4K vs 1080p is a MASSIVE difference. 1080p clearly doesn't cut it anymore, unless you use your videos for social media like Facebook, instagram, tik tok or snapchat, but NOT for RUclips, weddings, playbacks on a TV.
This is great for me as I shoot video portraits of models and despise that over sharpened digital look from my a7IV. Ive been using Mist filters to soften it up and its still too sharp IMO. Who knew all I had to do was drop down to 1080?! Dont have to deal with the stupid crop either! Thats what I call a win/win. Thanks
That is really silly, you just shoot 4K and apply a softener filter in post. No need ruin the source, you never know when you might need the high resolution version
I am waiting for this review only, all the creators here only talk about 4k 10 bit, autofocus and other new features. This is actually people want , we know all these features but apart from 4k other resolutions also exists man, every content creator every talk about same things . Finally someone come with a different review of this camera👌
I notice very clearly the difference between the 4K and 1080 on the FX3. Even before the side-by-side. I don't think it's a bad image (at 1080) but it definitely is noticeable on my modest screen.
I've been looking for a video like this. I am very disappointed in the Sony 6*** 4K cameras for HD and also for the 1.2 crop in 4K/30fps. This 4K is a definite improvement over that. I am camera shopping and just can't seem to zero in on a newer Sony that is a really great HD shooter. I will shoot 4k when I need it, but prefer shooting HD for my RUclips channel. Great show! Thanks
From my test I'd say the HD is good on the A7iv but not incredible. For me the cameras with the best HD are the Sony FX3 and A7SIII which are incredibly good in HD and the Blackmagic cameras shooting ProRes which also look very sharp. I think for RUclips thought the A7iv HD looks fine, in fact I was amazed how good the proxy files looked at a fraction of the file size.
Yes, overkill for sure. I'm currently using 2 a5100's. I like having a body for each of my favorite lenses. I don't think a full frame camera is in my future. I can't put that kind of money in a hobby. @@AndreiGrigorean
To be fair there are other factors such as dynamic range, colour science, form factor, frame rates and other features which make the new cameras worth it over older cheaper cameras.
Sadly I don't have an A7iii. From what I've seen though the colour science is so much better on the new cameras that it would be pretty difficult to match. If you really needed a 3 camera set up then probably 3 A7iv's would be the best value for money.
@@JonathanPalfrey The 4k60 crop and lack of 4k120 on A7iv means HD quality is important. Those needing that spec most likely already have a7s3 as an A cam.
Thinking about purchasing a Sony AIV to resume my amateur photo hobby from yesteryear. However, it was very good to learn of the 4K vs HD comparison. Thanks.
I prefer the soft look and only shoot hd with a mist filter to soften even more. People are to hooked on the whole 4k thing it's to sharp for video and looks to digital.
Totally different things, why don't you shoot 720p to have a even softer image? There's a ton of very professional , soft like and not digital looking 6k work from blackmagics 6k out there just take a look, you don't need less information and less resolution to get a soft non digital look, that's the same as the guys that praise Canon standard color pp off because don't know basic color grading or shooting log
I wish you would have compared the footage in crop mode more. Some cameras are sharper due to the way the image is down sampled. I know it's a step backward but it's important if you want to use crop lenses during an upgrade. Also, the better rolling shutter may make crop a better video mode that is often overlooked. As a comparison, the A7S III HD is somewhat less sharp in crop mode. The A1 4K is actually sharper in crop mode than FF. Since I'm looking to upgrade from a Crop sensor Sony, this is a point that is more apparent to me.
I have done this test. The crop mode of my Sony a7iv in 1080p, is way sharper than my sonys a6600 and a7iii in 1080p. Also a7iv 1080p FF mode isn't as sharp as crop mode.
Great comparison. Exactly what I needed. To bad, FHD lacks of color and detail information and 4k is to clinicaly sharp. The question would be; is it better to sharpen FHD post or make 4K -7 sharpness in camera to get more pleasing cinematic look like bmpc cameras.
Love your videos! I'll be using 1080 all the time, unless i need the added reach and then use the 4K60. Or use 4K when I want to go from wide to instant zoom in post. Thanks!
Thanks alot! Yeah I think from a business perspective shooting 1080 for most shoots makes alot of sense and using 4K as a tool rather than just automatically using it for everything.
Me too. Most people just skip the “huh” part of the H. But he really fleshes it out… “HAY-ch” D…. Maybe it’s just a British thing, but I rather fancy it.
I think it is very noticeable when comparing them side by side. But the fact that the bits where you are talking were shot in HD shows, that it is not bad at all... I thought it was 4K :D I have to say I was watching it on a 13inch MacBook.
Haha yeah I thought I'd throw that in there as a curve ball. The proxy might even be better than the HD in terms of resolution at least! Tiny file sizes in comparison too.
Jonathan hopefully Sony representatives see these Sony A74 4K vs 1080 HD in full frame videos on RUclips and give it a firmware update where the 1080 HD is as sharp in full frame as it is excellent when the Sony A74 is in Super 35mm mode 1080HD
Great test Jonathan, thanks for taking the time to do this. As I'm in the market for a new camera, I am trying to decide between the A7IV and the Pana S5IIX. Am stepping up from a Canon 5D Mark IV - which actually has really strong HD! So has got me wondering... Thanks again. Subscribed.
Thanks. I think you’ll be very happy with either. Sony currently has a better upgrade path I’d say however value for money the Panasonic is hard to beat.
I think it all depends on what you're planning to shoot. For youtube you really don't miss much as you're usually shooting something that you won't need again 10 years from now. For wildlife or other stuff that every pixel is valuable then 4K is a necessity when it's available. But you can enjoy the 2 cameras in 1 trick with shooting in 4K then crop in when the final video output is 1080p. I would still aim for a1 for 8K if I wanna keep an authentic 4K look for a cropped in image.
Yeah there could be an argument for 4K for some RUclips content as some of it has a long shelf life. Totally agree that wildlife should always be 4K. In most cases I think corporate work makes sense in HD. Turn around is normally tight and the content usually gets dated pretty quickly. We got client content that’s 10 years old which looks great but the can’t use it as people have changed, branding changed etc.
@@JonathanPalfrey Yeah that's solid as well. I was offering 4K for corporate film but they are only asking for 1080p. So the plan was shoot in 4K then crop in when needed! Planning to jump ship to 8K as soon as I can afford one or 8K@60fps becomes a reality with HEVC that can make the files well below 5GB/min in 10-bit 4:2:2. You can then comfortably extract razor-sharp stills in 33.2MP! Very important when you are facing an animal that's elusive to film/photograph and don't know if you should make a photo or a short clip!
What about wildlife for youtube? It's the most common way to distribute video, and phone screens are better than most tv screens so i wouldn't downplay youtube. And 4k also allows you to stabilize and crop. I wouldn't mind full hd, i'd actually prefer it, but only if it's with a camera that's made for it. Like canon c100 that downsamples a 4k sensor to full hd. All 4k consumer level cameras use lossy methods to get full hd from 4k sensors.
@@fredriksvard2603 Personally I only shoot 4K since like 2018, and only use 4K TV's/screens for PC and such since 2015. I will jump to 8K when 8K@60fps becomes available with good rolling shutter/sensor readout. 4K to me is beyond just video, it makes every frame a trill still photo at 8.3MP. 8K jumps to 33.2MP!
Well done. Your point of YT compressing what you're viewing on your screen is important. The 4k imaging stood up to the compression much better for color depth and detail.
Thanks. Yeah it would be interesting how this same video would have looked if I had just uploaded it in HD and whether the differences would have been more noticeable as RUclips is know to better process 4K uploads.
@@JonathanPalfrey I have my eye on the A74 - my main thought is that 10 Bit 4:2:2 should have better lateral editing capabilities....color, LUT choices etc without the image falling apart (or falls apart less?). That seems to be the point made publicly, but I've have not seen any experimental evidence for it. (Or I've just missed it)
@@bluemarblemark 10 bit really is useful when you get slight gradients in colour. Something you notice in a blue sky for example 8 bit will look very stepped. In an interview set up your less likely to notice the difference.
This may be a silly question… I’m enjoying the increased dynamic range I am getting with the a74. Is there any reason I’d lose that in 4k50 cropped mode? I’m assuming in crop mode it isn’t utilising the full sensor and therefore I’d lose dynamic range? Is that wrong?
Thanks this such useful information. I shoot HD on my Nikon D750 - to me its always looked great, but that because it can only shoot HD. So the HD quality was always going to be better than the majority of HD in 4K cameras, if that makes sense. I believe the Nikon Z6 cameras HD is particularly good.
Yeah true. In a weird way I'd love a modern day HD only camera with all the dynamic range, colour science, frame rates and codecs of the modern cameras. I always thought a 2K version of the blackmagic pocket 4K/6K would be so useful for most people.
I really want to like the Sony and I considered swapping out my Fuji XT3 Gear for it... I'm looking for that hybrid solution and I wanted a touch more MP than what the Fuji gives at 24... The R5 is overkill for me and just out of my budget once I start adding lenses... Same with Sony though as I see their glass is just $$$... I'm waiting for Fuji to drop a bomb here in like 2 months "fingers Crossed" with the XH2 versions that are rumored. I can still get pretty stable footage though with my XT3 with a cage and neck strap but I'm stocked for what Fuji is going to bring to the table...
Hi Jonathan! Quick question for you. What codec did you shoot the 1080p footage in? XAVC S or perhaps SI? Also, was your active steady shot enabled on your A7IV? Since your shots were on a tripod, the possible mix of active stabilization and a non si codec could be the culprit to the low resolution 1080p footage you were getting.
Is it possible to shoot HD 120 FPS 10bit on A7IV using S&Q mode? Does S&Q have the same video quality or worse? Could you compare: A7IV 4k 60FPS 10 bit standard video and 60FPS 10 bit S&Q, HD 120FPS 8 bit standard video and HD 120FPS 10 bit S&Q?
The 100p in the test was in S&Q mode and 10 bit. 120 would be the same just NTSC instead of PAL. I personally wouldn’t touch the 8 bit, you don’t really save any storage space and you end up with less grading options.
The sound would be nice for some scenarios . But it’s not a dealbreaker just weird it’s the only way. And now instead of slowing it down in post to create a mix slow and normal I have to speed some parts up instead. Have ordered the camera and would have ordered it regardless. I was positively surprised it could do 1080p in 10bit even if it was only in s&q. Brought it thinking only 8bit was possible in 120p. So I got more than I thought 😂
Dude. If you put crop mode in HD. The 1080p footage will look closer to 4K. You should do an update video. A few you tubers have picked up on this. It relates to how it’s downscaled. Apparently it doesn’t line skip. Somehow works better mathematically. Try it you’d be surprised.
Yeah I'm in the process of putting together a cropped 4K and HD test video for both rolling shutter and resolution. In some ways it's best to think of this camera as an amazing super35/APSC camera with the ability to go full frame rather than a full frame camera which has to crop for best HD/rolling shutter results.
@@JonathanPalfrey yeh that’s a great point. Obviously if your going full on video production and you want full frame then you’d prob consider the A7siii or fx3 etc. that being said. The 25p or 30p can’t be beaten. By anything ATM. Truth is for me that’s all I ever did with my FX3. I love low light shooting. With any camera as soon as you up the shutter speed to match higher frame rates you lose light. So I generally shoot in 25p in Australia that is. To further clarify my previous comment. The you tuber I got my info from is Jason Morris. The explanation is that in 1080p crop mode you get a 1 to 1 read out. Supposedly better. I can confirm that the the 1080p footage on the a7siii is amazing. Hard to know if the cropped 1080p on the a7iv is better or equal or worse. I’ll be waiting for your results. Thanks so much for the efforts you made so far. Great stuff
No problem. To be fair Sony's HD is better than Canons. From other RUclipsrs test it seems like the FX6 has been better optimised for HD, probably because its use in TV.
@@JonathanPalfrey that's right. I'm a cutter and my colleagues at the camera department use mainly fs7, fx6 and fx9 and hardly can see a difference. Only if you look very, very closely... For my private use (to match a pocket2 & action 2 shot in 2.7k 50p) I'm looking for a camera that delivers adequate 50p but Sony's (6400, 6600, zv-1, A7c) suck... 😞
Hi, I thank you to share your interesting video. I'd like to as a question but beforse I'd like to know if you have you ever used the Lumix GH5 MarkII. Thanks for your reply.
I think the quality on the a7iv is amazing....I had to slap myself a couple times and say hey....u know u got 4k right.... And I was only filming in HD-S not HD-I 🤣😲
It's not about that, the issue is that almost all cameras use bad methods to get 1080 from 4k sensors. Unlike dedicated full hd cameras like the canon c100 which downsamples all the information from its 4k sensor to full hd. Footage from that camera is better than most 4k footage. Meanwhile, cameras like the a7iv probably use line skipping etc to get full hd which means you kinda need to shoot 4k and then change to full hd in post.
wow i'm surprised how bad the HD is on that camera. I thought it would be at least as good as the a7c. I just compared the hd on my A7c vs my a7s3 and its very similar. The a74 100p HD actually looks better than the 25p....
It’s been asked but could you compare the straight forward HD of the FX3 vs the 7iv? Seems like the A7Siii and FX3 still have an edge but has the 1080 improved over other Sony models?
I haven't, it may improve a little bit however I think the image difference is more to do with how it's reading the sensor. Also XAVC I will be much larger file sizes so you may as well shoot in 4K.
Surely you deserve much more subscribers - I want to ask you now a thing - in Europe, we have 25p and 50p for pal reasons region system but nobody forbids us to use 24p or 30p or 60p if our camera allows us to use them - if it is not possible due to the impossible camera setting I regret with those cameras that have blocked the choice to choose for us. I'm in Italy so we are slaves of pal system (I hate Pal system) as well you are in Great Britain so you are slaves of 25P and 50P too - but Me, I always use 30p or 60p cause all tv on the market read both pal that NTSC system and so as well RUclips it reads both systems so I choice 30p or 60p - I subscribed to your channel as I repeat you deserve to grow and the 175 thumb up is mine. Anyway when you make a test with 4k and full HD showing face's people will show always the frontal and not the face profile because we get to understand quality differences only by watching the eyes and a little less watching the skin.
Thanks! Yeah you're right. Frame rates don't really matter so much now days as everything online can be played back at what ever frame rate anyway. Certainly one advantage of using NTSC is you gain the higher frames such as 60p and 120p. You just have to be careful not to set the shutter to something that will cause flicker in Europe. With this camera you can set it to either PAL or NTSC so no reason why you couldn't shoot everything for a 24p timeline. Honestly the only real reason we shoot 25p is out of habit. Alot of our shoots are in North America so actually shooting NTSC as a standard probably wouldn't be a bad idea!
Proxy’s are generally used as a low bit rate version of the video just used to make editing easier then you normally swap back in the original full size file. However I’ve found, as you’ve seen here, that the quality of the Sony A7iv’s proxies are so good that you could easily get away with using them in a final film. This is handy if you needed to send the files over the internet quirkily for someone to edit your say you want to store them on Google drive as a long term back up without taking up loads of space
Ok wait I'm confused. What is the HD Proxy and how does it differ from regular HD? Because I thought you were filming in 4k this whole time. Please explain!
So the HD proxy is low bit rate file you can simultaneously record when shooting in 4K or HD. It's designed so it's easier to edit on your computer and then you can replace it with the full quality file when you export. The bit rate of the proxy is much smaller, 9mbps compared to 150mbps for 4K. What's interesting is despite the tiny file size the proxy version of the footage actually looks really good and most people probably can't tell the difference hence me revealing all my talking head footage was actually proxy and not the 4K footage. Il do a full video about it in the future as I think it really opens up a good way of backing up footage online especially for clients and shoots with fast turnarounds and where heavy colour grading isn't required.
@@JonathanPalfrey interesting thank you for your response! One extra question for you. Wouldn’t that take up more space on your memory card for you to use a proxy file and the 4K or 1080p file than just doing the file alone?
When comparing 2 cameras, stop acting like an idiot with hands waving around and stand still, so the viewer can compare the 2 videos side by side. I couldn't compare anything because of that. Also, stop saying "HD" for something that's clearly 1080p (Full HD) When you are saying HD, you confuse the viewer, because HD is 720p and neither of these examples was in 720p. Step up your game, bro.
It's his channel, not yours, feel free to leave and not come back if you don't like that. but don't act like you are the standards he has to meet. you're the only person complaining, so the issue seems to be with you, not him... think you can do better? make your own channel and stop whining on others.
ah yes. finally someone still care about 1080p nowadays😢😅 sony does oversamples their 4k footage, but not with the 1080p. sad truth😅 i know few sony cameras has good 1080p: a7s lineups, a7r lineups the other lineups like their aps-c and a7 series are having a “boring” 1080p🫠
4K vs 1080p is a MASSIVE difference. 1080p clearly doesn't cut it anymore, unless you use your videos for social media like Facebook, instagram, tik tok or snapchat, but NOT for RUclips, weddings, playbacks on a TV.
This is great for me as I shoot video portraits of models and despise that over sharpened digital look from my a7IV. Ive been using Mist filters to soften it up and its still too sharp IMO. Who knew all I had to do was drop down to 1080?! Dont have to deal with the stupid crop either! Thats what I call a win/win. Thanks
That is really silly, you just shoot 4K and apply a softener filter in post. No need ruin the source, you never know when you might need the high resolution version
I am waiting for this review only, all the creators here only talk about 4k 10 bit, autofocus and other new features.
This is actually people want , we know all these features but apart from 4k other resolutions also exists man, every content creator every talk about same things .
Finally someone come with a different review of this camera👌
If I was to purchase the Sony A74 I would use the HD 1080 10 bit in Super 35mm mode and use it with Phantom luts
I notice very clearly the difference between the 4K and 1080 on the FX3. Even before the side-by-side. I don't think it's a bad image (at 1080) but it definitely is noticeable on my modest screen.
this was the video I Was looking for, I want to know the HD capability.
I've been looking for a video like this. I am very disappointed in the Sony 6*** 4K cameras for HD and also for the 1.2 crop in 4K/30fps. This 4K is a definite improvement over that. I am camera shopping and just can't seem to zero in on a newer Sony that is a really great HD shooter. I will shoot 4k when I need it, but prefer shooting HD for my RUclips channel. Great show! Thanks
From my test I'd say the HD is good on the A7iv but not incredible.
For me the cameras with the best HD are the Sony FX3 and A7SIII which are incredibly good in HD and the Blackmagic cameras shooting ProRes which also look very sharp.
I think for RUclips thought the A7iv HD looks fine, in fact I was amazed how good the proxy files looked at a fraction of the file size.
The A7SIII has great HD footage, but it's kind of an overkill to buy that camera just to shoot HD.
Yes, overkill for sure. I'm currently using 2 a5100's. I like having a body for each of my favorite lenses. I don't think a full frame camera is in my future. I can't put that kind of money in a hobby. @@AndreiGrigorean
To be fair there are other factors such as dynamic range, colour science, form factor, frame rates and other features which make the new cameras worth it over older cheaper cameras.
A7iv does not shoot 10bit in HD slow motion modes so the colour looks a lot worse in comparison...
Would love to see a HD comparison between FX3, A7IV, A7iii. This would matter if you have different cameras.
One more for this request!
Sadly I don't have an A7iii. From what I've seen though the colour science is so much better on the new cameras that it would be pretty difficult to match.
If you really needed a 3 camera set up then probably 3 A7iv's would be the best value for money.
@@JonathanPalfrey I would actually like to see a 4K comparison between FX3, A7IV, and A7SIII.
@@sinhafamily A7S3 and FX3 have the same sensor/image quality.
@@JonathanPalfrey The 4k60 crop and lack of 4k120 on A7iv means HD quality is important. Those needing that spec most likely already have a7s3 as an A cam.
Just the video I was looking for. Thanks for the work you put into this video and educating us consumers on purchase decisions.
Great comparison! Finally, with no sony fanboy attitude, objective attitude. Thank you for your input!
Thinking about purchasing a Sony AIV to resume my amateur photo hobby from yesteryear. However, it was very good to learn of the 4K vs HD comparison. Thanks.
I prefer the soft look and only shoot hd with a mist filter to soften even more. People are to hooked on the whole 4k thing it's to sharp for video and looks to digital.
Totally different things, why don't you shoot 720p to have a even softer image? There's a ton of very professional , soft like and not digital looking 6k work from blackmagics 6k out there just take a look, you don't need less information and less resolution to get a soft non digital look, that's the same as the guys that praise Canon standard color pp off because don't know basic color grading or shooting log
@@TheGuigotz point taken I've since joined the ranks of actually shooting 4k
I wish you would have compared the footage in crop mode more. Some cameras are sharper due to the way the image is down sampled. I know it's a step backward but it's important if you want to use crop lenses during an upgrade. Also, the better rolling shutter may make crop a better video mode that is often overlooked. As a comparison, the A7S III HD is somewhat less sharp in crop mode. The A1 4K is actually sharper in crop mode than FF. Since I'm looking to upgrade from a Crop sensor Sony, this is a point that is more apparent to me.
I have done this test. The crop mode of my Sony a7iv in 1080p, is way sharper than my sonys a6600 and a7iii in 1080p. Also a7iv 1080p FF mode isn't as sharp as crop mode.
@@ΓιώργοςΚαλλίγερος-ι5ω nice thnx
Great comparison. Exactly what I needed. To bad, FHD lacks of color and detail information and 4k is to clinicaly sharp. The question would be; is it better to sharpen FHD post or make 4K -7 sharpness in camera to get more pleasing cinematic look like bmpc cameras.
Personally I'd lean towards shooting 4K and then render out in HD if you feel it's too sharp.
Love your videos! I'll be using 1080 all the time, unless i need the added reach and then use the 4K60. Or use 4K when I want to go from wide to instant zoom in post. Thanks!
Thanks alot! Yeah I think from a business perspective shooting 1080 for most shoots makes alot of sense and using 4K as a tool rather than just automatically using it for everything.
Great video. I’ve wondered about this, super helpful for my A7IV knowledge. Love how you say H. Subbed!
Me too. Most people just skip the “huh” part of the H. But he really fleshes it out… “HAY-ch” D…. Maybe it’s just a British thing, but I rather fancy it.
@@jerryloradrifter it’s cool. I agree
I think it is very noticeable when comparing them side by side. But the fact that the bits where you are talking were shot in HD shows, that it is not bad at all... I thought it was 4K :D I have to say I was watching it on a 13inch MacBook.
Haha yeah I thought I'd throw that in there as a curve ball. The proxy might even be better than the HD in terms of resolution at least! Tiny file sizes in comparison too.
@@JonathanPalfrey Sorry but I’m a beginner in video. How do you achieve the HD Proxy? Thanks
Day 337 of watching videos on the A7IV until mine arrives
same bro 🤣
Same here
On A7IV 1080p is best in 24p - 60p when in aps-c mode. However when using 120p 1080p it's better in full frame mode and look really bad in apc-c mode.
i think spending the money and only doing fhd is a bit of a waste, and the difference is very apparent.
Wish you included comparison between sony a7iv hd vs fx3 hd videos…
Jonathan hopefully Sony representatives see these Sony A74 4K vs 1080 HD in full frame videos on RUclips and give it a firmware update where the 1080 HD is as sharp in full frame as it is excellent when the Sony A74 is in Super 35mm mode 1080HD
I'm gonna do a bike tutorial soon and this convinced me to shoot it in 4K on my A7IV
I like the HD Proxy footage, what is it? How do I use that mode? Thanks
A great video, thanks for sharing it, i have also received my sony a7iv finally and really thrilled about it
Great test Jonathan, thanks for taking the time to do this. As I'm in the market for a new camera, I am trying to decide between the A7IV and the Pana S5IIX. Am stepping up from a Canon 5D Mark IV - which actually has really strong HD! So has got me wondering... Thanks again. Subscribed.
Thanks.
I think you’ll be very happy with either. Sony currently has a better upgrade path I’d say however value for money the Panasonic is hard to beat.
I think it all depends on what you're planning to shoot. For youtube you really don't miss much as you're usually shooting something that you won't need again 10 years from now. For wildlife or other stuff that every pixel is valuable then 4K is a necessity when it's available. But you can enjoy the 2 cameras in 1 trick with shooting in 4K then crop in when the final video output is 1080p. I would still aim for a1 for 8K if I wanna keep an authentic 4K look for a cropped in image.
Yeah there could be an argument for 4K for some RUclips content as some of it has a long shelf life. Totally agree that wildlife should always be 4K.
In most cases I think corporate work makes sense in HD. Turn around is normally tight and the content usually gets dated pretty quickly. We got client content that’s 10 years old which looks great but the can’t use it as people have changed, branding changed etc.
@@JonathanPalfrey Yeah that's solid as well. I was offering 4K for corporate film but they are only asking for 1080p. So the plan was shoot in 4K then crop in when needed! Planning to jump ship to 8K as soon as I can afford one or 8K@60fps becomes a reality with HEVC that can make the files well below 5GB/min in 10-bit 4:2:2. You can then comfortably extract razor-sharp stills in 33.2MP! Very important when you are facing an animal that's elusive to film/photograph and don't know if you should make a photo or a short clip!
What about wildlife for youtube? It's the most common way to distribute video, and phone screens are better than most tv screens so i wouldn't downplay youtube. And 4k also allows you to stabilize and crop. I wouldn't mind full hd, i'd actually prefer it, but only if it's with a camera that's made for it. Like canon c100 that downsamples a 4k sensor to full hd. All 4k consumer level cameras use lossy methods to get full hd from 4k sensors.
@@fredriksvard2603 Personally I only shoot 4K since like 2018, and only use 4K TV's/screens for PC and such since 2015. I will jump to 8K when 8K@60fps becomes available with good rolling shutter/sensor readout. 4K to me is beyond just video, it makes every frame a trill still photo at 8.3MP. 8K jumps to 33.2MP!
Well done. Your point of YT compressing what you're viewing on your screen is important. The 4k imaging stood up to the compression much better for color depth and detail.
Thanks. Yeah it would be interesting how this same video would have looked if I had just uploaded it in HD and whether the differences would have been more noticeable as RUclips is know to better process 4K uploads.
@@JonathanPalfrey I have my eye on the A74 - my main thought is that 10 Bit 4:2:2 should have better lateral editing capabilities....color, LUT choices etc without the image falling apart (or falls apart less?). That seems to be the point made publicly, but I've have not seen any experimental evidence for it. (Or I've just missed it)
@@bluemarblemark 10 bit really is useful when you get slight gradients in colour. Something you notice in a blue sky for example 8 bit will look very stepped.
In an interview set up your less likely to notice the difference.
This may be a silly question… I’m enjoying the increased dynamic range I am getting with the a74. Is there any reason I’d lose that in 4k50 cropped mode? I’m assuming in crop mode it isn’t utilising the full sensor and therefore I’d lose dynamic range? Is that wrong?
I wonder if shooting in 1080P content there's some type of artistic value to it any insight on that or views
Super helpful video! Thanks so much! 👍🏻
Thanks this such useful information.
I shoot HD on my Nikon D750 - to me its always looked great, but that because it can only shoot HD. So the HD quality was always going to be better than the majority of HD in 4K cameras, if that makes sense.
I believe the Nikon Z6 cameras HD is particularly good.
Yeah true. In a weird way I'd love a modern day HD only camera with all the dynamic range, colour science, frame rates and codecs of the modern cameras.
I always thought a 2K version of the blackmagic pocket 4K/6K would be so useful for most people.
@@JonathanPalfreycanon c100ii...
I really want to like the Sony and I considered swapping out my Fuji XT3 Gear for it... I'm looking for that hybrid solution and I wanted a touch more MP than what the Fuji gives at 24... The R5 is overkill for me and just out of my budget once I start adding lenses... Same with Sony though as I see their glass is just $$$... I'm waiting for Fuji to drop a bomb here in like 2 months "fingers Crossed" with the XH2 versions that are rumored. I can still get pretty stable footage though with my XT3 with a cage and neck strap but I'm stocked for what Fuji is going to bring to the table...
Have you looked at the 3rd party options for Sony? There are very cheap options
Hi Jonathan! Quick question for you. What codec did you shoot the 1080p footage in? XAVC S or perhaps SI? Also, was your active steady shot enabled on your A7IV? Since your shots were on a tripod, the possible mix of active stabilization and a non si codec could be the culprit to the low resolution 1080p footage you were getting.
Is it possible to shoot HD 120 FPS 10bit on A7IV using S&Q mode? Does S&Q have the same video quality or worse?
Could you compare:
A7IV 4k 60FPS 10 bit standard video and 60FPS 10 bit S&Q, HD 120FPS 8 bit standard video and HD 120FPS 10 bit S&Q?
The 100p in the test was in S&Q mode and 10 bit. 120 would be the same just NTSC instead of PAL. I personally wouldn’t touch the 8 bit, you don’t really save any storage space and you end up with less grading options.
Is it only possible to get 10bit 120 trough S&Q ?
@@MadsGOlsen yeah seems to be the only way. Annoying if you want sound I guess. Personally I prefer the footage conformed to 25p in camera.
The sound would be nice for some scenarios . But it’s not a dealbreaker just weird it’s the only way. And now instead of slowing it down in post to create a mix slow and normal I have to speed some parts up instead. Have ordered the camera and would have ordered it regardless. I was positively surprised it could do 1080p in 10bit even if it was only in s&q. Brought it thinking only 8bit was possible in 120p. So I got more than I thought 😂
And thanks for sharing. Not many are talking about 1080p. I still shoot most in 1080. You got a sub
Dude. If you put crop mode in HD. The 1080p footage will look closer to 4K. You should do an update video. A few you tubers have picked up on this. It relates to how it’s downscaled. Apparently it doesn’t line skip. Somehow works better mathematically. Try it you’d be surprised.
Yeah I'm in the process of putting together a cropped 4K and HD test video for both rolling shutter and resolution.
In some ways it's best to think of this camera as an amazing super35/APSC camera with the ability to go full frame rather than a full frame camera which has to crop for best HD/rolling shutter results.
@@JonathanPalfrey yeh that’s a great point. Obviously if your going full on video production and you want full frame then you’d prob consider the A7siii or fx3 etc. that being said. The 25p or 30p can’t be beaten. By anything ATM. Truth is for me that’s all I ever did with my FX3. I love low light shooting. With any camera as soon as you up the shutter speed to match higher frame rates you lose light. So I generally shoot in 25p in Australia that is. To further clarify my previous comment. The you tuber I got my info from is Jason Morris. The explanation is that in 1080p crop mode you get a 1 to 1 read out. Supposedly better. I can confirm that the the 1080p footage on the a7siii is amazing. Hard to know if the cropped 1080p on the a7iv is better or equal or worse. I’ll be waiting for your results. Thanks so much for the efforts you made so far. Great stuff
Thank you so much! That was exactly what I was looking for! Shame on Sony for that lousy HD video again. Wished they'd fix hd quality at least...
No problem. To be fair Sony's HD is better than Canons.
From other RUclipsrs test it seems like the FX6 has been better optimised for HD, probably because its use in TV.
@@JonathanPalfrey that's right. I'm a cutter and my colleagues at the camera department use mainly fs7, fx6 and fx9 and hardly can see a difference. Only if you look very, very closely... For my private use (to match a pocket2 & action 2 shot in 2.7k 50p) I'm looking for a camera that delivers adequate 50p but Sony's (6400, 6600, zv-1, A7c) suck... 😞
@@JonathanPalfrey The HD on my Canon 5D Mark IV is excellent. I had someone ask me if the footage was shot on a RED!
having tested I find the HD 1080p aps-c is better than the FF 1080p
What do you think about sharpening the HD a7iv footage? Is that something one should consider doing?
maybe. Sony cameras already add quite a bit of sharpening in camera so I'd be hesitant at adding too much more.
Hi, I thank you to share your interesting video. I'd like to as a question but beforse I'd like to know if you have you ever used the Lumix GH5 MarkII. Thanks for your reply.
This was super helpful
Get your a7iv Try to in film crop mode using HD and zoomed to digital 2.0 x and thanks me later
Thank you
Thank you!
I think the quality on the a7iv is amazing....I had to slap myself a couple times and say hey....u know u got 4k right.... And I was only filming in HD-S not HD-I 🤣😲
The a7iv super35 HD is very nice
I also am wondering if the 1080p is even oversampled.
Amazing. So, 4k footage has more resolution than 1080… if only we had known.
It's not about that, the issue is that almost all cameras use bad methods to get 1080 from 4k sensors. Unlike dedicated full hd cameras like the canon c100 which downsamples all the information from its 4k sensor to full hd. Footage from that camera is better than most 4k footage. Meanwhile, cameras like the a7iv probably use line skipping etc to get full hd which means you kinda need to shoot 4k and then change to full hd in post.
very helpful thank you!
How can I upload 4k videos to view it? It won’t let me see any and when I download a different software it’s all choppy
wow i'm surprised how bad the HD is on that camera. I thought it would be at least as good as the a7c. I just compared the hd on my A7c vs my a7s3 and its very similar.
The a74 100p HD actually looks better than the 25p....
So you're saying I should get an r6?
It’s been asked but could you compare the straight forward HD of the FX3 vs the 7iv? Seems like the A7Siii and FX3 still have an edge but has the 1080 improved over other Sony models?
Will do a compassion when doing more videos on the FX3. But yeah from what I've seen so far it seems that the FX3 has a shaper HD image.
Imagine that in a few iterations the A7xxx will have 8k. Times are changing
Yeah it probably will however 1080p will still be the main resolution people watch.
Did you test the HD in xavc si? 4.2.2 wondering if it's worth it to upgrade to the v90 cards to use it with the 4k
I haven't, it may improve a little bit however I think the image difference is more to do with how it's reading the sensor. Also XAVC I will be much larger file sizes so you may as well shoot in 4K.
Surely you deserve much more subscribers - I want to ask you now a thing - in Europe, we have 25p and 50p for pal reasons region system but nobody forbids us to use 24p or 30p or 60p if our camera allows us to use them - if it is not possible due to the impossible camera setting I regret with those cameras that have blocked the choice to choose for us. I'm in Italy so we are slaves of pal system (I hate Pal system) as well you are in Great Britain so you are slaves of 25P and 50P too - but Me, I always use 30p or 60p cause all tv on the market read both pal that NTSC system and so as well RUclips it reads both systems so I choice 30p or 60p - I subscribed to your channel as I repeat you deserve to grow and the 175 thumb up is mine. Anyway when you make a test with 4k and full HD showing face's people will show always the frontal and not the face profile because we get to understand quality differences only by watching the eyes and a little less watching the skin.
Thanks! Yeah you're right. Frame rates don't really matter so much now days as everything online can be played back at what ever frame rate anyway. Certainly one advantage of using NTSC is you gain the higher frames such as 60p and 120p. You just have to be careful not to set the shutter to something that will cause flicker in Europe.
With this camera you can set it to either PAL or NTSC so no reason why you couldn't shoot everything for a 24p timeline.
Honestly the only real reason we shoot 25p is out of habit. Alot of our shoots are in North America so actually shooting NTSC as a standard probably wouldn't be a bad idea!
Hi Jonathan, I m a beginner, could you explain what is the HD proxy at the end of the video? it looks really high quality
Proxy’s are generally used as a low bit rate version of the video just used to make editing easier then you normally swap back in the original full size file.
However I’ve found, as you’ve seen here, that the quality of the Sony A7iv’s proxies are so good that you could easily get away with using them in a final film.
This is handy if you needed to send the files over the internet quirkily for someone to edit your say you want to store them on Google drive as a long term back up without taking up loads of space
@@JonathanPalfrey thank you for explaining
Hello everyone, what is your experience about Sony A7IV overheating? I would be very happy for your experience. Many greetings
I’ve only had it once overheat, shooting a long interview hand held in 4K. Otherwise no issues in a year of ownership
@@JonathanPalfrey can you do interviews in 4k 24p with this camera? And how long can you do a interview? Please reply! Thanks for this video!
So can you get 120p in S&Q in the Sony a74?
Yes in NTSC mode. It's a same that Sony don't let you go up to 120 in PAL like Blackmagic do.
thank u
The best!
Ok wait I'm confused. What is the HD Proxy and how does it differ from regular HD? Because I thought you were filming in 4k this whole time. Please explain!
So the HD proxy is low bit rate file you can simultaneously record when shooting in 4K or HD. It's designed so it's easier to edit on your computer and then you can replace it with the full quality file when you export.
The bit rate of the proxy is much smaller, 9mbps compared to 150mbps for 4K.
What's interesting is despite the tiny file size the proxy version of the footage actually looks really good and most people probably can't tell the difference hence me revealing all my talking head footage was actually proxy and not the 4K footage.
Il do a full video about it in the future as I think it really opens up a good way of backing up footage online especially for clients and shoots with fast turnarounds and where heavy colour grading isn't required.
@@JonathanPalfrey interesting thank you for your response! One extra question for you. Wouldn’t that take up more space on your memory card for you to use a proxy file and the 4K or 1080p file than just doing the file alone?
@@_cjmccullough yes although very small. Probably less than a GB for a whole days shoot.
@@JonathanPalfrey thanks for your help!
@@JonathanPalfrey Thanks for the answers, one question did you record this HD-Proxy while shooting in 4k or HD?
Very useful
Big difference on my 4I monitor.
Wawo great bro
So hd from a7iv is worst than fx3 hd ?
Seems to be. Probably to do with the down sampling.
I personally avoid shooting HD on the A7iv however I shoot it all the time on the FX3
HD is 720p. 1080p is FULL HD.
pedant
second video per day with the same question, what kind of nonsense? Of course 4k.
Pity you didn't do hd in crop mode
Oh it's coming 😁 Going to do a video on whether it's better to use the camera as a 'super35mm' sensor camera rather than full frame.
@@JonathanPalfrey Thanks look forward to it could you check for aliasing in super 35mm HD. I experienced bad aliasing on the a7III in super 35 HD
Hello 👋
When comparing 2 cameras, stop acting like an idiot with hands waving around and stand still, so the viewer can compare the 2 videos side by side. I couldn't compare anything because of that. Also, stop saying "HD" for something that's clearly 1080p (Full HD)
When you are saying HD, you confuse the viewer, because HD is 720p and neither of these examples was in 720p. Step up your game, bro.
It's his channel, not yours, feel free to leave and not come back if you don't like that. but don't act like you are the standards he has to meet. you're the only person complaining, so the issue seems to be with you, not him...
think you can do better? make your own channel and stop whining on others.
Wow the boss is here now ... I'm scared
@@arfmf 😂😂
🙄🙄🙄 you’re so superior!
What a terrible comment that added nothing to the community conversation.
ah yes. finally someone still care about 1080p nowadays😢😅 sony does oversamples their 4k footage, but not with the 1080p. sad truth😅
i know few sony cameras has good 1080p: a7s lineups, a7r lineups
the other lineups like their aps-c and a7 series are having a “boring” 1080p🫠
I’d love to see a 2.5k camera in 2024. Never going to happen but would be cool