Sony A7R vs A7RV-- Has Image Quality ACTUALLY improved after 9 years? 

People need to realize that unless you are a full time professional, you only need to put your bucks into some fat glass instead of upgrading every generation.

I was one of the early adopters of Sony A7R in 2013 and still have the camera. I never saw the need to upgrade and am very happy with IQ. I appreciate the video and information you put out there.

Just wanna acknowledge your time and hard work you put into making this video. We the viewers can sometimes take it for granted. Keep grinding Manny Ortiz!

I think, the biggest overall jump was the A7RIII. As you said, the image quality is still on par with the newest cameras. For me personally, it's still one of the best Sony cameras to buy in 2022. In terms of ISO performance, it's better than the A1. Stacked sensors always come with some downsides. I still use the A7RI for my private landscape pictures and I still love, what this sensor is capable to produce. Also the JPGs have this really special look, that I still love. The A7RIV was a step back in ISO performance, so it was directly out. It also felt a kind of slow. This camera came just to early after the RIII. All the nice new tech came after the release of the RIV. It always felt like someone just wants to put a 61mpix sensor in a body, even if the rest of the camera can't hold up to it. The A7RV feels completly different. It's not just the nice Af system. What makes the A7RV special is also the new IBIS and the sRAW. These two things are the reason for me to upgrade from the RIII. I was able to handhold more than 1sec with a 50mm F1.2, thats such a huge jump for Sony. It's something the others said, it's not possible with the E-mount, but they proofed them wrong, again.

I came from the A77/A99 to the A7R3 and hadn’t really put much thought in to how mirrorless evolved from the early days. Great analysis video bro 👏

I am a Canon shooter and always have been. I agree that image quality intact has not changed much since the onset of digital which I know a lot of people don’t like hearing but it is true. I own a Canon R5 and have done some work with it but I still find myself using my 2009 1D MKiii with only ten megapixels on Wedding’s and Quinceanera’s still today. The R5 is so good that it makes me feel disconnected from the process of photography and it makes my day dull and unsatisfying because it takes away all my thinking, if that makes sense.

Very true. I just picked up an A7R2 in 2022 because it has everything I need for a fraction of the price of the newer models. There is a lot of new tech happening in the camera space, and a lot of it is great, but so much of it is just vanity specs to sell more cameras to people who already own cameras, just like the cell phone industry. Aside from bragging rights, most of it has no real world application for the majority of people buying them.

This video is spot on. I am still shooting with a D800E and I am ready to finally make the move to mirrorless. I don't expect much improvement in image quality of my still photos. The reasons to upgrade is mostly because of video and autofocus ability.

Love this video! I currently rock with an a7rII...

First, in an age where true unabashed opinions are getting rarer and rarer-thank you. I have been a Canon (all Iterations of 5D) and now Fujifilm shooter (X-Ts 2-4), seeing your analysis was very interesting. You commentary is honest without being harsh, but also somewhat hopeful. You clearly enjoy Sony A camera line! Your photographic work is very lovely. Your b-roll is also very attractive almost sexy. Your fluorescent tube lighting is just awesome! I want to shoot like Manny Ortiz when I grow up! Please keep up your great work. More importantly though, please take time to enjoy yourself, your awesome wife, and your family. May you have a blessed Christmas and a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

I agree that glass>bodies so pick your body based on who has the glass you plan to get, or already have. Rather than just making BSI more common in all tiers of bodies, for me at least, a jump in low light performance is the thing that would make me think about a body update, even if the MP count dropped down to the original R's 36.

Still got my a7R3, but the big improve for me with the newest cameras (i got the a74 to) is the AF. That's the first thing that make me upgrate my camera as wedding photographer. I also like the raw files sizes upgrade on A7R5 as it save a lot of space on storage. I agree with you that my A7R3 files are still good today, but i miss some af features. Anyway it still make the job for me...thanks for your great video.

Not a pro here but an enthusiast- I think the progress has been the tech around the camera progressing to the point where frequency of capturing a good image increases. I know when I started out, it was difficult to understand why my pictures were blurry etc and as I’ve progressed, I see how the current cameras “save” the picture if you know what I mean. Think low light, oss etc.

The A7RIII was years ahead of it's time. The sensor is still the highest rated of any Sony cameras for image quality and it's great in low light and even night photography. It lacks the bells and whistles of more recent models but it's a workhorse that is as solid as any other mirrorless cameras, much less Sony cameras.

my left ear really enjoyed this video

I'm still shooting with the same sensor from the A7Rii and A7Riii, in the A99ii. I'm happy if the actual image quality doesn't get any better, as I think the quality it produces is outstanding. I haven't upgraded yet because of cost and ergonomics, as the A99ii still feels so much better than the mirrorless, although the A7Rv is not bad at all (I have pretty big hands). We are well past the point of image quality, it's now down to everything else that goes into the process to make shooting better and easier.

Just glad to see you drive a MK 7! I get new camera envy often but when I delve into it, hard to replace my a9 as my do everything camera. Nothing blows it away yet in my opinion.

Nice. I am still using the original A7R (with Minolta lenses and manual lenses) and the NEX7 APSC mainly for macro.

I have exactly the same opinion. I never cease to be amazed by the words of the ambassadors, who describe older versions as semi-professional or amateur, while three years ago they praised it as a great professional camera :-). I still have an A7r ii and iii foir my work. After trying the fourth generation, I didn't notice much of a shift and didn't feel the need to change. I'd rather save the money and get better glass

Great video. I'm happy with the image quality from my A7II which has everything I need. I don't shoot videos, and I've decided to resist the temptation to upgrade, and instead to concentrate on improving my photography skills. Try to ignore the GAS folks.

Great commentary. Love my A7r3. Another unsung hero of the lineup is the original A9 - still a seriously great all-around camera. It's fast, has wonderful image quality, no rolling shutter, and that great mid-sized grip of the 3rd gen Sony system. And since you rarely need the mechanical shutter on the A9, even well-used ones on ebay have low shutter counts, and years of life left in them. My A9 and A7R3 complement each other beautifully.

Still rocking the a7r2 since I haven't seen a camera that's given a fundamental leap in quality to be worth upgrading since the 2. The handling and battery improvements in the newer cameras are nice, but not THOUSANDS of dollars nicer, especially since I don't regularly shoot weddings or videos anymore (I can always rent for the few times I do)

This is my second time watching this, haven't yet made my decision whether to get an older full frame or pay top. But there's so much good stuff here, thanks Manny

*Had to pause the video to comment* manny this is an amazing video on your part ! So unique it makes me reminisce of the golden age of RU-vid , I’m so happy that you are making videos are that clearly filled with passion , thank you

You can get stacked BSI at “mid-tier” pricing now - the Fujifilm X-H2S.

I've had three of these cameras and the differences would be more obvious to you if ya shot outside the studio or beyond portraits. The way in which they became more multifaceted for multimedia purposes is quite obvious put him on a gimbal or shoulder rig or shooting fashion runway, festivals nightclubs etc.

This is a video that the world wanted but didn't know they needed. Thanks bro @MannyOrtiz!

The amount of work involved into making those videos is what i really appreciate. Cameras come and go and a faster camera does not always make a better photographer. Would love to see Sony cameras with Panasonic Lumix color science and better ergonomics. That would be a perfect camera. Thanks for this video!!

Manny this is just a fresh take on the sony mirrorless... Loved it Looking forward to see more of these

well anything that makes my sessions easier, and to focus more on the creative side rather than the technical, I welcome all those improvement in camera bodies ...😉

I just came back from a trip to Bangladesh. Shot everything with a Fujifilm x-t20 and x100f (for a book and expo) and left my Sony A74 and A73 at home. My clients haven't noticed it at all ;-)

Amazing video. This makes my case for buying an older camera 📷 much better

Can't wait to be able to afford this camera in another 9 years.

got the A7 & A7R2 when it launched… loved the 7R2 and used it for the next 7 yrs… finally upgraded to the 7R5

Damn, Manny. It's been a while since i stoped by your channel. Cant remember why it sliped but I promise to be better this year. And your vids are high quality and a great balance between inspiration and technichal focus. keep up the great work man

At 4:34 in the time stamp I can see a difference in the sharpness on youtube. The picture on the right side is more soft than the picture on the left side. I can see it in the skin detail. Its almost like there is a very slight haze in the picture on the right side that makes it seem slightly more soft and flatter feeling

thanks so much for all your efforts all those years. i am a professional photographer and you are the only photography content producer I regularly and consistently tune in for. 😀🙌🏽

Love this, definitely have to agree with the jumps between the R-R3 made upgrading feel worthwhile. Still have my R3 and love the balance it has and the video is good enough for general use. Love love love your analysis of this and glad you parted ways in the Sony artisans program but sad I wasn’t able to meet you when doing my sales training for Sony while you were in it.

Manny great lighting in your videos!!! The A7R3 is still my go to for photoshoots!!!

Thank you for your effort to make your tests clear to the public

I loved this video so much. You can still get great images out of the older Sony’s.

Good video Manny, I always wondered about the basic image quality over the years. When you think about it , the sensors still work in much the same way, just later models sensirs have some extra functions added on. The main gripes for me on my trusty A73 have been pretty much the most common complaints with Sony mirrorless over the years i think. The less than user friendly menu system. The less than user friendly touch screen functionality . And as mentioned the quality of the rear screen and maybe even the brightness in sunlight was pretty average. The grip for me as I have large ish hands does feel a tad cramped between the lens and the grip , but not a deal breaker , as you adapt to these things. Good to see sony finally addressing some of these issues in recent models. As far as the body being almost unchanged for some years , that does have some good points , for example , a lot of accessories for the Sony A series have been interchangeable between models, so that is a good thing. I still love my old A7.

Glass and technique are always the best way to improve image quality

You did a really good job on the video, very professional. Thanks for the overview of the A7R series, that is just what I was interested in.

Currently thinking of picking up an A7r iii but hesitant due to its age. Hearing you say it's the sweet spot is encouraging!

I'm still impressed by the quality of the files from my A7R. I bought into the system as soon as it was released in 2013 and also have the R4 and the R5. Converted my R1 to infrared. With the Sony-Zeiss 35mm f/2.8, the R1 fits in a coat pocket.

I stuck with the A7R II until the A7R V was introduced. I like to shoot birds and the bird eye focus is amazing. I get lots more keepers and can also nail birds in flight. Something I could never achieve with the A7R II. You used an A1, with a stacked sensor, for your noise comparison. I would be interested to compare noise levels on the older A7R models to the A7R V. I do feel that I get a noisier picture with the RV but now noise is a lot easier to remove. One think I don't really need is more frames per second. It already takes me too long to cull my photos. Great video!

Dope video concept definitely think sony has been ahead of the game with there mirrorless tech.

I finally upgraded to the a7iv from the a7iii and found that hard to justify based on my requirements which fall primarily into photography,. I couldn't justify the price of the a7rv nor do i need all those megapixels, or AI autofocus. Coming from the time when I had to manually move the focus point , I mean how much help do people really need autofocusing??? Great video, I've been watching and learning from you for a very long time, you are and continue to be an inspiration to us all. Thank you!

Wow, honestly beautiful cinematography. Excellent shots and b roll. You deserve a much larger audience. My only wish was for more in depth video comparisons.

With the OG A7R, you had to have spot-on shot discipline and technique to get the most out of that high-res sensor or use a tripod. Even then, that bone-crushing shutter could blur a photo if your shutter speeds were too low. I love how this new tech just doesn't get in the way of a great shot.

Really appreciate seeing a review of the Sony line of cameras that isn't just trying to shill the latest newest most expensive camera. I agree with a lot of other people that I feel like there was a significant upgrade between the II and the III though I can't 100% put my finger on it. It may simply be the color processing that improved. I just got the IV but haven't shot with it yet but honestly am not expecting too much. I totally agree that its a shame that smartphone quality screens aren't being put on the backs of these cameras. Ultimately, I've found the biggest improvement to my photography since starting with the Sony a7 has been getting better glass and using primes when possible

Got the 7R II this year as my first camera, love the eye af for portraits, hope to make this hobby into a side hustle soon.

The next big step will come eventually, but both two-layer transistor and SPAD (single photon avalanche detection) sensors are still years away for full frame cameras unfortunately.

I shot with the a7rv this weekend and holy hell I was blown away with the autofocus. Huge improvement. I never pull the screen out so that means nothing to me. However the image quality is exactly the same as my a7riv, I saw no difference whatsoever. It is nice having every single shot nail focus though, that is an awesome improvement. I am really disappointed they stayed with the same sensor, why not make a jump in megapixels? Anyone that thinks megapixels don’t make a difference needs to watch Matt grangers hasselblad x2d vs Nikon video…the difference is comically huge. Thank you for not settling Sony couldve easily done better but they’re too busy listening to photographers that are afraid to slow down their workflow

You're reviews are amazing for cameras. I'm going to turn to your channel when I buy my new photography camera in the future.

i have an a6000, and it blows my mind how a so affordable and old camera can take amazing photos with a good lens

Proof that you don’t have to upgrade as often as some RU-vidrs and camera manufacturers suggest.

Photography is a new hobby for me. I have a A7r because you can get an incredibly capable camera and amazing lenses for very little. As your hobby grows and you start hitting the limits of a 10 year old camera you only need to upgrade the body. Also the size is very positive because it feels less obvious. This helps build your confidence.

Thanks for this video on the history of the Sony A7R line-up. I began my Sony journey with the A7R III after watching your live stream at the time. A friend of mine had the original Sony A7R while i was on the Canon 5D Mark III. Never had i thought, at the time, that i will be switching from the DSLR workhorse to a tiny mirrorless system. But it turned out to be a really joyful journey and lovely system - A7RIII, A7RIV, A7SIII, A7IV and now the A7RV have all been (some still are) lovely cameras i like to pick up and shoot with. Paired with some nice Sony glas i enjoy it thoroughly. Had a glance at the Canon EOS R and R5 in between but stuck with Sony in the end, happily. You mention some good point for future improvement i.e. speed (fps photo mode A7R line-up), LCD quality and maybe still some consistent and refinement of the menu system which is always a bit cumbersome to me.

Still using and loving my A7R3. Thanks for the effort and the sharing. Thumbs up.

Terrific video. Thank you for all the time and effort that went into producing it.

An awesome video, as always. Switched from Canon to Sony and I don't regret it! Thank you, Manny, for sharing all your knowlegde with us! Cheers from Portugal!

I agree with You when it comes to image quality. I would like to have raw images with more dynamic range. Also would like to have a possibility to shot 30fps raw for an unlimited amount of time

Thanks for this review. Please don't let us wait too long for in-depth image quality and AF review.

Picked up an A7Rii when it first came out. Been researching a replacement over the last two versions and just can’t justify it. Even for video it still does everything I need and looks great. Maybe I’m used to it’s short comings but the ROI just isn’t there for me.

I am still holding on my A7R2, the only draw back is its slower AF and buffers. But for AF still more accurate than many other current brand such as Fuji.

Love your videos mate ! Completely agree with you . Low light performance improvement is what we need. Stop the megapixel race ! Is that what we are going to see? Not sure TBH. I’ve been waiting for so long for that to happen instead of always more megapixels with same ISO performance.

This is exactly what I’ve been wanting to see. I’m a slow, walk around photographer. I don’t need AI autofocus, although I think it’s cool. Flowers and landscapes don’t have faces or pose any sort of way. So a camera like the a7ii would be a great upgrade from the crop sensor Canon Rebel that we all started out on.

i till now have seen many reviews on a7r5 but, thus far this review is the best ever i have seen. gr8 review. luved it 😍 luv from india

The raw support of the A7rV is already there: Imaging Edge "Edit", Affinity Photo 2, Luminar Neo, Capture One 23. I also got my Adobe Camera Raw with A7rV support today.

Good commentary that I agree with, Manny. I sold my a1, made some coin and bought an a7r4a body - happy as can be! Keep up the good work...

Image quality is very good now. People are switching for numbers and features they don’t even use. The autofocus system was a reason to buy but now Canon and Sony have excellent AF. If you are’t getting good images today it might be the photographer.

I miss that “ker-chunk”! shutter. A car crash that made beautiful photos.

Thanks for what you do Manny! I use the A7III and the original A9. Like your boy Fro says, glass glass glass glass glass. I’m not a video guy so those features don’t ever matter to me.

This is a very useful video for me. More than useful. I have an Riii and an a9ii for photo and the A7siii for video. I am now making wedding videos and hope to make it a business. I'm considering selling the photo cameras and buying a RV so I can avoid buying a second video camera. But I love those cameras! Thanks for helping me with so many decisions.

Great video as you've put out for all these years! So many Canon people left the system before the 5D IV and 1DX2 came out. Those cameras upped the IQ to Sony levels even before the R cams came out. In fact the 5D IV was heaps better than the EOS R despite having the same sensor. The R5 and R6/II are slightly better, but the 5D IV still holds it's own for IQ (but the AF is mediocre at best). I remember a few of my friends getting the original Sony cams and though they couldn't support my work, they did seem like cool "toys" to me 10 years ago. LOL. For low light I suggest trying DXO PureRaw2. This is a game changer pre-raw converter/noise reduction software unlike anything I've tried in 18 years. I already shoot ISO12800 without a second thought on the R6 II but this software makes it next level (though I've only tried on R6 as the R6 II isn't supported yet). The bad design and bad LCDs are the reason after 18 years shooting Canon (and selling my gear during the lockdowns) I didn't go with Sony. I tried the A7IV but that LCD seemed so dated and the day to day user experience is at least as important to me as IQ. I ended up getting the R6 II instead, for less money (some great xmas sales for Canon) and I got full frame 4K and a nicer user experience. The 24 MP on this camera are crazy sharp (some say super weak AA filter) and upscale well and can actually be more detailed than the A7IV at 33 MP. I also got EF lenses and adapted them (Sigma Art lenses) and they are spectacular. The 50mm Art is about as sharp as the RF50 1.2 (arguably the sharpest 50mm you can buy), the AF is actually faster (the RF mount adapted with EF lenses actually improves AF speed vs native on DSLRs... Sony nor Nikon can make this claim with adapted lenses) and it's smaller. And the lens is 3x cheaper. I don't think you can get a 50mm 1.4 lens of this quality for the Sony system at this price. So while the lack of RF third party lenses does suck, it's not the end of the world on the RF system.

Thanks Manny. I've been looking for a comparison between the A7RV and the A7RIII. All the comparison videos compare the A7RV to the A7RIV. This has been very helpful. I think I'll stick with my A7RIII for now.

Yesss! So basically as soon as someone caring about resolution and price, it seems as if I did everything right! I got a a7r2 with zeiss batis prime lenses 😊

This is why i am keeping my Canon R5 and only adding lenses from now on. I have the RF 24-70 and RF 100mm macro, next lens will be the RF 70-200 and whatever wide angle zoom they come out with (Canon needs a RF 11-24 f2 lens!)

Brilliant Manny, you made the point I have been thinking for a long time..for me the sensor hasnt been the most important item, its always the AF and thats why I went to the A9. Anyways, great Video and well put together. I wish the A9 had that all angle LCD screen and higher quality..Personally I think at Present the A9 is the best used camera around at a reasonable price. Regards.

A7r3 TEAM! 💪🏾💪🏾

Thanks for the great comparison. Still using the A7RII from 2015 - great image quality. If I needed another camera right now, it will be Sony (probably a second-hand Sony A7RIII as they come at a reasonable price and have many great features). Other than some dried salt that seems to be entered some buttons from the salty air at some tourist attractions, the A7RII still works great. The only complaint has to do with the lenses as they seem to be causing some chromatic aberration but that has little to do with the camera.

Appreciate the deep take and insight as I have been deciding an a new camera. Appreciate you Manny

If you want to understand the diminishing returns of sensor technology, research the diffraction limits of different censor formats in relation to lens aperture. I did this after studying why my photos weren't getting better with 61 mpx. It led me to adapting MF lenses on my FF camera and shooting below f/5.6.. this actually gave me the improvement I sought but it was such a pain to work with that I returned the camera. For professional work it might be worth the struggle... But it was way too much trouble for non paid work.

That's a nice eye-opening video

Manny if you saw some of my shots with my a7ii you'd be shocked! They're so amazing and fellow photographers are always blown away! I'm not going to lie, I wanna update but I'm not able to see the stuff to blow me away yet. Maybe this will be the year. I can only hope.

Yup, exactly. That's why I still stick with my R3. There had been nothing later I needed to have and pay for.

Perfect timing on this video I have the A7R I wanted to retire it and get the 4 but I’ll go for the 3

I bought A7R3 a few months ago and I am very happy. Excellent camera at a good price. In addition, it is still under warranty

Wonderful video. Extremely well made and edited. And very informational. Thank you for the hard work

Nice one Manny👍🏾👍🏾 once it is possible to open 7R V RAW files, I'd like to see a RAW comparison between the RIV and RV & if there is any noticeable difference at all. I'm very happy with the A1 and 7R IV. Body ergonomics are great for my hands, one battery grip will do any of them, same L-brackets etc + some nice glass. Sorted👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

I came to the Sony A7 RV from the Canon 5D MIV after having used it for 7 years. I've been very, very, very impressed with the image quality.

Awesome video man. I feel like we all get caught up in having the latest and greatest even though what we currently have is more than enough. This is coming from someone who just upgraded from the Sony A7Riii to the A7RV. I really agree with you that aside from a few upgrades when it comes to images they are all still very good.

I like the perspective to look at the hardware! Very informative video! It stands out of the crowd.

Thank you for your thorough review and comparison. I am an amateur landscape photographer making my jump from apsc to FF. I was debating between a7Rii vs a7riii but after seeing your video I feel confident about Rii even though it is quiet old now because they both share the same sensor and I don’t care much about the autofocus anyway . Also one thing I would like to highlight is that some people might consider A7riii as a bigger jump in the R lineup is because of the pixel shift technology giving very high res images

I started with the A7Rii. Amazing. Then got the A7Riii. Totally happy. I got a A7 converted to infrared and was surprised how great that camera was.

I use old adapted Minolta lenses on my A7R body. You lose a little newer technology, and the autofocus is a little slower, but I enjoy the color rendering and look of the photos. I enjoy the two GM lenses I have as well. The next lens I plan on picking up is the 14mm GM.

Great vid! I agree about the A7R III being in the sweet spot in most terms, but if bang-for-buck, small form-factor and weight is a concern, then the A7R II is the way to go. I run a very compact high-end, yet budget-conscious-amateur-kit with the A7R II with E-lenses as a main camera for the smaller form factor and therein smaller battery eko-system. This allows me to also run a a6400 as backup or primary for sports, wildlife etc. with the same batteries; and, I can bring along a few cheap, yet top-of-the-line Nex-5T-houses with the E-primes on them; for quick snapshots at desired focal length - with very little added weight and space added to my kit. This way, I don't need change lenses in the field and have a lot of options depending on whatever moments arise.

Wanted to say your videos looks great. Keep it up you got it.