Sony is slowly improving the ergonomics of its cameras, but it’s still not enough
3 days agoLast Updated: December 3, 2025
0 10 minutes read
Sony is slowly improving the ergonomics of its cameras, but it’s still not enough
By Antonio G. Di Benedetto | Published: 2025-12-03 16:00:00 | Source: The Verge
I was flabbergasted to learn that the recently announced Sony A7 V had improved ergonomics. Just as I was happy when I first heard that Sony’s flagship A9 III and A1 II cameras were getting new ergonomic grip designs before that. I actually purchased an A9 III to replace my old A9 II for my wedding photography. But Sony’s ergonomic improvements have repeatedly disappointed me, both in my personal cameras and those I’ve tested Edge.
The new designs looked good at first, with the A9 III and A1 II featuring slightly longer handles with better rounded lines, but they’re not comfortable enough for professional cameras designed for long hours of use. The new A7 V, designed to appeal to a wider audience, is the weakest of all the new ergonomic designs. Its grip isn’t as long or contoured as Sony’s flagship phones, though Sony is known for putting many of the same exact features and designs from its high-end cameras into more affordable models.
1/6Left: The original Sony A1 with the old handle design. Middle: A9 III with a revised and slightly better design. Right: The A7 V and its slightly revised but hardly improved grip.
I’ve been opposing this niche annoyance for years now. I give Sony credit for at least starting to pay attention in 2023 with the A9 III, but it’s not doing enough. The A9 III feels a little better to use than the original A1 I pair it with at weddings, but no matter which one I use, it’s almost a guarantee that after a 10-hour wedding, the middle knuckle of my middle finger will hurt. As I’ve written before, I’ve dubbed this the “Sony joint” with fellow wedding photographers who also shoot with high-end Alphas and go home with at least a modicum of pain and discomfort after a long day (even more so for anyone who works a dreaded dual, triple or quad camera over the weekend).
I know we choose to use heavier lenses like fast primes and fixed aperture zooms, and that not everyone tackles their cameras for marathon sessions. But what surprised me was picking up or testing cameras from other brands and feeling like I was holding a comfortable pillow in comparison. Cameras like the Nikon Z8 and Canon R6 Mark III — which range from slightly larger to near-Alpha models from Sony — offer a longer grip, smoother lines, and better materials that feel like less pressure on your hand.
That black spot on my knuckle that you see after I squeeze the A7 V? This is a Sony joint.
“I don’t have particularly large hands or anything either – any love I have for the original Xbox’s Duke controller is pure nostalgia. So it’s not like I’m asking Sony to make a purpose-built camera.” Ken Griffey Jr. in “Homer at Bat”. I just want something that feels like it was designed for humans when I pick it up.
How you use your camera and how you feel about it is very important and should not be overlooked. It’s easier to give clearances to more compact models like the Sony A7C II and A7C R or the Fujifilms and Leicas of the world. I can forgive my pinky finger dangling from under the handle on small, everyday street-style cameras. And the flat front of the Leica Q2 or the various Fujifilm But once you get to the $2,900 A7 V or $7,000 A1 II, intended for all kinds of professional work, you don’t have to worry about the inevitable finger or hand cramping in the design.
I, and I think many others, still choose to use Sony Alpha cameras despite all of this because we’re so obsessed with how good they are at continuous AF tracking (that, and we’re pretty deep into lenses). Other brands have mostly managed to catch up with their great AF tracking, but in my testing, they never could completely Good or reliable. It has changed the ways I use my cameras, and allows me to capture reliable shots that I never dreamed of when I started assisting wedding photographers in college.
1/4Fuck Pinkies on the A7 V, or any other Sony Alpha phone.
Sony has made some strides here, and I appreciate the ergonomic changes they’ve made in fairly recent cameras. But the company and its designers are still sticking to the size of their cameras. When the original A7 and A7 R came out in 2013, mirrorless cameras were in their infancy and were about putting large sensors into very small interchangeable system cameras. The first generation A7 duos were small in size compared to today’s models, and that also meant small batteries, making them unusable in professional environments. Since then, mirrorless cameras have evolved, quite literally, into something much greater.
There’s still room for more compact designs, but modern cameras are excellent technical marvels pretty much across the board. You hear the phrase “You can’t buy a bad camera these days” echoed throughout the photography community. But the cameras have to be excellent to use as well.
Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto
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