Sony Alpha 7 IV | Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera ( 33MP, Real-time autofocus, 10 fps, 4K60p, Vari-angle touch screen, Large capacity Z battery ), Black

Product Information

I don’t think anyone was buying the base Alpha 7 models specifically for video before, but now that’s likely to change. The Alpha 7 IV makes a giant leap into 4K 60p 10-bit 4:2:2 All-Intra video. Recording at 4K 60p, the frame is cropped to Super 35 but there’s no pixel binning in the readout. At 4K 24p and 30p, it’s a 7K oversampled full-frame readout with no pixel binning. Perhaps if you had read my comment more carefully and less emotionally, you would have noticed that I did not call out Sony specifically. I was careful to direct my inquiry toward "pro-level cameras costing thousands of dollars" because it is *not* just a Sony thing.

IV vs A7 III: the 12 key differences | Digital Camera Sony A7 IV vs A7 III: the 12 key differences | Digital Camera

The Sony A7 IV might look like a clone of its predecessor, but there are quite a few subtle upgrades that collectively make it a much more enjoyable camera to use. In the space of eight years, the a7 series has gone from being a low-cost full-frame camera with rough edges and autofocus that lagged its DSLR peers to producing one of the most all-around capable cameras we've ever used. There are few photo or video activities the a7 IV can't turn its hand to, comfortably. One additional bonus on top of the A7 IV is Sony's Multi-Interface hotshoe. This means you can plug in external microphones like Sony's ECM-B1M and ECM-W2BT without needing any extra cables or a power source. It's another big string to the A7 IV's video-shooting bow, compared to its predecessor. The a7 IV adds a Breathing Compensation mode that crops and resizes the video to cancel out any change in a lens's angle-of-view (AoV) as it focuses. The mode 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 focused from minimum focus distance to infinity, meaning there's no distracting change of framing as you refocus.Your PC or smartphone OS must be compatible with UVC/UAC to use this functionality. Among smartphones, operation has been verified with the Xperia Pro, Xperia 1 II, Xperia 1 III, Xperia 5 II and Xperia 5 III (latest firmware required) for Android™ 11 or later (As of Oct 2021). Compatibility with other smartphones depends on manufacturers’ specifications. A commercially available USB cable and/or terminal adaptor may be used to connect to equipment with a USB Type-C port. Audio will not be available when the camera is connected to an Xperia smartphone via the USB Type-C® connector using a USB 3.0 cable, and resolution is set to 1920 x 1080 or above. Audio will be available if resolution is set to HD720. Resolution is limited to 1280 x 720 when connecting via the USB Type-C® connector or Multi/Micro USB connector using a USB 2.0 cable. Still images: 1/8000 to 30 s, Bulb, Movies: 1/8000 to 1/4 (1/3 steps), up to 1/50 in AUTO mode (up to 1/25 in Auto slow shutter mode) For me the camera is a gold because it gives me the tilt-and-swivel screen, the battery, the twin card slots and the lifeline to carry on using all my legacy A mount glass via an affordable adapter. But the news is slightly more mixed when it comes to the A7 IV's card slots. Unlike the Sony A7 III, it does now have a CFexpress Type A slot. These newer cards give you write speeds of up to 700MB/s, which effectively gives you an unlimited buffer during continuously shooting. But CFexpress Type A cards are also rarer and pricier than the Type B cards favored by Nikon, Canon and Panasonic, so you'll have to weigh up whether you really need them. Speedy UHS-II SD cards may well be enough for you, and A7 IV's second card slot does only support SD cards. Sony A7 IV review: features and autofocus

Sony α7R IV Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera | ILCE-7RM4 Sony α7R IV Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera | ILCE-7RM4

The simplicity of the system makes it difficult to convey just how effective it is. But like Canon's latest AF system, you need only indicate to the camera what you want to focus on and it'll use the most appropriate of its powerful AF algorithms to maximize your hit rate. Until you've used a system like this, or the comparable one in recent Canon cameras, it's difficult to appreciate how powerful, reliable and simple they can be. Video In theory, an EVF should be more WYSIWYG than an optical viewfinder. Here, though, the A7 IV has captured a far wider range of tones than the EVF suggested, especially in the shadows. (Image credit: Rod Lawton)

Sony A7 IV Mirrorless Camera

There are two control dials, two buttons, the mode dial and the shutter release on the top of the camera to the right of the viewfinder. It sounds a lot, but it's all well spaced and accessible. (Image credit: Rod Lawton/Digital Camera World) output. Compatibility is not guaranteed with all USB PD devices. The internal battery will not be charged while camera power is ON and the camera is in use.

Sony Alpha 7 IV Full-frame Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Sony Alpha 7 IV Full-frame Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens

And I was also willing to accept that there was some variable I was not considering, which is why I asked a question, instead of just making a flat-out accusation. Looking at the competition in a similar price range, Canon has the EOS R6 that shoots 20.1-megapixel photos, has 1,053 phase-detect autofocus points over Sony’s 759, and autofocus sensitivity down to -6.5 EV over the Sony’s -5 EV. It can even record 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 video internally, too. Other positive changes I noted regarding continuous shooting that has only more recently been fixed in the latest Sony cameras includes the ability to move the spot focus point as the shutter button is held down, and crop mode can be switched when the camera is clearing the buffer. Autofocus The Alpha 7 IV can shoot compressed RAW files continuously at eight frames per second in Hi mode, or up to 10 frames per second in the Hi+ mode. Like many other Sony Alpha cameras, Hi+ mode does not show a live feed through the EVF, rather it looks like a slide show of images that are slightly behind the real-life action. For that reason, I always choose Hi over Hi+. Perhaps the only slight disappointment is that the A7 IV's 4K/60p mode is only available with a 'Super 35' crop (which is similar in size to an APS-C sensor). Naturally, Sony wants video shooters to upgrade to cameras like the Sony A7S III, but that might still be a slight disappointment to those who were hoping for a completely uncompromising hybrid camera.Note that you'll need to turn off Raw capture then select HEIF files, then engage 'HLG Still Image' mode if you want this to work. Simply shooting HEIF files and using the HLG picture profile won't work. Sadly you can't shoot Raw and HEIF, and there's no in-camera Raw conversion option to generate an HLG HEIF from any Raws you've shot. This premium may lead many photographers and videographers to think twice before hitting the 'buy' button, particularly as lower-powered but impressive alternatives like the Nikon Z5 are less than half the price. 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, the a7 IV makes solo shooting easier by extending its impressive AF capabilities to video mode. Only the slightly jerky stabilization counts against what is otherwise a very powerful camera.