I was keen to check out the Sony Alpha α7 V (ILCE-7M5) camera to learn how DSLR features have evolved over the years and how they work in tandem with smartphones to keep pace with current requirements. The Sony Alpha α7 V is a full-frame hybrid camera, the kind of camera that I would not actually consider for my use as a part-time photographer of nature and historical architecture, but would happily buy for my team grappling with tough deadlines and tough shooting environments on a daily basis.Since I had not reviewed Sony cameras in a while, the Alpha α7 V’s compact all-weather chassis, despite its full-frame lineage, with a host of dials and buttons to keep all professionals happy, came as a welcome surprise. It also offers good grip, which is critical as the body itself weighs about 695 grams, with any lens adding at least a similar weight. I used the camera with a FE 2.8/24-70 GM lens, which is heavy at 885 grams, but gives a range that you can use to shoot anything from macro to landscapes. In both vertical and horizontal orientations, the design gave easy access to all the dials and triggers. Gradually, one gets used to the best combination for their use of this camera. The Sony Alpha α7 V is a full-frame hybrid camera. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express)The Alpha α7 V features a 35 mm full-frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) 33.0 megapixel Exmor RS CMOS sensor with a BIONZ XR2, integrated AI processing unit. This gives the camera its cutting-edge: the ability to recognise a wide range of subjects from animals to plants and then adjust a host of settings accordingly. I could experience this in some macro shoots, especially when I kept subject detection to auto. Depending on the shoot, you can also specify some of the subjects in the quick settings on the screen. This is also one of the fastest sensors I have experienced in a camera, which even saves complex shots in milliseconds.Frankly, the camera can initially be a bit intimidating, like any full-frame camera. But once I started using it, I felt the signature Sony ease of use kick in. For instance, you can touch any value on the 3.2-inch TFT monitor and then adjust it with any dial that is convenient to you. So when shooting in full manual mode, this makes composing frames much quicker. In both stills and video, the camera offers some great detail. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express)The other aspect I really loved was the auto-focus. This is one of the most powerful auto-focus modes I have encountered. For instance, while recording video and zooming from a plant on my window ledge on the fifth floor to some kids playing in the park below, the camera constantly kept focusing on the different subjects without any effort from me. And for action shots, once you lock focus on a subject, the camera does not release its grip. At Lodhi Garden, I locked onto a bee landing on a flower, and the camera ensured it stayed on the subject, despite the bee, the wind moving the flower, and the changing light conditions.In both stills and video, the camera offers some great detail. My son’s teen stubble gave the kind of texture that makes a portrait look arty, despite the low light inside my living room. Even in low light, the camera provides the kind of skin tones and highlights that make your results stand out. When the camera automatically switched to macro mode during a staged test shoot, I got crisp edges around cacti and could literally count the hairs on my fur carpet. Camera Sample 1 (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express) Camera Sample 2. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express) Camera Sample 3. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express) Camera Sample 4. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express) Camera Sample 5. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express) Camera Sample 6. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express) Camera Sample 7. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express) Camera Sample 8. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express) Camera Sample 9. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express) Camera Sample 10. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express)Low-light performance is, of course, one of the highlights with up to ISO 204800 in stills and ISO 102400 for videos. I never had to use these extremes, but it helps to know you have this as backup. In manual mode, you can take stunning images with literally no light source, provided you have a tripod or really steady hands. And the camera offers image stabilisation that makes even handheld shooting manageable in these conditions.Story continues below this adThere is one slot that supports either SD or CFexpress Type A, plus a second SD-only slot. The α7 V shoots in RAW (uncompressed, lossless compressed, and compressed), JPEG, HEIF, and RAW+JPEG/HEIF combinations. For video, you have 4K (3840×2160) up to 120p in both XAVC S and the more efficient XAVC HS formats. Where Sony pushes the envelope is with the ability to record 7K oversampled 4K 60p, which will be good for some creators who want to push the limits, given they can manage the editing. I found it a bit tough to post the XAVC S videos directly online or even view them on the phone without the right codecs. There is one slot that supports either SD or CFexpress Type A, plus a second SD-only slot. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express)Sony’s new Creators’ App makes life much easier, especially if you are looking to use this camera as part of a workflow where the smartphone plays an important part. It lets you shoot remotely as well as transfer images and videos to your phone in a jiffy. The differential import feature lets you download files since your last shoot with one tap. Sony has also enabled desktop apps like Image Edit to simplify the workflow. I struggled to get the iOS app to link with the camera, so I had to connect via an Android phone. I am not sure why this issue came up, but it was frustrating nonetheless.The battery life is one of the best I have seen in a full-frame camera, with the ability to shoot over 600 images on a single charge. For videos, you can shoot over 90 minutes onto the SD card in XAVC HS format.With the body costing Rs 2,55,990, and an investment of around the same amount required for a lens combo, the Sony Alpha α7 V is a perfect and versatile camera for contemporary workflows. I would not recommend this for amateurs, as it might prove to be a bit too overwhelming in terms of both cost and features. But for creators and professionals, this is a camera built keeping their requirements in mind, from focus options to app integrations for quick editing and sharing.(Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express)