Sony-α7R-IV-Camera--Profile
On 11th Sept 2019, Sony Middle East and Africa introduced the Sony α7R IV 35 mm full-frame camera to photographers and videographers of UAE an event in Garage Studio, Al Quoz, Dubai. “World’s first 35mm full-frame 61.0 MP back-illuminated Exmor R™ CMOS image sensor with latest-generation BIONZ X™ image processor”. The Sony α7R IV is the latest addition to the Sony Alpha family and successor to the Sony α7R iii cameras.
Body & Specification
The Sony α7R IV comes with a dimension of 128.9mm x 96.4mm x 77.5mm and weighing 665grams. It is a 35mm full-frame sensor camera which can produce 61.0 MP resolution images. You click still images from ISO 100-32000 and movies from ISO 100-32000. You can do continuous shooting: Hi+: max. 10 fps, Hi: max. 8 fps, Mid: max. 6fps, Lo: max. 3 fps4. It comes with OLED colour 1.3cm viewfinder. It much larger ‘AF-On’ button.
The body parts are more sealed compared to earlier cameras and the port doors that now feature a lip that engages with a slot in the body to make it more difficult for liquid and dirt into the ports. It has a press-to-turn button in the middle of its mode dial but with a toggling lock button for the exposure comp dial. The a7R IV’s has 11 customizable buttons. There are up to 100 options that can be assigned to each of these control points. The camera uses the E-mount lens.
Sony a7R IV comes with a 35.7 x 23.8 mm CMOS sensor (Full Frame) which produces 61.0 MP resolution images with Native ISO:100-32,000 and Extended ISO:50 – 102,400 and Shutter:1/8000-30 sec.
The Review
After the launch, I had received the Sony α7R IV camera for a few days for review. The PR team provided the Sony α7R IV camera body with FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM (E-mount) Lens. The camera is a little bigger than the predecessor Sony α7R iii and makes the camera body more ergonomically better to handle and better grip. Compared to Sony α7R iii there are quite similarities in looks and functionality of the camera and specs but there are some interesting differences.
Some of the key factors which make the Sony α7R IV camera desirable compared to Sony α7R iii is the output 61.0MP resolution images compared to 42.4MP. It has a larger ‘AF-On’ button, with longer travel, which was good for ‘back-button focus.’
The AF point joystick has also been made much more substantial: ironically, just as the AF system got so good that you rarely need to use it. ‘Real-time AF Tracking’ system is powerful and easy-to-use, ‘Real-time Tracking AF’ makes a huge difference to the camera’s performance and usability. It’s has been ‘trained’ to recognize people, faces and eyes, which allows it to dependably recognize and track subjects around the frame.
The α7R IV use the latest 5.76M dot OLED display. There are two quality modes: standard and high. The ‘Display Quality: High’ setting makes full use of the viewfinder resolution but will consume more battery. There’s also a fast and standard refresh mode. Using the faster refresh mode gives a more responsive preview, again at the cost of battery drain.
With better environment sealing provided in the port doors that now feature a lip that engages with a slot in the body to make it more difficult for liquid and dirt to work its way to the ports.
The α7R IV also can shoot 4:3 and 1:1 crops from the sensor. The Raw files have metadata indicating your chosen crop but also contain the whole frame output.
With the toggling lock button (press-to-turn button) in mode dial for exposure comp dial and this prevents accidental operation and can be useful while wearing gloves.
The camera has 11 are customizable. There are up to 100 options that can be assigned to each of these control points (fewer for those buttons that can’t sensibly be held-down while shooting). To make this a little more manageable, the options are split up into categories: AF, Exposure, and so on, spread over 27 pages. Different button assignments can be saved for stills shooting, video capture, and playback modes.
The new α7R IV camera can shoot at 10 frames per second. This is possible if you opt for JPEG-only or ‘Compressed’ Raw mode and in burst mode. But if you set the camera to ‘Uncompressed Raw’ mode, the camera will shoot full (huge) 14-bit Raw files but the frame rate drops to nearer 6 frames per second.
Both SLOT 1 and SLOT 2 are compatible with UHS-I and UHS-II for fast mass-volume data writing. The α7R IV can simultaneously or relay record, separate RAW/JPEG data and stills/movies and copy data between cards.
‘My Menu’ tab can be customized with the settings you most frequently use, the α7R IV uses the same FP-Z100 battery as the Mark III. This helps the camera achieve a battery rating of 670 shots per charge using the rear screen and 530 shots using the viewfinder
Thanks to NFC and Wi-Fi connectivity, you can instantly share your images to your smartphone and share it on your social media.
The FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens with α7R IV camera body is a perfect unit for interview and event purpose. The standard zoom covers a 24mm to 70mm focal length range and is an ideal choice when ultimate image quality is required for portraits, scenery, snapshots, and more.
The FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens zoom lock switch provides a simple, sure way to lock the zoom mechanism for safe, convenient transportation. A manual/autofocus mode switch and focus hold button are positioned for easy access, providing versatile, professional control for a wide range of subjects and environments.
The Verdict
The α7R IV camera can click 60.2MP of resolution with detail. It can shoot 4K video at 30fps. The improved ‘Real-time Tracking AF’ makes a huge difference compared to Mark III. The 10 fps max burst shooting worked out awesome. Better ergonomic body and more comfortable for a longer shooting session. Dual UHS-II card slots are better for longer and capture of high resolution and advantage for choosing the card slot as per your personal requirement for photo and video recording. With NFC and Wi-Fi connectivity, you can instantly share your images to your smartphone and share it on your social media.
The α7R IV camera has weather sealing and has a tilting touch screen. The multi touch screen is very effective when you are shift focus from one subject to another subject. The buttons and dials are more prominent.
It has USB Charging and with the additional powerful charger, you can run the camera on USB power. So if you are planning to do very long time-lapse and with USB charging the camera, you don’t have to worry about battery power loss. It has a mic and headphones port.
Here are some images clicked with Sony α7R IV camera with FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens.
Please note: the images have been reduced for faster loading on the website. Actual size of each image is 9504px X 6226px and file size 18MB.
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A perfect camera for professional photographers and videographer and avid travellers. Thanks to the high-resolution imaging and video, you can also look forward to clicking for stock footage and possible to make a business.
The only issue may happen for the photographer with big and fat fingers is touching the barrel of the lens as the body is compact compared to other brands but you can get used to it as the output is great and easy to handle
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