Sony A7C First Shots: Lab sample images from Sony’s new ultra-compact full-frame mirrorless camera

posted Monday, October 26, 2020 at 10:47 AM EDT

Click here to browse our Sony A7C Sample Images

Sony has, arguably, been the king when it comes to the modern "full-frame mirrorless" category, kick-starting this camera segment with their A7-series models dating all the way back to 2013. Since that time, most other manufacturers have jumped into the fight with full-frame mirrorless models of their own. Competition has grown fierce, with models running the gamut from versatile hybrid photo/video models, to those with high-res sensors and ultra-high-speed performance. Despite the size benefit to the mirrorless camera design, offering smaller and lighter cameras than traditional DSLRs, one of the toughest nuts to crack has been creating a camera with a large, full-frame sensor while still retaining the versatility of interchangeable lenses, yet all inside a highly-portable, lightweight package.

Sony seems to have solved this puzzle with the new Sony A7C camera, which essentially has a large 24MP full-frame sensor crammed into a camera body that's more or less the same size as their A6600 crop-sensor camera. With the A7C, you get full-frame image quality, ILC versatility and a camera body that's both lightweight and easy to carry around. In many ways, the new A7C is like an A7 III inside an A6600 shell. The A7C uses the same 24.2MP Exmor R backside-illuminated CMOS image sensor as is found in the Sony A7 III. Paired to the BIONZ X image processor, the A7C offers a full ISO range spanning ISO 50 up to ISO 204,800. Plus, the A7C uses a similar AF system with 693 phase-detect AF points and 425 contrast-detect points, plus the updated AF algorithms from the A7S III -- so you'll get features like Eye AF tracking. The A7C really is shaping up to be a great camera for travel and street photography, as well as just general photography purposes and video shooting (thanks to its flip-out screen).

We recently received an A7C review sample for some brief hands-on time, and we have -- as per usual -- sent it straight into our testing lab for First Shots treatment. Over on our Sony A7C Samples Page, you will find our classic First Shots image series with test images shots across the camera's full ISO range. There is an ISO series using both the A7C's default level of in-camera noise reduction processing and with NR processing disabled. Of course, there are also corresponding raw files available for download. To see how the A7C stacks up against the competition, or really any other camera we've tested, check out our Comparometer tool. And to get you started, see below for a couple of quick comparisons of the Sony A7C against a competing compact 24MP full-frame camera, the Nikon Z5.