Test du Sony A7C

Our Verdict

The Sony A7C is a powerful, yet highly portable full-frame camera ideal for shooting travel, events or street photography.

For

Small and light body

Powerful 5-axis image stabilization

Excellent battery life

Versatile AF Modes

Flexible LCD

Versus

Small EVF

Lack of front dial and other controls

Single memory card slot

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$1,749.95

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$1798

at Amazon

$1798

at BH Photo

Sony A7C: Specifications

Image sensor:

24.2MP full frame CMOS

Image stabilization:

In-stabilization of body image

Display:

3 inch LCD

ISO:

100-51200 (expandable to 50ISO and 204000ISO)

Maximum video resolution:

4K / 3840 x 2160 at 30/24 fps

Ports:< /p>

HDMI, USB, stereo microphone and headphone sockets

Wireless/Bluetooth/NFC:

Yes

Shooting speed:

up to 10fps

Battery life (CIPA):

740 strokes

Height/weight (body):

4.9 x 2.8 x 2.2 inches; 18 ounces

Like so many new cameras right now, the Sony A7C seems primarily aimed at vloggers and online content creators, AKA the people who make all the videos we spend hours watching every day on YouTube and Instagram.

This group, according to Sony research, wants the powerful performance of a full-frame sensor, but in a small package. And they also want advanced features to make their life easier when shooting their latest masterpiece.

Well, the Sony A7C might be exactly what they're looking for, as it somehow packs a powerful full-frame sensor into a much, much smaller body than most of its competitors.

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Sony A7C (Silver) on Amazon for $1,798

In fact, Sony proclaimed when it launched last year that it was the world's smallest and lightest full-frame camera. That's not quite true - read the fine print and you'll see this is actually the smallest and lightest full frame camera that also takes interchangeable lenses and has stabilization of body image - but there's no doubt that the A7C is an impressive feat of engineering.

As a result, it's likely to appeal to a wider group than vloggers. For example, I could easily see it appealing to enthusiasts looking for a small camera to use as a second body, or enthusiasts who want to upgrade from a smartphone but don't want the essentials of a DSLR.

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listing. Read on for the full Sony A7C review.

Sony A7C: price and availability

The Sony A7C was unveiled in late 2020 with a price of $1799 for the body-only version and $2099 for its kit-lens configuration. These prices are still in effect at the time of writing in July 2021.

You can also buy the kit lens, the new Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6, as a standalone zoom for $498, making the kit lens offer a great option if you don't have not already a suitable piece of glass to use with.

Sony A7C review: Design and controls

Sony was always going to have to make tough decisions with the A7C, because while its 24MP full-frame sensor is essentially the same as the one inside the A7 III, its body is considerably smaller.

His solution was to remove some controls, such as the front dial and the joystick (which allows you to move the focus point, if that's the AF mode you're using). You can use the touchscreen to set the AF point, but some might miss that extra physical control. Unlike many full-frame cameras, it also only includes a single memory card slot. It may not be a fatal flaw, but it could be a frustration for some people. Plus, the Sony A7C only has one memory card slot.

(Image credit: Terry Sullivan/Tom's Guide)

Additionally, the Sony A7C also comes with an older menu structure compared to the one introduced by Sony with the A7S III camera. Given the lack of orders, it's even more of a shame.

That said, there's a lot to like about the A7C's design. Obviously that small size is the most notable feature - and it's really, really small for a full-frame camera. For comparison, I sat it next to my Sony A7R IV, with the A7C to the left of the image below.

In the top image, you can see the cameras from behind, at an angle, with their extended touchscreen LCDs. In the bottom image you can get an idea of ​​the top controls. For both, the A7C featured the new 28-60mm kit lens and the A7R IV had the 35mm f/1.8 prime lens. (I also added the 12 ounce soda to give you an idea of ​​the scale of each camera.)

(Image credit: Terry Sullivan/Tom's Guide)

Apart from its diminutive shape, there are plenty of other nice touches on the A7C.

The swiveling touchscreen LCD, for example, is a highlight; this moves away from the camera like a camcorder, making it easier to see what you're shooting from several different positions.

Sony has also done a good job designing a small but capable 28-60mm zoom for the A7C kit. The company's marketing department was hard at work here again, calling it "the world's smallest and lightest full-frame standard zoom lens," and that might be true: it weighs just 5.8 ounces.

It wouldn't mean anything. if it hasn't always been a quality performer, of course, and thankfully it is: it did a good job shooting stills and video, with its silent autofocus.

The only newly developed feature that I didn't like as much as older versions was the compact eye-level viewfinder. A 2.36 million dot OLED EVF, it has a high enough resolution, but I wasn't as comfortable looking at it as I was with the one on my Sony a7R IV. I think I might get used to it over time, but I'd still prefer something slightly bigger.

Sony A7C review: Image and video quality

Overall, the Alpha A7C produces very good to excellent images in high light situations and normal shooting conditions, which is no less than you would expect for a camera. full frame photo costing around $2,000.

Whether or not I was shooting in direct sunlight or on an overcast day, the A7C's 24MP sensor performed very well, producing images with wide dynamic range and crisp, clear detail.

It's pretty fast too: I liked that it could capture 10fps in burst mode, using the shutter or in silent mode, and it offers a really impressive autofocus setup. I was particularly pleased that you have access to many of the same versatile AF modes found on other Sony Alpha full-frame cameras, including real-time Eye AF (which can also be set for animals).

One of the nice things about the 28-60mm kit lens is that because it's small and compact, it's not visible. That way, you have a better chance of capturing intimate moments with friends and family (and your pets), like this.

(Image credit: Terry Sullivan/Tom's Guide)

To make the body smaller, Sony needed to develop new versions of its embedded technology. For example, they had to build a new IBIS system, which worked as well as in other cameras. They also needed to make a new compact shutter unit, which also worked as expected.

Like most cameras, however, it doesn't get as hot in low light. Increasing the ISO works quite well up to around ISO 12800, but at this point you will start to see noise in the image. This, in turn, will soften the sharpness a bit and introduce tinted noise which will affect the image quality.

Image 1 of 4

There's a lot of detail visible in this macro photo of a guitar pick.

(Image credit: Terry Sullivan/Tom's Guide)

Picture 2 of 4

In this low-light image, I thought it did a decent job managing my house just after sunset. ISO was set to 12800, which is the highest setting I would use before the noise got a bit too noticeable.

(Image credit: Terry Sullivan/Tom's Guide)

Picture 3 of 4

The 28-60mm kit lens is quite wide and the A7C offers plenty of detail.

(Image credit: Terry Sullivan/Tom's Guide)

>Picture 4 of 4

Sony A7C images are crisp and colorful

(Image credit: Terry Sullivan/Tom's Guide)

In terms of video, the A7C is a little underpowered in some respects - surprising, given its target audience. Although it shoots in 4K, it maxes out at 30fps and only hits that frame rate in cropped mode; you'll need to switch to 24p to get full-width images. There's no 10-bit recording either - 8-bit is your max here.

That said, it only really suffers from the more expensive full-frame models, and there's nothing wrong with the images it shoots - in fact, it's nice and crisp. The quality of the autofocus is also useful here.

Sony A7C review: Battery life / Wi-Fi, Bluetooth & NFC

The A7C has the same powerful battery, Sony's NP-FZ100, used in other Alpha cameras. Here it has a CIPA rating of 740 shots per charge when using the LCD screen or 680 shots when using the electronic viewfinder.

It's also well equipped to connect wirelessly, as it has built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC capabilities. In fact, it can use both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies so you can send your footage to a smartphone quickly and easily. For those looking for pro-level connectivity, the A7C can also use FTP file transfer via wired and wireless LAN or use a USB connection with a computer or smartphone.

Sony A7C review: Verdict

I'm sure there will be people with larger hands who might find the A7C's compact controls a drawback. However, I'm sure most will like to carry around something that isn't as heavy as an average full-frame camera. Or rather, something that's considerably lighter than almost any other full-frame camera.

This small size leads to some compromises, mostly in the lack of some controls you'll find on other Sony Alpha cameras, but for most tasks I found the A7C to work without a hitch.

More importantly, image quality and autofocus performance are both excellent - there's a lot to like here. It's not exactly cheap, but if you're looking for full-frame performance in a compact package, the A7C should be high on your wish list.

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