Upgrade Guide
Sony A7R II→Sony A5000
Is it worth upgrading? Spec analysis, key improvements, and our verdict.
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Situational
One clear hardware improvement over the A7R II. Worth it if that specific upgrade aligns with what you shoot.
What's new in the A5000
-
Battery life~420 shots (CIPA) vs ~290 shots (CIPA)
Unchanged or similar
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Resolution20MP (down from 42MP — optimised for low light)
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Weather sealingNot present in new body
Suitability by genre
Base scores — computed from verified specs for an enthusiast shooting photo and video. The Upgrade Checker adjusts them for your skill level.
| Genre | A7R II | A5000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | -2.8 | ||
| Street | +0.7 | ||
| Travel | +0.5 | ||
| Wedding & Events | -2.9 | ||
| Filmmaking | — | ||
| Documentary | -2.6 | ||
| Sports & Action | -2.7 | ||
| Landscape | -1.7 | ||
| Wildlife | -2.5 | ||
| Casual | +0.4 | ||
| Food | -1.2 | ||
| Macro | -1.1 | ||
| Architecture | -1.6 | ||
| Astrophotography | -1.2 |
Full spec comparison
| Spec | A7R II | A5000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £420 used | £78 used | |
| Released | 2015 | 2014 | ↓ |
| Sensor | 42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R | 20.1MP APS-C CMOS | |
| Resolution | 42MP | 20MP | ↓ |
| Video | 4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p | Full HD 1080 (60i / 25p AVCHD), 1440×1080/30p MP4 | |
| Autofocus | 399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection | 25-point contrast AF with face detection | |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS) | No IBIS (lens-based stabilisation only) | |
| Burst Rate | 5fps | 3.5fps | ↓ |
| Battery Life | ~290 shots (CIPA) | ~420 shots (CIPA) | ↑ |
| Weight | 625g (with battery and card) | 269g (with battery) | ↑ |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Not weather sealed | ↓ |
| Viewfinder | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification | None (rear screen only) | |
| Screen | 3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch) | 3.0" 180° flip-up LCD, 460k dots | |
| Mount | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) | Sony E-mount | |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Single SD slot |
Compare side-by-side
⚖️ Compare these cameras
See A7R II and A5000 next to each other with our interactive comparison tool.
Get a personalised upgrade score
Run the upgrade checker →
Tell us what you shoot and we'll score the A5000 against your specific genres — not just specs.
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