Sony a7CR vs Sony a7R V: What Should You Get?

If your photography demands high resolution and impeccable image quality, two of Sony’s cameras that you may be considering are the a7CR and the a7R V. Both cameras share a 61-megapixel sensor and can even shoot 240 megapixel images with their high-resolution sensor shift modes. Considering that you’ll get the same image quality from both, why is the a7R V more expensive? It has to do with some of the camera’s other features, as detailed below.

Sony a7CR vs Sony a7R V Specifications Comparison

You can see from this comparison that there are plenty of differences between the a7CR and the a7R V despite using the same camera sensor – and aside from size, weight, and price, those differences definitely favor the Sony a7R V.

Starting with the biggest differences, the a7R V has a more pro-oriented design, with dual memory card slots, a larger rear LCD, and a much larger electronic viewfinder. All of these are welcome improvements, especially the dual memory cards, since it allows you to keep two copies of every photo that you take – critical for a temporary backup in the field.

The video features of the Sony a7R V are also more advanced and pro-oriented. It’s not that the a7CR is a slouch for videography, but if you need high-octane features like 8K 16-bit RAW video, the a7R V can get it done (at least, when paired with an external HDMI recorder).

Finally, the Sony a7R V makes for a better sports and wildlife photography camera thanks to its larger buffer. The limited 44-shot buffer of the a7CR is one of my two major complaints with that camera, alongside the single memory card slot. If you expect to be do intensive wildlife photography with frequent high-FPS bursts, the a7R V’s larger buffer will be very welcome. It also shoots at a higher rate of 10 FPS rather than 8 FPS in the first place.

To sum everything up, the Sony a7R V is definitely the more advanced camera – as you would expect from the higher price. Basically, the question is whether you’re willing to spend the extra money to get dual card slots, a bigger buffer, a larger viewfinder, and niche top-quality video features.

At the end of the day, for still photography, the two cameras will give you the same image quality. The a7CR will also do it in a smaller, lighter package, which is ideal for something like hiking long distances for landscape photography. I can’t make a direct recommendation because it depends on your situation, but at least now you know the tradeoffs between the two!

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