Sony a7C initial review: Compact size, big sensor image quality
The Sony a7C is the company’s latest and smallest full-frame interchangeable lens camera. It fits a 24MP full-frame sensor and image stabilization into a body more closely resembling the APS-C sensor a6600.
A lot of work has clearly gone into making this one of the smallest full frame cameras available, whereas a lot of the features and capabilities are familiar. A new retractable kit zoom is being launched along with the a7C to help maintain those size savings.
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| Out of camera JPEG. ISO 500 | 1/40 sec | F9 | Sony FE 35mm F1.8 Photo by Carey Rose |
Key specifications
- 24MP BSI CMOS full-frame sensor
- Bionz X processor (same as in the a7 III)
- ‘Real-time tracking’ AF system with human head, face, eye, and animal recognition
- Oversampled 4K video at up to 30p, including 8-bit S-Log and HLG
- Continuous bursts at up to 10 fps
- Fully articulating 921K dot touchscreen
- 2.36M dot EVF with 0.59x mag.
- Mic and headphone sockets
- Large ‘Z-type’ battery, rated to 740 shots per charge
The Sony a7C will be available from October 2020 at a price of around $1799 USD ($2399 CAD) or with the new collapsible 28-60mm F4-5.6 kit zoom for around $2099 USD ($2699 CAD).
Review contents
From the camera’s controls to the image and video quality it’s capable of, find out what exactly what you want to know about the a7C right here.
What’s new and how it compares
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The a7C fits almost all the capabilities of the a7 III into a body that has more in common with the a6000 series. This means a smaller viewfinder but few other compromises. |
Body and handling
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The a7C has three dials, all controlled using your thumb. It still handles pretty well, though, with a solid body and a small but pretty comfortable grip. |
Initial impressions
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The a7C’s main strengths are its size and convenience. This could make it a powerful travel or family camera. But there’s a price to be paid, and this isn’t necessarily a budget option. |
Sample gallery
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We’ve been shooting the a7C with both its kit zoom and the sensibly compact FE 35mm F1.8, to see what the camera offers. |
Started out doing photography at the age of 6 using an uncle's old 1940 kodak brownie box camera. At 15 years of age, I decided to buy my very own 1975 Praktica SLR camera. I now shoot with a Nikon D850. I do unpaid TFP and commercial paid work.