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The second big upgrade is in ISO. I’m one of those people who will shoot up to 25,000 ISO if I need to keep the shutter speed and aperture where I want them. This may be an old thing in film photography, but changing ISO still feels like a miracle to me, and it’s my favorite thing about digital photography – when it works. With the A7V, I was quite comfortable pushing the ISO as high as 32,000. With the noise reduction algorithms found in post-production software these days, images still look great even at these crazy ISOs. And yes, I try to keep the ISO low when I can, but it’s nice to know that I can go that high if I need to to get the shot.
The third upgrade is not so much an upgrade as it is a change for the better. Sony’s color science has improved dramatically, especially when it comes to skin tones, which have become more true to life across the spectrum of skin tones in this world. Auto white balance is also much better, though I’m still a fan of shooting in good old sunlight and white balance 95 percent of the time.
Finally something extra I loved. I’ve always wanted to get better Bird photographybut this generally requires expensive lenses and a long time in the field. It still takes those two things, but with 33MP crop, pre-capture, and 33ips RAW capture… even someone like me, who has no wildlife photography skills and only has a 200mm lens, can get some pretty decent images, which was fun to try.
Photo: Scott Gilbertson
The one thing that’s still bad about the A7V and has sucked at every Sony camera I’ve ever used, and it’s getting worse: the menu system. It is disorganized, confusing, and difficult to navigate. The only thing that saves you here is the number of programmable hardware buttons, which let you control things the way you want without having to dive into menus. Sony, seriously, hired a UX designer and fixed this. Better yet, steal a Leica menu designer.
Is the A7V worth the upgrade? Yes, if you’re coming from a camera lower than the A7IV. If you already have an A7IV, it’s less convincing. The new features are impressive in the specs table, but whether you need them depends on what you’re shooting.
If you’re a wildlife or sports photographer, it’s worth upgrading for higher pre-capture and burst rates. If what you’re shooting doesn’t take advantage of these features — say you mostly shoot travel, landscapes, and street photos — then the A7V is a less compelling prospect. It’s absolutely great for all of these scenarios, but if you already have an A7IV, it may not be worth the money to upgrade for a bunch of new features you won’t use.