Review: Sony a7 mark 1 (the original) - Small King
The Original Sony a7, the a7 mark i, the OG
Once upon a time, Sony, with their small camera division, launched a tiny full-frame camera to challenge the market behemoths. The mirrorless underdog Sony a7 bravely took its stand against the undisputed large-and-in-charge DSLRs from Nikon and Canon. It was the classic story of David and Goliath, and just like in the Scriptures, David slew the giant, and helped launch the world into the mirrorless revolution.
The Sony a7 was the first camera in Sony’s a7 line, a line that has arguably influenced the mirrorless digital photography world more than any other. The initial a7, a7r, and a7s certainly weren’t up to the standards of the refined and polished models we see Sony producing in the 2020s, but they were great in their own right, and revolutionary for their time.
In this review, I want to go back to 2013-2014 and relive the beginning of the revolution. I want to test the original Sony a7 and see just how good it is almost a dozen years after its launch.
If you are interested in my review of the original Sony a7s 12mp camera, you can find it… here.
Key Specs:
24 MP full frame sensor
474g (camera + battery)
3 inch tilt LCD screen at 1.23 million dots
EVF, 2.4 million dots, .71x magnification
Burst up to 5 fps (mechanical shutter)
Contrast detect auto-focus
Up to 1080p 60fps
No internal image stabilization (IBIS)
Ports:
SD card slot
Headphone jack
Microphone jack
Micro-HDMI
USB 2.0 (old usb port, not usb-c)
Disclaimer… or Lack Thereof
All of my camera review are completely independent. I buy all of my own gear and test it objectively. I do not take loaner cameras from camera manufacturers or do sponsored reviews. The 50,000 monthly readers of this website don’t want bogus “reviews”… and I respect that!
Build Quality:
The build quality of the Sony a7 is very good. High end cameras from the mid 2010's all had good build quality (unlike today). The body is made from metal. It isn’t a heavy camera, but it has a weight of quality to it.
The original a7 initially had a problem with the lens mount becoming lose or even breaking. Sony fixed the mount in future iterations of the camera. I’ve never come across an a7 with the mount problem.
Another common problem was related to the door covering the SD card slot. The doors aren’t flimsy, but they definitely could have been made stronger. You’ll often see these cameras with very loose or bent SD card doors.
Other than that, I’ve been impressed with the build quality. I have a beautiful copy that still looks almost new 10 years after being manufactured.
Size:
For me, the size of the original Sony a7 is what makes it special and almost unique in the digital camera world. Good luck finding another camera with a full frame sensor and an EVF with such a small footprint at under 500 grams.
When paired with a small lens, it is almost in the point-and-shoot category. Its easy to carry in a bag and less of an annoyance to carry with you everyday. A true every-day-carry (EDC) option.
There are some great small E-mount lenses that pair well with the A7:
I like to adapter small M-mount glass to my A7:
Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 mark ii
Voigtlander Ultron 28mm f/2 Aspherical
Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/2 Aspherical
With the small Voigtlander 35mm mark ii attached, the a7 is an unbeatable EDC camera.
Ergonomics:
It’s almost inevitable that when you prioritize size, you compromise ergonomics. Many have criticized the original Sony a7 for bad ergonomics, and there is some truth to those criticisms. When you attach large and heavy lenses, the small camera body isn’t a good fit.
That said, I think the ergonomics are great when using smaller and lighter lenses. The grip is more than enough to achieve a firm grasp, and the lightness of the body makes it easy to maneuver your hand around, even when shooting one handed.
The thumb rest is big and well placed.
The shutter button sits on the top plate of the camera, which I actually find to be more ergonomical than placing it further forward on the top of the grip the way most cameras have it. Its also well placed for shooting from the hip, looking down at the camera with your thumb on the shutter.
It’s a small camera, and it doesn’t handle like a DSLR, but I can hardly fault it because it still has great handling for its compact size. I don’t believe there is another full frame camera this size in existence that has better handling.
Grip is sufficient for one handed use.
The well placed thumb rest on the back helps a lot
Price and Value for Money in 2025:
Last I checked, the original Sony a7 is the cheapest full frame camera you can buy on the used market. I’ve seen these regularly selling for $400-450 on Ebay. I bought mine for $350 with a 50mm f/1.8 lens (but that was a steal). If you can find one anywhere near $400, its worth it, especially considering this camera can be used as an onramp to more modern full frame Sony cameras in the future.
The E-mount is so flexible and diverse. There are lenses to match almost any kind of photography/videography style. I would recommend the E-mount to any photographer entering the full frame space for the first time.
I consider the Sony a7 to be perhaps the most underrated and undervalued camera on the used market. Buy one now before the prices go up… because they will!
Auto Focus:
In all my experience with the Sony a7 series, I’ve almost exclusively used manual focus lenses. The a7 has always been my platform for adapting Leica M-mount lenses.
That said, I do have a bit of experience with auto-focusing glass, and maybe my experience will explain why I opt for manual focus 90% of the time.
Single Point Autofocus
In my experience, the only cameras in the first half of the 2010s to have great single point auto focus were micro four thirds cameras. Olympus and Panasonic were the best in the game at contrast detect autofocus. Although Sony would eventually build a reputation of having the best phase-detect autofocus known to man, the Sony a7, a7s, and a7r were before that time.
My original Sony a7 has mostly consistent single-point autofocus, but it does miss from time to time, and low-light focus can be sketchy. It’s inconsistent enough to make me leave the autofocusing lenses at home. I wouldn’t call it “bad,” just not great. If you’re a slower more contemplative photographer, it will be fine for you.
I should mention that most of my autofocusing lenses are on the older side. Those with newer lenses with faster focusing motors may see improved results.
Stray cat, taken with single point auto focus.
Cruising down the beach… Single point auto focus
Continuous Autofocus for Moving Subjects
I don’t use continuous autofocus on this camera. The contrast-detect autofocus of the early full-frame cameras was not as reliable as the faster sensors of the m4/3 world. With that said, I ran some tests out in the wild. Lets just say… the results were expected and painful.
You would think the notoriously slow turtle would be the easiest autofocus test in the world, but the Sony a7 couldn’t handle it. It repeatedly struggled to determine between the turtle and the background. This is indicative of all my autofocus tests with this camera.
Plain and simple, for video, this is a manual focus camera! Use autofocus at your own peril.
Autofocus for Mostly Static Subjects
In the video below, I test whether the autofocus is good enough for mostly static pieces to camera (talking head videos). At the end of the video I get out of my chair and test it with a bit of movement. You decide if this is good enough for your needs. My findings are below.
You'll notice some pulsing as the contrast-detect autofocus hunts a little bit. It does lose focus a few times, and has a hard time acquiring focus when a subject enters and exits the frame.
Personally, If I needed to film videos like this, I would use manual focus. The autofocus isn’t reliable enough to tempt me.
*This video was shot on the nifty-fifty 50mm f1.8, which is an older and slower lens. Newer will likely render slightly better results.
Image Quality:
Resolution - 24MP Enough?
The original Sony a7 has a 24mp full-frame sensor.
I think there’s a reason the camera industry settled around 24 megapixels as a standard for so many years. It provides enough resolution for reasonable cropping, it represents a good file size balance (not too big, not too small), and its suitable for many genres of photography.
Whether 24mp will remain a standard is currently in question. Full-frame and APSC manufacturers have been pushing up the megapixel count in recent years, but I’m not certain the majority of consumers really want it. I prefer the 24mb files from my Sony a7 to the 40mb files from my X-H2. The “improved resolution” of the X-H2 isn’t noticeable enough to merit almost double the storage space, at least in my opinion.
In the words of the great Steve Huff, “I’m a 24mp guy!” It really is the sweet spot.
Full Resolution, Sony a7
Significant Crop, Sony a7
Ricoh GR III
Dynamic Range
As someone who loves micro four thirds cameras, one of the things I miss the most when using them is the dynamic range of a full-frame. Full-frame cameras have an undisputable edge in this department, and Sony’s specifically have always impressed me.
Highlight Recovery
+3 stops overexposed
Recovered in Adobe Lightroom
Shadow Recovery
-3 stops underexposed
Recovered in Adobe Lightroom
While there is noise in the shadows, the underexposed image retains more details in the extremes. As with most cameras, its better to underexpose than overexpose. Highlights are harder to recover than shadows. I’d much rather have a little noise in the shadows than a pure white blown out highlight section in my photo.
Keep in mind, these are test shots in high dynamic range situations. No adequate photographer should be missing exposure to the degree displayed in these images. The Sony a7 offers dynamic range competitive with modern cameras.
DXO Mark rates it at 14.2 stops. Although I’m not sure how much I trust their scores. They rate the Sony a7s at 13.2, but my tests (a7s review)suggest its a bit better.
High ISO Performance
Low light? No problem! Here are some test shots at elevated ISO values.
Below you’ll see a comparison of the same scene shot at ISO1600, 3200, 6400, and 12800. These images have been cropped by about 50% to make the noise pattern more visible.
ISO 1600
ISO 3200
ISO 6400
ISO 12800
Overall Thoughts on Image Quality
With 24mp of resolution, good dynamic range performance, and excellent lens options, I can recommend the Sony a7 for image quality.
I’ve used Sony’s newer cameras and sensors, and while they are marginally better, the differences are minor when it comes to quality and look of the final image.
Video Quality
I don’t use my Sony a7 much for video, but when I do, I always enjoyed 1080p 60fps files that come out of this camera. They’re sharp and have a pleasing look. I have a Fujifilm X-H2 that has way better video quality, but I’ve always found 1080p 8-bit video enough for my casual video clips.
4k isn’t available on the original Sony a7.
Without IBIS or a stabilized lens, you will need to stabilize your handheld footage in post.
I would encourage you to look at some of the sample videos above to determine whether the quality is good enough for you.
Shutter Sound - Louder Than You Expect
One of the main complaints about the original Sony a7 and the Sony a7r is the loud shutter. This reputation is absolutely deserved and it is something to consider. This is not a camera you can shoot stealthily. The shutter sound is the loudest I’ve heard on any mirrorless camera.
The shutter on the Sony a7 is loud but tolerable. The shutter on the Sony a7r is so ridiculously loud that I can’t recommend that camera to anyone! Seriously, its obnoxious!
Battery Life
The original a7 uses the NP-FW50 battery. These batteries provide average, but not excellent battery life. As a stills photographer, I have no complaints about battery life. I would much rather have a smaller battery that translates to a smaller camera than visa-versa.
For heavy video shooters, these batteries aren’t great. In my experience they provide between 45-60 minutes of record time.
I like to use these K&F Concept batteries that have a built in USB-C port for charging. They allow me to avoid carrying around a proprietary charger or a micro-USB cable (gross).
One Downside - EVF and Screen Brightness
After adjusting the LCD and EVF settings, pushing them to their max, I regret to inform you that the screen on the Sony a7 doesn’t get particularly bright. It washes out in bright sunlight to the degree that it’s borderline unusable.
The EVF is better, but still doesn’t get super bright. I often find myself squeezing my eye up to the eyecup to block out as much light as possible to have enough visibility to acquire critical focus when using manual focus lenses.
A Benefit - Sony’s E-mount
No other camera mount has as many lens options as the Sony E-mount. Sony has a done a great job releasing 1st party lenses, and companies like Sigma have rounded out the offerings with their exceptional glass. Budget manufacturers like TTArtisan release new lenses all the time, and ultra premium niche companies are more likely to release on E-mount than any other.
Another Benefit - Adaptable Lenses
Truth be told, I hardly ever shoot native E-mount lenses on my Sony a7. This camera has become my platform for adapting Leica M-mount lenses. Due to the dimensions of the mount, a huge variety of vintage and modern lenses can be adapted to E-mount. Adapters can be found on Amazon or eBay relatively cheaply. If you’re interested in a budget full frame for adapting manual focus lenses, the Sony a7 series is gold.
Conclusion and Recommendation
With the prices of camera gear on the rise, the Sony a7 is probably the best option to get into a full-frame system under $500. The Sony E-mount is excellent, and if you start with the Sony a7, you won’t have to sell all your lenses and start over like someone who bought an APS-C camera as a starter.
If you’re looking for a 3rd or 4th camera, the a7 is great for dedicated black & white shooting or as a camera for adapting manual focus lenses.
In my opinion, the biggest con of this camera is the loud shutter and the lack of mechanical shutter, but if the noise doesn’t bother you… go buy one quick before the prices go up.
As I said previously, I believe the Sony a7 is THE BEST value on the used market for those who want a full-frame mirrorless camera.
3 Alternatives to the Sony a7 (size-wise):
This is a list of Sony a7 alternatives for those who want a compact camera with a large sensor:
Sony a7s - If you can live with lower resolution, the Sony a7s has better low light performance, a quieter shutter, and better video specs.
Sony a7 ii - You can buy the second edition of the Sony a7 for around $500-550 dollars (used). If IBIS is important to you, this is the way to go.
Nikon Z6 - The price of the Nikon Z6 has steadily been going down. It will cost you a few hundred bucks more, and it is slightly larger, but it offers IBIS, and is also a great system for adapting lenses.
Additional Reading/Videos on the Sony a7:
The Olympus E-m1 mark ii Review in 2024 and 2025
Fujifilm X-H2 - Best Hybrid Camera? - Long Term Review in 2025
Review: Sony A7s (the original) - A Great Deal in 2024?
Olympus E-M10 Mark ii Review in 2024 - The Value King
Olympus Pen-F - One and Done Legend? - A Review in 2025
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