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With the rise of smartphone cameras that could take good photos last decade, I drifted away from my old DSLR. But I feel a bit of a desire to rekindle that relationship, in part thanks to the increasing capabilities of cameras like the Alpha 7R VI from Sony.
Not to be confused with the Alpha 7 V that was launched late last year, the Alpha 7R boasts the highest resolution and continuous shooting performance of any Sony Alpha camera.
The sensor is a 66.8-megapixel back-illuminated fully-stacked Exmor RS CMOS. The "stacked" architecture is the key upgrade over the previous Alpha 7R V, which used a non-stacked 61MP sensor that capped electronic-shutter shooting at a relatively slow 7fps.
The new sensor, paired with the BIONZ XR2 engine, reads out around 5.6 times faster, which lets the camera hit 30fps continuous shooting with full autofocus and auto-exposure tracking. It's a four times jump in speed, which is huge for anyone shooting wildlife, sport, or kids who won't sit still.
The autofocus system uses Real-time Recognition AF+, which includes "skeletal-based human pose estimation". That just means it tracks moving people properly, even athletes mid-motion.
You get up to 60 AF/AE calculations per second, and the camera works out which body part to focus on rather than just finding the nearest face.
For video, the Alpha 7R VI shoots 8K 30p with 8.2K oversampling, and crop-free full-frame 4K at up to 120p. Effective heat management keeps 8K recording going for up to 120 minutes, which should be plenty for most situations.
There's also Dual Gain Shooting, a first for the Alpha series, which optimises sensor output to reduce noise in the shadows for smoother gradation.
A few practical upgrades that will matter in day-to-day use: dual USB-C ports for simultaneous charging and data transfer, a new high-capacity NP-SA100 battery good for up to 710 shots via the LCD, and a 9.44 million dot OLED viewfinder with a DCI-P3 colour gamut and 10-bit HDR.
The viewfinder is around three times brighter than conventional models, which is welcome for anyone who's tried to frame a shot in harsh midday sunlight.
The body is magnesium alloy with a 4-axis multi-angle LCD, and it supports Sony's Camera Authenticity Solution, which uses the C2PA standard to verify that images were captured with a camera rather than generated by AI.
The new FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS lens
Alongside the Alpha 7R VI, Sony is also launching a new addition to its G Master lens lineup: the FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS. The key difference between this and the older FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS is right there in the name: the new lens maintains a constant F4.5 maximum aperture across the entire zoom range, which means no exposure shift as you zoom in.
The autofocus gets an upgrade too. Four custom-optimised XD Linear Motors and a floating focus mechanism deliver AF speeds up to 3x faster than the previous model when mounted on a compatible body, along with around 50% better subject tracking.
At 1,840g, it's not a lightweight, but the internal zoom design keeps the length constant and the centre of gravity stable throughout the zoom range, which should make it easier to handle than it looks on paper.
There's built-in optical image stabilisation with Active Mode support, four focus hold buttons, dust and moisture resistance, and compatibility with Sony's 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, which can push the reach out to 560mm or 800mm, and up to 1,200mm in APS-C crop mode.
Pricing and availability
The Alpha 7R VI (ILCE-7RM6) is available in Australia from May 2026 for $6,999 AUD body only.
The FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS arrives from late May 2026 for $7,399 AUD.
Sony is also launching the XLR-A4 XLR adaptor for $1,099 AUD, which enables 32-bit float 4-channel audio recording on the Alpha 7R VI, available from early June.
Additional accessories including the Vertical Grip VG-C6 ($699), Rechargeable Battery Pack NP-SA100 ($189), Battery Charger BC-SAD1 ($219), and DC Coupler DC-C2 ($219) round out the accessory lineup, also arriving early June.
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