2026 was the year of 'peak camera', and that camera was the Sony A7R VI — here's why

Against a backdrop of component shortages and price hikes, 2026 has been a challenging year for camera companies, and it's been a quieter year for new gear as a result.

<![CDATA[ <article> <p>Against a backdrop of component shortages and price hikes, 2026 has been a challenging year for camera companies, and it's been a quieter year for new gear as a result. That being said, we were still treated to some cracking cameras — but standing tall above them all was the Sony A7R VI, with a new 66.8MP full-frame stacked sensor, Bionz XR 2 processor, Sony's latest subject-detection autofocus, and its first new battery for 10 years.<br /><br />It's a formidable camera whatever your genre of photography, and won both our Best Professional Camera and overall Camera of the Year awards for 2026 at the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/tech/techradar-product-of-the-year-awards-2026-winners">TechRadar Product of the Year Awards 2026</a>. Here's what makes the A7R VI so special, in my opinion.</p><div data-widget-type="review" data-model-name="Sony A7R VI"></div><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check="" ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2000px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.35%;"><img id="Qb8cscRym8kJKKWxA2Ezw6" name="Sony FE 400-800mm F6.3-8 G OSS" alt="Man holding the Sony FE 400-800mm F6.3-8 G OSS supertelephoto zoom lens, he's standing on a boardwalk in a nature reserve" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Qb8cscRym8kJKKWxA2Ezw6-1920-80.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2000" height="1127" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline" /></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Bird photography with the 400-800mm lens was one of the many occasions I made good use of the Sony A7R VI </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Tim Coleman)</span></figcaption></figure><h2 id="can-a-camera-really-be-perfect">Can a camera really be ‘perfect’?</h2><p>It's possible that I got carried away slightly when I said the A7R VI “had no weaknesses”, but after weeks testing the full-frame mirrorless camera across landscape, portrait and wildlife photography, I had no doubt in my mind that it deserved a perfect 5-star rating. </p><p>I’ve been reviewing cameras for almost two decades, and the A7R VI genuinely feels like peak camera. In <a href="https://www.techradar.com/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/sony-a7r-vi-review">my A7R VI review</a>, I was even compelled to say “Sony can stop making cameras now.”</p><div><blockquote><p>The A7R VI is a powerful all-rounder, as opposed to a pure pixel monster</p></blockquote></div><p>First up, I must point to the new sensor, which had an admittedly modest bump in pixels from the already <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/sony-a7r-v">class-leading A7R V</a>’s 61MP sensor, to 66.8MP. But that’s not the exciting part about this sensor — it’s also a ‘stacked’ type with a faster read-out speed. </p><p>Faster read-out speeds can improve a camera’s performance in multiple ways, not least by reducing rolling shutter (an ugly distortion effect that appears when recording video and taking photos of high-speed subjects). </p><p>For me, I preferred having the smaller bump in resolution and a greater emphasis on speed, as opposed to an even bigger bump in resolution but no speed improvement. The A7R VI is a powerful all-rounder, as opposed to a pure pixel monster.</p><p>The camera packs Sony’s Bionz XR 2 processor, which combines two chips, including one that’s tasked with subject-detection autofocus. Whether I was<a href="https://www.techradar.com/cameras/camera-lenses/i-tried-bird-photography-with-sonys-longest-super-telephoto-zoom-lens-and-the-new-a7r-vi-and-after-seeing-my-pin-sharp-shots-of-rare-and-beautiful-birds-im-obsessed"> photographing small birds</a> or large mammals in a nature reserve, or taking portraits, the A7R VI never skipped a beat. </p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check="" ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2000px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.35%;"><img id="4QxWPL5QU5J4kK6PzZRJbe" name="Sony A7R VI" alt="Rear of the Sony A7R VI camera, it's mounted to a tripod outdoors and the screen is pulled out to the side, there's a natural background" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4QxWPL5QU5J4kK6PzZRJbe-1920-80.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2000" height="1127" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline" /></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The versatile multi-axis screen can tilt, pull out, and flip out to the side </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Then there’s the camera’s handling. Historically, for me Sony's design and user experience haven't matched those of other leading mirrorless camera brands — I’m a sucker for Nikon in particular. But the A7R VI is spectacularly well designed. </p><p>There’s a tilt-and-flip touchscreen, meaning the screen can be pulled out and used as a tilt screen for waist-level shooting, or flipped out and rotated for selfies — traditionally you’d have to pick either / or (or have neither). It’s the most versatile design on the market, and one which you can also find on the latest <a href="https://www.techradar.com/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/panasonic-lumix-s1-ii-review">Lumix S1 II</a> cameras. If I had one wish, it would be that Sony increased the size of its 3-inch display in the future, even if only to 3.2-inches like Nikon. </p><p>The viewfinder is big, bright and highly detailed class-leading 9.36m-dot display, while the button layout makes perfect sense, and the camera’s grip is nice and deep and comfortable to hold.</p><p>Housed inside the grip is an all-new battery — Sony’s first for 10 years since the legendary NP-FZ100. The new unit has a higher capacity, and increases shot life by 20%; not bad, considering the previous battery already delivered class-leading power. </p><p>The downside to the new battery is that it’s not forwards / backwards compatible with the NP-FZ100, so upgraders are going to have to splash out on additional batteries should they need them. </p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check="" ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2000px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.35%;"><img id="a7mRv4hLJ3cu8McwL7qEbe" name="Sony A7R VI" alt="Close up of the Sony A7R VI camera's battery" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/a7mRv4hLJ3cu8McwL7qEbe-1920-80.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="2000" height="1127" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline" /></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Sony's new high-capacity battery debuted in the A7R VI </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Video specs are decent, though arguably not as strong as those of some lower-resolution rival cameras. For example, Sony again omitted open-gate recording (this would finally<em> </em>appear later in the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/cameras/video-cameras/the-industrys-most-popular-cinema-camera-gets-a-huge-upgrade-and-the-sony-fx5s-open-gate-video-isnt-even-the-best-bit-about-the-fx3-successor">yet-to-go-on-sale FX5 cinema camera</a>). </p><p>But if photography is your beat, and you need a high-resolution sensor with huge scope for cropping — the A7R VI’s Super 35 (APS-C / 1.5x crop) mode is still a healthy 28MP — and don’t need the absolute top speed and buffer performance of cameras like the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/sony-a9-iii-review">A9 III</a> and <a href="https://www.techradar.com/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/sony-a1-ii-review-a-refined-flagship">A1 II,</a> there really is no better camera. </p><p>The A7R VI was so good, in fact, that it put the (much) pricier A1 II’s position in doubt, given that it can do 90% of what that camera can, while boasting a higher-resolution sensor. </p><p>I reviewed some fabulous cameras in 2026, but my absolute favorite was without doubt the A7R VI — it’s the camera I wish I owned, along with some of Sony’s spectacular recent pro GM lenses. It was the crowning achievement for Sony in a year in which it also scooped our Brand of the Year award, and comfortably maintained its #2 market position behind Canon. </p><h2 id="sony-a7r-vi-image-gallery">Sony A7R VI image gallery</h2><figure role="gallery"><figure><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/E2JdJXuRa2Fg9NNt5LpQMB-1920-80.jpg" alt="Wild birds in the natural habitat of a common in the UK" /><figcaption><small role="credit">Tim Coleman</small></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WTrGS2Ua6NzwYqEy73vRSc-1920-80.jpg" alt="Three guinea pigs on a grass lawn at golden hour, there are bright flowers behind them" /><figcaption><small role="credit">Future / Tim Coleman</small></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Q3d2K3ihiRNgBUSu3UwTXc-1920-80.jpg" alt="A man at golden hour, illuminated by the sun, natural background" /><figcaption><small role="credit">Future / Tim Coleman</small></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ECggbkN8UELVYBE3qhg5Kc-1920-80.jpg" alt="Geese on a lake at first light, the sun is illuminated the misty atmosphere" /><figcaption><small role="credit">Future / Tim Coleman</small></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cyB7vb3ikf28heM3qY8kAd-1920-80.jpg" alt="A still lake at first light, there's a layer of mist on the surface, the trees are perfectly reflected in the water" /><figcaption><small role="credit">Future / Tim Coleman</small></figcaption></figure></figure><div data-widget-type="review" data-model-name="Sony A7R VI"></div> </article> ]]>