Yesterday, Sony announced three new products: The Sony a7CII, the 16-35mm F2.8 GM II, and finally, the Sony a7cR. Let's talk about the a7cR.
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The a7cR camera is pretty interesting. It’s essentially a Sony a7rV in a smaller, lighter, and less expensive package. It has the same sensor and processor, and it still has a dedicated AI processor. That means you get access to all the insanely good autofocus tracking that’s been in all of Sony’s latest cameras since the a7r5. But because this camera is newer, you also get access to some things that weren’t available on the a7R5. Things like AI-based auto-framing and better active stabilization for video. But what’s interesting is that you can get a smaller, lighter, and cheaper camera that actually has more features. So if you like the resolution of the a7r5 but want the better video features, this might actually be a better buy for you.
But where the comparison starts to diverge is obviously that with a less expensive camera, you should expect to lose some features. So while this camera has the same or better software-type features, it does have some physical features that are of a lower quality. For example, the flip-up LCD screen and EVF are lower-end than what you might find on some of the higher-end cameras. But in real-world use, that doesn't really bother you. Is higher resolution better? Sure. But after you've been shooting for a while, you get used to what you see and it doesn't really affect the shooting experience. But if you're currently shooting with a camera that has higher resolution offerings, it might take a little longer to get used to.
Speaking of the LCD screen, Sony has also decided to give this camera just a tilting LCD instead of the combined tilting and vari-angle LCD found on the a7R5. Sony has this amazing combination screen that gives users the best of both worlds, but so far the company has decided to only feature this amazing screen setup on a single camera. And we know there are people who would happily pay a little extra for a better screen mechanism, so we're not sure why the latest cameras have ditched this feature.
From here on out, two other things you're missing out on compared to the a7R5 are that this camera won't shoot 8k video and it has a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000th of a second and a maximum burst speed of 8fps. And while we don't have an official answer from Sony as to why, we're assuming that this camera has a different shutter mechanism in order to fit into the smaller body, and that different mechanism will only allow for a shutter speed of 1/4000th of a second at 8fps compared to the 1/8000th of a second and 10fps found on the a7r5. And as for 8k video, we obviously know that the sensor and processor pair can handle the capability, but we're guessing that the smaller body doesn't allow for the required heat dissipation required to make that feature even usable.
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Finally, the big missing feature for us, and we know it's missing for most pros too, is that this camera only has one card slot. This could be due to the size, or it could be because Sony simply doesn't want the camera to compete with the a7R5 in the pro market. Which makes sense, if we were in the market for a high-resolution pro camera right now, the easy choice for us would be the a7cR. We can get over the slower shutter speed, and then all the other missing features don't mean much to us. But the single card slot would make us hesitate.
Now, another thing we want to talk about is the size. We know some people won't love how small it is. But for us, we absolutely love it. Combined with the Sony 24mm GM, you can carry this camera around everywhere to shoot, the smaller size definitely makes it more enjoyable to take with you everywhere. So if you generally use smaller prime lenses, then we think you'll really enjoy the compact size.
But where the camera felt a little small was when paired with a larger and heavier lens array. Thankfully, Sony includes the extra grip with the purchase of the a7cR. So, it’s not an accessory you have to decide whether to buy or not. You just get it and can use it when you need it. The grip also folds up conveniently, so you can swap batteries while using it without having to remove it, and the grip also doesn’t add significant weight to the setup. While some may not be big fans of its looks, functionally it’s very good.
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source of information:fstoppers.com
