I finally made the leap from the a6000 to the a7CR. I still have / love the a6000, but upgraded to the a7CR, primarily because none of the successive APSC offerings "upgrades" were all that compelling to me. The leap from APSC to FF is compelling and  I can still use my APSC lenses in if needed and still have plenty of resolution.  Physically the difference in size and weight is much more than I expected.  With a few shots, I like the results I see. I need to get more familiar handling the camera, especially with some of those "upgrades" that I didn't think were compelling actually are, like going from roll up windows to electric windows in your car - never knew I liked it till I had it. Thank you for your update.

Be sure to keep your Bluetooth off to avoid battery drain. Looking forward to the next a7CRII with improved finder resolution, better screen with 4-way tilt and CFexpress Card for faster shooting and larger buffer. That would be perfect 👌🏼

APSC crop mode on a7cr is 26mp, same AF as a6700. Also, you dojt have to use all 61MP if you need smaller files. Easiest purchase ever

IMO the biggest drawbacks are the 1/4000 shutter speed and EFCS, I'm surprised you didn't mention this at all. I don't mind the lack of joystick because I usually focus and recompose in continuous mode with the small center focus point.

Thank you for this updated review on how you've enjoyed shooting with the A7CR. I was wondering, have you ever thought about doing a video on the camera and the settings you use or recommend using? I'm still trying to get comfortable shooting with this camera but I often find myself struggling in accessing so many of the settings. Also, I love seeing how photographers I look up to shoot with the same gear. Cheers and greetings from Vancouver, Canada!

After nearly 24 months with my a7CR the only drawback vs. my a7Rv, in my use, has been less robust weather sealing.  

I was out in a light intermittent drizzle, removing the camera from my weather resistant sling bag only when in used for quick handheld shots.  I assign ISO to the programmable top wheel.  Suddenly the wheel would only access ISOs of 80 and 100.  Gradually over about 10 minutes, one by one the the other ISO values returned.  Presumably moisture penetrated along the shaft of the top wheel.

Researching camera weather sealing I learned that the larger Sony bodies, such as the a7Rv, have more seals vs. the compact series.   The a7CR and it's sib, the a7Cii, lack a seal on the battery door.  Inspection confirmed this.  Though diagrams show both cameras have seals on the shaft of their top wheels, this I cannot confirm.  And seals are not perfect.

Penetrating moisture can lead to delayed circuit board corrosion.  I've had this on unsealed cameras, a Sony Nex-7 and a Canon PowerShot G-12.  My a7CR survived.  I dried it over a hot air floor vent as soon as home.

Great overview, thanks!  I'm on the A7RV and love it.  Jumping into Crop Mode with 26mp at getting ~600mm out of my 50-400 is just amazing.  What I wasn't expecting is how improved the IBIS was.  Lived in Montana for many years (Great Falls)... miss it!

I have had the same experience shooting Sony in regard to what you mentioned about the SD card. I have had my A7iii 4 years now my SD card hasn't failed on me (I only have the one card)... the same SD card was used in my old Canon before moving to Sony but it's important to have a backup process in place can't rely on the tech even with a good experience of zero failures.

To me. the biggest pet peeve is the subpar EVF and the image on the screen. They both do not even come close to showing how the real image looks like. Admittedly the pictures will show a very pleasant dynamic range, but not via the EVF or the built-in screen. The truth is I almost puked while viewing any image via the EVF. The color tone for such a high-def camera is way off and the on screen image is no better. A photography's view to any image is visionary and the EVF is NOT what you see is what you get on this Sony camera.

I think any camera with 35/1.4 GM will show best results ever as that one is a GOAT

Sony is great at compacting, will they make a medium format?

I actually just sold my a7cii.. Doesn't inspire me like my old Leica q1 is, and I feel that while the compact size is nice, the grip is a bit uncomfortable for me. Handled the a7iv, a7rv body last month and surprisingly loving the grip and the feel much better. So while I like the cropping ability of the sensor, I doubt I'll be getting a7cr after my experience with a7cii.

So now I'm in a crossroad, wanting to switch to a7rv or a1, all second hand. Price is a bit higher on the a1 by $200. I feel that the a1, while lacking an Ai chip, is a better bargain technology wise. While A7rv is using the same sensor as a7rIV. A1 is stacked sensor with a long life in its body because I can shoot forever in ES with no downside, and a much faster in operation. As well as a top notch video camera too.

I'm leaning toward buying a used A1 now, but only the new flexi screen, and Ai chip is what still bothers me compared to the a7rv. Also, not sure if it's true or not, A1 body some said that it feel much better and using better materials.

Anyway, anyone used or owning both can comment maybe and help? Thank you in advance

Extremely interesting, clear and useful. One key question: given your focus on high res and cropping, have you considered the Hasselblad X2D II? It has way more pixels and a much larger sensor, which makes getting several totally different images from one shot a unique and extraordinary experience

That higher Megapixel vs low Megapixel low light performance is rubbish talk. DP review and others have proved that the higher Megapixel sensor does out perform the lower Megapixel sensor performance at night guaranteed.

Are you able to replace the EVF?

Hi jerad

I am ben from notjustagency, we talked about a collaboration on a video about a tozo camera. now i saw the package has been received. when will I expect the first video draft？

You need a decent not-light lens to make use of the full frame. So, with this compact camera, you end up with a normal full frame camera system but with useful things removed (second card slot, decent screen/VF, good grip, acceptable rolling shutter etc) stripped away just to make the body part of it a bit lighter. It feels a bit like a false economy. Amazing autofocusing etc though, from what I've seen.

Loving mine. Battery life unfortunately is kind of meh compared to my other Sony cameras .

Good review. What would you recommend for a "walking around" lens? In other words, the primary lens you would use with this camera.

After using the A7CR for a year now there are 2 areas I found to the limiting factors on this camera. Firstly is the lame EVF and the LED screen. The fact that there is no OVF a user would have to solely rely on either the EVF or LED screen to visualize the image. While the final result of the image is quite accurate while viewing in post processing via some software, but the actual presentation of the image thru either the EVF or LED screen is way off. Definitely What You See Is Not What You Get. Another area is the lack of "auto HDR" setting. The other Alpha series has this enabled, but not the A7CR. You have to process your digital file with multiple images in post processing to get the high HDR. Seems to me Sony made the extra effort NOT to include auto HDR in the A7CR.