The Sony a7R IV was a spectacular camera on paper when it was first released, building on the long history of success and innovation in the R line of cameras. The marquee features were the large bump in resolution and the addition of some impressive autofocus features taken from the a9, along with other improvements, such as better ergonomics. If you have been interested in the camera, this great video review takes a real world look at the camera after six months of usage.
Coming to you from Dan Watson, this helpful video review takes an honest look at the Sony a7R IV after six months of usage. The a7R III was certainly no slouch of a camera (I certainly love shooting with mine), but the a7R IV upped the game again with a bevy of both slight tweaks and big steps forward. The thing that really amazes me about the camera is the fact that it shoots 61-megapixel images at 10 fps, as traditionally, one has to choose between speed and resolution. Combine that with its impressive autofocus system that borrows some features from the flagship a9, and it is a highly versatile camera, particularly since its resolution allows wildlife and sports photographers to crop in as needed and still maintain good image quality. It's quite the impressive camera; check out the video above for Watson's full thoughts.
A nice overview of the a7RIV though it is a bit short on depth and is somewhat misleading. At around 13:10 Dan's partner suggests that the a7RIV is perfect for wildlife photographers. Unfortunately it is not and while I admire many of the camera's features it has significant shortcomings. The AF is not world class as they suggest and the tracking isn't any where in the league of the a9, a9ii, or some competitor DSLR's. Yes, the 61 MP sensor offers great ability to crop but it comes at the expense of increased noise and pixel level sharpness (need higher Tv). Perhaps they should have omitted the reference completely if wildlife photography is not in their wheelhouse? There are some better reviews out there if one is interested in high speed action for sports/wildlife of the a7RIV.
From the complaints I’ve seen posted on Fred Miranda and DPR, I’d say you have a point. However, most of the complaints have been while using the 200-600 on this body. Otherwise, for wildlife, when used with the 400 F2.8 or 600 F4, it gets very good reviews, but the AF isn’t as good as the A9. That’s the feedback I’ve seen.
World class focus and excellence in wildlife and sport photography descriptors are spot on accurate. As with every maker/ camera model there are trade offs. The A7RIV is very elite, hyper excellent and a very well rounded camera that, with effort, is close to perfection.
I have been using the A7R4 as my main camera for a few months now. I had the Fuji GFX50S before and a 5DSR for many years before. It is really not that good. Its low light performance is really lacking and although it will go very high at 3200 I find it similar to the 5DSR as it not usable any higher. There is so much noise on anything iso 3200 or above. Yes - You can take it out but noise reduction has issues with sharpness. I really don't think its any better than a Canon 5DSR. It has many extra features but for stills when the quality of the final image is the top priority it falls short of the Old Canon DSLR in my opinion. Pissed off I have spent so much money on one if I'm honest. It's absolutely no match for the Fuji GFX50S either (it was being compared to medium format camera at release date). Not even in the same league. I have both adapted lenses and G master glass on and the focusing isn't that great either. Similar to the 5DSR with L glass if you know how to use the canon system.