{"id":19422,"date":"2014-02-21T21:20:23","date_gmt":"2014-02-22T01:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/?p=19422"},"modified":"2026-04-12T00:36:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T04:36:23","slug":"review-sony-alpha-a7r-camera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/review-sony-alpha-a7r-camera\/","title":{"rendered":"review: Sony Alpha a7R camera"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

review: Sony Alpha a7R camera<\/a><\/h2>\n

Sony is still on fire with their new camera releases. There is the delicious full-frame compact \u00a0Sony RX1<\/a>\u00a0(Amazon<\/em>). \u00a0(Read my review of the Sony RX1<\/a>).\u00a0\u00a0For a relatively long while, the best compact camera on the market was the\u00a0Sony RX100<\/a>\u00a0(Amazon<\/em>) which was improved with the Sony RX100 II<\/a> (Amazon<\/em>). Other Sony cameras also receive great reports. \u00a0So no doubt about it – Sony makes great cameras.<\/p>\n

Another trend that has gained momentum in the last year or two – Mirrorless cameras. Without the bulk of the mirror and prism, the mirrorless cameras are more compact and weigh less. But instead of that direct optical view of the world around you, there’s an electronic viewfinder (EVF). \u00a0The EVFs tended to show lag – but great improvements have been made where they show nearly real-time what the scene unfolds in front of your camera. For some, it will be a huge adaptation working with these.<\/p>\n

But I digress. Mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras have become more popular. Or at least, the photo industry has been pushing these really hard, creating a buzz about these cameras. The photo industry are obviously keen on new markets that are created.<\/p>\n

Until now, mirrorless cameras have been crop-sensor cameras. Until now – Sony has released the 24 megapixel Sony Alpha a7 camera<\/a>\u00a0(affiliate<\/em>) and the 36 megapixel\u00a0Sony Alpha a7R camera<\/a>\u00a0(affiliate<\/em>). The a7R is interesting in that it doesn’t have an optical low-pass filter. (Anti-aliasing filter.) This allows for greater image sharpness, at the expense of occasionally risking moir\u00e9 \u00a0patterns.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I had my hands on a review copy of the\u00a0Sony \u00a0a7R camera<\/a>\u00a0(affiliate<\/em>) and the\u00a0Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f\/2.8 ZA lens<\/a> (Amazon<\/em>) for a few weeks to give the camera a test run. My verdict? I kinda like it, but there are also a few surprises \u2026<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Image quality of the Sony a7R<\/h2>\n

Currently only the\u00a0Nikon D810\u00a0offers a high-resolution camera to the general photographers. And now the\u00a0Sony \u00a0a7R<\/a>\u00a0(affiliate<\/em>) joins the fray. In a sense it is direct competition, but then, it also appeals to a different crowd perhaps.<\/p>\n

First of all, how much details does 36 megapixels offer? Lots & lots! You have to really look at a file at 100% magnification to marvel at the detail.<\/p>\n

Here is a magician who works the crowds in front of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, on 42nd Street in New York. Thrilling the crowd with a few sleight-of-hand tricks, (and sleight-of-mouth tricks apparently), I was able to get in quite close with the\u00a0Sony FE 35mm f\/2.8 ZA lens<\/a>\u00a0(affiliate<\/em>). \u00a0This lens is made by Zeiss and it is incredibly sharp. For the images where the auto-focus of the Sony a7R was able to keep up, the images were remarkably crisp.<\/p>\n

Here is the 100% crop. I did remove a few skin blemishes with the Healing Brush in Photoshop. No one should really have to withstand a close scrutiny at 100% with such a high-resolution camera. This was shot at 1\/250 @ f\/3.2 @ 1600 ISO<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This isn’t the straight-out-of-the-camera (SOOC) JPG, but one where I first adjusted the RAW file a bit for white balance and such. I had to go with the RAW files, because the SOOC JPGs didn’t look so good. There were noticeable artifacting with the SOOC JPGs.<\/p>\n

You can download<\/a> three files from this link – RAW + sooc JPG. <\/strong><\/p>\n

With those files, you’ll notice the artifacting on the 400 ISO JPGs immediately. For some reason, the in-camera JPG processing of the images are fairly horrible. This was with Creative Style set to Standard, and High ISO NR set to Normal. Soft Skin Effect was also set to Off. So this is pretty much the JPGs you could expect out of the camera – disappointing for a camera which was meant to be a high-quality machine – 36 megapixels with no optical low-pass filter \/ anti-aliasing filter.<\/p>\n

But – the RAW files shine!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Specification of the Sony a7R camera<\/h2>\n