Is the Original Sony a7 Still Good in 2026?

Back in 2013, the Phoblographer reviewed the original Sony a7; our review can be found here at this link. In 2021, we questioned whether or not it’s still good and I came up with a few suggestions on how to make it better if you’ve still got it. It’s now 2026; and I still use my Sony a7. While it surely isn’t my only camera, it’s become something very specialized that makes images that I’m super happy about.

This article includes a review update to our original Sony a7 review. The updated text can be found below.

The Original Sony a7 in 2026

In 2021, I acknowledged many of the original Sony a7’s flaws. For example, the hot shoe had an issue with syncing with modern flash transmitters. This was fixed by cleaning it out with some WD40 — and I recommend only doing this with extreme caution. Today, mine still works.

I also complained about how the sensor gets dirty often. That can be fixed with a Kolari Vision in-camera clip-in filter.

But beyond all this, I wanted even more from the camera. So I converted it to full-spectrum. Using in-camera filters and lens filters, I’m able to make images that look like Aerochrome. Here are some sample images:

Still to this day, the camera is very capable of giving me some of the best colors that I’ve gotten from a Sony camera even with it setup in a normal photography configuration and the color filters put back in place. Plus, the shutter is something that feels and sounds so nice.

The only thing that I haven’t really been able to fix is the bad battery life. That, and the autofocus is still pretty slow. Still, I’m not using it in a way where I’m relying on it all that much for super critical and fast-moving work. The camera surely needs isopropyl alcohol cleanings on the sensor contacts. But once that’s done, it works just fine with no issues. Afterall, the weather resistance of this camera isn’t really all that great. Over time, weather sealing has become better.

What’s really nice is that the camera works without issues with various third party lenses like those from Tamron, Viltrox, etc.

I own this camera and the Sony a7r III. And since then, I haven’t upgraded. If I were to upgrade, I’d probably switch to the Sony a1 II. But I wouldn’t sell the cameras that I own already because they are still very capable in every sense. The Sony a1 II can do everything and even today, the Sony a7r III is a solid backup when photographing people at events. The Sony a7 original is good for portraits in good lighting. But in low lighting, I don’t think that it’s all that great. Sony’s autofocus technology has majorly improved since the launch of this camera.

So who should own the Sony a7 original in 2026? Honestly, someone who does slow photography and who will only use it in good weather. I advise getting some new batteries for this camera since the battery life really is awful. But otherwise, if you own it already, I recommend doing an infrared conversion with Kolari vision.