Review: Sony A7s (the original) - A Great Deal in 2024?

Introduction:

My main camera is a Ricoh GR III, but I’ve always loved Sony’s older cameras, including the rx100 line and the a7 series. I used to own the a7 and the a7r, but I sold them because of their notoriously loud shutters. The shutter on the a7r is genuinely terrible. I like the idea of having 36mp, but when the shutter shakes the camera so badly that you never get 36 effective megapixels of resolution, there is no point. I became interested in the a7s when I learned it had a dampened shutter AND a silent electronic shutter. I just recently pulled the trigger and bought one on Facebook Marketplace. This is my review of Sony’s first a7s and how it holds up in 2024.

Just so you know, I’m primarily a stills shooter (maybe 20% video), so the review leans towards a photography focus more than videography.

Key Specs:

12 MP Full Frame sensor
Body made from magnesium alloy
490g (camera + battery)
3 inch tilting LCD screen at 921,000 dots
EVF, 2.4 million dots
Burst up to 5 fps
Contrast detect auto-focus
1080p at 60 fps video (50 mbps)
No in body stabilization system

Build Quality:

The a7s was a premium camera when it was launched ($2,500) and it is still a premium feeling camera today. I regularly see many “mint” and “near mint” used copies online, so getting your hands on a good one shouldn’t be a problem.

All the dials feel good, and after 10 years, the tilt-screen still has tight tolerances.

Size:

The size of this camera is a real draw for me. It is by far the smallest of the Sony a7 lineup. The mark ii versions of the a7,a7r, and a7s added significant girth to the camera body (probably to house the IBIS system). I like to adapt Leica M-mount lenses to these older bodies to keep the overall package very compact. The a7s is still one of the smallest full frame cameras you can buy, especially with an EVF and a tilting screen.

The a7s and its battery weigh only 490 grams.

Price and Value for Money in 2024:

I regularly see these cameras selling on eBay for around $450 in very good condition. This is still one of the cheapest ways to get into a full frame camera body.

If you’re just starting out in photography, and you want a camera with a lens mount you can grow with, definitely consider the original a7 or a7s. As you’ll see in this review, these cameras are still very capable, and when its time to upgrade, you’ll be able to buy a new Sony body and keep all your lenses.

In 2024, I consider these cameras great value for money.

If you don’t want the hassle of buying on eBay or Facebook Marketplace, you can buy the a7s used on Amazon.

Auto Focus:

This camera came out before Sony built their reputation for having the best autofocus in the world. The original a7s has a contrast detect autofocusing system.

Personally, I don’t have a great deal of experience using autofocus with this camera, as I shoot manual focus almost exclusively, but I can advise you based on my experience with the a7, and a7r.

Single Point Autofocus

Single point autofocus is fast and snappy. It will hunt occasionally in really low light, but otherwise its very capable and reliable. I’ve used other Sony cameras from this era, such as the rx100 (review here) and they share similarly reliable single point auto focusing systems.

As someone who owns many newer, faster, and more modern cameras, I haven’t found the 10 year old auto focusing system limiting or prohibitive to my type of photography. If you’re someone who photographs wildlife or actions sports, your results may vary.

Video Autofocus

I generally manual focus for video, but on the occasion I use autofocus, I’ve been very pleased with the Sony a7 series. Its contrast detect system locks on confidently and doesn’t have any annoying hunting or wobbling. Don’t believe the camera marketers who want to convince you contrast detect autofocus is rubbish. It is very usable for slow moving subjects and static scenes. Again, I can’t speak to tracking birds in flight or motorsports, but I wouldn’t count the a7s out.

I have one sample video that I shot entirely with autofocus that I will share below. All the videos were taken with the 28-70 kit lens. Its not the greatest autofocus test in the world, but it is a real world scenario where the camera performed well.

Image Quality:

Resolution - Is 12 MP Enough?

Resolution isn’t everything, but 12 megapixels is definitely on the low end for modern cameras. I regularly shoot with my Olympus e-m10 mark ii (review) with 16mp and I’ve been very happy with the results. I find it has plenty of resolution for reasonable cropping. I figured the 4 megapixel difference between the Olympus and the a7s would be hardly noticeable, especially considering the larger sensor, but my experience tells a different story.

For me and my tastes, it seems my resolution tolerance reaches a breaking point somewhere between 16mp and 12mp. I’ve found myself consistently unhappy with the inability to crop images taken with the a7s. My need to crop is largely due to the lenses I use. I adapt Leica m-mount glass to the Sony a7s. These are prime lenses without the ability to zoom. With higher resolution cameras, I do my zooming through cropping in post production, but the 12mp a7s limits my ability to do that.

But let me be clear, this is not a problem everyone will encounter. If you aren’t a heavy cropper or if you use zoom lenses, the 12mp is more than sufficient for a lot of photography.

12mp isn’t enough for me, but it may be enough for you.

I’ve included some cropped images for your reference so you can make an informed decision. The images are full resolution, 100 % crop, and 200% crop. I used my Voigtlander 35mm f1.2 (affiliate link), which is a very sharp lens.

Dynamic Range

I took the camera to the shoreline to perform a few dynamic range torture tests. As with all Sony a7 cameras, the dynamic range is very good. Shadow and highlights are readily recoverable in all but the most extreme situations.

The first photo was taken 3 stops overexposed, while the second was 3 stops underexposed, each at 100 ISO.

These practical tests prove that, unless a baboon is operating the camera, any half-capable photographer will have more than enough usable dynamic range to fix blown highlights or crushed shadows.

High ISO Performance

The Sony a7s series built its reputation off of its low-light capabilities. Its low-light photography and videography were a step above anything on the market at the time. The camera still performs well at high ISO values.

Below is a comparison of the same scene shot at ISO 3200, 6400, and 12800.

*Keep in mind, these crops are taken from a 12mp sensor. Don’t confuse lower resolution for poor noise performance.

After viewing these sample images, I won’t hesitate to bump my ISO up to 12800 if the situation calls for it. There is definitely some noise visible on the crops, but overall performance is very good.

I’ve included some additional ISO 6400 and ISO 12800 photographs below.

A big thumbs up to the Sony a7s on low-light performance.

I didn’t think it would be necessary to push the ISO higher, but now that I see the sample photos, I’ll probably take the camera out again and try out ISO 25600. I would also like to take some comparison shots between the a7s and my much newer Sigma FP.

Overall Thoughts on Image Quality

The image quality from this 10 year old Sony a7s is still exceptional. Sensor technology hasn’t changed as much as the camera marketing departments want you to believe, and you can still get impressive results from older (and cheaper) cameras.

If you don’t heavily crop images, the lower resolution may not be a problem for you. Dynamic range is competitive even in 2024, and the high ISO performance is better than many modern cameras.

If you can tolerate the sound of the loud shutter and slightly worse low-light performance, the original Sony a7 produces similar images and solves the resolution problem with its 24mp sensor.

Video Quality

As a photographer, I haven’t used the video on the a7s extensively or pushed it to its limits, but I can give you my layman’s opinion. The camera can shoot 1080p video internally at up to 60 fps. The data rate goes up to 50 megabytes per second. The video is good quality and sharp. I believe 4k is offered through an external recorder, but I have no personal experience working with that setup.

Lowlight video was one of the selling points of this camera when it was launch. Its low light ability is still excellent, although many modern cameras have matched its once unrivaled performance.

There is no IBIS in this camera, so you may want to consider using stabilized lenses if you want to avoid digitally stabilizing every clip in post.

Battery Life

The original a7s 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 cameras than visa-versa.

For heavy video shooters, these batteries aren’t great. In my experience they provide between 45-60 minutes of record time.

An Overlooked Benefit - File Size

One less commonly discussed benefit of the a7s, especially for photographers, is the file sizes. A 12mp photo is only about 12 megabytes in size. After shooting with my a7r ii and having to offload 45mb pictures, it’s refreshing to shoot with the a7s (and my hard drive appreciates it too).

Another Benefit - Cheap Accessories

One of my favorite things about buying old cameras is that you can often find premium accessories for super low prices. I was able to find a nice Gariz leather half-case and a Tilta cage for very little money.

Black & White Picture Profile:

One of my favorite features on the Sony rx100 was the black and white JPEG profile, so I decided to give it a test on the Sony a7s.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Would I recommend the original Sony A7s in 2024? Yes, so long as you don’t need to crop heavily. The 12mp resolution is a limiting factor. Otherwise, it is still a fantastic camera. Image quality is excellent, the size is perfect, and the Sony e-mount offers lens options to fit everyone’s needs.

I would love to see some manufacturers create a body similar to the original Sony a7 but with modern technology. There is definitely still demand in the market for a genuinely small full frame camera body.

Alternatives to the Sony a7s:

A ton of potential alternatives could be listed, but I’m going to stick to full frame alternatives:

Canon RP - Canon’s first full frame mirrorless. It has 24mp sensor and overall newer technology. It was released in 2019. You can find good used copies on eBay for around $600.
Sony a7 ii - For around $500 on the used market, you can buy Sony’s next generation camera. The a7 mark ii is slightly larger than the original a7s, but it comes with the significant benefit of IBIS (in body image stabilization). The Sony a7 ii has a 24mp full frame sensor.
Canon 5d mark iii - This DSLR was top of the line when it was released in 2012. It provides 22.3 megapixels on a full from sensor. One of the benefits of buying a DSLR is that the lenses are often cheaper.

Additional Reading/Videos on the Sony A7s:

Philip Bloom… here

Steve Huff… here

If you are interested in buying a Sony a7s of any generation please consider buying through my affiliate link on Amazon: here

The affiliate link cost you nothing extra and I get a little commission to help keep this site going… Thanks!