The Sony a7 IV is the fourth generation of the company'due south core a7 total-frame mirrorless camera model. Information technology's the well-nigh advanced yet, bringing many of the improvements Sony has made in terms of autofocus and interface design since the launch of the a7 III, dorsum in February 2018.

Central Specifications

  • 33MP BSI CMOS full-frame sensor
  • Up to ten fps shooting in lossy Raw with extensive buffer
  • In-trunk stabilization rated upwards to v.5EV
  • Full-width oversampled 4K from 7K, up to 30p
  • 4K/60p (from iv.6K capture) in Super35 / APS-C fashion
  • 10-bit video or HEIF stills capture
  • H.265 video, South-Cinetone color fashion
  • iii.69M dot OLED viewfinder
  • Twin menu slots (1x CFe A/UHS-2, 1x UHS-Ii SD)
  • Full-fourth dimension Bluetooth LE connectedness

The a7 IV sees just virtually every one of its specifications improved over the a7 3, from basics such equally the resolution of the sensor and viewfinder to significantly increased video capture options.

The a7 4 has a recommended price of $2499, a $500 increase over the launch price of the a7 III.



What's new

33MP BSI-CMOS Sensor

At the heart of the a7 4 is a new 33MP BSI-CMOS sensor. This represents a motility away from the 24MP chip used by the a7 III and its immediate Panasonic and Nikon rivals. Given that BSI sensors are already widely used in the current generation of cameras, we're not expecting huge leaps forward in prototype quality. A slight uptick in detail and comparable depression light functioning is the well-nigh probable affair we can expect, in terms of image quality.

Despite the college resolution, the a7 IV can all the same shoot at 10 frames per second. However, information technology tin can only do and then in the lossy compressed format if you desire to shoot Raw, and drops to 12-bit mode, farther reducing dynamic range. The a7 4 has a lossless compression selection, for when you demand maximum processing flexibility, but the burst rate drops to around half-dozen fps if you use it. Sony says the camera'due south buffer depth allows over 800 Raw+JPEG images (or over 1000 JPEGs), but this is in the uncompressed Raw format, which once more shoots at around 6 fps.

Compressed Raw
(damagingly lossy)
Lossless compressed/ Uncompressed Raw
Max shooting rate 10 fps (12-bit) 6 fps (14-fleck)

Our starting time look at the rolling shutter rates suggests this isn't an especially fast sensor. xiv-bit readout of the whole sensor for stills takes around 1/15 sec (~66ms), which is effectually seventeen times longer than the super-fast a1 takes to read out its sensor. This means silent shutter mode is probable to consequence in significant distortion with moving subjects.

Silent shutter way is probable to result in significant distortion with moving subjects

Full-width 4K video takes around 26.5ms, which is comparable with the other models in its class. Like near of its rivals, it's likely the camera is dropping to 12-bit readout for video way, but the procedure of downsampling from 7K to 4K should reduce noise and hence prevent DR dropping to ~12EV. 60p footage has a rolling shutter rate of around 12.8ms, which is low plenty to avert distortion of all but the fastest movement.

Autofocus system updates

In terms of autofocus, the improvements over the a7 Three should be fairly meaning, not then much because of the promise to focus in conditions that are ane stop darker (–4EV with an F2 lens) but because that photographic camera was one of the concluding Sonys that didn't integrate Heart AF into its main AF system, and relied on a much more than primitive AF tracking organisation. The a7 Three could detect human eyes, simply it couldn't seamlessly and dependably switch between eye, confront and torso tracking if you set the photographic camera to focus on a person.

The a7 IV does exactly this, and has modes that tin can detect and more than accurately track animals, including birds, dogs and cats. For the first time, these animal detection capabilities extend to the camera'southward video mode, too.

In addition, even with subjects the camera hasn't been trained to recognize, the a7 Four uses pattern detection, subject color and brightness to help it stay focused on the subject you selected.

The a7 Four even so offers a boundless array of AF area modes (including 'tracking' variants of each), simply you can at to the lowest degree disable all the ones yous don't utilize. The tracking versions are unavailable in video mode: instead, y'all tap the rear screen to select a subject for the AF to follow.

The simplicity of the system makes it difficult to convey but how effective information technology is. But similar Canon'south latest AF system, you need only bespeak to the photographic camera what you want to focus on and it'll employ the nigh appropriate of its powerful AF algorithms to maximize your hitting charge per unit. Until you lot've used a system like this, or the comparable ane in recent Canon cameras, it's difficult to appreciate how powerful, reliable and simple they can be.

Video

Movie mode gets its ain switch, rather than existence office of the exposure manner punch. A bill of fare selection in the setup menu lets you choose which settings are carried over and which are maintained separately for stills and video.

Breathing compensation

The a7 Iv adds a Breathing Compensation way that crops and resizes the video to cancel out any change in a lens's angle-of-view (AoV) as it focuses. The way only works with select Sony lenses (all the GM lenses and some G series glass), as the camera needs a profile of the breathing characteristics. Video is cropped to match and maintain the narrowest AoV that might occur if you lot focused from minimum focus distance to infinity, significant there's no distracting change of framing every bit you refocus.

After autofocus, the biggest area of improvement is in terms of video capability. The a7 III was the first a7 model to offer 4K capture. Its implementation was pretty good for early 2018, with oversampled 24p capture from the total width of its sensor just a crop required for 30p shooting. All footage was captured in 8-bit precision, at relatively modest bitrates.

The a7 Iv moves things forward considerably, calculation ten-bit capture to increase the processing flexibility of Log footage and to allow full Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) capture for playback on HDR TVs.

Information technology also gains the ability to shoot 4K/60p for action capture or slow-mo work, but this requires a ingather to APS-C/Super 35 dimensions. This footage comes from a 4.6K region. There are too options to employ H.265 compression (XAVC HS) and apply the S-Cinetone color profile.

Centre AF and the improved tracking system are now available in video manner, which should substantially increment the caste to which yous tin can depend on autofocus staying on your chosen subject. As in stills shooting way, the photographic camera has been trained to recognize humans, animals and birds.

A menu option lets you make up one's mind which settings behave over from stills to video and which maintain independent values. You can choose from: Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, Exposure Comp, Metering Manner, White Balance, Picture Profile and Focus Manner. Information technology's well worth setting this up when yous first start shooting with the camera, so you can just flip the Stills/Video switch when you desire to jump between shooting styles.

Live streaming

A fully articulating screen can exist useful for waist-level shooting, vlogging or selfies. It also allows y'all to monitor the camera if you're using its streaming style.

The a7 IV likewise offers the ability to live stream video over its USB connectedness using the audio and video standards (UVC/UAC) that are part of the USB standard. This allows a choice of HD or FullHD resolutions with FullHD bachelor at up to 60fps. There's also a 4K option but this merely supports xv frames per 2d, which gives a dreadful finish-motion look to the footage. Connexion is designed to be every bit simple every bit possible, using the Imaging Border Webcam software for Mac or PC. A connectedness via smartphone is also possible, though audio may not be available at resolutions above Hd (720).

HEIF x-bit stills

The a7 Four gains the ability to capture 10-chip compressed images, rather than but the 8-bit JPEGs historically offered. Unlike Canon, which but uses HEIF capture for HDR images, the Sony lets you shoot standard DR images in x-bit, with a choice of iv:2:ii or 4:2:0 chroma sub-sampling, if you tin can find benefit to doing so.

The downside of this added flexibility is that you need to engage HEIF capture earlier yous can engage the Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) color/gamma mode, rather than having both settings alter to match one some other. It'due south worth trying, though: images shot in HLG can testify much more of the camera'southward dynamic range to give a much more lifelike version of your image if viewed with an HDR-capable TV.

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How it compares

The a7 IV becomes the almost expensive iteration of the a7 model yet, with a price that makes it amid the most expensive of its peers. We've lined it upwardly next to the similarly priced EOS R6 and the significantly cheaper Nikon Z6 Ii. Panasonic'south Lumix DC-S5, which we didn't have space to include, offers a pretty similar video spec (10-bit 4K capture, including 60p from its APS-C crop) only its autofocus isn't quite as effective. Like the Nikon, though, it'south markedly less expensive.

We've included the a7 Iii to evidence what the a7 4 gains over its predecessor but there'southward also the smaller, less expensive a7C that shares almost of its specs with the a7 Three. The merely major deviation is that the a7 C has a slower flash sync speed and a smaller simply college resolution viewfinder. The a7C has a newer AF system than the a7 III, and so its performance and usability will exist a lilliputian more like that of the new camera.

Sony a7 IV Catechism EOS R6 Nikon Z6 2 Sony a7 Iii
MSRP at launch $2499 $2499 $1999 $1999
Pixel count 33MP 20MP 24MP 24MP
Sensor tech BSI-CMOS CMOS BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
AF system On-Sensor PDAF

Dual Pixel
(On-sensor PDAF)

On-sensor PDAF On-sensor PDAF
Paradigm stabilization 5-axis 5-axis + sync with lens IS 5-axis 5-axis
CIPA rating Up to v.5EV Up to 8EV Up to 5EV Upward to 5EV
Maximum frame rate 10 fps (lossy Raw) 12 fps mech shutter
20 fps electronic
12 fps
(14 fps*)
10 fps
Wink Sync speed 1/250 sec 1/250 sec** 1/200 sec 1/250 sec
Viewfinder
res / mag
3.69M dots
/0.78x
3.68M dots
/ 0.76x
iii.68M dots
/ 0.80x
2.36M dots / 0.78x
Rear screen one.04M fully-articulated touchscreen 1.62M-dot fully articulated touchscreen 2.1M-dot tilting touchscreen 0.92M-dot tilting touchscreen
Pinnacle-plate settings display No No Yes No
Video capture UHD 4K 30p
(total sensor)
UHD 4K 60p
(one.5x Crop)
UHD 4K 60p
(1.05x crop)
UHD 4K 30p
(full sensor)
UHD 4K 60p
(1.5x Crop)
UHD 4K 24p
(full sensor)
UHD 4K 30p
(ane.2x Crop)
Log/HDR modes Southward-Log2 / 3 / HLG
10-bit internal

C-Log
HDR PQ
10-fleck Internal

North-Log
HLG
ten-chip (HDMI)

Due south-Log2 / 3 / HLG
eight-flake Internal
Retentivity cards 1x CFe Type A / UHS-2 SD
1x UHS-Ii SD
Dual UHS-II SD 1x CFexpress B
1x SD (UHS-Ii)
1x UHS-II SD
1x UHS-I SD
Battery life (CIPA) LCD/EVF 580 / 520 510 / 380 410 / 340 710 / 610
USB-charging Yeah Yes Yes Yes
Dimensions 131 ten 96 ten fourscore mm 138 x 98 x 88 mm 134 x 101 10 68 mm 127 10 96 10 74 mm
Weight (CIPA) 659 g 680 thou 675 g 650 1000

* When shooting 12-bit Raw using a single AF point
** In electronic get-go-mantle fashion: 1/200th with mechanical shutter

This table should make clear that the a7 Iv is well specced, but non to the point of standing out from its less expensive rivals. Every bit such, it's going to be the existent-world functioning of the AF system, the caste of rolling shutter in its 4K footage, and its power to maintain its 10fps flare-up rate for many hundreds of images that will need to set it apart.

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Body and controls

The shoulder dial (with the toggle-lock shown in its unlocked state) controls exposure comp by default, but is now unmarked and tin be set to control other functions.

The a7 4 appears to share its body with the a7S III, which offers a serial of refinements over the previous a7 model. The grip is slightly deeper, the joystick on the back is improved and in that location's a full-size Blazon A HDMI socket on the side of the photographic camera.

A further improvement over the a7S III is the movement to an unmarked lockable punch on the shoulder of the camera, meaning it can exist re-purposed if you don't shoot in a style that requires exposure compensation.

There'due south also a fully-articulating rear screen. These aren't to anybody's taste just let video, vlogging and selfie shooting in a manner that a tilt-out screen doesn't.

Both of the a7 IV'due south slots accept SD cards (up to UHS-2 type), with the top slot too having an inner recess that accepts CFexpress Type A cards. At that place's only 1 slow-mo video fashion that requires the use of CFexpress cards: everything else can exist written to V90 SD cards.

The a7 4 however offers twin card slots: both have UHS-II SD cards with the upper one besides able to take i of Sony's minor CFexpress Type A cards, which can maintain much faster write speeds than the fastest SD cards (typically 400MB/s minimum sustained write, vs 90MB/s minimum sustained write for V90 SD cards).

Improved UI

More than the ergonomic changes, we're delighted to see the a7 Four gain the improved menus and expanded touchscreen utilization first seen in the a7S Iii. The menus now have their section tabs down the left-hand side of the screen, pregnant you lot're only ever a click or so abroad from beingness able to jump between tabs. They're also bear upon sensitive, so yous may not need to click or nudge annihilation at all.

This layout makes the menus much quicker to navigate, as do sub-section headings inside each tab. The system differs from previous Sony cameras but the underlying relationships between settings remain the same, so it shouldn't take too long to familiarize yourself with the new organisation if you're an existing Sony user.

Constant smartphone connection

Sony has offered Bluetooth on its cameras for many years just has used it solely for transferring location information from smartphones. The a7 4 adds a abiding-connection pick of the type offered past most of its rivals. This means you lot only take to pair the camera with your smartphone once, after which they will automatically re-found a Bluetooth Low Free energy connection, making it much quicker and simpler to transfer images to your phone.

Closable shutter

The a7 IV gains the ability to close its mechanical shutter when the camera is turned off, helping to prevent dust build-upward on the sensor. Shutter blades tend to exist very lightweight, which also means they can be pretty fragile, then this should be seen as dust prevention, rather than a physical protection mensurate.

Battery

The a7 IV uses the same NP-FZ100 battery as the a7 3 and other more recent Sony cameras. It'southward a usefully hefty unit that, combined with the relatively pocket-size viewfinder res, lets the a7 IV achieve a CIPA bombardment life rating of 580 shots per accuse using the rear screen and 520 shots per charge using the EVF.

Equally e'er, these figures are more useful for comparing cameras, rather than getting an idea of exactly how many shots y'all'll get (in our feel, getting double the rated number isn't unusual with a new battery). We tend to find a rating of over 500 shots per accuse means not really having to worry almost battery life in anything merely the most intensive pro sports or nuptials shoots.

As you might await of a new camera, the a7 Four can be either charged or powered over its USB-C socket.

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Initial impressions

Published 22 Oct 2021

Much has changed in the eight years since the original a7 was launched: with Sony at present far from alone in offer a modern full-frame mirrorless camera. Applied science has fabricated huge leaps forwards, also, with autofocus, in particular, improving in terms of speed, sophistication and simplicity, to the indicate that no 1 would now suggest DSLRs retain the upper hand.

Sony's move to bigger batteries has had a huge touch on its cameras' usability, and its ergonomics and user interface have been radically improved with each iteration. The video features have also expanded significantly, with the quaternary a7 model bringing the series back into line with its competitors.

Sony FE 35mm F1.viii | F3.5 | one/160 sec | ISO 100
Photograph: Richard Butler

What's conspicuously changed, in the meantime, is the positioning. The original a7 was launched at what was then a record low price for a full-frame photographic camera: $1700, body just. Even taking inflation into account, that'd still be a hair under $2000 in today'due south money. The a7 IV's price is a significant increment over this, and it'southward notable that Sony now offers the a7C for more toll or size-conscious buyers. This provision of a relatively upwardly-to-date sis model, rather than simply lowering the prices on outdated models is a welcome change. The a7C might not have the improved menus of the a7 IV but it doesn't feel equally unrefined and clunky as the Marks I and 2 do, by comparison to the latest cameras.

Owners of the kickoff two a7 models, and even some a7R series users are likely to be stunned by how far the serial has come in the by few years

This movement allows the a7 Iv to address the needs of more dedicated enthusiasts and makes it a straight competitor to Canon's very likable EOS R6. On paper, at to the lowest degree, it doesn't arrive across the Canon, though, so it'll be interesting to encounter how they compare in real-globe utilise. Of course, if Sony decides to continue the a7 3 at a lower price, the waters become significantly muddier*. The a7 Three's autofocus is recognizably more than a generation behind the new camera, only it isn't fabricated to look similar a piece of work-in-progress, the way that the older models were when the Mark Iii arrived. The a7 III still does very well at most of the things the a7 4 does, which could undermine the effort to push button the series upmarket.

*As of Feb 2022, the a7 Iii is still bachelor but the price hasn't been reduced.

Sony seems very bully to say that the a7 Iv has gained many of its improvements from the flagship a1, which we remember risks implying a closer connection than really exists. While it is not untrue that the a7 Iv has some features that arrived with the a1, the new camera doesn't have the Stacked CMOS sensor that provides the brute power underpinning the a1's performance. In many instances, it'southward fairer to point out that the a7 4'southward features are shared with the video-centric a7S III. Nevertheless not a bad thing to be able to merits, but perhaps setting more realistic expectations, in terms of how much star quality yous expect to rub off on the more mass-marketplace model.

Overall the a7 4 looks to exist a very capable camera: one with much-enhanced video and more sophisticated autofocus. For newcomers, the increased cost, an assortment of credible rivals and the high bar ready by the a7 III means it's going to have its work cut out if it's to stand out in the fashion earlier a7 models did. However, owners of the starting time two a7 models, and even some a7R serial users, are probable to be stunned by how far the series has come in the by few years.

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Image Quality

Studio test scene

Our test scene is designed to simulate a diverseness of textures, colors and detail types you'll come across in the real world. It also has 2 illumination modes to see the effect of unlike lighting conditions.


The first affair that should be apparent is that the a7 IV'southward 33MP sensor tin can capture a lot of detail and, as we saw in our real-globe samples, JPEG color that'southward directly comparable with the best of its peers. The higher pixel count, combined with Sony'southward JPEG sharpening makes more of the fine item than its rivals. Moiré makes an appearance, but it'southward not overwhelming, which suggests there is an anti-aliasing filter, but peradventure not an especially aggressive one.

Every bit nosotros'd look, the smaller pixels hateful more noise if you view the images at full pixel resolution, merely this deviation is all but eliminated if you lot look at the images scaled to the same size. Push on to the higher ISO and the dissonance levels starting time to creep upwards, beyond the levels of its immediate rivals, though.

Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 G2 VXD @ 75mm | ISO 1000 | 1/160 | F8.0
Processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw
Photo: Richard Butler

This additional noise can't solely exist blamed on the pixel count, though, since information technology'south a fraction noisier than some of its higher resolution peers. Overall this is a expert, but not ground-breaking, performance with detail capture appearing to exist the a7 IV's potent suit.

True HDR images

The a7 4 joins the ranks of cameras that can shoot images for HDR displays, capturing a wider range of tones and displaying them in a way that looks more natural. It uses its ability to shoot 10-bit HEIF files to capture HDR images using the Hybrid Log Gamma standard. For now, you'll need to connect the camera to an HDR TV via HDMI to see the results properly.

Notation that you'll need to plough off Raw capture then select HEIF files, then engage 'HLG Still Image' mode if you desire this to work. Only shooting HEIF files and using the HLG picture profile won't piece of work. Sadly yous can't shoot Raw and HEIF, and at that place'south no in-photographic camera Raw conversion selection to generate an HLG HEIF from any Raws you've shot.



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Autofocus

Autofocus is such a broad subject, with unlike subjects requiring different modes and different photographers preferring different approaches, that it's almost incommunicable to give a comprehensive and definitive assessment of its functioning. We take used the camera in a variety of situations and with different lenses but cannot cover every aspect of the camera's performance.

Social and everyday photography

Similar an increasing number of recent cameras, the a7 IV has an AF system that used machine-learning to teach it how to recognize certain types of subjects and optimize which focus betoken is chosen for these subjects. It builds this subject-recognition system into its main AF organization and volition switch betwixt subject-aware and generic (not-recognition-based) tracking, as needed.

This means that in Wide area AF fashion (where the camera chooses the subject), it'll tend to prioritize whatsoever face information technology can see in the frame. Just it also means that if you select one of the 'tracking' AF modes or tap the rear screen, you can select which person in the scene you wish to focus on.

The a7 IV makes information technology very easy to go the face of your called bailiwick in focus. But we found a lot of the images it takes are very fractionally front-focused. It's something that only really becomes noticeable if y'all apply a very wide discontinuity and look very closely at the results, but it's not quite as pinpoint accurate as the previous generation of Sony cameras.

Image shot using an a7 IV running firmware v1.01

Sony FE 85mm F1.viii | ISO 100 | 1/1000 | F1.8
Photograph: Richard Butler

If y'all've selected a person in this mode the photographic camera will determinedly track that person, even if that person looks away. Fifty-fifty when we placed some other person closer to the camera and nearer the middle of the frame, information technology continued to track our subject, fifty-fifty when they looked completely abroad and the camera could no longer run into their face or eye.

Generic subject tracking also seems more 'sticky' and dependable than on previous generations (the AF arrangement now uses more information about color, shape and altitude to identify the bailiwick you'd selected). And, even with the 'Face/Center Priority in AF' menu setting engaged, the camera doesn't give too much emphasis to faces: y'all can select a point of focus quite near an identified face without the photographic camera bold that you wanted to focus on it, rather than the object you selected.

However, we did find that the a7 4 can tend to very slightly front-focus when using Face/Eye detection, leaving the eye-lashes perfectly in focus only the student very slightly soft. This isn't going to be an issue for everyday social photography, but if you're trying to shoot portraits with shallow depth-of-field, the a7 Iv doesn't seem to be quite every bit dependably authentic as the previous generation of Sony cameras.

Firmware v1.01 for the a7 4 included the promise that it 'improves the accuracy of the Center AF characteristic,' merely we establish we notwithstanding got better results using manual focus than with the Heart AF focusing.

Autofocus Summary

Based on our experiences, Sony's AF system is very powerful and very easy to utilise, giving little reason to jump between many of its (frankly overwhelming) selection of AF expanse modes. We found leaving the camera in AF-C with a medium-sized flexible (tracking) AF point and Face/Eye priority turned on performed very, very well in all but the well-nigh demanding of circumstances.

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Video

With the add-on of 4K capture at upward to 60p and ten-bit video lending greater flexibility to Log footage (and allowing full HLG capture for HDR TVs), the a7 IV is a much more powerful video camera than its predecessors.

The add-on of 60p capture is another step forward for videographers who want to more than accurately be able to capture fast motion or to provide some loftier-res slow-motion footage in a 24, 25 or 30p projection. The 60p mode is only available from the Super35/APS-C region of the sensor. At that place's a tiny bit of oversampling going on (it'southward a 4.6K chunk of the sensor) but information technology's not going to be quite as detailed as the total-width footage taken from 7K capture. The APS-C crop, along with the faster shutter speeds yous're likely to use for 60p capture are (unless you can open up up your discontinuity to compensate) going to impose a noise penalisation on the 4K/60p output, which is worth being aware of.

The a7 IV's breathing compensation mode is useful if yous're primarily planning on shooting with loftier-end Sony lenses, meaning that your field of view won't shift as the lenses focus. Even when making extreme corrections on the likes of the 50mm F1.2, the impact of cropping and rescaling the footage isn't obvious.

More useful to more people is likely to be the 'Focus Map' view, which gives a unproblematic, colour-coded impression of how much depth-of-field your currently-chosen discontinuity is giving. Given the pick, we'd prefer the addition of either waveforms or false color displays to make it easier to optimize exposure (particularly when shooting Log footage), but it'due south certainly a useful add-on.

Video Stabilization

The a7 IV offers ii levels of stabilization: Standard and Active. Standard uses the camera's in-trunk stabilization (or lets a stabilized lens take over some kinds of correction), whereas Active crops in and adds a level of digital correction likewise.

The Standard way helps shine out some manus motion if you're trying to imitate a 'locked-off' (tripod-style shot with no move), while Agile gives something closer to a static shot.

However, despite the name, the active style doesn't do especially well if you try to motility while the camera is recording. The a7 Four records its gyro sensor readings aslope the footage, letting you apply postal service-shot correction using Sony'southward Catalyst software, letting you lot employ more stabilization in exchange for a more substantial crop, just we've found this to be quite a time-consuming process, that we'd probably only use in extremis.

Video Summary

The a7 IV's video capabilities bring it dorsum into competition with the capabilities offered by the likes of Panasonic and Catechism, and its autofocus makes it easier to use. We constitute its prototype stabilization isn't as effective at smoothing out intentional cameras movements, but overall it'due south an extremely good video camera.

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Conclusion

Things we like Things we don't
  • Adept image quality in both stills and video
  • Simple, powerful AF organisation
  • Decent dynamic range gives flexible Raw files
  • 10-flake video delivers useful processing flexibility
  • Improved ergonomics
  • Extensive customization
  • USB-PD support for charging or operation
  • Eye detection seems less authentic than previous cameras
  • Rear screen is adequately depression resolution
  • Video stabilization struggles with intentional camera move
  • Burst rate drops from 10fps to 6fps if you want full-DR Raw
  • Some options and settings are needlessly complex
  • No option to re-process Raw images in-camera

The Sony a7 IV is the most expensive model in its series so far, but information technology'due south also the most capable.

The a7 4's prototype quality is extremely good, with excellent levels of detail, all-encompassing dynamic range and bonny JPEG color. However, it's not significantly improved over its predecessor or its rivals: you'll get more detail in low ISO situations but this small proceeds seems to come up with slight decreases in dynamic range and high ISO noise performance. The margins are tiny but it's hard to see a net benefit to the new flake.

Autofocus is powerful and tin can be very simple to use. For a majority of subjects, you tin can just betoken an AF betoken at your subject (or permit the camera cull one), and be confident that the camera will track information technology and put focus in the right identify. We become the sense that it's not quite as pinpoint accurate as the previous generation of models when it comes to focusing on eyes, just it's much quicker and easier to use.

The a7 IV is capable of excellent prototype quality, and its abiding Bluetooth connection makes it easy to transfer images from the camera to your smartphone if y'all're away from your calculator.

Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 G2 VXD @ 28mm | ISO 1000 | 1/xxx | F8.0
Photograph: Richard Butler

Video is similarly impressive, with a host of tools to support high-quality video capture. While video industry-standard features such as waveforms are absent-minded, the a7 IV makes solo shooting easier past extending its impressive AF capabilities to video fashion. Only the slightly jerky stabilization counts confronting what is otherwise a very powerful photographic camera.

The a7 IV's extensive customization and power come up at the toll of complexity, though. Once you've explored the camera and configured it the way yous want, you can ignore much of what lurks in the menus and merely get out and shoot. Merely the ability to define virtually every behavior can exist overwhelming. Even as an experienced enthusiast shooter, information technology was the simplicity of the AF system I appreciated much more the all-encompassing (excessive?) level of customization the camera offers.

In the space of eight years, the a7 series has gone from being a depression-cost full-frame camera with rough edges and autofocus that lagged its DSLR peers to producing one of the virtually all-around capable cameras we've ever used. There are few photograph or video activities the a7 Iv can't plow its hand to, comfortably.

Competition in this space is fierce, with Nikon and Panasonic making very capable, less expensive cameras, and Canon's EOS R6 going toe-to-toe with the Sony in almost respects. Dig deep plenty, though and the ways in which the Sony stands out kickoff to add together up. It'southward enough to wrest the crown from the R6, which is likewise enough for information technology to earn a Gold honour.

Scoring

Scoring is relative merely to the other cameras in the same category. Click hither to learn about what these numbers mean.

See as well:

  • Sony a7 IV vs Sony a7 III
  • Sony a7 Iv vs Canon EOS R6
  • Sony a7 IV vs Sony a7R III

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Sample Gallery

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