Upgrade Guide

Sony A7R II→Sony A1

Is it worth upgrading? Spec analysis, key improvements, and our verdict.

You own

Sony

A7R II

£799

2015

→

Upgrade to

Sony

£5999 (+£5,200)

2021

✅

Worthwhile

Clear improvements over the A7R II. Whether it justifies the cost depends on which upgrades matter most to your shooting.

What's new in the A1

Suitability by genre

Full spec comparison

Spec	A7R II	A1
Price	£799	£5,999
Released	2015	2021	↑
Sensor	42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R	50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS
Resolution	42MP	50MP	↑
Video	4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p	8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p
Autofocus	399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection	Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points
Stabilisation	IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS)	IBIS — up to 5.5 stops
Burst Rate	5fps	30fps electronic with full AF/AE	↑
Battery Life	~290 shots (CIPA)	~430 shots (CIPA)	↑
Weight	625g (with battery and card)	737g (with battery)	↓
Weather Sealed	Yes	Yes
Viewfinder	EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification	EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps
Screen	3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch)	3.0" fully tilting touchscreen
Mount	Sony FE (full-frame E-mount)	Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount)
Memory Cards	Single SD UHS-I slot	Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II

Compare side-by-side

See A7R II and A1 next to each other with our interactive comparison tool.

Get a personalised upgrade score

Tell us what you shoot and we'll score the A1 against your specific genres — not just specs.

Other upgrades from the A7R II

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Camera family history