Sony Alpha A7R IV: Everything you need to know

The Sony Alpha A7R IV has been announced in New York. A Tribe Called Cars takes a look at the specs to see what makes it special, particularly for automotive snappers.

Bad news, Sony is still yet to unveil the long-awaited A7S III. The good news is that it just unveiled the world’s first 61-megapixel full frame camera with a 35mm sensor, putting the Japanese manufacturer back at the forefront of mirrorless cameras.

So what else makes this particular camera tick and will it benefit automotive photographers and videographers? A Tribe Called Cars to give you the lowdown, having inspected all the specs provided by Sony.

The Sony Alpha A7R IV sensor is HUGE

A 61-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor puts the Sony Alpha A7R IV ahead of its competitors. What it means is more detailed images and the ability to use them at a much larger size, or you can crop an image more dramatically and still retain quality.

Not only that, you can use the built-in sensor-shift multi-shot mode to capture images of 240 megapixels. To give you an idea of detail, that collection of 16 pixel-shifted images works out at 963.2-million pixels, which is composited to 240.8-million (19,008×12,672 pixels).

It helps that the new Sony camera’s updated sensor and Bionz X image processor boasts 15 stops of dynamic range. The higher number of stops, the more the camera can capture the difference between the lightest and darkest parts of an image.

Then there’s the 5.5-axis in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) that works when shooting at full resolution. This makes it easier to shoot smoother video and capture sharp photos handheld without having to increase the aperture speed, sparing you from losing as much light or having to up the ISO.

As for capturing fast-moving objects such as cars and wildlife, the Sony Alpha A7R IV can take 61-megapixel photos at up to 10 frames per second continuously for seven seconds and ‘approximately’ three times as long when shooting in APS-C mode, according to Sony.

Keeping your subject in focus is done using the 567 focal-plane phase-detection that covers 74 per cent of the image in full frame mode and nearly 100 per cent in APS-C mode. 425 contrast AF points also help to ensure accurate and fast focus tracking.

The crop mode is greater than the Sony A7III in full frame

Speaking of APS-C, the Sony Alpha A7R IV can shoot in crop mode at 26.2 megapixels. That’s better than the A7III’s 24.2 in full-frame mode and every other APS-C rival. What this means is Super 35 video will be of higher resolution and that you get all the zoom benefits of using a smaller part of the sensor with less of a drawback.

Video-wise, there is no 4K at 60 frames per second. This will be annoying for videographers, but then the A7R range has always been more about photography. Plus it would be unwise for this camera to tread on the toes of the forthcoming A7S III.

However, you do get absolutely no pixel-binning when shooting in Super 35 plus S-Log2, S-Log3 formats and HDR Instant workflow for helping get the best from footage and flexible colour grading. In full frame, it’s a 6K image compressed to 4K HDR.

The Sony Alpha A7R IV can also continuously track using eye autofocus while recording video and taking photos. For stills, the Sony can track an animal’s eyes and not just that of a human. This can be operated on the fly using the touchscreen rear display.

The other changes are rather useful

This time around, the Sony Alpha A7R IV can utilise two memory cards of the UHS-II variety for fast write speeds. So there’s less chance of losing all your photos if a card corrupts, although I’ve never had this issue over four years of mostly happy A7R II ownership.

There’s also a 5.76-million-dot UXGA OLED Tru-Finder viewfinder, which means the ability to see your images in greater detail before you take them and after. A 1.6x improvement on the A7R III, if you were curious.

The Sony Alpha A7R IV benefits from a new, hopefully comfier body grip, a new dual NP-FZ100 battery grip attachment (VG-C4EM) and improved weather sealing along the seams. Sony is keen to stress it’s still not fully dust and weather-proof though.

New connectivity comes in the form of PC sharing over either 2.4GHz or 5GHz WiFi, saving the need to dig out a physical cable.

If you prefer the wired approach, it’s good to know the latest Sony camera can use a USB 3.1 Type-C connector for even faster data transfer.

There is also the brand new multi-interface hot shoe, which will play nice with a new ECM-B1M shotgun microphone accessory, plus a new XLR adapter kit arriving later in the year.

So what’s missing?

Yet again, the screen flips out in a way that will not benefit those who like to point the camera at themselves. No doubt this is another feature coming to the A7S III. If not, prepare for a lot of flak, Sony. It is also unclear what codecs are used for video and other specifics such as rolling shutter reduction so bookmark the page for more info as we get it.

When can I buy the Sony Alpha A7R IV?

August 2019 is the release date in Europe for the Sony Alpha A7R IV. The US price is US$3,500, while it will cost £3,500 in the UK (€4,000 in other parts of Europe). The VG-C4EM grip will cost £400 (€450) when it arrives in September.

The same month will also see the launch of the £340 (€380) ECM-B1M stereo microphone. Those wanting the £580 (€650) XLR-K3M adapter will have to wait until October.

Based on what seems like even greater detail and faster autofocus in a similarly compact package, I can see a lot of photographers taking the punt. Even if they already have the ex-flagship A9 or the A7R III.