Introduction
The Sony a7R IV is an extremely high-resolution camera with a 61-megapixel full-frame sensor. Most of the video, and autofocus capabilities the camera has is the same as its predecessor Sony a7R III. The Sony Alpha 7R IV has improved ergonomics, refined controls, and camera grip. It has one of the best electronic viewfinders, and an excellent autofocusing and tracking system.
Sony a7R IV Key Specifications
- 61-megapixel back-side illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor.
- Burst shooting of 10fps
- ISO 100–32000
- 5.76M dot OLED electronic viewfinder
- 1.44M dots touch screen LCD
- Excellent AF tracking system
- S-Log 2, S-Log 3 and ‘HLG’ picture profiles
- Full-frame 4k video, and Super 35 mode with 4K/24P (1.6x crop) and 4K/30P (1.8x crop)
- Pixel shift with 4 or 16 shots super high-resolution modes
- Weather sealed
- Dual UHS-II card slots
- Weighs approx. 665 g with battery and memory card
- Dimension (W X H X D) – Approx. 128.9 mm x 96.4 mm x 77.5 mm
Sony a7R IV – Body, Handling, and Performance
The a7R IV has major ergonomic changes which make the handling of the camera great. It now has a much more usable joystick, a large AF-ON button, an improved front control dial, and the ON and OFF switch. The Sony Alpha 7R IV has incredible weather sealing and a comfortable deep grip which is especially helpful while doing hand-held shots with larger lenses.
Like the Panasonic YS1 and the Fuji GFX 100, the Sony a7R Mark IV has new 5.76M dots and a very sharp electronic viewfinder. It is one of the best electronic viewfinders you can find out there in the market.
The back panel LCD is 1.44M dots having an adjustable angle of approximately 107 degrees up, and approximately 41 degrees down.
This Sony camera has dual card slots and supports UHS-II.
Autofocus and Photography Performance
The Sony a7R Mark IV has a 61-megapixel back-side illuminated 35mm full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor. The performance at high ISOs is really good. The rolling shutter on the Sony Alpha 7R IV is severe in electronic shutter mode which is not a good thing to have while doing high-speed, sports, or wildlife photography.
Sony a7R IV is a high-resolution camera with an excellent autofocusing system. Sony’s real-time tracking is highly impressive and has subject tracking, face, and eye detection, and tracking capabilities. The camera is quick and ensures it does a great job moving from face to eye detection as soon as it sees a person or an animal.
The camera also has Sony’s pixel shift. While using this feature the camera takes multiple shots. During this process the Pixel shift allows the camera sensor to shift slightly after each shot. Due to this, every single pixel in the sensor gets a chance to accurately record red, green, and blue. These are then stacked to create a super high-resolution and sharp image. This Sony camera has another advancement within this feature where, unlike 4 shots, the Sony a7R Mark IV can now shoot and stack 16 images. However, there is no way to preview these images within the camera and you will have to see the final image in Sony’s Image Edge software. Using this feature won’t be ideal while shooting moving objects within the scene like clouds, water, or trees, as it can create a motion artifact.
Video
Most of the video capabilities remain unchanged in the Sony a7R Mark IV compared to the Sony a7R III. The differences come down to the sensor this Sony camera has. We get a full-frame readout, just like the Sony a7R III, however, to get the best quality you need to switch to the super 35 mode. One thing to note is that you get a crop while using the Super 35 mode. When shooting in super 35 at 4K/24P you get a crop of 1.6x and 1.8x when shooting at 4K/30P.
The picture profiles in Sony Alpha 7R IV are the same as Sony a7R III as well i.e., HLG, S-Log, and S-Log 3. The autofocusing performance is great in video too. You not only get eye detection AF but also real-time tracking. The tracking system is impressive and intelligent and does an incredible job of shifting focus from subject to face to eye. Overall, these features make the a7R IV a highly capable video camera.
Battery Performance
The Sony a7R Mark IV uses an NP-FZ100 battery which has an excellent battery life and can be charged with USB.
Battery life for still images using the electronic viewfinder is approx. 530 shots, and approx. 670 shots using the back panel LCD. On the other hand, the battery life for movie, actual recording is approx. 90 mins using the viewfinder and 105 mins using the LCD.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Super high-resolution
- Good battery life
- Dual card slots compatible with UHS-II
- Improved weather sealing
- Refined controls and better customizations
- Pixel Shift mode
- In-camera charging
- Excellent AF system and capabilities
- Improved ergonomics and deep camera grip
- 5.76M dots high-resolution electronic viewfinder
- Burst mode of 10fps
- 4K video with amazing AF tracking
Cons
- Tilt only LCD
- The touch screen can be improved
- High-resolution heavy files slow down the buffer-clearing
- Cumbrous Pixel Shift workflow
- Motion artifacts while using Pixel Shift for moving subjects
- No built-in flash
Comparison
| Sony a7R IV | Canon EOS R6 Mark II | Sony a7R III | |
| Price | $3500 | $2500 | $3200 |
| Pixel | 61-megapixels | 24-megapixels | 42.4-megapixels |
| Burst speed | E – 10fps | M – 12fps | E – 40fps | M – 10fps |
| Video | Full-frame 4K & cropped Super 35 mode | 4K/60P no crop | 4K/30p |
| IBIS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EVF | 5.76M dots | 3.68M dots | 3.68M dots |
| LCD | 1.44M dots tilt touchscreen | 1.62M-dot fully articulated touchscreen | 1.44M dots tilt touchscreen |
| Joystick | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Card slots | Dual UHS-II | Dual UHS-II | Dual, one UHS-II and one UHS-I |
| Dimensions | 128.9 x 96.4 x 77.5 mm | 138.4 x 98.4 x 88.4mm | 127 x 96 x 74 mm |
| Weight | 665g | 670g | 657g |
Conclusion
The Sony a7R IV proves itself to be a highly capable photo and video camera. The camera has amazing features like a high-resolution 61-megapixel, an excellent AF tracking system in both stills and video, a high-res electronic viewfinder, and so on. It would not be the best option for shooting high-speed, action, sports, or wildlife due to the large file size that takes up the storage and slows down the buffer clearing. However, it is a great choice for someone into the landscape, event, product, studio, or wedding photography.
