tldr; Original low-light king that revolutionized video. 12MP sensor prioritizes ISO performance over resolution. Legendary for doc work and events in available light.
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Best praise vs top criticism for Sony Alpha a7S
“VERY weird choice with the a7s. The a7r is ancient and is not a good camera. The a7riii will give you better AF, better battery life, better ergo, better controlls etc.”
“The A7R II and A7SII have a dual conversion gain (DCG) sensor. This is more modern than the A7II and will perform noticably better in low light conditions. The A7S also has a DCG. The original R does not. The A7R II switches to high conversion gain mode at a lower ISO than the A7S II. This can help maximize dynamic range. https://photonstophotos.net/Charts/RN_e.htm#Sony%20ILCE-7M2_14,Sony%20ILCE-7RM2_14,Sony%20ILCE-7SM2_14 The higher resolution sensor doesn't hurt low light performance. The effective fill factor on these cameras are pretty close to 100%. There will be more noise per pixel with the R body, but because there are more pixels it averages out. I would go with the A7R II. As a interesting note... I own a cooled monochrome astrophotography camera. It uses a sensor similar to the one in the A7RV.”
260 Reddit opinions analyzed • Last updated 2/24/2026