Sony a7R vs Sony a57

This is a full comparison between the cameras Sony a7R and Sony a57. We compare them by looking at the categories you see below.

Sony a7R

Sony a57

Manufacturing

These cameras are both manufactured by Sony.

Sony a7R were released 2013 and Sony a57 was released 2012. That is a 1 years difference. In tech, this period can be of interest since technology is always improving, etc.

Camera	Released
Sony a7R	2013
Sony a57	2012

Type of camera

Sensors / crop factor

These cameras have different sensors. Sony a7R has a "Sony Full Frame"-sensor while Sony a57 has a "Sony APS-C"-sensor, and their difference in sensors will also affect the crop factor and experience focal length. See the table below.

Camera	Focal length, 50mm f/1.8 **
Sony a7R	50 mm Full-frame sensor No crop factor/focal length multiplier
Sony a57	75 mm Sony APS-C sensor Crop factor/focal length multiplier by * 1.5

** Experienced focal length when using a lens such as a common "50mm f/1.8"

Learn more about crop factor and focal length multiplier here:
Camera selection can affect the focal length (Sony)

Resolution

Sony a7R has a 36 MP (Megapixels) resolution while Sony a57 has 16 MP. If we break down this in more detail this is the data behind the numbers:

Camera	Megapixels
Sony a7R	36 MP 36152320 pixels 7360 x 4912
Sony a57	16 MP 16032768 pixels 4912 x 3264

Sony a7R has a 125 % larger resolution than Sony a57. This could give you more details in the picture but also a possibility to crop more in the pictures, afterward while editing the pictures, if needed that is.

ISO range

Sony a7R has a larger ISO-range than Sony a57. Sony a7R has an ISO range that stretches from 100 to 25600 while Sony a57 has 100 to 16000.

Camera	ISO Range
Sony a7R	100-25600
Sony a57	100-16000

Autofocus and lens compatibility

Both of these cameras have a built-in autofocus motor. Some lenses, that support autofocus, do not have an autofocus motor of their own but this won't cause any problems with these two cameras.

Here is a complete overview of which lenses work with each camera:
Lens compatibility chart for Sony a7R
Lens compatibility chart for Sony a57

Pictures per second

Depending on what you are shooting the FPS, or frames/pictures per second, can definitely be of interest. Sony a7R can shoot up to 4 pictures per seconds and Sony a57 can shoot up to 12 pictures per seconds.

Camera	FPS (Frames per second)
Sony a7R	4
Sony a57	12

Ability to record movies

It is becoming more and more popular to record movies with digital cameras.

In this case, both Sony a7R and Sony a57 can shoot movies.

Weight

The weight of the camera can be an extremely important factor, especially if the camera is about to be used, or carried around, for several hours at a time.

Sony a57 weighs 618 gr (equal to 1.36 lb) which is 33% heavier than Sony a7R and its 465 gr (or 1.03 lb).

Camera	Weight
Sony a7R	465 gr 1.03 lb
Sony a57	618 gr 1.36 lb