Sony has added animals to their face- and eye-recognition
feature, and tracking people and pets worked very well,
even in difficult situations, such as strong back light, erratic
subject movement, and in low-contrast settings.
The powerful CAF feature, combined with shooting
10 fps in compressed RAW or JPEG opens the A7R IV for
sports, portraiture, and wildlife. (Photographing uncom-
pressed RAW averages 6 fps.) Composing with the EVF
is excellent, as the EVF display has been upgraded from
3.69 million dots on the A7R III to 5.76 million-dot reso-
lution on the A7R IV, making composing more precise,
especially with manual focus. Coverage is 100% with
a 0.78 magnification. The EVF refreshes at either 60 or
120 fps. Capturing action at 120 fps is smooth, without
blackouts, and suddenly a mirrorless camera is a viable
option for sports photographers.
There has been no upgrade to the articulating LCD,
and sadly Sony’s implementation of touchscreen technol-
ogy remains way behind other manufacturers; it’s limited
to moving the focus point and enlarging and navigating
images in playback. That’s all!
Their main menu is 41 pages, lacks logic, uses non-
descript names, and leaves users to hunt for features.
This can be remedied, however, by assigning features
to the camera’s numerous customizable buttons, or to
the quick-access function menu. Both of the A7R IV’s
SD memory-card slots can now take advantage of the
faster UHS II cards.
The composite pixel-shift feature has been upgraded,
so now it can capture either 4 or 16 images. It essentially
cancels out the Bayer pattern, and nudges the image by
1 pixel or 0.5 pixels, depending on whether you choose
4 or 16 images, respectfully. You end up with a 240-mega-
pixel file, with the detail visibly better than a single
61-megapixel file. The camera’s detail files are ideal for
architectural photographers; but, for this feature to work,
your camera needs to be on a tripod, the subject cannot
move, and you have to wait to preview the images in post
with Sony’s Image Edge software. (Other camera manu-
facturers that feature pixel-shift technology process the
file in-camera and let you preview the image compara-
tively quickly to help you decide your next move.)
Image quality from the A7R IV’s 61-megapixel sensor
is excellent; however, at ISOs above 3200, luminance
noise is a factor. Files are filled with highlight and shadow
detail, capturing a wide dynamic range, and the color is
stunning. Having 61 megapixels makes beautiful large
prints, even when the files are cropped. The Sony A7R IV,
with its detailed files, fast and accurate AF, and improved
burst speeds makes it a versatile choice for landscapes,
portraitures, sports, and architecture. n > KELBY ONE.COM
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