so not a game breaker - and swap out is a 10 second deal).
Movie button is poorly placed (I have it shut off so it only works if mode dial is set to movie though - so again not a big problem)
On a speed plate, the LCD is hard to swing out ... and speaking of LCD - I miss the fully articulated screen on the A77 at times like overhead or ground level shots and especially for verticals
In a nutshell, for my work, it isn't perfect but it's pretty darn close. It's paid for itself many times over just in the last several months, and has never missed a beat. If and when it dies, I'll gladly buy another.
This is NOT a camera for beginners in any sense. Less than flawless technique is mercilessly punished and glaringly obvious. That having been said, with the right glass, when you get it right, the results are TRULY breathtaking. After ~30 years, 4 of my best 10 images have been made with this body in the last year and I have no reason to believe it's going to let up any time soon.
10/10 if it fits your shooting style and intended use.
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This Item  Sony a7R Full-Frame Mirrorless Digital Camera - Body Only |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $2,498.00 | -8% $2,298.00 List: $2,499.99 | -7% $2,498.00 List: $2,699.99 | -10% $3,498.00 List: $3,899.99 | -7% $1,399.00 List: $1,499.00 | $2,198.00 |
| Delivery | Get it Apr 29 - May 6 | Get it as soon as Thursday, Apr 25 | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 26 | Get it as soon as Thursday, Apr 25 | Get it as soon as Thursday, Apr 25 | Get it as soon as Thursday, Apr 25 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Image stabilization | ||||||
| Auto focus | ||||||
| Picture quality | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Sold By | Wall Street Photo Authorized Seller | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| display type | LCD | LCD | LCD | OLED | LCD | LCD |
| display size | 3 inches | 3 inches | 3 inches | — | 3 inches | 3 inches |
| lens type | 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) color electronic viewfinder | Wide Angle | Wide Angle | Telephoto | Telephoto | Wide Angle |
| shooting modes | Silent Shooting | Auto, Programmed, Aperture, Shutter speed, Manual, Movie | Auto, Programmed, Aperture, Shutter speed, Manual, Movie | Movie,Automatic,Shutter Priority,Manual,Sports | Automatic, Movie, Shutter Priority | Movie |
| connectivity tech | NFC, HDMI, USB | HDMI, USB | HDMI, USB | x | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Micro HDMI, USB | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| video resolution | FHD 1080p | 4320p | 4320p | 4K UHD 2160p | 4320p | 2160p |
| optical zoom | 4 multiplier x | 8 multiplier x | 8 multiplier x | 0 multiplier x | 0 multiplier x | — |
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DPReview: Small Cameras Big Sensors: Part 1
DPReview
Reviews with images
shutter design defect in SONY A7R
Shutter spontaneously broke apart and crashed into sensor.First photo shows a piece of the shutter assembly that broke off.Second photo shows where the broken shutter scraped sensor glass.This camera was treasured and well taken care of. It was not subject to impact or trauma of any kind. Shutter count is only moderate. Failure occurred in second year. This is clearly a flaw in design or manufacture.Precision Camera Repair in Connecticut (Sony US warranty repair) sent photos to Sony at their request. Sony also requested a sales receipt for the camera (which was supplied) already knowing that this camera was out of warranty. But then the Precision technician stamped those photos "Impact Damage" with no explanation, no visible external damage, and no indication of where Impact might have occurred.Upon my inquiry,"Does the technician mean Impact to the whole camera or Impact to the sensor by the failed shutter?"Precision replied:"The damage is to the shutter." "Unfortunately we're unable to determine how the damage was caused because we didn't have the camera here in our facility to see what it was going through before we received it."SONY National Customer Relations replied:"Sony takes great pride in the workmanship and design of each of our products, thus, a Limited Warranty was provided with your product that warrants against defects in material or workmanship for a designated period. We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you. However, due to the fact that your unit is already past the limited warranty, Sony will not be able to able to honor your request."But Sony knew the camera was out of warranty when they shipped the camera to Precision, when they requested photos, and when they requested a sales receipt. Apparently, SONY pride and workmanship only lasts one year. Sony's motto: "Quality goes in before we cram the covers on."Subsequently, the original estimate of $650 to replace shutter and sensor glass was lowered to about $400 by Precision. At that point, I requested return of the camera without repair.
