Sony a7R full frame mirrorless camera

see also:

• Sony NEX E-mount camera system
• Sony NEX FX full frame mirrorless cameras
• Sony FE E-mount full frame lenses
• Sony a7R II full frame mirrorless camera
• my blog post

• announced Oct 2013
• similar to Sony a7 full frame mirrorless camera but:
  • 36mp not 24mp
  • has no AA filter
  • has no PDAF, only CDAF points
  • is NOT capable of electronic first curtain mode
  • 4fps not 5fps burst
  • flash sync only 1/160th sec not 1/250th sec, which is a bit poor
  • magnesium alloy body not composite
  • really needs to be used on a tripod to make the most of the high resolution sensor
• who is it for?
  • landscape photographers using a tripod
  • studio photographers using studio flash

• 36mp sensor with no anti-alias filter
  • 25 CDAF points
    • Eye-AF, which locks the focus on the pupil of faces that are detected
    • Flexible Spot AF (with adjustable focus point sizes)
    • Zone AF
    • Lock-on AF C-AF
  • excellent RAW dynamic range
• no PDAF
• Bionz X processor
  • improved sharpening algorithms
  • diffraction reduction software for small apertures
  • context-sensitive, 'area-specific noise reduction'
• focus peaking
• panorama sweep mode
• 4fps burst
• shutter 30sec - 1/8000th sec but loud and no electronic silent mode and does NOT have electronic first curtain mode, which would have allowed for a quieter shutter, and reduced the potential for 'shutter shock' vibration
• flash sync 1/160th sec
• no built-in flash but multi-interface flash shoe
  • Multi-Interface Shoe allows you to connect a latest model Sony flash, an external mic, video lamp, or XLR adapter
• exp. compensation ±5 EV
• ISO 100-25,600
• 3“ tilting 1.23m dot LCD but not touch sensitive
• XGA EVF
• 1080 60/24p HD video with uncompressed HDMI out
• no timelapse recording
• USB 2.0
• weather sealed, composite body
• WiFi with NFC
• 465g
• 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″)
• NB. does not ship with a proper battery charger, instead it comes with a Micro USB cable and the AC-UUD11 AC Battery Charging Adapter (a USB to AC converter)
• $2299 body only
• optional vertical grip & 2nd battery holder ~$300

• same sensor
• the Nikon allows fast phase detect AF and has a wide range of Nikon AF-S lenses
• the Sony allows fast phase detect AF only with the extra $350 adapter and the Sony Alpha lenses
• the Sony allows fast CDAF and Eye-AF with CDAF-compatible lenses (very few currently)
• the Sony allows manual focus with almost ANY 35mm full frame lens ever made
• the Sony offers 1080 HD video at 60p not just 30p, and potential for better C-AF
• the Sony is far smaller, has WiFi/NFC and is $700 cheaper

• dpreview.com's review
• Ming Thein's review
  • difficult to shoot with
  • shutter vibration issues giving double images at certain shutter speeds
  • slow AF, not well suited to street photography
  • best suited to still life shots on a tripod with the best quality lenses matched to the sensor
  • EVF not as good as on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 while the image stabiliser, weatherproofing and lens range is sorely missed
• EOSHD review
  • video quality is poor - poor codec, poor resolution, lots of moire
  • poor ergonomics and mechanical shutter