SONY α7

The ancestor of the full-frame mirrorless α

A review and Photo Examples of the SONY α7(ILCE-7)

For more information about the affiliate program, please see the link below.

Gallery
Review
Specification
Options
Reference links
Update history
Affiliate link

Gallery

The example photo was taken using a FE35mm,FE55mm and FE24-70mm.

1．Overview

The Sony α7 is a 35mm full-frame mirrorless camera released in 2013.

Its main specifications are a 35mm full-frame 24MP sensor, a 2.36M dot EVF, and a tilting 3-inch 920K dot rear LCD.

The AF system only uses contrast detection, and does not use image plane phase difference detection.

The camera also does not have in-body image stabilization.

The recording media used is an SD card that supports up to SDXC, and a Memory Stick Duo/PRO dual slot.

The battery is a FW-NP50 (7.2V, 1020mAh, 7.3Wh).

2．Usage

The α7 is a monumental model in which Sony switched the sensor of its mirrorless cameras from APS-C size to 35mm full size, and I bought it mainly for the purpose of playing around with mount adapters with full size sensors.

The 24MP sensor, 2.36M dot EVF, and the necessary and sufficient specifications for a mirrorless camera are satisfactory, and the specs are still usable as of 2024.

In terms of design, the angular processing at the top of the body where the EVF on the optical axis is stored is unbalanced with the rounded shape of the bottom of the body, and I don’t really like it. In terms of design, I prefer the NEX and α6000 series because they are neater.

Compared to the successor camera, there is one less custom button, and the shutter button and main switch are on the top of the grip, and the successor model has a neater top and is easier to use.

The mount is the same as the APS-C E-mount, but I was able to use it as is except for the adapter that contains a light shield to cut out excess light for APS-C size sensors. Some mount adapters also had light shields that users could remove themselves.

Because it was equipped with a 35mm full-size sensor, there was more space inside the mount, so it became possible to attach lenses whose rear lens was closer to the sensor. On cameras with APS-C size sensors, such as the Russian-made Jupiter-12, the rear lens would interfere with the wall in front of the sensor, but the α7 could be attached.

Aside from playing with mount adapters, I also used standard FE lenses, including the FE 35mm ZA, FE 55mm ZA, and FE 24-70 ZA. The autofocus (AF) was not very good when using FE lenses, so I was lazy. An adapter for using A-mount cameras was also released, but I did not purchase one due to the many restrictions.

The thing that bothered me most when using the camera was the loud shutter sound, which sounded like metal rubbing against each other. It made a clanging sound like a guillotine. It was a shame that the shutter sound was not quiet and of high quality, and because of this impression, I did not buy a full-frame E-mount camera for quite some time.

I continued to use the FW-NP50 (7.2V, 1020mAh, 7.3Wh) battery from my APS-C camera. Compared to its successor, the NP-FZ100 (7.2V, 2,280mAh, 16.4Wh), the battery capacity is smaller, and due to the high natural discharge rate that is the fate of Sony’s lithium-ion batteries, the battery will quickly run out if not used for a while. This is a weakness that has not changed since the previous NEX-5 camera.

In parallel with the old battery, I am also using the updated FW-NP50, but since I am using it without any gaps between uses, I do not know how much the natural discharge has improved.

3．Add Info.

The model changes of the α7 series were mainly mechanical improvements while maintaining the sensor pixel count. The second generation was equipped with image stabilization and phase detection AF, the third generation adopted a large capacity battery, and the fourth generation adopted a high-resolution EVF and increased the pixel count to 33 million pixels. It is basically positioned as an entry-level model.

The α7R series is a high-pixel camera in the α7 series, and there is no big difference in price between the α7 series and the α7R series, and the α7R series is selling better. However, it is gradually becoming difficult to differentiate between the α7R and α7, so it is thought that the products will be integrated in one or two generations.

The name α7 given to the first full-frame mirrorless camera reminds me of the α-7 from the Minolta era. The number 7 from the Minolta era was given to amateur high-end cameras slightly above the popular price range, and the α7R could have been called the α7 and the α7 the α5.

It’s a minor point, but the Minolta α-7 has a “-” between the α and 7, while the Sony version does not have a “-” between the α and 7. When writing product names in writing, you need to be careful because there may be minor points of criticism. If the manufacturer itself has no particular preference and the spelling is inconsistent, it can be difficult to write an article.

Specification

Model name	α7	α7II	α7III	α7IV
Model number	ILCE-7	ILCE-7M2	ILCE-7M3	ILCE-7M4
effective pixel count	24.2 million pixels	24.2 million pixels	24.2 million pixels	33 million pixels
Sensor size	35mm fuill-size 35.6 x 23.8mm	35mm fuill-size 35.6 x 23.8mm	35mm fuill-size 35.6 x 23.8mm	35mm fuill-size 35.6 x 23.8mm
Back LCD	3.0 0.92 million dots	3.0 1.23 million dots	3.0 0.92 million dots	3.0 1.04 million dots
EVF	Built-in 2.36 million dots	Built-in 2.36 million dots	Built-in 2.36 million dots	Built-in 3.69 million dots
Max Shutter speed	1/8000	1/8000	1/8000	1/8000
Electric shutter	○	○	○	○
Image Stabilization	×	○	○	○
Battery	NP-FW50	←	NP-FZ100	←
Touck panel	×	←	○	←
Multi / Micro USB	○	←	←	←
USB Type-C	×	←	○ 3.1Gen1	← 3.2/PD
WIFI	○	←	←	←
NFC	○	←	←	×
Bluetooth	×	←	←	○
AF	Contrast detection method	Phase difference detection method Contrast detection method	←	←
Recorded Media	MS-Pro SDXC	←	←	←
Release date	2013.11.15	2014.12.5	2018.3.23	2021.12.17
Size(mm)	127 x 94 x 55	127 x 96 x 60	127 x 96 x 74	131 x 96 x 80
Weight (Only body)	416	556	565	573
Color	Black	←	←	←