Should I move on from my A7 IV to the A7 R5? Or there is something else I should consider

[Katbel]

I’m thinking of upgrading my camera
Any suggestions? Is the A7 R5 a good choice?

 

[iamdlewis]

What are you looking to get out of changing cameras?

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I remember when you joined, you had an A6400 back then. I guess you upgraded to the A7IV 2 yrs ago? Do you like it? What do you want to improve upon? More megapixels? Better video performance?

If you wait another 10-12 months, rumor has it that the A7V will be announced. Nobody knows yet what the specs will be, but the megapixel count is sure to be less than the A7RIV or A7RV.

Or you could get the A7RV now for more megapixels and a really cool rear screen.

 

[Richard A]

I have an A7RV and it is a really great camera. If you have an A7IV, I would agree with @FowlersFreeTime. I would be waiting a few months to see if there is any news of an A7V.

 

[BrianN]

As @iamdlewis mentioned I would ask yourself what is it that the A7RV has that the A7IV doesn't.

I had been considering this same question and at the time focus bracketing wasn't on the A7IV , the benefit of the 5 axis screen was an attraction to me and the higher resolution evf, I also believe it has an inbuilt bulb timer which I miss on the A7IV

Now the A7IV has the focus bracketing has been provided in the A7IV I don't need these features above at this moment.

 

[Roland]

I upgrade because of focus stacking, but I have been busy with other projects, that I have not been using this feature very often. If time travelling would be possible, I would tell myself ‘no’.

 

[Hans F]

I upgrade because of focus stacking, but I have been busy with other projects, that I have not been using this feature very often. If time travelling would be possible, I would tell myself ‘no’.

Both A7 IV (after firmware update in my case) and A7R V support focus bracketing.... functionality is the same. It was the feature that I missed most after getting the A7R V that had it out of the box.

 

[Katbel]

What are you looking to get out of changing cameras?

Sometimes I feel my Sony is slow to focus and if I'm aiming at a bird among branches it's pretty difficult to get it in focus , I need to go manual and by the time I'm set up the birds is gone.

I read the A7RV is faster on that because it focuses automatically on the bird, not on the eyes only.
Plus several other improvements , like the menu that has already been improved on the A7 IV but not enough
And the A7 V has a sensor half size the A7RV : how is this going to affect my shots? I guess it should improve it
A7 IV Sensor: 33.0MP
A7RV Sensor: 61.0MP

I also have someone interested in getting my camera, but before jumping on the new boat I want to be sure of what I'm doing . Waiting few months and for a camera that could have less megapixels as said in this thread, is not appealing to me. I'm not interested in video improvements as I don't use it at all. Just photography, it's my therapy in this crazy world.

 

[Richard A]

If you have someone who wants to buy your current camera, that is a bonus.

As far as sensor megapixels go, The only real advantages are if you want to make very large prints or if you want to crop your images a lot.

 

[AlphaWorld]

I’m thinking of upgrading my camera
Any suggestions? Is the A7 R5 a good choice?

From an A7IV you have many options:

• A7V - not yet announced but heavily rumoured - the next version of the camera you have
• A7RV - announced 2 years ago, the first camera with the new AF system and new rear screen
• A9III - a big jump up in speed, plus the global shutter, but an awesome camera (at a big jump in price)
• A1II - in some ways the ultimate Sony, but seriously pricy

All of those are current models (well, A7V will be), and they come with the new AF, probably the new rear screen (I expect the A7V to have it - the other three already do), and many bells and whistles. The last two include a changed body design that a lot of people think is the best Sony has produced.

Other options include:

• Used or new A1 - still a fine camera, and very capable - price has come down
• The A7C / A7CR series
• Not changing! Do you really need a new body?

If you feel the need to change now, you have to exclude the A7V, but all the others are on the table. Do be aware that the A1 and A9 models are more expensive and offer more (not everyone wants features like the 2 dials on the left shoulder - I have spoken to someone who hates the idea of those dials, and admitted that it had saved him from yearning for an A1 or A9!)

My own advice would be to wait for the announcement of the A7V - it is the natural upgrade for the A7IV, and would be expected to include a lot of features (the new AF, in particular) that would be attractive to an A7 user. When you see what it offers, you can decide if that’s what you want, or if you need to dig deeper and go further up.

 

[AlphaWorld]

Sometimes I feel my Sony is slow to focus and if I'm aiming at a bird among branches it's pretty difficult to get it in focus , I need to go manual and by the time I'm set up the birds is gone.

I read the A7RV is faster on that because it focuses automatically on the bird, not on the eyes only.
Plus several other improvements , like the menu that has already been improved on the A7 IV but not enough
And the A7 V has a sensor half size the A7RV : how is this going to affect my shots? I guess it should improve it
A7 IV Sensor: 33.0MP
A7RV Sensor: 61.0MP

I also have someone interested in getting my camera, but before jumping on the new boat I want to be sure of what I'm doing . Waiting few months and for a camera that could have less megapixels as said in this thread, is not appealing to me. I'm not interested in video improvements as I don't use it at all. Just photography, it's my therapy in this crazy world.

The A7IV sensor is NOT half the size if the A7RV. It is exactly the same size. The spots on the sensor (some people call them pixel wells, or electron wells, or sensels) are smaller on the A7RV, so it fits (almost) twice as many into the same area. That means the A7RV images have more pixels, which means files roughly twice as big, requiring twice the card space and twice the disk space. But it does give you more scope for cropping - just beware that if you crop the same number of pixels (say, 10 megapixels) from the full frame, you’ll be getting a much smaller proportion of the sensor, so apparent noise will be more obvious. If you scale the full frame to a given size, though, you putting more pixels into each output pixel, and the results will be cleaner.

I have multiple cameras using the new AF, and it is very good indeed, especially when handling partially visible subjects. It’s not completely magic, but I like it much better than anything I have used previously.

 

[Clide]

I’m thinking of upgrading my camera
Any suggestions? Is the A7 R5 a good choice?

My first Sony was the A7 4. I Mess around with bird photography and I found I was constantly cropping my images. I also enjoy landscape photography. I decided to purchase the A7R V for greater resolution and the updated subject recognition. I still use my A7 4 as a backup. The A7R V is a beast of a camera. It may seem silly, but I love the multi-hinged screen. Shoot low, shoot high above your head and you can see that screen. Not great for birds in flight. I enjoy printing my images so the 61 mp comes in handy although the A7 4 is no slouch at 33 MP. I had both cameras out yesterday and I like the flexibility of not having to switch out lens. Good luck, fortunately Sony offers lots of great choices.

 

[vsbastosx]

I have both. In my opinion, you won't gain much. I use them for bird photography together with the 200-600 G. AF is pretty much the same and 33mp is plenty.

 

[Richard A]

When I bought my A7RV I knew it had a unique screen (at the time) but I didn’t think I would use it that much. However, in the last couple of weeks I have been using it quite a lot & it can be a game changer. Not to mention the EVF.

 

[Katbel]

My first Sony was the A7 4. I Mess around with bird photography and I found I was constantly cropping my images. I also enjoy landscape photography. I decided to purchase the A7R V for greater resolution and the updated subject recognition. I still use my A7 4 as a backup. The A7R V is a beast of a camera. It may seem silly, but I love the multi-hinged screen. Shoot low, shoot high above your head and you can see that screen. Not great for birds in flight. I enjoy printing my images so the 61 mp comes in handy although the A7 4 is no slouch at 33 MP. I had both cameras out yesterday and I like the flexibility of not having to switch out lens. Good luck, fortunately Sony offers lots of great choices.

Thanks! For birds in flight I customized one of the buttons and it works
Follow these tips and tweak it for what you believe work best for you.

BTW since yesterday Sony lowered the price of a lot of cameras, at least in Canada + 300$ bonus and 1 extra battery and 1 160GB TOUGH CF Express card. I got it for 1000$ less plus the free extras
I just checked the card and it's a good one not the recalled n.

 

[Clide]

Thanks! For birds in flight I customized one of the buttons and it works
Follow these tips and tweak it for what you believe work best for you.

BTW since yesterday Sony lowered the price of a lot of cameras, at least in Canada + 300$ bonus and 1 extra battery and 1 160GB TOUGH CF Express card. I got it for 1000$ less plus the free extras
I just checked the card and it's a good one not the recalled n.

Thank you. I also have customized button for birds. Great buy, congratulations!