Sony
a7r review
Are you looking sony a7r review! When it comes to Sony all their
products have made a good impact. Sony has delivered products in the digital
and electronic world that has taken the company to a whole new level. Today in
this article we will review the Sony a7r which is a mirror less camera. Sony
has come up with A7 series with A7S, A7, and A7r, all of them being the mirror
less camera.
We will talk about the design, quality, performance, handling,
lenses, features, battery, price, etc. in this article. So here we go with the
in-depth review of the new Sony a7r.
Firstly, we will look into the specification Sony has offered by
Sony a7r.
Sony a7r review
Specifications:
The Sony A7r comes packed with a lot of cools features. Further,
we will look into each feature in detail.
Processor: Bionz X image
processor
Sensor: 36.4 MP Sony
Exmor™ Full-Frame CMOS image sensor
Electronic Viewfinder:
XGA OLED with 2.4 Million dots, 100% field coverage
LCD: Tiltable 3″ LCD with
921,600 dots
Continuous Shooting: 4
fps
Autofocus System:
Contrast-detection AF with 25 points
Viewfinder Magnification:
0.71x
Movie: Up to Full HD
movie shooting @ 60 fps
Panorama Mode: Yes
HDR Capability: Yes
Battery Life: Up to 340
images (LCD)
Shutter: Electronically
controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane shutter
Electronic Front Curtain
Shutter: No
Wi-Fi Capability:
Built-in
Weight: 407g (without any
lens)
As you might have noticed the Sony A7r just weights 407g which
makes it easy to carry while carrying. One can say it’s a beast in a nutshell
after using it.
Sony stepped into the world of mirrorless camera in the year
2010 when the company launched Alpha NEX-3 and Nex-5, with this the journey for
Sony’s mirrorless camera has been incredible.
Sony a7r review Bionz X image processor
The Bionz X image processor on Sony A7r is latest one’s offered
by the company. The processor is much more powerful than the previous
generation camera’s by Sony.
With the Bionz X image processor, you get much more subtle
details while to take a snap. Sony says with the new Bionz X image processor
one can get much more detail and minimum noise. Also, the images look more
clear, sharp with more textured detail.
The Bionz X image processor allows capturing much more detail if
you are taking snaps of products such as jewelry, clothes, etc. It’s perfect
for Architecture, Landscape, Studio, Fashion, Product and Macro photography.
Body and Design
When it comes to Body and Design the Sony A7r is neatly
designed. It’s sleek, small and perfect.
The body is made completely of metal. While some at first touch
might think it’s a plastic but no it’s not plastic. Sony has used superior
light high-quality metal on the entire body.
The Design so neatly designed that the camera fits so
comfortably in your hands. The ergonomics of the camera are excellent.
The body and FE lenses are sealed against dust and moisture in
Sony A7r.
Sony a7r review Controls
As said earlier the Sony A7r is designed perfectly, the control
buttons on it are also placed perfectly. The controls are easy to operate and
can be reached comfortably.
The LCD display is also placed perfectly on the device. The LCD
screen tilts up and down which allows you to capture shots in any situations.
The dials are also placed perfectly which can be easily reached
out using your thumbs.
There is the lot of customization option and menus which can be
selected using control buttons just next to the LCD screen.
Features
The Sony A7r is packed with incredible features:
HDR
The camera has HDR feature which allows you to make 3 shots in a
row. But do keep in mind that HDR mode cannot be used in RAW or RAW+JPEG mode.
The Sweep Panorama mode is also another great feature that is
available. With the sensor resolution of 36.4MP, one can take images in sizes
of 8192 x 1856 and 12,416 x 1856, respectively.
Non-native lens support
This is great news for photographers who have old lenses or the
third party lenses. The Sony A7r allows you to use third-party lenses on it.
Sony has released the E-mount specifications, a plethora of
third-party lens adapters which are available, this allows you to use third
party lenses.
Some might not be happy with the quality of images taken using
the third party lens. But we found the images look incredible using third party
lenses. In some cases, the images do look slightly faded.
Sony a7re review Multi-shot NR modes
The Multi-shot NR mode is a classic feature from Sony on almost
all of its cameras. The Multi-shot NR mode in Sony A7r allows you to combine
multiple photos into one perfect picture.
The Multi-shot NR mode has Handheld Twilight and Anti Motion
Blur feature. Difference between these two features is that Anti Motion Blur
takes subject motion into account while you shoot, which may result in a higher
sensitivity being used, in order to ensure a sharper photo.
So, while moving also you get clear, crisp and smooth images.
PC control Mode
The Sony’s Remote Camera Control application for Mac OS and
Windows allows you to save the image directly on to your pc via USB.
Also, Remote Camera Control allows you to set the drive mode,
white balance (with fine-tuning), and even HDR.
Some people have liked this feature while some are disappointed
as the Wi-Fi should do this job like in Nikon or Canon.
Wi-Fi Mode
The Wi-Fi mode in Sony A7r allows you to control the camera
using your smartphone. The camera gets to connect to the Wi-Fi easily in just a
couple of seconds as the access point’s get displayed on the screen.
You can also use your smartphone as the ‘bridge’ to the
Internet. Also thanks to NFC feature on the device, just tap your smartphone on
to the camera and you are connected instantly.
Sony a7r review Smart Remote Capture Mode
You just need to install the Sony Smart Remote Capture Mode App
which allows controlling your camera using your smartphone.
Also, there are third-party apps which can be used.
Image Quality
After using Sony A7r one thing you will notice is that the
photo’s come out much sharper.
When you combine a high-quality lens with the A7r’s
36-megapixel, AA filter-free CMOS sensor, the results are stunning.
The tack sharp Sony 55mm F1.8 Zeiss lens is a big part of the
equation.
When it comes to Distortion correction the device does perform
great. The Sony a7R has a distortion correction feature for use with E-mount
lenses.
Whether the correction is applied depends on the lens. For the
28-70mm and 55mm FE lenses, it’s active, while it’s off for the 35mm and
24-70mm.
Also, the A7r’s distortion correction system takes subject
distance into account.
The Sony a7 and a7R use a content-sensitive noise reduction
system that attempts to protect areas of fine detail while applying higher
levels of noise reduction to smooth, featureless areas.
The results with the a7R are an improvement a7 that we reviewed.
Image Stability
When it comes to Shutter Shake and Hands shake the device
performs well.
The biggest single contributing factor in the A7r is its
resolution: whatever the cause of shake, be it camera or photographer-induced,
the A7r’s high resolution means it’ll be shown in incredible detail if you look
closely.
This fundamental point has an impact on all the potential
contributing factors – and is equally true for cameras such as the Nikon D800(E).
Beyond this, there are several potential causes or contributing factors, which
we should consider.
Sony a7r review Shutter Shake
First, the idea of shutter shake itself – the idea that the
movement of the camera’s shutter is itself producing enough vibration to induce
visible blur in the image. There seems to be some evidence to support this –
you can feel the camera shake as the shutter fires, and when mounted on a
tripod with a focus rail, shake remains visible in the final image.
Using the self-timer doesn’t change the way the shutter operates
– it just adds a delay to remove the influence of user motion – the shutter
must still close then open to begin the exposure, which would be the main
source of shutter shock. However, mounting the camera on a heavy-duty tripod
and making sure it’s solidly secured does, in our experience, eliminate this
problem.
Hands Shake
Handshake is another potential source of image shake, and the
camera’s lightweight body means there’s less inertia to overcome before your
slight hand movements induce image shake (again, visible in great detail,
because of the high resolution). Whether you’re mounting the camera on a tripod
or hand-holding, you need to think hard about stability and the higher shutter
speeds required to ensure it.
Shutter Speed and
Selection
Shutter Speeds are important, but in A7 series the A7r has the
lowest shutter speed.
In an era where most makers give more control over Auto ISO,
often in quite sophisticated ways (such as Nikon and Pentax letting you choose
whether the camera should operate above or below 1/FL), this is a
disappointment.
But when the Sony a7R is mounted firmly on a sturdy tripod, you
get a great deal of detail, even at higher ISO settings in the very low light.
It’s worth opening and browsing around in this JPEG image to see all the detail
in the courtyard and even through the windows.
Sony a7r review Overall Performance
While most mirrorless cameras start up in under a second, the
Sony A7r isn’t ready to shoot for a little over two. We’ve also noticed that if
the power is quickly cycled, the delay can be twice that.
The camera is ready to shoot in nearly half a second with no
lens attached, so the delay may have something to do with initializing the
lens.
As one would expect, there’s no noticeable shutter lag on the
a7R. In terms of shot-to-shot speeds, you’ll wait around 0.8 seconds between
Raw+JPEG shots, and slightly less if you’re sticking to JPEG.
The Sony A7r has a ‘hybrid’ autofocus system, the A7r sticks
with a more conventional contrast-detect setup. The camera has a total of 25
focus points to work with, and from our experiences, its focusing performance
is on par with DSLRs in good light, and a bit slower than the best mirrorless
models.
In low light, however, the camera can struggle to focus – unless
you are mindful to set the AF point over a contrasty area. If you do so, we’ve
been very pleased by the camera’s autofocus accuracy in shot after shot.
While shooting in continuous mode the A7r offers two different
continuous shooting modes: standard (1.5 fps) and speed priority (4 fps). The
speed priority mode shoots faster than regular continuous, but for a much
shorter duration.
The a7R hits its advertised speeds in its standard continuous
mode, and its large buffer size allows you to shoot at full speed for quite a
while.
Clearing buffer can take a while, during which time you cannot
enter the menus or playback mode. For JPEG shooting, this delay depends on the
number of photos you’ve taken.
Battery Life
A7r uses the same NP-FW50 InfoLithium battery found on many
other models of Sony cameras. The NP-FW50 has 7.7Wh of energy, which Sony
claims will provide 340 shots per charge. That’s very low, considering the a7R
has no built-in flash, which is normally included in the CIPA battery life
numbers. Do note that using Wi-Fi frequently will eat more battery.
Despite the cost of the A7r, Sony does not provide an external
charger. Rather, you use an AC-to-USB cable (or just your PC) to fill up the
FW50 battery.
Charging via the USB adapter takes a whopping 310 minutes, so it
makes a lot of sense to pick up one of the BC-TRW or BC-VW1 external chargers,
which are both considerably faster (especially the latter).
Some stores are offering great deal price with bundled lens. We
can’t say about the price much as in some places the price is still high.
So, if you are looking for the cheap priced mirrorless camera
then check Sony A7r review you will must buy. Also, if you fall into the
category of Architecture, Landscape, Studio, Fashion, Product and Macro
photography then surely go for it.
