The second major enhancement is in ISO. Personally, I’m someone who isn’t afraid to push it to 25,000 if it means keeping my shutter speed and aperture where I want them. Maybe it’s a trait from my days shooting film, but the ability to change ISO still feels like a miracle to me—it’s my favorite aspect of digital photography when it works. With the A7V, I felt comfortable pushing ISO as high as 32,000. Thanks to advanced noise-reduction algorithms in post-production software, images still look great even at these extreme settings. I prefer to keep the ISO lower when possible, but knowing I can crank it up if needed is reassuring.
The third upgrade isn’t necessarily an upgrade but a positive change. Sony has made significant strides in color science, particularly with skin tones, which now look much more accurate across the spectrum of different complexions. Auto white balance has also seen noticeable improvements, although I still lean toward the classic sunlight white balance 95% of the time.
As a bonus, I’ve always wanted to improve my bird photography skills, which typically requires pricey lenses and lots of field time. While those factors still hold true, the A7V makes it easier. With its 33 MP for cropping, pre-burst capture, and 33 RAW images per second, even someone like me—who has minimal experience with wildlife photography and only a 200mm lens—can capture some decent shots, making it a fun area to explore.
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
However, there’s one major downside that persists with the A7V, just like with every Sony camera I’ve used: the menu system. It remains disorganized, confusing, and hard to navigate. The only saving grace is the number of programmable hardware buttons, which lets you control settings without diving into the menus. Sony, please consider hiring a UX designer to address this—or better yet, borrow some ideas from Leica.
So, is the A7V worth upgrading to? Absolutely, if you’re coming from a camera that’s lower than the A7IV. If you already own the A7IV, though, the appeal is less pronounced. The new features are impressive on paper, but whether you’ll actually need them depends on your shooting style.
For wildlife or sports photographers, the enhanced pre-capture and higher burst rates make it a worthwhile upgrade. However, if your focus is more on travel, landscape, or street photography, the A7V might not be as compelling. It excels in all those scenarios, but if you’ve already got the A7IV, it may not be worth the investment for features you won’t fully utilize.
