Great insights for landscape thank you for that. The positives were mentioned but what about the negatives? There are quite a few areas where the new 7IV is specc’ed lower than the older 7RIV. The base 7 is their entry level after all.
Yeah you're right Vince, I should have included some of my negative takes too. I really do try to be balanced despite my relationship with Sony, so I'm going to pin this comment so hopefully others can see and I will talk about all of these things in my full review. These are specifically my complaints for landscape photography (I have some other complaints, but I'll save them for more relevant videos): - Exposure time is still capped at 30s before you have to use bulb - you can't program long exposures like on other systems. Seems like this should be an easy software thing so I don't know why it's taking Sony so long. - The anti-dust shutter mechanism takes a good 4-5 seconds to close after you turn off the camera - I wish it was faster (I'm still going to use it though). - They've taken away IR remote support! I actually only just noticed this - I'll kick up a fuss about this in my full review I promise! - The LCD monitor is lower resolution than some of the competition. This doesn't bother me so much, but it is a weakness nonetheless. - The new stills/video/S&Q dial is a great addition BUT on the unit I used the tactile response was pretty mushy (ie it wasn't super easy to tell whether you'd gone to video or S&Q in the dark). This may be relevant for a landscape shooter who does a bit of timelapse stuff using S&Q. I am hoping this is just be a pre-production unit issue. Re your other comment, I don't think I agree. Apart from maximum resolution and the quality of the LCD, the a7 IV is pretty much specc'ed higher across the board. Happy to hear your thoughts though. Thanks for the comment, really appreciate it!
@@andrewjclarke I sent Sony Support a suggestion to include extended shutter speeds and they said they'd passed on the feedback. Perhaps if enough people request this from them they'll start updating firmware for this and previous camera models!
It stays in portrait mode when zooming into a photo!! No one else has said this. This makes me so happy, can't wait to get the camera! Thank you for this video
I really like how you focus on little things, practical improvements and comparisons instead of just talking about the usual headline/marketing stuff. Lets be honest, almost everyone watches multiple reviews, especially ones from a smaller channel like this. The best way to make it worth watching is talking about your personal experiences with things nobody else is really talking about. Instant subscribe from me.
This is the best review so far I've seen Andrew, it's criminal you don't have 100x more subscribers! Brilliant, informative video. The negligible difference in resolution over the A7r iv is very interesting considering the A7 iv is better everywhere else. I've got my preorder in, can't wait to get hold of it now.
Thanks so much Joe, I really appreciate that! Yeah you've nailed it, the detail difference is so marginal in my testing that I'm seriously tempted to swap my A7r iv for the A7 iv to have access to all the other upgrades on my main body (at least until there's an A7r v 😂). You're gonna love it and thanks again!
One of the most informative reviews on a7iv for landscape so far. I am mainly a landscape photographer who is interested in differences between a7iv and a7riv. The initial results are very encouraging because I will get my first Sony setup and the choice for me is between a7iv and a7riv.
This is the review I was looking for! I have already pre-purchased the A7 IV and have been looking for a reason to change my mind and go for the A7R IV and have not found any yet. I think I will stick with the A7 IV and feel it's for sure the best camera in its range on the market today. Thank you, Andrew. Cheers!
The first video of yours I have watched, and I’ll be back for sure! It’s primarily a video oriented business, but someone who wants a good stills camera for hobby landscape photography, this camera hits all of my needs & most of my wants. This is the first camera I have ever pre-ordered! Great review here.
Great Video, appreciate all the points made on all the little features that help with creating images. My only pause here is the APS-C mode of the A7IV is 15 megs, vs 26 megs on the A7R IV, that's a huge difference. The crop-ability of the A7R IV files can't be overstated.
if you use it all the time yes 61mpx make sens (over 120mb raw file :D), if not it will make more problems than help you (I don't know I wrote it right,sorry for my english).
I've watched so many videos on the A7IV, yet discovered so many new things in this one that none of the others mentioned - ie. hot pixels, zoom in on pictures in the right orientation
Thanks Paul - appreciate your comment. I like to think I've got a good eye for detail, but also I ignored all the video specs/features for my video haha which gave me a little bit more time to focus on things that help landscape photographers! Thanks again!
I was first in line on the 21st and preordered the A7iv at my local camera store here in Las Vegas. Good to see you post again. I will need help in setting up the camera for landscape photography. The camera store told me that it will probably be sometime in December, before the camera comes in. Earlier this year, I already purchased a Tamron 17-28 (2.8) and the 28-75 (2.8). I will probably get the 70-180 when the camera comes in. Thanks for your video! Joe
Thanks Joe appreciate you sticking around! Yeah tamron have been doing great things with those zoom lenses - super compact and excellent image quality. I’ll definitely be recording a setup video for the A7IV soon!
The flippy screen is the hugest upgrade in my eyes, I shot in portrait orientation quite often and getting low etc will be so much easier. It's one big reason why I switched from an A7III to A7C.
Same, except from the a6300 to the a7iv haha. I don’t get why anyone complains about this. Probably had someone on RUclips tell them it’s better. I use my evf mostly but low/high shots are practically impossible in portrait with my a6300.
While u talk about hot pixels and heat control others talk about shutter sound 2 loud or the non 8k display 1 trillion pixels 😒. Thanks for your real review mate.
Great video. I'm considering getting the a7iv as a secondary camera for stills. I currently have an a7siii. I'm not heavily into landscape photography, but you give a lot of good information here.
Thanks Colin - appreciate it. I think they'd be a great pair honestly - you'd have the a7siii for specialised video work and the a7iv for specialised stills work, but both function as excellent backups for the other. Cheers for the comment!
Great video, illustrating very interesting and positive points that other reviews haven’t. Also, I’ve never seen the Maryland’s jetty looking so good! Thanks mate!
New subscriber. Thanks for this review from the landscape perspective. I saw in other comments where you will be doing some astrophotography testing and I can't wait for that. I have an A7RIII and am seriously considering switching to this A7IV. I shoot mainly landscape, astro/aurora and wildlife. The new features like the sensor protection, flip out screen & auto focus improvements are soooo ooooo tempting. I just need to decide if the reduction from 42mp to 33 matters. The A7R4 or A1 just aren't in my budget......this is. :-)
Nice Andrew. The algorithm chucked you to the top of my feed which was good. I’m replacing an ancient canon 350D, and want to move to mirrorless. Your first impression is a balanced, sensible review. I’ll be on the lookout for the full review, as I’m weighing up this or a Nikon Z6ii (I follow Matt Granger as well). Subscribed
Out of all the reviews I’ve watched, yours has been one of the most straightforward no BS reviews. I’m currently working with an A7ii and it has done well for me, but I think it’s time for me to get a new body. I’m curious to see how this camera performs for Astrophotography. Thanks a lot!
Thanks so much Vivek - I really appreciate your comment. Astrophotography is absolutely top of the list for testing and I'm heading out to some dark skies at the start of Nov with Sony, so I'll have a follow up video in a few weeks time on that!
@@andrewjclarke great video! Please could you test/check with Sony what the base ISOs are, specifically for stills and astrophotography? It's really handy to know that the a7iii has dual native ISO at 100 and then 640, so shooting at or just above ISO 640 is best for noise performance and retaining highlights, but still allows for increasing exposure in post. How does the new a7iv perform for noise in astrophotography compared with the lower resolution a7iii and does it have the same or similar useful dual native ISO? Thanks in advance!
@@OliverParker Haha funny you should mention that, I've already recorded that video and I'm just editing it now. I'll give you the scoop if you promise to come back and watch the video when I post it too 😆😆😆 Base ISOs are 100 and 1600 on the a7 IV - same as the a7S III. In my testing the a7 IV was far superior at ISO 1600, which is a much more practical ISO for astro than 640, so that's a nice upgrade in my opinion. Interestingly though, the a7 IV and the a7 III were pretty much matched at ISO 640 as well (at least for noise performance). The one question I haven't been able to answer yet is whether dynamic range is similar at ISO 640 - but that might have to wait until Adobe rolls out native support for the a7 IV RAW files because I'm just not confident that my current methodology (converting to TIF using Sony's Imaging Edge) is accurate when making huge EV boosts to underexposed files.
Nice hands on review of this camera. I got the A74 in late December and am learning the new menu system. But my impression from a non pro is that this new sensor actually resolves some of my lenses better than my old A7rll. I am pleased with every aspect of this camera so far. I don't know about the a7rIV but it definitely has big advantages over the much older A7rII. Anwauy, keep up with the reviews, you so a nice job.
Great video Andrew thanks, my biggest disappointment about this camera (given the sizable price increase) was that Sony didn't manage to squeeze in a stacked sensor to once again cement them as the mirrorless leaders, offering cutting edge features at a great price like so many A series models have done before it. Sony could have still kept the A7iv artificially capped at 10fps to protect the A9 and A1 sales but I think to have quite a sizable rolling shutter and probably a nasty banding issue too when shooting in silent shutter mode is unacceptable at $2500 in what is essentially 2022. I would love to see some silent shutter banding tests, maybe a comparison shootout against the A9i which is actually the same price as the A7iv and so makes for a very interesting proposition!
Definitely looking at this new camera for landscape AND astrophotography. Currently have the a7iii and do fret over hot pixels with long exposures, so this along with the ergonomic improvements offer a lot of value.
Thanks so much for comparing to the A7RIV: As an ex-Canon, now ex-Nikon DSLR Shooter, moving to my first mirrorless Sony, I've been losing sleep trying to decide between the A7RIV and new A7IV and all the incremental improvements that the latter seems to include. I'd been wondering whether the 61MP Vs 33MP was going to be an issue but your review has convinced me it's a non-issue and the improvements elsewhere, are far more meaningful. Thanks to you, I now have a firm plan and am really excited to get my A7IV and some Sigma DG DN Art glass, to go with it. Many thanks 👍
@@xXadambXx After a lot of thought, I went a slightly different route in the end and decided to return to using primes with the A7IV. Specifically the Sony 20 f1.8 G, Sony 35 f1.8 and Sigma 90 f2.8 DG DN C. For my use case, the benefit of light weight and smaller form factor, outweighed any concern about needing a zoom but that might not suit everyone. The new Sony gear arrived at the weekend and whilst it's going to take me a while to acclimate to the Sony menu (being familiar with my Nikon), I'm pleased with my decision. Enjoy your new gear in good health 👍
I’m in the exact same Situation…though ridiculous…I’ve been trying to decided for two whole months…yes two months on which to get, I mainly do landscapes, so that 61mp is tempting and I’ve found a brand new a7riv on eBay for the same Price as the 7iv, but the new auto focus, shutter cover and new menu system is so tempting..arghhh I just don’t know what to get! ( either camera will be paired with a sigma 24-70 art
@@nathanhassani5366 Sony have some great cameras to choose from but everyone's usage case is different: For me, the new AF and menu system of the 7IV, trumped the higher resolution of the R model because, whilst I do sometimes need to crop down quite hard, I hardly ever blow up my photos to the size of a wall 😊 Since buying my 7IV I've been very happy with the resolution of cropped Motorsport images, the hit rate on the AF (once optimised to the subject) and the ability to store several different setting for both stills, movies and timelapse. Colour rendition has been a very pleasant surprise, though I've transitioned to Capture One Pro for RAW editing, which has taken a while but I'm now very happy with my output and don't feel the higher res would have been much of a benefit (nice as it is). Sadly, there's no such thing as the 'perfect' camera, only the one that's nearest the spec you want/need. I guess if one camera had it all, then there wouldn't be a range of specs and price points but in an ideal world, it would be nice to be able to option up your own camera build from the factory but then it would no doubt cost £££'s more. First world problems... Long story long, unless you are either blowing your images up to a humungous size, or cropping the doodahs out, then the A7IV offers great images and a fantastic set of features, at a reasonable price. Whatever you decide, enjoy 👍
@@markdavis911time thanks for the reply, I’m quite a newbie to be honest, though I want to print as large as possible, how big could you print with 33mp? I had the ar7 ii but sold it due to its autofocus being quite outdated, I was happy with 42mp
Found you this morning while checking A7 IV first impressions I appreciate your thoughtful video. Have subscribed. Looking forward to your followup thoughts.
Great video, thanks! I’ve watched quite a few on the a7iv and was glad to see one from you pop up (subscribed a while back and yeah, where you been?). I too have the a7riv and have preordered the new a7iv. You showed a couple of features no one else has touched on such as how the UI is overlaid and disappears on playback… So good on you! Again, thanks!
Hey thanks so much mate! I really appreciate you sticking around 🙂 the start of 2021 was just a nightmare and I ran out of time for RUclips. When when I finally got time again, I'd lost all my momentum. I just needed a kick in the butt to get going and an exciting new camera seems to have done the trick! Yeah I spotted 4 or 5 (minor) improvements that not too many people had caught, but I was really hyper-focusing on things that could help for landscape and ignored a lot of the major talking points (like all of the video specs haha). I'm sure the big channels will pick this stuff up when they do their full reviews. Thanks again!
I have been watching a number of reviews and this the first one i watched till the end. I don't really like that in normal landscape position back tilting doesn't work. I prefer that the tilted screen is in the axis of the lens. In portrait orientation the sceen is fine as you nicely explained. So, this is primarily a portrait camera.
@@miklosnemeth8566 Exactly! I hoped Sony comes with a new solution on this camera other than the crappy flip out screen borrowed from Canon. And Nikon was brave enough to do it. And I wonder why Sony have forgotten about amazing screen they have on a77/a99 cameras...
I'm coming from shooting sports professionally using Nikon gear. I want to spend more time flexing my travel and landscape muscles. This camera seems to do everything I need. Thanks for the video.
*Hi mate, I’m looking to buy my first camera and I’m deciding between A7IV compared to the A7C.* I would be making RUclips videos (talking at my desk), general social media uploads, and using it as a camera for Zoom meetings. I’m in that awkward phase between knowing if I do or don’t want to fully commit to the hobby of RUclips vids, but if I do, I would like to control as much of the variables (in this case production quality) as I can, and would like the investment to last a few years more. Hence, the A7IV seems like the better long term choice; especially in terms of resale value. I have a 2017 (13inch) MacBook Pro and would be using the free version of Davinci Resolve (basic colour grading i.e. pre set LUTS on Davinci) ; from what I’ve seen this should process the 4K (24fps) video at a reasonable pace. My buy list would be: 20mm f1.8 + A7C or A7IV = $3800 - $5200. Lighting + softbox = $200-350 Shure Desk Microphone = $350 SD card + Tripod = $200 Any tips would be very much appreciated. *P.s. The photo at **7:10** is majestic!*
For your purposes you don’t need full frame. Buy either sony 6400 or Canon m50. Coupled with Sigma 16 mm f1.4 they will do all your video job perfectly.
Great questions. One little spanner to throw in the works is that the free version of Davinci Resolve actually doesn't support Sony's 10 bit 4:2:2 video codecs (yet), so you wouldn't get much benefit in terms of video quality going with the a7IV over the a7C as you would have to use the older 8 bit codecs anyway. There is a work around, but it's pretty technical. MaxusMV made the comment about going APS-C. While I agree that you based on what you're doing now, you don't really need full frame, it seems that you are thinking long term, and in that case I definitely think that going full frame is the better options- if nothing else if means the lenses you buy now you will use forever, and that's far more important if you're committing to the hobby long term. I love the 20mm f1.8, it's a great option for what you're describing. Will be great for vlogging too if you end up doing some. Again if you're thinking long term, the a7IV has waaaaay better professional video features and is the future-proof bet. The a7C is going to save you money now and still be very good for a time. If you end up doing videos for 2+ years, you're going to wish you got the a7IV :P Hope this helps and thanks for the comment!
@@andrewjclarke Thanks mate, that helps a lot. *Question:* can the A7IV still record in 4K (24fps - downsampled) but at the 4:2:0 codec? E.g. if I record that way until Davinci updates the 4:2:2 codec capability? I hope that makes sense.
@@andrewjclarke One last question (sorry just thought of it). You know how 4K is downsampled from 7k (if I remember correctly) that gives a sharper more detailed image correct? Is 1080p also downsampled from something higher or is the 1080p identical to A7C? *Apologies if that doesn’t make sense, I’m still learning cameras haha.* Cheers for the help!
Great points. I’m considering adding this to my system. Currently happy with the a6600 and Sigma primes except for low light/indoor photos. Might jump to FF for around the house, close to home family photos.
The a6600 is an awesome little machine, easily my favourite APS-C camera of all time. The industry does seem to be moving towards FF, but what's great is that you've got a clear upgrade path on e-mount and you get to keep all your glass! Thanks for the comment 😀
Thank you for this magnificent video! I am loving my A7IV much more. Btw, may I ask what L bracket and tripod you are using? They look very durable. Kind regards from Bertram. More power to your channel. =)
Nice review! I'm debating between this and the 7R4, curious how this camera handles Astro, I'm guessing the high iso noise is better than the r4, have you done any Astro with it yet?
I don't have any hot pixels on my A7 III which I've been using since release. I've also never seen any on the A7 II I had before that nor the A7 before that. I think you might just have a bad camera because I've also never heard of that being a widespread problem. From what I understand all digital cameras get them but they have some method to automatically detect and correct them in a way that completely transparent to the user.
Interesting comparison test. For me, the question is currently - A7RIII A or A7IV. The A7RIIIA is cheaper and has a better srceen. Since I mostly shoot landscapes and rarely film, the benefits are rather small. The photo quality of all modern cameras is on a very high level.
Love your channel, and the camera is looking amazing, fot sure is a very awesome choise to upgrade and looks better than the a7iii at least as a preview
Great video. Displaying zoomed portrait images in portrait orientation is a game changer. Not one other review has mentioned little things such as this, which make such a difference when out in the field. Attempting to check the composition and focus on my Canon 6D when doing an astro shot in portrait orientation is infuriating! What remote shutter do you use for long bulb exposures as I believe Sony cameras don't display a timer?
I am from New Zealand. I have been suffering from Hot Pixel when I shot Milky Way and foreground (2-3 mins long exposure). Both a7III and a7RIII have had the same issue in this regard. I am not sure if we test this on higher ISO like 2000 to 6400, the hot pixels will apprear?? if not , this is a very good choice for me to upgrade. Thanks for a good review.
Hey mate! I cannot wait to get back to NZ as soon as I can. Great idea, I'll put that on the list to test for the full review. I've shot a good amount of astro on the a7siii at high iso and again hot pixels are minimal. If that's anything to go by I expect the a7iv should be pretty good! I'll report back!
Definitely on my list of upgrades, for me I love doing both landscapes and videos, this looks like an absolute weapon for these, maybe I'll sell the A7Riii and A7iii just to get this one as it seems highly capable at both.
Yeah spot on - after being hands on for a few days, it feels like it offers 99% of what the A7Riv does AND 95% of what the A7Siii does in one, cheaper package. If I didn't already own both those cameras, I'd probably buy 2 A7IVs on the spot haha
I currently shoot landscape with a7riii. It is very tempting to upgrade. I love the dust leaf protection while changing lenses. As for resolution, is it very comparable?
Yeah they are very comparable between the a7IV and the a7RIII, the upgrades are really in ergonomics, autofocus, weather sealing (this is a big one I didn't mention in my video), video specs and all the quality of life stuff I mentioned in the video. Still, the a7RIII is a beast for landscape already!
Great review. Thanks for sharing. Would you say this is “packable” for travel? I love mountaineering, but carrying a bulky/heavy camera is a chore. I’m hoping someone has traveled with this unit, and can attest to its weight and bulkiness. THANKS!
The body is definitely packable, it's the lenses that start to make things difficult if you want to get really good lenses. BUT take a look at the 28-60mm zoom lens - it's super compact and light, with very good image quality and a useful zoom range (although it doesn't go super wide or super long).
Thank you sir. I want to specialized in Landscape a nd coastal photography. I have been debating between EOS R6 and Sony A7iv. You've made up my mind and as a thank you, I've subscribed to your channel. Do you do tropical and coastal landscape? Any videos on it? BTW which lenses (zooms) do you propose with the A7iv? Thanks again.
Excellent review, thanks! Any comment on the low light performance of the A7iv vs A7rIV? The reputation of the later is quite bad. I'm considering upgrading from the A7iii and love to shoot astrophotography, hence my concern.
So I've got an astro video in the works right now, but the short answer is that the a7 IV is far better than the a7R IV for astro. In fact my testing is showing that the a7 IV is even better than the a7 III despite the higher resolution. I would also make the comment that you can still get amazing astro photos on the a7R IV, but it takes a bit of extra post-production like stacking or compositing foregrounds. But if that's not your thing, 100% go with the a7 IV :)
Could you do a tutorial to make a timelapse with the Sony A7IV knowing that it does not allow to automatically choose the interval between each shot? Thank you
Hey Romain! You definitely can choose the interval between each shot using the "interval shooting" drive mode - I'll add a timelapse tutorial to my list of video ideas! Thanks for the comment :)
Yes I definitely think it is all around a big upgrade BUT that is assuming you shoot lots of different genres. If you only shoot landscape then I still think the a7IV is an upgrade, but only for practical reasons (menus, flip screen, ergonomics) - from an image quality point of view, the A7R3 will still have a slight edge. Thanks for the comment!
Was about to get the a7IV but Canon released a new firmware update for the R5 and R6 a few days ago and now Canon officially has better Eye-AF than Sony! I will be investing in Canon after all!
I'll wait & watch a couple more future videos before I decide if I want to sub. Some good info on the hot pixels. I don't consider any photos with filters on a true test of the camera's performance. Just my opinion &, I'm not a pro by any means. Do you get any hot pixels with the A7R4? Thanks in advance for any relies, if any.
The hardest part for me is that the R4 is now around $2,200 making it $300 less than the 4 and it makes the choice very hard for someone like me. I honestly don't know which I would prefer.
I have used the A7 III since around April 2018 and have never had that problem with hot pixels. I have to admit that I haven’t used it for long exposures above the 3 to 5 minutes. But unknown to me.
Oh yeah for sure, I wouldn't expect to see them unless you're seriously working the sensor (very long exposures after already having the camera on for a while). For average shooting you definitely won't see them!
Hey mate, thanks for your very informative insights. One thing I've been wondering and that wasn't addressed in your video: can you see an L-bracket getting in the way of the articulating LCD when shooting in landscape orientation? I can imagine the horizontal arm of the bracket getting in the way when articulating the LCD the full 180 degrees. Would be great to hear your 2 bobs worth! Cheers and greeting from TAS.
Yeah very good question. There’s a similar issue on the A7SIII and I know that SmallRig makes a decent L-Bracket for that which I imagine will also fit on the A7IV as the bodies are virtually identical. It does restrict full rotation of the screen, but would cover you for 95% of positions I reckon. Can’t wait to get back to TAS! Got some of my favourite photos ever at Cradle and down South Arm 👌
@@andrewjclarke thanks for your response. Pretty much what I had assumed, too. Tassie is opening up pretty soon. So looking forward to you getting some snaps down here! All the best, mate, have a good one.
I currently use an RRS L Bracket for my A7III and I chose it because the vertical part of the L bracket can be removed for those situations when you know you aren't going to shoot in portrait mode on a tripod and then easily attached back in just a few seconds... plus when its just the horizontal part of the bracket that's on your camera, it gives the camera extra size so that it fits more comfortably in your hands. It is pricey but in my opinion worth it and I'm hoping they'll make a similar version for the A7IV and construct it in a way that when you have the vertical part of the bracket on, it still allows for the flip screen to be fully utilized.
Hi Andrew, Just bought the 7r4 and eventually, I started to realise ( from social media) that it was "discontinued" and no reasons for that. While I didn't hear about 74 in Australia, it was the campaign about the Sony 7r4 that was been released!!! Any idea what happened and why it was discontinued....
Hey Nala! So technically the original A7RIV was discontinued, but only because they replaced it with an updated version called the "A7RIVa" (product code is ILCE7RM4A). It was just minor changes (they upgraded the LCD screen and the USB port) but otherwise it's the same camera and as far as I'm aware it's still available - at least it's definitely still available in Aus!
thanks for this, wondering whether I could use the A7VI for landscape rather than the R4 in order to pick up the newer body, software ,processsor, etc. without waiting for the R5 and also for smaller raw files when shooting other genres. looking forward to more info on the raws when you have!
I think it's absolutely a great choice instead of the A7RIV - and a strictly better option for a lot of genres as you said. Unless you are regularly printing huuuuge prints AND you don't like the new AI up-sampling tools (I've been pretty impressed with Adobe's Enhance Details) then the A7IV is a no-brainer I think!
@@andrewjclarke will find out for sure! will complement my A6600 so the almost 50% jump in pixels (new color science, image processor) will be great; and I still like the 1.5 crop and lower cost, smaller lenses for birding (70-350 G), where performance has been very acceptable so my 6600 isn't going anywhere. Hoping I'm making a good choice rather than waiting for the RV - I think the all 'round nature of the A7iv will benefit me and I can use the funds for a lens rather than higher price body where I'll generate bigger than needed image files for the non-landscape travel shots. Hoping the 33 megapixels can keep up .. I think they can. I've used topaz gigapixel and hadn't thought about it for landscape, interesting idea (prefer not to of course but may apply it on a few images and see what it can do).
Hi! Nice video, and nice channel. I hope to see it grow. I've a question about the a7iv... Does the variable shutter speed work in video too or just for stills with the e-shutter?
I don’t understand the resolution concern for landscape photographers… I regularly stitch 6 “portrait” images together for either a nice (approx) 3x4 ratio (which can be cropped perfectly if you need a perfect ratio) or a nice panorama that have more detail than the highest resolution cameras can muster in a single shot. The last sony I had was the a7r2 when it went on sale for $1499 a few years back. I only had a couple lenses and ended up switching to a fuji system…which I’ve ran relatively happily for about 3 years now. But damn the GAS, now I’m really missing and debating going back to a full sensor sony again… will it ever end?! Aaaaghhh! Lol.
It's really good for astro! I've got a video coming out soon which goes into depth about it so stay tuned! You can also see a recent astro photo on the a7IV on my Instagram if you want a sneak peak 😇
First good review, when someone compare image quality a74 to a7r4. It was very important to me. I don't that big difference to sacrifice so much more space for 61 mpx pictures (nocompression is over 120mb per file, compressed 60mb is still heavy). Or only I don't see sens to take so big mpx in camera for, in my case, portrait/"fashion" and product photography?
If I was starting from scratch and I didn't already have a camera I would take the a7IV 100% - I love making videos too and the a7IV is just miles ahead in that respect!
Was looking for info on A7IV and landscape photography because I was wondering if that flip screen was useful or a hindrance. I can see how in portrait mode it is useful but how about in landscape mode? Can you tilt it up as with the A7III when you are looking down and composing on a tripod? Or must you flip it out and view it to the side of the camera?
You do have to flip it out to the side when in landscape. I know some people don't like that, but I've (personally) never found it annoying and think the trade off to get easier portraits shots is well worth it. But definitely a personal thing, you should check it out in stores (if you are able to!) before making a call - Thanks for the comment Terry!
@@andrewjclarke Thanks, Andrew. I have an L-bracket on my a7III. Will an L-bracket work on the IV or will it prevent the tilt screen from opening completely?
I've got the a7iii and would love an upgrade but my wallet says no. I'm sure I'll be happy with mine for several more years, so we'll see. One feature I really like is the new focus mapping, but alas it's only for video. It would be great to use in conjunction with my vintage lenses; focus peaking really isn't as easy to use to tell if you've got the right focus.
Can we have a raw file for download with -5 stops of exposure to save the highlights in extreme landscape shot? I wonder if it can replace my hdr work flow that I use with my Canon R.
Great question! I still love the A7r3 and for image quality it is superior to the A7m4. If all you care about is image quality and you can find one cheap, you're going to love the A7r3. If you're more of an all-around shooter and things like focus speed, buffering, general handling and video features is important, the A7m4 is light years ahead. Good luck!
Great insights for landscape thank you for that. The positives were mentioned but what about the negatives? There are quite a few areas where the new 7IV is specc’ed lower than the older 7RIV. The base 7 is their entry level after all.
Yeah you're right Vince, I should have included some of my negative takes too. I really do try to be balanced despite my relationship with Sony, so I'm going to pin this comment so hopefully others can see and I will talk about all of these things in my full review. These are specifically my complaints for landscape photography (I have some other complaints, but I'll save them for more relevant videos):
- Exposure time is still capped at 30s before you have to use bulb - you can't program long exposures like on other systems. Seems like this should be an easy software thing so I don't know why it's taking Sony so long.
- The anti-dust shutter mechanism takes a good 4-5 seconds to close after you turn off the camera - I wish it was faster (I'm still going to use it though).
- They've taken away IR remote support! I actually only just noticed this - I'll kick up a fuss about this in my full review I promise!
- The LCD monitor is lower resolution than some of the competition. This doesn't bother me so much, but it is a weakness nonetheless.
- The new stills/video/S&Q dial is a great addition BUT on the unit I used the tactile response was pretty mushy (ie it wasn't super easy to tell whether you'd gone to video or S&Q in the dark). This may be relevant for a landscape shooter who does a bit of timelapse stuff using S&Q. I am hoping this is just be a pre-production unit issue.
Re your other comment, I don't think I agree. Apart from maximum resolution and the quality of the LCD, the a7 IV is pretty much specc'ed higher across the board. Happy to hear your thoughts though. Thanks for the comment, really appreciate it!
@@andrewjclarke I sent Sony Support a suggestion to include extended shutter speeds and they said they'd passed on the feedback. Perhaps if enough people request this from them they'll start updating firmware for this and previous camera models!
A7 and A7R are completely different shelf and price level. A7R IV may be older, but it's still higher level camera.
@@Stasiek_Zabojca For photos - YES! However, if you are a hybrid shooter, there are advantages to the A7IV.
It stays in portrait mode when zooming into a photo!! No one else has said this. This makes me so happy, can't wait to get the camera! Thank you for this video
Agree, little quality of life changes like this are so important.
really appreciate the landscape focus in this video. looking forward to the full preview/review video!
I really like how you focus on little things, practical improvements and comparisons instead of just talking about the usual headline/marketing stuff. Lets be honest, almost everyone watches multiple reviews, especially ones from a smaller channel like this. The best way to make it worth watching is talking about your personal experiences with things nobody else is really talking about.
Instant subscribe from me.
This is the best review so far I've seen Andrew, it's criminal you don't have 100x more subscribers! Brilliant, informative video. The negligible difference in resolution over the A7r iv is very interesting considering the A7 iv is better everywhere else. I've got my preorder in, can't wait to get hold of it now.
Thanks so much Joe, I really appreciate that! Yeah you've nailed it, the detail difference is so marginal in my testing that I'm seriously tempted to swap my A7r iv for the A7 iv to have access to all the other upgrades on my main body (at least until there's an A7r v 😂). You're gonna love it and thanks again!
@@andrewjclarke my thoughts exactly re the future A7r v 😂
One of the most informative reviews on a7iv for landscape so far. I am mainly a landscape photographer who is interested in differences between a7iv and a7riv. The initial results are very encouraging because I will get my first Sony setup and the choice for me is between a7iv and a7riv.
Thanks so much Zoran! I agree, a very promising option I think!
thank you for this video.i am glad that hot pixels is no longer an issue.
Agreed! It was such a pain to clean up on the a7iii, thanks for watching!
This is the review I was looking for! I have already pre-purchased the A7 IV and have been looking for a reason to change my mind and go for the A7R IV and have not found any yet. I think I will stick with the A7 IV and feel it's for sure the best camera in its range on the market today. Thank you, Andrew. Cheers!
Glad I could help!
Thank you for the video. You are the only influencer I’ve seen talk about the A74 from a landscape use perspective.
The first video of yours I have watched, and I’ll be back for sure! It’s primarily a video oriented business, but someone who wants a good stills camera for hobby landscape photography, this camera hits all of my needs & most of my wants. This is the first camera I have ever pre-ordered! Great review here.
Thanks for the thoughtful review. Can’t wait to get my hands on one.
Glad it was helpful! 😁😁
Great Video, appreciate all the points made on all the little features that help with creating images. My only pause here is the APS-C mode of the A7IV is 15 megs, vs 26 megs on the A7R IV, that's a huge difference. The crop-ability of the A7R IV files can't be overstated.
if you use it all the time yes 61mpx make sens (over 120mb raw file :D), if not it will make more problems than help you (I don't know I wrote it right,sorry for my english).
@@xXadambXx Appreciate your input, your English is good. Thank you.
I've watched so many videos on the A7IV, yet discovered so many new things in this one that none of the others mentioned - ie. hot pixels, zoom in on pictures in the right orientation
Thanks Paul - appreciate your comment. I like to think I've got a good eye for detail, but also I ignored all the video specs/features for my video haha which gave me a little bit more time to focus on things that help landscape photographers! Thanks again!
Excellent video! No carp, just straight talk and great info not seen on other A7IV reviews.
Great review. I bought an a7iv last year and absolutely love it
That’s a cool setup for both cameras. I do wide field Astrophotography and this setup would work great.
Great review! Really helped me make my decision to get the a7iv!
I was first in line on the 21st and preordered the A7iv at my local camera store here in Las Vegas. Good to see you post again. I will need help in setting up the camera for landscape photography. The camera store told me that it will probably be sometime in December, before the camera comes in. Earlier this year, I already purchased a Tamron 17-28 (2.8) and the 28-75 (2.8). I will probably get the 70-180 when the camera comes in. Thanks for your video! Joe
Thanks Joe appreciate you sticking around! Yeah tamron have been doing great things with those zoom lenses - super compact and excellent image quality. I’ll definitely be recording a setup video for the A7IV soon!
The flippy screen is the hugest upgrade in my eyes, I shot in portrait orientation quite often and getting low etc will be so much easier. It's one big reason why I switched from an A7III to A7C.
Yeah 100%. Just need to make sure you get an l-bracket that doesn't get in the way!
Same, except from the a6300 to the a7iv haha. I don’t get why anyone complains about this. Probably had someone on RUclips tell them it’s better. I use my evf mostly but low/high shots are practically impossible in portrait with my a6300.
Thank you very much for the video Andrew.
While u talk about hot pixels and heat control others talk about shutter sound 2 loud or the non 8k display 1 trillion pixels 😒. Thanks for your real review mate.
Excellent review. I can't wait until the A7SIII gets focus breathing compensation too. I noticed it throughout the review.
Great video. I'm considering getting the a7iv as a secondary camera for stills. I currently have an a7siii. I'm not heavily into landscape photography, but you give a lot of good information here.
Thanks Colin - appreciate it. I think they'd be a great pair honestly - you'd have the a7siii for specialised video work and the a7iv for specialised stills work, but both function as excellent backups for the other. Cheers for the comment!
Great video, illustrating very interesting and positive points that other reviews haven’t. Also, I’ve never seen the Maryland’s jetty looking so good! Thanks mate!
New subscriber. Thanks for this review from the landscape perspective. I saw in other comments where you will be doing some astrophotography testing and I can't wait for that.
I have an A7RIII and am seriously considering switching to this A7IV. I shoot mainly landscape, astro/aurora and wildlife. The new features like the sensor protection, flip out screen & auto focus improvements are soooo ooooo tempting. I just need to decide if the reduction from 42mp to 33 matters. The A7R4 or A1 just aren't in my budget......this is. :-)
Great review! Look forward to more on the A7iv!
More to come! I've got an astro photography video in the works right now :)
Amazing photos! Thanks for taking the time to do a proper review!
Good stuff! Thanks for the insights.
Nice Andrew. The algorithm chucked you to the top of my feed which was good. I’m replacing an ancient canon 350D, and want to move to mirrorless. Your first impression is a balanced, sensible review. I’ll be on the lookout for the full review, as I’m weighing up this or a Nikon Z6ii (I follow Matt Granger as well). Subscribed
Out of all the reviews I’ve watched, yours has been one of the most straightforward no BS reviews. I’m currently working with an A7ii and it has done well for me, but I think it’s time for me to get a new body. I’m curious to see how this camera performs for Astrophotography.
Thanks a lot!
Thanks so much Vivek - I really appreciate your comment. Astrophotography is absolutely top of the list for testing and I'm heading out to some dark skies at the start of Nov with Sony, so I'll have a follow up video in a few weeks time on that!
@@andrewjclarke great video!
Please could you test/check with Sony what the base ISOs are, specifically for stills and astrophotography?
It's really handy to know that the a7iii has dual native ISO at 100 and then 640, so shooting at or just above ISO 640 is best for noise performance and retaining highlights, but still allows for increasing exposure in post.
How does the new a7iv perform for noise in astrophotography compared with the lower resolution a7iii and does it have the same or similar useful dual native ISO?
Thanks in advance!
@@OliverParker Haha funny you should mention that, I've already recorded that video and I'm just editing it now. I'll give you the scoop if you promise to come back and watch the video when I post it too 😆😆😆 Base ISOs are 100 and 1600 on the a7 IV - same as the a7S III. In my testing the a7 IV was far superior at ISO 1600, which is a much more practical ISO for astro than 640, so that's a nice upgrade in my opinion. Interestingly though, the a7 IV and the a7 III were pretty much matched at ISO 640 as well (at least for noise performance).
The one question I haven't been able to answer yet is whether dynamic range is similar at ISO 640 - but that might have to wait until Adobe rolls out native support for the a7 IV RAW files because I'm just not confident that my current methodology (converting to TIF using Sony's Imaging Edge) is accurate when making huge EV boosts to underexposed files.
@@andrewjclarke thanks for taking the time to reply, sounds really promising. Can't wait for your next video!
Nice hands on review of this camera. I got the A74 in late December and am learning the new menu system. But my impression from a non pro is that this new sensor actually resolves some of my lenses better than my old A7rll. I am pleased with every aspect of this camera so far. I don't know about the a7rIV but it definitely has big advantages over the much older A7rII. Anwauy, keep up with the reviews, you so a nice job.
Any chance on a video of how to do Timelapse photography like yours? So beautiful!
Andrew. Thanks for the review and I am glad you are back doing videos. I was just hoping you were ok.
Appreciate you taking the extra time rather than uploading right away. Excellent video.
Thanks mate!
Hi Andrew, You make great videos. I'm happy to find your channel! Thank you
Thanks Viktor! Glad you like them!
Great video Andrew thanks, my biggest disappointment about this camera (given the sizable price increase) was that Sony didn't manage to squeeze in a stacked sensor to once again cement them as the mirrorless leaders, offering cutting edge features at a great price like so many A series models have done before it.
Sony could have still kept the A7iv artificially capped at 10fps to protect the A9 and A1 sales but I think to have quite a sizable rolling shutter and probably a nasty banding issue too when shooting in silent shutter mode is unacceptable at $2500 in what is essentially 2022.
I would love to see some silent shutter banding tests, maybe a comparison shootout against the A9i which is actually the same price as the A7iv and so makes for a very interesting proposition!
Definitely looking at this new camera for landscape AND astrophotography. Currently have the a7iii and do fret over hot pixels with long exposures, so this along with the ergonomic improvements offer a lot of value.
Love your videos! I look forward to the full review and maybe some more comparison shots with the RIV
Thanks so much for comparing to the A7RIV: As an ex-Canon, now ex-Nikon DSLR Shooter, moving to my first mirrorless Sony, I've been losing sleep trying to decide between the A7RIV and new A7IV and all the incremental improvements that the latter seems to include.
I'd been wondering whether the 61MP Vs 33MP was going to be an issue but your review has convinced me it's a non-issue and the improvements elsewhere, are far more meaningful.
Thanks to you, I now have a firm plan and am really excited to get my A7IV and some Sigma DG DN Art glass, to go with it. Many thanks 👍
the same me :D ex canon user. a7 iV and sigma art 50/1.4 and 24-70/2.8 is my order list now :)
@@xXadambXx After a lot of thought, I went a slightly different route in the end and decided to return to using primes with the A7IV. Specifically the Sony 20 f1.8 G, Sony 35 f1.8 and Sigma 90 f2.8 DG DN C. For my use case, the benefit of light weight and smaller form factor, outweighed any concern about needing a zoom but that might not suit everyone.
The new Sony gear arrived at the weekend and whilst it's going to take me a while to acclimate to the Sony menu (being familiar with my Nikon), I'm pleased with my decision.
Enjoy your new gear in good health 👍
I’m in the exact same
Situation…though ridiculous…I’ve been trying to decided for two whole months…yes two months on which to get, I mainly do landscapes, so that 61mp is tempting and I’ve found a brand new a7riv on eBay for the same
Price as the 7iv, but the new auto focus, shutter cover and new menu system is so tempting..arghhh I just don’t know what to get! ( either camera will be paired with a sigma 24-70 art
@@nathanhassani5366 Sony have some great cameras to choose from but everyone's usage case is different: For me, the new AF and menu system of the 7IV, trumped the higher resolution of the R model because, whilst I do sometimes need to crop down quite hard, I hardly ever blow up my photos to the size of a wall 😊
Since buying my 7IV I've been very happy with the resolution of cropped Motorsport images, the hit rate on the AF (once optimised to the subject) and the ability to store several different setting for both stills, movies and timelapse.
Colour rendition has been a very pleasant surprise, though I've transitioned to Capture One Pro for RAW editing, which has taken a while but I'm now very happy with my output and don't feel the higher res would have been much of a benefit (nice as it is).
Sadly, there's no such thing as the 'perfect' camera, only the one that's nearest the spec you want/need.
I guess if one camera had it all, then there wouldn't be a range of specs and price points but in an ideal world, it would be nice to be able to option up your own camera build from the factory but then it would no doubt cost £££'s more. First world problems...
Long story long, unless you are either blowing your images up to a humungous size, or cropping the doodahs out, then the A7IV offers great images and a fantastic set of features, at a reasonable price. Whatever you decide, enjoy 👍
@@markdavis911time thanks for the reply, I’m quite a newbie to be honest, though I want to print as large as possible, how big could you print with 33mp? I had the ar7 ii but sold it due to its autofocus being quite outdated, I was happy with 42mp
Great information! Thank you!
Nice review, what lens were you using? I did the pre-order and can't wait for mine to arrive!
Intriguing 🤨 for an A7 iii landscape photographer.
Well done Andrew 👏
Found you this morning while checking A7 IV first impressions
I appreciate your thoughtful video. Have subscribed. Looking forward to your followup thoughts.
Thanks Dave! Appreciate it :D
I do a lot of Astro and that hot pixel issue is huge with my a7iii. Which is the main reason I want to upgrade.
Great video mate! Keep it up.
Great video, thanks! I’ve watched quite a few on the a7iv and was glad to see one from you pop up (subscribed a while back and yeah, where you been?). I too have the a7riv and have preordered the new a7iv. You showed a couple of features no one else has touched on such as how the UI is overlaid and disappears on playback… So good on you! Again, thanks!
Hey thanks so much mate! I really appreciate you sticking around 🙂 the start of 2021 was just a nightmare and I ran out of time for RUclips. When when I finally got time again, I'd lost all my momentum. I just needed a kick in the butt to get going and an exciting new camera seems to have done the trick! Yeah I spotted 4 or 5 (minor) improvements that not too many people had caught, but I was really hyper-focusing on things that could help for landscape and ignored a lot of the major talking points (like all of the video specs haha). I'm sure the big channels will pick this stuff up when they do their full reviews. Thanks again!
I have been watching a number of reviews and this the first one i watched till the end. I don't really like that in normal landscape position back tilting doesn't work. I prefer that the tilted screen is in the axis of the lens. In portrait orientation the sceen is fine as you nicely explained. So, this is primarily a portrait camera.
@@miklosnemeth8566 Exactly! I hoped Sony comes with a new solution on this camera other than the crappy flip out screen borrowed from Canon. And Nikon was brave enough to do it. And I wonder why Sony have forgotten about amazing screen they have on a77/a99 cameras...
I'm coming from shooting sports professionally using Nikon gear. I want to spend more time flexing my travel and landscape muscles. This camera seems to do everything I need. Thanks for the video.
Excellent real world review - thank you!
*Hi mate, I’m looking to buy my first camera and I’m deciding between A7IV compared to the A7C.* I would be making RUclips videos (talking at my desk), general social media uploads, and using it as a camera for Zoom meetings. I’m in that awkward phase between knowing if I do or don’t want to fully commit to the hobby of RUclips vids, but if I do, I would like to control as much of the variables (in this case production quality) as I can, and would like the investment to last a few years more. Hence, the A7IV seems like the better long term choice; especially in terms of resale value.
I have a 2017 (13inch) MacBook Pro and would be using the free version of Davinci Resolve (basic colour grading i.e. pre set LUTS on Davinci) ; from what I’ve seen this should process the 4K (24fps) video at a reasonable pace.
My buy list would be:
20mm f1.8 + A7C or A7IV = $3800 - $5200.
Lighting + softbox = $200-350
Shure Desk Microphone = $350
SD card + Tripod = $200
Any tips would be very much appreciated.
*P.s. The photo at **7:10** is majestic!*
For your purposes you don’t need full frame. Buy either sony 6400 or Canon m50. Coupled with Sigma 16 mm f1.4 they will do all your video job perfectly.
Great questions. One little spanner to throw in the works is that the free version of Davinci Resolve actually doesn't support Sony's 10 bit 4:2:2 video codecs (yet), so you wouldn't get much benefit in terms of video quality going with the a7IV over the a7C as you would have to use the older 8 bit codecs anyway. There is a work around, but it's pretty technical.
MaxusMV made the comment about going APS-C. While I agree that you based on what you're doing now, you don't really need full frame, it seems that you are thinking long term, and in that case I definitely think that going full frame is the better options- if nothing else if means the lenses you buy now you will use forever, and that's far more important if you're committing to the hobby long term.
I love the 20mm f1.8, it's a great option for what you're describing. Will be great for vlogging too if you end up doing some.
Again if you're thinking long term, the a7IV has waaaaay better professional video features and is the future-proof bet. The a7C is going to save you money now and still be very good for a time. If you end up doing videos for 2+ years, you're going to wish you got the a7IV :P Hope this helps and thanks for the comment!
@@andrewjclarke Thanks mate, that helps a lot. *Question:* can the A7IV still record in 4K (24fps - downsampled) but at the 4:2:0 codec? E.g. if I record that way until Davinci updates the 4:2:2 codec capability? I hope that makes sense.
@@zippo_muk9254 @ZIPPO_MuK Yep! You can just choose the 8bit 4:2:0 option on the a7IV in the meantime :)
@@andrewjclarke One last question (sorry just thought of it). You know how 4K is downsampled from 7k (if I remember correctly) that gives a sharper more detailed image correct? Is 1080p also downsampled from something higher or is the 1080p identical to A7C? *Apologies if that doesn’t make sense, I’m still learning cameras haha.* Cheers for the help!
Great points. I’m considering adding this to my system. Currently happy with the a6600 and Sigma primes except for low light/indoor photos. Might jump to FF for around the house, close to home family photos.
The a6600 is an awesome little machine, easily my favourite APS-C camera of all time. The industry does seem to be moving towards FF, but what's great is that you've got a clear upgrade path on e-mount and you get to keep all your glass! Thanks for the comment 😀
Thank you for this magnificent video! I am loving my A7IV much more. Btw, may I ask what L bracket and tripod you are using? They look very durable. Kind regards from Bertram. More power to your channel. =)
Nice review! I'm debating between this and the 7R4, curious how this camera handles Astro, I'm guessing the high iso noise is better than the r4, have you done any Astro with it yet?
I don't have any hot pixels on my A7 III which I've been using since release. I've also never seen any on the A7 II I had before that nor the A7 before that. I think you might just have a bad camera because I've also never heard of that being a widespread problem. From what I understand all digital cameras get them but they have some method to automatically detect and correct them in a way that completely transparent to the user.
Interesting comparison test. For me, the question is currently - A7RIII A or A7IV. The A7RIIIA is cheaper and has a better srceen. Since I mostly shoot landscapes and rarely film, the benefits are rather small. The photo quality of all modern cameras is on a very high level.
Love your channel, and the camera is looking amazing, fot sure is a very awesome choise to upgrade and looks better than the a7iii at least as a preview
Great video! Thank you so much
Thank you for watching!
this fully articulated screen is a dealbreaker exactly for landscape photography. can you even use the l-bracket with a7m4?
Not all l-brackets will work, but there are certainly ones designed to work with a fully articulating screen.
Great video. Displaying zoomed portrait images in portrait orientation is a game changer. Not one other review has mentioned little things such as this, which make such a difference when out in the field. Attempting to check the composition and focus on my Canon 6D when doing an astro shot in portrait orientation is infuriating!
What remote shutter do you use for long bulb exposures as I believe Sony cameras don't display a timer?
I am from New Zealand.
I have been suffering from Hot Pixel when I shot Milky Way and foreground (2-3 mins long exposure). Both a7III and a7RIII have had the same issue in this regard.
I am not sure if we test this on higher ISO like 2000 to 6400, the hot pixels will apprear?? if not , this is a very good choice for me to upgrade.
Thanks for a good review.
Hey mate! I cannot wait to get back to NZ as soon as I can. Great idea, I'll put that on the list to test for the full review. I've shot a good amount of astro on the a7siii at high iso and again hot pixels are minimal. If that's anything to go by I expect the a7iv should be pretty good! I'll report back!
@@andrewjclarke Thanks Andrew , I have subscribed you already to make sure I don't miss your next test. Cheers
Awesome video , please please can you do the deep dive
Definitely on my list of upgrades, for me I love doing both landscapes and videos, this looks like an absolute weapon for these, maybe I'll sell the A7Riii and A7iii just to get this one as it seems highly capable at both.
Yeah spot on - after being hands on for a few days, it feels like it offers 99% of what the A7Riv does AND 95% of what the A7Siii does in one, cheaper package. If I didn't already own both those cameras, I'd probably buy 2 A7IVs on the spot haha
Awesome to see an Aussie killing it in the photography game - well done mate!
Thanks mate! Can't wait to get back over to the east coast soon hopefully!
Well done dude! I want one so bad. I actually dreamt of buying one about a week ago! Very weird right?
I currently shoot landscape with a7riii. It is very tempting to upgrade. I love the dust leaf protection while changing lenses. As for resolution, is it very comparable?
Yeah they are very comparable between the a7IV and the a7RIII, the upgrades are really in ergonomics, autofocus, weather sealing (this is a big one I didn't mention in my video), video specs and all the quality of life stuff I mentioned in the video. Still, the a7RIII is a beast for landscape already!
Great review. Thanks for sharing. Would you say this is “packable” for travel? I love mountaineering, but carrying a bulky/heavy camera is a chore. I’m hoping someone has traveled with this unit, and can attest to its weight and bulkiness. THANKS!
The body is definitely packable, it's the lenses that start to make things difficult if you want to get really good lenses. BUT take a look at the 28-60mm zoom lens - it's super compact and light, with very good image quality and a useful zoom range (although it doesn't go super wide or super long).
Thank you sir. I want to specialized in Landscape a nd coastal photography. I have been debating between EOS R6 and Sony A7iv. You've made up my mind and as a thank you, I've subscribed to your channel. Do you do tropical and coastal landscape? Any videos on it? BTW which lenses (zooms) do you propose with the A7iv? Thanks again.
very usefull reviw! thanks mate! subscribed :)
Thanks so much!
Excellent review, thanks! Any comment on the low light performance of the A7iv vs A7rIV? The reputation of the later is quite bad. I'm considering upgrading from the A7iii and love to shoot astrophotography, hence my concern.
So I've got an astro video in the works right now, but the short answer is that the a7 IV is far better than the a7R IV for astro. In fact my testing is showing that the a7 IV is even better than the a7 III despite the higher resolution.
I would also make the comment that you can still get amazing astro photos on the a7R IV, but it takes a bit of extra post-production like stacking or compositing foregrounds. But if that's not your thing, 100% go with the a7 IV :)
Could you do a tutorial to make a timelapse with the Sony A7IV knowing that it does not allow to automatically choose the interval between each shot? Thank you
Hey Romain! You definitely can choose the interval between each shot using the "interval shooting" drive mode - I'll add a timelapse tutorial to my list of video ideas! Thanks for the comment :)
So Andrew, the A7IV will be an upgrade to the A7R3? Thank you
Yes I definitely think it is all around a big upgrade BUT that is assuming you shoot lots of different genres. If you only shoot landscape then I still think the a7IV is an upgrade, but only for practical reasons (menus, flip screen, ergonomics) - from an image quality point of view, the A7R3 will still have a slight edge. Thanks for the comment!
Hi Thanks for the video. Could I ask you where you got the camera grip from thanks I love the orange/bronze. 👍🏻
Beautiful shot!
Hey andrew,
great video! thanks for your inputs :)
what setup did you shoot the "taking head" with?
Thanks so much! It was all shot on the A7SIII except for the last timelapse at the very end of the video which was shot on the A7IV itself!
Thanks, very informative.
Was about to get the a7IV but Canon released a new firmware update for the R5 and R6 a few days ago and now Canon officially has better Eye-AF than Sony! I will be investing in Canon after all!
I'll wait & watch a couple more future videos before I decide if I want to sub. Some good info on the hot pixels. I don't consider any photos with filters on a true test of the camera's performance. Just my opinion &, I'm not a pro by any means. Do you get any hot pixels with the A7R4? Thanks in advance for any relies, if any.
The hardest part for me is that the R4 is now around $2,200 making it $300 less than the 4 and it makes the choice very hard for someone like me. I honestly don't know which I would prefer.
I have used the A7 III since around April 2018 and have never had that problem with hot pixels. I have to admit that I haven’t used it for long exposures above the 3 to 5 minutes. But unknown to me.
Oh yeah for sure, I wouldn't expect to see them unless you're seriously working the sensor (very long exposures after already having the camera on for a while). For average shooting you definitely won't see them!
Great content and pace. New subscriber!
Awesome, thank you so much!
Great vid!
thank you for this. What are your tripods? Looks like they are built like tanks.....
Hey mate, thanks for your very informative insights. One thing I've been wondering and that wasn't addressed in your video: can you see an L-bracket getting in the way of the articulating LCD when shooting in landscape orientation? I can imagine the horizontal arm of the bracket getting in the way when articulating the LCD the full 180 degrees. Would be great to hear your 2 bobs worth! Cheers and greeting from TAS.
Yeah very good question. There’s a similar issue on the A7SIII and I know that SmallRig makes a decent L-Bracket for that which I imagine will also fit on the A7IV as the bodies are virtually identical. It does restrict full rotation of the screen, but would cover you for 95% of positions I reckon. Can’t wait to get back to TAS! Got some of my favourite photos ever at Cradle and down South Arm 👌
@@andrewjclarke thanks for your response. Pretty much what I had assumed, too. Tassie is opening up pretty soon. So looking forward to you getting some snaps down here! All the best, mate, have a good one.
I currently use an RRS L Bracket for my A7III and I chose it because the vertical part of the L bracket can be removed for those situations when you know you aren't going to shoot in portrait mode on a tripod and then easily attached back in just a few seconds... plus when its just the horizontal part of the bracket that's on your camera, it gives the camera extra size so that it fits more comfortably in your hands. It is pricey but in my opinion worth it and I'm hoping they'll make a similar version for the A7IV and construct it in a way that when you have the vertical part of the bracket on, it still allows for the flip screen to be fully utilized.
Hi Andrew, Just bought the 7r4 and eventually, I started to realise ( from social media) that it was "discontinued" and no reasons for that. While I didn't hear about 74 in Australia, it was the campaign about the Sony 7r4 that was been released!!! Any idea what happened and why it was discontinued....
Hey Nala! So technically the original A7RIV was discontinued, but only because they replaced it with an updated version called the "A7RIVa" (product code is ILCE7RM4A). It was just minor changes (they upgraded the LCD screen and the USB port) but otherwise it's the same camera and as far as I'm aware it's still available - at least it's definitely still available in Aus!
About the hot pixel thing, did you use “long exposure noise reduction” (don’t know exactly what Sony calls it)?
thanks for this, wondering whether I could use the A7VI for landscape rather than the R4 in order to pick up the newer body, software ,processsor, etc. without waiting for the R5 and also for smaller raw files when shooting other genres. looking forward to more info on the raws when you have!
I think it's absolutely a great choice instead of the A7RIV - and a strictly better option for a lot of genres as you said. Unless you are regularly printing huuuuge prints AND you don't like the new AI up-sampling tools (I've been pretty impressed with Adobe's Enhance Details) then the A7IV is a no-brainer I think!
@@andrewjclarke will find out for sure! will complement my A6600 so the almost 50% jump in pixels (new color science, image processor) will be great; and I still like the 1.5 crop and lower cost, smaller lenses for birding (70-350 G), where performance has been very acceptable so my 6600 isn't going anywhere. Hoping I'm making a good choice rather than waiting for the RV - I think the all 'round nature of the A7iv will benefit me and I can use the funds for a lens rather than higher price body where I'll generate bigger than needed image files for the non-landscape travel shots. Hoping the 33 megapixels can keep up .. I think they can. I've used topaz gigapixel and hadn't thought about it for landscape, interesting idea (prefer not to of course but may apply it on a few images and see what it can do).
Hi! Nice video, and nice channel. I hope to see it grow. I've a question about the a7iv... Does the variable shutter speed work in video too or just for stills with the e-shutter?
Good question! I'll check now and come back to you.
Yep! It works in video mode too, just have to be in manual exposure (which is easy to keep on top of now with the dedicated still/video/s&q dial) 😁
@@andrewjclarke thanks!
I don’t understand the resolution concern for landscape photographers… I regularly stitch 6 “portrait” images together for either a nice (approx) 3x4 ratio (which can be cropped perfectly if you need a perfect ratio) or a nice panorama that have more detail than the highest resolution cameras can muster in a single shot.
The last sony I had was the a7r2 when it went on sale for $1499 a few years back. I only had a couple lenses and ended up switching to a fuji system…which I’ve ran relatively happily for about 3 years now. But damn the GAS, now I’m really missing and debating going back to a full sensor sony again… will it ever end?! Aaaaghhh! Lol.
Hi,thanks for the interesting comparison.
It seems that Sony A7iv jpgs are less saturated than Sony A7R4's ,right?
What are your thoughts about night photography f.e. Milkyway shots? still rockin‘ my A7 S II but think about getting the Mark 4.
regards✌️
It's really good for astro! I've got a video coming out soon which goes into depth about it so stay tuned! You can also see a recent astro photo on the a7IV on my Instagram if you want a sneak peak 😇
@@andrewjclarke no insta but i will stay tuned!💪🏼😁😁😁 thanks for your reply
First good review, when someone compare image quality a74 to a7r4. It was very important to me. I don't that big difference to sacrifice so much more space for 61 mpx pictures (nocompression is over 120mb per file, compressed 60mb is still heavy). Or only I don't see sens to take so big mpx in camera for, in my case, portrait/"fashion" and product photography?
Cheers from NY!
Thanks mate! Can't wait to get back over there soon (hopefully!)
nice video man!:)
i want this camera so bad
hello is it have skin soft mode for video same ZV1 or ZV10 ????
Yes it does! :)
Wow A7 iV is gong to be the defacto #1 camera at the $2500 price point. Which would you choose mint used A7R iv $2500 or new A7iv $2500?
If I was starting from scratch and I didn't already have a camera I would take the a7IV 100% - I love making videos too and the a7IV is just miles ahead in that respect!
Was looking for info on A7IV and landscape photography because I was wondering if that flip screen was useful or a hindrance. I can see how in portrait mode it is useful but how about in landscape mode? Can you tilt it up as with the A7III when you are looking down and composing on a tripod? Or must you flip it out and view it to the side of the camera?
You do have to flip it out to the side when in landscape. I know some people don't like that, but I've (personally) never found it annoying and think the trade off to get easier portraits shots is well worth it. But definitely a personal thing, you should check it out in stores (if you are able to!) before making a call - Thanks for the comment Terry!
@@andrewjclarke Thanks, Andrew. I have an L-bracket on my a7III. Will an L-bracket work on the IV or will it prevent the tilt screen from opening completely?
I've got the a7iii and would love an upgrade but my wallet says no. I'm sure I'll be happy with mine for several more years, so we'll see. One feature I really like is the new focus mapping, but alas it's only for video. It would be great to use in conjunction with my vintage lenses; focus peaking really isn't as easy to use to tell if you've got the right focus.
Can we have a raw file for download with -5 stops of exposure to save the highlights in extreme landscape shot?
I wonder if it can replace my hdr work flow that I use with my Canon R.
For me the big question is… A7m4 vs A7r3. Any thoughts?
Great question! I still love the A7r3 and for image quality it is superior to the A7m4. If all you care about is image quality and you can find one cheap, you're going to love the A7r3. If you're more of an all-around shooter and things like focus speed, buffering, general handling and video features is important, the A7m4 is light years ahead. Good luck!