Taking a stroll around Atlanta with Sony’s compact A7C full-frame mirrorless camera
posted Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 5:33 PM EDT
Click here to browse our Sony A7C Gallery
For those photographers wanting something small, compact and easy to carry, they have traditionally had to turn to crop-sensor cameras. If you want to go big in the sensor department with a Sony, a hefty camera usually followed. The impressive Sony RX1-series changed that game, offering an incredibly small form-factor camera yet one that houses a proper 35mm full-frame sensor. The drawback, however, was its fixed 35mm f/2 lens, which limited its versatility. (It was also quite expensive!)
Now, Sony's back once again with another option, one with a full-frame sensor and the convenience and versatility of an interchangeable lens: the Sony A7C. Essentially, Sony's managed to cram the 24MP full-frame A7 III into a camera body that's not much larger than the Sony A6600 crop-sensor camera.
Rather than the A7 III's more SLR-styled design, the A7C shares a rangefinder-like styling, with a flat top and a built-in, corner-mounted EVF. Sony's also simplified the controls somewhat over the higher-end A7 III and other A7-series. The A7C, instead, lacks a front-facing sub-command dial -- opting for just a single rear thumb dial near the thumb rest and a rotating multi-directional wheel on the back. The camera also lacks the joystick controls found on Sony's other recent full-frame models.
Despite some design simplifications, the A7C is well-versed in features and capabilities, sporting the same hybrid AF system as the A7 III, with 693 phase-detection and 425 contrast-detection AF points that cover nearly the entire area. The camera also includes real-time Eye AF tracking for people and animals, maintains 5-axis in-body image stabilization, shoots up to 10fps burst, records 4K UHD video using full-pixel readout and 6K oversampling at up to 30p, and features a flip-out vari-angle touchscreen for easier video recording.
We had a short time to test-drive the new Sony A7C camera recently, and after sending it into our test lab for First Shots, I now have a selection of real-world Gallery Images to share, as well. Most images were shot using Sony's new ultra-compact FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 lens, though I couldn't pass up the opportunity to mount-up the FE 200-600mm lens for a bit of birding!
Head on over to our Sony A7C Gallery Page for an assortment of sample images, including raw files for download.
• Sony A7C Gallery • Sony A7C Sample Images • Sony A7C Preview •