The Sony Alpha 7R V is a blockbuster release and I’m crossposting from our sister site Sony Mirrorless Pro. Shooting with the a7r since 2013, I was impressed and wowed by what this camera can do (preorder now from B&H).
Sony Alpha 7R V $3898 on preorder
I’ll say it another way: the R5 fits my in-the-moment shooting style. I have the most fun when immersed in technology and creativity. And, for this model, I did so at a super high rez. Like this photo from a bike path.
Motion blur with the AF locked onto the cyclists eyes.
The Alpha 1 (my personal camera) behaves the same, a bit slower on focus capture and with less resolution. I expect the best-in-class focusing performance from Sony’s flagship and the a9 II. Just not their highest-resolution model. That’s what the a7rv changes. The AI-based autofocus algorithm even includes Insect Detect.
A bee pollenating flowers on the High Line captured handheld with the AI-based Insect Detect.
On the High Line and the Street
Quickly running out of superlatives to describe the bionic-like experience, I encourage you to try it yourself. Like the attendees of Creative Space did. They lined up at 5 am, around the block, and tried out the a7r5 right after it launched. As soon as you can try it at a store, do so, and I expect you’ll come away as impressed as I was.
Handheld, at night, in an instant, no flash or tripod. It looks 3d via the EVF. Like a film still.
The bee photo above is one of the best a7rV examples. The street photo is too. A speedy AF (+ AI) and the 8-step stabilization made the frames possible.
The bee photo happened after I turned on Insect Detect. Bees were moving fast pollinating, in gusty conditions, and I was too close to see them in focus. After the green box lit up on the little bee, my finger released the shutter button. I didn’t observe the bee myself. The camera did.
A similar thing happened with the subject of the street photo. Stepping out of the restaurant, the scene presented itself. I turned on the camera and acquired the focus in an instant. When viewed through the 9.44 million dots EVF, the photo looks surrealist, like I captured the scene in 3D. Straight out of the camera with no presets, the still looks like I shot it on film. Sony doesn’t tout their color science, but you can shoot straight jpeg with the a9 II, Alpha One, and now the R5.
New 4-axis multi-angle LCD monitor.
A paparazzi-style photo taken at night would require a flash at least and probably a monopod. I had neither and was able to take it at a slow shutter speed and high ISO. The specs and tech are so extensive in this launch I suggest you watch the launch video instead of parsing them all. Below are the highlights.
Sony Alpha 7R V Tech Highlights
Tenacious Real-time Tracking
Faster and more precise wide-area, high-density AF system
Silent, vibration-free shooting at up to 7 fps
Continuously shoot up to 583 compressed RAW images at high speed
Lossless RAW image compression and selectable RAW image sizes and quality
Greatly expanded focus and exposure bracketing
Creative Look settings for stills and videos in camera
High-quality HEIF images with high compression efficiency
Wide brightness range for large screen viewing.
Sony’s blockbuster camera release will ship in December for $3900. Based on what I heard at the Creative Space, preorder now if you expect to get one this year.
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