Sony FX3 vs A7IV In 2024: Watch This Before You Buy

[@PrestonGladd]

I have an FX3, A7IV, and an A7S3, but I use action cams and pocket 3’s for most of my content because I can achieve fast and easy results.

[@foxandcrowncreative]

That’s awesome, action cameras are great cameras too! I’ll use them from time to time as well. Thanks for watching, it truly means a lot. Cheers!

[@DMRCapitalHill]

Hey Preston I have similar setups

[@simplelightmedia]

The minimal flaws of the a7iv are often overblown by many who just repeat what others say on KZbin. When you use this camera daily, the flaws are not enough to not purchase this camera. It’s a beast of a camera. A very capable camera.

[@foxandcrowncreative]

Absolutely, I 100% agree. The A7IV truly is an amazing camera. Thank you for watching my friend, it truly means a lot. Cheers!

[@TheOrisya]

Yeah, I made a full feature films with a7iv. The image quality pretty good if know how to handle. Though without a proper cooling system, the camera is taking it toll quicker.

[@flat-out]

Hey man nice this seeing this video. I am thinking of up to the A7IV but should I? I have my A7 III as my workhorse for almost 4 years now, I love my A7 III had lots of work done for clients with it as well as my personal projects. Recently I been doing a lot of sports photography with a bit of video as a volunteer team photographer for my daughter's rugby team and my friend's daughter's lacrosse team. The A7 III is limited with its buffer but I can make it work. I dunno should I upgrade to A7IV or wait next year when the A7 V will be released hoping to have better than 10 fps(canon and nikon in their equivalent bodies have at least 15fps) .

[@foxandcrowncreative]

Great question! I think if you’re really liking the A7IV and it makes sense for you and your work then absolutely pick up an A7IV. These days, I’m sure you can pick one up on eBay for a great price. However, if you’re still loving your A7III and it’s still working out for the work that you do, then it may be worth hanging onto it for a bit longer to see what Sony has coming down the pipeline. It’s really up to you. I bought my FX3 and A7IV when they came out, I still love both cameras and don’t see myself upgrading anytime soon. The A7IV is a great camera, but the next Sony camera may have everything you want and need. Just a few things to consider. I hope this helps! Thanks for watching, my friend. Cheers!

[@foxandcrowncreative]

That’s awesome! I’d love to checkout your film. I’ve seen a few films made with the A7IV and they looked great. It really is an amazing camera. Thanks for watching the video, cheers!

[@kylesimmons6692]

Super informative ❤

[@foxandcrowncreative]

I'm so glad the video could help! Thank you so much for watching, my friend. Cheers!

[@robin-comments]

This video brings back good recent times. Man i still have very mixed feelings about selling my A7IV, GM lenses and buying a S5II. I had used Lumix GH cameras for a long time and i wanted to go FF, so i invested in the widest supported lens mount ecosystem and went Full-Sony. After much research the A7IV was my way to go as a hybrid event shooter. I also needed the camera for photography so the FX3 was a no-go for me. And boy did it not disappoint. The downsampled 4K image from 7K is still the sharpest of the bunch. The autofocus was all i needed with actually usable touch focus tracking. Sensor readout speed wasn’t top tier but my work didn’t suffer from it since I do not use shaky cam technique or action movement. And even then the rolling shutter distortion could be countered with post image stabilization with the gyro data and some editing techniques. S-LOG3 was a pleasure to work with. Auto white balance wasn’t the best with differences in the same scene so I had my color chart with me all the time. I also didn’t like the green tint but that could be fixed pretty easily in post. Also, some of the features I liked a lot. Clear image zoom (digital zoom) was very nice on the spot. Focus map was a great way to see what’s in focus when focus peaking lines weren’t clear to see in daylight. I never bothered the 4k60 image crop as it was still very sharp. For the crop mode i used a Sigma 16-28mm F2.8 if i needed the wider angle. And like Ermia Ramez (KZbinr) said, this camera has best image quality and Dynamic range of the bunch. If you haven’t seen his videos I would recommend it. Video title: ‘How this tiny Camera has SAME quality as ARRI ALEXA?!’. The 1080p modes were actually usable compared to my S5II. And most important... I never encountered bad moire. It also never overheated.

[@plantscreatives]

People say the photos taken from FX3 can have a good quality too. I'm thinking about buying a camera for both taking photos and shooting videos, but afraid of A7iV overheating issues... besides in october/november sony may introduce a7v or FX3 mark ii or sony s7s iv... so maybe I should hold the horses... has your a74 overheated shooting longer videos?

[@robin-comments]

@@plantscreatives The A7IV is a more photo centered camera. Personally, i need a viewfinder in photography which the FX3 is lacking. I would wait for the A7V as i expect that camera to beat the FX3 in video. The A7IV never overheated on me, even on longer videos. But i must admit i do not live in the desert. There are also a lot of add-on heatsink/fan options to cool the backside of the camera. This should totally eliminate overheating in long shoots.

[@foxandcrowncreative]

For sure, all really great points! The Sony A7IV really is a beast of a camera and it’s been a true blessing to have one. Thanks for watching my friend, cheers!

[@foxandcrowncreative]

I’ve only had my A7IV overheat on me twice in the couple of years that I’ve had it. It was really hot and we were filming continuously for a couple of hours. But I just opened the battery and memory card slot and it cooled down fairly quick. It also gave me a notification and the shut the camera down to prevent any damage to the camera. The FX3 does take great photos, but I couldn’t recommend it for larger print work. However, that’s just my personal opinion. I hope this helps! Thank you for watching my friend, cheers!

[@The_Daliban]

4:26 also consider the A7RV. It’s a step up from the A7IV and you’ll have video and photo in the highest quality covered. It’s also the same price as the FX3. Hell, look for a used A1, they go for 5k-6k and you’re covered for every possible scenario 👍🏻

[@jammaschan]

The 4k on both those cameras are subsampled and are not as good as the oversampled 4k on the a7iv and the (almost) native 4k of the fx3. If you want 8k footage though then go ahead

[@foxandcrowncreative]

Absolutely, all great points! I’d love to work with the A1 or A7RV, both look like great cameras. Thank you so much for watching!

[@AlexDubranov]

Thank you so much for the video! I love your style and the video itself was very helpful! Keep up the amazing work!!!

[@foxandcrowncreative]

Absolutely, I'm so glad the the video could help! Thank you so much for watching the video and for reaching out, it truly means a lot. Cheers, my friend!

[@leedonohue]

i use the a7iv as a b-cam & stills cam next to my fx6. what i really appreciate about the a7iv is the extra sharpness it has compared to the fx6 but only when it comes to social media content and smaller things. especially when reframe and punching in, that extra bit of sharpness comes in handy. that being said, i find the fx3/fx6 picture to be better personally, it seems just a tad bit more organic even though its still sharp. but in comparison to the a7iv its definitely more organic.

[@foxandcrowncreative]

I 100% agree, although I love the A7IV and it does look great, I just love the look I get with the FX3 a lot more. Thanks for watching and for reaching out my friend, it truly means a lot, cheers!

[@ekphotography]

I have been filming for over 20 years and also advertising photography, Fashion etc etc. Long story short I went from Filming with Alexas, RED;'s etc etc for big commercial jobs and Sony for "smaller" clients as a one man band. I bought the FX3 as soon as it was released and liked it but as soon as the pandemic hit all my work came to a stand still. I then got more photography type jobs as we were in complete shut down where I live and decided to sell the FX3 and got an A7IV. Which I really loved actually accept for a couple of minor things and specially bc of over heating all the time. I got a dud I think. . Now post pandemic I decided to buy the FX30 actually and do not shoot a lot of super low light and actually when I had the FX3 I found it kind of a PIA to use soo much ND when I just needed to maybe shoot at 1600 or 2500 ISO since the bases are 800 and 28000. We are now out of pandemic and I was worried about all the KZbin BS about how the FX30 is not good in "low" light but decided to buy it anyways bc I do not usually do super lowlight. The FX30 is a Killer camera and I actually like it better than the FX3 since I have been using it. As far as the crop , there are plenty of wide angles lens solutions like the 11mm 1.8 Sony Which is plenty wide enough for me on a crop (16mm) aprox. Unless you need 10mm or very wide angle shots, the crop factor is argument is BS. I could not help commenting on this video, Which I never usually so. The A7IV is also an amazing camera if it was not for the overheating issues I had, but I usually shoot 4K 60P 99% of the time which is part of the problem I am sure. Anyways, do NOT believe the FX30 Bashing here on KZbin bc is it is also Fantastic.

[@ekphotography]

PS. I shoot a lot of Social Media videos now and actually the down sampled 6k from the A7IV is sharper and better quality if you need to shoot Horizontally and crop to vertical than the FX3 is which is a downsampled 4.6 K sensor. The FX30 is about the same. 6-7 K sensor vs the FX3's 4.6 K sensor by the way.

[@foxandcrowncreative]

That's awesome! I agree 100%, the FX30 is an amazing camera as well. The FX3 has been perfect the for type of work I do personally, and I love the A7IV, but I think if the FX30 had been available when I bought the FX3 I might've gone for the FX30. Great cameras all around though! Thank you for watching the video and for reaching out, it truly means a lot. Cheers, my friend!

[@Nathan_Lundstrom]

I started on an A7, then an A6600, then an A7IV amongst a few other Sony APSC bodies along the journey (A6000, 6100, 6300). I’ve done work with an FX3 and A7S3, and my A7IV is still my favorite body to use - the perfect blend of functionality for someone who does 50/50 photo and video like me in 1) event/seminar scenarios where the stage is lit well and controlled 2) studio/pre-planned shoots where I’m in full control of environmental lighting. Native ISO of 12800 would just be too high for what I do. On the other hand, I could see nighttime outdoor shooting carrying an advantage with the 12mp sensor and 12800 Native ISO.

[@foxandcrowncreative]

That’s amazing! You have a lot of experience with a variety of Sony cameras, it’s awesome to get your perspective on these cameras. The 12800 ISO and the audio have been really handy for me personally on FX3 for a lot of the work that I do. But I also absolutely love the A7IV. It truly is an amazing camera. Thank you so much for watching, my friend. Cheers!

[@foggymoe3590]

An amazing video, as always. I am using the A7IV and III because I do photo and video work but mostly shoot Full HD. It's also a more budget friendly option.

[@foxandcrowncreative]

Thank you so much! Absolutely, I totally agree. It truly is an amazing hybrid camera at a great price point. I’m super grateful to have one. Thank you for watching my friend, cheers!

[@Kuyaerwin]

Been using both. Love em both.

[@foxandcrowncreative]

Same! I’ve been using both cameras for a long time and can see myself using them for a long time still. Thanks for watching my friend, cheers!

[@stkuj]

I've been on Sony over 4 years, today shoot the A7RV & A7Cii. I'm anxious to see what the A7V brings - hoping for un-cropped 4k60 ;)

[@foxandcrowncreative]

That’s awesome! The A7IV is a great hybrid camera at a great price point. I’ve really enjoyed using mine over the years. Thank you for watching my friend, it truly means a lot. Cheers!

[@mmclarkmedia]

The crop is not a problem. Just back up 😂

[@RoydenWakefield]

Replaced my a7iv with the ZV-E1, which is the same price, but with tge fx3/fx6 sensor. I regret nothing being video centric

[@foxandcrowncreative]

Absolutely, the ZV-E1 looks like a great camera. I’m hoping to get to work with one at some point. Thanks for watching, it truly means a lot. Cheers!

[@seasideshutterworx]

Hi what would say is the best settings for the A7iv in regards to protecting highlights with the zebra tool. Thank you for this video and please keep making interesting and inspiring content.

[@foxandcrowncreative]

Hey, great question! Here are my Sony camera settings below. I’ve had these settings for a few years and I’ve found that these settings help a lot when it comes to saving my highlights. - Record Setting: 4:2:2/10bit - Gamma: S-Log3 - Black Gamma: Range-Wide/Level-+4 - Knee: Auto - Color Mode: S-Gamut3.Cine I will also usually overexpose a bit, maybe 1.0 or 1.3, because I’ve noticed that it’s a little easier to save the highlights then the shadows with the FX3 and the A7IV. However, it really depends on what I’m filming and if I’m using studio light, natural light or both. But this is just what’s been working for me personally. I hope this helps! Thank you so much for watching and for reaching out, it truly means a lot. Cheers, my friend!

[@seasideshutterworx]

@@foxandcrowncreative Thank you very much for taking the the time to get back to me. I'm definitely going to adjust my black level. Looking forward to watching more of your content

[@foxandcrowncreative]

Absolutely I’m glad I can help! Thank you so much!

[@paweskrzypiec7329]

When i shoot cropped, it's difficult to stabilze

[@Burritosarebetterthantacos]

I have a feeling Sony’s gonna come out with something cool this spring, I would holdoff if you don’t already own a Sony camera😊

[@foxandcrowncreative]

I’m excited to see what they have in store! Thanks for watching my friend, cheers!

[@freelyroaming]

Crop with sports content should be a non issue especially because you are using zoom. This is only a problem is someone wants to get wide shots

[@foxandcrowncreative]

Absolutely, I appreciate the feedback. Thanks for watching my friend, cheers!

[@JasonJones-n3y]

The main flaw of the a7 IV is its over-heating! Especially in 4k…. In 1080 it’s ok.

[@stevenkralovec]

Hate to be that nerdy guy who is like “Well, actually…” but just want to point out it’s a common misconception to think you need a high megapixel count for billboards. Since the viewing distance is so large, even 2 MP would probably be enough for a billboard. And no one will see individual pixels. Now it’s a different story if it’s a massive print viewed from 2 feet away. But billboards are not that 🤷‍♂️ just my two cents. Much love!

[@foxandcrowncreative]

No worries brother! I appreciate the feedback. I totally hear you for sure, however, I don’t know that it’s so much a misconception more then it just may not be a necessary anymore. Here’s what I mean. In my professional work, clients and even the printing companies I’ve worked with over the years had specific camera specs they wanted me to work with and that was one of them. I remember sending in an iPhone photo once as an experiment (which I don’t recommend by the way, I had built a long business relationship with the client at this point), and they asked me to shoot it again with a professional camera haha! In their defense, I truthfully can see the difference in resolution, especially when the image is printed, but I’ve been working with images for a long time, so I can see all of the little subtle differences. With all of that said though, most of us are driving by billboards quickly and they’re at a pretty good distance from us, so I totally agree. And with even billboards going digital these days, it may not even matter in the near future. Thanks for watching brother, cheers!

[@stevenkralovec]

@@foxandcrowncreative interesting! I didn’t realize some billboard clients would have spec requirements. I haven’t worked in that space as much as I have the filmmaking space, so you’d know better than me. (Also of course I’m one of the people who thinks iPhone photos still don’t look professional enough in many cases compared to dedicated cameras with bigger sensors, so I’d probably require a dslr at minimum too if I was in their shoes. Call me crazy). I just meant that the fx3 from a technical perspective would even be way more than enough (with 12 MP) for highway billboards. I don’t know why they’d ever require more than that, unless it would also be used for large prints that would be viewed from very close distances. Which maybe they’d want to use the photo for multi purposes like that, so that could be a logical motivation 🤷‍♂️ Also I give it to you, the fx3 probably wouldn’t be enough resolution for large, non-billboard (close viewing distance) prints, definitely. But I’d say it’s way more than enough if there’s say a 20+ ft viewing distance

[@foxandcrowncreative]

For sure that totally makes sense. When I first started a lot of what I photographed was for print and was usually used for a few different things, like the billboard but also magazines, banners, etc., so the photo had to look high quality across everything. But that was just my experience personally. Would love to experiment more with FX3 stills! 📸

[@stevenkralovec]

@@foxandcrowncreative oh that totally makes sense, yeah

[@JakeCJRhodes1001]

My number one complaint with the a7iv is it is shit when it comes to stabilization. Active or standard. OSS or not, its just horrible compared to other Sony's and especially the Lumix line.

[@TheKlovin]

So I have four A7IV, and I would tell the only downgrade is overheating for the long constants shoot like podcasts. Thats why i'll change all of them to fx3

[@foxandcrowncreative]

Absolutely, I totally agree. The FX3 is a solid choice for something like a podcast. Thanks for watching my friend!

[@ChetaMeister]

Don’t buy either. In a months time you may regret that purchase with what’s around the corner.

[@foxandcrowncreative]

I’m excited to see what Sony comes out with next! Thanks for watching!

[@nickdual]

I subscribed, you do too Colleague

[@foxandcrowncreative]

Thank you my friend! I truly appreciate that a lot. Cheers!