A Professional High-Quality Camera Recommended Sony a7CR Dynamic Range and Low Light Performance
I am really happy and fortunate to have the Sony a7CR. Although it is still a bit bulkier compared to the first-generation a7 series, fitting the same sensor as the a7RV into such a compact body is impressive. If you need a lightweight camera for hiking or something easy to carry around, keep reading this article to learn more about the Sony a7CR's dynamic range and low light performance.
Dual Native ISO of the Sony a7CR
Video SLog3: 800, 2500
Photo: 100, 320
Sony a7CR 動態範圍 低光表現 完整測試
Dynamic Range in Videos
The dynamic range in video mode is quite good. When shooting in S-Log3, it handles overexposure of 4-5 stops and underexposure of 2-3 stops well. This demonstrates why it's recommended to expose to the right when shooting videos, as a lot of highlight details are preserved.
With two native ISOs (ISO 800 & ISO 2500), the differences are minimal. At ISO 2500, the shadows lose about half a stop of light, but color reproduction and noise characteristics are very similar. You can freely switch between these two ISOs based on the shooting environment.
Low Light Performance in Videos
When filming in S-Log3, the a7CR automatically adds noise reduction, which cannot be manually disabled. This might be because Sony considers the noise at higher ISOs too disruptive. With noise reduction, even an exaggerated ISO 25600 is usable, although shadow details at this ISO level become mushy and unrecognizable.
If you ask me, I would recommend staying below ISO 6400 for acceptable quality.
Dynamic Range in Photos
The dynamic range in photos is quite impressive. At ISO 100 without any picture profiles, it handles overexposure of 2-3 stops and underexposure of 5-6 stops! The shadow details are very well preserved, so when shooting, you only need to focus on retaining highlight details, as shadow details are almost guaranteed.
Low Light Performance in Photos
For photos in low light, I think ISO 6400 is already pushing it. With some noise reduction, it might still be usable, but I would recommend not exceeding ISO 3200 to retain better detail.
High-Resolution Photos
An additional feature worth mentioning is high-resolution photo composition. The a7CR (and a7RV) is currently the resolution king with 61 megapixels. By combining the large image size with stabilization, you can merge 4 or 16 photos to achieve an extremely high-resolution image.
Based on my tests, I recommend merging 4 photos, as it captures more image details effectively. Merging 16 photos doesn’t offer significant advantages and can introduce some strange merging effects (especially in reflective areas). Therefore, if you want to use this feature, merging 4 photos is the most suitable mode.
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