Sony has officially announced the outstanding a7R IV camera model with upgraded full-frame 61MP BSI-CMOS sensor. Another milestone of Sony camera, which continues to focus on high resolution, but still brings impressive performance thanks to hardware with a real-time continuous focus, 10fps continuous shooting, and 4K HDR recording. Many innovations are brought to users by the Japanese electronics company to meet the requirements of a high-resolution mirrorless camera model.

The heart of the Sony a7R IV is a 35mm full-frame 61MP back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor with latest-generation BIONZ X image processor and a maximum resolution of 9,504 x 6,336 pixels (60,217,344 pixels). If you drop down to APS-C crop mode, you get 26 Megapixel images, with near-total-frame AF coverage and 325 PDAF points. The Pixel Shift mode can capture 960MP worth of data by compositing 16 images, which can be processed via Sony’s Imaging Edge software to create 240MP photos. ISO range of the camera is 100 – 32,000 and can be extended from 50 to 102,400. Thus, a7R IV is capable of capturing 10 frames per second with 68 RAW compressed / JPEG Extra Fine images, or 30 uncompressed RAW + JPEG images with a mechanical shutter speed of 1 / 8,000 seconds.

There’s also the real-time eye, human and animal AF technology, including the ability to focus on eye detection for still images, video, and identify objects of people and animals. Besides, the real-time AF tracking feature follows the object. These technologies are available on the A6400 and have been upgraded to the A9 flagship camera recently. The 399-point phase focus score of the a7R III is increased to 567 points on the a7R IV with a 74% frame coverage.

Sony has not yet upgraded the video recording feature for a7R IV, maybe they want to save for the next series. So the notable addition is the HLG (HDR) profile as well as the ability to focus on eye recognition, file format or bitrate unchanged. You expect 4K @ 60fps to wait. Although the sensor still supports full-readout, it is still really attractive for those who capture the best quality movies from high-end lenses. The design of the a7R IV has several changes, such as the parameter setting right next to the wheel that selects the enhanced shooting feature to make it easier for users to manipulate. The joystick button with embossed pattern gives a more comfortable use.

With the increase of the ‘dot’ of the sensor, Sony also upgraded the OLED electronic viewfinder to the new version with 5.76 million pixels (UXGA) resolution with the same magnification as the previous generation. The viewfinder can also adjust the high-speed frame rate mode of 100 fps / 120 fps. Sony offers a feature for the Multi-Interface (hot-shoe flash) connector that is digital audio communication. Essentially, this is an A / D audio converter from the newly released microphone of the company, ECM-B1M, which enables the device to produce higher quality sound for video recording, less the connections and increasing the amount of battery life. Previously, Multi-Interface Shoe interface was only connected as analog.

Sony strengthens Wi-Fi 2-band connectivity, adding 5 GHz standard to make wireless data transfer faster thanks to FTP Server. USB-C connection is upgraded to standard 3.2 Gen 1 to increase bandwidth stability. In addition, the memory card slot supports the UHS-II standard to meet the access rate of up to 300 MByte / s. Pin Z (NP-FZ100) continues to bring the number of shots to about 670 plates (via LCD) or 530 plates (EVF), the extended vertical grip accessory with 2 VG-C4EM batteries sold separately to meet the needs high demand.





Sony a7R IV Specifications

Dimensions of 129 x 96 x 78 m

Weight of 665g

Touch Screen TFT-LCD Tilt Display of 3 inches

61 megapixels Full-frame BSI-CMOS Sensor

Maximum resolution of 9504 x 6336 pixels

Bionz X Processor

Auto ISO 100-32000 (expands to 50-102800)

4K (3840 x 2160) recording @ 30 fps.

Autofocus 567 points

Viewfinder coverage of 100%

Shutter speed – Min. 30 sec. Max. 1/8000 sec

Continuous Shooting Speed – 10 fps

Connectivity of Wi-Fi, NFC, Micro-USB 3.1 (Gen 1), Bluetooth 4.1, Microphone port, Headphone port, mini HDMI port

NP-FZ100 Battery up to 670 shots

Price and Availability

The Sony a7R IV has been priced at $3,498 (body only) and already listed on the Bhphotovideo.com website as a “coming soon” product along with the XLR-K3M XLR Adapter Kit, priced at $598, VG-C4EM Vertical Grip, priced at $398, and ECM-B1M Shotgun Microphone, priced at $348. All these products will be available in September 2019.