Why I Upgraded to the Sony A7IV for Sports Videography (A7IV vs A7iii)

I recently upgraded to the Sony A7IV as my main camera for sports videography! We go over why I decided to get the A7IV as my upgrade from the A7iii instead of the A7Siii, FX3, or FX6 for sports videography.
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In this video go over why I decided to upgrade to the Sony A7IV for my work in sports videography! There are lots of great camera options out there for sports and action videographers right now from Sony, including the A7Siii, FX3, and FX6 among others. I discuss in detail why at their given price points, I believe that the Sony A7IV is a great upgrade for A7iii users who work filming sports videos or any type of action content.
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[@petersarellas]

Pick up the Sony A7iv: amzn.to/3GAoPwn | B&H: bhpho.to/3NFLl9p

[@calvinw6687]

You say you dont shoot in 120p but then other videos you say you only film in 120p? I dont get it.

[@petersarellas]

@@calvinw6687 when I had the A7iii I filmed a lot in 1080p120 because there were no options for 4K slow motion and file sizes weren’t prohibitive so there wasn’t much of a downside to doing it, especially since I overcrank my shutter for game coverage anyways. With the A7IV/FX3/FX30 etc 4k120 takes up a ton of file space and isn’t too often actually used at 20% slow motion. I also like filming proxies in camera with those cameras and you can do that with 4k60 but not 4k120 so I’m more selective with those bodies about when to use 120fps

[@calvinw6687]

@@petersarellas Thanks for your reply. Would you still recommend the Sony A7-4 over something like the FX30, or FX3 specifically for filming indoor basketball?

[@yazanshareef7756]

Great video, Peter. This along with a few others have made up my mind, thanks!

[@petersarellas]

Happy that this helped!

[@macvo2149]

Thank you, nice video. I agree with your point of view. It is very useful to know that the camera can also be used for sports video. Your shots looked very good. 👍

[@petersarellas]

Thank you!!

[@taz7173]

Congratulations on your new camera! I was considering the Sony EV-10, however, it wasn't in stock, so I decided to get the A7iv. Glad to see a professional (you) get the same camera!

[@petersarellas]

Thank you! I hope you enjoy your A7iv as well! From everything I’ve seen and experienced so far it’s a great camera that can grow with your needs.

[@Phungtastic]

I somehow was able to watch this video yesterday with the link in your IG story 😂 but really like your input on why you chose this over the a7siii. Those are the two cameras I’m having trouble deciding between when I upgrade.

[@petersarellas]

Hahah I probably posted the link unlisted then set the premiere later 😂 honestly can’t go wrong either way but the choice isn’t necessarily always to get the more expensive camera with the best specs

[@mikechisholm]

Nice video! Did a similar upgrade from a7iii to a9ii as my main camera. a7iii is still a really great choice but it's nice to have some quality of life upgrades.

[@petersarellas]

Absolutely agree! A7iii can still work wonders, the upgrade is more of a nice to have than a necessity. That a9ii must be sweet!

[@robhurley5258]

Thank you, very informative.

[@petersarellas]

No problem!

[@dfcustoms1495]

Got my a7iv about a month ago, upgraded from the a6100 and the change is incredible. Peter love your channel you have helped me so much as a teen sports videographer and I love your content. I would love to ask what your export strategies are for trying to minimize compression on social media like you mentioned, and how to make videos that keep the audience engaged. Thanks!!

[@petersarellas]

That’s awesome!! It really must be a huge step up coming from an a6100. As for export settings, check out the video I did a bit ago on how to get high quality uploads to Instagram. I could go on forever about audience engagement and this comment isn’t enough to really explain it, but if I had to say one thing it’d be to do something that hooks your audience in the first 5-10 seconds. Thank you for supporting the channel and keep on doing your thing!!

[@zachtraverproductions]

Congrats on the new camera Peter!

[@petersarellas]

Haha thanks Zach!

[@BeyondTheGame_E]

Great review!

[@petersarellas]

Thanks E!

[@JuanMoralesCreative]

Guy is living the 10 bit LIFE lets GO!

[@JuanMoralesCreative]

Also, mans calling my 4k 120 over kill eh? 😜

[@petersarellas]

The size of the files you’d dump on me after one CEBL game was insane lmao

[@marcusbeh4772]

Love the video! I just recently bought the a7IV and I'm filming for Fresno State's Football team! I'm just wondering if you could do an update autofocus settings for this a7IV, cuz you mentioned you used touch tracking, but what do you do if the player passes the ball?

[@petersarellas]

Def could do something like that in the future! For now don’t think enough has changed to justify an update, but the gist of it is that if someone is in iso (basketball) or if for example I’m following a specific receiver (football) then I’ll use the touch af tracking on them

[@sunnymei]

It's kind of insane to see how many filmmakers are from Toronto 😍(including me)

[@petersarellas]

Seriously it feels like everyone with a camera lives here 😂

[@notz7737]

love the video! you should def upgrade your mic for these sitdowns though

[@petersarellas]

Thanks! The problem isn’t the mic, I use the lav I’m wearing in this for a bunch of different content outside of this and usually the audio is solid. My office is very echoey and I haven’t sound treated it at all so that’s probably what you’re hearing. Taking care of that is definitely on the to-do list.

[@notz7737]

@@petersarellas perfect bro

[@jaybratt]

Dang it... I was hoping to cheap out on the iii but I think this told me I need the iv

[@petersarellas]

Haha definitely a bit pricier but the step up is very noticeable

[@csmolins]

Can you speak to the rolling shutter issues that others have reported? I am leaning towards this camera but if fast action causes warping , I'm not convinced its up to the task

[@petersarellas]

I just recently replied to “Filming and Stuff” on this video discussing my thoughts and experiences with rolling shutter on this camera so I’d recommend having a look at that short thread.

[@nefarious_prod]

I really mess with the new logo. You just keep leveling up your skills

[@petersarellas]

Thank you!! Appreciate that

[@krownfilm07]

Great video ! I also purchased the sony A 7IV and was wondering if it's better to shoot in 4k60 or 1080p 120 fps for a basketball game ?

[@petersarellas]

Honestly depends on what you’re looking to create with the footage you shoot. I’ve been opting for 4k60 more recently because I like how sharp the footage looks but I’ll usually switch to 1080p120 for a few shots every now and then, especially during warm ups/pregame

[@Keyonbrownfilms]

Great video!! Did you have to purchase a new small rig cage for your A7IV?

[@petersarellas]

I actually just put my old A7iii cage on it and it fit like a glove! I’ll talk more about this in the rig video that I’m going to make soon.

[@axl6670]

if i want to shoot youth soccer photos for one player what lens length should i be using

[@zzLIAMLLC]

Hi Peter, nice videos. Do you know of any reliable adapters to use Canon lenses on the Sony A7III? I am looking to shoot sports video and a lot of the videos that I have seen say that the autofocus will be poor when using a non-native lens

[@petersarellas]

The adapter that I’ve seen most use wth success to use canon lenses with Sony is by Metabones, though I remember it costing a few hundred dollars and I haven’t used something like it in years so I can’t speak for how good the af will be other than that I remember it wasn’t as good as using native Sony lenses. Depending on where you’re located, you may be able to rent a metabones e-ef adapter from a local camera shop to test it out and make a decision that way.

[@zzLIAMLLC]

@@petersarellas thanks for your response. I’m hesitant to make the leap from Canon to Sony because of this… especially since sports action would be something where I think I’d want the autofocus to be sharp

[@petersarellas]

When I made the leap to Sony years ago I sold whatever canon lenses I had and just bought all Sony. Didn’t want to have to mess around with adapter or risk af performance. At the end of the day both brands have good cameras so you can really use either.

[@myleebentley3406]

Is the Sony A7iv good for taking basketball pictures?

[@sidelinemediaEntertainment]

Can you get the overcrank 4k60 to look like 4k 24 fps ?

[@bluetvsports]

I Shoot track and field athletics, i care also about the slowmotion, you prefer A7IV or A7SIII?

[@petersarellas]

A7Siii is a video-first camera that’s better for slow motion with high resolution but A7IV is still very capable for video (120fps with good colour only available in s&q and in HD) and better for photos as more of an all-arounder camera.

[@bluetvsports]

@@petersarellas i dont care about photos. only video, to have great colours and good slow motion

[@truthseeker6804]

i do sports and action videography but i think i would stick to getting the a7c, not because of cost but because i dont see much benefit of the a7iv for me. i dont do extreme log that needs extreme grading as i need quick turnaround videos so i dont see much benefit in the 10bit. but good video, just discovered your channel and subbed, keep it up.

[@petersarellas]

Yeah I totally feel you on that. As someone who had been rocking the A7iii for a while, I know that the A7C (basically the A7iii in a different body) is a solid option, especially in a situation like that. Thanks for hanging around the channel and glad you’re enjoying the content!

[@GoldenboyReyOchoUno]

Thanks

[@rawarchives5374]

What lens would you recommend for close up boxing content from like 10 feet or less away from the action? Pretty high light environment and looking for vertical shots for reels

[@petersarellas]

Depends on what camera you’re using and the crop it has but something on the wider end for sure, especially since you’re shooting for vertical. Maybe a wide angle like a 16-35mm? Whatever you go with id recommend renting and trying once before buying.

[@rawarchives5374]

@@petersarellas yeah I’ll definitely do that, and would you stick with this camera for combat sports like kickboxing and mma

[@Filming-and-Stuff]

As a sports videographer, how do you deal with atrocious rolling shutter of the a7iv? Surely the a7siii would’ve made more sense because it has very minimal rolling shutter?

[@petersarellas]

Honestly nobody has ever complained to me that my videos were bad to watch because of the rolling shutter so I just keep using it and I think the final edits that i make with the files I shoot are solid

[@petersarellas]

That said, I acknowledge that the A7iv is pretty poor with rolling shutter

[@revengeaaa8506]

Love your vids! Im a social media manager who recently got a job for a basketball team, they want me to produce content too, I use iphone and a Nikon camera, but yeah quality is far from what you produce. I was wondering, could I just find a good lens for my Nikon camera or you would suggest to switch completely to Sony? Im no professional photographer nor videographer so no experience.

[@petersarellas]

When you’re first starting out you can really use nearly any camera to get off the ground and going. That said, I’ve used Nikon cameras for video before and was underwhelmed. If you’re doing photo you should be fine to start with a Nikon dslr though if your main focus is video then getting a canon or Sony camera with a telephoto lens is probably the way to go. The cameras that I always recommend for beginners in video are the Sony a6300, a6400 and a6500 because they produce decent video quality at a low cost. Again though, if what you have isn’t inconveniencing or limiting you then there’s nothing wrong with continuing to use it until you outgrow it.

[@revengeaaa8506]

@@petersarellas Thank you so much, didn't expect you to give such an exhaustive answer! Another question, if I buy the Sony a6500 and a telephoto lens then I should be good with both videos and photos? Because probably makes no sense to buy a new lens for my Nikon if then I can't cover the videos. And the telephoto that you recommend is Sony FE 70-200mm ?

[@petersarellas]

@@revengeaaa8506 yes that should cover photo and video. Since the a6500 has a crop sensor you could also consider versatile midrange zooms like the Sony 15-105mm f4 or other lenses in that category to get a good variety of focal length that are tight enough for sports but still allow you to do still photography

[@SidelinePlugs]

How bad is the rolling shutter? I shoot basketball games. I use a Nikon D3300 and finally want to upgrade to a new camera

[@petersarellas]

It is not ideal. I personally don’t consider bad rolling shutter to be a huge factor for my work so I don’t really mind but if you really care about how rolling shutter looks in your videos then this camera may irk you a bit. As far as sit down tripod work like interviews is concerned though I think this camera is the best bang for your buck, and it is still very capable for other forms of work like sports as well.

[@SidelinePlugs]

@@petersarellas most KZbinrs are saying the rolling shutter is not a big deal, I just hope it's not gonna be annoying while shooting basketball games. I'm looking into the Sony A73 or Sony A74

[@petersarellas]

@@SidelinePlugs it really isn’t a big deal. Like if you’re examining rolling shutter then this camera is objectively worse than some others in a similar category, but when you’re actually laid back watching a piece of content as a consumer you practically never criticize a video for the rolling shutter, so that’s why it doesn’t really concern me.

[@SidelinePlugs]

@@petersarellas oh ok, thanks for replying I'm most likely gonna get the Sony A74 over the Sony A73

[@MarcAfshar]

Any overheating issues that you’ve noticed thus far? I can’t decide beteeen a7s3 and this!! And I hear the 4K 120 shots are immaculate 😩😩😩😩 but I hear you on the efficiency of using such file when needing quick turnaround

[@legendarymason5]

It overheats a little bit but not too much. I experienced it for the first time this weekend shooting for AAU basketball

[@MarcAfshar]

@@legendarymason5 ahhh I see! Thanks 🙏

[@masetheog124]

i have the a7s3 and tbh never had one overheat problem on any game i’ve recorded , but i’m sure both are def good

[@petersarellas]

I had a small overheating issue when I left the camera on for about 30 minutes scrolling through the menu and playing with settings. That happened with the heat tolerance setting on regular and the flip screen on the body of the camera. Now I’ve changed the heat tolerance to high and try to flip the screen out as often as possible when using and haven’t had any further issues. I also bought a v mount battery for it which helps dissipate a lot of heat since I can keep the battery outside of the camera. I’ll be making a full camera rig video for this shortly where I go over that in detail.

[@the180degreerule3]

How do You deal with the rolling shutter shooting sports?

[@petersarellas]

Honestly there’s not too much you can do if you don’t just buy a camera with good rolling shutter performance, but it hasn’t been a huge problem for me in my work

[@shotbyoliver]

@@petersarellas With the A7IV have you experienced rolling shutter issues shooting so far? And, if so, what scenarios has it been an issue for?

[@petersarellas]

@@shotbyoliver haven’t experienced issues with it yet simply because I haven’t put it through every shooting scenario yet. Until I see otherwise I’m operating under the assumption that it won’t perform better than the A7iii in this category, and when I’m filming game action and whipping the camera to follow the ball later this week I’ll find out for sure.

[@lebrunhums]

Is the 4k crop significant ?

[@petersarellas]

It is 1.5x so quite significant (only crops in 4k60)

[@ThomasT1980]

:)

[@petersarellas]

😊