Sony Alpha 7 vs Sony Alpha 7 IV

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Alpha 7 compared with Alpha 7 IV

	SonyAlpha 7	SonyAlpha 7 IV
Overview
Released
Released	November 2013	November 2021
Image and sensor
Camera type
Camera type	Mirrorless	Mirrorless
Sensor format
Sensor format	Full frame	Full frame
Sensor type
Sensor type	Exmor CMOS	Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS
Sensor dimensions
Sensor dimensions	35.8 × 23.9 mm	35.9 × 23.9 mm
Effective resolution
Effective resolution	24.3 MP	33 MP
Largest image
Largest image	6000 × 4000	7008 × 4672
RAW recording
RAW recording	Yes	Yes
Standard ISO range
Standard ISO range	100–25600	100–51200
Sensor detail
Sensor detail	Approximately 24.7 million total pixels; 3:2 sensor; anti-static coating and ultrasonic dust reduction	Approximately 34.1 million total pixels; 3:2 full-frame sensor
Image formats
Image formats	JPEG, RAW and RAW+JPEG; Sony ARW 2.3; 14-bit RAW output	JPEG, HEIF and 14-bit RAW; compressed, lossless compressed and uncompressed RAW options
ISO detail
ISO detail	Standard still-image ISO 100–25600; expanded ISO 50. Multi Frame NR offers ISO 51200 by combining images, rather than extending the standard single-image range.	Standard still-image ISO 100–51200; expanded ISO 50–204800. Movie ISO 100–51200, expandable to 102400.
Image processor
Image processor	BIONZ X	BIONZ XR
Lens and shooting
Lens mount
Lens mount	Sony E-mount	Sony E-mount
Stabilisation
Stabilisation	Optical lens stabilisation	Sensor shift
Maximum continuous burst
Maximum continuous burst	5 fps	10 fps
Lens detail
Lens detail	Interchangeable E-mount; full-frame FE lenses use the whole sensor, while APS-C lenses use a crop. ILCE-7K includes FE 28–70mm F3.5–5.6 OSS; the photograph shows this kit.	Interchangeable E-mount; body figures exclude lenses. ILCE-7M4K kit includes FE 28–70mm F3.5–5.6 OSS.
Autofocus
Autofocus	Fast Hybrid AF; 117 phase-detection and 25 contrast-detection points in full-frame mode; single AF, continuous AF, direct manual focus and manual focus; Eye AF and Lock-on AF	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
Shutter	Electronically controlled focal-plane shutter; 30 seconds to 1/8000 second plus Bulb; flash sync 1/250 second	Mechanical or electronic shutter; 1/8000 second to 30 seconds plus Bulb; full-frame flash sync 1/250 second
Burst detail
Burst detail	Approximately 5 fps Speed Priority Continuous or 2.5 fps normal continuous shooting. Sony's original ILCE-7/7R Help Guide states that speed-priority focus normally fixes at the first image, but specifically permits phase-detection AF with Continuous AF on the ILCE-7; exposure behaviour depends on AEL-with-shutter settings. Speed and tracking depend on shooting conditions and lens compatibility. Sony specifies a speed-priority buffer of 25 RAW or 23 RAW+JPEG photographs.	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
Stabilisation detail	No sensor-shift stabilisation; optical correction requires a compatible OSS lens	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.
Flash
Flash	No built-in flash; external flash uses the Multi Interface Shoe	–
Exposure controls
Exposure controls	Program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual; Intelligent Auto, Superior Auto, scene modes, Sweep Panorama, DRO and Auto HDR	–
Video
Highest video resolution
Highest video resolution	1920 × 1080 at 60 fps	3840 × 2160 at 60 fps
Video detail
Video detail	AVCHD Full HD 60p/24p on the Japanese model; PAL versions offer 50p/25p. Interlaced 60i/50i modes are separate from progressive frame rates. MP4 recording also available. HDMI 4K output is for still-image playback, not 4K movie recording.	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.
Audio
Audio	Built-in stereo microphone; 3.5 mm microphone and headphone sockets; recording-level adjustment and audio-level display	–
Screen and viewfinder
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Electronic
Screen size
Screen size	3″	3″
Screen dots
Screen dots	921,600	1,036,800
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	Yes
Tilting screen
Tilting screen	Yes	Yes
Display detail
Display detail	TFT screen tilts approximately 90° up or 45° down; dots count colour subpixels	Side-opening vari-angle touchscreen, approximately 176° opening and 270° rotation; dots are not image pixels
Viewfinder detail
Viewfinder detail	0.5-inch XGA OLED Tru-Finder; 2,359,296 dots; 100% coverage; approximately 0.71× magnification with a 50 mm lens at infinity	0.5-type OLED; 3,686,400 dots; 100% coverage; approximately 0.78× magnification; 60 or 120 fps display
Connections and design
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	Yes
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	340 photographs	580 photographs
Body weight
Body weight	416 g (better)	573 g
Release detail
Release detail	Sony Japan specifies 15 November 2013 for the original ILCE-7 body and ILCE-7K kit, following its 16 October announcement. This is not the higher-resolution Alpha 7R or a later Alpha 7 generation.	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
Recording media	SD, SDHC and SDXC including UHS-I; Memory Stick PRO Duo, PRO-HG Duo and XC-HG Duo	Slot 1 accepts CFexpress Type A or UHS-I/II SD cards; slot 2 accepts UHS-I/II SD cards
Ports
Ports	Multi/Micro USB, Micro HDMI, microphone and headphone sockets, Multi Interface Shoe	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
Wireless connections	Built-in Wi-Fi and NFC	Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, subject to regional 5 GHz restrictions; Bluetooth 4.1
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	NP-FW50; Sony Japan claims approximately 340 photographs using the monitor or 270 using the viewfinder under CIPA conditions	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
Charging	USB charging in the camera	In-camera USB-C charging and USB Power Delivery
Dimensions
Dimensions	Approximately 126.9 × 94.4 × 48.2 mm (width × height × depth) in Sony's launch table; the Japanese specification also gives 54.8 mm from grip to viewfinder, versus 48.2 mm from grip to monitor	Approximately 131.3 × 96.4 × 79.8 mm; 69.7 mm depth from grip to monitor
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 416 g body only; 474 g including battery and Memory Stick PRO Duo; both exclude the lens	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.
Materials
Materials	Magnesium-alloy top cover and internal structure; dust- and moisture-resistant design, not a waterproof rating	–