A1vs A7R II
Sony
A1 (2021)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
View A1
Sony
A7R II (2015)
Starting from £799 new
Best for Portrait, landscape & studio photography
View A7R II
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
Portrait, Landscape & Studio Photography — A7R II (2015): The A7R II transformed the A7R series — adding IBIS, 4K video, BSI sensor tech, and phase-detect AF in one generation. A landmark Sony camera.
Who should buy what
A1 (2021)
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
A7R II (2015)
- Landscape and architecture photographers who want 42MP with IBIS for handheld shooting
- Portrait and studio photographers who need high resolution with improved AF reliability
- Sony FE system users who want a capable high-resolution body at a used price
- A7R I owners who need the stabilisation, 4K, and improved AF the original lacked
Quick take: The a1 has the highest resolution at 50mp; the a7r ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | A1 (2021) | A7R II (2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,999 | £799 |
| Sensor | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS | 42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R |
| Resolution | 50.1MP | 42.4MP |
| Video | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points | 399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE | 5fps |
| Battery Life | ~430 shots (CIPA) | ~290 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 737g (with battery) | 625g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm | 126.9 × 95.7 × 60.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen | 3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch) |
| Mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | USB, Wi-Fi, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | A1 | A7R II |
|---|---|---|
| Sports | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Wedding | — | |
| Architecture | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with A1
Camera family history