Need help picking; A7CR, A7RV or A7CII

[WakeOfTheAwakened]

Hi All,

For the last year+ I have been using the Leica Q3 as my only camera. As much as I love the camera I feel like the one focal length (28mm) is still somewhat limiting as I find myself often cropping to 50mm and losing much of the MP, so I'm looking to buy a Sony camera next to it with more focal length options.

After looking into the possible cameras within my budget I landed on the A7CR, A7RV or A7CII.
In this case the A7RV would be a second hand model as the new price is out of my budget.

My main usage is travel, family, landscape and some portrait. (Hobby, non professional)

I'm planning to pair it with the Sony FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G.

My main struggle deciding is:

1. While I do favor the size/weight and capabilities of the A7CR the viewfinder and display are a huge downgrade from my Q3, I'm not sure how much this would bother me.
2. Is the 61mp on the A7CR and A7RV too high for the lens I plan to pair it with. (even though I may pick up the 35 or 50 GM down the line, but that wouldn't be soon).
3. While the A7RV has everything I'm looking for, I'm not sure if the weight is worth it for travel. Currently I have only used a X100V and Q3 for travel and these are both significantly lighter than the A7RV + 24-50 f2.8 G.
4. Is 61mp too much to pair with a non GM lens and would the Sony FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G optically be able to reach the same qualities as the lens on my Q3?

My main (pretty much only) use will be for photography and not video.

I may eventually sell the Q3 if the Sony camera replaces this.

Please help me out :) Thanks.

[MikeInOr]

For my big hands the A7Cx series is too small to hold comfortably.  I thought I would really like the original A7C until I found one in a store display and was able to actually hold it.  It took all of 30 seconds to decide it wasn't for me and I bought my A7RIV instead.  For me the EVF resolution wasn't that big of a deal "to me".

My A7RIV really isn't all that much bigger than the A7C but it is bigger enough that it is infinitely more useable for me.

My 2 main lenses are 24-105 G and 12-24/4 G lenses.  The clarity, sharpness and resolution of the G lenses are incredible and the 20" x 30" prints I have made are incredibly sharp right to the edges.  I don't believe there is anything gained in the sharpness of the 12-24/2.8 GM lens.  The main advantage of the 12-24/2.8 GM lens is the extra F stop of light but at the expense of size, weight and $$$$.  I considered buying the 12-24/2.8 GM lens (because it was a GM lens so must be better), I am SO HAPPY I went with the F4 G lens instead.

For portraits I picked up a Samyang 80mm/1.4 AF lens which is incredibly sharp and the shallow depth of field at F1.4 is narrower than I ever use.  I usually shoot portraits around F2 so I don't get blurry noses and blurry ears that F1.4 gives me.

One of the great things about ILC (Interchangeable Lens Cameras) is you can have different lenses for different purposes.  I would suggest that you  consider the Sony 20-70/4 lens and add something like a 28mm/1.8 lens incase you need more light (which I have never needed) or a shallow DOF at your preferred focal length.  I was very hesitant about the F4 minimum aperture of my lenses when I bought them... I no longer have any question they were the right choice "for me".

Edited October 31, 2024 by MikeInOr

[Cameratose]

I don't understand why people think the resolution is too high for certain lenses. I shoot an A1 and often use old Minolta A-Mount. I don't own a GM lens. I actually only own 2 Sony lenses, a 24-105 and 200-600. Everything else is a Samyang, Tamron, or A-Mount. I think you'd have to be cropping the holy crap out of an image for it to show up. 

Sony A1, Minolta A-Mount 80-200/2.8 APO HS G. 

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Edited October 31, 2024 by Cameratose

[PhotoSam]

I find that gear is very particular to the user. I have both the A7Cii and A7CR and love to use them with the 24 f2.5 and 40 F2.8 due to the size however due to the choice to shoot a range of genres I have larger lenses which remove the benefit of the small bodies. My advice is to buy something to cover what you do the most and the lens you want to use the most. There are always so many variables at play and often there simply is no right answer. Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy it.