Sony a7 V announced - $3000 is now entry level

[Andrew Reid]

The a7 V is quite a predictable upgrade, nevertheless it's excellent. It does however miss a lot of video features that are present on the Panasonic S1 II / S1R II for a similar price, and the cheaper Nikon Zr / Z6 III... No open gate, no anamorphic, 4K is still maximum resolution, no real-time LUT can be baked into footage, and of course Sony still has no internal RAW codec to call their own.

Still, this is a $3000 entry level camera so we can't be too greedy can we?

Compared to...

Sony a7 IV. The previous a7 IV is now even more of a bargain, it will probably go down even further in price used, most likely to region of $1200. Stills quality the same as a7 V and probably more than most people will ever need. Video quality is excellent but the rolling shutter is on high-side, that's one area as well as the Super 35mm 4K/120p where a7 V has an advantage.

Sony a9 III. Well, keep an eye on that used price as it's already not a million miles off what a new a7 V costs...

Sony a1. Again, the more powerful option vs a7 V albeit with a few of the new features missing, you can pick one up used in the UK for £2700, same price as a new a7 V. 

Nikon Zr. THE choice if you want fake raw.

Nikon Z6 III. Much more price competitive than the new Sony.

Panasonic S1R II. The dark horse. It does more. Price is high though and I much prefer the Sony body design and build quality.

Panasonic S1 II. Certainly has the edge on the a7 V for video, if not autofocus. More expensive, but again keep an eye on the used market prices.

Overall I think the a7 V is predictable - it's good that we have another partially stacked sensor option though.

[MrSMW]

For hybrid work, I’ll keep my S1RII thanks.

Next choice would be used Z8.

For pure stills photography a used A7RV.

For purely video work, S1II. Or maybe ZR for the form factor and screen plus ability to adapt E Mount glass, but not the RED raw codec which is overkill for my needs.

That would be my personal 4-5 choices based on not just the bodies, but lens availability.

[mtol]

I can understand that camera companies are not exactly incentivized by the profit motive to release *perfect* cameras, but it's a shame that this is artificially feature limited when it's getting so, so close.

I just shot a project in 3:2 open gate on my S1H and it was such a great experience for myself and the director, though I did run into some of the limitations of the slower readout speed and ibis wobble.

I guess Sony is saving 6k and open gate for the A7S4 and Fx3ii. It remains to be seen how they will integrate 32 bit audio recording. I am sure I'm not the only one waiting for these features in a proper workhorse body for doc.

I'm close to pulling the trigger on an S1ii anyway as it has the fewest compromises of any system, but it's hard when you know an S1hii could follow or the Fx3ii is likely around the corner. I'm making money from my gear these days, but not so much that I feel like burning money on an intermediate body. All the tech is around for a perfect doc mirrorless camera. 

[eatstoomuchjam]

Looks like a fine camera and it's overall a nice improvement over the A7 IV.  It is a little weird to see it being released right on the heels of the FX2 which still uses the older sensor.

That said, even though 4K is plenty, it is weird to see a major vendor releasing a new model that tops out at full frame 4KP60 and cropped 4KP120.  For a mostly video shooter, the A7S III is about the same price used as this one is new.  It has pretty similar dynamic range performance and the RS is like 9ms vs 14ms here.  If I remember right, the older camera also doesn't need to crop in to get to 120fps.  Or get a used ZV-E1 with most of the performance of the A7S III for 2/3 the price of the A7 V.

For a hybrid shooter, it makes more sense - but approaching the new camera from a purely video perspective, it's really a "meh."  It's not a terrible choice and people are going to shoot decent stuff with it, but it's sort of hard to imagine existing Sony shooters swapping up to it and even harder to imagine people who are invested in other systems changing to it.

[Django]

I dunno real winner for me and surely my next cam purchase is R6 mk3: 7k, RAW, OG, 4K120p no crop. 

Tried it out and couldn't find any flaws. 7K open gate C-Log2 looks excellent. Recording 7K OG 10-bit H.265 to a normal SD card is super efficient. The S&F mode is surprisingly practical. Being able to set odd frame rates like 46 over 25 directly in camera, in Log, makes it easy to get subtle slow-mo without post tricks. 

They finally nailed it, third lucks a charm. 

In comparison, this A7V feels crippled AF. At least they updated the sensor but why no 4K120p no crop, no OG or +4K? Also I'd be mega pissed if I bought an FX2. Sony's strategy is just plain weird, they lost the plot. The four year old A7SIII /FX3 is still leagues better than this for video. 

[ArashM]

16 minutes ago, eatstoomuchjam said:

Looks like a fine camera and it's overall a nice improvement over the A7 IV.  It is a little weird to see it being released right on the heels of the FX2 which still uses the older sensor.

 

I also find this quite baffling, this camera in a FX2 body would have been a great move!

I don't get it!

[ND64]

I think its related to the IP behind partially stacked tech. People believe just because Sony Semi makes the sensor, they own all the IP, but its not true. At the moment there are three flavor of this tech, Nikon has the fastest one, Panasonic owns the one with highest DR, and Sony uses a version between those two. And maybe they have no license to use the best one in a video oriented body, yet. 

[MrSMW]

2 hours ago, ArashM said:

I also find this quite baffling, this camera in a FX2 body would have been a great move!

I don't get it!

I do. Or at least I suspect I do and that is an FX3ii is coming and that WILL have all the ‘missing’ video stuff that is not in the new A7V.

The FX2 is a bit of a Frankencamera (I quite like the concept but not quite the execution) possibly to use up a lot of old sensor stock but 🤷‍♂️

The new A7V is not meant to be a video-centric camera but a stills orientated hybrid, same as the IV was.

If they had allowed 6k and left the gate open etc with it, other than the body type, what incentive would there be for any new FX3ii…which I think is certainly coming because although they have had some criticism lately, this is Sony and something  they do perhaps more than any other company, is churn out cameras.

Very good silent shutter mode on this new A7V for wedding shooters! Not enough to tempt me personally but it’s a really solid stills/hybrid unit at the new price point for such things. 

[zerocool22]

I seem to be missing why this camera is so amazing, sure good update from the A7IV, but nothing groundbreaking. Or does anything to blow the competition out of the water.

[KnightsFan]

Seems pretty boring, in both a good and a bad way. Kind of expensive, which is normal these days, but otherwise, a solid upgrade to the A7 line. I assume Sony is withholding open gate, 7k, and 32 bit audio for their video line, which is fine. 32 bit float is the only one of those that I care about, and only in situations where an external recorder isn't feasible.

None of the main brands are a bad option anymore. If I had to pick, I think I'd go for an S1II--which, to be fair, is more expensive--but my S5 is a long way from being replaced.

[Danyyyel]

First time I see the reference to Fake RAw!!! Since when does the ZR has fake raw, in fact it is as RAW as it can be with zero noise reduction etc. I know the ZR does have its quirks, as lacking some good exposure tool for now in software and micro hdmi in hardware. But the RAW and image quality is their. 

[ND64]

Meanwhile Sony dropped the price of FX2 in China and now its only $2350. A7V is $2550.