FEATURED STORY

A Marriage of Science and Art – α7R V

By Fathima Nakooda

Once again, Sony raises the bar with the release of the α 7R V. Looking at the camera, it may not appear that there has been any improvement. The truth, however, is quite opposite when you dig a little deeper.
The Sony α7R V uses the same sensor as the Sony α7R IV, but you can now select which RAW file size you want to capture. Therefore, our workflow will not need to be changed and, more importantly, our editing stations won't need to be upgraded. Rather than run through all the specifications, here is our first impression of this amazing new camera. Our favorite aspect of the upgraded version is that it includes a dedicated AI processor. In addition, the key feature in the Sony α7R V, is the same image processor is used as in the flagship Sony α1. The result is a huge increase in processing power and more room for algorithm upgrades through firmware updates alone. It is also a significant step forward for Sony's already world-class autofocus system. We were privileged to be part of the global launch of the Sony α7R V and were completely blown away by its capabilities. We were very impressed with the overall responsiveness of the camera as well as its AI-enhanced autofocus. Photographing weddings is a much faster-paced activity. As a wedding photographer you need to be ready for anything and this is where the Sony α7R V really shines. Despite the fact that we were shooting in a controlled environment for the most part of the day we could see how this camera would enable us to get those candid, spur of the moment memories without having to pray that we nailed focus. The predictive AI autofocus is so precise, it even started predicting where the eye of a subject wearing dark sunglasses was. It is even more real-time than before. Another huge upgrade that we love is white balance detection. The camera does white balance detection on the subject only instead of taking a white balance reading across the entire sensor. This makes the editing process so much easier especially for colour correction. The Sony α 7R V now also has a 4-axis multi-tilt LCD. Yet another game changer as this meant we could capture images from those awkward angles even easier. Other upgrades include a slightly bigger body and the same EVF as the Sony α1.   As with most Sony cameras these days you get the usual 15-stops of dynamic range, upgraded colour science and a fresh menu system. Now, you also get 8 stops of image stabilization. This allowed us to create a 2 second handheld exposure for a creative styled image which would not be possible with older Sony bodies. To sum up, the Sony α 7R V is such a complete package for wedding photographers. It checks all the right boxes in terms of image quality, resolution, responsiveness, colour science and ease of use. We cannot wait to add this to our arsenal.

About Fathima Nakooda

Husband and wife powerhouse in destination wedding photography from South Africa. They are popularly known to combine high fashion and journalism approach in their wedding coverage –telling the story and making each photo worth it be a place in magazinecover.

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