Technique SONY’S MIRRORLESS MILESTONES
The camera that killed the DSLR
Ten years ago, Sony launched the Alpha A7 and A7R, the vanguard of a mirrorless revolution that would change the camera market forever
On 16 October 2013, Sony announced the world’s first full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Alpha A7 and Alpha A7R. This put in place a chain of events that led to the demise of the DSLR and established Sony’s position as a serious camera maker. So, what were the A7 and A7R, how did we get to them, why did they matter, and what have they led to?
Mirrorless cameras weren’t suddenly invented in 2013. They’d been around for a while, but principally as smaller-format, lower-cost enthusiast cameras. The Micro Four Thirds Panasonic Lumix G1 was the first mirrorless camera, arriving in September 2008, followed by the first APS-C model, the Samsung NX10 in January 2010 (remember Samsung?). Just a few months later, Sony’s NEX-5 and NEX-3 arrived, which debuted Sony’s mirrorless E-mount but used an APS-C sensor.
The Sony A7 and A7R were, however, the first full-frame mirrorless cameras, and were designed for enthusiasts and professionals, not just hobbyists. For years, DSLRs had ruled the roost for ‘serious’ photographers, and the new Sony models were the first to challenge this DSLR dominance.
Ten years later, mirrorless cameras have decimated the DSLR market, even in professional sports, press and wildlife photography, the traditional bastion of the big, tough DSLR design. Sony didn’t do this entirely on its own but, with the launch of the Alpha A7 and A7R, the firm kick-started a revolution that quickly became unstoppable.
Once upon a time, mirrorless cameras were a technological oddity with a small but vocal fan base, while DSLRs were the de facto standard for serious photographers.
Boy, what a change-around.
Sony A7 and A7R 2013
The Sony A7 and A7R were not just the first full-frame mirrorless cameras on the market, they were also the smallest full-frame interchangeable-lens cameras by far. They were a camera double-act that continues to this day. The A7 was an affordable all-rounder aimed at advanced enthusiasts and professionals, while the A7R was a highresolution camera designed for the highest standards of commercial work and image quality. Their successors today are the Sony A7 IV and A7R V.
But by the standards of modern Sony cameras, these were pretty primitive cameras. Neither had the in-body stabilisation we take for granted today, and their autofocus systems were at best functional and, in the case of the A7R, quite primitive. The Sony A7 did have a hybrid 25/117-point contrast/ phase AF system, but the A7R was stuck with a 25-point contrast AF only system.
As for video, which is one of Sony’s specialities today, both cameras were back in the dark ages, limited to Fu
