I was about to buy the Sony A7Rv until I heard about the A7v - now I'm on the fence
Background:
I currently have: Sony A7iii & A7siii (among others). I use the A7iii for photos and the A7siii for video. I've worked as a professional photographer (fashion, editorial, lookbooks, headshots, model tests, etc) for seven+ years, twenty years ago. I still shoot professionally from time to time, doing headshots, product, commercial, etc, but it's primarily a hobby. I've also done some interview-style camera work, but that's been sparse. I've dabbled as a YouTuber doing RC trophy truck videos, but that was short-lived. Currently, I actively record and photograph my daughter's high school and club volleyball teams, among other personal photo opportunities.
Wants:
Lately, I have been wanting to step up my megapixel game (A7iii = 25MP) for future product, commercial, and sports photography (I do have a few more gigs lined up). However, I also wanted to step up from the A7siii video capabilities and use the A7siii as the B-camera for future interview work and even volleyball content (I use one camera to record the overall team and one camera to track and record my daughter).
Pros / Cons:
Before hearing about the A7v, I had been focusing my consideration on the A7Rv (hoping an A7Rvi would pop up), but then, when news of the A7v broke, I waited to see what it would offer. Now that it has, I'm on the fence between the two.
- Like: the price range of the two cameras. Currently, the Rv is at $3,300, while the newly released A7v is at $2,900.
- Like: the megapixel count of the A7Rv at 66MP - this would give me a lot of flexibility with photos. The A7v is still a bump up from the 25MP of the A7iii
- Like: the A7v having all the latest firmware and some of the trickle down from the pro series bodies, whereas the A7Rv may have some of the latest, but is 4 years old
- Like: A7v having up to 30FPS - great for volleyball photos
- Meh: A7Rv only having 10FPS - it works for me now on the A7iii, although more/faster FPS is better
- Meh: A7v does not output RAW video, whereas the A7Rv does. I don't use it very often, but I have and appreciate its benefits.
- Like: A7Rv can record 8K in H265, although at 4:2:0
- Like: A7Rv has 9M pixel viewfinder, similar to the A7siii, whereas the A7v has 2.5M. I use the viewfinder when taking all photos unless I'm being lazy.
- Like: Both have the flippy-tilty screen with the same resolution.
- Like: A7v has all the new AI goodies, including AI white balance.
- Like: A7v rolling shutter: has great readout times; however, it doesn't affect much of what I shoot in video or photo.
Wrap Up:
Does the new A7v make the A7Rv irrelevant? Does the partially stacked sensor of the A7v make this a no-brainer? Or does the 66MP sensor of the A7Rv make it a better solution for photos with little sacrifice in video performance? What have I forgotten to consider?
Posted Dec 4, 2025, 9:36 PM UTC