I was really shocked when I got my a7iv and it overheated while I was setting up the menu. But after changing it to High Temp i haven't had an issue. Great video!
i overheated on Christmas Day 🤣😇. since then it’s been fine with high heat setting, and with the proper precautions, probably not going to be a big issue for most folks. hoping to use this camera a lot more, really enjoying it more than expected.
Nice infos, but for a complete "overheating guide" you should have tried it with dummy battery connected to V mount battery. That helps a lot, as the dummy battery doesn't heat up.
Thank you for test review! I was about to buy this camera but when I heard it is overheating i just stop looking for some answers and this is a very good one. I beginner and i want dis camera for vloging but also to film some events as it is a pretty hight investment …. I am still not decided yet. How happy you are with this camera and what did you had before ?
Gerald Undone has done tests on cameras that I can't remember but his conclusion was that the coolest option is a dummy battery, then usb c and then normal. And Ninja Vs help because they obviously record externally with any option
swapping out the battery early is a great way to keep the camera cool, havent tried a dummy battery, have trust issues with the voltage, is there an official solution for that? I've had cameras shut down in the past with dummy's. External record works, but it's generally expensive and not a great alternative for cost sensitive folks, factor in that cost and you can get an fx3 for instance, and not have to worry.... not that it's a big concern or anything, the A7iv has remained reliable for me.
yes, for long form content, you may need something else. short clips should be fine. if I get to travel to SE Asia this year, the siii would probably be my first choice, it easily handled similar temperatures during my past use, unfortunately it does cost a lot more.
@@CharlieVN I'll have to see what people are shooting with around here. I know Sony has become quite popular in recent years, and before that Canon seemed to be standard.
Testing the overheating inside a sealed box is not a good idea. There is no air circulation so every camera will overheat eventually since the trapped air is getting wormer and wormer. It's not a real world scenario (well maybe if you film underwater lol). Thanks for the a7IV videos !!!
thanks, there is a gap in the container, might not be over apparent, but it does regulate temperature somewhat, ranges from 95-97 degrees. I do think that poor circulation overheats faster. I decided against sealing it for similar reasons, didn’t want to trap the air completely. thanks for watching.
Great job as usual. Only question I have is, would using a CF Express / A card make a difference in overheating? It transfers data so fast - maybe that helps.
Thank you for the comprehensive test review! Much appreciated! I'm a bit curious though, so what kind of USB power bank would you recommend using then? Since you've mentioned that the performance might differ if it's just a "regular USB-C power"... Thanks again!
Great video good perspective, but would you put up with this if this was your automobile and you had to drive from point a to point b maybe having to keep the windows rolled down the hood slightly open or even the trunk air it out. Lol thanks
if it meant I only had to spend half on gas................ 😇 it really depends on user, I know for sure I wont be doing long takes on a blazing outdoor shoot, and that's where this camera can fumble. The more I use this, the more I'm comfortable for extended use. Some of my 15 minute youtube videos take 2 hours continuous on, PD powered filming. So far, no overheating warning. my risk factor is low with this camera, since it's essentially a B-camera, so I can test it extensively without being too concerned. it's holding up quite well, while there are other sony cameras that would definitely overheat. my panasonic has a 30 minute record limit, which is even more bothersome, need an expensive external recorder to overcome.
Thanks for this interesting video. I have recorded for 20 minutes in 4k 25fps 8bit before overheated. When i set the temperature to high, there was no overheat while recording for 80 minutes. But is it safe to use the camera with temperature to high?
it’s safe, Sony has put in that setting for ages. as long as you’re within operating temperature, it’s ok: 0 °C to 40 °C (32 °F to 104 °F). The camera has a protective mode where it shuts off to prevent damage.
It's safe for the camera but it could in theory lead to slow heat burns if you held the camera for a very long time in some situations. That's probably why the camera isn't always in the high temp mode
@@CharlieVN Ok I understand. I’ve been looking for a hybrid camera for a long time and the A7IV seems like the perfect package. Im a little more into video tho… Im not going to record really long takes regularly. Just 20-30 minutes here and there. Do you think I can get away with the A7IV as my only camera? I do want to take some pictures as well so 12mp would be a little limiting. The SIII has a lot less processing to do. Since its a 1:1 4K image it doesnt have to downsample.
Do you maybe know how long it can record in 4k 24fps 10bits before overheat (usb powered)? As I see you did all tests in 60fps and I can't find any video tests in 24fps. The other question is - if you connect it to computer via usb as an streaming camera how long it can stream in 1080p? It would be a shame if it shut down in the middle of video podcast. Thanks and sorry for my english 😁
it's a bit complicated and I'm going to make a video on the topic, v90 if you can afford it, will give you all the video modes and very good for stills........v60 is pretty good for video, but can feel sluggish for high action
quite frankly, I didnt find it was an issue before, havent tested it afterwards, but do use the camera often for my recording sessions, which take over an hour for 15 minute YT video 😅
I don't think they can honestly improve it much with software without introducing a new lower image quality video recording option, a line skipped 4K for example. 7K to 4K oversampling produces a lot of heat, it's on the edge on what's possible in the body, it's more plasticky than flagship bodies after all.
the siii is in a different league with overheating properties. that said, I’ve only hit the problem with the A7iv once, and have used 4K60 a fair bit. I am very comfortable using it for video, but then again, I live in California. if Texas or Florida, it depends on the type of video, if manned vs unmanned.
@@CharlieVN Love you sir...your videos on samyang 24mm f1.8 motivated me to buy that awesome lens. I am planning to use FHD 10bit of the a7IV. Will the heat management works fine for it?
The a7siii has a tiny bit less plastic afaik because it's a flagship and it's using a lot fewer pixels to create the 4K so there's less to process and has a flagship sensor too that may produce less heat so it's heat properties are pretty different. The A7IV oversamples 7K to 4K which produces a lot of heat. Sony could lend a feature from the R5/R6 and offer a lower image quality version of the 4K for less overheating and maybe even FF 4K60 although 4K60 would probably cannibalize other Sony cameras too much
@@CharlieVN thank you. Is there a way to record for 6 hours using either 4k xavc HS with lowest bit rate 30Mbps or 1080 with lowest bit rate? Without overheating and only using USB C power? Thanks in advance for answering, that will help a lot
I was really shocked when I got my a7iv and it overheated while I was setting up the menu. But after changing it to High Temp i haven't had an issue. Great video!
i overheated on Christmas Day 🤣😇. since then it’s been fine with high heat setting, and with the proper precautions, probably not going to be a big issue for most folks. hoping to use this camera a lot more, really enjoying it more than expected.
Nice infos, but for a complete "overheating guide" you should have tried it with dummy battery connected to V mount battery. That helps a lot, as the dummy battery doesn't heat up.
Thank you for test review! I was about to buy this camera but when I heard it is overheating i just stop looking for some answers and this is a very good one. I beginner and i want dis camera for vloging but also to film some events as it is a pretty hight investment …. I am still not decided yet. How happy you are with this camera and what did you had before ?
great videos. my favorite channel on YT
thanks for the kind comment 👍
Very informative data. Thank you sir . . .
Thank you for your explanation
Gerald Undone has done tests on cameras that I can't remember but his conclusion was that the coolest option is a dummy battery, then usb c and then normal. And Ninja Vs help because they obviously record externally with any option
swapping out the battery early is a great way to keep the camera cool, havent tried a dummy battery, have trust issues with the voltage, is there an official solution for that? I've had cameras shut down in the past with dummy's. External record works, but it's generally expensive and not a great alternative for cost sensitive folks, factor in that cost and you can get an fx3 for instance, and not have to worry.... not that it's a big concern or anything, the A7iv has remained reliable for me.
how to continuously video recording and swapping battery at the same time??
Living in Bangkok the performance at a 35º, a fairly normal outdoor temperature here, is not a good sign for this camera.
yes, for long form content, you may need something else. short clips should be fine. if I get to travel to SE Asia this year, the siii would probably be my first choice, it easily handled similar temperatures during my past use, unfortunately it does cost a lot more.
@@CharlieVN I'll have to see what people are shooting with around here. I know Sony has become quite popular in recent years, and before that Canon seemed to be standard.
Testing the overheating inside a sealed box is not a good idea. There is no air circulation so every camera will overheat eventually since the trapped air is getting wormer and wormer. It's not a real world scenario (well maybe if you film underwater lol). Thanks for the a7IV videos !!!
thanks, there is a gap in the container, might not be over apparent, but it does regulate temperature somewhat, ranges from 95-97 degrees. I do think that poor circulation overheats faster. I decided against sealing it for similar reasons, didn’t want to trap the air completely. thanks for watching.
Did you put the temp warning setting to high?
Great job as usual. Only question I have is, would using a CF Express / A card make a difference in overheating? It transfers data so fast - maybe that helps.
I can’t say for sure, my CFE was used on the all-I test, 80GB = 16 minutes 😂
It probably makes the camera overheat faster because memory cards are often a heat bottleneck from what I've seen
Thank you for the comprehensive test review! Much appreciated! I'm a bit curious though, so what kind of USB power bank would you recommend using then? Since you've mentioned that the performance might differ if it's just a "regular USB-C power"... Thanks again!
rated “Power Delivery 12W minimum “. “PD” and “QC” are standards, stick with the PD standard. if it doesn’t explicitly say which standard, then skip!
@@CharlieVN Roger that! Thank you for your kind assistance!
Great video good perspective, but would you put up with this if this was your automobile and you had to drive from point a to point b maybe having to keep the windows rolled down the hood slightly open or even the trunk air it out. Lol thanks
if it meant I only had to spend half on gas................ 😇 it really depends on user, I know for sure I wont be doing long takes on a blazing outdoor shoot, and that's where this camera can fumble. The more I use this, the more I'm comfortable for extended use. Some of my 15 minute youtube videos take 2 hours continuous on, PD powered filming. So far, no overheating warning. my risk factor is low with this camera, since it's essentially a B-camera, so I can test it extensively without being too concerned. it's holding up quite well, while there are other sony cameras that would definitely overheat. my panasonic has a 30 minute record limit, which is even more bothersome, need an expensive external recorder to overcome.
Thanks for this interesting video. I have recorded for 20 minutes in 4k 25fps 8bit before overheated. When i set the temperature to high, there was no overheat while recording for 80 minutes. But is it safe to use the camera with temperature to high?
it’s safe, Sony has put in that setting for ages. as long as you’re within operating temperature, it’s ok: 0 °C to 40 °C (32 °F to 104 °F). The camera has a protective mode where it shuts off to prevent damage.
It's safe for the camera but it could in theory lead to slow heat burns if you held the camera for a very long time in some situations. That's probably why the camera isn't always in the high temp mode
This buy not buy sir plz answer
it’s been great, no issues with practical use
Thank you for your testing!
I assume you set the auto power off temp to high?
Yes, correct
@@CharlieVN Thank you for your response! How hot did the camera get during those tests?
the cameras were warm, not really out the ordinary, my siii gets just as warm with longer sessions, however that camera is much more heat tolerant.
@@CharlieVN Ok I understand. I’ve been looking for a hybrid camera for a long time and the A7IV seems like the perfect package. Im a little more into video tho… Im not going to record really long takes regularly. Just 20-30 minutes here and there. Do you think I can get away with the A7IV as my only camera? I do want to take some pictures as well so 12mp would be a little limiting.
The SIII has a lot less processing to do. Since its a 1:1 4K image it doesnt have to downsample.
Do you maybe know how long it can record in 4k 24fps 10bits before overheat (usb powered)? As I see you did all tests in 60fps and I can't find any video tests in 24fps. The other question is - if you connect it to computer via usb as an streaming camera how long it can stream in 1080p? It would be a shame if it shut down in the middle of video podcast. Thanks and sorry for my english 😁
forever? I often record my videos that way with the Elgato 4K, 2 plus hours, no warning signs
@@CharlieVN thank you!
@@CharlieVN But why use elgato if it can strem without capturing card? Sorry if my question sounds silly but I am new in all this technical aspects
which sd card would you recommend for the sony a7iv?
it's a bit complicated and I'm going to make a video on the topic, v90 if you can afford it, will give you all the video modes and very good for stills........v60 is pretty good for video, but can feel sluggish for high action
Is the overheating less of an issue with the newest firmware update?
quite frankly, I didnt find it was an issue before, havent tested it afterwards, but do use the camera often for my recording sessions, which take over an hour for 15 minute YT video 😅
I don't think they can honestly improve it much with software without introducing a new lower image quality video recording option, a line skipped 4K for example. 7K to 4K oversampling produces a lot of heat, it's on the edge on what's possible in the body, it's more plasticky than flagship bodies after all.
Is the overheating limit same as a7siii or the a7siii has better heat management system?
the siii is in a different league with overheating properties. that said, I’ve only hit the problem with the A7iv once, and have used 4K60 a fair bit. I am very comfortable using it for video, but then again, I live in California. if Texas or Florida, it depends on the type of video, if manned vs unmanned.
@@CharlieVN Love you sir...your videos on samyang 24mm f1.8 motivated me to buy that awesome lens. I am planning to use FHD 10bit of the a7IV. Will the heat management works fine for it?
The a7siii has a tiny bit less plastic afaik because it's a flagship and it's using a lot fewer pixels to create the 4K so there's less to process and has a flagship sensor too that may produce less heat so it's heat properties are pretty different. The A7IV oversamples 7K to 4K which produces a lot of heat. Sony could lend a feature from the R5/R6 and offer a lower image quality version of the 4K for less overheating and maybe even FF 4K60 although 4K60 would probably cannibalize other Sony cameras too much
How much will it record on 1080p 30 with lowest bitrate?
a crap ton 😄. around 8GB for an hour of recording
@@CharlieVN thank you. Is there a way to record for 6 hours using either 4k xavc HS with lowest bit rate 30Mbps or 1080 with lowest bit rate? Without overheating and only using USB C power? Thanks in advance for answering, that will help a lot
Dude you are hilarious 😂
thank you 👍