There’s no denying that Sony turned the camera world on its head when it released the Sony a7 back in 2013. Since then, the market has been flooded with feature-packed Sony cameras that suit every type of photographer from beginners to the pros, from street to wildlife/sports photographers, and landscape to portrait photographers.
Sony has continually raised the bar when it comes to autofocus performance. In recent years they have improved their ergonomics, weather sealing and IBIS systems. They’re also class leaders when it comes to battery life. No matter what stage of your photography journey you’re in or what genre(s) you shoot, we’re sure that there’s at least one camera listed below that will do the trick for you. Let’s take a closer look at Sony cameras.
Editor’s note: This is not a sponsored article. We will be covering all manufacturers in due time. We simply want to give those looking into switching systems or buying into their first systems information that could help them traverse the ever-growing field of cameras.
For the beginner — Sony a6100
Take the term ‘for the beginner lightly’ here. This APS-C camera packs a punch and is suitable not only for beginners but for pros who are maybe looking for a backup camera. The Sony a6100 has one of the fastest autofocus systems in the world. Amazingly, it can acquire focus in as little as 0.02 seconds. A flip-up screen makes selfies and vlogging easy, and the 24-megapixel sensor captures a ton of detail.
Every time I pick this pocket powerhouse up I am blown away by its performance. It tracks subjects as well as its bigger brothers, and Real-Time eye AF is superb. Don’t forget that you’re going to get 4K video, a decent EVF, Wi-Fi connectivity to easily share images to your phone, a 3.5mm mic jack, great battery life and access to the largest collection of mirrorless lenses on the market. For the price, it’s a bargain. You can grow easily with this traditional camera or you can fall back on it as a pro without any worries.
For the street photographer — Sony a7C
The Sony a7C is a camera that checks many boxes for those who like to capture everyday life on the streets. The Sony a7C is a slightly improved upon Sony a7 III with a Rangefinder-style design, a fully articulating LCD, improved IBIS and a deeper grip. Bryan Esler took it out for a spin and said:
“When shooting still life, the a7C was a joy to use. Having a smaller camera for walking around was easier than having something much bigger and heavier. Autofocus with still subjects was speedy and was able to lock on pretty well.”
Bryan Esler -Managing Editor
So, what else do you get for your money? A 24-megapixel full-frame sensor, a BIONZ X processor and 693 autofocus points. Then there’s 5-axis IBIS, 4K60 8-Bit video, one UHS-II SD card slot and 10 frames per second burst mode. All in a camera that weighs 1.1lbs. Pair it up with a small prime like the weather-sealed Tamron 35mm f/2.8 Di III OSD and you have one powerful setup to hit the streets with.
The camera for the masses — Sony a7 IV
The newest of the Sony cameras we have listed here is the Sony a7 IV. Following on from the game-changing a7 III, the a7 IV takes what everyone loved about its predecessor and cranks the dials up to 10. You’ll now get a 33-megapixel sensor and improved autofocus performance with 759 autofocus points. There’s a fully articulating screen, improved ergonomics, improved weather-sealing and better heat dissipation.
Let’s not forget about the new 4K60 10-bit internal video option, CFexpress type A and UHS-II card slots, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and an improved EVF (3.68 million dots). This camera is a great all-rounder. It’s great for sports, event work, portraiture, everyday shooting, photojournalism, documentary photography and so much more. This is Sony’s workhorse camera for the masses.
For the landscape photographer — a7R IVA
If you like capturing all of the finer details while out in nature, the Sony a7R IV is the camera for you. Out of all the Sony cameras listed here, the a7R IV has the most megapixels. Snap a shot with this camera and you’ll be presented with glorious images that pack 61-megapixels.
This camera is more than just a whopping sensor, though. Under the hood, you’ll find the same great autofocus system that has graced many other Sony cameras of late. The EVF and LCD recently got a nice upgrade, there are two SD card slots, it has great battery life and weather sealing that will help you get through a little bad weather. If you like capturing nature and printing big, this is the Sony camera that you should grab.
The do-it-all camera — Sony a1
The Sony a1 is just a beast of a camera that can do it all. It boasts the best of the best in every category when it comes to Sony cameras. The sensor is a brilliant stacked CMOS sensor that practically eliminates rolling shutter when used in electronic shutter mode. This makes the Sony a1 the camera to beat for action photography, and well, everything else. Videographers will surely love the excellent 4K video modes and the lack of rolling shutter as well.
The 50-megapixel sensor is just one part of this great camera. You’ll also find that this camera can use CFexpress A and UHS-II cards. There’s a tilting LCD, a glorious 9.44 million dot EVF, and weather sealing. The a1 also has an excellent IBIS system and brilliant autofocus with Real-Time tracking for human and animals eyes. It’s pricey, but this is one camera that can replace every other camera you own.
For videographers and hybrid creators — a7S III
The Sony a7S III is the undisputed low-light king. This camera houses a 12-megapixel sensor, which doesn’t sound grand. However, don’t let the low number fool you. Thanks to the low megapixel count, this camera has very large photosites which means that you can shoot at ridiculously high ISOs and still retain lots of detail while keeping noise low. In our review we said:
“I was able to get a quality low light image that was clean even at high ISO. Sensitivity can be set up to ISO 102,400 equivalent (expandable to 409,600 for stills). There are 15 stops of dynamic range.“
Andrew Ford
The Sony a7S III was the first Sony camera to use the stunning 9.44 million dot EVF, the enhanced IBIS system, the new menu system, a fully articulating screen, and the new and improved build quality. Yes, it’s weather-sealed and it’s better than ever.
There are video modes galore. 4K60 10-bit internal with no overheating! it’s sensational. You can also record 16-Bit RAW videos externally. It’s not a bad stills camera either. I was impressed when I had the chance to use it. I could shoot at over 100,000 ISO and still get very usable results. It has the same autofocus system that we all know and love, and dual cards slots are standard. This camera is a stunner.
