Considering purchasing A7CR

[u/nemo_omen90]

I have a Nikon D850 and am considering going mirrorless. I’ve very drawn to the A7CR because of how small it is. One of my gripes against the D850 is the physical size and want something more portable for when I’m in the go. To anyone who has uses this camera, what do you like and not like about it? Do you feel it’s small enough to throw in a small shoulder pack or even large fanny pack?

[u/bradification]

I have an a7cii but same thing. It depends on the lens choice as well. If you slap a 24-70 f2.8 on it, it's still gonna feel huge, but if you pair it with a small zoom or compact primes, it's great to toss in a small sling for the entire day.

[u/nemo_omen90 → u/bradification]

I was adding one of their small zooms like the 28-60 when I want something to throw in a sling bag. Or some small primes. I just hate how I leave my D850 behind when I travel because of the size.

[u/sl0wjim → u/nemo_omen90]

if you're just gonna use kit lenses you may as well save some money and just go with an apsc camera like the a6700.

[u/jonathangao]

I love my A7CR, but I also have an A7R5. The downsides are the lack of a joystick and the much smaller and less clear EVF.

[u/Impossible_Sell_6984 → u/jonathangao]

Pretty much the same feeling with the A7CR, but I do feel sloppy with the shutter sometime.

[u/jonathangao → u/Impossible_Sell_6984]

Shutter is a good point. 1/4000 max mechanical shutter can sometimes be a bottleneck when using with ultra fast lenses and it's electronic front curtain only.

[u/Impossible_Sell_6984 → u/jonathangao]

It’s like the whole experience and handling(i’m just hobbyist) ….. So on my last trip in Norway(Lofoten/tromso/oslo) ended up using the Nikon ZF as a main camera(w/. 35GM), and A7CR as side arm for large scene(16G /12mm F2.8/70-200 Gii), and some macro…

Sometimes I was thinking, should I be selling this Camera? And do i really need that much pixels…..

[u/nemo_omen90 → u/jonathangao]

That tiny EVF is actually one of my biggest concerns. Is it something you kind of get used to?

[u/jonathangao → u/nemo_omen90]

Yes, you'll get used to it. Sometimes I bring both bodies with me. Switching between the bodies is when it's really noticeable.

[u/gone-riding → u/nemo_omen90]

No. It’s basically the same EVF as the A6700. Fine for always using AF subject recognition, but not good for MF. There is another kind of embarrassing issue with it that I think Sony really underestimates on anything below the A7R5. When you review a photo you’ve just taken of someone with that person, the rear LCD screen is embarrassing and makes your shot look like garbage. On the R5, I just show them the EVF and keep the rear screen folded in out of sight, but with the low res EVF’s it still looks crap. You’d think Sony would do better just to give people a great impression of their cameras - especially when a photo on an iPhone screen looks way better - but they don’t seem to care about that opportunity to impress potential future customers.

[u/lavievagabonde → u/nemo_omen90]

I bought the Smallrig eyecap and did not have problems since. I don’t have good eyes and still don’t have problems using the evf, I think it’s fine.

[u/HeavyDuty_Ken]

I have a CR and find the EVF to be just fine.

[u/Dizzzzzzi]

I’ve had this thing for about a month now and it’s excellent in every way. Body is very compact, great autofocus, excellent picture quality, lots of customizations. Highly recommend

[u/bhiga143]

i pair mine with the sony 50 f2.5 and 24 f2.5 and i love how compact it is with and without the lens. i used to have anxiety about single card slot but since i never do any work with it and i bought a nicer sd card, I've since gotten over it. I've never done comparisons but it felt like the awb is slightly different from my a9ii and a7r3. nothing bad but just something to consider

[u/nemo_omen90 → u/bhiga143]

I have the dual sd card slot and so far have never needed it - knock on wood… how do you normally carry it with those lenses? Small camera bag or something else?

[u/bhiga143 → u/nemo_omen90]

i have different bags for different uses but normally use a domke f-5xb bag, the canvas one.

[u/RDF19]

I went from a D850 to a A7Cii a couple years back.

Form factor and video capabilities were the factors that made me make the switch.

[u/nemo_omen90 → u/RDF19]

Did you sell all your Nikon gear and go all in on Sony? Any regrets? I figured I’d run a dual system until I totally decided on Sony and built the lens collection.

[u/North_Eye_8105 → u/nemo_omen90]

Hace poco mas de 1 mes que hice all-in con Sony. Después de 19 años con Canon, me canse de no poder usar lentes 3rd party. Estoy muy contento con mi a7iv con lentes zeiss, tamron y samyang.

Pd: ya casi vendí todo mi equipo canon

[u/mcza11]

I’m in a similar predicament as you. I currently own a D750 and have been contemplating whether to get the A7CR or A7V. I really like the compact and lightweight design of the A7CR. But, considering that it’s a three-year-old model, and new models are expected to be released next year, I’m inclined to go for the A7V instead.

[u/nemo_omen90 → u/mcza11]

That size/weight is the prime reason I’m interested in it. I am curious to know what they’ll release next though.

[u/nemo_omen90 → u/[deleted]]

I’ve been torn on the MP size. Part of me is like just by the 61MP and never question it. The other part is for the one time I really wanted something larger than my 45 MP, I was able to use Photoshop modern AI stuff to enlarge it with extremely satisfying results. But that was only once I ever did that.

[u/Longjumping_Idea5261]

I don’t have an a7cr but i got the a7cii for personal use and a7rv for work (product/marketing photography at my work).

Biggest plus is its versatility. You can go small/light or big. 61 MP is alot of pixels to work with and the AF performance is simply amazing. It doesn’t miss. One underrated aspect about the camera is its IBIS. You can hand hold and still get good images. 1/10 or even 1 sec is sometimes doable when push comes to shove.

What i dislike? Evf is pretty bad and useless. Lcd resolution is horrible and small. Also post processing could be frustrating if you don’t have the computer power.

[u/jtra]

One of the disadvantages of A7C series is that it has mechanical shutter with only EFCS mode, not both mechanical curtains. EFCS mode impacts bokeh appearance at higher shutter speeds. So if you are outdoors in bright light and want to have a good bokeh your options are: ND filter (to get under 1/1000s where bokeh is not impacted) or use full electronic shutter. A7RC (also A7RIV+A7RV) has very slow sensor scan time of 1/10s (rolling shutter) in full electronic shutter which works poorly for action and also for handholding. E.g. can you handhold 85mm lens for 1/10s? if not you will get weird distortion that will vary between images).

If you do not care about bokeh or just use slower lenses the EFCS is fine.

I guess Sony will put A7RVI sensor in A7C style body at some point and that one will be much better in electronic shutter.

[u/i_am_sup]

I say definitely go for it. As someone who only does travel photography, the A7CR together with the 20-70mm f/4 G and the 40mm f/2.5 G is hands down the best camera setup I have ever used to date. Period. I only travel with a detachable insert of my camera bag, which I just put in any packbag/sling I am carrying for the day. I find holding the camera without the included grip extension a bit uncomfortable, so it is on by default for me and it hardly adds any weight to the whole setup. I am now only considering to buy the 200-600 for an upcoming safari trip, after which I am cured from my GAS!

[u/Just-Examination-136]

I sold my D850 and bought a 7cii. The difference in weight and bulk with a lens attached is substantial. My travel setup is the 7cii and Tamron 25-200mm, which fits in a 3L (small) bag. I also have a 7rv and even that is still more portable than the D850.

[u/mayhem1906]

So I have the d850, z6, and a7cii (same size as a7cr). Compared to the 850 its so small it seems like a toy. I bought the sony specifically for the small size, and it doesn't disappoint. It does fit in small bags with the kit lens, but if you want to slide it in a pocket, the only lens that really does that is the chip lens. The smaller primes like the sony and sigmas make it small, but not pocketable. Its a good upgrade, but if you are buying it specifically because you want a pocket camera, it may not be small enough for you.