Sony A7RIV A7RM4 Camera Review
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- Опубліковано 23 лип 2019
- Sony A7RIV Camera Review: It may be helpful to watch this movie on a 4K screen when viewing the sample images in the 2nd half of the review.
After four full day's of shooting using a range of four GM lenses I provide my findings on Dynamic range, High ISO Performance, Autofocus tracking capabilities and image sharpness and detail.
An Album of Ultra HD Images (complete with Metadata) that were used in this movie review can be viewed here: flic.kr/s/aHsmFex5Nr
Full Resolution Images can be accessed here: flic.kr/s/aHsmFra5tk
Note: All images are copyrighted to Mark Galer and Sony Australia. Do not share or republish without permission.
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Of all the camera reviews here in UA-cam, this one is probably among the top 5 in terms of quality, presentation style and overall impression. Pure excellence.
Mark, your videos are really comprehensive and detailed without the drama and heavy bias that so many others do. I really enjoy and appreciate your work!! Thank you!
Thank you Mark. This is by far the most useful "early" review of the Sony A7R iv that I've viewed on youtube to date.
Thank you Mark for all you do supporting Sony. When I got my A7Riii back in 2017 your videos were a constant guide for me learning a whole new system. I page by paged copied your settings. I just got my A7R4 & uploaded your settings. Made the camera feel like home to me.
Another great video, full of info without the fudge, and I love your work. Thanks for sharing.
Mark, thank's again for your really good review! 👍 I am so happy to find you on UA-cam and you are the best expert for me and I love to watch and learn from all your content. Sony has with you the best Ambassador for sure! Many greetings from Germany and I can't wait for your next content! 👍
A lot of this went over my head but that's what I love about photography, always something new. Thank you for your time Mark. I have the a6000, a6300 and a6500. I'm ready to make the full frame bump and will be purchasing this camera in September!
I can't stop staring at that 85mm GM glass. It's so big and clean, it's like looking into the cameras soul
Just super, thanks Mark. I am first in line with my pre-order at my dealer for this A7RIV. Can't wait, I have plenty of G-Master and other top glass to use with it.
Exceptionally balanced review Mark. You provide the most comprehensive and pragmatic perspective on gear. It’s greatly appreciated.
You do make life easy for those of us who have had no formal traing in photography but have picked things up as we have progressed. I'm also older and not given to the tech side too much. Thank you so much for this review.
Fantastic as usual! This is why I switched it up to Sony a few years ago. Even as competition starts to catch up they continue to improve and press the envelope. I probably will not get this camera but am really looking forward to the same new features that will come in future Sony camera releases!
Love sony Cameras, and having been using them for the last few years, this is my go to channel when i want to know about my camera, and its uses, brilliant channel !!
GREAT Video Mark the best and most detailed A7RIV video!
Thanks for your informative review. Nice to see people who aren't biased or completely hell bent on shooting down the newer cameras.
Finally a complete video about the A7R4 camera. Well done
Nobody can touch Galer's quality and content -- amazing review. You've sold me on an upgrade to the A7RIV.
Amazing video overview as always Mark. Glad to see you are tryng to squash the haters/complainers crying that this camera was not the A7S3 :) great updates by Sony. They keep pushing the limists and are light years ahead of Canon/Nikon. Cant wait to see some of these features trickel down to the A7IV line which is what I am saving up for when it comes out as I dont really need 42 or 61 MP :) Keep up the great work you do Mark.
Another fantastic video... My A7Riv arrives next week and now I know what to expect. Thanks, Mark!
Thank you so much for this video. I can say that in my opinion, you are the best regarding Sony videos ! Bravo Monsieur !
Fantastic review Mark and really appreciate your very comprehensive review
Thanks Greg
amazing review, thanks ! I've already pre-ordered it and I'll get it on the 26th of August!
This is a great review of this camera ! Well done.
Always love your reviews, thanks for the share, I may get this for shooting standing birds and crop in in post to extend my 400mm lens in stead of getting the 600mm as you suggested, cheers!
Always love your instructional videos :)
Always great info Mark thanks 100%
Thank you for a perfect review. I have just sold my Leica Q2 to upgrade to the A7R4 from the A7111. During lockdown I became really interested in bird and other wildlife photography, (it was local!). I bought the 200 to 600 lens, but was finding that I still needed to crop, particularly with the smaller birds. I am hoping that the extra pixels will still leave me with a reasonable file size. I also found with the A7111, that I had a lot of noise in the bokeh when I cranked up the iso to maintain a high shutter speed. So am awaiting delivery with anticipation. I think your site is such a fantastic training and education tool.
Thank you for a detailed and insightful review of the A7R IV, Mark! I am really looking forward to mine. You have covered a lot of nuances that most other reviewers haven't even thought about! The only thing the A7R IV is missing is a high res multi-shot mode as in the Panasonic S1R. I suspect Sony got flat-footed by this surprise feature in the Panasonic S1R, and did not have the time to put in this feature. I suspect this feature will need custom Silicon, so we may not see it until the A7R V some 2-3 years from now. (The Sony pixel-shifting doesn't even begin to compare).
I am looking forward to the 1:1 crop format. I prefer a square crop on many subjects. It will provide a 40mb file, using the sweet area in the center of the lenses, and can be cropped 3:2, horizontal or vertical and still yield a 26mb file.
I appreciate that you tell us facts quickly I subscribed
My go to pro for learning my new sony system. Thanks mate.
Thank you so much for this video! Solid as a rock.
Thanks for the honest review. I cancelled my pre-order (based on the tracking being less the A9) and will await a possible A9 variant purchase.
Great overview, Mark! I'm glad I'm not the only one waiting for what the a9ii is gonna be.
If it has a slightly higher MP count, this new grip, and picture profiles I'll be there day one.
I can work around the lack of Picture Profiles on the A9 for movies by raising the DRO and lowering the exposure. The higher resolution would, however, be great.
Hi Mark, Thanks for an excellent comprehensive review. I'm new to your videos, had been deterred by length (and thus time needed to assimilate) but realise now, having appreciated the detail and depth you cover, that your vids might be worth making time to view vs. many 'thin' vids on other channels.
Would love to buy this camera and will probably do so one day. Currently have the a7R3 which I really like. I'm not convinced I need even bigger files for most things I shoot (just amateur use for own gratification) but aside from bigger file size the many other upgrades do seem like a useful gain. If it had the ability to downscale to say 30 Mb RAW files whilst retaining full frame then that would have been perfect for me as less pressure on buffer in sports shooting and file storage when you know you don't need higher res. Other downside is I might need to use GM glass? I have the 24mm f1.4 GM and 55mm f1.8 which are lovely but I also tried to save weight (for travel) using the f4 (rather than GM) versions of 16-35mm and 70-200mm. I wonder ifI would also need to upgrade these for extra cost and weight in order to really see the benefit of extra pixels and resolution?
Anyway much to consider. Might look at trading in my a7R3 for new a7R4 but won't do anything until I know where a9 (on price) goes and a92 goes in terms of features, resolution and price - because if it had all upsides of new a7R4 (apart from res) with a circa 30Mb res, with faster buffer, better focus aquisition etc, then I might be tempted with a pairing of a7R3 (retained) + either a9 or a92 for when I need fast sport. Whatever ..... as dilemmas go, it's nice to have choices.
Hey Mark. Again best information about the camera I have seen. Just ordered the camera and looking forward to your ebook. Thanks
Excellent review👌 thank you
Your full-resolution shot of the pier is just incredible. I can hardly wait to see/take shots with the a7rIV + 24mm f/1.4 GM combo, not to mention the 400mm and 600mm lenses.
Great review Mark. As someone else posted, your reviews are the best. Thanks .
Thank you Mark this is amazing video 🙏
Great review. Long time Canon user. Love my 5DMiii it thinking a lot about mirrorless lately. Will be ordering ARIv now. Tvm for a great overview.
Jerry Wishner let me know what’s your thoughts I have a 5div and I kind of want to get this one too the only thing that bugs me is the no sports I don’t shot sports but I do shoot moving cars
Thank you for providing originals to download, I can't wait to put them on a thumb drive and display them on my 85" 8K tv!
What I absolutely love about this camera is the crop mode with 26mpx When you combine your 24mm 1.4 equals 36mm in crop, and a 85mm 1.4 equals 127mm crop mode or the 135 1.8 equals 202mm this is by far my most lover feature. Instantly a bigger buffer and more space on your memorycard/ hardrives. And at the same time I don’t need my big and heavy zooms like the 24-70 and 70-200gm. The primes are faster and let in more light! And when you want that extra resolution, you have it!
I will never understand why anyone would want to use a crop mode on a FF camera. Take the photo and crop in post where you can get the EXACT image you want and at the right size you desire for printing.
This extension of 24 becoming 36 is such a marketing gimmick, we’re just cropping the image not extending the focal length. Geeze Louise
@@zalllon exactly. It doesnt become anything. All you're doing is taking a photo using less pixels. Its not magically changing the lens to something its not.
great rewieuw, thank you Msrk.
Hey Mark, great video! I’m curious, is there a 4:3 aspect ratio in video? Would be great for anamorphic lenses. Also, could you make a suggestion of 4:5 as an aspect ratio choice for stills next time the engineers ask for input. Thank you sir
Thanks for feed back.
Great review
Good detailed review. BTW, I have found that increasing the picture profiles to +5 helps considerably with manual focus lenses - as long as you're shooting RAW.
Hi Mark - just a random comment wishing you a great day. You’re one of the very best!
Thanks! You too!
Thanks for this review and commentary, Mark.
You just convinced me to buy this camera!!
the sensor or the r4 is a very slight smaller than the r3. What difference does it make?
Thank you, Mark, for basically getting to the meat of the matter for those of us making the upgrade from III to IV.
Great review. I have to laugh when anyone says " who needs that much resolution " it's like saying " who needs a DSLR when you have a phone camera " 😁
What a great review Mark. Thank you for all your effort. I was thinking of switching to Sony for my first full framed camera and Sony here I come. Anyone out there wants an 80D? LOL.
I just upgraded from the 80D as well. Camera comes tomorrow. ;)
I would expect Sony *could* release a firmware update to include a small size (and medium size) option for .RAW images for the A7RIV fairly readily if it had a mind to. Hopefully consumer demand will prompt this.
I enjoy my A7RIII but the additional features of the A7RIV can't be denied. 61 MP will be a pleasure to use, but will require GM lenses for best results, so there's that to consider. The improved resolution of the EVF, deeper grip, larger buttons, improved weather sealing, and the exposure compensation lock button are all things I'd really appreciate. It looks like Sony will have a real winner with this camera. My only significant complaint, of course, is the lack of a fully functioning touch screen. It's not a "deal breaker" considering all the great features of the A7RIV, but to release this level of camera, without that feature, is both perplexing and irritating.
Regarding astrophotography, I suspect the A7RIV will still suffer from it's previous "star eating" issues. I extensively tested my A7RIII, with the latest firmware update, against my Nikon D850 and despite some websites claims, the A7RIII, in side by side comparisons, does fail to resolve stars that the D850 has no problem with.
Great images and the detail from this camera with GM lenses is simply stunning.
Thanks Mark.
Super predstavitev!Bravo!
Dear, sir! A very big THANK to you for an amazingly interesting and highly informative review you have generously given us on your excellent channel! (Thumbs up and also subscribing to your channel!) Wishing you all the Best! Greetings from Sweden!
Thank you Mark! Excellent as usual. I've decided that when I upgrade from my A7III I will likely go with an "R" series camera, likely one of the currently available "R" camera either this R7IV or even the A7RIII. I will pass on the A7IV which seems to me to put too much emphasis on video, which I seldom use. Is the A7RIV still relevant? I wonder if we can expect the next gen to have the same videocentric emphasis as the A7IV? I would like the ability to print larger and prefer the tilting screen of my A7III over the flip screen. You remember the A99's articulating screen? that would be what I would like to see.
Good day Mark, please I don't understand when you say that Capture One doesn't support the 'Raw File' format for the Sony α7RIV.
Impressive review! So comprehensive and complete. Thanks!
By the way, the 135 GM glass impressed me. Seeing the blades through it was just spectacular. How does it compare to the 85 GM?
Check out my review of the 135 GM where I do a very close comparison with the 85
Another marvellous introduction video
Can you do one on the RX1007 please
Is the other end. I run mtbike and tramp. I find my A7III is a bit big and I can wrap the RX up just for when I fall over run or bike it doesn’t get broken
Would really appreciate
Cheers
love it!!! join in guys!!
great review Mark as always.. i wont be getting it . least right off.. i perfectly fine with teh a9 and a7riii and a7iii... but once a9ii comes out i will get it. and maybe when a7riv is bundled with some deals next year i might. but do like some of the features they added.
A9 or a9ii all the way !!!
This might be the camera that finally makes me makes the jump to Sony, I didn't really need 60 megapixels 50 or so would have done fine, but I do want better ergonomics and weather sealing. The Sony lenses have now improved to the point now to the point they are class leading, although probably a touch too expensive.
Love the channel Mark. Quick question; does the crop mode affect the depth of field as well as the perceived focal distance?
You have to apply the crop factor (1.5) to the aperture to determine the effect on depth of field. Exposure, however, is a constant.
Too bad it doesn't have a mode 2 for pixel shift like the Panasonic S1r to remove unwanted artifacts. Is this something Sony can include through a software upgrade?
Very solid review Mark, Love it.. So now i want sony to release a 100400GMV2 i guess, still not sure about this or waiting for the a9M2 with 36MP or 42MP.. sigh... some nice new features.
No need for a version 2 of that lense. It is insanely sharp. Right across the frame and at a wide range of apertures. Ive got 40k worth of camera gear and this lense astounds me the most. You can buy it with absolute confidence. Youll be waiting a long time for an update!
@@markrigg6623 I i am 100% happy with the 100400GM but one with the new motors they now have would not be bad...
Excellent!
I have the A7R II. And Used Metabones and Sigma adaptors for Cannon 11-24 lens... Very Hit or miss..
I suppose I could have gone for the sony 12-24 when it arrived, but I didn’t.
Had to Connect and remove frequently before autofocus worked
But the lens worked straight away on A7R iv, And the focus is fast now...
I know its not something that gets mentioned now that Sony has loads of lenses, But I was impressed with how FAST the adaptors now work..
Sweet camera. 2 thoughts: (1) A lot of these functional improvements seem to be inspired by Panasonic, since they've been implemented by Panasonic since the GH4. (2) Panasonic probably better drop the price of that S1r down to $3200 to gain some users before this thing launches and eats their lunch...
You're amazing Mark; thank you.
Mark,
Thanks for the review. I was wondering if the sensor readout is any faster than that of my A7R 3.
In silent shooting, I get banding at higher shutter speeds and unfortunately negates the usefulness of this mode.
It is really useful for concerts, and events where extraneous sounds are distracting to the event itself.
Is rolling shutter better in the Mark IV vs Mark III?
I am happy that real time tracking has arrived in the R series, and it will enable better AF accuracy.
Using APSC mode to extend reach seems to be a waste of the capabilities of the IV. Would’t using an A6400 instead make more sense?
I think the upgrade should also have included faster sensor readout via a stacked type design to help move the massive files generated by the 61 MP resolution. After all Sony already has had the technology for a couple of years.
No faster readout - wait for the A9ll - who are we to comment on sensor manufacturing and production costs.
I did watch on 4k oled and it's nicely crisp. I would like to have seen more on low light performance, 1:1 and such. And compared with A7 III. I figure if you lead with resolution (+dyn range) and low light you cover the sensor tech right away. I get the impression that it's not better tech than mark III for light sensitivity.
Remarkable. Thanks.
Nice review Mark, thank you. This may be a replacemnet for my A7III in 12 months time, depending on whether Sony relesaes something more appealing to me. I will not be replacing my A9 anytime soon as it is just so good. I've just replaced my 100 - 400 G Master + SEL20TC with a 200 - 600mm + SEL14TC, so I hope the A7RIV works well with my new lens.
pete draper thanks for your input. I just bought the A9 this week and was worried whether it was outdated now by the new A7r. I’m also concerned about the A9ii if you would want that?
@@boodabill Why should you be worried . Even if Sony releases 10 cameras , A9 will remain as good as it is
@@boodabill the R line is not the same as the 9 line they are different use cases (A9 line for sports and wildlife and fast moving objects). R line is for high res studio portraits and professional commerical work. S line for video and high ISO.low light needs. and the basic A7iii line is for oevrall general use for any type of subject but not the highest end for any subject just best bang for the buck full frame camera. andn then the a6xxx series for the prosumer users who dont need full frame or want a smaller pakcage mirrorless camera for travel. )use the right tool for the right job
Thank you very much for your video. And can you please make a video to compare the photo quality of Sony a7r3 and a7r4, using the same lence and shooting on same objects? Because a7r4 has more but smaller pixels.
I have now sold my A7Rlll- I don’t believe such a test would reveal anything particularly interesting as the files would look nearly identical at a 4K, fit in view, magnification. Differences in resolution would only be apparent when each file is zoomed to 1:1 and this would showcase how much more you can crop or produce larger print from the A7RlV files.
Do you know if we can expect some or all of the software improvements to be made available in a new firmware update for the A7Riii?
Sony haven't released any information about additional firmware updates.
Thank You that was a thorough video! I love it! The only think concerns me is when you say for BIF I might want to get the A9. Is there that much AF difference? The pixel density difference I would have thought would more than compensate for a little faster tracking on the A9 a lot more of the images would be crop-able and still look great.
The A9 is in a world of its own when it comes to AF. The sensor design is completely different and the Zero blackout the A9 offers must not be underestimated.
@@AlphaCreativeSkills I understand thank you for replying I had already made my mind on the A9 until this camera showed up plus recently I spotted a significant number of complaints about the intermittent half press shutter button problem on the dpreview forums. It looks like the A7R4 uses a different component a bigger button possibly more reliable?
An excellent overview, thanks Mark. I have been toying with this camera for wildlife as well as the D850. Accepting that you are a Sony ambassador, what are the advantages of the Riv over the D850 and would you recommend it for wildlife?
Thanks, David
Really solid job on your videos...always deliver good information without the histrionics so often associated with new gear reviews. Do have a question - my work is approximately 40% landscape/40% wildlife (mainly birds) and 20% flowers. I currently shoot an a7RIII. Is the approved autofocus of the a7RIV for wildlife worth the upgrade? I don't want to purchase an additional camera because I've pre-ordered the new 200-600mm sony lens. Appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.
The AF is improved by the new AF tracking but it is not an A9. I get more than twice as many keepers shooting birds in flight with an A9 compared to the A7Rlll- the A7RlV will close the gap slightly but not remove the gap.
Hi Mark brilliant video Thanks. Quick question I looked at the photos on flicker and I am sure you must have used burst mode when photographing the dogs. Did you experience any black out as I have just seen a comment posted by someone that the black out was terrible?
Blackout is present on all mirrorless and DSLR camera when the Drive mode is set to Hi. The only camera that doesn't have blackout and live view is the A9 which can shoot sports/action using the electronic shutter. Some reviewers make curious statements when reviewing cameras. This camera is no worse and no better than any other Sony A7. Beware the biased and/or uneducated reviewer.
I can see pronounced quantization bands in the background of a number of your images in the video. (Examples: sky at 15:00, bg at 17:31, bg at 25:00, sky and water at 26:39 left.) It looks a bit like the artifacts we used to see in highly compressed JPEG files years ago. What's that coming from?
Movie compression is more aggressive than jpeg compression - that is why I added links to the stills
Hi Mark. Thank you. Most of the comparisons of the 7Riv have logically been with the 7Riii. However, I'm curious about comparing to the 7iii. Especially interested in the auto focus, viewfinder and high ISO comparisons. Thanks again.
High ISO, dynamic range and AF performance are not wildly different between the R cameras and a lll. Finder resolution and AF Tracking is improved but not the high ISO performance.
Wow, really phenomenal review. I will be getting a new camera. Just need to know about the details of the a92 first. Thank you.
Hi Mark, excellent vid. One query.... did you notice anything re a high propensity to attract sensor dust (hypothetically a static issue?). Tony Northrup seemed to think that this new model appeared overly sensitive to that issue vs. other models - he otherwise loved camera. Would appreciate your perspective on this point. Thanks
I don't think his view makes any sense - he was probably just changing his lenses in a dusty environment.
Still the best. Thanks a lot for your time reviewing this new beast.
So no extra megapixels on a9ii.... would you suggest a7riii or iv for send camera for weddings, portraits, events. Do love my a9 silent shutter etc but would love to also be able to shoot in crop mode
If 20 fps and flawless AF Tracking is your priority then it’s the A9 - if resolution is your priority it’s the A7RlV and you just have to put up with it not getting every single image in a fast moving sequence sharp (not something you would typically encounter at a wedding).
Hello Mark, have the a6400 and I’m looking to get a ff body also. I have the viltrox 23mm, sigma 56mm and the tamron 17-70 and 70-180. Would you recommend the A7r iii or the A7r iv?
Why cant we turn down the resolution if we need to, so we dont have to shoot big files all the time, most cameras have this option. and not aps-c but full frame.
The images from the 135gm are incredibly sharp, and those from the 100-400gm are amazing as well.
I agree, but I was a little disappointed in the 85mm GM shots (compared to the 135mm). You never know about the shooting "situation" but ...
@@rghurst If you look at the MTF charts, it makes sense, even though Sony said that the GM lenses can handle 100mp, some of their early GM lenses are not so sharp and cannot resolve much more than 50mp.
Thank you for your review Mark! As I make some astrophotography with my A7R III, I'm curious how the Mark IV handles high ISOs and the noise especially at such high resolution. Do you have some information about this?
I did not have time to do an Astro shoot as part of the test but there are two samples in the review shot at 6,400 and 12,800 and it appears high ISO performance is similar to the A7RIII.
@@AlphaCreativeSkills Thank you!
Awesome Mark. Can you tell me what is that LAV mic you're using?
It’s the Sony - if I didn’t want the larger lav on my shirt I could plug a smaller one into the mic in port. The receiver on the multi interface shoe of the camera adds the audio directly to my video file without the need for cables.
Thank you for this review. I have an R3 and when shooting silently, I have banding. Has this been completely solved now?
Banding can occur when using silent shooting and in some cases eFront Curtain shutter. There is an anti-flickr setting on the R3 and R4 which prevents banding when using the eFront Curtain shutter. If you experience banding with Silent Shooting you need to switch it off.
Great review, but how does the crop mode performance compare to using a crop sensor camera?
I would estimate that if behaves a little like the new A6400
Thanks very much for the video! I'm considering upgrading to A7Riv, but not sure if my non-GM lens (28/2, 35/2.8, 55/1.8, 85/1.8）are out-resolved by the sensor. What do you think?
We’ll have to wait for someone like DxO to test these lenses on an A7RIV - it would require more time than I have available to do comparative testing for each and every lens.
Nice review, I would love to download your whole camera setup. I was planning to do this anyways when I get my copy.
you can watch his "setting up" videos on the varios models that he has to show how he sets them up for different scenarios
I have seen those. I thought it would be faster and less error prone to grab them all at once. Also some of the old options are out of date with the new camera. Either way I will watch any new videos to understand the reasoning why Mark set them up that way.
A7R IV + 135mm GM is a monster combination for motorsport. Vehicles are not birds, their paths are predictable. You do not need A9.
Meanwhile the resolution and image quality from the above setup beats everything.
Buongiorno, ottivo video. Ho comprato da pochi giorni questa Alpha7R4, vorrei chiederle, quando si fanno foto su cavalletto per evitare il micromosso è meglio farle con otturatore elettronico oppure in meccanico con la prima tendina elettronica attivata? Grazie!
My Italian is not great so please excuse my response in English
So long as you are using the e-front curtain shutter there will be no vibration that can cause a problem when the camera is on a tripod. It is however, important to switch off SteadyShot for long exposure when using some lenses (especially non-Sony lenses).