Ive been gone for a few years due to a bad car accident; not my fault!. Had to get rid of my gear - but now im in the position to buy gear again.
Previously had the A7rIV, 20-700II and 200-600. Combo was amazing to be honest. I shot mostly landscapes and wildlife. I have since moved to Nashville and want to photograph the fall color here in Eastern TN before I head back home to Utah in March. Will buy the 70-200 and 200-600 again,. although the 50-150 and 400-800 weren't around a few years ago.
My question is do you think the A7rV is worth the extra $800 or so over the A7RIV? I was happy with it, and wouldn't hesitate going this route again. However if the gains on the new model is worth it, I am interested in what I would gain.
I wouldve gone this route no questions asked, but my 10 year old MBP is dying so had to buy a new one (which is so much faster!).
I use both and image quality is about the same but I do find the A7RV to be a much snappier camera. The A7RIV is a bit sluggish compared to it overall. I’m talking about everything from turning on the camera to navigating menus etc. I also like the newer menus of the A7RV plus it has much better autofocus, better rear screen and overall more features. For me yes, I think it worth it. I do still keep the older one as a backup and for commercial jobs that don’t require speed but where I still need high image quality like shooting architecture, food, restaurants, home interiors, etc..
adventure_photo wrote:
I use both and image quality is about the same but I do find the A7RV to be a much snappier camera. The A7RIV is a bit sluggish compared to it overall. I’m talking about everything from turning on the camera to navigating menus etc. I also like the newer menus of the A7RV plus it has much better autofocus, better rear screen and overall more features. For me yes, I think it worth it. I do still keep the older one as a backup and for commercial jobs that don’t require speed but where I still need high image quality like shooting architecture, food, restaurants, home interiors, etc.....Show more →
thanks for this useful information! Gonna look up the differences and see what else was upgraded. I think I still have some Sony batteries and the Sony pro cards but nothing else lol
Hey Dustin, sounds like a tough time with the car accident, glad you are doing better. I have a couple of A7RV’s and I think they are worth the price difference over the RIV. Especially for the excellent AI AF that nails the eye for portraits or animals, the improved IBIS, gorgeous EVF quality (not sure if that is same?), versatile multi-position LCD, and as mentioned the snappier operation overall.
I have upgraded from IV to V and found it well worth it. Not every improvement on my list may be valuable to you though:
* Better IBIS. I don't even know/remember their ratings but the V is much more usable handheld.
* More flexible LCD. Flips in every direction I want.
* Better AF. Not in terms of accuracy or speed, but in terms of flexibility.
* Better implemented pixel shift (due to better IBIS I suspect). I shoot a lot of film and use the Sony to digitize it, so pixelshift is important to me.
* The shutter closes when the camera is off, protecting the sensor, for the paranoid like myself, who frequently changes lenses in harsh environments outdoors.
Ross Martin wrote:
Hey Dustin, sounds like a tough time with the car accident, glad you are doing better. I have a couple of A7RV’s and I think they are worth the price difference over the RIV. Especially for the excellent AI AF that nails the eye for portraits or animals, the improved IBIS, gorgeous EVF quality (not sure if that is same?), versatile multi-position LCD, and as mentioned the snappier operation overall.
Thanks! I can't believe people still text while driving. And always have the highest underinsured motorist coverage you can get; so glad I pay a few dollars a month for that!
I have been following listings on the B&S forums, and will start to build the kit soon. Can't believe it's almost mid August.
Highest underinsured motorist insurance + no limitation on lawsuit. The latter will raise insurance quite a bit, but can be handy when things turn south.
Dustin Gent wrote:
Thanks! I can't believe people still text while driving. And always have the highest underinsured motorist coverage you can get; so glad I pay a few dollars a month for that!
I have been following listings on the B&S forums, and will start to build the kit soon. Can't believe it's almost mid August.
Jaree wrote:
Highest underinsured motorist insurance + no limitation on lawsuit. The latter will raise insurance quite a bit, but can be handy when things turn south.
That is what I got. and my deductible is $100. I learned long ago that the savings per month aren't worth it. Plus Amica has been fantastic, as have my lawyers been
So now I am looking at the 50-150GM. I know I lose 50MM on the long end, but gain 20mm on the wide end and gain a stop. I know the 50-150 is new, but am wondering how it compares to the 70-200 in terms of AF performance and IQ. I am guessing it is a bit better due to the price difference? And takes the TC just as well?
Dustin Gent wrote:
That is what I got. and my deductible is $100. I learned long ago that the savings per month aren't worth it. Plus Amica has been fantastic, as have my lawyers been
So now I am looking at the 50-150GM. I know I lose 50MM on the long end, but gain 20mm on the wide end and gain a stop. I know the 50-150 is new, but am wondering how it compares to the 70-200 in terms of AF performance and IQ. I am guessing it is a bit better due to the price difference? And takes the TC just as well? ...Show more →
The main benefit of A7RV is the AI AF, it was more upgrade from A7RIV than my former A7III to A7RIV. A7RIV misses critical focus on eye lot more, it's not a huge miss, but on A7RV eyes were tad sharp every time, it's like you have sharper glasses just because of that several mm focus nail. And it's sticky, predicts the eyes extremely good, overall I can't imagine the space for upgrade on A7RVI.
Other thing I like in A7RV the 26MP RAW option, same resolution as APS-C crop. 80% of time I don't need 60MP and more convenient to work and store 26MP RAW files.
IBIS is noticeably better, I had some partly blurred images on A7RIV when use E-shutter (slow readout speed), never happened with A7RV, it's like attached to a tripod.
The EVF is obviously superior on RV, but I didn't care much because in A7RIVa it's also very good.
The screen is tilting and articulating. It's a general advantage, but for me however I liked it for portrait orientation shoots, I mainly use the screen tilt function. Overall the screen is a disadvantage for me, because I hated that thick sandwich construction, with A7RIV was lot easier tilt that aesthetic thin LCD with only one hinge for waist level shooting.
Also I don't like the bulk of A7RV, even there is no significant size difference I prefer A7III and A7RIV size and weight.
Colors are different, I used LR for processing A7RIV has yellowish skin tones, A7RV has reddish. I prefer A7RV's colors most time, but none of them matches my GFX100RF's colors (LR camera profiles without tweaking hassle).
A7RIV has significant lower battery consumption because the lack AI chip.
Overall if you don't need super fast AI AF, articulating screen and want save some cash the A7RIV is a very capable camera with better battery life, smaller, lighter body and superior screen mechanism if you use only tilted.
If you intend chasing kids, action, moving subjects at significant occasions, the A7RV worth over A7RIV.
If you can afford A7RV and just want a more complete camera with capabilities you may need in future I suggest rent it or try it at a dealer, handle both A7RIV and RV how the body size weight, screen feels in your hands, how much you need RV's snappier performance.
Lukacs wrote:
I've had both (now I have GFX100RF and A7III).
The main benefit of A7RV is the AI AF, it was more upgrade from A7RIV than my former A7III to A7RIV. A7RIV misses critical focus on eye lot more, it's not a huge miss, but on A7RV eyes were tad sharp every time, it's like you have sharper glasses just because of that several mm focus nail. And it's sticky, predicts the eyes extremely good, overall I can't imagine the space for upgrade on A7RVI.
Other thing I like in A7RV the 26MP RAW option, same resolution as APS-C crop. 80% of time I don't need 60MP and more convenient to work and store 26MP RAW files.
IBIS is noticeably better, I had some partly blurred images on A7RIV when use E-shutter (slow readout speed), never happened with A7RV, it's like attached to a tripod.
The EVF is obviously superior on RV, but I didn't care much because in A7RIVa it's also very good.
The screen is tilting and articulating. It's a general advantage, but for me however I liked it for portrait orientation shoots, I mainly use the screen tilt function. Overall the screen is a disadvantage for me, because I hated that thick sandwich construction, with A7RIV was lot easier tilt that aesthetic thin LCD with only one hinge for waist level shooting.
Also I don't like the bulk of A7RV, even there is no significant size difference I prefer A7III and A7RIV size and weight.
Colors are different, I used LR for processing A7RIV has yellowish skin tones, A7RV has reddish. I prefer A7RV's colors most time, but none of them matches my GFX100RF's colors (LR camera profiles without tweaking hassle).
A7RIV has significant lower battery consumption because the lack AI chip.
Overall if you don't need super fast AI AF, articulating screen and want save some cash the A7RIV is a very capable camera with better battery life, smaller, lighter body and superior screen mechanism if you use only tilted.
If you intend chasing kids, action, moving subjects at significant occasions, the A7RV worth over A7RIV.
If you can afford A7RV and just want a more complete camera with capabilities you may need in future I suggest rent it or try it at a dealer, handle both A7RIV and RV how the body size weight, screen feels in your hands, how much you need RV's snappier performance. ...Show more →
THANKS for this info! I think im gonna go with the A7rV
I never found the a7rIV to AF very well, especially with the 200-600. The a7rV is far better. You still have to suffer with the slow readout speeds, the sacrific for the high IQ of the sensor.
I really like this base plate for adding enough height to get all of fingers on the grip. It has an ingenious method to swap the batteries without being removed. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09P9ZVDVP
I went from the Riv to the Rv. So many minor improvements that add up to a significant upgrade I am very happy with. I will mention a couple that others haven’t. There is AI white balance and a white balance sensor. This makes the colors much more accurate straight out of camera.
Also the CFE card slot. The Riv used to need for the buffer to clear before changing most settings. The new cpu avoids that and even with a fairly slow CFE card shooting is basically unlimited and almost instant clearing of the buffer.
There is also the focus stacking, need to do the stacking on a computer, but the camera will move the focus and take a series of shots automatically.
More advanced video settings. A new mode dial for photos, video, and Q&S. It also gives a fn menu for each.
The IBIS and EVF have been mentioned and deserve additional mention. If you wear glasses the EVF has a setting that lets you see the entire frame.
