I've seen many posts related to the fundamental question of A7RV vs. A1 (A1 always wins), but that to me forgets the price component.
If I'm able to get a new A7RV for $2550 pre-tax and the cheapest A1 I can find new is about $3700 pretax (or $3200 used), is the A1 worth the difference?
I do general photography as a hobby (family, macro, some birds if available on a hike, some landscape).
If you are shooting birds on perch then the A7r V will do just fine. If you are shooting birds in-flight and in rapid sequence, then the A1 with its blackout free viewfinder and fast read out, stacked sensor makes sense.
AGeoJO wrote:
If you are shooting birds on perch then the A7r V will do just fine. If you are shooting birds in-flight and in rapid sequence, then the A1 with its blackout free viewfinder and fast read out, stacked sensor makes sense.
I'd take bird and wildlife pictures as they present themselves on a hike. I would not go out specifically seeking them out.
seabiscuit68 wrote:
I'd take bird and wildlife pictures as they present themselves on a hike. I would not go out specifically seeking them out.
Then I would say that the A7r V makes more sense for your situation. With its 61MP sensor of the A7r V you get a tiny bit more cropping power over the 50MP sensor of the A1.
A7r5 makes more sense for a general-purpose camera IMO. If you need to regularly take photos of fast moving things and/or want to run in e-shutter silent mode all the time then the A1 might be worth the extra money.
Also note that the A1 has had some issues that might require an expensive motherboard replacement. Not sure how widespread it is and no-one seem to have identified a definitive cause, but it's been experienced by a few users here, usually manifesting as a camera-killing "system error" triggered in some way by the WiFi chip. So if you buy one used confirm it's on the latest firmware and that WiFi and Bluetooth work correctly.
Overall, where the A1 beats the A7RV, it's night and day.
Where the A7RV beats the A1, it's not.
So the cost is justified IMHO.
eg: to quote AgeoJo above: "you get a tiny bit more cropping power" (with the A7RV.)
A7RV has 20% more pixels which is 10% more resolution. (those 20% extra have to be divided between width and height of image)
So resolution: A7RV 10% advantage. Not night and day.
Now, consider fps:
A7RV 10 fps, either JPG or lossy compressed.
A1: 20fps Lossless Compressed, or uncompressed. 30fps lossy compressed.
20fps: 100% increase with more quality but 50% file size, or 100% increase with more quality but with same file size.
30fps: 200% increase with the same quality and file size.
Night and day.
Blackout free viewfinder: well you either have blackout or you don't.
Jonas B wrote:
Like you I see the same question popping up. There was a thread this week (price difference not forgotten) here.
Maybe the most discussed topic on FM.
I think if you are asking, get the A1.
If you chose A7RV or are going to, and it's not cost, you can explain why.
If you aren't going to be photographing demanding action sequences (birds in flight, explosive sports moments etc.) then A7RV is hands down a better camera for general purpose photography. The A1 is a joy to use for action photography with 30fps on a blackout free viewfinder but the AF improvements with the AI chip on the A7RV are very significant (you get those on an action camera with the A9III or A1m2). Auto white balance is smarter on A7RV. IBIS is a tad better on A7RV. 61 Megapixels > 50 Megapixels. The way the back screen tilts and pops out on the A7RV is better.
I own both the A7RV and the A1 (mark 1). I take the A1 + 300GM + Teleconverters out for bird photography, and the A7RV for pretty much anything else.
In the USA you don't have these grey market sellers, do you?
Here in Europe we have "E-Infinity", a British company. Got a brand new A7RV there for €2669! (Free delivery to Germany, no customs, so that's what I actually paid! And it was the normal price, not a special short-time offer or something like that.)
The company is very trustworthy.
We have some gray/grey market sales. They sell product not imported by the authorized importer. Some are reliable, like B&H, some sources use the lower price as bait and then attempt to upcharge warranty programs, over priced legitimate product, etc. The potential problems for direct imports could arise from a need for warranty service depending on the items, the makers and importers warranty policies and services. The legitimate major firms tend to offer warranty services. I guess the suitability depends on the products, prices and warranty concerns.
I went from an A1 to an A7RV and eventually went back to the A1.
Very very minor differences in resolution and dynamic range. A1 is just so fast; not just the 30 FPS; but just as a camera. The additional manual dial on top makes switching settings faster, the better 120fps options for video, faster shutter sync speed, no need for NDs shooting wide open in bright conditions; no rolling shutter, blazing fast AF….its a sweet machine even for its age.
While it is emotionally satisfying seeing the AI autofocus put the little boxes around subjects; I think I get more keepers with the A1, more so as the subject speeds up or is more chaotic, because of the faster AF recalculation rate.
For video the A1 is so much better; the RV I had to keep all these crop factors in mind to recall which ones had the best image quality; which combos had horrible rolling shutter etc.
The A1 is not a cinema camera but is the closest thing for a hybrid shooter in the sense I can have 24/30/60/120 frame rate options that are all good and I don’t need to consider any crops/rolling shutter/quality issues. Just shoot what I want and it’s good.
As someone who likes the f1.8-f1.2 look; it’s great being able to shoot outdoor daylight stuff climbing or skiing etc. and know the electronic shutter can go high enough to never need an ND filter.
I’ve gotten more into studio work as well; but faster paced stuff like shooting dance/aerials and the faster shutter sync had made a huge difference; and in this case I will say being able to shoot 20fps (haven’t shot compressed to try 30 but I’m sure it would be even better) with really powerful strobes at low power helps get the perfect moment of a dynamic pose/sequence that a subject can’t hold for more than a second. Things the RV struggled with.
Now that the A1 has focus stacking; which was perhaps the one cool thing on the RV that I liked for landscapes, the A1 is hard to beat. I’m saving up for a second A1 body now that the used prices are so good.
The RV screen is nice; however I like using the viewfinder. Maybe now and then I’ll notice that the screen doesn’t do something that would make life more convenient; but it isn’t nearly as often as the times I notice all the positives of the A1.
For your needs (family, macro, casual birds/landscape), the A7RV is the better value. The A1’s advantages (speed, buffer, AF tracking, 8K video) are overkill for hobbyist use. The A7RV’s higher resolution (61MP), improved ergonomics, and lower price make it the smarter choice. Only upgrade to the A1 if you need pro-level performance (e.g., sports/wildlife bursts, heavy video work).
I have the reverse of this question. I currently have an A1 and A7R V and have an A1II on order. The question for me is do I sell the A1 or the A7R V. The only reason to keep the A7R V would be that it might be slightly better for single shot astro-landscape shots like Milkyway over mountains. There are a lot of reasons to keep the A1. The AI AF in A7R V is nice, but the A1 is a much nicer camera to use.
My opinion of whether you should get the A1 vs A7R5 will change depending on the phase of the moon, season and personal mood. I can say this, since for several years, I experienced having to make the decision of whether to take my A1 (now A1 II) or A7R5 on a particular shoot. Some of the variables:
If I was shooting nature, it would be A1, all the way, since I hated the blackout (and noise clatter) from the A7R5 whenever I wanted to shoot at multiple FPS. Being able to shoot 30 fps can be a game changer.
If I was going to shoot a portrait session, it would often be the A7R5 due to the AI focus chip. To be honest, however, I really never perceived a major difference between the cameras and I rarely ever missed focus with the A1.
For travel, I usually took the A7R5 since 61mp provided a slight resolution improvement when using Crop Mode.
I do a lot of outdoor strobe work and having 1/400 flash synch speed on my A1 could, at times, be a big benefit. Also, I really liked silent shooting with strobes (except at 1/400 sec which utilizes the mechanical shutter).
Having said all that, I much preferred shooting the A1. I love having silent shutter in all types of shooting, appreciate the lack of rolling-shutter for motion and really like having the additional physical dial which reduces menu-diving.
For what you plan to shoot, however, it is my opinion that you cannot go wrong with either camera.
InFocus2014 wrote:
My opinion of whether you should get the A1 vs A7R5 will change depending on the phase of the moon, season and personal mood. I can say this, since for several years, I experienced having to make the decision of whether to take my A1 (now A1 II) or A7R5 on a particular shoot. Some of the variables:
If I was shooting nature, it would be A1, all the way, since I hated the blackout (and noise clatter) from the A7R5 whenever I wanted to shoot at multiple FPS. Being able to shoot 30 fps can be a game changer.
If I was going to shoot a portrait session, it would often be the A7R5 due to the AI focus chip. To be honest, however, I really never perceived a major difference between the cameras and I rarely ever missed focus with the A1.
For travel, I usually took the A7R5 since 61mp provided a slight resolution improvement when using Crop Mode.
I do a lot of outdoor strobe work and having 1/400 flash synch speed on my A1 could, at times, be a big benefit. Also, I really liked silent shooting with strobes (except at 1/400 sec which utilizes the mechanical shutter).
Having said all that, I much preferred shooting the A1. I love having silent shutter in all types of shooting, appreciate the lack of rolling-shutter for motion and really like having the additional physical dial which reduces menu-diving.
For what you plan to shoot, however, it is my opinion that you cannot go wrong with either camera.
