Live Science Verdict
The Sony A7 IV is a fantastic all - libertine hybrid camera that performs fantastically well for both images and television , but it ’s not without its flaw . It was very impressive when it was first released , although , with newer forward motion in tech over the recent eld , some of the newer models trump it . Still , it ’s one of the good Sony camera ’s we ’ve used when it comes to astrophotography .
Astounding high ISO performance
Very customizable
The Sony A7 IV is comfortable to hold and fits nicely in the hand.
Good autofocus
well-situated to hold with good button layout
Lower battery life than its harbinger
The button layout is very similar to the previous model.(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)
4 super acid 60p video is cropped
A bit bulky to use as a travel television camera
Outdated equate to young model
The video record button is now in a much better place, and what was the exposure compensation dial is now a blank programmeable dial.(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)
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Over two and a one-half years after its long - awaited outlet back in 2021 , we ’re testing out the Sony A7 IV to see how it stands up to the challenger on the market place now in 2024 . It was a much - needed upgrade to the Sony A7 III back when it was released , but there have been many advancements in tech over the past duad of eld since , so we ’ll be look at what this photographic camera offers to see if it ’s still worth spending your intemperately - earned cash on in 2024 .
In this review , we ’ll be look at itsdesign , performance , functionality , who we think it would be best suited for and we ’ll also provide somealternative optionsat the end if you want to explore other avenues .
The ports on the side of the camera are easily accessible.(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)
If you desire to check out the near camera in a peculiar niche , check out thebest astrophotography camerasand thebest wildlife picture taking camerasto see how the Sony A7 IV compares .
Sony A7 IV review
Sony A7 IV: Design
The bioengineering and ' sense ' of a camera will always have an element of subjectiveness depending on the user and how big their hands are . Still , with that in mind , we thought the Sony A7 IV was comfortable to hold with all the buttons well accessible and well - pronounced . We could merrily walk around apply the camera in our good hired hand with just the clutch without any fear of knock off it . It did n’t feel front - heavy even with a bulky lens attach , and it ’s only marginally heavier and bigger than the premature model ( we ’re talking < 10 g and a few millimeter ) . That said , it could be a bit chunky if you ’re in the first place wanting a lightweight locomotion camera .
There are a distich of noted improvement from the A7 III which we consider made the camera much more enjoyable to apply . The first and most obvious is the long - awaited addition of a amply articulating filmdom . Most user we ’ve verbalize to got very riled with the disputation - only screen on the A7 III , so we are glad to see Sony listening to their client with this New model .
We really savour the covert on the Sony A7 IV , it makes shooting at awkward Angle much easier and it also afford the tv camera up for shooting selfies or making vlogs . They ’ve improved the screen even further in price of functionality with the latest model in the R kitchen range ( you could read thereview of the Sony A7R V on our sister web site here ) , so perhaps they ’ll tote up a similar advance whenever the A7 V is give up .
Overall, we really like the button placement on this camera.(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)
sensing element size : Full frame BSI CMOSMegapixels:33MPISO range:100 — 51,200 ( expands to 50 - 204,800)Image stabilization:5.5 stopsLCD screen:3 - inch fully articulating , 1,036,800 dotsEVF:3,686,400 dotsBurst rate:10fpsVideo:4 K 30p uncropped , 4 jet 60p croppedCard slots : One CFexpress Type A / UHS - II SD , One UHS - II SDBattery life ( CIPA):580 shotsWeight ( inc . battery):659 g ( 1.45 lb / 23.25 oz)Dimensions:131 x 96 x 80 millimeter ( 5.16 x 3.78 x 3.15 - inches )
There are a few other change in term of button layout . They ’ve swapped C1 and the video recording criminal record button around , making it much more pronounced and prosperous to begin immortalise TV with just your index . C1 is now on the back of the camera next to the viewfinder .
They ’ve also changed the pre - programmed picture recompense wheel on the top of the photographic camera to just a even command wheel and added a clit lock , and the 2d ascendency wheel on the top of the camera is also now more pronounced . With the same ascendency wheel on the front of the grip and on the back of the organic structure as before , this now means there are four customizable control wheel on the camera in addition to the four custom buttons .
We were able to bring back lots of the detail from the dark shadows.
They ’ve also added a sub - telephone dial to the main occasion wheel , similar to what we ’ve seen on some of the newer manakin . This sub - telephone dial has disjoined photo , video and S&Q ( wearisome & ready ) options depend on what case of capacity you want to dart . With this summate function , you may now programme the independent dial to make three different sets of custom configurations for photos , three for video and three for S&Q , adding yet more customization to this camera .
In the side control board , the only small change is the addition of a declamatory HDMI embrasure , which they ’ve moved to a separate compartment in the side dialog box . The battery and board slots are still in the same situation as on the late framework . It ’s still got two card slots , but slot 1 is now compatible with CFexpress A cards , which sounds great in theory , but Type A card are rarer and more expensive than Type B cards . You ’re belike better off stick to a libertine UHS - II SD board or a even South Dakota card if you do n’t postulate to concern about fast shooting speed .
Sony A7 IV: Performance
The dynamic range in this camera really impressed us . We took it to the woods in the mid - good afternoon Dominicus to see how it would do against the bright light source and coarse tail , and even with an f/4 lens , it handled it effortlessly . We shot skywards directly toward where the Dominicus was let out through the tree , and you’re able to see from the side - by - side images above how dark the shadows were in the altogether image . When we edit out the image in Lightroom , we were easy capable to bring back the detail in the shadows and highlights with no fuss at all .
The burst charge per unit could be a potential letdown if you shoot tight - run subject . On paper , it says it ’s open of 10FPS , but that ’s only when you shoot in compress altogether — if you convert it down to uncompressed RAW , the burst charge per unit knock off to around 6FPS . Either of these speeds fits into the ' it ’ll do ' family for most types of shooting , but if you shoot sports or other fast - moving subject , it could get thwarting not being able to get at faster speeds . We did find this a little annoying during a portrait shoot , but the quality of the figure is deserving the wait .
The autofocus performance on the A7 IV is telling ( for when it was released ) , but we were n’t require anything less from Sony given their family - leading autofocus reputation . It ’s of course since been outdone by the AI autofocus in the newer models like the A7R V , A7C II and the crop - sensor A6700 , but the AF in the A7 IV is still reliable and in effect nonetheless . That ’s not to say that it is n’t a big upgrade from the A7 III though , as it now has eye AF for humans , animals and birds in both picture and video — great news for portraiture and wildlife photographers .
We paired it with the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 lens and a diffusion filter to shoot some soft and dreamy sunset portraits.
We hear the eye autofocus out on a particularly flighty black cat when she decided she would tolerate our commentator for 5 bit , and she helpfully insisted that we should try out out the ISO performance at the same time by going directly to the dark point in the entire house . The optic autofocus form quite well in low-toned / bad light position , although the autofocus on the whole relies on your subject area not look away from the photographic camera otherwise you ’ll need to find the focus again . ok for humans , not so great for uncooperative animals .
As for the high ISO performance , we shot image at ISO 640 , 800 , 10,000 and 12,800 , and the stochasticity only became obviously distracting at 12,800 , and even then , Lightroom ’s AI denoise tool does a pretty ripe line of work of eliminating the randomness . If you buck astro , it may eliminate more of the detail than you ’d need , but overall we cogitate the mellow ISO functioning is pretty full so you likely would n’t require to use much denoise .
For astrophotography , this is one of the better Sony cameras we ’ve test , menstruation . Its high ISO carrying into action is astounding , and it also has a concealed feature called ' lustrous monitoring ' to help you compose your paradigm in the dark . As the name suggests , it brightens the monitoring equipment so you could see your composition better — which is very useful for astrophotography ( it wo n’t alter the outcome of your image , just the monitor lizard ) . There are some caveats — it ’s grainy and not the best quality , and there ’s a bit of slowdown if you move the camera , but it enabled us to easy see where theMilky Waywas positioned in our shot . All you need to doto set it upis map it to a customs tonality , then once you bid the button to aerate it you may see it working in real - time ( you need to be in manual focus and manual mode for it to work ) .
At ISO 6400 the noise is visible but not distracting.(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)
We also jumped at the chance to take the A7 IV out to pip the aurora borealis on a new Sun Myung Moon on a chilly New Year ’s Day in South Wales . Even under Bortle 4 skies in the Brecon Beacons , the camera was a solid performing artist and produce minimal noise in our images . The only thing that hamper us was not having a really just astro lens !
Sony A7 IV: Functionality
The Sony A7 IV feature a newer Bionz XR processor , which is the same one you ’ll find in the beastly Sony A1 — although the A7 IV does n’t have a stacked sensor as the A1 does , so you wo n’t quite get the same performance . Still , it ’s definitely an advance over the A7 III , peculiarly when coupled with the higher 33 - megapixel detector .
The EVF and LCD sieve resolution has also been improved , but we ’d still like to see further improvement with the next model to make it more in line with some of the newer Sony cameras . The LCD screen door resoluteness has croak from 921,600 dots up to 1,036,800 Elvis and the EVF resolving has been increase from 2,359,296 DoT up to 3,686,400 dots .
Although any advance is always a good matter in theory , we feel they perhaps have n’t been ameliorate enough to make the difference that detectable in practice . But that being said , we still find them to be honest timbre and prosperous to work with when we tested the camera , so perhaps we are just being picky . You ca n’t expect the characteristic of the Alpha range to be equal to the boastful hitters like the A1 and A7R V , but we still cogitate they could ’ve done a scrap more — especially on the LCD screen .
ISO 8000 shows a little more noise, but it’s only distracting when you zoom in.(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)
The Sony A7 IV is without a doubtfulness a fantastic hybrid camera with some jolly powerful photo and TV feature film , but if you ’re serious about video in particular , we think there could be a potential flaw with this photographic camera .
It can shoot 4 K video recording which is oversampled from the 7 K sensing element , which is neat and produces abrupt , noise - innocent footage even in low spark , although serious professional videographers might want to empower more and go for a camera capable of shooting 8 K television — like the A7R V or the A1 .
The matter about the A7 IV is that although it can shoot up to 4 K 60p , the 4 potassium 60p footage is cropped . This could be a dealbreaker for some users , although for anyone seize footage that is perhaps a bit further away like sports or wildlife , the harvest could actually be a grace ! If you need uncropped video for casual content universe or record your travels you may still shoot 4 cat valium 30p , but for high figure rates we ’d suggest looking at other mannikin . That said , it ’s still miles better than the A7 III in this attentiveness .
ISO 10,000 still has noticeable noise, but not hugely different to ISO 6400 and 8000.(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)
Should you buy the Sony A7 IV?
✅ You shoot many unlike style : It ’s a fantastic jack - of - all - trades and will become many different photographers. ✅ You want a great astro tv camera : If you mainly shoot astro , this is a fantastic television camera . The 33MP resolve and brilliant high ISO public presentation make it a force play to be reckoned with .
❌ You blast a lot of video : For user who focalise more on video recording and desire high-pitched frame pace , we think there are good options. ❌ You necessitate a high outburst rate:10FPS is utterly okay in most situations , but sports and fast - action photographers could often do with more .
If you ’re work the jump into the full - form system and ca n’t stretch your budget to the likes of the Alpha R chain , the Sony A7 IV is the frontrunner and the obvious choice . It ’ll befit most photographic styles and performs well for picture , it ’s a marvellous all - rounder and will certainly last you for a long time and be gratifying to shoot with . It ’s not without its flaws , but we think it ’s one of the well intercrossed photographic camera in this monetary value scope on the market .
ISO 12,800 is where you can really start to see the noise to a distracting level, however…(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)
If you narrow down in a particular niche , however , it may not be the television camera for you count on the style of picture taking you shoot . For example , sports and truehearted - action gunslinger will want something with a gamy burst pace , and the 10FPS on the Sony A7 IV will settle little if you require to advance your skills .
Also , if you already own the Sony A7 III , you ’ll ask to moot whether you think the upgrades are worthwhile enough to guarantee moving up to the newfangled model . We like the addition of the amply articulating screen , plus the improved autofocus and new centre autofocus for animals and boo . But if you shoot down astrophotography , the increase megapixel count could result in more noise in your persona , and the depleted barrage fire life might mean you may not be able-bodied to frivol away for as long .
Another argument against buying the Sony A7 IV is that it likely wo n’t be too recollective before they release an A7 V. While there are no rumors or official proclamation yet , give way the timeline of 3 years and 9 months between the freeing of the A7 III and the A7 IV , we are on track for there to potentially be public lecture of the next model towards the end of 2024 or beginning of 2025 . Even if you do n’t desire the newer fashion model when it eventually come out , its loss will likely see the A7 IV slenderize in price , so if you ’re not in a haste you could save yourself some money by waiting .
…Lightroom’s AI denoise tool does a pretty good job of cleaning up the noise in the image.(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)
If the Sony A7 IV isn’t for you
Best binocularsBest astrophotography camerasBest wildlife picture taking camerasBest laptops for exposure editingBest telescopesBest iPad for scholar
If you do n’t suppose the Sony A7 IV is right for you after learn this review , here are some alternative options that might suit you a little unspoiled .
If you ’re a professional lensman and need a pro - grade camera with a flake more oomph , we ’d recommend theSony A7R Vor theSony A1 . The Sony A7R V is the newer of the two with AI - power autofocus and implausibly cagy engineering , and the A1 has a stack sensing element for gravely powerful performance and exceptional epitome ( although the A1 isveryexpensive ) .
For astrophotography, it’s high ISO performance and bright monitoring makes for stunning astrophotos.
If , on the other hired man , you ’re more of a beginner and the Sony A7 IV sounds like overkill or out of your budget , theSony A6700is a fantastic craw sensor camera with a lot of the new feature Sony is offering for around $ 900 less than the A7 IV , or if you want the AI autofocus and full - form sensor in a fresh model , hold out theSony A7C IIwhich is a standardized price to the A7 IV .
We jumped at the chance to shoot the aurora borealis just 40 minutes away from where our reviewer lives.(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)
The Orion constellation over Cadair Fawr.(Image credit: Kimberley Lane)
The images are sharp, detailed and produce excellent color.
The 33MP sensor produces fantastic detail even when you need to crop your image.
