Sony A7 Comparison Review

The Sony Alpha A7 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was announced in October 2013 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 24 megapixel.

Is the Sony A7 a good camera? The A7 has a Camera Elo of 2222. This rating puts the A7 below average of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the A7 also ranks below average. – Well, the Sony A7 is more than 7 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2013.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Sony A7 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Sony A7 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Sony A7	127 mm	94 mm	48 mm	474 g	340	Y	Oct 2013	1,699
2.		Nikon D610	141 mm	113 mm	82 mm	850 g	900	Y	Oct 2013	1,999
3.		Panasonic GH4	133 mm	93 mm	84 mm	560 g	500	Y	Feb 2014	1,499
4.		Samsung NX1	139 mm	102 mm	66 mm	550 g	500	Y	Sep 2014	1,499
5.		Sony A7C	124 mm	71 mm	60 mm	509 g	740	Y	Sep 2020	1,799
6.		Sony A7 III	127 mm	96 mm	74 mm	650 g	610	Y	Feb 2018	1,999
7.		Sony A7 II	127 mm	96 mm	60 mm	599 g	350	Y	Nov 2014	1,999
8.		Sony A7S	127 mm	94 mm	48 mm	489 g	380	Y	Apr 2014	2,499
9.		Sony A7R	127 mm	94 mm	48 mm	465 g	340	Y	Oct 2013	2,299
10.		Sony RX1R	113 mm	65 mm	70 mm	482 g	270	n	Jun 2013	2,799
11.		Sony RX1	113 mm	65 mm	70 mm	482 g	270	n	Sep 2012	2,799
Notes: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Sony A7 was launched in the US market at a price of $1,699. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Sony A7 features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Sony A7 among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

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 A7 III	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	14.7	3730	96
7.		Sony A7 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.9	13.6	2449	90
8.		Sony A7S	Full Frame	12.0	4240	2832	1080/60p	23.9	13.2	3702	87
9.		Sony A7R	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/60p	25.6	14.1	2746	95
10.		Sony RX1R	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	25.0	13.6	2537	91
11.		Sony RX1	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	25.1	14.3	2534	93

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The A7 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the A7 can use is 1080/60p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the A7 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2400k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.71x. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Sony A7 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Mech Shutter Speed	Shutter Flaps (1/sec)	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Sony A7	2400	n	3.0 / 1230	tilting	n	1/8000s	5.0	n	n
2.		Nikon D610	optical	Y	3.2 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	6.0	Y	n
3.		Panasonic GH4	2359	n	3.0 / 1036	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0	Y	n
4.		Samsung NX1	2360	Y	3.0 / 1036	tilting	Y	1/8000s	15.0	Y	n
5.		Sony A7C	2360	n	3.0 / 922	swivel	Y	1/4000s	10.0	n	Y
6.		Sony A7 III	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/8000s	10.0	n	Y
7.		Sony A7 II	2400	n	3.0 / 1230	tilting	n	1/8000s	5.0	n	Y
8.		Sony A7S	2400	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/8000s	5.0	n	n
9.		Sony A7R	2400	n	3.0 / 1230	tilting	n	1/8000s	4.0	n	n
10.		Sony RX1R	optional	n	3.0 / 1229	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.0	Y	n
11.		Sony RX1	optional	n	3.0 / 1229	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.0	Y	n

The LCD screen on the Sony Alpha A7 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD can be tilted vertically to facilitate odd-angle shots in landscape orientation. This tilting design is often preferred, for example, by street photographers to a fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment, as it is more unobtrusive during shooting than a screen that flips out to the side.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Sony Alpha A7 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Sony A7	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
2.		Nikon D610	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Panasonic GH4	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
4.		Samsung NX1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.0	Y	Y	Y
5.		Sony A7C	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	Y	Y
6.		Sony A7 III	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	Y	Y
7.		Sony A7 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
8.		Sony A7S	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
9.		Sony A7R	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
10.		Sony RX1R	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Sony RX1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the A7 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the A7 in practical situations. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why expert reviews are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Sony A7	5/5	+ +	..	80/100	5/5	5/5	Oct 2013	1,699
2.		Nikon D610	4/5	+ +	..	87/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2013	1,999
3.		Panasonic GH4	5/5	+ +	..	85/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2014	1,499
4.		Samsung NX1	5/5	..	..	87/100	5/5	5/5	Sep 2014	1,499
5.		Sony A7C	3.5/5	..	3.5/5	86/100	4/5	4/5	Sep 2020	1,799
6.		Sony A7 III	..	+ +	4.5/5	89/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2018	1,999
7.		Sony A7 II	5/5	+	4/5	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	Nov 2014	1,999
8.		Sony A7S	4/5	..	..	86/100	4.5/5	5/5	Apr 2014	2,499
9.		Sony A7R	5/5	+ +	..	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	Oct 2013	2,299
10.		Sony RX1R	5/5	..	..	..	4/5	4.5/5	Jun 2013	2,799
11.		Sony RX1	5/5	..	..	79/100	4/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	2,799
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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