Sony a7iv New 3.0 Firmware allows direct RTMP Live Streaming!

Amazing new feature allows full video encoding right on the camera, stream straight to Facebook, KZbin or other Live streaming platforms.
Sony calls it Network Streaming to differentiate the feature.
Sony a7iv currently only sony mirrorless camera to do this as of 29th March 2024
There are some caveats as explained in the video such as video limitations, but this unlocks a whole new set of options in the camera.
I put off on updating firmware for a while as the new sony firmwares bring up 3rd party battery warnings and remove battery percentage while using a 3rd party battery.
Apologies on video quality (filmed on iphone 7) but will make sense when you watch the video.

[@esports_grandpa]

Super helpful, thanks man!

[@99unclebob]

i really like the Live Stream ability, i have a number of Samsung phones with the creator app installed and did a fun bit one day when we had sun and low wind, i set it up inside the door leading to my deck in the back yard where i have a few bird feeders so they can be seen feeding in small groups and it worked well, it did take awhile to set up with the new firmware and app, it was successful in the end, I have a few generations of nieces and nephews , i did this for them, I was really surprised how well it all stayed quite nicely in focus, there's still lots to experiment with this kitty purchased a good quality gimbal that handles up to 10kgs and want to truths with my 200-600mm lens for nests in the upper trees around me, its a good reason to experiment ,great video👍

[@dawidone]

Great video mate. I have the same camera. Are you using 18-105 apsc lens on FF camera ?

[@AxelWolstenholme]

Cheers and yea good spot, I actually have quite a few apsc lenses, the 18-105 is a great camcorder like lens with the servo zoom which is internal, another one of my faves is the 16mm f1.4 from sigma, tried some FF 24mm lens for around the same price and the sigma beats them hands down. I do use the 35mm f1.8 FF sony lens for a lot of work as its great as is and easy crop into apsc mode for a 50mm ish equiv.

[@onQQuincy]

As a photographer who sometimes like to live stream as I'm taking pictures ( using extra equipment) will I be able to Livestream while taking pictures or is this mode locked down for Livestream only? Also have you tested the 4K Livestream to see if it can run for over an hour without overheating? This is Big

[@AxelWolstenholme]

Ok so just done some tests, your locked into video only when entering streaming mode, cannot take pictures. Also another interesting find, you can set the camera to record 4k 50/60fps internally and stream upto 1080p 50/60fps, but if you set to 1440p or 4k in streaming settings it locks the camera to 25fps max internal recording overiding the internal recording fps setting. Facebook comes up with a warning saying max they'll allow is 1080p, KZbin works well at 4k. Streamed and recorded internally for 20 mins at 4k 30mbps, then overheating warning comes up, within 5 mins the camera shut down, managed to record and stream for much longer (over an hour) with a strong high power DIY fan (video coming soon hopefully)

[@onQQuincy]

@@AxelWolstenholme ok thanks

[@cybernetennis]

I just bought five 5 3rd party batteries that charge directly with usb-c... I came here because you mentioned 3rd party batteries. So, did they add the battery percentage back and/or take away the warning? If not no way I'm going to update hehe

[@AxelWolstenholme]

Since I think the 2.01 update any 3rd party batteries will get a warning after a minute or so of use. Percentage will dissappear but it will still have a 4 bar display for battery

[@cybernetennis]

@@AxelWolstenholme thank you; since there are no actual image quality differences, I'm going to keep on the pre 2.01 update :)

[@WEDDINGSBYDARRENDDMP]

So when the battery is low will I get a red warning?​@@AxelWolstenholme

[@SunriseRCAviator]

This firmware broke RAW support in Lightroom. Solution was to install the latest version which usually isn't necessary unless it's a new camera release.

[@AxelWolstenholme]

Oh really? Make sure this is known on the Sony forums that's pretty bad 👎 😬

[@SunriseRCAviator]

@@AxelWolstenholme Latest version solved it which is a bit unusual for a FW update.

[@SunriseRCAviator]

@@AxelWolstenholme Apparently they did something with the RAW implementation but I also found out the latest Camera RAW works.

[@dawidone]

I did a recent photoshoot and was able to edit my RAW files in Lightroom no problem.

[@momovalencia1]

how can I prevent my camera from shutting down while using it as a webcam? the batteries dont last very long

[@AxelWolstenholme]

You can get a dummy battery adapter which plugs into the mains. I would also recommend getting or building a small fan for the back of the camera too to prevent from overheating, I have a couple of videos on my channel on how to make them.

[@momovalencia1]

@@AxelWolstenholmealright, I'll check them out, thanks mate

[@Piet-fromN]

How is the update and the APP working after a few weeks?

[@AxelWolstenholme]

seems fine so far yes, I've live streamed a music night twice so far using the built in live streaming also wireless transmission (wireless monitoring on the creators app) still can be spotty over a few meters depending on the environment but otherwise works fine.

[@markestabrook]

DUMMY BATTERIES no longer work on SONY A7 IV with Firmware 2.01. Can you check a dummy battery with 3.0? This basically eliminates A7 as a podcast camera (live streaming).

[@AxelWolstenholme]

Just tested with my dummy battery plugged into mains power and works fine. You do need to wait a minute after starting up the camera for the annoying "the safety of this battery cannot be guaranteed popup" just press ok and continue. I personally use an external power bank with a powerful enough usb c output, means if the power bank dies or there is a power cut, there is still a battery in the camera to run off for another hour or so.

[@99unclebob]

@@AxelWolstenholme I found out from a camera shop you can use an external battery/power supply via the usb-c port to power the camera without needing the dummy battery, their set up had the battery grip with 2 batteries and the external battery plugged in and said you were able to bypass the batteries themselves in the grip, although i have never tried it and don't have the several hundred $$ you need to buy the equipment