K i t Z o n e
114 DIGITAL CAMERA^ DECEMBER 2019 http://www.digitalcameraworld.comG Masters, like the 24-70mm f/2.8
lens used for most of our testing),
the combination quickly starts
to feel front-heavy.
This has been addressed in the A7R
IV with a larger grip on the camera
body. It doesn’t sound much of a
change, but it makes a considerable
difference. It’s immediately obvious
when you pick up and handle these
cameras side by side.
There’s a bigger AF-On button too,
and the EV compensation dial now
has a lock to prevent accidental
adjustments (easily done whenyour thumb is reaching quickly for
the rear control dial).
The electronic viewfinder now has
5.76 million dots, which ought to make
it super-clear. It still has a ‘digital’ look- you can’t see the dots, of course,
but object edges have a distinctly
oversharpened look. It’s a reminder
that EVFs are simply tiny digital
screens that offer no more guarantee
of accuracy than a computer monitor.
The three-inch rear screen is
starting to feel a little small on a
camera of this class too, especially
while you’re shooting video, where
you lose the top and bottom edges
to the narrower 16:9 ratio.
What shows up the ageing A7 design
more than anything else, though, is
what rival camera makers have done.
The Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 are slightly
larger cameras that handle rather
better – and have lenses that feel
as if they are designed to balance
properly with the body. They also
have a top-mounted status panel,
as does the Panasonic Lumix S1R:
an even larger and heavier camera,
but one that has the heft you need
when you’re shooting with big and
heavy professional lenses.
The A7R also relies heavily on its
customisable function buttons instead
of buttons specifically for functions
like white balance, AF mode/area,
image size/quality and so on. It also
has a tiresome menu system made
up of six tabs and no fewer than
40 individual screens.
The A7R IV isn’t a camera you can
just pick up and use. You have to
learn how it’s set up, where to find
the functions you need and how to
get it to work the way you like. If you
like tinkering and personalising,
you’ll probably love it. If you like
The A7R IV produces excellent
JPEG images with rich, saturated
but natural-looking colours.The new focus joystick
made it much easier to
select the rearmost
statue to focus on.Rival cameras
The A7R Mark
IV’s body is nice
and small, but Sony’s
G Master lenses are not!Mirrorless Sony Alpha 7R IV
Fujfilm GFX 50R
£3,449/$3,999
The GFX 50R is built
purely for quality, not
all-round handling and
speed, but it costs no
more than the A7R IV
and has a larger sensor.
Reviewed: issue 212Nikon Z 7
£2,519/$2,697
The Z 7 can’t match
the A7R IV’s outright
resolution, but it’s a
lot cheaper, handles
extremely well and
has very good IBIS.
Reviewed: issue 208Panasonic Lumix S1R
£2,999/$3,698
The Lumix S1R doesn’t
match the A7R IV’s
resolution, but it has
more advanced 4K video
and a bigger body better
suited to pro lenses.
Reviewed: issue 216