Sony A7RV Camera Review

Speed vs. resolution. Resolution vs. sensitivity. Resolution vs. file size.

There are many tradeoffs that photographers choose from when deciding on a camera. This is a time when photographers are spoiled for choice, which actually makes deciding where to spend their hard-earned money harder.

Currently I shoot with two cameras, the Sony A7IV and the A7RV. Here I’ll be discussing the A7RV.

For those unfamiliar with Sony’s naming convention (which can be confusing even to those who are familiar with it!), Sony breaks all of their mirrorless camera bodies into the “Alpha” moniker. This is how I understand it, although I’m not sure anyone really does (and don’t get me started on the fact that these cameras also have a model name used by Sony when you are looking for firmware updates. My A7RV is also called an “ILCE-7RM5” for some ridiculous reason).

• A1 is the flagship model, sort of the “best of all worlds” body. The A1 II was just launched on November 19th, 2024.
• A9 tends to be their high-speed camera bodies, with the A9 III being the latest iteration, shooting up to 120fps at 24 megapixels.
• A7 is the sweet spot for almost everyone, representing great stills and video, an excellent sensor, and remarkable value for money. If you’re not sure where to start with the Sony system, this is the place.
• A7S is the “Sensitive” one. This one excels at low light and is a gold-standard mirrorless camera for videography.
• A7R is the one with “Resolution,” representing Sony’s efforts at uncompromising detail with a whopping 60 megapixels — at the expense of some speed.

The Sony A7RV may be familiar to those who have used the A7IV, as the bodies are almost identical in size, shape, and layout. The critical difference here is that it was the first camera to have a 4-way tilt monitor. This allows flipping the monitor out to the side and seeing it from the front, like videographers like — but it also lets you flip it up or down, for example when shooting from the waist. This turns out to be a critical feature for me when using this camera for family and event photography. It’s a must-have, and I’m happy to see it now appearing in the A9 III and A1 II.

Why 60 megapixels?

I’ll be honest — it’s fun for macro photography and zooming in ridiculously close on landscapes. But the main reason for 60MP is because I don’t need to use 60 megapixels. Stay with me here.

60 megapixels is overkill for almost any kind of photography. Its super power is cropping. You can crop into these huge, mega-detailed images and not lose any perceived sharpness. With the A7RV I can crop into an image almost 2x and still be at the normal resolution of my A7IV.

But it gets even better.

I primarily (pun intended) use prime lenses. On the A7RV I can effectively have two focal lengths at the push of a button. In the Sony system, you can select the size of the raw files written to the card: Uncompressed, Lossless Compressed (Small, Medium, Large), and Compressed. I often use “Lossless Compressed M,” which always writes a 26MP file — plenty for professional photos (remember, the Sony A9 III is a 24-megapixel camera, and it costs $6,000).

The secret is that almost all of the buttons on Sony cameras are programmable, and I assign one to put the camera into APS-C crop mode. In normal mode the camera uses the entire 60MP sensor but writes a 26MP file. Push the crop button, and the camera uses a smaller portion of the sensor — and still writes a 26MP file. A 1.5x multiplier is applied to your lens: a 50mm becomes (effectively) a 75mm. It’s a digital teleconverter, and thanks to the A7RV’s resolution there is very little compromise. My 24mm GM can also be a 36mm. My 35mm can be a 52mm. My 85mm can be a 127mm, and even my 70–200mm GM II can be a 105–300mm zoom. This singular ability changed how I photograph, and when I use my A7IV, I miss it.

The autofocus

The A7IV has great autofocus — class-leading, in fact. The A7RV is on another level entirely. Subject detection, eye lock-on, and tracking are supernatural compared to most systems out there right now. Even when it can’t see a subject’s eyes, its AI-assisted system sees the person and keeps tracking them almost unerringly. If a shot misses focus, it’s almost certainly my fault.

What else is good? It’s small and light — surprisingly so. It’s actually almost too small for me; I put a SmallRig bottom plate on mine so my pinky finger has a home. The in-body stabilization is amazing — rock solid, eliminating even my worst coffee-fueled hand shakes. Low light is surprisingly not-terrible for a high-resolution sensor. I can shoot up to ISO 8000 without things getting really scratchy, and modern AI denoise apps like Topaz are phenomenal at cleaning it up.

What’s not to like?

It’s not the prettiest camera — though all the Japanese cameras kind of look the same now, blocky bodies festooned with buttons. It won’t win a beauty contest against a Hasselblad or Leica, but it’s also half the price and makes photos every bit as good.

I don’t like that Sony uses CFexpress Type A cards — Type B cards are cheaper and faster. For most people, though, V90 SD cards are fast enough for anything you’ll do with this camera. The EVF is beautiful, but it loses resolution and gets grainy while tracking focus. It doesn’t affect anything, but you notice it. The rear monitor should be higher resolution and brighter in this day and age. And it’s not the fastest frames-per-second shooter out there — the electronic shutter has noticeable rolling shutter. A drummer will look like they have rubber drumsticks.

This camera is for still images, and that’s where it truly shines. None of the downsides are reasons not to use this camera. Most photographers don’t need 60MP — and those who do, know it. If you know how 60MP can help you as a tool, it’s a powerful one. It’s a phenomenal imaging device.