Sony a7 IV First Impressions Review

The Sony a7 IV is finally here! We review all the important stuff: image quality, video specs, autofocus, overheating, handling and more! We also look at how the a7 IV fits into the Sony lineup, alongside the a7 III.
See full resolution Sony a7 IV sample photos from this episode:
www.dpreview.com/sample-galle...
Available for Purchase At: fave.co/3JHZp2k
0:00 - Intro
1:33 - Low light samples
2:18 - Handling and controls
3:55 - Displays
5:25 - Daylight samples
6:02 - Burst shooting and buffer
7:02 - Autofocus
8:05 - Video quality
10:10 - Video autofocus
10:48 - Video stabilization
11:26 - Breathing compensation
12:46 - Focus Map tool
13:17 - Streaming
14:24 - Overheating
15:46 - Image quality
17:08 - a7 IV's place in the Sony lineup
17:59 - Compared to the competition
Music provided by BeatSuite.com
www.beatsuite.com
Rental equipment provided by The Camera Store
www.thecamerastore.com
-----------------------
DPReview.com is the world's largest digital camera review website. Welcome to our KZbin channel! Subscribe for new feature videos, reviews, interviews and more.
Discover the world's most in-depth digital camera reviews at www.dpreview.com

[@everydayisextra]

Can’t tell you guys how happy and thankful I am for this latest review in particular. It’s incredibly helpful to have that much depth of practical info right after official release announcement. I don’t live anywhere near a store where someone remotely as knowledgeable and experienced as you guys would be available to provide nearly as much valuable detail, let alone taking a camera for a quick spin. Therefore I’m profoundly thankful for the amazing service you provide on a constant basis! An hour ago I was basically ready to put in an order, now I have something to think about in terms of how significant these shortcomings with frame rates and rolling shutter might hit me in my foreseeable dealbreaker category thinking… Might just have to wait for (yet again) one more new version.

[@ronborkowski1721]

You guys rock. The more KZbin I watch the more I appreciate you. Thanks for keeping it real, upbeat, and down to earth.

[@aniketbhagat2425]

Jordan has such nice composition skills. All his shots of Chris taking photographs are so scenic and calming. And I always look forward to his Video comparison part more as he such as a calming personality and again, that fantastic composition.

[@inorogNL]

The 2 are simply best in game. For some reason remeber their first video I saw =pana gh2 review, many years ago.

[@JBoy340a]

Agreed. Also, whoever does the video and audio editing is top-notch.

[@Rafaelinux]

Yes! Totally, I loved Jordan's shots of Chris way more than Chris' resulting photo. Didn't want to say it, but now that I have backup, I'll agree! I think they abused the shallow depth of field talking heads shots on this review, though. It felt like floating, talking faces.

[@niccollsvideo]

@@Rafaelinux Yah but let's not forget he almost always has an amazing subject in his frame. That's a big advantage!

[@wylie_photo]

The colour grading in the video is really nice too, a great pastel palette with those warm autumnal colours. Like the recent video shot with the anamorphic lens, I am distracted by the video side rather than the camera / lens reviews!

[@akaydogan]

Great job on packing this preview with tons of information and valuable comparisons to other SONY models. Thanks guys!

[@derrickmickle5491]

Another great review. Particularly appreciated the attention on the Focus Map and focus breathing control features.

[@morimetz]

I have one minor correction, because Jordan complained about not being able to trigger AF Tracking while using the viewfinde. If the other Sony cameras are anything to go by you can totally use the touchpad function for that while using the viewfinder and it's amazing.

[@user-ch1lt1js1h]

f！「i

[@SJSquarePhotos]

Always love y'all review the most especially cause yall break down the photo and video review down so well!

Great video to watch! Thanks guys. As a semi professional a7 III user I preordered the IV. The things I wanted to have improved seem to be improved now: Even better AF, EVF-Resolution, Grip/Handling, Menu, Video and maybe some better colors. Nothing to complain here about. Sometimes I shoot sports events (snowboarding, mountainbiking) and I have never needed the highest frame rates so I think I will be happy with the new one. Only for discreet moments (quiet classical concerts, wedding/church) an improved electronic shutter (flicker) would have been nice but the overall package looks just great.

[@gregk6667]

Any improvement in the experience of using a long lens (say the 200-600)? One of the areas where Sony seems to lag is stabilizing the image seen through the EVF when you’re out at 500+ millimeters. Curious if they’ve improved that aspect with the new camera.

[@koneserali61]

This guy is someone every field needs to introduce their products

[@lhutton1]

Thank you for all the good work over the many years. I am looking forward to following you on your new adventures! Safe travels!!

[@djencode]

Coming out swinging! Love your guys' content!

[@39mdg92]

So me and my A7iii will be happily together for a few more years then :) Good thing I've bought a warranty extension that should last me until the release of the A7V. Flippy screen and the closed shutter for lens changes are great, but not enough to justify an upgrade.

[@F1REBEARD]

4K/60p video recording at 4:2:2 color depth in 10-bit? 4k30p is 7k oversampling? 33 MP in FF / 15 MP in crop mode? BIONZ XR processor, same as is used in A1 for sick AF performance? S-cinetone? Oled viewfinder which is almost 2x times the resolution of the A7III? new menues you find in the A7SIII and A1 etc.? Oh well, each of their own I guess. I find this a massive upgrade from A7III.

[@F1REBEARD]

As a response to my response (xD): i wasn't aware of the crop on 4K60 :/

[@ethan.hfilms126]

@@F1REBEARD yeah that was the deal breaker for me, I shoot a lot of real estate and Use wide angles so rip

[@scrollop]

I'd upgrade for the increase MP alone - own an a7rii at the moment, and couldn't live with less than 40 MP (for cropping) and have been waiting for the A7R V with hopefully better noise than the a7r iv

[@ReleaseYourHandbrake]

I like Chris' commentary. Makes me feel like I am watching a football match. :)

[@Elazarko]

Great detailed video! Thank you as always! A full comparison to the Canon R6 would be very helpful!

[@danzbeard]

This is the review I’ve been waiting for 👊🏼👍🏼

[@ChrisGower]

I'm a Fuji shooter, but the A7III's size and price appealed whenever I was tempted by Full Frame, but it always felt like it had been out longer than Sony cameras usually are before they're refreshed, so I swore I'd hold off until the A7IV dropped. Now it's *finally* here, it undoubtedly this looks like great tech, but the additional $500 is enough to remind me that the step up would be a real increase in spend - and bulk - that just doesn't really suit my shooting style for what I see as marginal differences (again, for my requirements). Looks nice and a good upgrade from the A7III if lacking a bit of wow factor.

[@Postman00]

On the other hand, I think It's absolutely the update hybrid shooters are looking for. 10-bit video has been sorely lacking in the middle of the a7 lineup. It might be an unpopular opinion here but I would have preferred a similar 24mp sensor but with a faster readout speed and FPS boost. I don't personally know any photographer who needs more resolution out of their primary cameras in the 20-24mp range that didn't just own an a7R, 5DS etc. Perhaps hybrid shooters should just grab an a7S III in addition instead but that's neither here nor there.

[@Leo9ine]

@@Postman00 See personally the 33mp is perfect. I shoot an A7R3 for hybrid use. 24mp isn't quite enough, but the 42mp and 61mp sensors are overkill and sacrifice too much in video quality. Meanwhile I've wanted 10 bit video but the S3 is just too low resolution to be a true hybrid for my usecase. This is, for me, finally the perfect "if I could only have one" (because I can only afford one) camera.

[@Postman00]

@@Leo9ine oh for sure I'm certain there are people who prefer a higher resolution sensor for their do everything camera. It's just personally (and almost all of the photographers in my circle) prefer working with 18-24mp cameras daily between MFT, APS-C, FF systems, and either have a separate medium format or high resolution for specific cases, or just rent them when the shoot asks for it. It's just not very often.

[@Domestikos88]

I’m sort of new to the world of amateur photography and have a question in hopes that someone more experienced can provide some feedback on. Does it bother anyone that this camera does not have an Anti Aliasing Filter? Does it matter if not? I’m trying to decide whether to purchase this camera or the Z6 ii. Thanks

[@DalsPhotography]

@@Domestikos88 I have the same doubt , it seems it will have it, for what I heard with other youtubers.

[@xmlthegreat]

More than the camera I loved the small town Canada vibes this video showed off. Plus the beautiful black Lancaster bomber.

[@niccollsvideo]

It was pretty amazing. The Nanton Air Museum does some wonderful restorations. They are working on rebuilding a Mosquito wooden fuselage.

[@foxtowercommunications]

Yes - more of this please, guys!

[@xmlthegreat]

@@niccollsvideo really nice work on this, Chris. Pleasure to have you reply to my comment :)

[@grom5756]

Proper Review, amazing work, it all shows that they love it and did not just do it for the sake of doing it, but the proper way for the proper reasons :) Edit 16 minutes in I had to subscribe, because you are original and I like your style :D

[@glpro2696]

That’s the review I have been waiting for!!

[@ACDGibson]

I was so looking forward to this camera, but now that it's finally here, I have doubts. It's great that they finally brought 10bit 422video features with all-i codecs! But no improvement on rolling shutter and crippled 4k60 makes me think that the S3 would be better for my needs after all.

[@brigham1465]

@@Sidowse it's a 1.5x crop instead of full width of the sensor

[@brigham1465]

@@Sidowse is the stacked sensor issue why it has to downsample from 7k to 4k30p instead of native 7k using all 33MP?

[@brigham1465]

@@Sidowse Thank you for explaining

[@Speak_Out_and_Remove_All_Doubt]

Great video guys thanks, my biggest disappointment about this camera (given the sizable price increase) was that Sony didn't manage to squeeze in a stacked sensor to once again cement them as the mirrorless leaders, offering cutting edge features at a great price like so many A series models have done before it. Sony could have still kept the A7iv artificially capped at 10fps to protect the A9 and A1 sales but I think to have quite a sizable rolling shutter and probably a nasty banding issue too when shooting in silent shutter mode is unacceptable at $2500 in what is essentially 2022. I would love to see some silent shutter banding tests, maybe a comparison shootout against the A9i which is actually the same price as the A7iv and so makes for a very interesting proposition!

[@KarlssonF]

i like the vibe of your videos, they are nice and chill

[@havaianas5780]

professional, compact, content rich, nice guys. good review!

[@TheGreatLoco]

Hopefully the A7 III takes a A7 II type of price dive. It will be a nice complement for my A7R II.

[@b47d16]

i dont think it will tbh

[@scrollop]

@@b47d16 Of course it will, as many owners of the a7 iii will upgrade.

[@ivanosski4654]

@@scrollop I'm seriously considering getting the a7iv you might be right.

[@Martin-nu6ym]

The EVF in the A7Riv, A7Siii, and A1 makes manual focus so much more enjoyable but I'm hoping your wishful thinking about Sony providing a firmware update to the A7Siii and A1 for that new manual focus mode comes true. :)

[@paulfairchild8942]

Very informative review as always, thanks

[@nadiasmeets8957]

You guys always crack me up. Great reviews !

[@akkarparkiamopas3401]

We are looking forward to seeing the comparison between a7RIII and a7IV in term of Dynamic Range. I think this will answer if A7RIII owner should swap to A7IV. So far, the only thing we can see is just the megapixels, the thing that we gonna lose if swap to a7IV.

[@ArifKhan.]

Can we all take a moment to appreciate Chris' hair? Man is styling!

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

He uses A Touch of Grey hair dye I'll bet.

[@ArifKhan.]

@@scottslotterbeck3796 yes, the color science of his hair is on point. Good contrast and sharp clarity too. LoL

[@foxtrotgolf5698]

“All men are not created equal” the discriminating window sign says. 5:00

[@ArifKhan.]

@@foxtrotgolf5698 that's right, some of us were created with follical disadvantages, while Chris here was created with the lush locks of an anime character!

[@MollyFitzBrown]

Great review :) How big is the crop for active stabilization (in 4k 30)? So glad there is at least no 4k crop in 30 and active stabe is an option, 2 things I was really wanting!!!

[@brad7957]

An excellent review - as someone who's considering their first enthusiast camera, I really appreciate the comparison to competition at the end.

[@DavidDatura]

Overall a great new all-rounder, and I’ve always liked the compact, chunky squared off styling of Sony’s A series MILCs too. I especially like the higher-res, wide DR sensor for traditional stills photography. But I was a little disappointed by this same sensor’s refresh rate, which seems on the slow side for a brand new design. And Sony’s IBIS isn’t the best either. I think the Canon’s R6 still trumps this newcomer somewhat, despite the much lower-res sensor. Money no object I’d still probably choose an R5 myself with a Leica M10 Monochrom on the side 😆

[@joeyeti374]

Would love to see a comparison with all the different raw formats, to see how much you actually gain from compressed to uncompressed.

[@Postman00]

I did a test comparing a7iii's compressed and uncompressed RAWs a few years back. While I could find very minute discernible differences in extreme highlight recovery on contrast edges with those highlights, and undiscernible differences in shadows when "pulling" the RAW, it doesn't bother me at all to always shoot compressed RAW. If I think I need the highlight detail, I simply shoot another frame with with a lower exposure via aperture or exposure time.

[@MehranHadad]

@@Postman00 Thanks for sharing your experience! I was looking for this!

[@Postman00]

@@MehranHadad Don't take my word for it! There are photographers who blogged about obvious artifacts in landscape photography shooting compressed RAW.

[@MehranHadad]

@@Postman00 I'm a portrait photographer, So I should not see any major problem in most scenarios

[@patbollin]

To my ears on my desktop Bose speakers, the sound is fine on this video. It might not be AS full and warm as usual, but it's only by degrees. Great video. Thanks guys

[@denissaenko2894]

I grew up watching your videos and one thing I keep noticing over and over again is that there no more excitement in reviews. Guys don’t forget, beginner photographers come to your KZbin channel yo get their inspiration. If you don’t provide that inspiration those guys will go elsewhere. Specs and capabilities is one thing, being excited about technology and potential it opens up is another, just be those crazy photographers guys as you are known , inspire and ignite passion in every watcher of your channel. Don’t loose that.

[@JB_Hobbies]

I’m just here to reminisce about how Sony was still looked at as the new kid on the block with something to prove when the a73 launched. Still love my a7R3 and will probably stick with that for a couple more years, but man some of these new designs and features are really nice.

[@Mrmpcebu59]

A73 is the baseline of R5 and Z9 technology. Now that A74 is out and about, R5 and Z9 are now the old kids in the block. A74 is back as the benchmark of all things mirrorless

[@happythec1am]

@@Mrmpcebu59 I think you mean, R6 and Z6.

[@Henry_44]

@@Mrmpcebu59 you call A74 benchmark for all mirrorless?

[@kevinliu6368]

@@Henry_44 sure with 1.5x crop at 4k60, 6fps for stills, 1M dot screen. Lol

[@portrait_photography]

you guys are freaking amazing! Love your sense of humor.

[@robwilliams2735]

Good job Chris and Jordan!

[@bsmukler]

When I was a teenager, driving junky old cars, I had a Ford Falcon wagon with a unique feature: In order to make the windshield wipers work at a reasonable rate, you had to briefly accelerate and then lift off the gas pedal so that the resulting vacuum would power the wipers. I’m sensing a return to such engineering brilliance when reading about and experiencing some of the recent cameras that have “boost” or “high” modes for things like EVF refresh rates and resolution. Is it due to a Ford Falcon level of horsepower (battery constrictions or processor limitations), or are the manufacturers giving us the equivalent of three-on-the-tree when they could be supplying close ratio six speeds? Some, such as Leica, provide high spec EVFs with 120 FPS refresh rates, whereas others briefly top out at around 80-85 FPS. How about some clean, well designed interfaces and menu systems (such as Hasselblad and Leica), and processor/power supplies that do not require switching “boost” modes on and off in order to achieve the advertised level of performance?

[@johnrudolph513]

Love the wiper story

[@darchandarchan7036]

nicely said. Makers are desperate to make their products look better on paper than in real life. Remember that time when you got everything they claimed without any “if”s

[@officialtiimo]

I've been saying this for years, I fully agree with your assessment.

[@camwow13]

The lower frame rates just save battery life. Boost mode uses more battery and isn't always needed so they added it as an option. Its reduced quality which sucks, but that's a data rate issue even on the A1

[@jlwilliams]

Your Falcon's wipers were powered by engine vacuum, and when the car was new they probably worked fine. In fact, if you had replaced the hoses, chased down any vacuum leaks, lubed the wiper-arm pivots etc., they still would have worked fine when you had the car. But that would have been, like, work, right? And it wouldn't have made as good a story, or provided a platform for bashing camera makers for failing to serve up techno-pie in the sky.

[@cohoonatube]

Have to admit I'm a bit surprised... I even bought a Z6ii sort of as a stop-gap for the A7IV (have been loving the Z!), but am surprised the rear LCD is only 1mil, 10 fps, and the price-point is so high. The customization, variable tilt LCD, 33mp's, etc. makes this almost the perfect camera for me (and many). BUT, I was expecting Sony to "blow away" the R6 etc. like they accomplished with the A7III release, perhaps due to the time spent waiting. Still an amazing camera, but not the temptation to switch systems I was expecting. Great review, thanks.

[@montazownianr1]

I will buy z6 III

[@burritobrosvideos8060]

Same, I'd stay with nikon personally.

[@skiiabamba]

@@burritobrosvideos8060 Isn't Nikon almosgt out of business though? That's what I keep hearing. They just don't appeal to me like Sony and Canon do.

[@burritobrosvideos8060]

@@skiiabamba nikons are nice. You should try one.

[@happythec1am]

@@skiiabamba Nikon stock has doubled in the last year. It seems Investors don't think they're going out of business.

[@boobalan2203]

Thanks for the detailed review 🙌

[@JWS1968]

Really great review lads appreciate all the hard work these videos take. The Sony cameras are always pushing the envelope I have two A6300 for movie making so these cameras are out of my budget. We can only dream.

[@charbax]

Nice APS-C camera! (when doing 4K60) 😂 ah no sorry, IBIS still sucks, good luck putting that on a gimbal all day 😂 Comon GH6 baby, bring on PDAF and make us happy!!

[@mirrorlessny]

yea a bit sad, not many full frame cameras can do unhindered 4k60 like a7S3/FX3

[@charbax]

@@mirrorlessny Unhindered? Handheld Sony A7S3 footage is unusable it's so shaky and then wobbly when using their 1.1x crop "active" stabilization, sorry but Sony needs to get more "active" at stabilizing their sensors, I can't be doing shaky footage or to be forced to use a gimbal all the time, just so heavy and bulky and time consuming...

[@superoscarodyssey7764]

Bought a S5 last week on sale. Not regretting that decision after this.

[@Matt_Goertz]

The framing for the Not All Men Are Created Equal shot made me laugh out loud. Well done!

[@ByteReview]

If you crop into APSC mode for photography does it go down to 10MP like the A7iii or do you get slightly more?

[@dpreview]

APS-C shooting is now 15MP.

[@ByteReview]

@@dpreview Oooh that's a lovely bump!

[@GavinSeim]

We just had 3 whitetail bucks walker thru town... Oh canadaaaa

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

In California the homeless would be feasting on raw venison right now. True, The Walking Dead is a documentary shot in LA.

[@dillank3240]

They were mule deer, but awesome to see nonetheless.

[@ramoftherose]

What made the A7iii so alluring was the pricing. The price might be a little steep for this one.

[@burritobrosvideos8060]

Bingo.

[@wildbikerbill6530]

That's for everyone to decide for themselves. The A7M3 is still available for ~$800 USD less. Pick your poison and count the cost. To me the big step ups are: 1. Greatly expanded 4K and 1080p video framerate recording options 2. 10-bit 4:2:2 video codec 3. 24 Mpixels --> 33 Mpixels Still images 4. The buffer will never let you down. 5. Uncompressed RAW image format 6. SDXC-II card support on both card slots 7. Full size HDMI connector 8. USB 3.2 Gen2 connector 9. Network streaming options 10. More dials/controls (Shutter/Aperture/ISO/White Balance would be my choice) 11. Improved menu system 12. No overheating Edit: 13. Articulating screen

[@AlumarsX]

@@wildbikerbill6530 The EVF and screen are horrendous on the 3

[@wildbikerbill6530]

@@AlumarsX So you're telling me there are even more reasons than I listed to either upgrade or buy into the the A7M4. I'm just trying to point out reasons why it commands a higher price - and those reasons are not zero. It's for the buyer to decide whether those extra features are worth the extra money to them. For those who already have an A7M3, it might not be a big enough jump in feature set to buy - it depends on what they do. For those making a larger model jump or coming from another system, the extra features might mean it will do well for them for the foreseeable future. I think most of the problem is the big jumps in Megapixels, Dynamic Range, and Low Light Sensitivity are mostly done. A huge number of people already have a camera that gets the job done and does it well, so finding the Uber Killer Feature(s) that persuades people to spend the money to upgrade is getting harder and harder for the manufacturers. In short, the DSLR/DSLM market is getting more and more like the old film camera market, where people upgrading/buying a new camera had as much to do with the old camera breaking as it did with new camera added features. YMMV.

[@redwoodvisual]

5:05 i like the way Chirs holding the lens collar than camera grip nice video review as always You guys did :)

[@arnarn4112]

Thanks for the video! I'm especially interested in knowing how much improved the AF tracking is compared to A7III? I use adapted Canon lenses (135/2 and 200/2.8) and tend to loose AF tracking after a few shots with the A7iii. I'm wondering how much improved tracking in continuous shooting is with Sony and adapted Canon lenses?

[@jessec9498]

I kind of feel like if I'm going to upgrade from my A7iii, I'm either going to supplement my kit by adding a A7RIV, or go full YOLO and snag an a1 lol

[@farajistarks501]

same. I've been holding out with my A7ii for this announcement, only to find myself snagging an A7RIVA afterwards haha

[@scottgmaclean]

About a year ago I decided to go all in on the Canon system (C70, EOS-R), but I have to say Sony’s consistently excellent output makes me question my decision (not that I should complain, the Canon cameras are also excellent!)…

[@joshuareveles]

Tbh, canon glass is still superior to Sony glass hands down. Sony is too focused on pumping out new bodies rather than investing heavily on much needed updates to lens

[@scottgmaclean]

@@joshuareveles Good point Joshua. In fact the reason I went Canon is that RF was a more modern mounting system, and since the big investment is ultimately glass, not bodies, it was the way to go. I can't believe the price of G-Master lenses!

[@ffl1409]

Here is to a half-a-million subscribers before the drinking-game starts. You deserve it!

[@maxdmachy]

Excellent & beautiful review! Looking forward to the final review. Very interesting, the shutter potentially keeping dust off the sensor. My Sonys work like vacuum cleaners, crazily attracting dust (Well, that's not true for the A3000, my great lightweight companion on tough alpine hikes - I even change lenses on that Sony body. A body which has other limitations though). Is the dust on sensor issue finally solved?

[@SuttonBen]

I think it's a good camera and very competitive - especially for stills focused, non sports shooters. But it's competitive against the present market, not necessarily for developments from other manufacturers over the next few years. The A7III was a big step forward and left the competition scrambling to keep up. The A7IV is not and will struggle if Canon and Nikon can capitalise on the gaps in this segment of the market. It'll still sell decently though so... Hahaha

[@stevenpam]

I agree. Lots of "nice-to-have" upgrades from the a7iii, but I don't feel super-compelled to run out and grab one. However, I abandoned Canon after many years for the a7iii after I got sick of waiting, and although with their R cameras they have now caught up, I would not be keen to start from scratch again with a new system unless I had to!

[@patrickchase1884]

@@richrollin4867 That's the price they paid for 33MP. Clocking that much data at 60 fps from a full-frame-sized sensor just isn't within the state of the art for this price class.

[@idontwantacallsign]

Yes but we have to see the video quality and the IQ before we can judge it. Maybe Sony already has a new A7V in the pipeline. Who knows?

[@alkathorat2859]

@@richrollin4867 Literally any company can do that on smartphone. "Sony has not produce single camera that age well" pretty bold statement for company that change digital cinema shooting forever. There 13 year old camera Sony f65 can shoot 8k raw 16 bit but ok.

[@pablolavino5253]

Is it possible to record pro-res RAW externally through the fullsized HDMI? Haven't heard anyone talk about that.

[@josuehernandez5806]

You can’t

[@pablolavino5253]

@@josuehernandez5806 ahhh that's a shame

[@sjm.photos]

a decent honest review as always

[@torbjorneklund7326]

You guys rock, great as always

[@dannyjang9952]

Now it’s time for me to get an A7III. 😉

[@musicdefinesgravity]

Damn when will Sony improve that rolling shutter tho

[@xtazysv]

They did. In the a7siii. It's great there. Sadly that might be a deal breaker for me on a7-4 :(

[@mikldude9376]

IF im not mistaken (please correct me if im wrong ) , the higher megapixel sensor makes the rolling shutter worse , so the A73 may even be better in that area ?

[@sh8736]

But in stills is the rolling shutter eliminated by using the mechanical shutter?

[@xtazysv]

@@sh8736 yes

[@musicdefinesgravity]

@@mikldude9376 it depends how many megapixels is it actually oversampling. Some cameras use 6k to compress to 4k. I am not that familiar with Sony cameras.

[@kit0415]

Good detailed video. Thank you. Quick question - Does this camera do focus stacking?

[@malmcowy]

I always trust your reviews the most

[@ramonarias1234]

LOL.. what is that ibis?

[@ramonarias1234]

I mean... my phone has better stabilization than this

[@deeepraveen]

If the Canon R6 had a higher MP like at least 24 this Sony A74 will be a tough sell. The auto focus, ergonomics, 4K60, Higher resolution view finder etc etc of the R6 is just amazing.

[@henrikjohansson6629]

Honestly, what is it that you can do with 24 mpx that you can't do with 20? 20 mpx is enough for a full page spread at 300 dpi in Sports Illustrated or National Geographic Magazine. The maximum size you can print at 300 dpi is 18.2x12.2 inches (46,3x30,9 cm) with 20 mpx. The corresponding values for 24mpx is 20.2x13.4 inches (51,2x34,1 cm). So about 2 inches, or less than 10% extra on the width. Compare 20 mpx to 33 mpx, the difference would be around 4 inches or 20 % on the width. Matter much in practice? I think not. It's just obsession with a number. And since dpi becomes less apparent and less important the larger you print, it becomes kind of meaningless. I've seen wall sized prints at 16 mpx that looked absolutely awesome, crisp and clear from any sort of normal viewing distance. Billboards are usually printed at something like 3 megapixels I think. Sensor resolution is literally one of the least important specs for 95% of photographic work, but since it's one of the easiest specs to understand people will always obsess about it.

[@deeepraveen]

@@henrikjohansson6629 👍 for the detailed explanation but I thought a higher resolution sensor can also make your photos a tad more detailed in this case 33 MP sensor would be little more detailed than the 20 MP on the canon. Basically the photos will be a tad sharper on the higher resolution bodies right ?

[@henrikjohansson6629]

@@deeepraveen That's a very common misconception, and probably why megapixels is such an important spec (rather than any real life, practical reasons). Detail depends on lots of things. Resolution basically just tells you how large the image is measured in pixels, and the difference between 20 and 33 is surprisingly small for all practical reasons. And you usually don't view an image in full resolution anyway. If you view an image full screen (no matter the source resolution) on a 4k screen, it's acctually just an 8 megapixel image you're viewing. A standard 1080p HD-screen is about 2 megapixels 😀 Have a look at a sample gallery of an R6 shot with L-lenses and think about if the images strike you as lacking detail. Sure, sometimes and for some photographers, having more resolution is a benefit, mainly if you're planning to crop out a tiny part of an image and use that. I don't think it matters much for printing large for the reasons stated previously.

[@kifley19]

I would get the R6 if it had no overheating and all-i.

[@ROT8TED]

Incredible review!

[@alexanderstrekalov7470]

Hello, thanks for the awesome video, you guys always do a great job! I would like to ask you which camera this video was filmed with, only on the a7 IV or not?

[@JohnDennery]

Undoubtedly a cool camera, it's just not nearly as exciting as I was hoping for. Although I'm glad that I feel no need to upgrade!!

[@samsara1998]

I have to say, I thought the video sections shot on the S1H, looked better that the A7IV, If I was picking one for video quality alone.

[@castielvargastv7931]

Panasonic picture quality to me rules over all sony cams. I dont know why because pana is using sony sensors also

[@patatipatata9726]

Nice review, guys.

[@lavalampsucculent2996]

I am absolutely in love with my X100F and Nikon F2 (with a 50mm f1.4) for my needs and don't think I'll be upgrading in a while, but I wanna thank you guys for these videos. They are so informative, but for me honestly if I've had a rubbish day, the fun and lightheartedness brings me back to this channel time and time again. It's a weird sort of escapism haha - thank you both for your incredible work!!

[@piercechase]

This will be a nice upgrade for me. I have the Sony A6000.

[@pavelsuprun8113]

Wow, that is too much for you!😀

[@mirrorlessny]

giant upgrade

[@ChillBuilds]

So, I spent about $800 less on a Panasonic S5 when it was on sale and came with extras. I'm pretty glad I did.

[@bryanchin856]

Believe me as an s5 owner I am breathing a small sigh of relief.

[@CrazyGamer109]

The S5 is such an underrated camera

[@robmcd]

I sold my A7iii and Sony lenses a year ago. Since then the G master 35 and 50 release have really rattled my cage about coming back to Sony from canon R5. Not to mention how much I miss the 24GM and 20G… but man this camera is a joke for the money. A decent rear screen and EVF is all I needed to come back.

[@castielvargastv7931]

Ja the sony price sold me to the s5. To me the sony is not worth the extra price.

[@mirrorlessny]

yea Panasonic S5 is a great option & has improved autofocusing right? Wonder if it still randomly pulsates or just on rare occasions?

[@AnhNguyen-iq7fs]

Great review! Other than resolution, how does this camera 7IV stack up against 7RIV? Is it better than the 7RIV?

[@Veptis]

That is quite some beautiful landscape around you.

[@kane01337]

Love to see a Canon R6 vs Sony A7IV video comparison - low light ISO, Resoltuion , Dynamic range , autofocus & features etc :)

[@longrider9551]

Gordon Laing did just that

[@kane01337]

@@longrider9551 awesome cheers for the heads up !

[@bjure8111]

Actually it feels just fine to stick to my A7C and III. An A7III with realtime af would have been perfect. Maybe the upcoming low cost full frame camera from Sony will do this.

[@pavelsuprun8113]

I have a7c. Sometimes, rather often, its codec is just nightmare.

[@bjure8111]

@@pavelsuprun8113 can you specify how? I don't doubt you, just curious 😊

[@pavelsuprun8113]

@@bjure8111 Shooting S-log2 - in the shadows I often observe awful posterisation+codec blocking. It can "fixed" by overexpose, but overexpose may be not what you need. Week codec is a well-known problem of Sony a7-3 and a7c

[@bjure8111]

@@pavelsuprun8113 thanks for reply. Hope it's better in the new version and in combination with that new sensor. 👌

[@pavelsuprun8113]

@@bjure8111 sure it is! a7c is 4:2:0 8bit, and this a7-IV up to 4:2:2 10-bit.

[@idratherberidingnow]

Hey Guys, first off, great video as always. One of my favorite review channels. You said that you couldn't show the RAW files, I just watched the "Fro Knows" and he was showing off the RAW files. Just curious.

[@ayan0834]

Hi Chris, Jordan, great (initial) review as always! How do you find the IBIS compared to the A7III? Is it improved (I think the A7R1V and A1 have better IBIS than the A7III, at least on paper, although not sure how much difference is visible in terms of real world performance)? I am mainly interested from a handheld photography standpoint, say, at medium to long focal lengths.

[@niccollsvideo]

I found it pretty similar to the recent cameras. Sony says it's improved but it felt the same to me.

[@remytron83]

When you guys came out three years ago I instantly said that you were copying the Kai & Loc Pham formula. I was so wrong. You are Chris & Jordan. You have you own style and frankly much better. Thanks for the 3 years and can’t wait for many more.

[@davidm5790]

Nobody asked for a comparison

[@Guairenito]

Maaan, I just wish it did at least 8fps in Uncompressed RAW or even Lossless Compressed. 5fps is just a very significant step back from the A7III. I think event photographers will truly not appreciate that, I might be wrong but it feels disappointing in that regard.

[@LouisHochmanTheJourno]

Agreed. I pre-ordered two but this is the one feature where I worry I'll feel like I gave something important up from my current a7iii and a7riii. I don't shoot past medium speed most of the time now. But the option is nice.

[@letsfindout6587]

Also the shutter sound is very very loud sounds like a taser gun. Very bad on Sony Canon Eos R6 won this one

[@vpapadim77]

Awesome video! You both should be on the commercial !

[@sunnysarkarwind]

Holy !!! amazing video on sony iv !!

[@joseph.luong.m]

And here I am still waiting for the Sony live stream to start.

[@Kryojenix]

What is the justification for still calling a compressed lossy format "raw"?

[@irridiastarfire]

Yeah, good point. I'd consider lossless compressed raw to be raw but it sounds like they consider anything that's not JPEG to be "raw". Sure it might use actual raw data before lossy compression, but by that logic raw video compressed with DivX or MJPEG would be "lossy raw video". (with all that said, this looks like it might be a nice hybrid camera for my purposes)

[@lostinoc3528]

why not? maybe it is specific to the camera so a whole new format name didn't make sense to create. compressed raw, is pretty much saying exactly what it is? my guess is that is the justification.

[@RiccardoGabarriniKazeatari]

I get your technical point it's not real raw, but still... I use an a7iii shooting compressed raw bc i can't see a real difference, maybe a little bit if you pixel peep aggressively recovered highlights/shadow but nothing more

[@MrAndyCPT]

Love these guys

[@bruceaisher]

DPReviews are always the best - really appreciate this Gents! What is the difference between this and the A7C?

[@mirrorlessny]

huge differences = a7C is compact/good for travel & gimbal work, a7iv is heavier/bigger/better for photography & video, it also uses new menu system/ body design/video codecs & more.. a7C was built using much of older a7iii tech, although it did get the newer articulating screen, hot shoe & autofocusing.

[@dominiquedrouin7816]

Is it just me but the price of an "enthusiast" camera just made a jump!. US$2500 sounds pretty rich to me. Not so long ago, an "enthusiast" body for more in the $1000 - $1500 range ...

[@dylannolan7454]

I think it leans more pro than enthusiast. If you are an hobby photographer Sony has a ton of bodies in that range.

[@problemat1que]

I agree. Canon 7D was "enthusiast" at around $1400 back in the day. Fujifilm X-T1 debuted around that price point, too. That's a few years ago and inflation and supply chain issues are real but not 80% in less than ten years real. If manufacturers are serious about making FF mainstream, they'll have to push prices down to maybe $1700 to allow for inflation. Maybe the now "old" A7III is now that mainstream enthusiast model. Meanwhile, my X-H1 cost me $500.

[@petersuvara]

It’s a prosumer camera. You can use it for making money .

[@danieldougan269]

The a7 IV is a professional tool. It's that good. Even the a7 III was a professional tool in many ways.

[@rohaanmanzoor3268]

idk man, the R6 looks like the better allrounder. Better IBIS, better rolling shutter (i think), canon colors, much faster fps, less severe crop. A7 4 has more MP and better lens support as the 2 main advantages. lets see what the full review says

[@Flo-con]

People have got to stop with the "canon colors". It is a such a non-argument.Who doesn't edit their colors anyway and who doesn't shoot in some kind of color profile... IBIS is a good argument. Wonder if the rolling shutter on the R6 is actually better

[@shang-hsienyang1284]

Not sure if "Canon color" is an advantage. But other than that, I really think the R6 right now is the better buy.

[@castielvargastv7931]

I dont like the r6 colors at all. They are worse than on the eosr

[@kevinliu6368]

@@Flo-con yeah the color thing is very subjective and can bt easily adjusted in post. Even jpegs, you can adjust camera color settings to make it the way you want.

[@King_Kenny66]

Wow, your daughter? has really grown! Good video guys! :D

[@seantomlinson3320]

A terrific evolution of a key family.

[@jan-hendrikbussmann4644]

I have an A7 III for a good three years now. I just take photos, no video. I would have bought this right away if the display was better. It is the one thing I really don't like about the A7 III. I cannot really tell if my shots are sharp. The 2 million dot displays on some other cameras in this price range would have been the selling point for me. But Sony does somehow hate the display thing. I mean, why give the top of the line A1 a worse display than the updated A7R IIIA? What is it with displays? For 500 bucks more than the A7 III, a higher resolution display cannot be that unfeasible.

[@idontwantacallsign]

Just zoom in. It's also not possible on a higher res screen to see if it's in focus. You can assign a custom button to zoom in for focussing and maybe ad focus peaking to the fun menu. I

[@paulfairchild8942]

We have an A7S III and an A7 III. The screen on the AS7SIII is poor. The colors are slightly off too. I don't understand why Sony does not upgrade the displays on the Alpha cameras, particularly given their expertise in this area (Sony make some of the best TVs on the market). Instead they give us a range topping EVP on the A7SIII, a camera more designed for video shooters, who would rarely use an EVF. What was Sony thinking... I shoot 95% video on our A7SIII and we never use the EVF. Come on Sony!

[@jan-hendrikbussmann4644]

@@paulfairchild8942 that is interesting, thank you. Sadly I did not have the chance to look at a higher end Sony camera by myself. But I did notice that all reviews of the current Nikon and Canon bodies praised their "high res" screens with two million dots. Wonder if the A7R IVa screen is competitive to those.

[@zaodekov]

In terms of video comparing to the R6 - A74 has a terrible rolling shutter, crop in 4K 60, worse ibis, needs a more expensive card - so the only improvement over the r6 is that it doesn't overheat. And it came out 14 months later. Even though R6 is completely usable when it comes to overheating for most use cases. Sony is no longer leading.

[@lostinoc3528]

doesn't see like they have been for awhile? they are doing okay though, and not everyone needs same things. there are still a lot of people who buy cameras to take pictures. a lot of people love using gimbals or have no quibble with it. might prefer much larger amounts of much cheaper glass. who knows, everyone is different, which is why some will buy this camera, even though the R6 has better 4k60 and stabilization. for me personally. for the prices of these things. neither works. 20mp isn't acceptable to me personally, the overheating issues are unacceptable even if mostly "fixed". its unacceptable for something of this price to be broken with a bandaid. canon glass is expensive AF. i like its stabilization though, and i like its colors. but those alone aren't enough for me. the sony i like the lenses, i like the 33mp, but the stabilization looks terrible. so i wont get either, but if i had to buy one, it would be the sony. because i do more photography. 4k60 crop isn't an issue for me im not a pro videographer. the stabilization can be helped with a gimbal or tripod. I've been waiting for this but the video stabilization was literally the deciding factor for me and it looks bad. so i don't know really.

[@cbflazaro]

Sd is more expensive? I've been shooting 4k120p on 50 bucks 256gb v60s

[@poulpe1]

Thanks for the video! Jordan do you have any idea whether you can tap to focus using Sony's 'Imaging Edge Mobile' app? You could do it on the Sony A7 II but not on the A7 III.

[@tokemyers9262]

Question for Jordan (sorry Chris): does the active tracking work in 120fps 1080p and 4k 60fps? The A7c doesn’t have active tracking above 60fps so having it here would be a real benefit and more in line with the A7siii and A1

[@wildbikerbill6530]

That level of detail is much more likely to come in the Full Review rather than in either a Preview or First Impressions.

[@bjure8111]

Hm that rolling shutter worse than A7III, which already was lacking behind...

[@rodrigomartin-hidalgo1592]

Go Nikon! This is a wonderful camera but I'm still amazed that first Nikon mirrorless cameras out on the market are great and will continue to improve with AF updates. Sony and Canon have been high on marketing in the last months and selling like bread that just got out of the over for content creators. All content can been achieved with this three brands, at the end, is what you really need and what you want to obtain at the end.

[@jerrybao1934]

Had the Z6, happy with it until it recognized trees and roofs as human faces... Not to mention there is no third party Z mount lenses like Sony's Sigma and Tamron...

[@camilo8cheryl]

Waiting for other Z9 features to trickle down to my Z6ii 2 processing power..now the Z9 is out and thousands pre ordered, the firmware updates for Z6ii/Z7ii is just around the corner

[@NoSuRReNDeR001]

Love you guys, hey Chris I was wondering about why how and when you use exposure compensation... Ive never used it or understood its best use case. I shoot with an R5 for photo (Red Gem for video dont tell Jordan) anyway - have you or DP review ever made such a video or tutorial? I think I cant be the only person that shoots without ever using exp comp... anyway if not that would be awesome if so a link would be = awesome. Thank you again (both) for what you do, your videos make my day.

[@ahmonon4352]

Great, thanks for this review

[@thegeneral123]

I expect what I will say will be unpopular. I'm just not sure about this camera. It feels to be a bit underwhelming and more expensive than I expected. I can buy the A7RIV for less brand new. The video side I won't use as I'm a stills shooter. I would like the better AF and lossless RAW of the A7IV. I just don't think Sony pushed the boundaries anywhere near as much as the A7iii did when it came out. This is undoubtedly a good camera, maybe even a great camera. The market is far more competitive now though and it's just too expensive. I'd say I'm a little disappointed. Sony have not done enough to get me to go for this as an upgrade over my A7ii, I am probably going A7RIV then.

[@shang-hsienyang1284]

Try a used a9ii. If you could live with 24MP, the uninterrupted blackout free viewfinder burst experience is really helpful in the real world.

[@MuhammadKharismawan]

people were expecting too much, its still very competitive for the price.

[@CharlieLiuPhotography]

Where are you buying the A7R4 for less than $2500 brand new? Gray market?

[@thegeneral123]

@@CharlieLiuPhotography E Infinity, yes, grey market but it does not matter as it still comes with a 12 month warranty and the company ships from a UK location to me in the UK. So it's £2069 for the RIV vs £2399 for the IV. Which is in USD terms, $450 cheaper for the A7RIV.

[@taylorhickman84]

I wish they would have updated the viewfinder inline w/ the A1, and focused more on still shooters instead of trying to make a swiss army knife.