One Year With the Sony A7CR
When I first bought the Sony A7CR, I wasn’t convinced it made sense for me. On paper, it felt like too much camera. I’m not a professional photographer, and most of what I shoot is everyday life — family, walks, quiet moments, and places I pass through.
That changed on a trip to Senegal. I traveled with this camera and two small prime lenses — the Samyang 35mm f/1.8 and the Sigma 90mm f/2.8 — and nothing else. Limiting myself like that forced me to really live with the camera, and it quickly stopped feeling like an overpowered tool and started feeling like the right one. The small size meant it didn’t draw attention, and in unfamiliar places that mattered more than I expected.
What surprised me most was the 61-megapixel sensor. I used to think it was unnecessary, but in practice it became freeing. I could frame loosely, move quickly, and recompose later without worrying about image quality. Shooting in APS-C mode made it feel like I had two cameras in one, especially when working with prime lenses.
Back home, the A7CR fits naturally into my daily life. I take it on walks with Pixel, to baseball games, and into coffee shops without thinking twice. Its size makes it easy to carry, and because it’s easy to carry, I actually use it. I added a small base plate for comfort and peace of mind, but otherwise the camera has stayed largely unchanged.
This isn’t a camera for everyone. If you need dual card slots, high frame rates, or gear built for heavy professional use, there are better options. But for serious hobbyist photographers who care about image quality, portability, and long-term use, it’s a compelling choice.
After a year of using it, if I could only keep one camera, this would be it. Not because it’s perfect, but because it fits the way I photograph and the life I’m documenting.
