A7RIII/A7IV/(A7RIV)

Lukacs
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · A7RIII/A7IV/(A7RIV)

I'm considering upgrade from A7III, reason 1: I would like higher resolution for landscapes, stills, and more cropping ability.
My lenses: 20 1.8G, 35 1.2 DN, 65 F2 Voigtlander, 75 1.8 Samyang.
Usage: My kids/family, landscapes, some street photography, stills (when hiking in woods, nature). I want to crop mostly from 20 1.8G at family events, kids indoor shots, also as walkaround outdoor shots. I take videos only my kids, 2-5min long 1080/60p. I don't print large, mostly I watching pictures my 5120x2160 display with zooming on details.

1. First I took my eyes on A7RIIIA because it's the most affordable resolution step up. Also I like tilt screen, however never used foldable, I think it's way faster to tilt than fold and tilt. 42MP seems sweet spot in processing, storing, high iso, camera shake, no AA filter mean moire but better sharpness.

2. Then A7IV got cashback deal, now it's exactly in same price with A7RIIIA. It's 33MP not huge improvement from 24MP, bit better crops, it may have also no AA filter so more visible moire than a scaled 42 or 60MP image. It has better grip, now I have X1EM on A7III and planned to transfer to A7RIII (35 1.2 demand a moderate grip). Main advantage it is 4 years newer (easier sell in future to upgrade), AF and response time, and that is the most important factor what is the experience compared to A7RIII? 42MP is useless when not able take the shot or AF miss only a tiny bit at 1.2 close distance. As I can say, the kids are not too still subjects. However I have not so much issue with A7III, the most common when moving suddenly in close distance, pick the further eye or pick hair before eye. 4k/60 recording is tempting but video is not my main concern.

3. Used A7RIV. In quite good conditions with barely any warranty the same price range as the other two (brand new). 60MP less visible aliasing, 26MP in APS-C, huge files. Best EVF, AF performance somewhere between A7RIII any A7IV, video also. I don't need 60MP for sure, only advantage is the least color aliasing and cropping ability. High iso performance is worse then other two.

4. Letting go my temptation for new body, because 24MP is still good when not print large, and because of november deals.

Nov 23, 2023 at 03:06 PM

catacore
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · A7RIII/A7IV/(A7RIV)

The "R" versions are "superior" versions to the regular ones (wrt features), so you might want to consider this.

I went through the same choice process a few months back and have managed to get a very good price on a used A7Riv body (basicaly I bought it for the same price as a used A7Riii body). The R4 version offers a better grip and better weather sealing. And newer tech compared to A7Riii. I am very happy with my choice (I also had, in the past, the A7Riii alongside A7iii, now it's A7Riv and A7c).

Edited on Nov 24, 2023 at 02:03 PM · View previous versions

Nov 24, 2023 at 01:15 PM

Lukacs
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · A7RIII/A7IV/(A7RIV)

Also leaning toward a used A7rIV. I'm a "prime lens guy", and all 20 1.8, 35 1.2, 65 F2 APO can resolve 60MP with a huge crop ability. If I have zoom lenses like 20-70 or 24-70 2.8 an A7IV considered a better choice.

Nov 24, 2023 at 01:26 PM

Zayne12
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · A7RIII/A7IV/(A7RIV)

I use the 20-70 on an a7rv and get some amazing results. I would bring the choose to between the a7iv and the a7riv if money isn't that big if an issue and then zero in from there.

Nov 24, 2023 at 01:41 PM

catacore
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · A7RIII/A7IV/(A7RIV)

Lukacs wrote:
I'm a "prime lens guy"...

Same here, hence 61MP makes more sense

Nov 24, 2023 at 02:05 PM

SpecFoto
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · A7RIII/A7IV/(A7RIV)

Originally bought into Sony back in 2018 because of Eye Detect AF and the A7III was my camera. Wanted more MP because I do a lot of outdoor portraits so I got the A7RIII. However it was a bad at this because of the small 399 AF point coverage on the sensor. On most vertical portrait with a persons head near the top of the frame (which is the majority of my portraits) the Eye Detect AF would not focus on the eyes and cycle (wobble) between Contrast and Phase Detect AF searching to lock on and I had to turn off Eye Detect AF and manually move the AF point. My A7III never had this issue and as this was very frustrating I kept the A7RIII only for about 7 months and got a used A7RIV instead. Its 579 AF points coverage on the sensor is greater, 3 additional rows of AF points each on the top and bottom in the vertical orientation, and have never had the wobble effect happen again, vertically or horizontally as the Eye Detect AF just locks on.

I mostly shoot primes and the 26MP file the APS-C crop mode the 61MP brings is great, my Batis 135 becomes a 202mm lens with a simple button push. The 42MP sensor of the A7RIII yields a 18MP file in the crop mode. The Eye Detect AF is also better, as is the weather resistance, and I actually use the Real Time tracking for airshows with my 100-400 GM, it works very well. The A7RIV viewfinder has 2.1 Million dots more and is the best EVF I have used. Another updated feature I really liked was a locking EC button to avoid accidentally movement. So overall an improved and updated body and for me, well worth the small price difference.

Nov 24, 2023 at 03:17 PM

catacore
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · A7RIII/A7IV/(A7RIV)

Yes, the "normal" versions of cameras being released after the "R" versions, will have newer tech packed in. Still, the "R" series remain the "premium" offering between the two.

So, correspondingly, the A7iv has more advanced tech when compared with the A7Riv, it's 2+ years between those camera's release dates.

Nov 25, 2023 at 11:22 AM

patotts
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · A7RIII/A7IV/(A7RIV)

It depends on your budget and how much you value the shooting experience. The a7IV and a7RV have the new menu system, and better operational speed (start-up time, buffer, etc). Each generation of Sony cameras seems to have better color fidelity as well.

I think the a7IV is an amazing camera, and a great value if you can find a minty used one. a7RV is certainly a step above, but now we are talking ~120 mb raw files so you'll need more storage and computer processing power as well. Same goes for the a7RIV.

Lastly, the new AI chip in the a7RV is just bonkers for tracking people. If you photograph kids and family, it will make a real difference.

Nov 25, 2023 at 02:14 PM

Lukacs
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · A7RIII/A7IV/(A7RIV)

patotts wrote:
It depends on your budget and how much you value the shooting experience. The a7IV and a7RV have the new menu system, and better operational speed (start-up time, buffer, etc). Each generation of Sony cameras seems to have better color fidelity as well.

I think the a7IV is an amazing camera, and a great value if you can find a minty used one. a7RV is certainly a step above, but now we are talking ~120 mb raw files so you'll need more storage and computer processing power as well. Same goes for the a7RIV.

Lastly, the new AI chip in the a7RV...Show more →

A7RV definitely out of my reach, I can find decent used A7RIV half of new A7RV price, and almost that new A7RIII/A7IV/used A7RIV price range is a bit expensive.
Only thing I want upgrade from A7III is resolution. For family, portraits 24MP is plenty. But other usage landscapes, nature however I don't print, but like "pixel peeping", just zooming images and observe distinct details. Also find I like to use 20 1.8 indoor shots, and with a APS-C crop switch its 30mm, so perfectly cover 20-30mm indoor range with lot of speed, but for cropping more MP is always better. All my lenses can serve high resolution sensors, I think 24MP to 33MP is not much an upgrade, and AF side I find A7III is good enough, I hope A7RIV is not worse.
Other thing I prefer high res sensors the lack of AA filter, I like those razor sharp edges. A7IV seems don't have AA filter too, but 33MP tend to show more moire in this case.

Nov 26, 2023 at 02:04 AM

tuomkok
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · A7RIII/A7IV/(A7RIV)

Before buying A7r3 I was using Nikon D810. A7r3 was much better than Nikon in everything except haptics. Expecially I liked the IBIS, accurate of and - believe it or not!! - speed of A7r3. I know A7r3 is not a speed demon but things have to be seen in context

The relatively economical allround Sony camera I would buy A7IV. Maybe A7c2 if small size is priority. The cameras to want are A1 and A7r5, depending on what kind of photography you do. But for a stills shooter not needing a very responsive camera or latest af-tech, A7r3 is still a solid choice.

Nov 26, 2023 at 02:34 AM


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