The Sony A7IV is a full frame, 33 megapixel camera body for stills and video. It uses the same Bionz XR Processor as the A1 and A7sIII and shares the same new menu system. The A7IV weighs 658 grams including the battery and memory card.
The A7IV camera body features dual card slots, including 2 UHS-II slots and a single CF Express Type A slot. The A7IV has a double layered mode dial. The first layer is to switch between stills, video and S&Q mode. The second layer is to switch between P S A M and recalls. The exposure compensation dial has been switched for an endless dial with a lock button. You can customise this dial to suit your needs as a photographer or videographer. I have it customised as an ISO shortcut but am considering using it as a white balance shortcut.
The Sony A7IV has a 3.69 million dot EVF as well as a 1.03 million dots 3.0 Type Vari-angle LCD screen. Aka the flippy screen, which as a photographer I am not personally a fan of. I have noticed a significant ergonomic upgrade in the camera body. It feels comfortable to hold with the larger grip - it’s very similar to the A7R4 and A7sIII.
The extra ports on the A74 include: HDMI Type-A, USB 3.2, USB-PD Charging and Mic input + headphone output ports. The Sony A7IV features Wi-Fi 2.4GHz/5GHz, uses the NP-FZ100 Lithium ION Battery - which is the same as the A7III, A7sIII, etc.
In this A7IV review I share real time examples of Human eye AF in stills and video mode as well as Animal eye AF and Bird eye AF in both stills and video. The A74 has 759 phase-detection AF points covering about 94% of the frame while you're shooting. You can also use eye AF or real time tracking to keep focus on your subject.
For the Human eye AF tests in photo and video I am using the GM 35mm f1.4. During the animal eye AF test I use the FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS to capture kangaroos and my kitties! I am also using the same 200-600mm lens for Bird eye AF.
Watch my Sony A7IV review below and please subscribe to my channel! I upload new photography videos every single week.
SONY A7IV PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
The Sony A7IV is a great camera body for a portrait or wedding photographer. I used three prime lenses to test the performance on this new camera body:
Below are the portraits I took on the A7IV, all edited with my Earthy Lightroom Preset Pack. You can see the unedited, SOOC jpgs of these photos at 100% crop in my review video.
The Sony color science from the A7IV is absolutely beautiful. In my opinion, the A74 shares the same style of photo and video as the A1 and A7sIII - it feels like a new era of Sony colors. The skin tones are gorgeous and I love the balanced look of the colors and tones in the photos.
Like the A7III, the Sony A7IV features 15 stops of dynamic range. It also has 5.5 Stops Internal SteadyShot. You have the option of shooting 10 bit HEIF files instead of JPG in either 4:2:2 or 4:2:0 color sampling. This would be used if you are after smaller files with the same amount of information.
The A74 has the option to have the shutter close on power off, which is similar to A1 and A9II . That means if you're an on location shooter like me, there is less chance for dust to get into your sensor with any lens changes you do.
We will be able to use the A7IV as a webcam with no extra software via USB-C. You can also shoot tethered via USB-C or with an ethernet adaptor, like the A7sIII.
SONY A7IV VIDEO FEATURES
In video mode, the Sony A7IV records 25 or 30fps in full frame 16:9 with 7K oversampling. The A7IV also records in 50 or 60fps with 4.6K oversampling, at the expense of an S35 crop.
The A7IV records in 4:2:2 10 bit. In my opinion, the footage looks beautiful and matches the video quality from the A1 and A7sIII. S-Log 3 makes use of 15+ stops of dynamic range, we also have S-Cinetone available in the A74!
More Sony A7IV Video Mode Specs at a glance:
4K Recording :
Full frame 16:9 (7K oversampling)
Crop mode 16:9 (4.6K oversampling)
S-Log 3 (15+ stops of dynamic range)
S-Cinetone
AF Assist (as found in ILME-FX6)
Focus Breathing Compensation (with selected GM lenses)
Focus Map
Choice of H.264 and H.265
All-I mode is available – up to 600Mbps
Touch tracking
Active Mode Image Stabilization (slight crop)
Image Stabilization Metadata is recorded for stabilization in post using Catalyst Browse
Digital Audio Interface via MI Shoe
Display 4K video on up to 3 devices simultaneously
Watch my real world review video above of the A7IV to see how all these features perform in the field. I share examples of stabilization, all the picture profiles, examples of how focus breathing compensation works and a photo and video low light test.
If you enjoyed this blog post and review of the Sony A7IV you might want to check out my review of the Sony A1 flagship camera here! Let me know what other A7IV videos you want to see.
