Sony’s New A7R VI Is Here

credits: Sony

Sony’s new a7R VI is finally here, and this time the biggest story is not just resolution. For the first time in the series, Sony is pushing the a7R line heavily toward speed as well. The camera uses a brand-new 66.8-megapixel fully stacked Exmor RS full-frame sensor, replacing the older 61MP sensor architecture that had been around since the a7R IV in 2019. Moving to a fully stacked design brings a major jump in readout speed, allowing the camera to shoot 14-bit RAW files at up to 30 frames per second with blackout-free shooting and dramatically reduced rolling shutter compared to the a7R V.

For photographers, the combination of high resolution and speed is the main change here. Sony says rolling shutter has been reduced by around 5.6x, which should make the camera much more usable for action, wildlife, and sports photography than previous a7R bodies. The camera also keeps the strong image quality focus the series is known for, with Sony claiming up to 16 stops of dynamic range at base ISO 100. Autofocus has also been updated with a revised 759-point Real-time Recognition AF+ system, adding better tracking for smaller, distant, or partially obscured subjects. AI-based subject detection supports humans, animals, birds, insects, cars, trains, and airplanes, along with automatic subject recognition. Sony has also expanded the Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode, allowing you to create 265.8-megapixel composite images through Imaging Edge Desktop software.

There are also several hardware updates. The a7R VI gets slightly improved IBIS, now rated for up to 8.5 stops of stabilisation in the centre of the frame, along with a brighter 9.44-million-dot EVF that now fully supports the DCI-P3 colour space and HDR viewing. Sony also added illuminated buttons for low-light shooting, including the AF-ON, Menu, Fn, Playback, and Delete buttons. On the video side, the camera supports 8K 30p, oversampled 4K, and 4K 120p, along with a new Dual Gain readout mode for improved dynamic range during video recording. The Sony a7R VI is scheduled to launch in early June for $4,499. Alongside the camera, Sony also introduced the brand new FE 100-400mm f/4.5 GM OSS. We will take a closer look at both, the Sony a7R VI and the new lens, in this week’s Sunday magazine issue ;)