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Ulysseita wrote:
Tested one today. I am copying below what I wrote on another forum, translated into English.
Please keep in mind that the handling part is only a first impression, not a full field review. The colour comment at the end, however, comes from my own calibration / measurement workflow, so that part is based on actual measurements rather than just looking at files.
Today I had the new, rather well-fed Sony A7R VI in my hands for the first time.
Obviously I did not have the chance to test it properly, and I certainly did not do a real photographic session with it. But I can already say that, if this camera had existed earlier, I probably would have thought twice before buying the monster called the A1 II.
In the hand they feel very similar. The new A7R VI is even larger, but weighs only a little less than the A1 II. The viewfinder feels basically in the same class to me: one may have better refresh options, the other a better OLED, but in practical use they are very close.
The battery is huge compared with the older generations. The menus are the usual modern Sony menus. What you miss are the extra controls of the A1 II, and once you get used to the A1 / A9 level bodies, it is honestly hard to go back to the lower-tier layout.
I tested it briefly with the electronic shutter.
Yes, the shooting experience feels very close to the A1 family: instant, pleasant, and honestly excellent for probably 90% of the people who will use it. For the remaining 10%, you already know why the A1 / A9 bodies exist.
And this is exactly the point behind my opening comment.
While keeping a high-resolution sensor, you no longer have that lag, shutter shock, or slightly hesitant shooting feel that can affect high-resolution bodies. The act of taking the picture becomes very A1-like: fluid, smooth, precise, without that sense of mechanical or electronic interference between you and the shot.
To be clear, I did not test whether the AF update rate, which is obviously not at A1 II level, makes a real difference in more demanding use. This was only a short handling and shooting impression. But the shooting feedback itself is excellent.
What surprised me when opening the files — Camera Raw only for now — was the white balance and exposure. They looked almost futuristic compared with the other cameras I had beside it during the quick test.
Of course, when working with RAW files this is not magic, since you can adjust everything afterwards. But it does look as if something has changed there, especially in the metering. It seems much more precise than previous bodies, and honestly I had read about this even though many people probably considered it one of the less important updates.
Here it is next to its big sister and its medium-format relative.
https://i.postimg.cc/mDt25DBq/IMG-1432.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/bJsNBJp4/IMG-1434.jpg
Here is more or less the same framing, in a very rough and improvised way, just to compare what comes out of the A7R VI and the others when you shoot and export at 7k on the long side.
I will not post full-resolution files. Anyone looking for those can find them elsewhere eventually. For my own use, full-res 100% viewing is not very relevant, because I normally export my photos at around 24–30 MP, whatever camera they come from.
Right click and open in another tab to see them at 7k on the long side.
The Sonys were shot with the 28-70mm f/2 at f/8, 35mm.
The Fuji with the GF 50mm at f/10.
Sony A1 II
https://i.postimg.cc/XJR31k2K/ULY4044.jpg
Sony A7R VI
https://i.postimg.cc/pTwxcJ0k/DSC01078.jpg
Fuji GFX100S
https://i.postimg.cc/mDvRpydw/DSU1056.jpg
For practical output, I think you can see that there is not a dramatic difference between the three once exported at this size. Or at least, not enough to change the result for most real-world uses.
PS. I also tested and calibrated the A7R VI today.
From a colour-measurement point of view, my first impression is not especially positive. Compared with the best Sony body I have measured so far, the A1 II, the A7R VI does not seem to improve the colour side of the equation. In fact, in my measurements it appears to lose something compared with the A1 II, while still remaining clearly behind the better Nikon bodies in terms of colour separation / colour-filter behaviour.
This is not about JPEG colour, Adobe colour, Capture One colour, profiles, or personal taste. I am talking about the camera’s measured colour response before profiling.
In simple terms, my impression is that Sony is still investing more in resolution, speed, and computational metering than in improving the spectral quality of the colour filters.
https://i.postimg.cc/tCR7cf6g/Whats-App-Image-2026-05-24-at-15-40-27.jpg...Show more →
Thank you for cross posting on this forum. Sony has struggled with color since the NEX-7, but has slowly improved. If readily available, would you be able to post a comparison chart from your testing of the A1ii, or Nikon? Regardless, thank you for posting.
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