Mike Evangelist

Have you considered an inexpensive external audio recorder? That wouldn't have to be on the gimbal, and it's pretty easy to sync up the tracks in post. Something like this - ...

There is no 'issue' going on. This is totally about technique and understanding how focus point, aperture, depth of field and the relative positions of the subjects interact. As has already been ...

You're fine. The sensor is covered by a piece of glass that is relatively tough. Takes quite a bit to damage it.

I learned the hard way as well, although it was only an iPhone camera, so not quite as painful.

Sure looks like that to me.

I'll confirm what aronake surmised...this is definitely laser damage.  I've seen it many times. Unhappily the only fix is replacing the sensor.

There's a chance that you might have unknowingly bought a counterfeit Sony battery. They are sold widely, sometimes fooling even reputable sellers. Here's a bit more info over at Fred Miranda - ...

Maybe not easy, but more light is the best answer. You could also consider noise reduction in post processing, if that's available to you.

Why do you believe there should be no noise? Even with still photos, those ISO levels will produce some noise. Adding in the high frame rate and the higher compression which that requires, you have ...

Here's one more example, shot at ISO 1000 and cropped to ~10 mpx.

The Batis holds up very well to cropping. Here's a couple crops, followed by their respective full images. First shot is an 9 mpx crop from the A7Riv. Second is 6 mpx crop from an A7Riii,

This is really turning out to be the week of APS-C goodness!

That 11mm ƒ1.8 is definitely going to be in my bag.

Impressively small!

I'll repeat: it is very unlikely that there is anything wrong with your cameras or lenses. If you really want help, please share some (full size) samples to demonstrate the problem.

Since you are perceiving the same problem with both cameras and multiple lenses, then it is almost certainly -not- a problem with the gear. It is with how you are using it. I look forward to seeing ...

The shutter shock thing is overblown, in my view. Yes, it's real, but totally manageable. The A7R is still an excellent camera with a great sensor. I use mine regularly, when I want to go 'small'.

A few shots from mine over the years.

I was just about to suggest that. The Minolta 200mm ƒ2.8 HS is a brilliant lens; especially if you have a camera that can fully utilize the LA-EA5 adapter. 200mm Minolta, shown with the older, ...

You might consider the excellent Sigma 18-50mm ƒ2.8. It's very compact and very affordable. I love it for the times I don't want to carry my 'big' lenses.

That's a bit disappointing.