The Sony a7R IV ($3,499.99, body only) is the follow-up to the popular a7R III.
It takes the same concept—a full-frame mirrorless camera built for high-resolution capture—to the next level.
Where the previous two entries in the series shared the same 42.4MP sensor, the a7R IV shoots at 60.2MP, a significant increase in resolution.
It maintains its predecessors' 10fps burst rate, improves autofocus capabilities, and offers sundry updates all around, especially in ergonomics.
After some time using it, we can confidently say it's the best high-resolution, full-frame camera on the market, and our Editors' Choice.
A Tried-and-True Design
The a7R IV doesn't stray too far from the template Sony has set for other recent models in the series, including the a7R III that came before it.
It is sized in line with others in its class, measuring 3.8 by 5.1 by 3.1 inches (HWD) and 1.5 pounds.
There is a $400 add-on vertical battery grip available if you prefer a bigger camera.
The handgrip has been changed, with a slightly larger design and deeper indentation.
It feels a bit more comfortable in my hand than the a7R III, especially when pairing the camera with a big lens like the FE 200-600mm.
The IV puts the front dial at a slight upward angle—decidedly more comfortable than the a7R III's dial, which is positioned parallel to the top and bottom plates.
Sony states the a7R IV features improved protection against dust and splashes, with some extra sealing around the doors that cover its data ports, as well as around the battery compartment.
The memory card door has been redesigned, dropping a release switch in favor of a simple pull-to-open action.
The camera includes a stabilization system.
It compensates for shake along five axes, which is certainly beneficial given its sensor design, as high-resolution images are more prone to show the effects of camera shake, and it effectively smooths away jitters and jumps in handheld video footage.
It's nothing new—Sony has included it since the second generation of a7 cameras—and it's one of those features that works in the background, improving the images you get out of the camera without your having to think about it.
Stabilization is also leveraged for a multi-shot mode.
The a7R IV can capture a sequence of either four or 16 images in a row, shifting the sensor slightly between each exposure at half-pixel precision.
Sony provides desktop software to stitch images together, with options for 240MP or 60MP output.
The comparison below shows a single exposure on the left and a four-shot 60MP sample on the right.
It's clear that the multi-shot image better captures the textured surface of the stone.
The multi-shot mode is overkill for a lot of folks, but it has its uses.
Museums that may have invested in high-resolution medium format equipment for archival work in the past might find the 240MP output offered by the a7R IV to be adequate.
It's certainly a more affordable option than the Phase One IQ4 150MP, which shoots 150MP images in a single exposure, or Hasselblad's specialized 400MP H6d-400c MS, which composites 400MP photos from four shots (not unlike the a7R IV's high-resolution mode), both of which are priced in the $50,000 neighborhood.
Likewise, photographers doing very serious landscape work will not only appreciate the extra resolution, but the additional color fidelity offered by the multi-shot mode.
Due to the nature of digital sensor design, there is some color interpolation performed during singe-shot exposures.
Moving the sensor for multi-shot images isn't just there to get crisper details, it also samples every color channel at every pixel site, removing the need for any sort of computational guesswork.
Controls and Menus
Sony skips front control buttons—you'll find them near the lens mount in competing models like the Nikon Z 7.
The only button of note on the front is the lens release.
Top controls are all pushed to the right of the centered hot shoe.
There are three control dials, C1 and C2 buttons, and the shutter release, which is surrounded by the On/Off toggle switch.
The Mode dial has a central locking post, the style that must be depressed as you turn it.
The EV dial also has a lock.
It's a welcome addition, and it's the style of lock I prefer.
The central post locks the wheel with a click, and unlocks it with another—just like a retractable ballpoint pen.
EV dials typically turn easily, so you can make adjustments on the fly, but the downside is that they can turn when taking the camera in and out of your bag, or while it's hanging at your side.
Engaging the lock solves the problem.
The rear control dial is also clearly visible on the top.
The visual change, moving it from a recessed location hidden inside the body, isn't as important as the difference in feel.
The a7R IV control dial turns more comfortably and confidently than in previous entries in the series.
It's a small tweak, but sometimes the little touches are what matters.
The C3 and Menu buttons are at the top left of the rear plate.
They're in the same place as the a7 and a7R III models, but are a little more prominent.
They're surrounded by slightly raised plastic, so they jut out a little bit farther from the body.
The Record button is nestled just to the right of the EVF eyecup.
It's not easy to press with the camera to your eye, but most video work is done using the rear display or an external monitor.
The AF-ON button sits a little farther to the right, just a short reach up from the thumb rest.
Like C3 and Menu, it's now surrounded by a bit of raised plastic, and it's also a little bit bigger than the a7R III's AF-ON button.
If you prefer to split focus control away from the shutter release, you'll find this to be a very comfortable setup.
And if you don't want to use AF-ON for AF, you can always customize its function.
The same is true for the exposure lock (AE-L) button to its right.
The a7R III added a rear focus control—Sony calls it a multi-selector, but many will refer to it colloquially as a joystick.
The a7R IV keeps the joystick in the same place, but flattens it a bit, and adds a little to its surface area.
As with the top plate command dial, the result is a control surface that's just a little bit nicer to use.
There's also a flat command dial on the rear, positioned below the thumb rest and to the right of the LCD.
It offers four directional presses—customizable—and has a central button that isn't marked on body, but is referred to as Enter in on-screen menus.
The wheel is flanked by Fn, Play, and Delete/C4 buttons.
Buttons aren't backlit, which is disappointment given the price.
You get the feature with the mirrorless Panasonic S1R, as well as Nikon's high-resolution D850 SLR, but Sony hasn't adopted them.
They're helpful when doing work in dim conditions, whether it be the the studio or for astrophotography.
The Fn launches an on-screen control menu with quick access to a dozen customizable settings banks.
The a7R IV has a dense feature set, and menu to match.
You'll likely spend some time getting it configured to match your style.
It is able to load saved settings from a memory card, a plus if you own multiple bodies or want to quickly set up a rental for a shoot.
Sony has done a bit of work on its camera interfaces to buck its reputation of having a confusing menu system.
The a7R IV retains the absolutely necessary My Menu screen and does some good things like showing you a schematic drawing of the body as you reassign button functions.
If you're familiar with other Sony cameras, you won't have much trouble getting around, though you may still struggle to locate a feature you don't often utilize if you don't know where to look for it.
LCD and EVF
You can frame shots using the rear LCD or eye-level EVF.
The LCD is a 3-inch, 1,440k-dot panel with support for touch input.
Sony's touch interface isn't as robust as others—it's not active for camera menus, for example—but it does allow you to tap to focus and swipe through images during playback.
The LCD can tilt to face up or down, but doesn't face forward or swing out to the side.
The EVF enjoys a significant update.
It still projects a large 0.78x magnification view, but the resolution is greater.
The a7R III uses a 3.6-million-dot OLED panel, but it's been updated to a 5.76-million-dot design in this model.
It can be set to display at standard or high quality, the latter of which stresses the battery a little bit more, but I had a hard time noticing a difference between the two options.
The EVF is among the best in the class, along with the similar panel in the Panasonic S1R.
Power and Connectivity
The camera is powered by Sony's Z series battery, introduced with the a9 and also used by third-generation a7 models.
It's a beefy cell, rated by CIPA to provide about 530 shots when using the EVF, or up to 670 using the LCD.
For video, Sony promises the battery will provide up to 170 minutes of continuous recording time.
Your mileage will vary based on how you use the camera—you can net thousands of shots on a charge if you utilize the 10fps burst mode frequently.
The Z battery is now old hat, and provides similar endurance in every model it's been used in.
It's an all-day battery for many photographers, though pros will certainly want to carry a spare.
You just won't have to carry four spares, as was the case with the underpowered W battery used by first- and second-generation a7 cameras.
The battery charges in-camera via USB-C or micro USB—the body has both ports.
Other connections include PC Sync for studio flash, 3.5mm microphone and headphone jacks, micro HDMI output, and Sony's multi-interface hot shoe.
The shoe is a slightly new design that works with the $350 EC1-B1M digital microphone to provide a true digital audio signal—the mic is compatible with older Sony cameras, but with a digital signal that's converted to analog first.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are included as well.
They work in conjunction with Sony Imaging Edge software, a free download for Android and iOS.
You can transfer images to your phone and post on social media, and you're also able to use your phone as a remote control.
The a7R IV features two SDXC card slots, both supporting UHS-II speeds.
This is an upgrade from previous models in the series, including the pro a9, which only offered one fast UHS-II slot, with the second slot restricted to UHS-I speeds.
Support for the Sony Memory Stick format has been dropped to make this happen, but few, if any, will miss it.
Real-Time Tracking Focus
High-resolution sensors and fast-action photography were mutually exclusive concepts before the a7R III came along with its 42MP imaging and 10fps capture rate.
The a7R IV continues the tradition, matching the 10fps speed, and offering improved autofocus coverage.
Its phase detection area now covers 74 percent of the width of the sensor, up from 68 percent.
That means, despite including the same Real-Time Tracking autofocus system that's used by the a9 and a6400, if your subject falls outside of that phase detection area, the focus system will slow a bit, and accuracy can suffer when photographing moving subjects.
Because of this, the a7 III and a9 are generally better options for photographing action—their focus systems cover 93 percent of the sensor width.
The a7R IV does have one trick up its sleeve—its APS-C crop mode nets 26MP images, more than any current model Sony APS-C camera.
Wildlife specialists often reach for APS-C cameras to effectively extend the reach of telephoto lenses, but the a7R IV renders that need useless.
You can get higher-resolution images with a wider angle of coverage when you want, and extend the reach of your long lenses by switching to APS-C capture, or simply cropping after the fact.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVD6qu-4Xk4[/embed]
The Real-Time Tracking focus system is excellent.
Available in AF-C mode, it identifies subjects and keeps the focus system locked on them as they move through the frame.
It's available with multiple areas of coverage, including a wide area, several sizes of flexible spot, and an expanded flexible spot.
You can see it in action as it tracks our subject as he performs acrobatics.
It locks onto his eyes and face when it can find them, and analyzes patterns and distance from the camera in real time to keep focus locked.
The EyeAF system isn't unique to Sony, but the company was the first to bring it into pro cameras and offers the best implementation we've seen with the latest Real-Time Tracking autofocus system.
With a setting change, the EyeAF is able to work with animals instead of humans.
At press time the camera supports cats and dogs, and I was able to reliably get perfectly focused photos of a friend's corgi.
There is a caveat—turning on Animal EyeAF disables Real-Time Tracking.
See How We Test Digital Cameras
The a7R IV's speed varies based on the type of files you're capturing.
If you use Uncompressed Raw, the camera manages about 7fps for 30 shots before the buffer fills.
If you're working in Raw+JPG expect 30 seconds to clear all those images to a fast UHS-II card; working in Raw only cuts it to 15 seconds.
Also invest in a big card—each uncompressed image is 122MB in size.
The frame jumps to 10fps by switching to Sony's Compressed Raw format, which is what I recommend using for any type of burst shooting.
It keeps file sizes down, to about 60MP per photo, without any real sacrifice.
The buffer is good for 74 Raw or 65 Raw+JPG snaps, clearing to memory in about 25 seconds and 60 seconds, respectively.
There's no advantage to shooting in JPG alone for speed, it delivers comparable buffer capacity and write times as capturing Compressed Raw+JPG pairs.
In addition to the 10fps Hi+ option, the a7R IV offers an 8fps Hi drive mode.
It's a bit easier to keep track of moving targets at the slightly slower rate, and gives you a little more real-world time before the buffer fills to capacity.
As with others in the series, the a7R IV can't start shooting video and some menu options are unavailable as images are being written to memory.
In addition to the focal plane shutter, which provides flash sync at 1/250-second, the a7R IV has a fully electronic shutter option.
It's a fine option for working in environments where you must be quiet—courtrooms and concert halls are examples—but it will absolutely introduce the rolling shutter effect for fast-moving subjects....
