By: Jim Decker
The Sony a7 IV boasts an all-new sensor and other significant performance upgrades from the previous Sony a7 III camera. The “middle” child of the a7 series, the base model has often been looked over. But at 33MP resolution, it’s knocking on the door of being called a hi-res camera. Can this be a Sony a1 on a budget that deserves a second look?
A More Affordable a7 Series Camera
Probably the biggest headline for this camera is the price point. At the time of writing this camera comes in at $2499, which is a bargain compared to the $4000 more you’ll spend on a Sony a1.
The Sony a7 IV and Sony a1 are extremely similar in terms of size and control layout, but are completely different cameras under the hood. Luckily some of the good tech advancements of the Sony a1 has made it into the Sony a7 IV.
Previous a7 base models lacked some specs and performance when compared to their S or R model siblings. While there was a price difference for the base a7 models, in the grand scheme of things by the time a complete underwater camera system was put together, it just didn’t seem to make sense when the only difference in the cost of the underwater camera system is just the camera body, and a lot of times it amounted to $1500 or less of a difference. Most of our customers at Backscatter wound up going either to the S or R models, and as a result, we had very few takers for the base a7 model cameras.
The EVF of the Sony a7 IV is great, allowing me to see both the sunball and tube sponge in the foreground, just like the more expensive Sony a1.
Sony a7 IV | Canon 8-15mm Lens | 1/250 | ISO 100 | ƒ16
With the specs and performance of the Sony a7 IV being a significant upgrade to other base models in the past, it’s worth it to take another look. With that being said, let’s dive into what you get with the Sony a7 IV and what you give up compared to the a7S, a7R, or a1 models.
Much Greater Resolution Than Previous a7 Base Cameras
The sensor is all-new for Sony and is coming in at a 33MP compared to the 24MP sensor of the previous Sony a7 III. While the resolution is much lower than the 50MP of the Sony a1 and the 61MP of the Sony a7R IV, 33MP is still a lot of resolution for big prints and crops in post. While the Sony a7 IV won’t capture the detail of either of those cameras, it’s still pretty darn good and would have been considered a top camera with these specs just a few years ago. The images captured with the Sony a7 IV look great.
Being able to go down to ISO 50 allows for more open apertures while maintaining a dark background while snooting. The image quality bump from less diffraction combined with the nice sensor from the Sony a7 IV makes for a high-quality photo.
Sony a7 IV | Sony 90mm Lens | 1/250 | ISO 50 | ƒ13
