Sony A7V Mirrorless Camera: How Its Fast Autofocus Changes Photography

Discover how the Sony A7V mirrorless camera delivers fast autofocus performance and why it’s a game changer for photographers and creators.

I tested the Sony Alpha 7 Mark V, a full-frame mirrorless camera suitable for amateurs and professionals that impresses with the precision of its automatic modes and AI.

At the end of December, when many were thinking more about gifts and Christmas than technology, Sony launched the Alpha 7 V camera, a fifth generation of its most popular mirrorless model for professionals and photography enthusiasts.

It had been 4 years since a main model of Sony Alpha 7 had been released, since the fourth generation in 2021, so expectations were very high. Since I am a user of the much more humble Alpha 7 II, I admit that I really wanted to get my hands on it.

I have had the opportunity to test this coveted full-frame during the last month, which starts at a considerable price of $2,898 only for the body, to which you will then also have to add one or more lenses, depending on your needs.

Is the Sony Alpha 7 V worth buying?

Investment is important, yes but if you want something, it costs you something. I think Sony achieves such a good camera that it competes without the slightest problem with its more advanced mirrorless models (Alpha 1 and Alpha 9) and at the same time is easy to use.

This full-frame camera has surprised me with the great quality of its photography even in auto modes, and if you are not an expert, it includes the AI functions that ensure precise focusing even by hand and a very fast operation that does not suffer even in bursts and videos.

Although its price of $2,898 seems justified to me, the $700 that it has become more expensive compared to its previous generation is a drawback to take into account, since it is close to the Alpha 1 and Alpha 9, so if you are a beginner, it may be a better idea to start with models from past generations. But if you’re picky, it’s a perfect choice that’s hard to regret.

Features of the Sony Alpha 7 V

Sony Alpha 7 V review

I tell you how my experience of using the Sony A7V has been, which I have used together with 2 different lenses also from Sony:

• The telephoto E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS, which costs $900
• The FE 35mm F1.8 wide angle, for $760.87 

Design and connectivity: a comfortable and accessible camera

In terms of design, Sony’s new camera maintains most of the elements that have made the Alpha 7 famous: accessible but very complete mirrorless cameras.

With 695 grams, including battery and card, the weight of the camera is normal for a device in its class, but I found it very comfortable to handle thanks to its rubber grip with a rough rubber material that has prevented it from slipping and that conveniently continues along the side and even next to the buttons for the thumb to rest.

As a plus, it has adapted very well to the shape of my hand, so much so that I have been able to use it for hours without discomfort. I have also operated it only with the right hand without problems for the shutter on most occasions, since most of the buttons are located at a comfortable distance for the index finger or thumb, especially the comfortable and useful trackpoint in the Lenovo style.

In the rest, materials such as magnesium have seemed resistant and pleasant to the touch, and I have also liked how simple the mechanism is to open the SD card tray, protected by a small lever, as it happened with the Alpha 7 IV. I was surprised to have 2 SD slots, unlike the model I knew.

I liked less the battery cover, which you have to lock to close instead of just squeezing, and the covers that cover the USB-C charging ports, for which, without long nails, I have had a few more difficulties than I wanted.

The monitor is another of my favorite aspects of the design of this Alpha 7 V. Sony has achieved such a versatile mechanism that there is no position that is practically not possible, whether you use it vertically or horizontally, thanks to its 4 axes.

It also adapts only to the orientation quite accurately; its brightness has seemed sufficient to me even in sunny exteriors, and the fact that it is tactile helps to control it faster than the buttons.

Of course, at first it took me a while to figure out how the lower axis of this TFT screen moved, so resorting to the viewfinder is always a faster and more accurate option that remains and continues to work as in traditional SLRs.

Connectivity is very complete thanks to WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and a plethora of ports that I would expect in a camera in the middle of 2026, without anything that I have missed.

Spectacular and accessible photography and focusing, even for non-experts

The Sony Alpha 7 V has seemed to me a huge leap in image quality compared to the second generation I was used to. More than with an updated model, I feel more like I’m going from a utility car to a Mercedes.

I was afraid that not being an expert in optics or a professional photographer would make it very difficult for me to use it to simply go out and take photos or to photograph the products I analyze, but the truth is that it has not been like that.

Its 33-megapixel partially stacked Exmor RS CMOS image sensor enables enormous quality images in both RAW and JPG formats. It is a large sensor in which details are well appreciated even in the distance.

If you take the photos in JPG, their weight is between 5 and 2 MB, while in RAW it starts from 10 MB and up and is the best option to crop details of the shot, something in which I have found a better camera than the A7II.

In automatic mode, I have detected a certain tendency to suffer on cloudy days like this winter, in which the contrast complicates the shots, with details that are somewhat dark in front of the sky. Sony talks about up to 16 stops of dynamic range, but it’s not something I’ve noticed too much in the basic use I’ve given it.

Sony A7V Mirrorless Camera

Full-Frame Hybrid Mirrorless Camera: 30fps Blackout-Free Shooting, AI Autofocus, 5-Axis in-Body Stabilization (Body only)

Buy Now $2,898

As always with a camera of this type, optics are a fundamental part of the experience. Let me show you some examples so you can compare the performance with a 35mm wide-angle lens, which I’m used to using for product photos, and a 70-350mm telephoto lens.

I’m a very casual photographer who never goes out with a tripod, and I was worried that with this Sony Alpha 7 V the focus would suffer with the use of the telephoto lens, but Sony has done a fantastic job even at 350 mm, which, let’s remember, is a 10x optical zoom.

As you can see, The standard stabilization is very good, and believe it or not, this photo was taken handheld and with the maximum zoom possible. It is important in this case that you activate the Steady Shot function as I have done all along.

With features such as 60 AF/AE calculations per second and uninterrupted continuous shooting of up to 30 frames per second (fps) with AF/AE tracking, this Sony camera is a treat for wildlife photography enthusiasts.

Combined with a telephoto lens, I loved the experience of peeking into this world and photographing the animals and plants around me.

Many people decide to switch to mirrorless cameras because of their good performance and simplicity when capturing portraits, and this Sony model has allowed me a very good experience when taking photos of people.

Whether in slightly more distant shots or in intimate close-ups, the quality achieved by the auto mode is so good that you park your smartphone camera forever, no matter how advanced it is. And you can also play with optics, ISO, shutter, and exposure in manual mode as you learn.

At night, the 35 mm aperture of the CMOS sensor, when combined with a wide-angle lens, has allowed me to capture low-light images in better quality than I expected.

Night photography with professional cameras may not be easy, and in this case even I have had no problems despite being little more than a beginner and relying 100% on Sony’s automatic mode.

Autofocus has been one of the things where I have noticed the technological improvement of the Alpha 7 V over its predecessors, as it is noticeable that it is faster and much more accurate than I remembered.

With the mode that automatically detects the eyes of people, animals, or other elements, its focusing accuracy has surprised me for good even in complicated environments, where it is difficult for the shot not to turn out well.

Due to limitations of the SD card I have used, I have not been able to record video in detail, although I have tried its stabilization functions, which have left as good a taste in my mouth as in photography.

Even if you shoot by hand like me, the image doesn’t suffer from excessive vibrations that penalize the result, and the autofocus.

Software and battery: speed, menus, and autonomy to convince anyone

If already in aesthetics, this Sony camera has given me the feeling of having a high-end car in my hands; its general performance, so fast and fluid, has ended up convincing me.

The difference in the time it takes to boot my old Alpha II is abysmal. It turns on and focuses in less than 1 second, something you’ll notice in long sessions. In addition, its operation is much quieter, and it has a mode that eliminates the sound of the shutter that I loved when I took photos in public.

I’ve also noticed this fast operation in the speed at which it records photos and bursts up to 30 frames per second without the slightest problem, even if you don’t use a particularly advanced SD like me.

The Alpha 7 V has redesigned menus, and this is noticeable in the fact that it is faster to move between them. However, I still find them a bit convoluted if you are not already an expert in professional cameras, with long menus in which it is easy to get lost in so many functions.

Creators’ App, Sony’s application, has seemed to me a positive surprise because of the possibilities both to configure the device faster and to have your photo archive connected to the cloud to speed up the transfer of photos and avoid incidents, or even to take photos remotely.

And the battery is another aspect in which I have noticed the progress for the better between generations. Sony promises 630 shots from the viewfinder and 750 from the LCD monitor.

Personally I have been able to do 3 photo sessions of several hours each, with a sample of almost 500 photos and using the LCD screen, and I still have 20% capacity left, so what the Japanese brand says fits me.

In conclusion, I ended up liking this Sony Alpha 7 V so much that it created a problem that I didn’t expect. Will I now be able to go back to my mobile and my old model from 3 generations ago?

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