Sony a7C
Announced September 15, 2020
PixelMeter The PixelMeter is our 1–100 aggregate of reviewer scores from trusted publications and creators. Weighted by source tier — not a raw average, and not PetaPixel’s own review.
Reviewer Consensus
Strong
Sony a7C packs a full-frame sensor into a remarkably compact, travel-friendly body that excels in autofocus performance and battery longevity. That said, the pursuit of such a small form factor necessitates compromises in handling, including a subpar viewfinder, a limited control layout, and the omission of dual card slots.
Weighted from 46 reviewer scores
Pros
- Highly compact and lightweight form factor
- Reliable, fast, and accurate autofocus system
- Excellent battery life using the NP-FZ100
- Strong full-frame image quality and low-light performance
- Versatile fully articulating touchscreen
Cons
- Small, low-resolution electronic viewfinder
- Lacks physical controls like a joystick and front dial
- Single memory card slot
- Dated menu system and limited touch interface
- Restricted video specifications like 8-bit 4:2:0 internal recording
- Launch price $1,799 (USD)
- Sensor 24.2MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS
- Video 4K 30p
- Stabilization In-body IS, 5 stops (CIPA)
- Burst 10 fps electronic 10 fps mechanical
What the Reviewers Say
All 46 expert reviews, weighted into the PixelMeter score.
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- PetaPixel 8/10
In a lot of ways, the a7C is a great camera for the right demographic.
- DPReview 86/100
The Sony a7C is gives up very little in the way of features in order to achieve its small size.
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As I tested this camera more and more, I started to feel like it was a step back for photography, but a step forward for video compared to the a7 III.
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This camera has an extremely deep feature set and I can't cover everything this camera can do in a reasonably-concise review.
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In many ways the Sony a7C takes the a7III’s greatest performance strengths and mildly improves on them, and in so many ways it is a great camera for content creators of all kinds.
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Sony made the right camera for their lineup, at the time. As it approaches its 1-year birthday, the Sony A7C is still one of the best full-frame mirrorless cameras available.
- The Verge 8/10
The powerful autofocus and 10 frames per second burst mode makes the A7C fast. The big sensor and ability to shoot at high ISO makes it good in low light. But what makes this camera special is that experience in a smaller body.
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[T]he Sony Alpha A7C is a compact full-frame mirrorless camera, that is capable of producing great looking photos, and could be just what someone is looking for.
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The new Sony A7C combines the full-frame A7 III with the APS-C A6600 to create the world's smallest, lightest 35mm full-frame camera.
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Sony delivers the world’s most compact full-frame camera with interchangeable lenses, and does so without making significant concessions to performance or features.
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Its specifications are unambitious to say the least, particularly in terms of its video capabilities, but its practical performance, from its handy vari-angle screen to its excellent AF system, make it very effective at what it’s designed to do.
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The Sony a7C is a slimmed down, full-frame camera built for travel, but its small size limits its versatility, and some aspects feel a little dated.
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The Sony A7C is undoubtedly an able performer, and will produce photos and videos that the majority of users will be happy with, despite limited video specs.
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Most importantly, image quality and autofocus performance are both excellent — there's a lot to like here. It's not exactly cheap, but if you're looking for full-frame performance in a compact body, the A7C should be high up your wish list.
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I'll admit it, I never thought Sony would make a camera like the A7C, and I've followed its product strategy pretty closely.
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I actually think it's a great travel camera. If you're getting into photography and the 1800 dollar body doesn't scare you away, then yeah, you should grab it because it has kind of unlimited potential and a really proven platform.
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Image Engineering found that the Alpha 7C can resolve 109 percent of its sensor’s theoretical maximum when shooting video at low ISO.
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So in that aspect, I really love this camera a lot.
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The Sony A7C is unique in Sony’s lineup, bringing full-frame image quality into a truly compact and lightweight body. It’s an excellent choice if you’re a hybrid shooter wanting something that can shoot both stills and video, particularly if you prioritise portability.
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I really enjoyed using the A7C, and can see its appeal for photographers looking for a more compact full-frame camera to use with their existing E-Mount lenses, or those who’ve been waiting for the right camera to upgrade from APS-C.
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[W]e love what Sony has done with the A7C. It's a powerful camera that's also nimble. There's a lot of potential here and we can't wait to see if the company upgrades the form-factor with even higher-end feature details in the future.
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If you’re in the market for a very small full-frame interchangeable lens camera, then what Sony has managed to do in cramming full-frame tech into a (more-or-less) APS-C sized body is fairly impressive.
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The a7C stuffs a lot of imaging power into a package that’s small, lightweight and possesses plenty of battery life.
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The end result with the Sony a7c is exceptional video quality, although only in 8-bit, and great photo quality. And if that's all you're looking for with great autofocus, this is the camera to go for.
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This is like the perfect hybrid camera. I would love to bring this with me while I'm traveling so I could take photos and film in it as well.
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All right guys, so at the end of the day the Sony a7c like I said goes for about eighteen hundred dollars and for that amount of money you are getting a fantastic product in my opinion.
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It’s not as fast due to a lack of dials so if you need to be quick that’s something to consider but if you have time between compositions you can still get where you need to go.
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[I]t is a very capable and very portable hybrid camera suitable for intended purposes which means that I can highly recommend it.
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Here's what I think: the Sony a7c is a really good backup camera, it's a really good b cam, and really good for studio work.
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The Sony a7c is a really great camera, great image for a good price in a small body, and yeah, it's clearly meant for the YouTubers, the vloggers, the people that want to travel and make some videos.
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Stick to Sony G and GM lenses on the A7C and you won't go wrong.
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So I really don't see a downside to the Sony a7c outside of its EVF and the lack of active steady shot.
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The a7C is the best full frame camera for YouTube.
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In the end, Sony a7c is a small, light and affordable full-frame camera that has big tricks in its small body. It is extremely convenient to have such practical camera in hand that captures such great footage.
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What's more important is having a camera that you find fun and enjoyable to use because that's what actually makes you want to go out and take better photos, not having the best camera with the highest resolution.
- Root-Nation.com 9.8/10
Air Force Breakthrough: F-22 Pilot Controls an Autonomous Drone From the Fighter’s Cockpit for the First Time.
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It is an awesome camera, a great compact full frame with IBIS and fully articulating screen.
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The Sony a7c is not only the smallest full-frame system camera, it also has some of the most useful all-round features.
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Thanks to its compact form factor, Sony a7C is ideal for anyone who wants a compact stealthy camera for vlogging, travel and street photography.
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So if you want to have that compact experience but retain the full frame quality, it's a no-brainer. This is great, this is a great camera, and there are some trade-offs to have that, but that's because I guess you can't you there's just you can't have everything.
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These are great times when we can have a camera that delivers so much of the bigger camera experience in a small, lean, elegant package.
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Before investing in a travel camera, you should first look around for lenses to pair with the camera. Lenses are brand and format-specific, so when you are buying a Sony camera, you are, in fact, investing in its system as well.
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If you're a creator online like me and you're getting in and only shoot video, that's really the only thing that you're going to do, you're not worried about photography or the convenience or the ergonomics of of a nice photography camera, well then I might suggest this to you.
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The Sony a7C is a strong release. Blending some of the best features of Sony’s other cameras into a more compact body has resulted in a camera that is as portable as it is powerful.
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The Sony a7c is the best all-round performing camera for videographers and photographers on the market.
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[...] I think the A7C will mostly appeal to hobbyists and prosumer video shooters who want the best image quality in a compact body, but don’t necessarily want to pay $3500 for an A7S III.
