Test du Sony A7
Our Verdict Our initial review of the Sony A7 was enthusiastic but cautious. There weren't many lenses and there were some handling issues, but it was a new camera.
11/09/2021
Our Verdict
Our initial review of the Sony A7 was enthusiastic but cautious. There weren't many lenses and there were some handling issues, but it was an exciting new camera. Five years later, there are plenty of new lenses and the handling has evolved but only a little, so – ironically – the A7 is even better now than it was then, and for a big reason. Price! It may not be the most modern or best-equipped full-frame camera anymore, but at today's prices what you get for your money is nothing short of amazing. Let's make that clear. The A7 is a well-designed 24-megapixel full-frame mirrorless camera that RATES LESS than virtually any current mid-range APS-C camera on the market.
For
An extraordinary value< /p>
Very good image quality
Compact body
Versus
No 4K video
No stabilization in the body< /p>
Relatively low screen and EVF
JUMP TO:
Specifications
main Features
Build and manipulate
Laboratory tests
Performance
Verdict
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The Sony A7 was launched in late 2013 as the world's first compact camera with a full-frame sensor. Sony launched the 36MP A7R at the same time, but this model is no longer widely available, where the Sony A7 is.
Update:
The original Sony A7 is now quite hard to find again, but its place has now been taken by the Sony A7 II, which is steadily falling in price and is a better camera with in-body stabilization. Read our
Sony A7 II review
.
Sony made the bold decision to keep that original A7 model on sale (and in production, we're told), even though there have been a slew of better and more advanced A7 models since then. We assume Sony thinks this is a way to get as many people into the Sony system as possible; from our perspective, that means we can buy a camera that has stood the test of time and still compares quite well today, and at prices well below those of its competitors. It tops our list of
cheapest full frame cameras
of a kilometer, and could well be even more advantageous at the present time
Black-Friday
.
Despite taking a step back from the latest technical developments, we believe the A7 is still one of the
best sony cameras
, without mentioning the
best mirrorless cameras
all-round, and all because it's a solid, efficient camera at an incredible price.
It is aimed at enthusiasts and experts, however, despite its price, it is not necessarily one of the
best cameras for beginners
. That said, it would be a perfect choice for students and hobbyists on a tight budget.
The Sony A7 is one of the many cameras to look at while
Black-Friday
p>. With the (also excellent)
Sony A6000
, we think it could appear at very low prices!
Read more:
Sony A7 vs A7 II vs A7 III: How do they compare?
Sony Alpha A7 (black OLED) on Amazon for $1498
Specifications
Model Number:
ILCE-7
Sensor:
24.3MP full frame, 35.8x23.9mm
Focal Length Conversion:
1x
Memory:
SD/SDHC/SDXC
Viewfinder:
EVF, 2.4m dots
Video resolution:
Full HD (1920x1080)
ISO range:
100-25600 (expandable up to 50)
Auto-focus:
Hybrid AF, 117-point phase detection, 25-point contrast detection
Maximum burst rate:
5 fps or 2.5 fps with AF
LCD:
3 inch tilt, 921600 dots
Shutter speed:
1/8000- 30sec plus B
Weight:
416g (body only)
Dimensions:
126.9 x 94.4 x 48.2mm
Food:
NP-FW50 Li-ion battery
(Image credit: Digital Camera World)
main Features
< p>Some of Sony's biggest camera advancements are in the autofocus system, but even its first full-frame mirrorless A7 features a hybrid phase/contrast detection autofocus system. It doesn't have the in-body SteadyShot INSIDE system introduced in the Mark II versions, but many Sony FE mount lenses are stabilized, and there are such things as tripods - and with the money you save on that camera, you can afford a decent resolution.The resolution of the 24-megapixel sensor is fairly unremarkable by today's standards, but it's sufficient for most users and the larger photosites allow for a good balance in overall image quality.< /p>
There's no 4K video, but the A7 was launched at a time when video in cameras was in its infancy and 4K had yet to hit the mass market.
It's not a camera you'd buy for sports photography, either. Its maximum continuous shooting speed of 5 fps is sufficient, but if you want continuous autofocus, it drops to 2.5 fps.
There's a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot and a modestly sized 3-inch tilting screen on the back. It's non-touch and can't turn around for selfies or vlogging. The electronic viewfinder has a resolution of 2.4 million dots, which isn't as high as some today, but still not bad.
Beyond that, there's not much to say about the A7, which is a basic but effective camera for enthusiasts and experts alike. You can buy it as a body alone, with a Sony 28-70mm kit lens (effective, but don't expect too much) or, at select retailers, with a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. We recommend the Sony 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens if you're a first-time buyer of a Sony full-frame camera - it doesn't add much to the price, it will allow you to start immediately and you can always buy better lenses later.
An adapter for Sony's A-mount lenses is available separately, so it's pretty easy to do a "side upgrade" if you have a Sony Alpha SLT camera system you want to replace.
(Image credit: Digital Camera World)
Build and manipulate
The A7 is obviously larger than Sony's APS-C A6000 series cameras, but for a frame camera its small size is striking.
Even so, there is a fairly thick handle that makes the body comfortable to hold for long periods of time. The camera design is a bit square, which some will appreciate, but others might not. Although it doesn't have the retro beauty of a Fujifilm model, there is a certain simplistic appeal.
There's a satisfying number of dials and buttons on the camera, which will be appreciated by enthusiasts the camera is aiming for. The majority of buttons are grouped on the right, making them easy to reach with your thumb.
The Sony A7 has two command dials: this one just below the main mode dial, and a second one around the four joysticks on the back (below).
(Image credit: Digital Camera World)
(Image credit: Digital Camera World)
Above the camera is a mode dial for switching between the various exposure modes on offer, including aperture priority and shutter priority. There's also room here for up to two groups of customizable settings - useful if you often find yourself shooting in a particular type of condition, such as low light.
Just above the grip is a scroll wheel, which can be used to change settings such as aperture or shutter speed, depending on the mode you're shooting in. On the back of the camera, where your thumb would naturally be, is a second scroll wheel, which can also be used to change these settings. The settings. If you're shooting in full manual mode, you use the front dial for aperture and the rear dial for shutter speed.
One of the best things about Sony cameras is the amount of customization offered. The A7 is no different in this regard, with three buttons labeled 'C' for customisable. It doesn't stop there, though: you can also change the function of almost every other camera button if you want. A quick menu, accessible by pressing the function button and useful for accessing commonly used settings, is also fully customizable to the way you like to work.
If you don't like customizing your cameras, this could be annoying. The Sony A7 doesn't offer the separate, dedicated settings buttons on its body that you may be used to from other cameras. There's a lot more menu navigation and function assignment here.
The Sony A7's electronic viewfinder has a resolution of 2.4 million dots - not as high as the latest cameras, but actually quite a bit.
(Image credit: Digital Camera World)
Laboratory tests
We've compared our lab test results for the Sony A7 with those of three major competitors you can buy today. One of them is the
Canon EOS RP
, Canon's new 26MP full-frame mirrorless camera - it's more expensive than the A7, but still quite affordable. We also chose the Nikon D750, which is now Nikon's entry-level full-frame DSLR, and available at fairly competitive prices. Like the Sony A7, it enjoyed a long production run and steadily falling prices. Our latest rival A7 comes from its own stable. The A7 Mark II was its replacement, bringing improved image processing, in-body stabilization and more. The A7 Mark II is still available, and while it's more expensive than the original A7, it's got the same sort of deliberate discount and deserves consideration as a slightly more expensive alternative.
(Image credit: Digital Camera World)
Resolution
The Nikon D750 and Sony A7 Mark II are slightly ahead here, with the 26MP EOS RP slightly behind (surprisingly) and the Sony A7 a bit further behind. The results from the A7 are still very good, but it seems that the improvements made to the Sony A7 Mark II have made a small but noticeable difference to image quality here and elsewhere.
(Image credit: Digital Camera World)
Signal to noise ratio
Noise control is an area where we see consistent improvements over time, so it's no surprise to see the Sony A7 and Nikon D750 (itself now five years old) behind the newer Sony A7 Mark IIs. and Canon EOS RP. That said, the A7 Mark II dates back to 2014, and still compares very well to the much newer Canon.
(Image credit: Digital Camera World)
Dynamic range
Both the original Sony A7 and the latest A7 Mark II score very well for dynamic range, beating the brand new Canon EOS RP and also showing the Nikon D750 a clean pair of heels. Even now, the results from the Sony A7 are good, and those from the A7 Mark II are even better.
Performance
The A7 represented a real step forward in mirrorless technology when it launched. Its technology seems quite dated compared to what's happened since, of course, but it's easy to get embroiled in camera spec wars and assume that every new development is important or even necessary. The thing is, the image quality of the A7 stands the test of time perfectly.
Colors are bright and punchy without showing too much saturation. You can of course use Sony's Creative Styles to tweak the colors in-camera, which is particularly useful for black and white shots or if you want to increase the glow for some reason. Using Creative Styles means you can take photos in raw format and keep a “clean” version of the image to work on later. Conversely, shooting with Picture Effects, a range of digital filters, is only available in JPEG, which is a shame.
The Sony A7's 24-megapixel resolution is fairly unremarkable by today's standards, but its overall image quality is still good even now.
(Image credit: Digital Camera World)
Generally speaking, the A7's metering system does a good job when left on Multi (all lens). You may need to set some exposure compensation when shooting in high contrast areas or in a very dark location. Similarly, the auto white balance option does quite well in most situations, although it errs on incorrect color casts when shooting under artificial lights. In these cases, it makes sense to switch to a more appropriate white balance setting.
The A7 can be purchased as a bundle with the 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 FE lens. While that's a decent enough optic to start with, it's not the lens that either full-frame sensor deserves.
The amount of detail the A7 resolves is impressive, although our lab tests reveal newer cameras can improve its sharpness a bit. We tried the Zeiss FE 35mm f/2.8 lens, which really shows what this camera is capable of.
Here the Sony A7 captured strong but natural colors and good dynamic range in extremely challenging conditions. p>
(Image credit: Digital Camera World)
Sony claimed at the time that the A7 offered faster autofocus speeds than other full-frame cameras of that era, such as the Nikon D610 and Canon 6D. While that might be true (there doesn't seem to be much in it) in good light, as light levels drop the autofocus hunts a lot more and sometimes generates a false positive.
Image noise doesn't really start to show up until around ISO 1600, while it only becomes problematic at ISO 6400 - and even then only when looking at 100% images for problems. Images are more than acceptable when shared or printed in A4 size or smaller.
The biggest issue is battery life. It stands to reason that you'll need to buy at least one extra battery if you intend to use the camera for more than half a day of shooting at a time, for example.
The Sony A7 is usually offered for sale on the body only or with the low-cost Sony 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens.
(Image credit: Sony)
Verdict
The Sony A7 launched Sony's challenge in the full-frame camera market, previously dominated by DSLRs. One only has to look at today's very different camera market to see the impact it has had. This all happened in a relatively short time, so although the A7 is the first and oldest camera in this series, its technology is still only five years old – and Sony was quite good at making cameras and sensors, as is the case now.
The A7's image quality is class-leading within the confines of its 24-megapixel resolution. Colors are beautifully vibrant, while the ability to customize in-camera color output is much appreciated. It's also clear that Sony has thought about how photographers like to work: the breadth of customization options is fantastic.
The A7 isn't without its flaws, some of which are major. Battery life is mediocre to say the least: if you want to spend a day with the camera, it just won't last that long. That makes extra batteries pretty much an essential purchase. It's also a shame that Sony chose to omit a touchscreen. When the AF point setting is as tricky as here, it would make things much easier and faster.
There are other things about this camera that we could fault, but not at this price! That's the bottom line about the A7 - it might not have been perfect even when it launched, but the way it still ranks today and the prices you can get it for get mean that none of these really matter. What he can't do is pretty obvious. What it can do, at this price, is extraordinary.
Learn more:
• Those are the
best mirrorless cameras
at the moment• We list the
cheapest full frame cameras
you can buy• The Sony A7 is STILL one of the
best sony cameras
• The
best sony lenses
THE BEST OFFERS OF THE DAY
$1198
at Adorama
$1498
on Amazon