How much dynamic range does the Sony A7 offer?

According to measurements carried out by DXO Mark, the sensor in the Sony Alpha A7 provides a maximum of 14.2 EV of dynamic range (DR). DR is defined as the ratio between the highest and lowest brightness a camera can capture. A value of 12 EV or above is considered excellent.

High dynamic range of a camera sensor is particularly desirable for scenes with a mix of very bright and very dark parts, such as in some landscape photography settings. It helps to avoid that highlights get washed out or that detail in shadows is lost.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Sony A7 to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better). In addition to dynamic range (DXO Landscape), the listing also covers color depth (DXO Portrait) and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

#		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Sony A7	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.8	14.2	2248	90
2.		Nikon D610	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/30p	25.1	14.4	2925	94
3.		Panasonic GH4	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	4K/30p	23.2	12.8	791	74
4.		Samsung NX1	APS-C	28.0	6480	4320	4K/30p	24.2	13.2	1363	83
5.		Sony A7C	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	14.7	3407	95
6.		Sony A6300	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.4	13.7	1437	85
7.		Sony A6500	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.5	13.7	1405	85
8.		Sony A7 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.9	13.6	2449	90
9.		Sony A7S	Full Frame	12.0	4240	2832	1080/60p	23.9	13.2	3702	87
10.		Sony A7R	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/60p	25.6	14.1	2746	95
11.		Sony RX1R	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	25.0	13.6	2537	91

In the United States, the A7 was initially launched in October 2013 at a price of $1,699.

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Camera to camera comparisons

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