charles tabb Loc: Richmond VA.

I just bought a Sony a7Rv camera. A friend of mine bought an a7Riii.
I had bought an Book that is very informative and better then the book that comes from Sony on my camera.
If I let her see my book would it help her with her a7Riii camera?
Could the two be similar enough?

Desert Gecko Loc: desert southwest, USA

Using an a7Rv guide would probably not be helpful and might confuse more than anything. I recommend two things: Downloading the "Help Guide" from Sony's website and purchasing Gary Friedman's camera-specific book. I think they run around $30 and are available on Amazon and on the Friedman Archives website. His books cover everything, and for most settings he explains when, how and why we might use them, plus his preference.

I'll add that aside from Friedman's casual and personal style, his books really don't have anything that the Help Guide doesn't -- but the Help Guide explains camera operation in a sterile, no-nonsense technical style. Oh, and the Help Guide has much more than other Sony documents, much more than the User Guide. If I recall correctly, the User Guide even refers us to the Help Guide for certain topics, generally advanced settings.

The link to a downloadable Help Guide can be tricky to find, so I grabbed it for you: https://helpguide.sony.net/ilc/1710/v1/en/print.pdf

BTW how are you liking the a7Rv? I'm about to upgrade from the a7Riii and am torn between a used (but mint condition with warranty) a7Riv and a new a7Rv. I just can't decide whether the a7Rv is worth $1600 more than the a7Riv. The fully articulating screen and in-camera focus stacking are for me the most compelling reasons for choosing the newer camera, but I don't think that's enough to justify the expense.

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

The A7Rv is imbued with a ton of AI, and would be confusing to someone who has the A7Riii. The menu system is also different. Yes, there is plenty that is similar, but why confuse the new owner of the A7Riii? These cameras are such technological wonders that buying a book to study is a must!

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Not really. There have been major changes in a number of areas, notably the menu. There are plenty of guides for the r3 online

BushDog Loc: San Antonio, TX

This is great advice. These are two of my favorite cameras. I have three a7Riii bodies and recently traded in my a7Riv for the a7Rv, despite the financial hit. I never fell in love with the iv but quickly did with the v. Also, I bought the Kindle version of Friedman’s book for the v. It is really good. So, reading Desert Gecko’s post really rang true for me.

(Note: I do write this realizing how blessed I am with not rich but well-off resources, unavailable to many. I do remember those days of necessary restraint.)

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

I have had an A7R III and now have an A7R V. The A7R III book would be not of much use for the A7R V. Get the Friedman A7R V guide (https://friedmanarchives.podia.com/the-friedman-archives-guide-to-sony-s-a7r-v).

bwa

charles tabb Loc: Richmond VA.

I've only had the Sony a7R V for about a week. I traded in my a99 II to get it.
I also bought the Tamron 50-400 mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens.
I've only so far been able to try it around the house and am well pleased with the pictures that I'm getting so far.
The only thing that is stumping me is that when the camera is turned on it has a faint buzzing coming from the lens. after about 10 minutes or so it stops. I don't know weather this is proper or not as yet.
My wife and I are leaving in about 2 weeks on a cruise. I'm hoping all goes well.

Wasabi

Not very much. Menus and many features (auto focus eye, etc as an example) are different. The V is for me a significant upgrade from the III. Have been using mine in the yard, getting preferences set up, learning new features and am satisfied with the choice.

Get her a copy of Freidman's book for the III, it will come with a free Ebook download and will have all the answers she needs.

Happy shooting to you both!

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

I've had the A7R V for about two months and it has been a great upgrade from the A7R III. The resolution is astounding!!

I use the camera for all types of photography with a good portion being astrophotography; its low light performance is almost as good as my A7 III.

As for the buzzing in the Tamron lens, no idea why but I use a number of adapted lenses on the A7R V with no weird noises other than the mechanical focuser in my Minolta AF lenses.

Have fun with the new camera and enjoy the cruise!

bwa

gwilliams6

Mark Galer, Sony Global Ambassador, always:

A7III-A7RIII Custom Settings eBook
https://www.markgaler.com/product/a7-ebook

Sony Alpha A7RIII and A7III Custom Settings for Movies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NfqnTxpTOY

Camera Settings for Shooting Action - Sony Alpha A7RIII, A7lll,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNloKXpUOWA

Sony A7RIII (A7RM3) Camera Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5n0LpFkMOs

Camera Settings for Shooting Portraits - Sony Alpha a7lll, A7RIII and A9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPpelMC75lw

Mark Galer's Alpha Creative Skills
https://www.youtube.com/@AlphaCreativeSkills/featured

I have owned Sony A6500, A7RII, A7RIII, A7III, A9, and currently own A7RIV, A1, A7SIII. While there are many similarities in some controls and features among Sony cameras, there are also many differences as models changed and were updated and improved.

Mark Galer is always a great free place to start, and you can download his EBooks and put them on your phone and/or laptop to have with you at all times as a reference, as well as downloading any of his videos.

And yes the Help Guides from Sony are far more useful than the instruction manuals from Sony.

Cheers and best to you all.

(Download)

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

My advice, have her go to google and google a couple of sites that tell you how to get the best images from the Sony a7r3, like this one.
https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/guide/sony-a7-a9-photography-settings/