Sony Alpha 7c Mirrorless Digital Camera Review

Sony Full Frame mirrorless cameras set an industry standard for size, weight, features, and professional ruggedness and quality when they were first introduced with the a7 and a7r in October of 2013. The Sony Alpha 7c mirrorless digital camera was introduced in 2020 and is so compact, you may confuse it with Sony’s APS-C cameras.

As a very compact camera, the Sony Alpha 7c mirrorless digital camera can be viewed as a gateway into Full Frame format or as a fully capable second camera for users already in the Sony Alpha system.

Let’s see what the Sony a7c has to offer and what the best purchase options are for getting an Alpha 7c digital mirrorless camera of your own. Spoiler: One of the best places to get photographic equipment is the online platform MPB.

Alpha 7c Mirrorless Digital Camera Specs and Features

The Sony Alpha 7c mirrorless digital camera sports a 24MP Full Frame sensor with 4K 24p video recording with no crop. Higher frame rates for video impose a slight crop. The expanded ISO range is 50-204800, and it has 693 AF points.

It has an articulated rear screen which is also how you access most of the settings for this camera. The eye-level viewfinder is bright and clear but is small compared with other Full Frame cameras. Get a hands-on look at this and other features of the Sony Alpha 7c mirrorless digital camera in the video below by Jason Vong:

The Sony a7c uses the Sony mirrorless E mount and can accept FE-mount and E-mount lenses, with E-mount lenses automatically switching the camera in APS-C format and lowering the resolution accordingly.

Rounding out the rest of the features, we have exposure bracketing, exposure compensation, and shutter speeds up to 1/8000th second. There are multiple metering modes, including multi-pattern and spot, WiFi connectivity, and 5-axis in-body in body image stabilization (IBIS) with 5EV correction.

Alpha 7c Mirrorless Digital Camera Build and Handling

Though it looks like a Sony APS-C camera such as the NEX series or an a6000, it has a more rugged build than those cameras due in part to its magnesium alloy monocoque body construction. There is no built-in flash, probably to keep the body small and rugged, but it matches with all current Sony flash systems.

Handling of this camera is very nice, especially when combined with the specially-designed ultra-compact power zoom kit lens that retracts for extra compactness in storage. That lens is the 28-60mm f/4-5.6 zoom. Balance can feel a little off with some of the larger fast aperture lenses, though hand grip helps out a lot, despite being smaller than other Sony Full Frame cameras.

There are two big things and one small thing I wish were a little different…

The Sony menu system sometimes feels rather clunky to me, and many settings are placed in the menu in order to keep the Sony a7c very compact. Secondly, the eye-level viewfinder is really small. Really small. Lastly, the camera only holds one SD card.

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Alpha 7c Mirrorless Digital Camera Video Capabilities

The Alpha 7c mirrorless camera really excels in its video capabilities when you consider just how small this camera is for a Full Frame format camera. Only the Sigma FP is smaller for a Full Frame camera with 4K video, and part of that is because you have to add accessories to configure it for different usage.

The 4K video without any cropping is limited to 24p. Going to 4K 30p or higher frame rates introduces some limited cropping. In a camera cage, you could add all sorts of extra accessories, such as a large external monitor or a shotgun mic to supplement the built-in mic. Sound quality is excellent.

Alpha 7c Mirrorless Digital Camera Recommended Lenses

I already mentioned that there is a lens designed specifically for this ultra-compact camera, the Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 normal range zoom lens. To make it even more compact to carry around with the Alpha 7c mirrorless digital camera, this lens retracts to a shorter physical length.

To get the most out of why this camera was made in the first place, you should be using lenses made for Full Frame format - the Sony FE-mount lenses or other brands made for Full Frame. An excellent lens I tend to recommend a lot for Sony mirrorless cameras in Full Frame or APS-C format is the awesome and very fast Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS telephoto zoom lens.

Another lens that balances well on this small body is the fast portrait telephoto Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM lens. It’s a little large on this small body, but it provides such excellent bokeh that it really doesn’t matter what Sony camera it’s on…you want this lens.

Check out all of the great lenses you can use on this camera!

Final Thoughts on Sony a7c

The only limitations that bother me a little bit are the tiny eye-level viewfinder and the limitation of 24p for Full Frame 4K video. The Sony menu system is somewhat clunky on all of their cameras, and having one card slot shouldn’t be a deal breaker if the camera fits your needs and wants in other aspects.

Since the Sony Alpha 7c mirrorless digital camera was made as a compact system camera, it is somewhat lower priced than other Sony Alpha cameras with a similar megapixel count. It’s not too far above their better APS-C cameras.

An excellent way to maximize your camera and lens budget is to shop for pre-owned equipment at an online platform such as MPB, one of my favorite stores for my photography needs.

MPB thoroughly inspects every item they sell and lists the condition of each piece accurately and detailed. They also provide a six-month warranty and seven-day return and exchange on almost all gear sold. Check them out!

As a second camera or as a primary use camera, you can’t go wrong with a camera this well built and with this much quality and so many features. I also highly recommend the Sony Alpha 7c mirrorless digital camera for first-time users of Full Frame format cameras.