Great review and great test shots! I think what the A7 line does well is that it is basically an A1/A9-lite. It has a tonne of features, just not the maximal performance. The A7III was like a huge blessing as I wanted the fast AF and support for faster cards without the A9 price tag a few years back. The A7IV would be the camera for me over the A1. Whilst the A7 line gets better and better, I think the A7IV just further solidifies the A7III as the best bang-for-buck for an entry level professional grade camera... mainly because of the price.
Thank you, this video helped me decide whether or not to upgrade from the A7C to A7IV. As a mainly stills photographer, it doesn't look like the price difference is worth the hardly noticeable difference in image quality.
Pat, i watch a lot of camera channels because I’m trying to learn. Your channel has a lot genuine value, your knowledge is so useful to someone like me, and I have mad respect for how you quit your tech job to pursue this dream that you have. Keep making these great videos please, and if you decide to make any technical courses on photography or how to actually make money being a full time photographer, i would gladly pay to have access and watch those also. The way you explain things is so detailed and get right to the point, which i greatly appreciated as my time is limited while I’m trying to get my Photography business going all while working my day job…..cheers
great review. I agree 100% best bang for your buck for 90% of folks out there who dont need the very specialized R seires or S series or a8/a1 series. This covers most of the needs of the majority of folks. Cant wait to be able to save up enough to get one for myself.
I wish it had 4k 60 full frame like a lot of us but it’s got lots of great new features like focus breathing correction. Which is a totally new feature that no other brand has This shows you how far ahead Sony is ahead of Nikon and Canon. Plus the whole focus screen where they show you what’s in focus. It makes you wonder what else they hold back under their sleeves
sure, it's a letdown, but it's not a dealbreaker. at longer focal lengths the crop becomes less of an issue, which is a far more likely scenario when you're doing slowmo, so most of the time, it's not too bad. i won't deny that it does certainly sting a little though 😂
Hey, Pat. Just a question. Did the A7IV overheat at any moment in your testing? I take loads of phots and usually shoot in bursts, but I also tend to record long format tutorials in my studio (20 - 40min). I think this could be a deal braker between me going for this camera or the A7sIII as I'm about to upgrade from my a6500 to full-frame.
@@eliasgottschlich it gets hot just like all cameras. I set the overheating threshold to high and even when recording nonstop for more than hour and a half, no warning sign has appeared.
I love all of the upgrades and QOL improvements they made, I would still at this point probably go with the A7SIII because I shoot a lot of video, but might look into the A7IV as a B cam and dedicated stills camera. Excellent review Pat!
I am an avid hiker, backpacker and traveler in general. I bought the A7 RII for my entry into full-frame photography for landscapes in particular. On a recent backpacking trip, all of my A7 RII batteries died while I was on a long, once-in-a-lifetime hike. Would you recommend the A7C for its compact size and weight, A7RIII for its high resolution or the A7IV to upgrade from the A7RII (for hiking, backpacking and travel)? I could also just buy more batteries as well as wait for the next version of the A7C. Thanks, Pat. "Make something that matters" is why I am a fan.
the new Z batteries will help a lot. the a7c is good for compactness but leaves a LOT of the features out and you will feed limited esp without the EVF (once you use an EVF you never want to NOT have one). you only need the RF line if you print MAJOR huge prints for gallery shows/selling or do professional commercial magazine portrait work or will be doing high res prints for landscape shows and selling those. otherwise the a7iii or a7iv are all you need. save the $$ for good glass. also if you get the R line you;ll need to spend a LOT more on a better PC to be able to handle the size of those super large MP files for RAM and HDD space (internal and external) and editing workflow will slow down a LOT in editing software when trying to process those huge 40+ MP files. unless you are ok with that stick with 24 MP or 33 MP which is the sweet spot for most.
@@sjsphotog Thanks, SJS. I will work-on my print and online portfolio-with what I have-until late next year when the second A7C may be available to compare with the A7 IV.
They should have kept it at 24mp and included 4K 60p uncropped - id have bought one. Did the 9mp really make any difference - not according to Tony Northrup, they really couldnt tell the difference except that the new camera is noisier. The rear screen really needs a quality improvement as well. If your showing a client a image you want it to look as good as possible.
easy choise. A7S3 if you do 65% or more video work and need 4k120 more than 30% of the time. R line only if you shoot high end fashion model magazine shots or print HUGE landscape shots for gallery prints/selling. otherwise get the a7iii or a7iv and save the $ for good glass. this is an all around bang for your buck camera. unless you have a special NICHE focus of work then stick with the all arounder not specialize with the higher priced models meant for special pros only
Omg it’s the perfect camera, I’ve been waiting for something between the A7RIII and A7III in terms of resolution. My biggest question is if it has the slightly bigger grip of the A7RIV?
the A7c is like the beginner buget version but it strips out a LOT of features and no EVF and once you go EVF you never want to be without it. so so helpful. if you can save up for the a7iii on sale now that the a7iv will be coming out then get the better a7iii or a7iv you wont regret it otherwise youll be sad of all the things you CANT do with the a7c.
I have the a6400 right now and all I do is photography, I was thinking about this camera, at this time I only have 4 lenses, sigma 16mm, sigma 30mm, sony 18-105 for, and sony70-350 OSS 4.5-6.3, I'm just an amateur photographer, and thought about upgrading, would love your opinion
Honestly I'm very surprised how little of a dealbreaker any of the mentioned caveats are. Sure, Sony _have_ proven with other cameras that these caveats are not fixable, those cameras, however, are also much more expensive and specialized in their own field (eg a7sIII, specialized for video), it just makes sense that the overall cheaper a7IV wouldnt perform as well as the flagships in other lineups. If it did, sony could throw the other lineups in the bin.
for sure. the other more specialist features have really been quite defined now with this A7IV feature set, making this camera such a great buy for the price.
Great Review thank you a lot for that, nowadays I have shooting with my canon 6dm2 but I am looking for a mirrorless camera and that looks amazing, I only need figure out it worth change all my stuffs. 😀
Hi, thanks for the honest review! Any chance it finallt comes with a double exposure mode? I really don’t understand why sony doesn’t put it as a standard mode on every model.
you can but need to setup the camera with various 3rd party software like OBS or Facebook Live or other intermediates. The new feature makes it more "seamless" and easier supposedly instead of having to do a lot of things in the menus to set it all up to work. in the a7iv you just plug in the cable to the camera and PC and you're ready to go....supposedly
Hi Pat. Checking this camera reviews the whole day and you are the only one who mentioned the noise is worst than the A73. The other guys say it is better and some even compered with Canon R6 20MP and this one looked better at ISO 12500 that the Canon and the A73. Everything else looks and sounds the same as you and they are saying.
most reviews are saying that the low light performance in general is great, which it absolutely is, but we forget just *how good the a7iii was in low light to begin with*. also, the proof is in the pudding, and you can see from the examples yourself that it's clearly worse but only by a fraction.
glass is always the better choice as long as your current camera isnt holding you back in any way which would be hard to believe since any camera from the last 5 years is good enough for 95% of the shots anyone needs to take
Hello, I can't believe the price of the A7iv … considering the A7Riv is pretty much the same price… would it not be better to go for the A7Riv, considering you're getting more, especially pixels, for the same price… ?
it depends on your needs; the A7IV is definitely a much better all-round, hybrid camera, while the A7RIV is a better photography camera if you need the IQ and megapixels. it's all relative to what your needs are
Hey Pat, Did you check the Australian price. Sony really lost it over here. It's freaking ridiculous! It's almost the same price as R4. US price is $2500 what did do wrong just because we live in Australia🤷🤬😤😤😤 I'm fuming cause I have waited for this camera almost a year and this! I believe anywhere between 3k to 3.5k was a good match. I would rather get R4 suits my landscape and wildlife purpose.
haha i mean, if you live in australia you already know and are probably used to the fact that *EVERYTHING* is more expensive here. it's not just cameras 😂
Thanks for the review. I do have a couple of questions - I find the quality and glare on the A7iii awful in sunshine, compared to my Canon camera. I believe that the led back panel is inferior to the other A7 series, have you tested the A7iv outside - do you see an improvement in quality. Secondly, does the A7iv used the same batteries? I love the flip screen for stills, it saves my knees and back.
This whole thing with rolling shutter is so overblown. If you're filming a subject while panning your camera, then your audience will be looking at the subject and not the background. Your audience wouldn't know what rolling shutter is unless you pointed it out to them. It's not far from the absurd obsession photographers have with "corner sharpness". I've never looked at a photograph and concerned myself with the corners of the photo. My A7C has the same rolling shutter as the A7iv and its not that bad. And the 4K 60fps crop? Oh no, you mean I have to step back a few feet to make up for the crop?? These so-called shortcomings all have workarounds. You don't want rolling shutter? Then be prepared to cough up another $4,000 more for an FX6.
Finally some one said this!! I am using a6000 right now and have a plan to upgrade to a74 and I never noticed the rolling shutter in my a6000 since last 3-4 years, but people are creating so much fuss about rolling shutter right now that I am able to see it in my a6000 but still, it doesn't bother me or my work so I'm good with it. To be honest 4k crop is a bummer for me too, but I can live with it because a74 it is going to be a huge upgrade compare to my current system!!
@@hiteshyadav2312 Well said. Another complaint by some are what’s called “cat’s eye bokeh”. Out of focus lights that take on the shape of a cat’s eye. I’m watching the critically acclaimed show, “Succession” on HBO. If you watch that show, you will occasionally see cat’s eye bokeh in the background. But, does anyone really notice? Of course not. They’re too busy watching and listening to the actors. I think a lot of people who complain about rolling shutter are those who’ve simply heard about, and maybe see some examples. But, if your content/ film is any good, almost no one will notice.
@@patkay I had an a7 I bought second hand that served me well for many years but the upgrade path was painful. When my beloved loxia lens (the main thing keeping me there) started to go I jumped over to fuji. In the meantime Sony aren't showing any signs of slowing down :D
To me this is quite a disappointment. Rolling shutter is horrible, new features are gimmicks, IBIS still very poor, the screen still a joke, colour science still seems a bit greenish…not impressed at all especially taking under consideration substantial price hike.
Great review and great test shots! I think what the A7 line does well is that it is basically an A1/A9-lite. It has a tonne of features, just not the maximal performance. The A7III was like a huge blessing as I wanted the fast AF and support for faster cards without the A9 price tag a few years back. The A7IV would be the camera for me over the A1.
Whilst the A7 line gets better and better, I think the A7IV just further solidifies the A7III as the best bang-for-buck for an entry level professional grade camera... mainly because of the price.
Damn... This man's review sample photos are better then my insta feed.
Awesome review Pat!
haha thanks broski!
I love my a73 and even got an a7r3 so I have 2 cameras to work with. I do really want a flippy screen so I can do vertical low down shots. tempting!
that flippy screen is pretty great!
Time to take a break from abstract and technical photography principles haha it's a welcome change this week. I love seeing innovation.
yeah man!
Thank you, this video helped me decide whether or not to upgrade from the A7C to A7IV. As a mainly stills photographer, it doesn't look like the price difference is worth the hardly noticeable difference in image quality.
Pat, i watch a lot of camera channels because I’m trying to learn. Your channel has a lot genuine value, your knowledge is so useful to someone like me, and I have mad respect for how you quit your tech job to pursue this dream that you have. Keep making these great videos please, and if you decide to make any technical courses on photography or how to actually make money being a full time photographer, i would gladly pay to have access and watch those also. The way you explain things is so detailed and get right to the point, which i greatly appreciated as my time is limited while I’m trying to get my Photography business going all while working my day job…..cheers
I'm still on my a6300! The a7IV is finally an camera that's worth the upgrade, in my opinion! Big improvements, fair price!
Same here bro!
great review. I agree 100% best bang for your buck for 90% of folks out there who dont need the very specialized R seires or S series or a8/a1 series. This covers most of the needs of the majority of folks. Cant wait to be able to save up enough to get one for myself.
I wish it had 4k 60 full frame like a lot of us but it’s got lots of great new features like focus breathing correction. Which is a totally new feature that no other brand has This shows you how far ahead Sony is ahead of Nikon and Canon. Plus the whole focus screen where they show you what’s in focus. It makes you wonder what else they hold back under their sleeves
Great review Pat really enjoyed your low-key approach!!
Pat, thanks for such a great review especially from a photographer’s perspective.
my pleasure! thanks for watching!
Love the honesty! Keep it up!
Hi there, don't you think that the crop is a bit of a letdown? I feel like had it been full frame 4k 60 fps. This would have been the perfect camera.
sure, it's a letdown, but it's not a dealbreaker. at longer focal lengths the crop becomes less of an issue, which is a far more likely scenario when you're doing slowmo, so most of the time, it's not too bad. i won't deny that it does certainly sting a little though 😂
Thank you Pat for sharing such helpful information and comparison insight to other models. Really want it!!
Hey, Pat. Just a question. Did the A7IV overheat at any moment in your testing? I take loads of phots and usually shoot in bursts, but I also tend to record long format tutorials in my studio (20 - 40min). I think this could be a deal braker between me going for this camera or the A7sIII as I'm about to upgrade from my a6500 to full-frame.
Did you get one?
@@nickpadget yes I did. Very happy with it.
@@ToneFuentes so no overheating? Does it get hot?
@@eliasgottschlich it gets hot just like all cameras. I set the overheating threshold to high and even when recording nonstop for more than hour and a half, no warning sign has appeared.
@@ToneFuentes Okay that sounds good! Nothing out of the ordinary.
I love all of the upgrades and QOL improvements they made, I would still at this point probably go with the A7SIII because I shoot a lot of video, but might look into the A7IV as a B cam and dedicated stills camera. Excellent review Pat!
that's a great solution! and thanks for watching :)
yes if you are 60% or more video centric the a7s3 is the right tool for the job. a7iv for everyone who doesnt need the R line or S line.
I am an avid hiker, backpacker and traveler in general. I bought the A7 RII for my entry into full-frame photography for landscapes in particular. On a recent backpacking trip, all of my A7 RII batteries died while I was on a long, once-in-a-lifetime hike. Would you recommend the A7C for its compact size and weight, A7RIII for its high resolution or the A7IV to upgrade from the A7RII (for hiking, backpacking and travel)? I could also just buy more batteries as well as wait for the next version of the A7C. Thanks, Pat. "Make something that matters" is why I am a fan.
the new Z batteries will help a lot. the a7c is good for compactness but leaves a LOT of the features out and you will feed limited esp without the EVF (once you use an EVF you never want to NOT have one). you only need the RF line if you print MAJOR huge prints for gallery shows/selling or do professional commercial magazine portrait work or will be doing high res prints for landscape shows and selling those. otherwise the a7iii or a7iv are all you need. save the $$ for good glass. also if you get the R line you;ll need to spend a LOT more on a better PC to be able to handle the size of those super large MP files for RAM and HDD space (internal and external) and editing workflow will slow down a LOT in editing software when trying to process those huge 40+ MP files. unless you are ok with that stick with 24 MP or 33 MP which is the sweet spot for most.
@@sjsphotog Thanks, SJS. I will work-on my print and online portfolio-with what I have-until late next year when the second A7C may be available to compare with the A7 IV.
They should have kept it at 24mp and included 4K 60p uncropped - id have bought one. Did the 9mp really make any difference - not according to Tony Northrup, they really couldnt tell the difference except that the new camera is noisier.
The rear screen really needs a quality improvement as well. If your showing a client a image you want it to look as good as possible.
Looks like that open invitation to connect some dots panned out lol
Gonna be a tough choice between this, A7S3 and A7R3 though. Much to reconsider.
your intuition was spot on! and yeah; which also means that it's never been a better time for sony's full frame lineup!
easy choise. A7S3 if you do 65% or more video work and need 4k120 more than 30% of the time. R line only if you shoot high end fashion model magazine shots or print HUGE landscape shots for gallery prints/selling. otherwise get the a7iii or a7iv and save the $ for good glass. this is an all around bang for your buck camera. unless you have a special NICHE focus of work then stick with the all arounder not specialize with the higher priced models meant for special pros only
Hey Pat ! Which camera do you use for recording these youtube videos ?
the sony a7s3
Omg it’s the perfect camera, I’ve been waiting for something between the A7RIII and A7III in terms of resolution. My biggest question is if it has the slightly bigger grip of the A7RIV?
it does indeed!
@@patkay Wow it's actually what I've been waiting for then. Thank you sm!
yes... larger grip as the a7s3 which means YES its more comfortable now!! horray!!
Hey Pat, is there blackout free shooting?
Now we know where the photograph at 6:07 with the *undisclosed camera* came from :kekw:
hahah yes, now you know ;) so glad i dont have to keep it a secret anymore :kekw:
Great review!
Have you got any experience shooting with the A7C? I believe it’s a great camera for those who love photography as a hobby and want to everyday carry.
yep, i own one. it's a great cam and it's that sensor that i used as the noise comparisons in the video.
the A7c is like the beginner buget version but it strips out a LOT of features and no EVF and once you go EVF you never want to be without it. so so helpful. if you can save up for the a7iii on sale now that the a7iv will be coming out then get the better a7iii or a7iv you wont regret it otherwise youll be sad of all the things you CANT do with the a7c.
Would love a flippy screen! 4.3k is a bit steep though, was expecting it to be in the mid 3000s.. Will make do with the a7iii for now 😅
really depends on what you're looking for out of a camera! but yeah im sure this will come down in price in a couple of yrs!
I have the a6400 right now and all I do is photography, I was thinking about this camera, at this time I only have 4 lenses, sigma 16mm, sigma 30mm, sony 18-105 for, and sony70-350 OSS 4.5-6.3, I'm just an amateur photographer, and thought about upgrading, would love your opinion
Great review, thanks! Whats the font that you use in your videos and website?
What will fappen if you press the movie button while the in photo mode? Will it use the photo settings or settings that was last used on video mode?
Honestly I'm very surprised how little of a dealbreaker any of the mentioned caveats are. Sure, Sony _have_ proven with other cameras that these caveats are not fixable, those cameras, however, are also much more expensive and specialized in their own field (eg a7sIII, specialized for video), it just makes sense that the overall cheaper a7IV wouldnt perform as well as the flagships in other lineups. If it did, sony could throw the other lineups in the bin.
for sure. the other more specialist features have really been quite defined now with this A7IV feature set, making this camera such a great buy for the price.
If the new XH2 fails, I’m gonna just sell my kit and go for this instead.
what are the anime images you zoomed into at 13:56?
they're some anime notebooks i have
Great Review thank you a lot for that, nowadays I have shooting with my canon 6dm2 but I am looking for a mirrorless camera and that looks amazing, I only need figure out it worth change all my stuffs. 😀
Awesome!! How did you close the shutter like that?
it's an option in the menus now!
@@patkay that's awesome. Finally one of my biggest pet peeves is solved.
If you have to choose between a7iv and a7riv (given that price can be similar), which one would you pick?
Hi, thanks for the honest review! Any chance it finallt comes with a double exposure mode? I really don’t understand why sony doesn’t put it as a standard mode on every model.
why did sony keep the Micro usb port? I though everyone was okay about killing that stupid port.
Great video btw
thanks! at least there's a usb-c port for you ;)
All the sony thingsss
all day erryday
How does the Canon R5 compare to the new Sony A7IV??
I am still learning to use a7ii.
So since "live stream" is a new feature, that means you couldn't use the A7iii as a webcam for live stream?
you can but need to setup the camera with various 3rd party software like OBS or Facebook Live or other intermediates. The new feature makes it more "seamless" and easier supposedly instead of having to do a lot of things in the menus to set it all up to work. in the a7iv you just plug in the cable to the camera and PC and you're ready to go....supposedly
Hi Pat. Checking this camera reviews the whole day and you are the only one who mentioned the noise is worst than the A73. The other guys say it is better and some even compered with Canon R6 20MP and this one looked better at ISO 12500 that the Canon and the A73. Everything else looks and sounds the same as you and they are saying.
most reviews are saying that the low light performance in general is great, which it absolutely is, but we forget just *how good the a7iii was in low light to begin with*. also, the proof is in the pudding, and you can see from the examples yourself that it's clearly worse but only by a fraction.
Should we upgrade from A7iii ?
if it's financially feasible for you and you have the need to, then for sure!
Time to decide what’s a better choice for the start of 2022. $4000 on glass for an A73 or an A74
glass is always the better choice as long as your current camera isnt holding you back in any way which would be hard to believe since any camera from the last 5 years is good enough for 95% of the shots anyone needs to take
$3.9k at digi direct is so Damn tempting
Hello, I can't believe the price of the A7iv … considering the A7Riv is pretty much the same price… would it not be better to go for the A7Riv, considering you're getting more, especially pixels, for the same price… ?
it depends on your needs; the A7IV is definitely a much better all-round, hybrid camera, while the A7RIV is a better photography camera if you need the IQ and megapixels. it's all relative to what your needs are
What will Sony do for the next alpha ? A7v. !
Yeeeeeeet, really really good review 🙏
thanks Carlos! :)
In Sydney it is $3985. I have to say I think it is too expensive.
It seems nowhere i can find an answer: please tell me how many shots can you get with one batter?
Hey Pat,
Did you check the Australian price. Sony really lost it over here. It's freaking ridiculous! It's almost the same price as R4.
US price is $2500 what did do wrong just because we live in Australia🤷🤬😤😤😤
I'm fuming cause I have waited for this camera almost a year and this! I believe anywhere between 3k to 3.5k was a good match. I would rather get R4 suits my landscape and wildlife purpose.
In Europe it costs 2799EUR which is around 3250USD
haha i mean, if you live in australia you already know and are probably used to the fact that *EVERYTHING* is more expensive here. it's not just cameras 😂
Amazing !!!!
thanks!
will wait for what’s in store in 2022 a7IVs or a7V
A7V will 100% not be our before 2024
historically they'll update the other versions first; now that all the versions have been updated recently, it should be the R next maybe
Well all I have to say is a7iii for sale plus accessories ...any buyers.
Thanks for the review. I do have a couple of questions - I find the quality and glare on the A7iii awful in sunshine, compared to my Canon camera. I believe that the led back panel is inferior to the other A7 series, have you tested the A7iv outside - do you see an improvement in quality. Secondly, does the A7iv used the same batteries? I love the flip screen for stills, it saves my knees and back.
It still uses the same NP-FZ100 batterys! The LED panel got slighly improved, but it still pretty sucks. But the viewfinder is absolutely beast tho!
This almost feels unreal
been waiting awhile? haha
Here goes my bank account 😵💫
i feel ya 😂
This whole thing with rolling shutter is so overblown. If you're filming a subject while panning your camera, then your audience will be looking at the subject and not the background. Your audience wouldn't know what rolling shutter is unless you pointed it out to them. It's not far from the absurd obsession photographers have with "corner sharpness". I've never looked at a photograph and concerned myself with the corners of the photo. My A7C has the same rolling shutter as the A7iv and its not that bad. And the 4K 60fps crop? Oh no, you mean I have to step back a few feet to make up for the crop?? These so-called shortcomings all have workarounds. You don't want rolling shutter? Then be prepared to cough up another $4,000 more for an FX6.
Finally some one said this!! I am using a6000 right now and have a plan to upgrade to a74 and I never noticed the rolling shutter in my a6000 since last 3-4 years, but people are creating so much fuss about rolling shutter right now that I am able to see it in my a6000 but still, it doesn't bother me or my work so I'm good with it. To be honest 4k crop is a bummer for me too, but I can live with it because a74 it is going to be a huge upgrade compare to my current system!!
@@hiteshyadav2312 Well said. Another complaint by some are what’s called “cat’s eye bokeh”. Out of focus lights that take on the shape of a cat’s eye. I’m watching the critically acclaimed show, “Succession” on HBO. If you watch that show, you will occasionally see cat’s eye bokeh in the background. But, does anyone really notice? Of course not. They’re too busy watching and listening to the actors.
I think a lot of people who complain about rolling shutter are those who’ve simply heard about, and maybe see some examples. But, if your content/ film is any good, almost no one will notice.
@@AllThingsFilm1 people really do nit picking to make these reviews, but in real life these small things doesn't matter that much.
oof that price tho
definitely an enthusiast-level price, but not terrible
@@patkay I had an a7 I bought second hand that served me well for many years but the upgrade path was painful. When my beloved loxia lens (the main thing keeping me there) started to go I jumped over to fuji. In the meantime Sony aren't showing any signs of slowing down :D
you are so beautiful
To me this is quite a disappointment. Rolling shutter is horrible, new features are gimmicks, IBIS still very poor, the screen still a joke, colour science still seems a bit greenish…not impressed at all especially taking under consideration substantial price hike.
Don't forget the crop on 4k60fps
to each their own. if the specs don't speak to you, then hopefully something better for you comes along in the future.
@@mutotowamwema yeah. Not to mention it’s only 5fps in uncompressed raw. Shutter is also very loud.