Last Updated on 12/16/2019 by Mark Beckenbach
Sony cameras have made life so much easier for portrait photographers thanks to their insanely good autofocus systems.
There’s simply no denying that the strides Sony has made in the world of photography over the last few years have been nothing short of monumental. Today, we have Sony cameras that are not only affordable, but that can also produce glorious images, and that boast the best autofocus systems on the market. If you’re a portrait photographer who wants the best eye and face detection, and great general autofocus tracking, you need to look at Sony cameras. After the break, we’ll share three of our favorite Sony cameras for portrait photography.
The great thing about Sony cameras is they make options for varying budgets. Don’t, for one second, think the incredibly affordable a6400 is a slouch! The APS-C a6400 has the same AF system as the fantastic A9, and of course, it has access to the same great Sony lenses as it’s Full Frame brothers.
The Sony A7 III is a feature-packed, ‘entry-level’ Full Frame camera that won’t break the bank, while the A7R IV will capture enough detail for even the most ardent pixel peepers. Find out more about these three Sony cameras below.
Sony a6400
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Compact and lightweight
- Fast and accurate autofocus
- Excellent image quality
- 11 FPS continuous shooting with AF and AE tracking (mechanical shutter only)
- Improved Real-time Eye AF
- Real-time Tracking
- Real-time Animal Eye AF
- 4K video recording without a 30-minute limit
- Competitively priced
Cons
- Lacks in-body image stabilization
- External battery charger not included
- Single SD card slot with support for only up to UHS-I speed cards
- The rear screen flips up into where the hot shoe is located and becomes essentially useless if you’ve got any attachments mounted onto the camera
Buy now: $898
Sony a7 III
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- The best battery life of any Sony or mirrorless camera we’ve ever tested
- A fair amount of resolution and versatility in the RAW files that can be realized with Capture One
- Nice feel to it
- Consistency with all the other cameras in terms of the menu system
- Autofocus can acquire a target in near darkness
- It essentially feels like a scaled-down Sony a9 and Sony a7r III
- Not a bad price point
Cons
- Mount and certain lenses may allow for dust to get in onto the sensor. It isn’t as tight as the a7r III’s
Buy now: $1,798
Sony a7R IV
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Improved ergonomics
- Blazingly fast autofocus
- Excellent weather sealing
- Anti-flicker shooting
- Dual UHS-II SD card slots
- More resolution than most photographers will need
Cons
- Limited touchscreen functionality: you still can’t navigate the menus or interact with the display
- Large file sizes (to be expected)
Buy now: $3,498