p.2 #1 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
UCTeeth wrote:
I am not invested in any system currently. I almost went Nikon Z8 but heard mixed reviews on the autofocus
Steve Perry from Back Country Gallery shoots with the Nikon Z8 and Z9. Plus the A1 and A9III. But he seems to love the Z's for what they offer for their price point. And they are more affordable.
But if you are invested in Sony? I would say the A7RV.
p.2 #2 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
There was a review a while back that said the A7IV is just about as good as the A9's at tracking and getting keepers. I have had both, and If between those two specifically I would go with the A7IV. Plus, you can actually use the ES for moving subjects. You have to go mechanical with the RV.
p.2 #3 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
Between the two you mentioned, definitely A7RV. The Ai processor in the A7RV works great and A7IV does not have the dedicated Ai chip and hence af is not as reliable or sticky. One thing nobody has mentioned is buffer depth. The A7IV has a terrible small buffer and will lock up quickly shooting sports. You also must use the fastest V90 SD cards or CFExp A then it’s much more workable. When I use the A7RV I have no issues with buffer and the higher resolution works well for cropping in post.
p.2 #4 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
I wanted to point out here that we have been shooting mechnical shutter for the last 100 years and by no means is it the pits as some think. Sure black out free electronic is nice but its not the end all be all and not always needed its new tech I get it but the old tech is still quite wonderful. I went in reverse and sold my A1 for the A7RV and the new AF system in the A7RV was a wonder for me on what I doing and beats the A1. My choice may seem weird as I went back to mechnical shutter but losing tracking as I did with the A1 was not good . Today I would love the A9III as I think the best Sony put on market and for me a nice plus factor but 24mpx would be tough for me . But I will say after 50 years of this stuff the best general use cam is the A7RV no question it may not have the stacked sensor but I never had issues with mechnical shutters but would love the global one of the A9III
Folks there is no perfect camera after 50 years as a Pro I never had one and I never will.
You are always buying a compromise and you have to pick what seems to best for what you do.
p.2 #5 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
Sometimes hard to understand how even 10fps isn't enough for some people, just think back to the poor sports photographers in the days of film with 36 exposures. iso maybe maxing at 800 and usually around 5 fps (Nikon F5 could go to 8). Sure life is easier these days with high iso, AI focussing and insane fps speeds but in the right hands any of these late generation cameras will get good results
p.2 #7 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
I wasn't saying anything is wrong with using the mechanical shutter. I have the RV now and use it quite often. I'm simply saying that the ES shutter on the 7IV is superior and can be used, whereas on the RV it's essentially useless for anything moving. That and the excellent tracking abilities of the camera is a good tandem. I would actually consider using the 7IV as a second camera for action, but I want a stacked sensor camera.
p.2 #10 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
Dultimate wrote:
I wasn't saying anything is wrong with using the mechanical shutter. I have the RV now and use it quite often. I'm simply saying that the ES shutter on the 7IV is superior and can be used, whereas on the RV it's essentially useless for anything moving. That and the excellent tracking abilities of the camera is a good tandem. I would actually consider using the 7IV as a second camera for action, but I want a stacked sensor camera.
p.2 #11 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
It can track and keep up great but due to its extra slow readout speed you get rolling shutter with any movement using the ES.
If you were using the RV in ES for stills or landscape and some action started happening, you would have to turn on the mechanical shutter to capture it or else most if not all your action images will be useless. It's actually worse than that, but for this discussion, it's the point I'm trying to make. With the 7IV, you can keep it in the ES mode for all but the most demanding action.
p.2 #13 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
You still have to shoot it in mechanical shutter to get the benefits of these cameras for Sports. You will get some motion and warping if you dont. The sensor read out speed is slower than the A9 and A1 systems in electronic shutter.
p.2 #14 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
AZHeaven wrote:
Steve Perry from Back Country Gallery shoots with the Nikon Z8 and Z9. Plus the A1 and A9III. But he seems to love the Z's for what they offer for their price point. And they are more affordable.
He also said he'd pick the A1 over either Nikon when pressed to get a shot. With a bunch of qualifications, as per usual. And yes, while he has both systems, he usually shoots Nikon these days. But that has nothing to do with AF.
Jun 12, 2024 at 08:15 PM
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p.2 #15 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
p.2 #16 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
Daran wrote:
He also said he'd pick the A1 over either Nikon when pressed to get a shot. With a bunch of qualifications, as per usual. And yes, while he has both systems, he usually shoots Nikon these days. But that has nothing to do with AF.
I just watched his review of the new Z6III. The AF struggles for sure. But wow! What an upgrade! And spec wise from what I saw it beats the A7IV in almost every way for the same price. But that's just an initial thought right now on my part. Still sticking with Sony. I'm too invested in Sony!
p.2 #17 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
If 24mp is fine reach-wise grab a used A9 for $1,200 and spend the rest on good lenses. Such a good value IMO, I'd still have mine if it wasn't for field sports I'm shooting needing either more MP, causing me to move to an A1.
p.2 #18 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
The read-out sensor speed of the A7R5 really limits it for sports unless you want weird looking bats and rackets. Great for slow action shots though with all that resolution.
p.2 #19 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
Something nobody has mentioned. If you're using the LCD instead of the EVF, the LCD on the A7 IV has less brightness than the A9II (both tested on "Sunny Weather" setting). Meaning it is likely dimmer than the A7RV, but I have not measured that one yet.
p.2 #20 · Sony A7RV or Sony A7IV for Sports Photography
Critters wrote:
The read-out sensor speed of the A7R5 really limits it for sports unless you want weird looking bats and rackets. Great for slow action shots though with all that resolution.
Uh...no. Electronic shutter wise, sure, but all non-A1-or-A9 will have that. Mechanical shooting won't have those issues.
