If you’ve been waiting for the right time to buy your dream camera, Black Friday is the ideal time. The Sony A7R V — our optics writer’s favourite camera — is $913 cheaper at Walmart than on Amazon, and at any other retailer we’ve found it.
Do yourself a favor and buy the Sony A7R V from Walmart before Black Friday is over.
With over six years of photography experience, Kimberley is our resident optics writer for all things camera-related. She’s reviewed dozens of cameras, lenses and photography equipment, and she loved the Sony A7R V so much when she reviewed it that she went out and bought one for herself.
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You’d think that 61MP would produce too much noise for astrophotography, but we found the Sony A7R V handled noise surprisingly well. And although the burst rate isn’t as fast as some other models, we think 10 FPS isn’t bad at all, considering the images are a whopping 61MP. As long as you aren’t photographing super fast-action animals or sports, the image quality will absolutely be worth the slower burst rate. In fact, we still think it’s one of the best cameras for wildlife photography thanks to its outstanding autofocus.
The big and bright 9.44 million dot EVF is clear as day with no rolling shutter, and the LCD screen can orient to quite literally any position and angle you can imagine. Due to its overall power and the size of the files, we’d recommend investing in some fast cards that will be able to keep up during a shoot.
Key features: 61MP full frame mirrorless camera, ISO 100 – 32,000 (expanded 50 – 102,400), 10FPS burst rate, 693 phase-detect autofocus points and AI-powered AF, 8K/25p video recording, Dual UHS-II SD/CFexpress Type A slots, 1.59 lbs / 723g including battery, fully weather sealed and 8 stops image stabilization.
Product launched: December 2022.
Price history: This is one of, if not the lowest price we’ve ever seen.
Price comparison: Amazon: $3,298 | BHPhoto: $3,298 | Best Buy: $3,299.99
Reviews consensus: Our review concluded: “Outstanding autofocus, beautifully detailed 61MP resolution and out-of-this-world images for professionals who want the best. One of the best cameras we’ve ever used, but its Achilles heel limits it for wildlife photography.”
TechRadar: ★★★★½ | Space: ★★★★½ | Digital Camera World: ★★★★½
Featured in guides: Best cameras, Best cameras for wildlife photography
✅ Buy it if: You’re ready to upgrade from your intermediate camera and want to take your photography more seriously.
❌ Don’t buy it if: You’re a beginner, or on a budget. If you mostly shoot astro, we think the Sony A7 IV is a better fit.
Check out our other guides to the best telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors and much more.
