Quick Verdict
Billed as a "full-frame hybrid camera" the Sony A7 IV certainly lives up to its potential. Be it for high-quality stills, high-quality video shooting or streaming and connectivity it's all there. This of course brings with it a certain level of complexity, so it takes some investment in time to understand and take full advantage of all the versatility that Sony has built in. This is time well spent though and the camera repays this effort in an abundance of functionality worthy of its status as the flagship of the A7 series.
+ Pros
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- Cons
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Sony has an extensive array of interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras, both in full-frame and APS-C formats. To their credit, new models can exist for some time alongside the older versions that they replace, enabling also a variety of price levels and options. The A7 range does not have the highest resolution of the options available but has instead consistently offered a bias towards movie shooting and low noise stills shooting. Technology is now such that the edges of demarcation are blurring and we can expect satisfactorily high pixel counts (33MP in this case) alongside fast frame rates (10fps) and huge buffers (up to 800 shots). Couple this with a very sophisticated set of movie specifications, and we have a true hybrid camera that can satisfy the needs of a wide range of photographers.
The review sample has been provided with the FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM zoom lens, fully reviewed separately, so let's take this heavyweight duo out into the field and see what it can do.
Sony Alpha 7 IV Features
The A7 IV is a robust, impressively well-made camera body with dust and moisture resistance, inbuilt SteadyShot (5-axis, up to 5.5 stops) and a sturdy 658g in weight, including SD card and battery. The lens provided, the Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM, fits smoothly and without any hint of rotational movement when mounted. One interesting improvement is that when the lens is removed the sensor is actually covered rather than being fully exposed.
The camera is slightly bulkier than the A7R III that we usually use for reviewing Sony lenses. This can be accounted for by the deeper grip, which works well, and the vari-angle rear monitor that enables a forward view that vloggers will appreciate should they wish to film themselves.
Much of the button placement remains similar to previous models, but there are a few significant tweaks to the layout. The top panel has gained a rotational dial beneath the mode dial to select stills, video and S&Q (Slow and Quick). The exposure compensation dial has lost its engraving, gained a locking button at its centre and gained a full range of adjustment from -5 EV to +5 EV. The rear command dial has become a top operating dial. There is a new actuation switch, marked with a red circle, which starts and stops video recording.
The rear of the camera is no surprise, with the usual control dials and buttons, with a vast array of customisation possible for every one of them. This brings us to the menus which are quite complex by necessity, but perhaps not as intuitive as the previous style. This is, of course, a very personal choice and no doubt with continued use everything will become more familiar and much easier to use.
The Quad VGA OLED EVF (1.3cm, 0.5 type) has no less than 3,686,400 dots, gives 100% coverage and offers 0.78x magnification with a 50mm lens at infinity. The EVF has truly come of age, offering a superb, flicker-free view that is totally usable without any trace of eye fatigue. The only clue as to its electronic nature is that we have to switch it on to use it, unlike an optical viewfinder.
The 7.5cm (3.0 type) TFT touch panel monitor has 1,036,800 dots and is equally useful. Menus are crisp and clean. If the touch screen facility is not required then it can be switched off.
Metering has a wide range of sensitivity, from -3 EV to +20 EV. Base ISO values are ISO 100-51,200 and this can be extended to ISO 50-204,800. The ISO performance is excellent, as mentioned later.
AF is a hybrid system using phase detection and contrast detection. It operates from -4 EV to +20 EV and works very well indeed, being sharp, fast and accurate. There is an AF illuminator that is effective from 0.3m to 3.0m. Eye and face recognition AF works beautifully, and now we have the option of selecting Human, Animal or Bird.
Media are accessed through the usual side panel and this has gained an additional locking switch. The camera accepts SD cards (including UHS-I and UHS-II) and CFexpress cards type A. Some video functions are dependent upon using the highest specification cards, be it SD or CFexpress.
There is no doubt that the A7 IV is a highly specified and highly effective tool for both stills photographers and videographers.
Key Features
- 33MP Full-Frame (35.9mm x 23.9mm) Exmoor R CMOS Sensor
- Shutter speeds 1/8000s to 30s (stills)
- Shutter speeds 1/8000s to 1/4s (movie)
- ISO range 100 – 51200 (50 to 204,800 extended)
- Metering range EV -3 to EV 20
- Vari-angle 7.5cm (3.0type) TFT touch panel monitor with 1,036,800 dots
- Quad VGA 1.3cm (0.5 type) OLED EVF 3,686,400 dots, 100% field of view, 0.78x magnification with 50mm lens at infinity
- 4:2:2 10 bit 4K, 7K oversampling and UHD Video, H.264 and H.265 formats
- Streaming/webcam capability
- Bluetooth Ver 4.1
- Wireless LAN 2.4GHz/5GHz
- Hybrid AF - phase-detection/contrast detection
- AF range EV -4 to EV 20
- Media: SD card (UHS-I and UHS-II compliant), CF Express Type A
- 10 fps, buffer up to 800 shots
- SteadyShot (5.5 stops)
- Anti-Dust
- 658g with SD card and battery
- Fully adjustable picture profiles
- Creative looks: Standard, Portrait, Subdued, Vivid, Vivid + Enhanced clarity, Moody, Monochrome, Sepia, Custom
Sony Alpha 7 IV Handling
Handling is pure Sony and from a slow start as cameras morphed from Minolta to Konica Minolta and finally, to Sony, the learning curve and development have been intense, relentless and very, very successful. We now have state-of-the-art performance, design and handling and with so many alternative models something for every style of photographer.
The A7 IV is the pinnacle of a line of development that has looked to cater for those who wanted low noise and the ability to effectively shoot movies, as well as the general need for stills. Thus we move ourselves, perhaps from being pure photographers or videographers to being content creators, a hybrid that needs a hybrid choice of cameras. It's all in the A7 IV, including a plethora of connection and communication options. With a 33MP sensor, there is plenty of resolution for stills as well.
The only points I would raise are the menus and the instruction manual. The menu system may well be liked by many, but in my opinion, I find it not particularly intuitive, although as with all things this improves with use and familiarity and of course once a camera is set up then the process does not need to be repeated. The instruction manual for an undeniably complex set of options would be helpful in printed form as the online version is not perhaps the most convenient way of getting the information across.
However, to be fair, once set up for stills, and then set up for video, the actual operation is smooth and hazard-free.
Sony Alpha 7 IV Performance
The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Sony Alpha 7 IV Sample Photos
Sample Photos - The A7 IV is available body only or coupled with a 28-70mm zoom, but the review sample was provided with the high class FE 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master instead. This expensive and heavy optic is a stellar performer, with excellent sharpness well maintained throughout the zoom range and only dropping off a little as diffraction takes hold. Even then and even at f/22 the centre of the image retains very good sharpness, only the edges and corners falling away. Distortion is visible at -3.38% barrel at 12mm, but this soon reduces and by around 18mm the lens is approaching being rectilinear. There is +1.23% pincushion distortion at 24mm, which in itself is pretty good for a zoom of this type. CA is very low at all focal lengths, even with in-camera corrections switched off. Vignetting is generally held at less than one stop, also a great result. At the widest apertures and focal lengths there is some visible corner darkening, but it is subtle and can even be beneficial where we wish to concentrate the eye on the centre of the frame. Bokeh is smooth and pleasant, with excellent gradation in the out of focus areas in an image. All in all, a very impressive lens indeed.
Sony Alpha 7 IV ISO test images
ISO Noise Performance - ISO performance is extremely impressive. The results are really excellent up to around ISO 3200, which is a stop or so better than most recent cameras. Even at ISO 6400 and beyond, although there is slowly increasing noise it retains a crisp structure as far as ISO 51,200. ISO 102,400 and ISO 204,800 do lose the plot, but the actual structure at these two extreme values remains remarkably tight. Differentiation in the darker areas is entirely lost though and the extreme values have limited usefulness.
Sony Alpha 7 IV White-balance test images
White Balance Performance - Presets are available for Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Warm White Fluorescent, Cool White Fluorescent, Day White Fluorescent, Daylight Fluorescent, Flash, Underwater Auto, Colour Temperature/Filter plus 3 custom settings. Each setting has further adjustments available. Auto works very well for most general shooting, but the use of other presets such as Daylight will help preserve striking colour effects such as sunsets. Shade is also very useful for removing any purple cast on shadow areas deep in woodlands. Cloudy does a good job of replicating the effect of an 81A filter, also known as the Cloudy filter and used to warm landscapes and other subjects. For mixed lighting such as stage shows and concerts, Auto is effective.
Sony Alpha 7 IV Digital filters
Digital Filters - The actual adjustment range of digital filters is vast, so vast that it will take a huge amount of experimentation to explore the depths of the possibilities. We start with the Creative Look filters, which include ST (Standard), PT (Skin soft tone for portraits), NT (Subdued for image manipulation on a computer), VV (Vivid), VV2 (Vivid with enhanced clarity), FL (Moody with impressive blues and greens), BW (Monochrome), SE (Sepia) and SH (Custom Look), all of which have multiple parameters that can be adjusted. The menu is not very helpful in that the abbreviations are not explained. Then we have Picture Profiles that can be set for stills and movies, including gamma curve, cine gamma curve, black point, knee, colour mode, saturation, colour depth, detail.....and then we can add the Soft Skin Effect for smooth portraits, with high, medium and low settings.
Video - The video options are equally complex in this camera, and cover a more serious level of videography. We have various file formats but to benefit from the 4K options we need to use a memory card higher than SDXC V90 or CFexpress VPG200. This is also true of recording settings such as 4:2:2 10 bit/4K 60p. Video is accessed via a small slider around the mode dial, which can be set for stills, video or S&Q (Slow and Quick) where we shoot slow motion. The camera can be set up as desired for stills and then for video separately and there are extensive options for the videographer, both for the visuals and for sound recording A stereo microphone is built-in and there are sockets provided for external mikes and headphones. Other connections are USB Type C, Micro USB, HDMI Type A. Connectivity extends wirelessly via Bluetooth Ver. 4.1 and Wireless LAN at 2.4GHz and 5GHz. There is also the option to connect via Smartphone.
SteadyShot is provided for video as well as stills although video makers will have their views on whether the audience finds use of a tripod makes the end product easier on the eye. In terms of stills, a benefit of 5.5 stops is claimed, depending of course on the photographer and even the day, and on this day with this photographer around 4.5 stops was achieved.
View additional video on the ePHOTOzine Youtube Channel.
Value For Money
The Sony A7 IV is priced at £2400 body only and £2600 with the Sony 28-70mm lens.
Alternative full-frame mirrorless cameras might be:
- Canon EOS R , £1849
- Nikon Z6 II , £1899
- Panasonic Lumix S1 , £2199
- Panasonic Lumix S1H , £3600
- Panasonic Lumix S5 , £1800
- Sigma fp , £1299
- Sony A7 III , £1999
- Sony 7C , £1999
You can find more full-frame mirrorless camera options in our 'Full-Frame Mirrorless Cameras' round-up. If you're looking for a mirrorless camera that's not full-frame, have a read of this: The Best Premium Mirrorless Compact System Cameras Available To Buy
Sony Alpha 7 IV Verdict
Equally suited for stills or video, with a great performance and handling extremely well, the Sony A7 IV has a lot going for it. Yes, it's the most expensive of its peers, by which are meant the full-frame options of up to 33MP, but it is a hybrid camera that does tackle both stills and video in the one package.
The handling is excellent, and the only questions regard the menu style, which may or may not suit the user. Familiarity will help no doubt, but the overall set-up is, in this reviewer's opinion, somewhat over-complex.
In summary, a very high-quality package that should consistently deliver the highest quality of results - 'Highly Recommended'.
| Highly Recommended – Whether for stills or video, a truly excellent hybrid camera. |
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