Hands On With The Sony A7C Compact Full Frame Camera

After a whole lot of rumors and leaks, the new ultra-compact full-frame camera from Sony is finally here. The A7C borrows aspects from almost all of Sony’s existing lineup to create a new body that might appeal to a number of potential target audiences. Tony & Chelsea Northrup had a chance to play with the camera and get some early impressions.

The new body of the A7C is just a little larger than that of the A6600 APS-C camera but it includes the same FF sensor of the significantly larger A7 III and in many respects, you can think of it as a mini A7 III with some improvements (and a number of things that Sony decided to let go like the single memory card, lack of front dial and joystick etc.).

The A7C articulated monitor

The processor is the one that also comes in the A7R IV which is faster than the A7 III processor but not the new processor from the A7S III and hence the menus are still, sadly, the old Sony menus. On the bright side, Sony did include the fully articulated touch screen of the A7S III so vloggers can certainly enjoy that.

Chris and Jordan from DPR thoughts about the A7C

When it comes to video this camera is very similar to the A7 III in capabilities with a little better AF but the same 4K limitations (8 bit and 30p max frame rate).

The A7C top monitor

Here are some specs for the A7C:

Sensor: 24MP BSI CMOS full-frame sensor (same as the A7 III).
Processor: Bionz X (same as in the a7R IV).
Autofocus: Real-time tracking (including the human head, face, eye, and animal recognition including eye-tracking in video).
Video: Oversampled 4K video (from 6K) at up to 30p, 8-bit S-Log and HLG. No recording limit.
Continuous shooting: max 10 fps (115 RAW images buffer).
New shutter with up to 200K cycles (but only 1/4000 max speed).
LDC: 3″ Fully articulating 1.44M dot touchscreen (but with the same menu system as the A7 III with no touch)
Viewfinder: 921k dot left side EVF (0.59x magnification).
Memory: a single UHS II SD.
Mic and headphone jacks and USB-C (including USB-PD support).
Battery: Z-type battery, rated to 740 shots per charge (with the LCD or 680 with the EVF).
New body design with dust and moisture resistance and top silver-colored plate.
Weight: 509g (and just a little larger than the A6600).
Price: $1800 Vody only starting in October 2020 ($2100 with the Kit lens).

Gerald Undone on the A7C

Besides the camera body, Sony also announced a new compact kit lens called the FE 28-60mm f/4-f/5.6. This lens is super small and compact at 167g with 7 aperture blades, 0.3m min focus distance, and dust and moisture resistance. The lens will start selling with the A7C and only arrive at the market on its own in January 2021.

The A7C with FE 28-60mm f/4-f/5.6 lens

It is worth mentioning that Sony promised a full line of these smaller lenses so it will be interesting to see more of these very compact (and hopefully also affordable) lenses from Sony.

Finally, Sony unveiled a tiny flash called the HVL-F28RM – this is a rather unassuming flash with GN28 rating (at 50mm 100 ISO) with a wide and 24mm diffuser, high-speed sync, and modeling light. The flash sells for $250.

Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.