Moving to an even higher resolution realm, the Sony Alpha a7R IV continues the noteworthy series of highly capable full-frame cameras, characterized by impressive stills and video performance and versatility. This fourth edition of the a7R sees the inclusion of an updated 61MP Exmor R BSI CMOS sensor and enhanced BIONZ X image processor,
More InfoMoving to an even higher resolution realm, the Sony Alpha a7R IV continues the noteworthy series of highly capable full-frame cameras, characterized by impressive stills and video performance and versatility. This fourth edition of the a7R sees the inclusion of an updated 61MP Exmor R BSI CMOS sensor and enhanced BIONZ X image processor, which afford impressive imaging results with marked smoothness, a 15-stop dynamic range, and, of course, speed. Up to 10 fps shooting is possible along with the ability to record UHD 4K30 video, both with support for Real-time Eye AF and Tracking AF technologies. The revised sensor design uses a Fast Hybrid AF System, with 567 phase-detection autofocus points, for notably fast and accurate focusing performance. Despite being such a high-resolution sensor, it is also distinguished by its flexible native sensitivity range from ISO 100-32000 for working in a variety of lighting conditions. Additionally, benefitting both stills and video operation, the a7R IV retains the 5-axis SteadyShot INSIDE sensor-shift image stabilization, which is effective to minimize the appearance of camera shake by up to 5.5 stops.
Balancing the imaging merits, the a7R IV also sees an updated physical design with more robust weather sealing to suit working in especially harsh weather conditions. In terms of usability, the OLED electronic viewfinder has been boosted to an impressive 5.76m-dot resolution for clear viewing and the 3.0" rear tilting touchscreen LCD has a high 1.44m-dot resolution for crisp playback, live view shooting, and menu navigation. Dual SD card slots are both UHS-II-rated for faster performance and the inclusion of a USB Type-C port permits tethering and quick in-camera battery charging. Additionally, built-in Bluetooth and both 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands afford wireless transferring and remote camera control from linked mobile devices.
Complementing the camera body is a trio of accessories to increase battery life and enhance audio recording capabilities when shooting video. The VG-C4EM Vertical Grip is the dedicated battery grip, which accepts up to two more NP-FZ100 batteries for extended shooting times. Its ergonomic design also enhances handling when shooting in the vertical orientation.
For improved audio recording, and making use of the a7R IV's updated Multi Interface Shoe and digital audio interface, there is the ECM-B1M Shotgun Microphone, which delivers a digital audio stream directly to the camera for cleaner quality with low noise. For even more advanced audio control, there is also the XLR-K3M XLR Adapter Kit, which is a dual-channel digital XLR audio adapter for connecting external microphones to the camera while still benefitting from the digital audio interface.
Featuring a back-illuminated design, the full-frame 61MP Exmor R CMOS sensor works with the BIONZ X image processor to offer impressively high-resolution stills and video while minimizing noise, improving speed, and achieving a wide 15-stop dynamic range. This sensor structure works with gapless on-chip lens design and an anti-reflection coating, as well as eliminating the optical low-pass filter, to improve light collection and enhance detail. Also, the copper wiring layer dramatically improves data transmission speed for creating 14-bit, high-resolution 61MP stills with a native sensitivity range from ISO 100-32000, which can be further expanded to ISO 50-102400. Also, it enables internal UHD 4K video recording with a wide 14-stop dynamic range using either the full width of the full-frame sensor or an APS-C-sized area. The BIONZ X processor also works in conjunction with a high-speed front-end LSI to realize faster processing times along with the ability to capture this impressive 15-stop dynamic range with smooth tonal rendering.
The sensor and processor combination also avails fast continuous shooting at up to 10 fps at full resolution, for up to 68 consecutive frames, with full-time AF/AE.
An updated Fast Hybrid AF system now employs a combination of 567 phase-detection points, which cover approximately 99.7% of the height and 74% of the width of the frame, along with 425 contrast-detection areas for reliable and quick autofocus and subject tracking performance. This focusing system also achieves especially quick speed and reliable tracking, as well as enhanced low-light focusing response down to -3 EV. The use of phase-detection points also enables the use of A-mount lenses via the optional LA-EA3 or LA-EA1 lens mount adapters with full continuous AF/AE tracking compatibility.
The apt focus system also lends itself to a variety of focusing functions for refined accuracy, including Lock-on AF, which maintains focus on moving subjects throughout the use of a configurable frame that is set over the desired moving subject, and Expand Flexible Spot, which employs neighboring focus points to retain focus on moving subjects even if the originally selected point loses focus. Additionally, Eye AF can be used to base focus on recognized human subjects' eyes for portraits and is available in both AF-S and AF-C modes, for both stills and video. Eye AF can be used when photographing animal subjects, too, with any focusing mode when shooting stills. Autofocus can also be used in conjunction with the Focus Magnifier function for critical focus when homing in on minute subject details. The rear touchscreen can also be used for Touch Focus control, and a Touchpad Focus Control mode lets you use the rear screen intuitively while keeping your eye to the viewfinder.
Packed into the robust a7R IV is a 5.5-stop effective 5-axis SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization system that compensates for five different types of camera shake encountered during handheld shooting of stills and video. This allows users to confidently use any lens, even adapted lenses, for critical imaging without encountering blur from camera shake.
For long focal lengths, the system will correct for pitch and yaw adjustments. Macro and high-magnification imagery, on the other hand, will benefit from the inclusion of horizontal and vertical shift compensation. All shooting styles will get usage out of the roll compensation. All 5 axes of stabilization will function at all times, even when used with third-party lenses and adapters or lenses with built-in optical stabilization.
This unique compositing mode allows you to achieve even greater resolution than the 61MP sensor affords. Working in conjunction with the sensor-shift image stabilization, this mode shifts the sensor while making 16 consecutive exposures in order to acquire approximately 240.8MP of information for greater color accuracy and detail than possible with a single exposure, along with an impressive image size of 19,008 x 12,672-pixels. These files can then be merged together during post-production by using the Sony Imaging software suite.
Internal recording of UHD 4K movies is possible in multiple frame rates up to 30 fps and, based on the Super35mm recording area and effective 6K resolution, oversampling renders greater detail and full pixel readout is possible, that is void of pixel binning, for higher quality imagery with reduced moiré and aliasing. Full-frame 4K recording has also been dramatically improved for improved quality when working at mid to high sensitivities to permit full use of the entire sensor width. Full HD 1080p recording is also supported in frame rates up to 120 fps, and both resolutions utilize the 100 Mbps XAVC S format contained within an MP4 wrapper with 4:2:0 sampling. The high-speed, 120 fps recording also enables 4x and 5x slow-motion movie recording with the frame rate set to either 30p or 24p. In addition to high-resolution internal recording, uncompressed HDMI output also enables the use of an optional external recorder for clean 4K recording with 4:2:2 sampling.
4K video recording also avails the ability to produce 8MP stills during playback by taking a frame grab from a movie and storing it as a separate file.
Support for HDR Content:
Slow & Quick Motion:
Enhanced Zebra Function:
Time Code and User Bit Settings:
Proxy Recording: