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Sony Alpha 7 IV · Photo source

Sony Alpha 7 IV
Photo 1 of 33

Sony Alpha 7 IV · Photo source

Sony · Alpha

Alpha 7 IV

Released November 2021

Sony's 33-megapixel full-frame E-mount camera combines sensor-shift stabilisation, a vari-angle touchscreen and 10-bit 4K video with a Super 35 crop at 60p.

Type
Mirrorless
Sensor
Full frame
Megapixels
33
Lens
Sony E-mount
Video
3840 × 2160 at 60 fps
Body weight
573 g

What reviewers say

Both reviews praise autofocus, clearer controls and versatile 10-bit video, while noting the 4K 60p crop, moderate burst speed and launch price increase. Photography Blog rates image quality highly; TechRadar finds a smaller still-image improvement over the Alpha 7 III, with high-ISO noise limiting the extra resolution's benefit.

From photographyblog.com and techradar.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Image and sensor

Camera type
Mirrorless
Sensor format
Full frame
Sensor type
Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS
Sensor dimensions
35.9 × 23.9 mm
Effective resolution
33 MP
Largest image
7008 × 4672
RAW recording
Yes
Standard ISO range
100–51200
Sensor detail
Approximately 34.1 million total pixels; 3:2 full-frame sensor
Image formats
JPEG, HEIF and 14-bit RAW; compressed, lossless compressed and uncompressed RAW options
ISO detail
Standard still-image ISO 100–51200; expanded ISO 50–204800. Movie ISO 100–51200, expandable to 102400.
Image processor
BIONZ XR

Lens and shooting

Lens mount
Sony E-mount
Stabilisation
Sensor shift
Maximum continuous burst
10 fps
Lens detail
Interchangeable E-mount; body figures exclude lenses. ILCE-7M4K kit includes FE 28–70mm F3.5–5.6 OSS.
Autofocus
Fast Hybrid AF with 759 phase-detection and 425 contrast-detection points in full-frame mode; Eye AF recognises humans, animals and birds in stills and movies
Shutter
Mechanical or electronic shutter; 1/8000 second to 30 seconds plus Bulb; full-frame flash sync 1/250 second
Burst detail
Hi+ up to 10 fps, Hi 8 fps, Mid 6 fps and Lo 3 fps. Photography Blog and TechRadar report JPEG/compressed RAW are needed for 10 fps; uncompressed or lossless RAW slows to approximately 5–6 fps. Speed and buffer depend on shooting conditions and card.
Stabilisation detail
Five-axis sensor shift; maker claims 5.5 stops under CIPA pitch/yaw conditions with Planar T* FE 50mm F1.4 ZA. Active movie stabilisation adds a crop.

Video

Highest video resolution
3840 × 2160 at 60 fps
Video detail
Internal 4K up to 60p, including 10-bit 4:2:2; 60p/50p uses APS-C/Super 35 rather than full-frame readout. Full-frame 4K 30p uses 7K oversampling. Full HD up to 120p; S-Log3, HLG and S-Cinetone. USB streaming tops out at 4K 15p or Full HD 60p, separately from internal recording.

Screen and viewfinder

Viewfinder
Electronic
Screen size
3″
Screen dots
1,036,800
Touchscreen
Yes
Tilting screen
Yes
Display detail
Side-opening vari-angle touchscreen, approximately 176° opening and 270° rotation; dots are not image pixels
Viewfinder detail
0.5-type OLED; 3,686,400 dots; 100% coverage; approximately 0.78× magnification; 60 or 120 fps display

Connections and design

Wi-Fi
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Battery life (maker's claim)
580 photographs
Body weight
573 g
Release detail
Sony Hong Kong states 25 November 2021 availability; the UK announcement gives December 2021. Announced on 21 October 2021. This is ILCE-7M4, not the Alpha 7R IV or Alpha 7S III.
Recording media
Slot 1 accepts CFexpress Type A or UHS-I/II SD cards; slot 2 accepts UHS-I/II SD cards
Ports
Full-size HDMI Type A; USB-C 10Gbps with Power Delivery; Multi/Micro USB; 3.5 mm microphone and headphone sockets; Multi Interface Shoe with digital audio
Wireless connections
Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, subject to regional 5 GHz restrictions; Bluetooth 4.1
Battery life detail
NP-FZ100. Current Sony Japan specifications give approximately 580 photographs with the monitor or 520 with the viewfinder under CIPA conditions; Photography Blog's launch review instead reports a 610-shot claim. Main figure follows the current maker table.
Charging
In-camera USB-C charging and USB Power Delivery
Dimensions
Approximately 131.3 × 96.4 × 79.8 mm; 69.7 mm depth from grip to monitor
Weight detail
Approximately 573 g body only; current Sony specifications give 658 g with battery and memory card. Photography Blog incorrectly describes the loaded figure as excluding battery/card; it is not used as body weight.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Full-frame 33-megapixel sensor and five-axis sensor-shift stabilisation
  • Human, animal and bird eye autofocus for stills and video
  • Dual card slots, full-size HDMI and USB Power Delivery

Cons

  • 4K 60p requires a Super 35 crop
  • Highest burst speed needs JPEG or compressed RAW

Closest rivals

Model
TypeSensorMegapixelsLensVideoBody weightReleased
CanonEOS R3
MirrorlessFull frame24.1Canon RF6000 × 3164 at 59.94 fps822 gNov 2021
NikonZ 9
MirrorlessFull frame45.7Nikon Z mount8256 × 4644 at 59.94 fps1160 gDec 2021
CanonEOS R5
MirrorlessFull frame45Canon RF8192 × 4320 at 29.97 fps650 gJul 2020

Newer model: Alpha 7 V.

Sources

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  5. sony.com.hk/press/pdf/20211021_e.pdf
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Photo: sony.jp

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