Sony A7R V: New full-frame camera with 61-megapixel sensor unveiled

With the Sony A7R V, the manufacturer has officially presented its new DSLM camera flagship for photographers. After the Vlogging camera ZV-1F about two weeks ago and the video model FX30 at the end of September, the new camera of the Alpha series is aimed at photo professionals. And comes up with some exciting innovations.

The Sony A7R V in detail

In the full-frame camera segment, Sony has been offering three variants of the Alpha 7 model series for quite some time. The normal Alpha 7 as an entry-level model, the A7S with a focus on videos and the A7R for photographers.

The latter now gets a new edition with the Sony A7R V, which is quite something. Visually, very little has changed compared to the A7R IV. With the exception of the display, which is not stingy with innovations.

Instead of a flip-out or tiltable display, this time Sony is going for a new four-axis multi-angle LCD monitor that combines the advantages of a traditional tiltable screen with the flexibility of a side-folding, rotating and tilting display. It measures 3.2 inches, is of course fully touch-enabled, and has a particularly high resolution of 2.1 million pixels.

The resolution of the electronic viewfinder (EVF) is also more than impressive with 9.44 million pixels. In addition, the Alpha 7R V has two CFexpress Type A/SDXC-compatible media slots and a brand-new menu system with touch operation.

61-megapixel sensor and AI functions

Sony has also revised the full-frame sensor of the A7R V (whose official model name is ILCE-7RM5). As in the predecessor, it resolves with a whopping 61 megapixels, but is supported by a BIONZ XR processing engine in the new model.

With a new AI (artificial intelligence) processing unit for AI-based image recognition and the image processing engine, the manufacturer wants to provide “a new breakthrough in subject recognition and detection for both photos and videos”. “The BIONZ XR is up to 8 times faster than its predecessor and processes large amounts of image data with minimized latency,” says the manufacturer.

One is particularly proud of the image stabilization (SteadyShot) with 5-axis compensation, which is to allow freehand up to eight stops longer exposure times. The autofocus, which is already excellent in Sony cameras, is also said to have been improved even further thanks to the AI processor.

Thanks to AI functions and Deep Learning, the autofocus is said to score with advanced subject recognition and can even detect and assess human postures. In addition, there are new recognitions for subject types such as vehicles or insects.

Even more, the autofocus in AF-S mode is supposed to work effectively even at night and offer high autofocus accuracy at light values of only -4.0 EV. Human eyes are also said to be detected about 60 percent more reliably.

In addition, other new features for the 7R model series include:.

• pervasive real-time tracking
• Faster and more accurate high-density AF system with wide autofocus range
• Continuous shooting at up to 10 fps with AF/AE tracking
• Silent, vibration-free shooting at up to 7 frames per second
• High-speed continuous shooting of up to 583 compressed RAW images

Focus bracketing and other special features

Another new feature is the option of focus stacking or focus bracketing. Here, the Sony A7R V automatically captures up to 299 images, each with shifted focus points at defined intervals and sequences, from which you can then select the perfect image or link the images together to achieve an especially high depth of field

This is a particularly popular feature in macro photography, and one that the APS-C camera Fujifilm X-H2 introduced in September, for example, is also capable of.

Other exciting features of the A7R V for photographers:

• Lossless compression of RAW images, size and quality of RAW images selectable
• Significantly enhanced focus and exposure bracketing
• Creative Look settings available for photos and videos
• High quality HEIF images with high compression efficiency
• Wide brightness range when viewed on a large monitor

Videos in 8K with Cinema mode

However, the Sony A7R V also has a lot to offer in the video sector. It allows shooting in 8K resolution at 24 or 25 frames per second and captures 4K video via oversampling of 6.2K without binning and at up to 60 frames per second.

Videos are possible in 4:2:2 at 10 bits. In addition, the Alpha 7R V offers advanced Scene Recognition for the most reliable real-time tracking yet, Breathing Compensation, the ability to use camera metadata for post-processing, and advanced built-in image stabilization.

Sony Alpha 7R V Price and Availability

The new Sony A7R V DSLM camera will start making its way to retailers in mid-November 2022. The manufacturer’s recommended retail price is €4,499 for the camera body only. You can find more details and all technical specifications on Sony’s product website.