Sony A7R Review: Is the Original Still Worth Buying?

The Sony A7R is a mirrorless camera, like the Nikon D800E. It has the same sensor as that camera but an improved lens system to address the lens’s proximity to the rear element.

It’s exciting to finally have an awesome camera that doesn’t weigh much like that D800. That’s the whole reason I never bought that camera. I want a smaller and lighter camera. I travel a lot and shoot landscapes. Nobody wants to hike 10 miles with a 5-pound camera. But it also feels solid in your hand, even though it is small.

Image Quality

The 36 megapixels and lack of a high-pass filter make for incredibly sharp images. The detail in the shadow and highlight recovery is also more than I expected.

My previous camera was the Canon 5D Mark II, and to me, this feels like a major leap forward. Another great thing about having 36 megapixels is that you can crop your images into panoramic views and still maintain high quality for fine-art landscape prints. This is a critical feature for me. I no longer have to shoot pano and stitch as I did with my Canon 5D Mark II.

Shot with the Metabones Adapter and the Canon 16-35mm f2.8L II lens.

Current Native Lenses Available For The Sony A7r

After only a year, there are already many amazing native lenses for this camera. The complete list of all the native full-frame E-mount lenses is here.

Bokah!

Because of the full-frame sensor size, you get more bokeh from your lenses than you would with an APS-C camera.

Sample Images with the Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 35mm

Sony A7r Video Review

Video is only so-so with this camera—not because of the sensor but because of the user features. You can shoot in two file formats: AVCHD and MP4. AVCHD gives you higher quality, but is tough to work with. You’re also limited in your color profiles. You cannot import your custom profiles, which forces you to use neutral with all the settings turned down. The camera will also overheat on a hot day.

Be sure to check out my Sony Mirrorless Video Guide for more information on shooting video.

There are better options if you’re serious about video. I wouldn’t recommend this camera for video only.

Negatives About The Sony A7r

There are a few negatives to this camera that I don’t like.

–The main one for me is the short battery life. 350 photos per battery is bad. My Canon could go days. You won’t notice it so much if you just travel to one location, shoot and go home. But if you’re shooting all day, constantly, you might go through a few batteries.

Batteries, when shooting video, are comparable to those of the 5D Mark II.

-You’ll find the sensor gets dirty very quickly. If you change lenses frequently, you’ll likely have to learn to clean your sensor. It’s not like a traditional DSLR. There is no mirror to offer that first layer of protection. It’s scary.

The Autofocus is good but not great. But I forgive them for this, since it is built into the chip rather than a separate autofocus sensor, as on most DSLRs. This technology is only so good right now.

-The build quality feels good but not great. I can’t imagine this camera lasting me 10 years like a Canon camera would. There seem to be so many external moving pieces. But we’ll have to wait and see.

-As mentioned, video features could need a massive overhaul. It’s 2014. We don’t need to shoot MP4 and AVCHD anymore. Please give me some PRORES or something useful.

Extra Gear I Have For The Sony A7r

If you’re looking to pick up some extra gear to accompany your Sony A7, A7S, or A7R, check out some recommended gear that I currently use with my camera.

Sony A7r Landscape Photography Review

To me, this is the best Full-Frame camera for Landscape Photography. Sure, the D810 is better in terms of image performance and weather sealing, but the weight of this camera alone makes up for it.

The sensor’s sharpness and the color information you get are mind-blowing. The shadow recovery and detail make you feel like you’re cheating. Because of the sensor’s dynamic range, I have to bracket less to get the same results as the Canon 5D Mark II bracketed.

Sony A7r Landscape Sample Photo

One Negative About Shooting HDR With The Sony A7R

My only complaint about using this camera for Landscape and HDR photography is that you cannot set a countdown timer while bracketing. It would be best to hold down the shutter button to take several bracketed shots. Long exposures will create movement, resulting in soft images. To shoot long-exposure HDRs, you have to set the camera to use a countdown timer and bracket each shot individually. It’s a pain, and I’m not sure what Sony was thinking.

The alternative is to order an inexpensive remote countdown timer, which you can find in my guide below.

Check out my Guide for Shooting HDR on the Sony A7r

SONY A7R SAMPLE PHOTOS

To see the original size, click the photo, then click O at the top. To see the EXIF data, click the image, then click the top right x, then you’ll see an ‘i’ to the right.