This week the Sony Alpha a7V was announced (specs here), just a little more than 4 years after its predecessor the Sony Alpha a7IV was announced. In terms of features, this camera sounds like quite a decent upgrade for a stills shooter like myself, but is it worth the extra cost?
Coming in at $2,898 USD or $4699 AUD, this is quite a jump from launch prices of the a7IV and not exactly an entry level price like what we seen with the a7 III which shook up what entry level bodies could do. It does seem that the a7C II has taken that entry level spot and the a7V is now more of a mid level body. Here’s my thought process on if it’s worth the upgrade.
What Makes Me Want to Get It
One of the biggest selling points of the a7V is its new partially stacked 33MP sensor that has a faster readout speed without sacrificing on dynamic range which has also reportedly been increased to 16 stops. In all honestly I don’t really need a faster sensor as I don’t shoot sports or wildlife but the latter has been an interest of mine, and could be once again one day if I own the right lens again.
Another aspect is the better battery life which isn’t a huge deal but is something that’s always improved. I don’t shoot events or professionally so the only time that battery life really matters to me is when I travel. I’ve had no complaints from the a7C II although it did have the same size battery as the a7IV so it was never a step down to begin with. The improved rear screen is a huge selling point to me as well (despite being something not really worth upgrading for) since it can not only flip out (very important for those of us who shoot vertically at low/high angles) and also tilt up and down for shooting in horizontal aspect. If I had to have one or the other I’d much prefer the flip/articulating screen but this one doesn’t make you choose between the 2.
The next reason I’d want to get the a7V is the dual card slots, one of which being a CFExpress Type A. This isn’t so much of a big deal over the a7IV when you don’t need speed and burst shooting like myself but it is one extra slot compared to my a7C II. Personally I didn’t shoot dual cards normally but when you travel this it can be great to have that backup, even if it’s just to store another card so you know you can’t forget it.
Autofocus does appear to be improved over the a7IV which I have no doubt about but how much better than the a7C II is another question. If it’s on the same level as the a7CII then that is enough reason for me to want the camera but if it’s an improvement over my current body, that makes it even better and worth buying.
Something I definitely miss from my a7IV is the better ergonomics of these larger bodies. Even for that period where I owned the a7IV and a7C II, using the former after the latter felt so premium and solidly built. Having a body like the a7V as your main body just has a great feel to it and the camera feels so nice in the hand. I don’t feel cramped on the a7C II but the lack of a joystick can be annoying at times.
What I Don’t Like
I think the main downside for almost anyone would be the price of the camera as $4699 is a significant amount, it’s even higher than the a7RV here in Australia. I know the price will drop as the a7C II launched at $3499 AUD then I got it for $2600 AUD 3 months later on sale so if I even give it until end of financial year I’ll see a significant discount on it, but even then I expect to be paying at least $2000 out of pocket after selling my a7C II which is like buying an a6700 or Fuji X-S20.
Despite being a really great camera in reviews and on paper, I’m not sure it’s worth almost double the price of the a7C II when it’s on sale and if my shooting continues to be as limited as it has been this year, it may not be worth it when I’m really trying to avoid G.A.S and spending unnecessarily.
The other issue which isn’t necessarily a major issue but has to be discussed is size and weight. When including a battery and SD card, the a7V comes in at 695g and a7C II comes in at 514g which isn’t a huge difference at just under 200g but it would be noticeable as it was when I would carry both my a7IV and a7CII.
If there was a weight increase without feature increase then it would make the swap seem pointless but as you are getting a better build, extra card slot and a better functioning rear screen along with a larger EVF then this complicates things. The most likely scenario knowing myself is I’ll buy this camera, but likely once the prices drop down to a reasonable level and if I do buy it, I’ll be sure to release a first impressions and review for it.
Upcoming Review
Last but not least, I have a review of the Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM coming out on Wednesday morning (Sydney time). This will probably be my final review of the year and something that has honestly been sitting in my drafts for probably a year now.
Are you planning to get the Sony a7V or is it something you’re not really interested in? Let me know in the comments below!