ISSUE 128
36 / GEAR
TESTED: SONY A7R VI
£4399 sony.com Sony’s A7R VI packs huge resolution and speedy frame rates into one highly capable camera Ultimate all-rounder
R WE THERE YET? The new Sony moves the game forward but retains many familiar controls
Buying a high-resolution camera has always meant accepting certain limitations. If you want huge files packed with detail, you give up speed. If you want the fastest autofocus and burst rates, you opt for a flagship sports camera and settle for fewer megapixels. And if video is important, there’s another compromise to make. The new Sony A7R VI feels like the camera designed to end that argument. Rather than simply increasing resolution, Sony has completely rethought what a high-res camera can be. The result is a model that still delivers the staggering detail expected from the R series but now offers the sort of speed, autofocus performance and video capability that previously belonged to entirely different cameras. At the heart of the A7R VI is a new 66.8-megapixel full-frame stacked Exmor RS sensor, partnered with Sony’s latest Bionz XR2 processor.
The significance of the stacked design cannot be overstated. Previous A7R models were capable of delivering incredible image quality but could feel slow compared with cameras like Sony’s A1 range. The new sensor dramatically increases the readout speed, reducing rolling shutter and allowing continuous shooting at up to 30fps with blackout-free viewing. For wildlife and sports photographers in particular, that’s an intoxicating mix. Traditionally, photographers shooting motorsport, birds and fast- moving wildlife often avoided ultra high-resolution cameras because they couldn’t match the responsiveness of dedicated action models. The A7R VI changes that. You can now capture a soaring bird, a hunting fox or an athlete in action while retaining the resolution to crop aggressively afterwards. That flexibility is enhanced by Sony’s latest AI-powered Real-time Recognition AF+ system. Subject detection has become one of Sony’s greatest strengths, and the A7R VI builds upon that reputation. It can recognise and track humans, birds, animals, insects, vehicles and aircraft with remarkable confidence. Its eye detection remains among the best available, and tracking performance feels reassuringly sticky, even with unpredictable subjects. The amount of detail captured by the sensor is astonishing. Landscape photographers will appreciate the ability to record intricate textures and fine tonal transitions, while commercial photographers gain enormous flexibility for large prints and demanding client work. Sony also claims up to 16 stops of dynamic range. As always, such figures should be treated cautiously, but real-world files offer excellent highlight retention and impressive shadow recovery. One concern when using such a high-resolution sensor is low-light performance. Inevitably, a camera packing nearly 67 million pixels onto a full-frame sensor cannot match lower- resolution rivals when the light levels fall. However, Sony has introduced a new Dual Gain mode, which improves performance in gloomy environments. Noise control remains impressive, so image quality in low light is remarkably good for a sensor this dense.
SIXTH SENSE The high-quality compressed Raw setting now helps with the fastest frame rates
Specifications
RAISING THE BAR Sony’s A7R VI can be used for high- detail scenes, action or just about anything!
Sensor 66.8-megapixel stacked BSI CMOS Stills formats Raw, JPEG, HEIF, up to 14 bit, AF/AE pre-capture, composite Raw Video formats 8K/30p, 4K/120p in XAVC Storage 2x CFexpress Type A or SD ISO range 100 to 32,000, 50-102,400 extended Shutter Mechanical and electronic, 30secs to 1/8000sec Drive modes Up to 30fps Lens mount Sony E Screen 4-axis 3.2in touchscreen, 2.1m dots Viewfinder OLED with 9.4m dots, 100% coverage Connectivity 2x USB-C, HDMI, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Focusing Phase, object and contrast detection, 759 points Stabilisation Image sensor shift, five-axis, 8.5 stops
Dimensions (wxhxd) 132.7x96.9x82.9mm Weight 622g body only
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