The colour science sucks, the cameras have no soul, they are boring to use, and they don’t look as trendy next to an overpriced flat white in a Shoreditch coffee shop. These are some of the things I was told before moving over to Sony. Now that I’ve been using this system for a couple of months, I can share my initial feedback.

Before diving into the details, a bit of housekeeping. This is not a review. The A7RV is a complex camera, and I have barely scratched the surface of what it’s capable of. Instead, I will share my initial findings and the things I like and dislike. I was not bought by Sony. They have no idea who I am, nor should they. I purchased this camera with my own money from a generic UK retailer. I couldn’t care less about brands, and there is no such thing as a bad camera these days. I simply pick a tool that suits me best. I have no emotional connection to cameras, so my approach to gear is very pragmatic and objective.

Things I Don’t Like

Let’s first start with the things I don’t like about the camera, and honestly, there isn’t much to discuss. I’m very much nitpicking here. The biggest thing I noticed is some inconsistencies in how certain things operate. For example, the rear right dial has a nice locking function—press it once to lock and again to unlock. Nothing new. However, the main mode dial requires you to push and hold the locking button while turning it. If you’re switching between modes in a rush, this system is a little slower. I would prefer if both operated in the same way.

The inconsistencies carry on into the software. For example, you can assign AEL, AWL, and many other features as either a toggle or a hold. This means you can choose between holding the button to activate the feature or pressing it once and letting go. For some reason, this doesn’t apply to AFL for focusing. My Fuji, Leica, and even iPhone allow you to do this, so it’s a bit surprising that Sony doesn’t.

Another annoyance is the viewfinder. While it’s the best and highest resolution system I’ve used, all that falls apart the moment you focus. It seems like the camera can’t manage to keep up the performance of both and the resolution drops to comical levels (in comparison). While it’s not terrible and on par with some cheaper cameras, it’s a huge drop in quality.

Lastly I found the battery drain to be faster than what I experienced in some other systems. If I am shooting both photo and video, a single battery will last about half a day. At least the camera fast charges via USBC very quickly.

Issues

The first issue I had was with the camera freezing and requiring a battery restart. This only happened to me once and, for what it’s worth, almost every other camera I’ve owned has experienced this too.

The second and more concerning issue happened on my other Sony A7CII, but from my research, this can impact every Sony camera, including the A7RV. I was recording a video and, for whatever reason, the camera restarted. It wasn’t overheating, nor did the battery run out. It seems like it was a simple glitch. The issue was that the video file got corrupted. Other brands like Fujifilm have a system in place to protect the file, but it seems Sony doesn’t. Although the file was corrupted, it was easy to recover using software called RecoverIt online.

Lastly, I found that the body picks up scratches very easily, but this is consistent with most modern cameras. For now, these are the only issues I have experienced.

Things I Like

There are a lot of positive things I can say about this camera, but for this initial impressions blog, I will keep it to the features that had the biggest impact on me.

Speed – The first thing I love about the A7RV is the general speed and performance. Switching on, focusing, using the menus, changing settings, transferring files, and everything in between—the camera feels fast and responsive.

Reliability – Despite the two issues I mentioned earlier, this camera just works as you’d expect. No hiccups, random delays, or odd behaviour.

Autofocus – This should come as no surprise, but the AF is outstanding and miles ahead of any other system I’ve used. Of course, it’s not perfect—if you have a plain surface with zero contrast, some hunting can happen. But for 99% of scenarios, the system is instant, quick, and, most importantly, has zero false positives.

Setup – I love how customisable this camera is. There are so many different ways to set it up that I find myself overwhelmed (in a good way) by all the options. For example, I can configure the camera so that if I press and hold a button, the entire behaviour changes. I can be shooting in aperture priority, but the moment I press and hold an assigned button, the camera switches to shutter priority with a predefined shutter speed and a different focus mode. The moment I let go, it reverts back to the original setup.

Hybrid Shooting – Switching from photo to video is instant and seamless. Settings and button setup can be uniquely configured to each mode.

Comfort – This is the most comfortable camera I’ve ever used. The buttons are all exactly where you’d want them to be, the grip works well with lenses of all sizes, and the overall user experience is excellent.

APSC Mode – With the press of a button, I can switch the camera from full-frame to APSC mode. This still gives me a 26-megapixel file while giving me more reach from a lens. Of course, you can simply crop in, but APSC mode gives you a cropped preview and allows you to use APSC lenses.

Lens Line-Up – While this is not exclusive to the A7R, the lens selection is vast. Not only do you have some uniquely amazing options from Sony, like the 24-50mm f/2.8, but you also have tons of third-party options. As mentioned earlier, you can also use APSC lenses on this camera, further expanding its usability.

Screen – On most other brands you have to choose between an articulating screen that’s superior for those behind the camera and a full flip out screen which gives more options for filming yourself or awkward angles. On the A7RV, you get both.

General Observations

There is a general consensus that Sony cameras are boring to use, have no soul, and suck all the fun out of photography. Having used this camera for the last two months and compared it to my Fuji, Leica, and even Hasselblad, I completely disagree. If your idea of fun is wrestling with a slow AF system or navigating a lack of custom buttons, then sure, I guess they are more fun. However, for me, this A7R has been by far the most fun and enjoyable camera I have ever used. While the other cameras are all fun to use, there is nothing about the Sony that makes it less fun or less involving than the others.

This camera gets out of your way. Compared to the other brands I’ve owned and used, the A7R allows you to focus solely on photography. I can safely say I feel the most creative using the A7R—not the Fuji, Leica, or Hasselblad. It’s nice knowing that the camera will do what it’s supposed to do, letting me focus entirely on the environment rather than dealing with unreliable AF.

The files need work to get the most out of them. It’s no secret that Sony doesn’t produce the best colours straight out of the camera, and they require more editing compared to Fuji files, for example. If you shoot RAW, this doesn’t matter, as you can learn how to edit these files. However, if you shoot JPEG, this might be an issue. I have found the files very different from Fuji’s, and it is taking me a while to get my head around how to edit them.

The menu systems get a lot of hate and I can understand why if it’s coming from beginners or those who want something that works out of the box. The menu is vast and requires learning & understanding. The camera has so many features and so many different ways to be set-up that it is indeed overwhelming. Personally I see no issue and happy to spend time learning it so I can get the most out of it.

Summary

Overall, I am over the moon with this camera. However, I am still very much an amateur when it comes to how this system works, how the files edit, and the ecosystem as a whole. As time goes on, I will be doing a deep dive into all the specifics and updating you as I go along.