Sony a7R IV Review

To cut to the chase, after having been shooting with the Sony a7R IV quite a bit recently, I’ve found it to be a gem of a camera. It very much shares the same lineage as the previous a7R models, but it’s more refined and that much more impressive. There’s no single feature I can point to that makes it a giant leap over its predecessors, but cumulatively all those little tweaks and improvements add up to make for a superb camera.¹

There are oodles of features packed into the a7R IV, and it’s an extremely versatile camera suitable for a wide range of uses. Every photographer is likely to have a different mix of things that matter to them. For me, the standout features of the a7R IV are:

• Superb image quality, even in high ISOs in low light.
• Very quick and accurate focus that locks quickly on still subjects reliably and does a pretty good job of more active subjects.
• Effective in-camera sensor stabilization that gains extra stops for less risk of shake blur.
• Granular control over shooting modes and custom-assigned buttons and controls.
• Overall polish, from extensive options to excellent build quality.

Design, Build, and Handling

The a7R IV is about the size of a small DSLR. It doesn’t have the mirror of DSLRs, but it does have a similar bulge where the mirror chamber would be, albeit smaller. Still, if you’re comparing it to some other mirrorless cameras, especially ones with smaller sensors, like the Fujifilm X-T3 or Olympus micro four-thirds camera (with the exception of the OM-D E-M1X), this is still going to feel relatively large and bulky camera. That said, if you’re used to something like the Nikon D850, this is quite a bit smaller and more compact. So it really depends on what you’re used to. If you’ve used previous models in the a7 or a9 lineup, you’ll know exactly what to expect—the body is very, very similar.

To keep things small, there’s still little in the way of ergonomics. It’s mostly quite a rectangular block. That doesn’t tend to be much of an issue unless you’re using it with heavy lenses or doing something like sports shooting, gripping the camera from the sidelines (although, if you’re shooting sports, you’re more likely to be using the a9 cameras, which are better suited to that). But the un-ergonomic design is also because there are several normal ways to grip the camera, depending on whether you’re using the viewfinder or the back screen, and also whether or not you’re tilting the back screen. All that said, there is a useful notch in the grip for your right middle finger that gives some extra vertical stability.

As is typical with Sony cameras, the body is very well crafted. It feels solid and robust. Sony has improved the dust- and moisture-resistance, although it’s not ruggedized to the extent that some other cameras are, particularly those from Olympus and some DSLRs.

The back screen is bright and crisp. It’s a touchscreen by default, although you have some options for controlling that behavior. It also tilts and extends out, a trick that comes in very useful when you’re shooting above or below your shooting eye level. But it doesn’t swivel or rotate.

The electronic viewfinder is bright and sharp, and with a 120 fps refresh rate, it has minimal lag. If you’re coming from a DSLR, working with an electronic viewfinder can take some getting used to. The big advantage (aside from not needing a mirror) is that it shows the effects of any exposure controls as well as any number of informational overlays.

The buttons are logically laid out, and you’re given quite a bit of control for customizing what commands are attached to which buttons and dials.

Taking Photos with the Sony a7R IV

Despite some very impressive video features and capabilities, the a7R IV seems geared more to stills shooting. And that’s what I’ve been using it for primarily. I’ve posted some real-world examples taken with the a7R IV separately.

Resolutions and Formats

As you’d expect, the a7R IV shoots both RAW and JPG (or both at the same time). But the headline feature is the resolution. With 61MP images, it’s on the very high end of resolution and squarely into the realm of medium-format digital backs. It produces images with maximum dimensions of 9504 by 6336 pixels. If you don’t need or want all of that resolution and the file sizes that come with it, you can choose to crop down to APS-C for a more manageable file size but still high-resolution 26MP image.

With the RAW files, you have a choice of using 14-bit uncompressed or 12-bit compressed. The latter files are about half the filesize. The former potentially give you better quality, with more information available to represent the image data.

You have the usual options with JPG, where you can choose the image quality (i.e., amount of compression), choosing from Extra Fine, Fine, and Standard.

The sensor has a 3:2 aspect ratio, so that’s its native aspect ratio.

If you want to get technical, here are the image file format versions it uses:

• JPEG: DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver.2.31, MPF Baseline compliant
• RAW: Sony ARW 2.3 format

Image Quality

This is where I’ve been really blown away from the a7R IV. The previous a7R models have all been superb cameras in their own rights, but the a7R IV takes it to the next level. Admittedly, it helps that’s I’ve been using it with some excellent lenses, like the Sony FE 24mm ƒ/1.4 GM and the FE 12-24mm ƒ/4 G.

But the image quality coming out of the camera is superb in all sorts of lighting, even at high ISOs. It probably shouldn’t be much of a surprise—Sony has been leading the pack with their sensors and onboard image processing for a while now—but it’s still exciting to see how they’re advancing things even further. The native ISO range is from ISO 100 through ISO 32000, but the extended ISO range (i.e., where software takes over to boost the hardware’s capabilities) goes down to ISO 50 and all the way up to ISO 102400. Not all of that range is equally useful for all situations, of course; particularly at the extremely high ISOs, the image quality does suffer noticeably, but the a7R IV pushes the envelope further. If you’re interested in seeing some practical examples, I’ve posted some side-by-side shots taken throughout the a7R IV’s ISO range.

And while I nearly always shoot RAW, for the purposes of testing, I’ve been shooting RAW+JPG. I’m usually a bit leery of JPGs, but the ones coming out of the a7R IV are unusually rich and exposed beautifully. While it’s not enough to convert me to using JPGs rather than RAW, it certainly increases my confidence in sharing JPGs in those situations where it makes more sense. And one place where it makes a lot of sense is with the high-ISO images. The onboard image processor does an excellent job of cleaning up the downsides of high-ISO shooting.

Sample Images

Here’s a small sampling of images I’ve shot with the camera under a variety of lighting conditions and with minimal processing. I’ve posted a much larger collection here.

Shooting Video

The a7R IV leans more heavily on its stills photos features, but it’s still a very capable camera for shooting video. I’ve been shooting mostly stills with the a7R IV and haven’t had a chance to put together some samples to post, but here’s a quick rundown of its video specs.

The maximum resolution/framerate combination is 4K30, and its maximum bitrate is 100 Mbps. Both of those specs are capable, but they’re nowhere near some of its competitors that lean more heavily on video shooting (like the Panasonic Lumix GH5, for example).

It uses either of two codecs to compress the video files as they’re saving to the memory card:

• XAVC S: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 for the higher resolution and bitrates
• AVCHD: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 for much smaller video files (but also much more widely compatible).

Interestingly, it doesn’t use the newer, more efficient but less-widely-compatible HEVC H.265 codec.

Battery and Power

The a7R IV uses (and comes with) one 2280mAh lithium battery. I have been a bit underwhelmed by the battery life. Part of that is the nature of the mirrorless beast, because it tends to rely more heavily on back screens and electronic viewfinders. It also hasn’t helped that I’ve been using battery-draining features like sensor stabilization and rapid shooting modes. Turning those off and better rationing those features will result in longer battery performance.

The battery is model number NP-FZ100. The Sony original battery has a built-in sensor that communicates with the camera to display the remaining charge on the camera’s LCD screen. You can find aftermarket versions of the battery, often much cheaper, but they might not have that feature (called InfoLITHIUM), and at least some of the third-party batteries I’ve seen have slightly lower capacity ratings.

You can also get a vertical grip as an optional accessory. It can hold another two NP-FZ100 batteries to give you a much longer shooting life as well as a more comfortable vertical hold. Its model number if VG-C4EM, and like many of the grips put out by camera manufacturers, it’s overpriced.

Other Features & Things Worth Knowing

The a7R IV has some other features worth mentioning:

• PixelShift. This shoots 16 individual images with very subtle sensor-shift between them and then combines the images into a higher-resolution and, ideally, sharper and more color-accurate image. A still and sturdy mount point is essential—such as a tripod. It’s worth noting that the stitching and blending aren’t handled in the camera but in post-processing with the Sony Imaging software. The resulting image is big: 19008 by 12672 pixels.
• 5-axis SteadyShot INSIDE sensor-shift image stabilization. Sony claims that the sensor stabilization gives you up to 5.5 stops of extra room before camera shake becomes an issue. I haven’t tried to quantify the results, but in practice, I’ve found it to work well. This feature does help drain the battery more quickly.
• Wireless Connectivity. There’s the kind of wifi and Bluetooth connectivity you’d expect.

What’s in the Box?

It comes with:

• the camera
• lens and body caps
• a battery (model number NP-FZ100)
• a camera strap

Useful Accessories

There are some accessories that you might want to consider right off the bat.

It doesn’t come with a memory card or case as standard. Some retailers put together bundles with some accessories, but unless you’ve picked up one of those, you’ll need to get these accessories separately.

Memory Cards

The a7R IV doesn’t come with memory cards as standard. Unless you’ve bought one of the bundles put together by retailers that might include a card or two, you’ll need to pick them up separately.

There are two UHS-II SD slots. To make the most of the camera’s features, you’ll want some fast cards in there. You don’t have to fill both slots, and you don’t have to use UHS-II cards, but fast UHS-II cards will let you take full advantage of the camera’s capabilities. And don’t skimp on the storage capacity—the cards fill up quickly with the high-resolution images that the a7R IV shoots.

The natural choice is Sony’s own high-performance SD card, the SF-G line but they’re surprisingly difficult to track down in the US. I’ve used several other cards in it that have all performed well, including these:

• Prograde Digital UHS-II V90
• SanDisk Extreme Pro SDSDXPK-128G-ANCIN UHS-II U3
• Transcend 700S UHS-II V90

If you’re interested in other options for fast SD cards, you can find my SD card speed test results here.

It’s worth mentioning one issue I’ve run into, though. I’ve not been able to get it to format Lexar 1667x cards. They’re a newer model of UHS-II card that’s rated V60. The problem is not the card’s speed—it’s that the camera won’t format them (I’ve tried multiple). I can’t say whether this is a broader compatibility issue between Lexar-branded cards and the a7R IV, although I’ve used a Lexar 1000x in it without any issues, so if there is an issue, it doesn’t seem to apply to all Lexar cards.

Using fast UHS-II cards matters most when shooting video, especially at the high-bitrate (100 Mbps) resolution/framerate combinations. With stills, the camera’s large memory buffer softens the card speed requirements, although a faster card will clear the buffer more quickly.

Lenses

If you buy one of the kits that includes a lens with the body, you’re all set. The two lenses that are used in the kits are the 24-70mm ƒ/2.8 and the 24-105mm ƒ/4. Both are very good choices for versatile shooting and would be excellent choices for travel photography. And if you’re planning on one of those pairings, you’ll probably get better value with one of the camera + lens kits rather than buying them individually.

But there’s an enormous range of options for which lenses to use. Here are a couple of other options I’d throw out there.

• If you’re looking for an excellent low-light option for a more photojournalistic style or travel photography, Sony’s 24mm ƒ/1.4 (see my hands-on review here) and 35mm ƒ/1.8 primes are both excellent (especially the 24mm).

And one of the great innovations with Sony’s alpha cameras is that you can use adapters like those from Metabones that can adapt lenses from other manufacturers to Sony’s E-Mount system. That means you can use many of the excellent lenses from manufacturers like Canon and Nikon, or even Leica, Minolta, or Contax. Not all lens features might work on the a7R IV body, though, so you’ll have to check on a lens-by-lens basis.

Screen Protector

The back screen is somewhat exposed to bumps and knocks. While the glass they use is pretty resilient, it’s still relatively easy to scratch or ding it. So a screen protector can come in handy; this one fits the a7R IV.

Case or Bag

It doesn’t come with a case or bag. It’s an expensive camera, so you’ll want to protect it. Any standard camera case will work. If you can fit a small DSLR in it, it should be big enough for the a7R IV. I personally like should-style like Think Tank Retrospective Bags or the similar but smaller (and more discreet) ones from Domke, but there are no requirements specific to the a7R IV—it’s just a matter of personal preference.

Remote Shutter Release

The Sony a7R IV is capable of not only silent shutter, thanks for the electronic shutter, but also an entirely shake-free release. So long as you fire it remotely, of course. The compatible wireless remote shutter is model RMT-P1BT.

Sony a7R IV Manual

You can find Sony’s online version of the a7R IV manual here. That’s the most comprehensive version of the official manual. If you want a printable PDF version of that, you can use the Printable PDF button at the top right of the page on Sony’s site.

A PDF of the more concise Operating Instructions is available here.

Sony a7R IV Firmware

At the time of writing, there haven’t been any post-release firmware updates issued. If and when they are, you can find Sony’s official firmware repository here.

Wrap Up

Overall, I’ve found the a7R IV to be a gem of a camera, and I’ve really enjoyed shooting with it. There are still some minor quibbles here and there—I’ve sometimes found myself fighting the auto white balance, for instance, it’s slower to power up and start shooting than I’d like, and the battery life isn’t especially impressive (at least, without the vertical grip/battery pack)—but these are mostly nitpicking (that said, nitpicking is allowed for a $3500 camera!). But in the ultimate tests—image quality and being able to get the shot—the a7R IV really shines.

Key Specs of the Sony a7R IV

• Imaging
• Lens Mount: Sony E
• Sensor Type: 35.7 x 23.8 mm (Full-Frame) CMOS
• Sensor Resolution Actual: 62.5 Megapixel
• Effective Resolution: 61 Megapixel (9504 x 6336 pixels)
• Crop Factor: None (Full-Frame)
• Aspect Ratio: 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9
• Image File Format: JPEG, Raw (14-bit)
• Image Stabilization: Sensor-Shift, 5-Axis
• Exposure Control
• ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100 to 32000 (Extended: 50 to 102400)
• Shutter Speed: Mechanical Shutter / 1/8000 to 30 Second + Bulb Mode (1/8000 to 1/4 Second in Movie Mode)
• Metering Method: Center-Weighted Average, Highlight Weighted, Multiple, Spot
• Exposure Modes: Aperture Priority, Manual, Program, Shutter Priority
• Exposure Compensation: -5 to +5 EV (1/3, 1/2 EV Steps)
• Metering Range: -3 to 20 EV
• White Balance: Auto, Cloudy, Color Temperature, Custom, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent (Cool White), Fluorescent (Day White), Fluorescent (Daylight), Fluorescent (Warm White), Incandescent, Shade, Underwater
• Continuous Shooting: Up to 10 fps at 61 MP for up to 68 Frames (JPEG)
• Interval Recording (Timelapse): Yes
• Self-Timer: 2/5/10-Second Delay
• Video
• XAVC S: UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p [60 to 100 Mb/s]
• Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 3.976p/24.00p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p/100p/119.88p [16 to 100 Mb/s]
• AVCHD: Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 50i/59.94i [17 to 24 Mb/s]
• External Recording Modes: 4:2:2 8-Bit / DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p / Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 23.976p/50i/50p/59.94i/59.94p
• Video Encoding: NTSC/PAL
• ISO Sensitivity: Auto: 100 to 12800
• Manual: 100 to 32000
• Audio Recording: Built-In Microphone (Stereo)
• External Microphone Input: (Stereo)
• Focus System
• Focus Type Auto and Manual Focus
• Focus Mode Automatic (A), Continuous-Servo AF (C), Direct Manual Focus (DMF), Manual Focus (M), Single-Servo AF (S)
• Autofocus Points: Phase Detection: 567
• Contrast Detection: 425
• Autofocus Sensitivity: -3 to +20 EV
• Viewfinder
• Viewfinder Type: Electronic (OLED)
• Viewfinder Coverage: 100%
• Interface & Memory Card Slots
• Media/Memory Card Slot Dual Slot: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II)
• Internal Memory: None
• Cable Connectivity 3.5mm Headphone, 3.5mm Microphone, HDMI D (Micro), USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1)
• Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi / Bluetooth
• GPS No
• Battery: 1 x NP-FZ100 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion, 7.2 VDC, 2280 mAh (Approx. 530 Shots)
• Dimensions: (W x H x D) 5.07 x 3.8 x 3.05″ / 128.9 x 96.4 x 77.5 mm
• Weight: 1.46 lb / 665 g

Price & Availability of Sony a7R IV

Sony has set the MSRP for the a7R IV at $3499.99.

You can find in various configurations, including the body only or with lenses and other accessories:

• B&H Photo 
• Adorama
• Amazon
• Camera House (Australia)

Note: There’s now an “A” version (as in, a7R IV A) that features two incremental updates: a higher-resolution back LCD screen and USB 3.2 connectivity. The cameras are otherwise identical.

Images and product information from Amazon PA-API were last updated on 2023-03-29 at 14:29. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.