Sony has just announced the a7R IV - a 61MP, 10FPS beast.

I feel Sony reached camera maturity with the release of the a7R III and a7 III. Now, with the a7R IV, Sony is refining already excellent cameras. Offering more megapixels than any other full frame camera and an AF system that rivals flagship DSLRS that cost twice the price. This is now the camera to beat by most metrics.

Headline features:

• 61MP (the a7R III is 42MP) & the highest resolution of any full frame camera!

• 10 fps

• ISO 100-32000

• 567 phase-detect autofocus points that cover 74% of the frame

• Real time Eye-AF

• Upgraded Pixel shift with 16 image combo for 240MP photos (a7RIII pixel shift only combines 4 photos for increased detail, no increase in resolution)

• 5.76 million dot UXGA (Ultra-XGA) OLED EVF

• Updated ergonomics and weather sealing - EV comp dial now lockable!

• Dual UHS-II SD Card slots (a7R III has one USH-II and one USH-I)

• 4k UHD Slog 2/3 and HDR

• Real-time Eye AF for movie recording

• Wireless Tethering with Imaging Edge, Fast USB-C Data Transfer and FTP upload

Available in September for $3498 - Preorders start at 10am ET, Thu Jul 18
Preorder from B&H Photo

I knew a Sony announcement was coming in mid July but I did not expect the a7R IV. The current a7R III stands on top of many lists as the best in its class and these improvements are impressive. As an owner of the a7R II and the a7R III I was very happy with the ergonomic improvements from version II to III as well as the speed and AF. The IV seems to further refine these improvements . I do hope they have addressed the slight lag when turning dials that is still present in the a7R III.

The EV comp dial is now lockable - a very welcome improvement as some photographers found it easily changed with no way to disable. The updated EVF with 5 million dots is going to present an incredibly detailed view of your subject. 61 MP and the APS-C mode provides 26MP. Wildlife photographers will find the amount of detail, even after heavily cropping, impressive. And again, as a Sony a7R III user - I can easily capture birds in flight with the current AF system. Now the AF system is described as being on par with the Sony a9 - a camera that beats all major flagship DSLRS. 15 stops of dynamic range sounds very similar to the a7R III which I find to be excellent. Video features seem similar with 4K HDR and SLOG options. APS-C video will still provide the cleanest output. The A7R IV does add eye-AF during video and enhanced subject tracking.

The upgraded Pixel Shift is interesting. In my a7R III you can combine 4 photos for increased detail and color accuracy. This provides images the same resolution as a single shot but with greater detail. You do need to be on a tripod and photographing a mostly static scene. The a7R IV will combine 16 images for greater detail AND greatly increased resolution - creating monster 240MP photos. Truthfully I have owned the A7R III since the day it was released and have only used Pixel Shift a handful of times. It’s limited in its usefulness.

Sony clearly wants to remain in the lead with the most full featured full frame cameras on the market and the Sony a7R IV looks to solidly improve on the a7R III, offering one of the best and most versatile full frame cameras on the market.

Should a7R III owners upgrade? It’s a little too early to say but on paper this camera looks to represent a noticeably upgrade in AF capabilities and resolution. If those factors greatly impact your shooting you should consider upgrading. Otherwise you should invest in a lens or two instead - Lenses retain their value and are excellent ways to grow your system. a7R II owners, should you upgrade? Yes! I jumped to the a7R III for the better battery life and ergonomics and going from the II to the IV is something I can fully support - the camera is improved in every way possible.

Photographers shooting with Canon, Nikon and everyone else - is this the time to switch? Honestly I thought the a7R III was more compelling than anything offered by Canon or Nikon and told many that they wouldn’t be disappointed switching and now the a7R IV certainly seems to take it to a higher level. And no, it’s not a perfect camera - I am sure as I dive into the full review I will find some drawbacks but overall I expect this to be a winner when matched against possible competitors.

Available in September for $3498 - Preorders start at 10am ET, Thu Jul 18
Preorder from B&H Photo