sony a7 lcd screen replacement pricelist

Thank you for your constructive comment. The criteria we needed to meet for this project was to provide instruction on iFixit guides for how to remove various parts on the device. We were being evaluated on the content pertaining to our writing and not the technical depth of the guide. Furthermore, we did not have a vested interest in replacing the screen nor did we have another screen to replace it with. In your rush to make a rude comment, you might have missed the end of the guide where it states that in order to reassemble you must follow the steps we provided in the reverse order. Reverse means doing something in the opposite direction.

Fixation has been serving professional photographers for 30 years and we are very proud to be appointed the first walk-in Sony Imaging PRO Support Centre in the UK, bringing the same quality and level of support for which we’re renowned to Sony Professional users. We can repair all Sony Alpha E-mount cameras, including the flagship a9 II, the a7R IV and many more.

Eligible Sony Pro Support members can also take advantage of the same Sony Pro Support benefits here at Fixation such as free sensor cleaning and free repair collection and return service. As with all Fixation repairs, we provide free estimates and fast turnaround times.

We can repair your Sony cameras and lenses under warranty or out of warranty as chargeable repairs. Either way, you can rest assured your equipment is in good hands. If your Sony camera is not in warranty and you are interested to know our usual costs, please see our price guide below.

Whether you’ve cracked your screen; damaged your sensor or perhaps your shutter has decided that’s one shot more than it’s willing to give, you can rest assured that your camera is in safe hands. Our expert team of Sony specialist engineers are on-hand to re-build your camera from the frame up if needed.

Sony mirrorless sensors can easily get dusty. When you take the lens or body cap from your camera the sensor is right there. We have cleaned dust, oil, pollen and fingerprints from Sony sensors with our fast while you wait sensor cleaning service.

The LCD display on Sony cameras is essential for accessing the camera menu, reviewing images and monitoring video recording. When these displays start to fail or if your screen is damaged or scratched it can really disrupt your photography and filmmaking.

Variable angle LCD displays on Sony mirrorless camera bodies are connected to the main camera body by a flexible printed circuit board. With repeated use this flexible connection can begin to wear out, or the screen can become loose, and lose connection with the camera.

The sensor in Sony alpha cameras is held in an image stabilisation system that allows movement in up to 5-axis. The sensor is exposed when the lens cap or lens is removed and we have seen cases where the sensor has been impacted, scratched or the sensor filter cracked.

We hope this never happens to you, but in the unlikely event your sensor is damaged our Sony specialist technicians will provide a free estimate which details the work required to bring your camera back to standard.

Hot pixels are single pixels on a Sony sensor that are putting out the wrong signal to the camera’s image processor resulting in a bright speck in your images. These may be more apparent when shooting at higher ISOs, recording long exposures, or shooting video.

Dead pixels occur when a pixel has failed and is no longer sending any signal to the image processor. The result is a black pixel in your images. Dead pixels can occur at any time and may be due to the sensor overheating they are commonly encountered by photographers using their Sony camera for long exposures or video.

The remedy for hot and dead pixels is re-mapping the sensor, instructing the camera to ignore the faulty pixels. In severe cases where re-mapping is not possible our Sony technicians may suggest a sensor replacement.

The A7 mark IV is the successor to the very popular A7 mark III, and brings a lot of relevant improvements, from a new sensor to the updated AF system and video capabilities.

The original A7R IV has been discontinued and quietly replaced by the A7R IVA. The changes are very subtle, with the most noticeable difference being the higher resolution of the LCD screen (2.36M vs 1.44M dots on the original model). Other details are included in the chapters below.

Ethics statement: the following is based on our personal experience with the A7 IV and A7R IV. We were not asked to write anything about these products, nor were we provided with any sort of compensation. Within the article, there are affiliate links. If you buy something after clicking the link, we will receive a small commission. To know more about our ethics, you can visit our full disclosure page. Thank you!

The 10 Main Differences in a NutshellImage Quality: the A7R IV produces impressive results concerning sharpness and details, in addition to giving you greater crop possibilities. It also performs very well up to ISO 12800. The A7 IV has updated picture profiles, and lots to offer when it comes to dynamic range.Autofocus: the A7 IV is more precise with face and eye detection, and also delivers a better keeper rate for birds in flight. The A7R IV is not too far behind concerning the latter, but struggles more with Eye AF.Buffer: the A7 IV has superior capabilities by a long margin when using the CF express card, which is however more expensive than a SD card. Both cameras go as fast as 10fps, which is quite the effort for the R model considering it has almost double the megapixels.Pixel Shift Multi Shooting: the performance concerning in-body stabilisation is pretty similar, but the R model uses the technology for an extra feature that produces a 240MP file!Movie Recording: the A7 IV has more features and advanced options, including 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording and 4K 60p (in Super35 mode). The R model produces the best results in crop mode and has slightly more dynamic range in the highlights.Viewfinder and LCD monitor: the ‘R’ has more resolution for both. The A7 IV has more touch functionalities thanks to the new menu system.Design and Functionality: the A7 IV makes it easier to separate the still and photo modes, while also giving you more customisation options for each (including the memory recall that works in movie mode). The newest camera also sports a full sized HDMI port and a faster USB C port.Memory cards: both can work with two SD UHS-II cards, but only the A7 IV takes one CFexpress Type A card, which helps the buffer among other things.Tidbits: the A7 IV offers extra functionalities, including the possibility of USB streaming without any plugin or software required.Price: the A7R IV(A) is $1000 more expensive.

Both cameras feature a full frame sensor with BSI (back-illumination) but the main difference is the number of pixels: the A7 IV has 33MP, whereas the R model has almost double that at 61MP.

The R model lacks a low pass filter in order to maximise sharpness. There hasn’t been any official confirmation regarding the presence of a low pass filter on the A7 IV, and there are contrasting opinions on the Internet regarding whether it has one or not. In my view, if there is one, it’s a weak version. I did an extra test to find traces of moiré: as you can see below, the A7R IV shows more of it, but the A7 IV is not immune either.

The A7 IV also features a more recent image processor, the BionZ XR, which has faster processing capabilities than the BionZ X on the R model. Additionally, the new camera comes with the latest updates concerning the colour palette and the picture profiles. In fact, the A7 IV has a new set called Creative Looks, which replaces the old Creative Style found on the ‘R’.

The difference are not always striking, but in the example below you can see how the A7 IV produces more vibrant greens on the hill, and the blue of the sky/water has slightly less magenta.

Moving on to the dynamic range test, both cameras do equally well. They retain the same amount of highlights, and shadow recovery is on par too. If we really want to nitpick, I could mention that the A7R IV produces a bit more colour cast around the paws of the stuffed toy, but it’s a small difference.

I was pleased to see how well the A7R IV can handle high ISOs, despite the higher megapixel count. Up to 12,800, the results are comparable. It’s only from 25,600 that you start to see more noise on the ‘R’, and the difference becomes greater from 51,200 because it starts using the extended values sooner than the A7 IV. Needless to say, the highest ISO levels look pretty bad on both.

One last thing worth highlighting is the possibility of selecting Lossless compressed RAW on the A7 IV, whereas the A7R has Lossy compressed and Uncompressed only. And if you’re wondering how much space a RAW file takes on a memory card for each camera, have a look at the table below.

Another improvement is phase detection autofocus which works up to f/22 on the A7 IV, at a 6fps or faster drive speed. The A7R IV can’t manage smaller apertures than f/11. This means that the A7 IV can work with full AF performance when using a lens like the FE 200-600mm and the TC 2.0x (f/13 at 600mm).

Concerning the software, the A7 IV has the most recent processor, so it receives a few extra features. For example, Eye AF works with birds in addition to humans and animals, and the three subject types (humans, animals, birds) also work in video mode.

In a severe low light test, the A7 IV did better than the R model. It managed to take 6 shots at the beginning of the sequence (although not all of them were in focus), then it stopped until the end of the walk when extra light coming from the TV helped the camera reacquire focus.

The A7R IV couldn’t take more than two images at the beginning, and was only able to re-focus correctly at the end. Note that I used Focus rather than Release priority on both cameras, which is why they didn’t take any images in the middle of the sequence, as neither was capable of focusing correctly at that point.

With face and eye detection, the A7 IV has the edge. In the test below, where the subject walked back and forth, and then walked while turning on herself, the camera gave me a very good hit rate of 88%, which beats the score of 80% in my first review of the camera (probably thanks to firmware 1.01 that improves the Eye AF performance).

The A7R IV has a lower score, not so much because of out of focus images, but because of the bigger presence of slightly soft results, where the eyes are a bit soft in comparison to the nose or ears of the subject (meaning focus is a little too short or far). It also struggled more when the subject was further away at the beginning of the sequence, as well as when she turned 360˚ near the end.

Eye AF also works for animals, but the ‘R’ model can’t detect birds. That gives the A7 IV a distinctive advantage, especially with small birds perched on a tree because A) you don’t have to move a small AF point manually (the eye is tracked across the entire frame), and B) you have a higher chance of ensuring the eye of the animal is in focus, rather than its body, when working at a close distance.

Moving on to my birds in flight test, the A7 IV gave me an excellent result, close to that of the A9 II. The latter has a faster drive speed obviously, but it shows it’s an AF system you can trust even for difficult subjects.

The A7R IV is not far behind. It struggles a bit more when the subject is at a distance (smaller in the frame), where the number of slightly soft results increase.

In video mode, I found both cameras gave similar results. The A7 IV is a bit faster at tracking a human subject with Eye AF, in good and low light conditions.

The two cameras share the same continuous shooting speed of 10fps maximum (with AF/AE tracking). The A7R IV looks especially good here considering the higher megapixel number.

There are a few things to keep in mind though. The A7 IV can achieve the claimed 10fps only with JPG, or Lossy compressed RAW. If you select Lossless compressed or Uncompressed RAW, the speed drops to about 6fps.

The A7R IV can work at the claimed fastest speed of 10fps when shooting in JPG or Compressed RAW. With Uncompressed RAW, the maximum speed floats around 7.5fps.

The A7 IV doesn’t slow down in the first 30s of the burst when using the CFexpress Type A card. The same result applies with JPG if you use a SD UHS-II card, but with RAW (compressed), the buffer fills after 5 seconds, and the speed drops by half afterwards.

Like many other Sony full frame cameras, it remains a system that can’t be fully trusted: I can struggle to obtain a sharp shot at around 1/20s or even 1/40s on occasion. Always check your photos after the capture.

Note that the 16 images must be composited in post using the Sony Imaging Edge desktop software. Also, this mode requires the camera to be on a tripod and with no moving subjects for optimal results. Anything not stable in your frame can create artefacts, as you can see in the example below.

There are a lot of differences to talk about when it comes to video. In short, the A7 IV can do 4K 60p (in Super35 mode) and can record 10-bit 4:2:2 internally with a maximum bitrate of 600Mbps. The table below gives you an overview of everything you need to know.

One important thing to understand is that, because of the higher megapixel count, the A7R IV does line-skipping when recording video in full frame mode. The quality is far from awful, but the tradeoff is aliasing which can be visible when dealing with fine details. For better quality (full pixel readout), you need to use the Super35/APS-C mode.

On the A7 IV, the maximum quality can be achieved in full frame mode (up to 30p), where the camera over-samples from a region of 7K. It also works well in Super35 mode.

At high ISO in full frame mode, the A7R IV shows less noise surprisingly, but the details become softer as you increase the value. I guess the camera applies more noise reduction to avoid too much noise, which would be more severe by default considering the higher resolution of the sensor.

In Super 35 mode, the R model does better than the A7 IV, and without losing details, up to 12,800. At 25,600, noise remains lower but noise reduction becomes more aggressive.

The difference between the Creative Looks of the A7 IV and the Creative Styles of the R model that I highlighted in the first chapter of this article are valid for video too but it is less visible in comparison to photographs.

The best dynamic range is obtained with the HDR or Log profiles. With equal settings using the HLG3 gamma, the A7 IV produces slightly brighter shadows but loses some details in the highlights. The same difference is found when using the S-Log2 and S-Log3 profiles.

Bear in mind that with the Log curve, the minimum ISO available is 500 on the R model. On the A7 IV, it is 800 and you can select lower values (down to 200) but these are extended levels, so you lose dynamic range as a result.

The A7 IV has an extra setting, S-Cinetone, which gives you a cinematic palette. It lacks saturation with the factory parameters, but you can change that in camera or in post.

Rolling shutter is more or less the same in full frame mode: visible when moving slowly, severe when moving quickly. In crop mode, the A7R IV gets worse, especially when panning quickly, whereas the performance on the A7 IV is much better overall.

In my overheating test, the A7 IV was able to record non-stop for two hours without any problem, and without the overheating warning appearing on the screen. The A7R IV managed the same result (ambient temperature between 21˚C and 22˚C).

Finally, the A7 IV has extra settings and features you won’t find in the R model, such as:Active mode: makes the footage more stable by using the gyro sensor’s data. There is a slight crop of 1.1x. I don’t find it makes a huge difference.Post stabilisation with Catalyst: the camera can record the data from its gyro sensor, and the Sony Catalyst software can use that information to stabilise the footage in post with better results (IBIS must be off during recording). It’s the best solution when you walk with the camera.Breathing compensation: it reduces the breathing effect that occurs when focusing from one point to the other (the field of view is cropped a little as a result). It works really well, but not every lens is compatible (check the list on the Sony website)Shockless WB: it makes manual changes to white balance smoother while recordingFlexible Exposure Mode: it allows you to switch between auto and manual exposure settings separately for the aperture and shutter speed (like in professional cinema cameras). It is an alternative to the P/A/S/M modes.Emphasized REC Display: enables a red frame around the edge of the LCD monitor to show the camera is recording.

As for the rear LCD screen, the one on the A7R IV has more resolution (1.44M on the original model, 2.36M dots on the A7R IVA) but it only tilts up and down.

Both LCDs are touch sensitive but there is more you can do on the A7 IV, including navigating the menu and changing settings. On the R model, you can only move the focus point or activate magnification (with a double tap).

The A7 IV also improves a few things concerning live view in general (EVF and LCD). For example, there is an option to keep the exposure preview optimised for flash work. In video mode, the magnification option is sharper and much more usable.

The design of these two cameras is nearly identical, and it’s an upgrade that started with the A7R IV, before being copied and pasted onto other recent models. They are both dust and moisture resistant.A7 IV: 131.3 x 96.4 x 79.8mm, 658g

With that said, there are few things worth talking about. First, the A7 IV is slightly bulkier because it has a heat dissipation structure that allows it to record 4K video for long periods of time without overheating.

Another difference is the position of the video recording button, which is found on top on the A7 IV, and on the rear near the viewfinder on the R model. The one on the A7 IV can be customised.

Concerning the connections, the A7 IV has a full sized HDMI (vs Micro Type D for the R model) and can work with a wired LAN connection with an optional LAN to USB C adapter. The A7R IV has a flash sync port.

Concerning battery life, they use the same BP-FZ100 battery, but the A7R IV has a slightly higher rating of 670 shots when using the LCD (660 for the A7R IVA), as opposed to 610 for the A7 IV.

The two slots on the A7R IV accept SD UHS-II cards, just like the A7 IV. However, the latter can also work with a CFexpress card (Type A) on the first slot.

Because the A7 IV is a more recent model, it packs additional features you won’t find on the A7R, such as:10-bit HEIF photos: they provide better colour sampling than JPG (8-bit). That said, it’s worth nothing that HEIF isn’t yet a popular format, so not every photo editor software is compatible.Soft Skin Effect: available for stills and video, it gives you a decent result with the Low and medium setting, but the higher level can produce an unatural look. For video, I wouldn’t go past ‘Low’.

Note: prices are for the body only and as of June 2022. Temporary rebates or cash-backs might be available for a limited time. The original A7R IV (without the “A”) can be found second-hand around $2500.

There is an easy way to write this conclusion: the A7 IV costs less and, from one perspective, has more to offer including 4K 60p, 10-bit video, better autofocus, more customisation and a good range of extra features. Add to this the fact that the sensor is excellent and that 33MP is enough for 95% of us, and there is little left to argue in favour of the more recent and affordable model presented here.

If we dig deeper however, we find that there is a lot to like about the A7R IV. Unsurprisingly, its 61MP sensor is capable of delivering fantastic images in terms of details, and such a high megapixel count is also handy for sports or wildlife photographers. I found myself cropping my images heavily and still having 20/25MP left over when exporting the photos. The results at high ISO (the levels that count, such as 6400 or 12800) are pretty good too.

The A7 mark IV is the successor to the very popular A7 mark III, and brings a lot of relevant improvements, from a new sensor to the updated AF system and video capabilities.

The original A7R IV has been discontinued and quietly replaced by the A7R IVA. The changes are very subtle, with the most noticeable difference being the higher resolution of the LCD screen (2.36M vs 1.44M dots on the original model). Other details are included in the chapters below.

Ethics statement: the following is based on our personal experience with the A7 IV and A7R IV. We were not asked to write anything about these products, nor were we provided with any sort of compensation. Within the article, there are affiliate links. If you buy something after clicking the link, we will receive a small commission. To know more about our ethics, you can visit our full disclosure page. Thank you!

The 10 Main Differences in a NutshellImage Quality: the A7R IV produces impressive results concerning sharpness and details, in addition to giving you greater crop possibilities. It also performs very well up to ISO 12800. The A7 IV has updated picture profiles, and lots to offer when it comes to dynamic range.Autofocus: the A7 IV is more precise with face and eye detection, and also delivers a better keeper rate for birds in flight. The A7R IV is not too far behind concerning the latter, but struggles more with Eye AF.Buffer: the A7 IV has superior capabilities by a long margin when using the CF express card, which is however more expensive than a SD card. Both cameras go as fast as 10fps, which is quite the effort for the R model considering it has almost double the megapixels.Pixel Shift Multi Shooting: the performance concerning in-body stabilisation is pretty similar, but the R model uses the technology for an extra feature that produces a 240MP file!Movie Recording: the A7 IV has more features and advanced options, including 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording and 4K 60p (in Super35 mode). The R model produces the best results in crop mode and has slightly more dynamic range in the highlights.Viewfinder and LCD monitor: the ‘R’ has more resolution for both. The A7 IV has more touch functionalities thanks to the new menu system.Design and Functionality: the A7 IV makes it easier to separate the still and photo modes, while also giving you more customisation options for each (including the memory recall that works in movie mode). The newest camera also sports a full sized HDMI port and a faster USB C port.Memory cards: both can work with two SD UHS-II cards, but only the A7 IV takes one CFexpress Type A card, which helps the buffer among other things.Tidbits: the A7 IV offers extra functionalities, including the possibility of USB streaming without any plugin or software required.Price: the A7R IV(A) is $1000 more expensive.

Both cameras feature a full frame sensor with BSI (back-illumination) but the main difference is the number of pixels: the A7 IV has 33MP, whereas the R model has almost double that at 61MP.

The R model lacks a low pass filter in order to maximise sharpness. There hasn’t been any official confirmation regarding the presence of a low pass filter on the A7 IV, and there are contrasting opinions on the Internet regarding whether it has one or not. In my view, if there is one, it’s a weak version. I did an extra test to find traces of moiré: as you can see below, the A7R IV shows more of it, but the A7 IV is not immune either.

The A7 IV also features a more recent image processor, the BionZ XR, which has faster processing capabilities than the BionZ X on the R model. Additionally, the new camera comes with the latest updates concerning the colour palette and the picture profiles. In fact, the A7 IV has a new set called Creative Looks, which replaces the old Creative Style found on the ‘R’.

The difference are not always striking, but in the example below you can see how the A7 IV produces more vibrant greens on the hill, and the blue of the sky/water has slightly less magenta.

Moving on to the dynamic range test, both cameras do equally well. They retain the same amount of highlights, and shadow recovery is on par too. If we really want to nitpick, I could mention that the A7R IV produces a bit more colour cast around the paws of the stuffed toy, but it’s a small difference.

I was pleased to see how well the A7R IV can handle high ISOs, despite the higher megapixel count. Up to 12,800, the results are comparable. It’s only from 25,600 that you start to see more noise on the ‘R’, and the difference becomes greater from 51,200 because it starts using the extended values sooner than the A7 IV. Needless to say, the highest ISO levels look pretty bad on both.

One last thing worth highlighting is the possibility of selecting Lossless compressed RAW on the A7 IV, whereas the A7R has Lossy compressed and Uncompressed only. And if you’re wondering how much space a RAW file takes on a memory card for each camera, have a look at the table below.

Another improvement is phase detection autofocus which works up to f/22 on the A7 IV, at a 6fps or faster drive speed. The A7R IV can’t manage smaller apertures than f/11. This means that the A7 IV can work with full AF performance when using a lens like the FE 200-600mm and the TC 2.0x (f/13 at 600mm).

Concerning the software, the A7 IV has the most recent processor, so it receives a few extra features. For example, Eye AF works with birds in addition to humans and animals, and the three subject types (humans, animals, birds) also work in video mode.

In a severe low light test, the A7 IV did better than the R model. It managed to take 6 shots at the beginning of the sequence (although not all of them were in focus), then it stopped until the end of the walk when extra light coming from the TV helped the camera reacquire focus.

The A7R IV couldn’t take more than two images at the beginning, and was only able to re-focus correctly at the end. Note that I used Focus rather than Release priority on both cameras, which is why they didn’t take any images in the middle of the sequence, as neither was capable of focusing correctly at that point.

With face and eye detection, the A7 IV has the edge. In the test below, where the subject walked back and forth, and then walked while turning on herself, the camera gave me a very good hit rate of 88%, which beats the score of 80% in my first review of the camera (probably thanks to firmware 1.01 that improves the Eye AF performance).

The A7R IV has a lower score, not so much because of out of focus images, but because of the bigger presence of slightly soft results, where the eyes are a bit soft in comparison to the nose or ears of the subject (meaning focus is a little too short or far). It also struggled more when the subject was further away at the beginning of the sequence, as well as when she turned 360˚ near the end.

Eye AF also works for animals, but the ‘R’ model can’t detect birds. That gives the A7 IV a distinctive advantage, especially with small birds perched on a tree because A) you don’t have to move a small AF point manually (the eye is tracked across the entire frame), and B) you have a higher chance of ensuring the eye of the animal is in focus, rather than its body, when working at a close distance.

Moving on to my birds in flight test, the A7 IV gave me an excellent result, close to that of the A9 II. The latter has a faster drive speed obviously, but it shows it’s an AF system you can trust even for difficult subjects.

The A7R IV is not far behind. It struggles a bit more when the subject is at a distance (smaller in the frame), where the number of slightly soft results increase.

In video mode, I found both cameras gave similar results. The A7 IV is a bit faster at tracking a human subject with Eye AF, in good and low light conditions.

The two cameras share the same continuous shooting speed of 10fps maximum (with AF/AE tracking). The A7R IV looks especially good here considering the higher megapixel number.

There are a few things to keep in mind though. The A7 IV can achieve the claimed 10fps only with JPG, or Lossy compressed RAW. If you select Lossless compressed or Uncompressed RAW, the speed drops to about 6fps.

The A7R IV can work at the claimed fastest speed of 10fps when shooting in JPG or Compressed RAW. With Uncompressed RAW, the maximum speed floats around 7.5fps.

The A7 IV doesn’t slow down in the first 30s of the burst when using the CFexpress Type A card. The same result applies with JPG if you use a SD UHS-II card, but with RAW (compressed), the buffer fills after 5 seconds, and the speed drops by half afterwards.

Like many other Sony full frame cameras, it remains a system that can’t be fully trusted: I can struggle to obtain a sharp shot at around 1/20s or even 1/40s on occasion. Always check your photos after the capture.

Note that the 16 images must be composited in post using the Sony Imaging Edge desktop software. Also, this mode requires the camera to be on a tripod and with no moving subjects for optimal results. Anything not stable in your frame can create artefacts, as you can see in the example below.

There are a lot of differences to talk about when it comes to video. In short, the A7 IV can do 4K 60p (in Super35 mode) and can record 10-bit 4:2:2 internally with a maximum bitrate of 600Mbps. The table below gives you an overview of everything you need to know.

One important thing to understand is that, because of the higher megapixel count, the A7R IV does line-skipping when recording video in full frame mode. The quality is far from awful, but the tradeoff is aliasing which can be visible when dealing with fine details. For better quality (full pixel readout), you need to use the Super35/APS-C mode.

On the A7 IV, the maximum quality can be achieved in full frame mode (up to 30p), where the camera over-samples from a region of 7K. It also works well in Super35 mode.

At high ISO in full frame mode, the A7R IV shows less noise surprisingly, but the details become softer as you increase the value. I guess the camera applies more noise reduction to avoid too much noise, which would be more severe by default considering the higher resolution of the sensor.

In Super 35 mode, the R model does better than the A7 IV, and without losing details, up to 12,800. At 25,600, noise remains lower but noise reduction becomes more aggressive.

The difference between the Creative Looks of the A7 IV and the Creative Styles of the R model that I highlighted in the first chapter of this article are valid for video too but it is less visible in comparison to photographs.

The best dynamic range is obtained with the HDR or Log profiles. With equal settings using the HLG3 gamma, the A7 IV produces slightly brighter shadows but loses some details in the highlights. The same difference is found when using the S-Log2 and S-Log3 profiles.

Bear in mind that with the Log curve, the minimum ISO available is 500 on the R model. On the A7 IV, it is 800 and you can select lower values (down to 200) but these are extended levels, so you lose dynamic range as a result.

The A7 IV has an extra setting, S-Cinetone, which gives you a cinematic palette. It lacks saturation with the factory parameters, but you can change that in camera or in post.

Rolling shutter is more or less the same in full frame mode: visible when moving slowly, severe when moving quickly. In crop mode, the A7R IV gets worse, especially when panning quickly, whereas the performance on the A7 IV is much better overall.

In my overheating test, the A7 IV was able to record non-stop for two hours without any problem, and without the overheating warning appearing on the screen. The A7R IV managed the same result (ambient temperature between 21˚C and 22˚C).

Finally, the A7 IV has extra settings and features you won’t find in the R model, such as:Active mode: makes the footage more stable by using the gyro sensor’s data. There is a slight crop of 1.1x. I don’t find it makes a huge difference.Post stabilisation with Catalyst: the camera can record the data from its gyro sensor, and the Sony Catalyst software can use that information to stabilise the footage in post with better results (IBIS must be off during recording). It’s the best solution when you walk with the camera.Breathing compensation: it reduces the breathing effect that occurs when focusing from one point to the other (the field of view is cropped a little as a result). It works really well, but not every lens is compatible (check the list on the Sony website)Shockless WB: it makes manual changes to white balance smoother while recordingFlexible Exposure Mode: it allows you to switch between auto and manual exposure settings separately for the aperture and shutter speed (like in professional cinema cameras). It is an alternative to the P/A/S/M modes.Emphasized REC Display: enables a red frame around the edge of the LCD monitor to show the camera is recording.

As for the rear LCD screen, the one on the A7R IV has more resolution (1.44M on the original model, 2.36M dots on the A7R IVA) but it only tilts up and down.

Both LCDs are touch sensitive but there is more you can do on the A7 IV, including navigating the menu and changing settings. On the R model, you can only move the focus point or activate magnification (with a double tap).

The A7 IV also improves a few things concerning live view in general (EVF and LCD). For example, there is an option to keep the exposure preview optimised for flash work. In video mode, the magnification option is sharper and much more usable.

The design of these two cameras is nearly identical, and it’s an upgrade that started with the A7R IV, before being copied and pasted onto other recent models. They are both dust and moisture resistant.A7 IV: 131.3 x 96.4 x 79.8mm, 658g

With that said, there are few things worth talking about. First, the A7 IV is slightly bulkier because it has a heat dissipation structure that allows it to record 4K video for long periods of time without overheating.

Another difference is the position of the video recording button, which is found on top on the A7 IV, and on the rear near the viewfinder on the R model. The one on the A7 IV can be customised.

Concerning the connections, the A7 IV has a full sized HDMI (vs Micro Type D for the R model) and can work with a wired LAN connection with an optional LAN to USB C adapter. The A7R IV has a flash sync port.

Concerning battery life, they use the same BP-FZ100 battery, but the A7R IV has a slightly higher rating of 670 shots when using the LCD (660 for the A7R IVA), as opposed to 610 for the A7 IV.

The two slots on the A7R IV accept SD UHS-II cards, just like the A7 IV. However, the latter can also work with a CFexpress card (Type A) on the first slot.

Because the A7 IV is a more recent model, it packs additional features you won’t find on the A7R, such as:10-bit HEIF photos: they provide better colour sampling than JPG (8-bit). That said, it’s worth nothing that HEIF isn’t yet a popular format, so not every photo editor software is compatible.Soft Skin Effect: available for stills and video, it gives you a decent result with the Low and medium setting, but the higher level can produce an unatural look. For video, I wouldn’t go past ‘Low’.

Note: prices are for the body only and as of June 2022. Temporary rebates or cash-backs might be available for a limited time. The original A7R IV (without the “A”) can be found second-hand around $2500.

There is an easy way to write this conclusion: the A7 IV costs less and, from one perspective, has more to offer including 4K 60p, 10-bit video, better autofocus, more customisation and a good range of extra features. Add to this the fact that the sensor is excellent and that 33MP is enough for 95% of us, and there is little left to argue in favour of the more recent and affordable model presented here.

If we dig deeper however, we find that there is a lot to like about the A7R IV. Unsurprisingly, its 61MP sensor is capable of delivering fantastic images in terms of details, and such a high megapixel count is also handy for sports or wildlife photographers. I found myself cropping my images heavily and still having 20/25MP left over when exporting the photos. The results at high ISO (the levels that count, such as 6400 or 12800) are pretty good too.

When we reviewed Sony"s A7R mirrorless camera, we were thrilled by its combination of a full-frame image sensor and a compact body. The Sony A7 offers both, and yet it"s even more affordable. It also boasts better autofocus and performance, but trades off some of its sibling"s epic resolution to achieve these. We already knew the Sony A7 would be great, but we wanted to answer which was better: The Sony A7 or A7R? Does amazing image quality trump performance? Are you better off spending a little more, or can you be thrifty and still get the best full-frame mirrorless camera money can buy? Read our review and find out!

Incredibly small body for a fully-featured, full-frame camera; Very high resolution; Hybrid autofocus is reasonably fast and confident; Significantly better burst-shooting performance than A7R; Excellent image quality even at very high sensitivities; Faster x-sync than A7R; Accepts existing Alpha-mount and E-mount lenses, and can optionally crop to APS-C image circle.

Grass-is-greener syndrome when compared to its higher-res sibling; Moderate performance; Loud shutter (but electronic first-curtain helps); Mediocre battery life when using electronic viewfinder; Weak low-light autofocus considering its price; Limited selection of native Sony FE lenses.

Priced at US$1,700 for the body alone, the Sony Alpha 7 is around one quarter less expensive than the higher-resolution Sony A7R. The Sony A7 kit, which includes the full-frame FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS kit lens, costs just US$300 more than the body-itself, for a final pricetag of US$2,000. Both variants began shipping in December 2013.

A little over a decade ago, enthusiast photographers were clamoring for an affordable APS-C digital SLR. That dream has long since become a reality, but for some, the dream wasn"t big enough. They"ve been asking for an altogether different -- yet still affordable -- camera. They needed it to have a bigger sensor, and to drop the bulky mirror box of an SLR. Until now, they could choose one or the other. Sony has changed all that, with the launch of the full-frame Sony A7 and A7R mirrorless cameras.

The two cameras are very closely-related, and in this first impressions review, we"ll be looking at the Sony A7. It"s the lower-resolution of the two models -- albeit still pretty high-res, compared to what"s available in its mirrorless and DSLR rivals -- but it has some important advantages over the A7R in other areas. If resolution above all else is your goal, though, you"ll want to take a look at our Sony A7R review, instead.

Design.Externally, there"s very little to tip you off to which of the two cameras you"re looking at beyond their badges. The Sony A7 is just slightly heavier than its sibling, but the difference is not one you"d notice, even holding the two cameras side-by-side. Despite being heavier, it also features just slightly more plastic in its construction. You can tell the difference by touch -- the A7"s front panel is warmer plastic, and that of the A7R is cooler metal. The A7"s Mode dial and Exposure Compensation dial are also just slightly different, with coarser knurling on the former, and a slight increase in height on the latter. None of these physical differences is noticeable unless you"re looking very closely indeed.

Full-frame sensor.It"s under the skin where you"ll find the important differences, though, and they relate almost entirely to the choice of image sensor. The 24.3-megapixel Sony A7 has one-third fewer pixels than its sibling, but its sensor includes a generous helping of phase detection pixels. That allows it to offer a hybrid autofocus system, where the A7R is contrast-detect only. The A7"s hybrid system allows for significantly faster autofocusing, not to mention better AF tracking. It also provides a significant improvement in burst shooting performance, whether or not exposure and autofocus are locked.

The higher-resolution sensor of the Sony A7R will be attractive for some for whom focus speed isn"t such an issue, however, such as landscape photographers. (Even if the A7 is itself no slouch in the resolution department.)

Lenses. Speaking of lenses, the Sony A7 and its sibling will both accept existing Sony E-mount lenses, albeit with an APS-C crop or vignetting. They"ll also accept Alpha-mount lenses -- be they cropped or full-frame -- with an adaptor.

Full-frame optics.Of most interest, though, are several brand-new, full-frame E-mount optics, branded as "FE" lenses. Five FE-series full-frame E-mount lenses have been announced for separate sale, and four have pricing and availability information. The FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA and FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lenses were the first to ship this December, priced at US$800 and US$500 respectively. The FE 55mm F1.8 ZA prime followed from January 2014, priced at US$1,000. The first zoom option for the Sony A7R arrived in February 2014, in the form of the FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS for US$1,200. Finally, an FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS telephoto zoom is planned, but Sony hasn"t disclosed when it plans to ship this lens, nor at what price.

Accessories. Finally, there are several related accessories to choose from. The Vertical Grip for A7 and A7R costs US$300, and a leather case costs US$140. Screen protectors are priced at US$15, and a new W-series battery charger at US$50. Finally, an off-camera flash shoe is priced at US$50. All of these accessories have been available since December 2013 or January 2014.

Walkaround. The Sony A7 feels wonderful in the hand. Although its body couples magnesium alloy and plastic, it"s still very solid, with a similar sense of quality and precision in its operation to that of the A7R. (In fact, were it not for the difference in the perception of temperature given by the metal and plastic panels, we"d probably have assumed the construction to be entirely metal.)

Given that we were huge fans of the Sony RX1"s user interface, and loved the "Tri-Navi" interface on the Sony NEX-7, it"s probably no surprise that we found ourselves liking the user experience of the new Sony Alpha 7 a lot as well. It"s something of a melding of the characteristics of the two previous cameras. In many ways, this new camera feels a lot like a big brother to the NEX line, but Sony has chosen to label it an Alpha -- perhaps hoping to associate it more with the higher end of their ILC line. While the Sony A7 and its higher-resolution sibling the Sony A7R have a lot in common with the NEX series, there are also some obvious differences.

The Sony A7 is bigger than the typical NEX-series camera, as you might expect given its full-frame image sensor and built-in electronic viewfinder, but it"s not as large as you might have feared. Compared to the NEX-7,which features an APS-C sized sensor, it"s around 1.1 inches taller, and 0.3 inches wider / thicker. The majority of that difference is due to its viewfinder, which stands well proud of the camera"s top deck at the shoulders.

The body is somewhat larger than that of the Sony RX1, but maybe not as much bigger as we were expecting. The body itself is only slightly taller, thicker, and wider than the RX1"s, the big difference being the large EVF housing on top, which adds greatly to the sense of bulk. The 35mm f/2.8 lens isn"t actually too much larger than the 35mm f/2.0 optic on the RX1, but the combined bulk of body and lens (particularly a zoom) is enough that it really puts it into a different category than the RX1. The RX1 could be considered a coat-pocket camera, but you"d have to have an awfully big coat to squeeze the Sony A7 into it.

That said, we felt that the Sony Alpha 7 was quite well balanced with all three lenses we tried it with. I"d say it"s still a two-handed camera, particularly given that you"ll want to have a hand on the zoom and/or focus rings of the lens, but it feels very nicely balanced with a moderate-sized lens like the 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 kit optic attached, and it"s no trouble at all to hold one-handed, as for over-the-head shots in a crowd.

Of course, saying that the Sony A7 is bigger than the RX1 may not mean all that much: Compared to any other full-frame interchangeable-lens camera (apart, perhaps from the rangefinder-style and considerably less feature-rich Leica M9), it"s downright diminutive. The current size extremes in Sony"s Translucent Mirror range are the APS-C sensor-shod Sony A37, and the full-frame Sony A99. The Sony A7 is 0.1 inches wider and taller than the A37, but a much more significant 0.8 inches narrower and shorter than the A99. More importantly, it"s 1.1 to 1.3 inches slimmer than both, without a lens mounted. Getting rid of the mirror box clearly still pays dividends on size for a full-frame camera, then.

The Sony Alpha 7"s grip is wider than some, but not very deep. Our personal preference is for deeper/narrower, but we found the Alpha 7 very comfortable to hold. This is partly due to the nice thumb-rest on the back of the camera and the leather-textured rubbery plastic coating on the grip and right rear of the camera, the combination of which meant our hold on the camera always felt very secure. We also found the various dials mounted on or just beneath the top deck were very easy to access while holding the camera, and the shutter button was comfortably positioned as well.

Seen from the front, things are pretty straightforward. The Sony A7"s front surface is mostly smooth and featureless, save for the hand grip, Sony E lens mount, autofocus assist lamp, and a few controls. Of particular note is just how large that full-frame sensor appears, occupying the great majority of the E-mount"s interior. For a comparison, take a look at this image from our review of the Sony NEX-7, which features a more typical APS-C sized sensor. The lens mount release button sits snug beneath and to the right of the lens mount (as seen from the rear of the camera), right where you"d expect to find it.

Moving left, the electronic viewfinder hump -- there"s no prism here, since this is a mirrorless camera -- is topped by Sony"s Multi Interface Shoe. From this angle it doesn"t look like an intelligent shoe, but when seen from the rear you can just make out terminals tucked beneath its front surface that allow communication not just with strobes, but with other accessories such as a clip-on LCD monitor or external microphone adapter. On either side of the electronic viewfinder hump are two single-hole microphone ports, which together provide for stereo audio. A small two-hole speaker sits just left of the hump, alongside the focal plane mark.

Switching to the rear deck gives a clearer view of that second control dial, but the dominant features here are the 3.0-inch tilting LCD monitor, and the electronic viewfinder which sits just above it.

The Sony A7"s eye-level electronic viewfinder is housed in angular bulge very reminiscent of the pentaprism on an SLR. EVFs have been steadily evolving in recent years, and the one in the Sony A7 is a good example of the state of the art. It uses OLED technology, and sports no fewer than 2.4 million dots, a level of resolution that means we can only just barely see hints of pixels along the edges of letters, and not at all in images displayed.

Its very high resolution is only part of the story of the Sony A7"s EVF, though. Perhaps more important are the optics that Sony"s put behind it. Viewfinder optics are often an afterthought in camera design, with optical artifacts like coma, blur, and chromatic aberration all too common. Since they"re not being used to take a picture through, they often receive short shrift in the camera-design process.

Not so the EVF on the Sony A7. It uses a three-lens optical system similar to that found in the flagship Sony A99 SLT camera, although with a slightly improved configuration. The dioptric adjustment range for eyeglass-wearers is an unusually broad -4 to +3 diopters, very welcome for far- or nearsighted people. The net result is a very highly-corrected view of the OLED screen, that"s sharp from corner to corner, with nary a sign of chromatic aberration anywhere, and a nice, wide field of view (0.71x with a 50mm lens focused at infinity). The OLED screen itself has also been enhanced a good bit, with three times the contrast of the one used in the A99. The result is a remarkably clear view with better than average dynamic range, although still not quite up to what my eye can see when looking through an optical viewfinder. There are some areas in which optical viewfinders still outperform EVFs, but there are at least as many in which EVFs surpass, and the one in the Sony A7 is truly state of the art for current technology.

The EVF has much higher resolution, with 2.4 million dots (1,024 x 768 RGB pixels), versus the 921,600 dots (640 x 480 RGB pixels) of the LCD monitor. If critical focus is key, you"ll want to use the viewfinder. We"d imagine most Sony A7 shooters will be doing so -- we certainly did. Proximity sensors above the viewfinder are used to switch between this and the main display automatically, when you bring the camera to your eye, and away again.

Beneath are two rubber flaps which cover most of the camera"s side. The top flap conceals audio connectivity -- both a 3.5mm stereo microphone jack, and a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack. The lower flap covers Sony"s Multi Terminal interface, which provides for both USB 2.0 Hi-Speed and standard-definition video output, as well as wired remote control connectivity. The same flap also hides the Type-D Micro HDMI connector, which you"ll use to get your images onto a high-definition display.

The right side of the Sony A7 is as simple as can be: There"s a second neck strap eyelet with D-ring, and a Movie Record button which is tucked into the side of the rear-panel thumb grip. Beneath is the memory card compartment door, behind which you"ll find a single shared Secure Digital / Memory Stick PRO Duo card slot. Wi-Fi and NFC logos hint at the inclusion of these two wireless networking features, and the latter provides near-instant pairing with many Android devices, simply by holding them alongside the logo momentarily. (Apple doesn"t, as yet, support NFC in any of its products.)

And in the interests of completeness, let"s take a quick look at the camera"s base. The Sony A7 features a metal tripod socket, nicely positioned on the central axis of the lens. (That"s where you want it, to minimize parallax error during panorama shooting.) A battery compartment door resides in the bottom of the handgrip, and includes a small rubber cutout which provides ingress for the dummy battery cable of an optional AC adapter kit.

User interface. We mentioned the Sony A7"s user interface at the outset: Let"s look at it in a bit more detail. It bears a passing resemblance to the Tri-Navi interface on the NEX-7, in that it has both a front and rear dial, plus the back-panel dial control to adjust settings with. In addition, there"s a dedicated exposure-compensation dial on the right rear corner of the camera"s top panel, in easy reach of your thumb.

Compared to the RX1, controls on the Sony A7 are equally configurable, but also have explicit default functions printed on the camera body next to some of them. The lack of such labels on the RX1 had a lot to do with how quickly we were moved to assign our own, custom function layout to them. That little nudge to free myself from the default functions was a big plus, but we imagine a lot of users would be more comfortable with having the default functions labeled, as on the A7.

Despite the presence of the labels, the Sony A7"s user interface is exceptionally configurable. The C1 button on the top panel and the C2 button at the top of the rear panel are of course both configurable, as is the C3 button, which doubles as the Trash button in playback mode. All three of these buttons can have any of 46 functions assigned to them, or they can be left unassigned. Additionally, the center button of the rear controller can have any of 47 functions assigned, and the left, right, and down keys can each have any of 39 assigned to them. This surely sets a new benchmark for camera configurability. (There may have been a camera or cameras with more configuration options, we just can"t recall any.)

While it takes a little while to settle on the best configuration for a highly-customizable user interface like this, and some more time before your custom configurations become second nature, the benefit to regular shooters is huge. Rather than cursing a multi-level menu system, the camera becomes a fluid extension of your creative process. The impact of the sort of deep configurability of the Sony A7"s user interface shouldn"t be underestimated.

Menus and on-screen controls.We rather liked the default menu system as well, being something of a hybrid between that used on the NEX line and the more conventional enthusiast-oriented menus of the Alpha series. The top level is more NEX-like, with six tiles offered to let you quickly access the particular category of functionality you"re interested in. Once you select a tile, you"re dropped into a standard Alpha menu system, but on the appropriate tab set. We found this a good bit quicker than having to scroll through all the menu tabs between wherever we entered the menu system and where we wanted to be, as is generally the case in standard tabbed menu systems. We"d have to time ourselves with a stopwatch to say whether the tiled approach actually ended up faster or not (you still have to scroll between tiles, after all), but it certainly felt faster when we were using it. You can disable this tiled front-end if you wish, though, via a setup menu function, and the menu button will drop you directly in to the tabbed menu system.

There"s also a "Quick Navi" interface that provides access to a wide range of camera functions, accessed by default via the Fn button. The operation of this menu on the Sony Alpha 7 is a step forward from some other Sony models, in that you can immediately change a setting with the front/rear control dials as soon as you"ve scrolled the cursor to it with the left/right keys. Some cameras require you to press the center OK button before you can change the settings, which always caused a bit of a mental disconnect for us. On the Sony A7, though, you can immediately make changes with the front dial, once the cursor has highlighted a particular function. A number of settings have sub-settings for them (such as exposure bracketing, where you can pick both the number and size of the exposure steps), and in those cases, the front dial selects the main setting, and the rear one the sub-setting. It"s a very fast, fluid, and intuitive setup.

No more modal menu failures!In recent history, Sony"s menus have been very modal, in that various options would be grayed-out if they didn"t apply to the current camera configuration. (For example, a setting pertaining to manual focus would be grayed out if you were in an autofocus mode.) The problem was, the camera wouldn"t tell you why something was grayed out! It was often a puzzle, and a guessing game of many steps to figure out why the @#! you couldn"t change a given menu setting.

We suspect others complained to Sony about this as well, so it probably wasn"t just us bringing it up every time we had a chance to talk with their engineers, but we"re happy to report that Sony listened, and the new A7 actually tells you why you can"t access grayed-out menu options! To our mind, this was the single biggest thing Sony needed to change in their user interface, and they"ve done it! Not every grayed-out menu has an information screen associated with it (a couple in the setup menus just say "this function is currently disabled"), but this is still a huge step forwards for ease-of-use.

Large capacity SDHC/SDXC memory card. Given the high resolution and large file sizes of the A7R, 32GB is a good tradeoff between cost and capacity. If you plan to capture HD movie clips, shoot image bursts, or shoot in RAW format, look for cards with UHS-I markings.

Sensor. The Sony A7 is based around a 24.3-megapixel, RGB Bayer-filtered, Exmor CMOS image sensor with approximately the same dimensions as a 35mm film frame. Total resolution is 24.7-megapixels, and the design includes on-chip phase detection autofocus pixels. Sensor size is 35.8 x 23.9mm.

Processor. Output from the Sony A7"s image sensor is handled by a brand-new BIONZ X-branded image processor. Compared to the previous generation, BIONZ X has improved performance. Sony also says that it has improved area-specific noise reduction, which varies noise reduction strength across the image in an attempt to yield a clean result without disturbing image detail.

BIONZ X also brings two new features. Diffraction-reducing technology combats the effects of diffraction limiting, improving detail at smaller apertures. Interestingly, the effect applied is both lens and aperture specific, and said to work even with Alpha-mount lenses shot through an adapter. It also has what Sony bills as "Detail reproduction technology", which tries to draw out finer details without creating halos in the process.

Sensitivity. The Sony A7"s sensor and processor combine to yield a sensitivity range of ISO 100 to 25,600 equivalents. The lower end of this range can be expanded to encompass ISO 50. There"s also an Auto ISO function, ordinarily 100 to 6400 equivalents. Upper and lower limits for this Auto ISO function can be adjusted to match the photographer"s needs.

The Sony A7 and its sibling the A7R (which we"ve also reviewed) together mark a pivotal moment in the photographic world. Though at first glance it looks for all the world like a particularly nice fixed-lens camera, the A7 is in fact a full-frame, interchangeable-lens mirrorless cam. Its semi-pro grade body fires a shot across the bow of Nikon and Canon, both of which have taken a more cautious approach to mirrorless than some of their customers would have liked.

A more versatile option. At first glance the Sony A7 might not seem like a game changer, but it most certainly is. The camera pairs a 24-megapixel, full-frame image sensor and phase detection technology to create a camera that, in my opinion, is more versatile and groundbreaking than the higher-res (but slower-focusing) Sony A7R.

In my Sony A7R review, I noted that camera to be perfect for portraits and relatively-slow-moving subjects. It"s great for wedding photographers, event photographers and enthusiasts photographing the occasional little league game. With its phase-detection autofocus capability and emphasis on greater performance, the A7 tries to capture a wider market.

Great new lenses. I tested the A7 with the new FE-mount Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 35mm F2.8 ZA lens, which costs $800. I quickly fell in love with this optic: It only projects a little less than three inches from the front of the camera, and it"s one of the sharpest pieces of glass I"ve used. That"s to be expected from Zeiss, a company with which Sony has a long partnership.

Even though I found it hard to tear myself away from the Zeiss glass, I also used the Sony-branded kit lens that"s available with the A7. The kit lens is a 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 optic, and it feels much more durable and substantial than most other kit lenses I"ve tried. Depending on the focal length, you lose 2/3 to 2 stops over the f/2.8 Zeiss lens, but the zoom is still a great and efficient piece of kit.

Plenty of detail. Images from the A7 are wonderful, though slightly less detailed than those from the A7R. That"s understandable -- with 24 megapixels instead of 36, there"s a lot less data in the A7"s images, although it"s still providing as much (or more) resolution than you"ll get from the majority of cameras on the market. And that"s borne out by my experiences.

Mount the 35mm f/2.8 Zeiss lens, and the A7 produces images that are indistinguishable in quality from what I"d manage with my professional cameras. Tonal and dynamic range of the A7"s images are great, as are detail and exposure. That"s not surprising to me, as my experience has been that Sony"s cameras typically provide some of the best-in-class images. Still, it"s amazing when this full-frame camera system is smaller than some Micro Four Thirds bodies.

See our crops comparing the Sony A7 with the Sony A7R, Canon 6D, Fuji X-Pro1, Nikon D600 and Sony A99. The comparison between the A7 and A99 is particularly interesting, in that it"s the same sensor in both cameras. Does the Sony A7"s more powerful BIONZ X processor make a difference in image quality? Check the crops and decide for yourself!

The Sony A7 certainly delivers the goods in the print quality department, as expected. At base sensitivity, 36 x 48-inch prints look outstanding indeed, and while not of the super-crisp caliber of the 36MP big brother A7R, they"re still world class and among the best for the 24-megapixel resolution. There is a noticeable downturn in quality and a rise in noise beginning at ISO 3200, but it"s nice to know that even at ISO 6400 you can still achieve a good quality 8 x 10 inch print. And well done Sony for producing a decent print even at the highest-rated sensitivity!

Late last year, Sony set the mirrorless world alight with the announcement of not one, but two brand-new, fully-featured compact system cameras with full-frame image sensors. Realistically, the Sony A7 and A7R were -- and still are -- unrivaled.

The nearest thing to a competitor is Leica"s M-system, but where the German photography icon"s retro rangefinders place an emphasis on manual control, shunning even commonplace features like autofocus, the Sony A7 and A7R are fully-featured, modern powerhouses. And other rivals with a full-frame sensor have a bulky mirror box and an old-fashioned reflex mirror.

The advantages of the Sony A7 and A7R, then, are clear. But what"s the difference between the two, and which should you be spending your money on? That"s a harder question, because in most respects these two cameras are incredibly similar. Predominantly, the variation between the two relates to their choice of image sensor. The Sony A7 also replaces some of its sibling"s magnesium-alloy body panels with plastic ones -- yet curiously, is also a little heavier. But this simply isn"t noticeable in-hand: both cameras feel equally solid and comfortable.

It"s their sensor-related differences that should make your decision for you. And there, the differentiation is clear. With roughly one-third fewer pixels and a quarter less linear resolution, not to mention the presence of an optical low-pass filter, there"s no denying that the Sony A7"s images don"t provide the same level of detail as those from the A7R. It"s obvious both in our image quality comparison, and in our real-world gallery samples. But for most purposes, the Sony A7"s resolution will more than suffice