Sony a7R V Underwater Photos & Mini-Review

By Jean Rydberg
All Images © 2023 Nirupam Nigam

If ultra high resolution photos are a priority for you, it's hard to look past the Sony Alpha a7R V full frame mirrorless camera. At 60.1 megapixels resolution, the a7R V tops most mirrorless cameras on the market today. Combined with an enhanced autofocus tracking system and up to 8 stops of image stabilization correction, this is a camera that will provide you with large, crisp images of even the fastest-moving subjects. It can also shoot 8K/24p and 4K/60p UltraHD video for those of us looking for a camera that does double-duty... aren't we all?

nirupam nigam clownfish in anemone taken with sony a7r v inside an ikelite underwater housing

1/250 • f/20 • ISO 160 © Nirupam Nigam

crab on pink background taken by nirupam nigam with a sony a7r v inside an ikelite housing

1/200 • f/22 • ISO 400 © Nirupam Nigam

Ergonomics

The Sony a7R V stands out in ergonomics thanks to its highly customizable control set and three unique control dials. This allows you to quickly change aperture, shutter speed, and ISO on the fly without any button presses.

There's also a switch on the camera that allows you to go back and forth between photos and videos, with independent settings between the two modes. This will mean something if you've ever felt like me, wanting to pull off a shot while frantically spinning a mode dial and wondering when I'll actually land on the right position.

nirupam nigam split shot with shark taken with sony a7r v inside an ikelite underwater housing

1/125 • f/14 • ISO 800 © Nirupam Nigam

cropped image by nirupam nigam taken with sony a7r v inside an ikelite underwater housing

Full image (left) and 100% crop (right) • 1/200 • f/22 • ISO 400 © Nirupam Nigam

Resolution

We each have our own reasons for taking underwater photos, and some of those require higher resolutions than others. I tend to be happy enough shooting 24 megapixel images with reasonable file sizes. I typically use my photos for web display, publishing in magazines, and sometimes printing posters and 24 megapixels works just fine for those things.

The a7R V is one of the industry leaders in resolution and you will have plenty of pixels for printing and cropping to your heart's desire. The uncompressed RAW files it produces are in the range of 125-135 MB each. This will require lots of memory card and hard drive space, and the files will be a little cumbersome to work with if you're not using a really up-to-date computer processor. I find our computers with the newest Apple M2 chip to be incredible when it comes to sifting through high-resolution images.

"There are few important considerations to make when considering such a high resolution camera for a future purchase. The first is that the size of the sensor itself is not changing - it's still a full-frame sensor. This means that each of your pixels are going to be smaller, resulting in more noise at higher ISOs. While I was still able to push the sensor higher than most photographers need, the images do get fairly noisy about ISO 1250." - Nirupam Nigam, Bluewater Photo Review

anemone and clownfish taken by nirupam nigam with a sony a7r v inside an ikelite underwater housing

1/200 • f/18 • ISO 400 © Nirupam Nigam

fish with black background taken with sony a7r v inside an ikelite underwater housing by nirupam nigam

1/160 • f/22 • ISO 200 © Nirupam Nigam

Battery Life

The a7R V has a very good battery life rating of 530 shots per charge (CIPA). And realistically, like most cameras these days, you can often get many more than that on an average day of shooting.

When it is time to recharge or review images on my laptop, I appreciate having the optional USB-C Charging & Data Transfer Bulkhead on my housing. Basically I never need to take the camera body out of the housing unless I want to shoot it topside. I just take the waterproof cap off of the bulkhead and plug a USB-C cable in. It's really as simple as that. I even feel comfortable doing it between dives if necessary because the only seal I'm breaking is the simple threaded cap. It's a major time saver and it also reduces any pre-dive anxiety.

pink reef taken by nirupam nigam with a sony a7r v inside an ikelite underwater housing

1/160 • f/18 • 160 ISO © Nirupam Nigam

fish on reef image by nirupam nigam with a sony a7r v inside an ikelite underwater housing

1/200 • f/20 • ISO 500 © Nirupam Nigam

Conclusion

I think Raja Ampat, Indonesia was a perfect location to show off the incredible image quality that the Sony a7R V is capable of when you put it inside of the 200DL Underwater Housing # 71479. The a7R V delivers bright, bold colors and excellent dynamic range. This latest generation of AI-trained autofocus tracking systems is just phenomenal and makes shooting any type of fish life a real pleasure.

To be honest, this camera body is overkill for most of us. There are much more compact and less expensive ways to get a full frame system in the water. But if you choose to make the investment you certainly won't be disappointed in the a7R V, and I think you'll have a system that will serve you very well for many years to come. It's an added advantage that the same housing can accommodate the Sony a7 IV which makes for a nice option if you're looking for a slightly less expensive back-up camera body.

Dive deeper into the camera's burst shooting, 10-bit color, noise, image stabilization, 8K video, and more in our video reviews linked at the bottom of this page.

grab with pink background image by nirupam nigam taken with sony a7r v with an ikelite underwater housing

1/160 • f/22 • ISO 250 © Nirupam Nigam

split shot taken with sony a7r v inside an ikelite underwater housing image by nirupam nigam

1/160 • f/14 • ISO 200 © Nirupam Nigam

octopus on reef image by nirupam nigam taken with sony a7r v inside an ikelite underwater housing

1/200 • f/16 • ISO 640 © Nirupam Nigam

fan and fish horizontal image by nirupam nigam taken with sony a7r v inside an ikelite underwater housing

1/200 • f/16 • ISO 640 © Nirupam Nigam

wide angle image with diver in background image by nirupam nigam taken with sony a7r v inside an ikelite underwater housing

1/200 • f/18 • ISO 640 © Nirupam Nigam

sony a7r v inside an ikelite housing image by nirupam nigam of two fish on a reef

1/160 • f/14 • ISO 320 © Nirupam Nigam

striped yellow fish with blue background image by nirupam nigam taken with sony a7r v inside an ikelite underwater housing

1/160 • f/18 • ISO 400 © Nirupam Nigam

ikelite underwater housing for the sony a7r v taken by nirupam nigam

© Nirupam Nigam

Jean Rydberg, daughter of Ike Brigham, became President & CEO of Ikelite in 2006. Prior to that, she wisely pursued a degree in Astronomy & Astrophysics to prepare herself for the challenges of running a technology-driven manufacturing business with global distribution. Jean fully embraces the need to travel outside of her hometown of Indianapolis to experience good diving. She believes that any camera is capable of amazing results in the right hands, and anyone can become a great photographer given the right advice. When she's not working she's spending time with her husband, cats, and two daughters.

Nirupam Nigam is a dedicated underwater photographer and fisheries scientist. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. He received degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, at the University of Washington. Nirupam is the editor-in-chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and Bluewater Photo. He also works as a fisheries observer on boats in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. When he is not at sea, he is traveling with his fiancee and taking photos. Check out more of his photography at www.photosfromthesea.com!

Additional Reading

Sony a7R V Underwater Tips & Set Up [VIDEO]

Sony a7R V Underwater Camera Review with Sample Footage [VIDEO]

Sony a7R V Underwater Video

Take the Sony a7R V Underwater RIGHT NOW! [VIDEO]

Sony 16-35mm F4 Zoom Gear Installation // Ikelite 200DL Underwater Housing [VIDEO]