I tested the new Sony A7 V, and now it's my favorite Sony camera ever

Date:
Tue, 02 Dec 2025 14:01:00 +0000

Description:
Bang on cue, the Sony A7 V has arrived and it blurs the lines between enthusiast and pro cameras forever

FULL STORY ======================================================================Sony A7 V: two-minute review

Some photographers, possibly even those working at Sony, see the A7 range of mirrorless cameras as the firms entry-level full-frame models. On paper
alone, this may seem a reasonable suggestion when comparing the
specifications to the most premium models. However, the Sony A7 IV , launched in October 2021, carries a 33-megapixel 36x24mm sensor, ISO50-204,800 sensitivity range, 5.5EV in-body image stabilization system, and a top continuous shooting rate of 10 frames per second. Its by no means a slouch
and this is all available for under $2500, so while it might be one of Sonys more affordable E-mount bodies, it has been able to give pro-spec cameras a run for their money for several years.

On the face of it, the A7 V seems more of an iterative upgrade to its predecessor, rather than a revolution. However, once you dig deeper, there is a lot of exciting new technology to explore. Debuting the new partially-stacked sensor and new Bionz XR 2 processing engine, this camera represents a significant step forward for photography enthusiasts and semi-professionals. Its more responsive than the A7 IV, both in focusing reaction time and accuracy, and delivers superior performance from the ground up.

Images are sharply detailed, and noise is well-controlled, especially for a model equipped with a 33MP resolution. It certainly matches or outperforms
the current generation of competing cameras, such as the Canon EOS R6 Mark II or Panasonic Lumix S5 II, although Ill be interested to see how low-light capabilities compare to the likes of the Canon EOS R6 Mark III when it inevitably comes to market, which is likely not too far in the future. (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

If youve used other Sony Alpha cameras, youll fall right into step with the
A7 V. Some might call Sonys conservative approach to design unimaginative,
but it means that you can allow muscle memory to play its part on shoots
where speed matters most. A few useful practical refinements notwithstanding, the A7 V is very similar to models that came before it, and on picking it up, you get a feeling of coming home, a comforting sensation when other stressful elements of a photoshoot come into play.

These days, Im more likely to be blown away by enthusiast-level products than flagships, which rarely offer many surprises, as pro technology trickles down the rankings to more affordable offerings. The niche this camera inhabits has the potential to provide unbeatable value to the greatest range of photographers, and happily, the A7 V fulfills this promise. Its an impressive upgrade to an already outstanding camera, serving up great responsiveness, useful features and exceptional image quality. I still wouldnt call it revolutionary, and there are some quirks that Id like to see refined, but if youre an aspiring wildlife, event, or travel photographer, Im confident youll fall in love with it, and that it will trouble TechRadar's best cameras and best mirrorless camera guides. Sony A7 V specs Sony A7 V Specs:

Type:

Mirrorless camera

Sensor:

Full-frame (36x24mm) semi-stacked CMOS

LCD:

3.2-inch, multi-articulated, 2.095m dots

Memory:

2x SDXC, 1x CFexpress Type A

Resolution:

33-megapixels

Video:

Up to 4K60p (4K120p in 1.5x crop mode)

ISO range:

ISO 50-204,800

Mechanical Shutter speeds:

30-1/8000sec

Electronic Shutter speeds:

30-1/16000sec

Viewfinder:

3.686m dot, OLED EVF, 0.78x

Processor:

Bionz XR 2

Connectivity:

AX WiFi (WiFi 6), Bluetooth, 2x USB-C, audio

Weight:

659g (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech) Sony A7 V: Price and availability Released December 2, 2025 Body only price of $2,899 / 2,799 (Australia TBC) Kit options will be available, including with a new FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
II

The Sony A7 V launched worldwide on December 2, 2025 priced $2,899 / 2,799 (body only, Australia TBC), alongside a new FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II kit lens. The lens costs $449.99 / 429 separately (Australia TBC) and will be available separately from February 2026.

Ahead of then, the FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II kit lens can be purchased as a kit with the A7 V for $3,099 (UK / Australia TBC). There will be other kits available, TBC.

This pricing is right on par with the Canon EOS R6 Mark III (and just $100 / 100 more than the Nikon Z6 III was at launch, but which is now available for much less). Price score: 4.5/5 Sony A7 V: Design Larger 3.2-inch rear LCD Versatile multi-pivot articulated monitor Hybrid memory card slot

Externally, Id be very impressed if anyone could distinguish the A7 V from
the A7 IV on looks alone. Apart from the name, discreetly emblazoned on the top plate, just to the left of the viewfinder, there isnt much else to identify the latest iteration. However, a closer inspection reveals a redesigned handgrip. Its very slight, with a tiny shift to the angle of the shutter button to account for the modest increase in weight from the Mark IV, but it makes a natural refinement to the ergonomics of the camera.

In terms of handling, the A7 V is supremely comfortable to hold, perhaps more so than most other Alpha bodies in the range. Logically, I know there is significant continuity between models, but something about the A7 V felt more balanced to me. Ive always found Sony cameras to be too boxy for my tastes, especially when shooting for longer periods and when using larger lenses. The A7 V is unmistakably a Sony product, but it just fit my hands a lot better than I remember the A7 IV doing.

Shooting all day around London with the FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G lens, the setup
was perfectly balanced, the center of gravity seemingly right where the
optics meet the lens mount. This made shooting one-handed a breeze, even when holding the camera at arm's length over my head to shoot a street performer over the heads of a large crowd.

I appreciated that the playback and delete buttons are located on the same side of the camera body and immediately adjacent to each other on the back plate. This is a personal preference, of course, but I find this makes
quickly making in-the-field quality control decisions quicker, rather than having to work two-handed and hunting for a control on the opposite side of the body to preview and delete obviously blurry shots. (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

Another excellent feature that seems unique to Sony cameras is dual-function card slots that fit both SD and CFexpress. As someone with more high-performance SD cards than Id like to think about, I love this. Although
I am gradually filling out my stock of CFexpress, I still like to have the choice, and a camera that supports both, while still allowing dual card functionality with either format is hugely thoughtful.

With a Canon EOS R5 Mark II , for example, you need to take a supply of both card types if you want the benefits of in-the-field backups, while the Canon EOS R6 Mark II requires two SD cards only, delaying investment in CFexpress until a future upgrade (which will no doubt be an expensive ordeal). On Sony cameras, there are no such compromises. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech) Image 2 of 2 (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

Its a shame the A7 V only has one of the two slots capable of accepting CFexpress Type A, but perhaps this is what you pay the extra money for when buying a camera like the Sony A7R V .

Another excellent design flourish is the extra control wheel above the Auto Exposure Lock button, which by default is set up to adjust exposure compensation in P, A or S modes. I enjoy not having to hold down another button to change this, and the additional dial allows you to amend the aperture and image brightness with single controls each. Naturally, each dial can be reassigned a custom function from within the A7 Vs Operation Customize menu, found under Setup. (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

The build quality is of an exceptionally high standard. I didnt have the opportunity to test the cameras weather resistance unusual for a British reviewer in November but nevertheless, there are no obvious compromises in the integrity of the construction. Apart from the hollow battery and memory card bays, no other part of the body reverberates excessively when tapped, giving the sensation of it being milled from a single piece of metal.

All of the dials are beautifully knurled and easy to twist, but with enough resistance that it isnt too easy to nudge them by accident.

We also cant talk about the design of the camera without mentioning the versatile dual-hinged main LCD. Sony has gone back and forth with its
approach to screen articulation over the years, and as far back as the A99 II DSLR camera, the multi-point design has allowed the user to both tilt and swivel the LCD. Some photographers prefer the vertical tilt format, while others like myself appreciate a full swivel function.

Users of the A7 V dont have to choose unlike with the A7 IV which is single-axis vari-angle only which I found useful when shooting ground-level street photos of graffiti artists under Waterloo Station. Its a clever strategy also found in recent Lumix cameras, and which Id like to see more brands adopting. Design score:4.5/5 Sony A7 V: Performance New Bionz XR 2 processor No dedicated AI autofocus processing engine Long 750-shot battery life

Speaking of LCD screens, the model featured on the A7 V is both larger and more detailed than its predecessor. It measures 3.2 inches, up from 3 inches on the A7 IV, while resolution has doubled the 1,036,800 dots previously available. I found it to be very crisp, and colors look natural. This is a attribute of camera screens that isnt talked about enough. Monitors might be super contrasty and saturated as standard, but this wont always give the most useful preview of the images about to be captured.

The touch sensitivity is just right, and I found it to be more responsive
than both the Mark IV and the A7R V, demonstrating the difference that three years can make. Its not that those cameras were particularly unresponsive,
but this latest monitor gave me no sense that it was standing between me and the settings I wanted to access.

I especially liked the reaction time for touch focus; with a single tap the camera activates the AF and immediately snaps to the object selected. I dont always use touch focus features, but combined with the versatile LCD pivot points, I found myself using them frequently during my testing of the A7 V.

Autofocus itself is smooth and super-fast. Built around a new system of 759 Phase Detection AF points that cover 90% of the frame, the A7 V can focus in lighting as low as -4EV. Although the camera did slow down as ambient
lighting dropped, with the rate of focus hunting increasing, it still did a sterling job of finding and tracking the subject. Its also incredibly
precise. Image 1 of 3 Changing the AF subject recognition mode to Animals,
the A7 V could easily keep track of this squirrel's eye (Image credit:
Future/ Peter Fenech) Image 2 of 3 (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech) Image 3 of 3 (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

Interestingly, the A7 V doesnt feature a dedicated AI processor, as found on the Sony A1 II . This might surprise many industry observers, in an age where AI is king and excluding such features might seem a retrograde step. However, the new Bionz XR 2 moves all AF computations on-chip, instead of dividing the workload between two units.

Sony says the up-specced processor brings the same benefits of a separate AI engine, namely better AF target recognition, but with the added advantage of reduced heat emissions, superior speed, and improved battery life. After all, powering one chip is better than supplying two.

I didnt have an A1 II body available to test the cameras side-by-side, but rarely did the A7 V struggle to locate my subject. There are plenty of
options to customize subject recognition, and the camera coped well with
human figures, cars, and airplanes, in the chaos of Central London and at Heathrow Airport.

Also new to the A7 V are the options to change AF responsiveness and to
select an extra small or large AF point. While I didnt find much need to
alter these settings during my test, I could see where this might be of huge benefit. Turning down AF responsiveness if its likely that other objects will pass between the camera and the subject, like when shooting across a busy
road or players on a football field, will help keep the focus sticky on your subject.

I can also vouch for the stated 750-shot battery capacity. After 300 frames, in the relative chill of a winter afternoon, I still had 75% charge, and by 650 shots, this sat around the 40% mark. This excellent, rival-beating performance included shooting both long still exposures and video.

In terms of shooting speed, the A7 V is one quick camera in operation.
Startup is near instantaneous, and exposure assessment is now done at twice the number of calculations per second compared to the A7 IV.

Using the electronic shutter, its now possible to capture images at up to 30fps, up from 10fps on the previous camera. Pre-capture is also possible up to a user-selectable 30fps, meaning the camera is always ready and able to cover the action in the briefest of moments. Without wanting to sound like an advert for Sony (remember, this review is completely independent), there were times when I felt I was having to keep up with the camera. This isnt
something I encounter often, and it kept me on my toes.

Its a very minor point, but I found the shutter release to be just a little too sensitive for my liking. There were a few occasions when I was simply trying out a composition and accidentally fired off a burst of shots a bit
of a laborious situation when the camera makes 30 frames every second! Id definitely recommend re-assigning focussing to the AF-ON button to work
around this. Performance score: 5/5 Sony A7 V: Image quality Excellent
Dynamic Range Superior high-ISO performance Ultra-effective IBIS system

One of the headline features of the A7 V that is certain to get people
talking is the new semi-stacked sensor. This CMOS design has developed somewhat of a bad rep because of its deployment in other cameras with limited success, such as the Nikon Z6 III . There is a risk of significant trade-offs in dynamic range for the additional readout speed a semi-stacked (or partially-stacked) sensor provides. Sony is confident enough, however, to claim a DR of up to 16-stops with the A7 V that's an additional stop versus the A7 IV so I couldnt wait to see how the camera performed in the real world.

Im not entirely convinced by the 16EV claim, as there were times when there was less highlight texture than I had anticipated, and clipped shadows where
I hadnt expected. However, the results were still impressive. In the majority of shots, there was recoverable detail across the range. From memory alone (and not having yet taken the A7 V into the lab for testing, thats all I have to work on), I would place the dynamic range on an even footing with models like the 24MP Canon EOS R6 Mark II and Nikon Z6 III . Clearly, Sony deserves some applause for this, as its a clear indicator that the A7 V is a next-gen competitor.

Now lets talk about color. Traditionally, this hasnt been my favorite aspect of Sony cameras. Ive always felt that, compared to Canon and Fujifilm models, Sony color science was a bit sterile. Accurate, maybe, but lacking warmth and flavor. These traits are present in the A7 V, as is to be expected, but I noticed colors seemed more organic than Ive seen from its stablemates.

The auto White Balance system hardly ever missed a trick, even when shooting wall art comprising overlapping primary colors in mixed natural and
artificial lighting: quite possibly a condition that cameras have nightmares about. The A7 V handled the situation beautifully. I could wax lyrical here for three more paragraphs, but Ill summarize with this: if the camera could cope this well under these conditions, it could cope anywhere. Dynamic range might not quite manage 16-stops in every image, but matches lower resolution cameras from competing brands (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

I dont always believe rumors, but in this case the suggestion that Composite RAW capability was to be included on the A7 V has turned out to be true. Previously seen on the Sony A9 III , this mode captures a sequence of RAW files that are then combined to produce a higher-resolution file with reduced noise. It works nicely and does what it says on the tin if you shoot landscapes or in the studio, this is a great feature for squeezing every
oodle of quality out of the sensor.

Of course, it works less well with moving subjects, even when shooting at a high frame rate, so I chose not to use it for street photography. If you can support the camera, it would also be beneficial for capturing poorly-lit interiors at higher sensitivities.

Even without Composite RAW active, the signal-to-noise ratio will put a smile on your face. I spent most of my shoot at ISO 6400 and above, and the camera delivered a commendable balance of sharpness and grain. I wasnt blown away by the in-camera treatment of JPGs though, and as low as ISO 800, there was smudging of detail through quite aggressive noise reduction. Weirdly, this didnt seem to get much worse up to ISO 3200. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech) Image 2 of 2 (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech)

Further proof that the dynamic range is noteworthy is highlight retention at the extended low ISO settings. At ISO 50, which is essentially an overexposed image with the exposure digitally reduced, there was still data present at
the right side of the histogram.

One of my favorite features of the A7 V is the IBIS system. Compensating for up to 7.5EV of shake in the center of the frame and 6.5EV at the edges, up from 5.5-stops on the A7 IV, the stabilisation enables hand-held shots at ridiculously slow shutter speeds. I was able to capture usable images at exposures of around one second unthinkable just a few years ago. This
enabled me to capture the movement of objects within the frame while
rendering static areas sharp. Its one of my go-to street and urban
photography techniques.

It doesnt quite match the 8-stop hybrid IBIS-lens-based system seen in the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Canon EOS R3 , and Canon EOS R7 on paper, but it performs exceptionally well. Image 1 of 7 (Image credit: Future/ Peter
Fenech) Image 2 of 7 (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech) Image 3 of 7 (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech) Image 4 of 7 (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech) Image 5 of 7 (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech) Image 6 of 7 (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech) Image 7 of 7 (Image credit: Future/ Peter Fenech) Image quality score: 4.5/5 Sony A7 V: testing scorecard Sony A7 V

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

The A7 V is another example of how pro features are becoming increasingly
more affordable. It's not cheap, but you get a hell of a lot of camera for
the money

4.5/5

Design

There are no surprises from Sony. You might call the similarities with other Alpha cameras unimaginative but why fix what isn't broken?

4.5/5

Performance

The IBIS is superb, allowing hand-held long exposures, while AF is
responsive, customizable, and accurate.

5/5

Image quality

Low-light quality is superb, as is auto White Balance. Jpeg processing is heavy-handed, but overall, the camera sets a new standard for enthusiast products.

4.5/5 Should I buy the Sony A7 V? Buy it if...

You want an affordable full-frame camera

It might not be the cheapest camera with a full-frame sensor on the market, but you get a lot of camera for your buck. The A7 V has everything an enthusiast photographer could hope for or need. View Deal

You shoot both stills and video

Like the A7 IV before it, the new camera delivers exceptional video features too, with 4K resolution, 60fps without a crop, and S-Log available for high-end grading. View Deal Don't buy it if...

You are a beginner

There is a lot of camera here. Novices are unlikely to get the most from all of the features available, and the mammoth toolset might even be off-putting. View Deal

You just bought an A7 IV

Let's be clear, the A7 V is a significant upgrade to its predecessor, but
with a similar resolution, equal sensor size, and advanced features, the A7
IV is a great camera on its own merits. I wouldn't suggest there's enough difference between the two for an upgrade just yet. View Deal Also consider Canon EOS R6 Mark II



The EOS R6 Mark III builds on the 24MP Canon EOS R6 Mark II with improved resolution that matches the A7 V, now 33MP. Sony and Canon take different priorities; the A7 V has the partially stacked sensor and video recording up to 4K 60p, while the EOS R6 Mark III's sensor isn't stacked at all, but there's open gate 7K video recording. Both feature incredibly powerful IBIS and autofocus performance. This is a close call. Note, at the time of writing we're still working on our EOS R6 Mark III review. Nikon Z6 III



Nikon's all-rounder, the Z6 III also features a partially stacked sensor, but with a resolution of just 24MP. That said, video recording is up to 6K 60p, and the Z6 III is blazing fast, also being supported by powerful in-body
image stabilization. Launched in July 2024, it has come down in price and can be had for much less than the A7 V.

Read our in-depth Nikon Z6 III review How I tested the Sony A7 V I tested a full production model The A7 V body was accompanied by the FE 20-50mm f/2.8 G and FE 70-200mm f/4 Macro G OSS II Images were taken in a range of lighting conditions, using each ISO setting so noise levels could be compared throughout the range

I always like to push a camera to the edges of its capabilities and, to that end, I shot using the extremes of the ISO range. In bright light, I set the camera to the extended low ISO of 50, and then explored several low-light locations to test the camera all the way up to the expanded high setting of 204,800. I left the White Balance set to auto throughout the review to see
how the camera responded to different lighting conditions. I also shot in RAW+JPG mode, so I had unprocessed files and compressed images for the sake
of comparison. First reviewed December 2025



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