Your shopping cart

Reading Time: 5 minutes - October 21, 2021

Sony Alpha 7 IV - hands-on test

The update everyone has been waiting for!

With the Alpha 7 III, Sony launched a photo/video hybrid camera in 2018 that left hardly anything to be desired for the price segment. The a7 III was not only a good and frequent choice for amateur photographers and videographers, but was also highly praised and enjoyed by many professionals. It is still the most sold camera in our country. However, many have now been waiting for a successor to the popular system camera for quite some time. Year after year, the rumor mill bubbled, but Sony always conjured something else out of the hat. This year, the time has finally come - Sony presents the Alpha 7 IV!

You can find out what new features the camera has and whether the upgrade is worth it in our video.

Everything new on the outside!

Well, new at least for the normal Sony 7 series. We have the revised body here, which was also used on the Sony Alpha 7s III or Alpha 1. You hate it, or love it, but a swiveling display is also included. The mode wheel is now split, for quick switching between photo and video with the same settings. The video record button has also now moved to a place where you won't accidentally press it and where it also makes more ergonomic sense. Where we really took a leap of joy, however, was with the ports. We FINALLY have a full-size HDMI port. Thanks Sony!

New sensor, new experience

Since the update to the Sony 7 III was so long in coming, the manufacturer wanted to make sure that an update was really worthwhile. To accomplish this, a new 33 MP full-frame sensor was developed. This comes with many features that we know from the larger cameras like the Sony A1 or Sony 7s III - the Exmor XR. You could say here that it's the child of an A1 and 7S3, because fittingly we also have 2x the Bionz XR processor built in. Let's take a detailed look at what this entails.

More pixels, higher speed, more photos!

The predecessor has 24.2 megapixels, but now it's a whole 33 megapixels. Slowly but surely, we're approaching realms that go in the direction of the Sony 7r series. The amazing thing here, however, is how fast the camera processes this higher resolution.
The camera still manages 10 frames per second, as usual. What we mean by speed is the processing of the images. If you want to take pictures in a row and display a sequence, the 7 III stopped after about 250 pictures. The buffer could not be drawn empty and everything stalled. With the a7 IV, however, we can shoot away a good 800 photos RAW + JPG in a row without dropouts. This has been made possible by the new hybrid slot with CF Express Type A and UHS II, as well as the computing power of the two image processors.

Sony Alpha 7 IV

Autofocus of the Alpha 1?

No matter how much dynamic range or resolution a photo has, if it is not sharp, it will not be used. This is where a lot of improvements have been made. In recent years, Sony has put a lot of innovations and features in the AF area.
We have a 94% coverage of the sensor, which makes a total of 759 AF points.
From the other cameras, the feature of real-time tracking was also adopted and even improved. Realtime Autofocus (RT-AF) has been around a bit longer at Sony. Later, the categories human, animal and with the introduction of the Alpha 1 also birds were added. But the Sony a7 IV takes it up a notch. Unlike the A1, the new model can also use all these RT-AF features in video.
Last but not least, a pleasant feature for photographers. When working in Single AF mode, refocusing is now almost invisible. In the Sony Alpha 7 III, this was still clearly felt as the autofocus traveled a large part of the image to find the right focus point again. You were never sure whether the same point was really in focus again, but the problem has now been solved and it is a soft focus.

Sony Alpha 7 IV

Colors, colors, colors

RAW processing is always nice and good, but when it comes to video or quick image editing / distribution via social media, you need solid basics. Here, the manufacturer has improved once again.
Portrait photographers and filmmakers can be happy about new, improved skin tones. But that is not all. Sony has now also taken up the 10 Creative Looks from the sibling models. So if you want, you can shoot and film directly with a color style.

Videographers can also enjoy the S-Cinetone color tone, which originally came from the big cine cameras like the FX9 and has enjoyed great popularity since its release.

Video like the a7s III

Right up front, no, the camera doesn't have 6K or 8K. It doesn't need to. In our opinion, 6K or 8K is currently too high in terms of resolution. It makes for massive amounts of data and is difficult to edit. Heat is also always a problem with such high resolution. Therefore, we are glad that here rather emphasis was placed on a better 4K.

The mode that most will use is 4K with 30fps. Here we have the happy news that it is a fullsensor readout, just like the Sony 7s III. But since the sensor has 33MP, it is now possible to sample a native 7K footage down to 4K. This provides for a lot of information / details in the 4K video. To put it simply in numbers, what is possible: 10bit 4:2:2 All-I with 600Mbps.

Anyone who wants to use more frames per second can do so in 4K 60fps. However, the camera switches to an S35 mode there. Alternatively, Full HD with 120fps as before.

Conclusion

In our eyes, it is a very worthy successor to the Sony Alpha 7 III. If it doesn't have to be an Alpha 1 in terms of speed, a Sony 7 IV is the perfect choice as an all-rounder camera. We have more resolution than before, faster processing of images, much faster autofocus and the video features of a Sony 7s III, without RAW video output.
The wait was worth it here. It is not a small update, but directly a complete all-round renewal.

Also new: Two Sony flash units

In addition to the new Sony Alpha 7 IV, two new flash units were also introduced: Sony Flash HVL-F60RM2 and Sony Flash HVL-F46RM. Both are enormously fast and can flash 200x in succession at 10 frames per second. In addition, they can be controlled via the camera menu. Another highlight is certainly that the subject recognition is also used by the flash. The face recognition algorithms influence the flash light and thus ensure the right color temperature and illumination.

Sony Flash HVL-F46RM

  • powerful and compact system flash
  • wireless flash via infrared or radio
  • ideal to trigger flashes wirelessly even over longer distances (max. 30m range)
  • Flash can be used as transmitter or receiver
  • up to 60 consecutive flashes at 10 FPS
  • Protection against overheating
  • Memory function
  • pivoting flash reflector unit: 360? horizontal, 150? high and 8? downward
  • protected against dust and moisture

Sony Flash HVL-F60RM2

  • external high power flash
  • with wireless radio control GN60 power
  • Multiple flash high-speed flash
  • 10 frames per second
  • Quick Shift Bounce
  • integrated wireless radio control system
  • Multi/micro USB connection
  • swiveling flash reflector unit: 360? horizontal, 150? high and 8? downwards

Interesting campaigns

First test of the Sony 16-35mm f2.8 GM2 compared to the 16-35 GM1

The new Sony 16-35mm GM2 is here and sets new standards! It is lighter, sharper and even more compact than its predecessor! Therefore, we show you today the direct comparison of the two G-Master lenses and show whether an upgrade is worth it!

Read now

Livestreaming solutions for beginners, professionals and business applications

Livestreaming is becoming more and more interesting for modern society, offering viewers the freedom and flexibility to watch content from anywhere in the world. But there are also some hurdles that live streaming brings with it, we'll help you find the perfect solution.

Inform now

Rate and win!

Your opinion counts! That's why you now have the chance to enter the lottery by rating a product of your choice and win a Leica Sofort 2 worth 379!

join in now!

Treasure trove for cameras, lenses more

If you are on a treasure hunt, you will find one or the other treasure in our treasure trove.

view now

Also interesting

Rate and win!

Your opinion counts! That's why you now have the chance to enter the lottery by rating a product of your choice and win a Leica Sofort 2 worth 379!

join in now!

Live workshop sports photography with the Sony Alpha 9 III

Sony unveiled the Alpha 9 III, a revolutionary new camera for sports photographers, at the end of 2023... Now the camera is finally here and on Saturday, February 24, you'll have the opportunity to see it live in action and try out the new features for yourself! Sports photographer Thomas Fähnrich will show you what's possible with the A9 III and how to take action-packed photos of athletes.

watch again now

The new Sony 24-50mm f/4 - standard or premium?

A new 24-50mm, yes, that's right: 24-50 with f/2.8 aperture. To be honest, we didn't expect Sony to launch such a lens on the market. We took a look at the new lens. You can find out what it can do compared to the many other standard zooms from Sony in this blog post with video.

Watch now!

Newsletter

Latest offers, exclusive benefits, news, events, info more

Subscribe now