and only rarely adjust exposure
compensation this may not be too
great an issue for you.Autofocus performance
Straight out of the box, the Sony
A7R IV is not only capable of
keeping track of a moving subject,
but happy to switch the focus to
the face when it detects that it’s
looking at a person, with eye
detection kicking in as the subject
gets closer. The fact that it switches
between the two modes
automatically is a huge help, and
it’s this that really separates the
camera (and indeed, other Sony
models) from their competitors
right now.
When using the standard AF-S
mode, the Sony A7R IV is capable
of focusing on a subject with
impressive speed. On a sunny
day, when partnered with the FE
24-70mm f/2.8 GM, the camera
would typically be able to focus
as soon as the shutter-release
button had been half-pressed. It
continues to focus with very little
delay in moderate light, even
without the AF assist lamp, which
only seems to wake up in more
testing conditions – this is handy in
situations where you might need to
shoot discreetly, and where the
illumination from the lamp might
attract attention.
And while it’s launch price is
high, it’s not all unreasonable,
although the premium over the
A7R III is considerable right now, so
you really have to need the extra
pixels to make it worth your while.
Still, when you consider the cost of
some rivals, you’re getting a fair
chunk of camera in exchange for
your cash here.While the A7R IV isn’t without
flaws, Sony has made it one of the
most desirable cameras out there.iewfinder with an OLED panel
thatrefreshes at up to 120fps (or
100fps in PAL regions), and has a
magnification of 0.78x in 35mm
terms, but the resolution has
leapt from 3.69 million dots to
5.76 million dots.
The rear display beneath it,
however, has stayed the same,
measuringthreeinchesinsizeand
witha resolutionof1.44million
dots. Once again this can be tilted
up and down for shooting from
awkward angles and can be
controlled by touch, although
touchscreen operation is a little
more limited here than it is on
some rival cameras.
Like the A7R III, the A7R IV has a
pair of SDHC/SDXC card slots
around its side, and Sony has
ensured that both slots support
UHS-II cards (the A7R III only had
both UHS-I and UHS-II support in
one slot, and just UHS-I support in
the other).
Battery life has also been
improved, with around 530 shots
able to be captured when using the
viewfinder, and around 670 when
using the LCD screen – as always,
these are CIPA figures that are fairly
conservative compared to what will
actually be achievable by the
average photographer.Build and handling
The exposure compensation dial on
the top plate now mirrors the mode
dial in having a locking button in its
centre.Thisonlyneedstobepressedoncetolockandunlock,
which, on a dial this small, is far
more convenient than having to
hold it down whenever you want
to turn it.
The rear command dial that was
half embedded into the body on
the A7R III now sits proudly on the
top plate. This dial has a pleasingly
soft click to it, although it does
make the mode dial next to it a
little harder to access than on the
A7R III, particularly as its locking
button needs to be pressed down
throughout its rotation.
There’s no getting around the
fact that having three dials in this
area means each has to be small,
and a little too close to the others
for ideal operation, although if you
tend to stick to one exposure modev
th
“It will not only track a moving subject, but switch
focus to the face when it detects it’s a person”
Upgrade
Sony Alpha A7R IV
December 2019 | |^83
Specs as reviewed
Sony Alpha A7R IV
Supplier http://www.sony.co.uk
Sensor 61MP full-frame, back-
illuminated Exmor CMOS
Lens mount Sony FE
Burst 10fps
AF points 567 phase-detect and 425
contrast-detect
Weight 578g