Fourth-Gen Sony A7 Has 33MP And Much More
The Alpha series camera that started it all for Sony has now reached its fourth generation and, for the first time, there’s a new, higher-res sensor. The A7 IV (a.k.a. ILCE7M4) has significantly increased capabilities, but it also jumps into a much higher price bracket as a result. It uses a new body – partially made from a recycled plastic called SORPLAS – with a larger handgrip and a more ergonomic control layout. The top panel, front panel, and chassis are magnesium alloy, and there’s additional sealing to provide improved weather protection. The styling is similar to that of the A7S III. The 3-inch rear monitor now has adjustments for both tilt and swing, and of course has touch controls. The EVF is a 1.3cm OLED panel with a resolution of 3.68 million dots, a magnification of 0.78x and the choice of 60 or 120fps refresh rates.
The new sensor is a Sony-made Exmor R BSI CMOS with an effective resolution of 33MP, a sensitivity range equivalent to ISO
100 to 51,200 (with expansions to ISO 50 and 204,800) and a claimed dynamic range of 15 stops. In-body image stabilisation gives up to 5.5 stops of correction for camera shake.
The new sensor is mated to the latest generation Bionz XR processor that allows for continuous shooting at 10fps with full AF/AE adjustment, and 4K/30p UHD video recording with 10-bit 4:2:2 colour using the full width of the sensor. There’s the option of using either H.265 or H.264 codecs, the latter with either LongGOP (interframe) or ALL-I (intraframe) compression. Using the cropped ‘Super 35’ format (which is essentially APS-C) 4K UHD video can be recorded at 50/60p. A sigma-shaped thermal mounting for the sensor provides efficient heat dissipation, allowing for recording durations of over an hour with 4K/50p. Other video features include HDR (HLG) recording, S-Log 2/3, S-Cinetone profile, and ‘Active Mode’ optical stabilisation for smoother handheld shooting. There’s also a nifty new feature called ‘Breathing Compensation’ that automatically corrects for any changes in the image size related to the way a lens focuses (and supported by all the G Master lenses and a selection of G-series models).
The hybrid autofocusing system is essentially the same as the one used in the Alpha 1, with 759 phase-detection points and 425 contrast-detection points. AI-based object recognition drives detection and tracking for humans, animals, or birds via what Sony calls ‘Real Time Eye AF’. For the first time in an Alpha camera, this is also available when shooting movies. Sony says the accuracy of the face and eye detection for humans has been improved by around 30% over the A7 III. Low-light sensitivity extends down to -4.0 EV at ISO 100 and f/2.0.
A lossless compressed option has been added for RAW capture (reducing continuous shooting speed to 6fps), though the A7 IV has a much bigger buffer memory, allowing for over 1000 best-quality JPEGs to be captured in a burst. As is now becoming common on higher-end mirrorless cameras, the AS7 IV can also capture 10-bit HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) files as an alternative to 8-bit JPEGs. There are dual memory card slots: one a multi-format port for both super-fast CFexpress Type A devices and SD UHS-II, the second for SD UHS-II only. In-camera power and battery charging is possible via USB-C (which also allows for live streaming) and the Wi-Fi connectivity has the option of using the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands.
The Sony A7 IV is priced at $4,299 body only and available locally since late November. For more information visit www.sony.com.au