Sony
A1 2021
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
£4199
new today at Wex Photo Video
Decision tools · Compare
A1 vs A7R
Quick take: The A1 has the highest resolution at 50MP; the A7R is the most affordable.
16 specs side by side·14 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 — Studio, Tripod Landscape & Camera History: The world's first 36MP full-frame mirrorless — a landmark camera that launched the A7R series, despite contrast-detect AF and significant shutter shock limitations.
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 (2013)
is the right camera for you if…
- Collectors and photographers interested in the camera that started the A7R lineage
- Studio photographers who work on a tripod and can manage contrast-detect AF
- Landscape photographers who prioritise resolution over autofocus performance
- Sony FE system users who want a historical body at a very low used price
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | A1Sony · 2021 | A7RSony · 2013 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,199 | £1,999Best |
| Sensor | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS | 36.4MP Full-Frame CMOS (no OLPF) |
| Resolution | 50.1MPBest | 36.4MP |
| Video | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points | Contrast-detect AF only (no phase-detect on sensor) |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops | No stabilisation |
| Burst Rate | 30fps electronic with full AF/AEBest | 4fps |
| Battery Life | ~430 shots (CIPA)Best | ~340 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 737g (with battery and card) | 465g (with battery and card)Best |
| Dimensions | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm | 126.9 × 94.4 × 48.2mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.71× 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 |
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
Portrait
8.2/10
5.8/10
Street
6.1/10
5.7/10
Travel
5.9/10
5.7/10
Wedding & Events
7.9/10
4.4/10
Filmmaking
7.8/10
—
Documentary
7.6/10
4.9/10
Sports & Action
8.8/10
4.5/10
Landscape
7.6/10
6.3/10
Wildlife
8.7/10
5.4/10
Casual
4.8/10
3.7/10
Food
7.4/10
5.6/10
Macro
7.3/10
5.0/10
Architecture
7.9/10
6.1/10
Astrophotography
6.8/10
5.4/10
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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