Sony
A1 2021
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
£4199
new today at Wex Photo Video
Decision tools · Compare
A1 vs A7R V
Quick take: The A7R V has the highest resolution at 61MP; the A7R V is the most affordable.
16 specs side by side·15 genres scored·UK prices from Wex Photo Video and Clifton Cameras
How to read this page. Highlighted cells win that row on the spec alone. Genre scores are the engine's base scores (enthusiast, photo and video); Camera Match re-weights them for your level and priorities. Price buttons are affiliate links; the price you pay is the same.
Price buttons are affiliate links — GearFrame may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects a score. Learn more
Verdictwhich should you buy?
A1 — Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting: 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
A7R V — Landscape, Studio & Commercial: 61 megapixels and 8-stop IBIS in a weather-sealed body — the reference resolution camera for commercial and landscape professionals.
Who should buy what
A1 (2021)
is the right camera for you if…
- 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 V (2022)
is the right camera for you if…
- Commercial and advertising photographers who need 61MP files
- Landscape photographers who want extraordinary detail in large prints
- A7R IV owners upgrading to AI-based autofocus and a better EVF
- Studio photographers who want the highest resolution Sony offers
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | A1Sony · 2021 | A7R VSony · 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,199 | £2,999Best |
| Sensor | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS | 61MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 50.1MP | 61.0MPBest |
| Video | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 8K/25p, 4K/60p |
| Autofocus | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points | AI subject recognition AF, 693-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops | 8-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 30fps electronic with full AF/AEBest | 10fps mechanical / 7fps electronic |
| Battery Life | ~430 shots (CIPA) | 530 shots (CIPA)Best |
| Weight | 737g (with battery and card) | 723g (body only)Best |
| Dimensions | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm | 131.3 × 96.4 × 82.4mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps | 0.64" Quad-XGA OLED EVF, 9.44M dots |
| Screen | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen | 3.2" multi-angle touchscreen |
| Mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) | Sony FE (E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | USB-C 3.2, HDMI A, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Wins the row — price, resolution, burst, battery, weight and sealing are compared; text specs aren't ranked.
How they score by genreengine base scores out of 10
Genre
A1
A7R V
Portrait
8.2/10
8.9/10
Street
6.1/10
6.5/10
Travel
5.9/10
6.4/10
Wedding & Events
7.9/10
8.3/10
Filmmaking
7.8/10
7.7/10
Documentary
7.6/10
7.9/10
Sports & Action
8.8/10
7.7/10
Landscape
7.6/10
8.1/10
Wildlife
8.7/10
8.2/10
Casual
4.8/10
5.3/10
Food
7.4/10
8.4/10
Macro
7.3/10
8.1/10
Architecture
7.9/10
8.6/10
Astrophotography
6.8/10
7.0/10
Vlogging & Video
—
6.2/10
Scores come from the same engine as Camera Match: verified specifications weighted by what each genre needs, with documented adjustments. The product page and this table show the enthusiast base score. See how scores are calculated →
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