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Sony A7R

 
Sony Alpha A7R front
 
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 465g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Released February 2014
  • Renewed by Sony A7R II
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Lenses
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
78
Imaging
74
Features
76
Overall
74

Sony A7R summary

Sony A7R is Sony's Pro Mirrorless camera first introduced on February of 2014. It has got a 36 MegaPixel, CMOS Full frame sized sensor and has a max resolution of 7360 x 4912.

Sony released the more recent Sony A7R II (Read Full Comparison) in order to update this camera.

The A7R is ranked #49 out of 70 in Pro Mirrorless cameras & over-all #119 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our collection. You should try out our Smart camera finder to see camera rankings based on your customized criteria.

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The following is a chart of different factors used in the rating system.

Sony A7R family

The Sony A7R is part of a family of products. You can see the full range below.

ModelVisualizeResolutionSensor SizeMax fpsReleased
Sony-Alpha-A7R-V front thumbnailSony A7R V
A7R vs A7R V
61MPFull frame10.0 fps2022
Sony-Alpha-A7-IV front thumbnailSony A7 IV
A7R vs A7 IV
33MPFull frame10.0 fps2021
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Sony-Alpha-a1 front thumbnailSony a1
A7R vs a1
50MPFull frame30.0 fps2021
Sony-Alpha-A7S-III front thumbnailSony A7S III
A7R vs A7S III
12MPFull frame10.0 fps2020
Sony-Alpha-A9-Mark-II front thumbnailSony A9 II
A7R vs A9 II
24MPFull frame20.0 fps2019
Sony-Alpha-A7R-IV front thumbnailSony A7R IV
A7R vs A7R IV
61MPFull frame10.0 fps2019
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Sony-Alpha-A7-III front thumbnailSony A7 III
A7R vs A7 III
24MPFull frame10.0 fps2018
Sony-Alpha-A7R-III front thumbnailSony A7R III
A7R vs A7R III
42MPFull frame10.0 fps2017
Sony-Alpha-A9 front thumbnailSony A9
A7R vs A9
24MPFull frame20.0 fps2017
Sony-Alpha-A7S-II front thumbnailSony A7S II
A7R vs A7S II
12MPFull frame5.0 fps2015
Sony-Alpha-A7R-II front thumbnailSony A7R II
A7R vs A7R II
42MPFull frame5.0 fps2015
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Sony-Alpha-A7-II front thumbnailSony A7 II
A7R vs A7 II
24MPFull frame5.0 fps2014
Sony-Alpha-A7S front thumbnailSony A7S
A7R vs A7S
12MPFull frame5.0 fps2014
Sony-Alpha-A7R front thumbnailSony A7R36MPFull frame4.0 fps2014
Sony-Alpha-A7 front thumbnailSony A7
A7R vs A7
24MPFull frame5.0 fps2014

Sony A7R Pros and Cons

Below is a list of advantages and drawbacks of the Sony A7R based on things that are oftentimes considered crucial in a camera.

does have HDMI out
does have headphone support
does have microphone support
excellent megapixels (36 megapixels)
great ISO range (25,600)
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
great minimum ISO (100)
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
large sensor size (Full frame)
lighter than competition in class (465g)
NFC support
nice clear screen (1,230 thousand dots)
no anti-alias filter
offers face detect autofocus
screen is a good size (3")
screen tilts up and down
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
you can focus manually
does not have a selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low fps (4.0 fps)
no phase detect autofocus
not so great battery pack (340 shots)
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Sony A7R Sensor specifications

The Sony A7R is powered by the Bionz X processor. The sensor specification in the Sony A7R is 35.9mm x 24mm (Full frame). The 862 mm² sensor is able to capture 7360 x 4912 pixels at aspect ratios of 3:2 and 16:9.

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The CMOS sensor has 36 megapixels and provides a native ISO range of 100 - 25600. RAW format is saved which means that you have wider room to maneuver in post.

Sony opted to skip the anti-alias filter on the Sony A7R. This will result in more sharp photos but could introduce moire under certain situations.

The graphic below displays the A7R's sensor dimensions compared to other common sizes. The A7R sensor has a crop factor of 1 and is presented in green.

Sony Alpha A7R sensor size Photography Glossary

To get a sense of various aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Sony A7R dimensions

Sony A7R weighs about 1.03 lbs (465g / 16.40 oz) & has exterior measurements of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9"). The weight of typical Pro Mirrorless camera is 722g so the Sony A7R is less heavy compared with other rivals.

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The following is a pic of the Sony A7R besides a softdrink so you can get a feel for its scale.

Sony Alpha A7R dimensions scale

The top view directly below will show the button design on the A7R.

Sony Alpha A7R topview buttons dials

Sony A7R Lens specifications

The A7R uses the Sony E mount and has 170 lenses available. Below is a few of the lenses we have in our database which will fit the A7R.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight
Sony-FE-90mm-F2.8-Macro-G-OSS lensSony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS90mmf/2.8 602g
Sony-FE-200-600-F5.6-6.3-G-OSS lensSony FE 200-600 F5.6-6.3 G OSS200-600mmf/5.6-6.3 2115g
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Tamron-35mm-F2.8-Di-III-OSD-M1-2-Sony-FE lensTamron 35mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1:235mmf/2.8210g
Sigma-40mm-F1.4-DG-HSM-A-Sony-FE lensSigma 40mm F1.4 DG HSM A40mmf/1.40g
Sony-E-PZ-18-200mm-F3.5-6.3-OSS lensSony E PZ 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS18-200mmf/3.5-6.3 649g
Samyang-AF-85mm-F1.4-FE lensSamyang AF 85mm F1.4 FE85mmf/1.4568g
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Samyang-50mm-F1.2-AS-UMC-CS--Rokinon-50mm-F1.2-ED-AS-UMC-Sony-E lensSamyang 50mm F1.2 AS UMC CS50mmf/1.2375g
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Sony A7R Connectivity

The A7R has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • Wireless Yes
  • NFC Yes
  • HDMI Yes

Digital cameras with NFC and / or Bluetooth support can easily be used wirelessly via smartphones. You can copy pictures and usually adjust camera settings without the hassle of connecting directly to the camera.

Some applications even provide a Liveview and hit the shutter whenever you are not close to the camera. If the camera includes a HDMI port, it could be connected to an external monitor. Nearly all cameras will allow you to charge the battery pack using the USB socket.

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Sony A7R Video specifications

The max video resolution in the Sony A7R is 1920 x 1080 and you can capture in MPEG-4 and AVCHD format. 1080p resolution provides a good balance in quality and file sizes but 1080p will not give you any room to downsample. The camera does have both headphone and microphone support making it incredibly useful whilst capturing sound.

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Sony A7R Weather Sealing

Sony A7R provides weather proofing making it a great option for use in tough conditions. This is particularly useful any time you are not sure about the elements you may face in outdoor photography.

Sony A7R Display and Viewfinder

The Sony A7R has got a 3 inch tilting screen boasting a resolution of 1,230 thousand dots.

Unfortunately the screen is not a touch screen.

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The View Finder specifications for Sony A7R are as follows:

  • ViewFinder Electronic
  • ViewFinder Resolution 2,359 thousand dots
  • ViewFinder Coverage 100%
  • ViewFinder Magnification 0.71x

For bright outdoor situations which make the camera displays washed out and difficult to see, viewfinders can be quite valuable.

Sony A7R Shutter specifications

Sony A7R is able to shoot continuously at 4.0 fps. The maximum shutter speed is 1/8000 seconds.

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Sony A7R Flash and Hot shoe specifications

Sony A7R has external flash support but comes without built-in flash. The maximum flash sync speed is 1/160 seconds.

Sony A7R Autofocus specifications

Sony A7R has just Contrast Based Autofocus & doesn't have Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection autofocusing is more snappier & exact compared with Contrast Based autofocusing. The camera has got Face detect which makes it handy for portraits.

It has got 25 focus points to pick from. Sony A7R can use manual focusing when required in low light scenarios or you need more accurate control on focusing.

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Sony A7R Battery life

The battery pack (NP-FW50) in the Sony A7R is designed to last for 340 shots with respect to the CIPA benchmarks which is lower as compared with it's rivals. The usual Pro Mirrorless camera battery life is 460. Olympus E-M1X has got the maximum (870) battery life in this kind of cameras.

Here is a number of Pro Mirrorless cameras that have the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth
Photography Glossary
Canon-EOS-R3 front thumbnailCanon R3
A7R vs R3
760 yesnoyes
Nikon-Z9 front thumbnailNikon Z9
A7R vs Z9
740 yesnoyes

Sony A7R for different styles of photography

The following graph provides a summary of the Sony A7R for different styles of photography. To read more, have a look at the specific section below.

Sony A7R as a Portrait photography camera

The Sony A7R gets a rating of 84 which is tremendous, meaning that it is a fantastic choice to use for portraits. Shooting portrait images favors heavily to sensor dimension, RAW support together with the potential to work with external lighting.

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manual focus
fantastic megapixels (36 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
offers face detection focus
exports RAW formats

Sony A7R Street photography factors

With a excellent score of 80, the Sony A7R is a awesome option to buy for street photography. A decent street photography camera features a perfect balance of image quality and portability.

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screen tilts up and down
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
lighter than competition in class (465 grams)
very good high ISO (25,600)
does not have image stabilization

Sony A7R Sports photography advice

A nice sports photography score of 62 means the Sony A7R is a very decent choice for shooting sports. A camera must have very good tracking plus fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

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maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
sensor resolution is excellent (36 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
weather proof
slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
not so great battery power (340 CIPA)
lacks phase detect autofocus

Sony A7R as a Travel photography camera

Size is super critical when selecting a travel camera. In general, the Sony A7R gets a very good 70 as a travel camera which is a fine option for your travels.

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lighter than competition in class (465g)
environment proof
MP count great (36MP)
bad battery life (340 CIPA)
does not feature selfie friendly display

Landscape photography with Sony A7R

For those who are looking to choose a camera for landscape photography, the most important aspect is going to be image quality. The Sony A7R with it's exceptional grade of 78 as a landscape camera is a awesome fit within the current market.

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you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
resolution is fantastic (36MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
does not have low pass filter
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
no image stabilization
terrible battery life (340 CIPA)

Sony A7R as a Vlogging camera

A camera for vlogging ought to offer a moving display screen, mic input and if possible image stabilization. Considering all the details, the Sony A7R is simply not appropriate for vlogging as it gets a low rating of 36.

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includes face detection focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external microphone socket
lighter than others (465 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization

Sony A7R Alternatives

If you are shopping for alternatives to the A7R, below is a list of the top ranked cameras that fall in to the family of Pro Mirrorless.

The chart listed below shows you a summary of the A7R versus it's highest scored competitors suggested earlier.

These are various other cameras you may see as alternatives. To look at a thorough comparison, visit the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Brand
Sony
Model type
Sony Alpha A7R
Category
Pro Mirrorless
Released
2014-02-13
Physical type
SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CMOS
Processor
Bionz X
Sensor size
Full frame
Sensor measurements
35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area
861.6mm²
Sensor resolution
36MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio
3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution
7360 x 4912
RAW files
Maximum native ISO
25600
Minimum native ISO
100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points
25
Lens
Lens mount type
Sony E
Available lenses
121
Crop factor
1
Screen
Type of display
Tilting
Display diagonal
3"
Display resolution
1,230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech
Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type
Electronic
Viewfinder resolution
2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage
100%
Viewfinder magnification
0.71x
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating
95
DXO Color Depth rating
25.6
DXO Dynamic range rating
14.1
DXO Low light rating
2746
Features
Min shutter speed
30s
Max shutter speed
1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate
4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation
Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance
no built-in flash
Flash options
no built-in flash
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize
1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions
1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution
1920x1080
Video file format
MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless
Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight
465g (1.03 pounds)
Dimensions
127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9")
Other
Battery life
340 pictures
Battery style
Battery Pack
Battery ID
NP-FW50
Self timer
Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse feature
With downloadable app
Storage type
SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots
One
Price at release
$1,898