Product Reviews

I bought this item 4 months ago, the image quality is no better than the riii, with noise and focusing being an issue. The rear screen is as ever a disappointment, other manufacturers make far better use of it.

Great piece of equipment. My online content is going to the next level. Really looking forward to this new adventure...

Pros - superb detail in a studio or good light. Better ergonomics than the Riii. Cons - atrocious noise even at very low ISO. This is probably a side effect of the huge number of pixels but it is unacceptable in a high end camera.

Upgraded form the sony a6000 and wow!, big difference in a good way!

I have been on the edge of moving from Canon to Sony for quite some time. Not an easy move for me. I have been a Canon shooter since the 300D. I had a lot of Canon L Glass as well as 3 cameras. 2-5D Mk IIIs and 1-7D Mk II. After following Gavin Hardcastle and Nick Page on YouTube for almost a year I felt more at ease making the switch. I am so glad I did. I am just loving this camera. It has a few things I really need to get used to but I am very thrilled with the images I am getting.

I bought mine right as it arrived on the market and I wish I would have waited. The noise level seems to be worse on my previous cabers.

As a professional photographer, I can appreciate the amazing IQ and features that this camera offers. 61MP is enough to print VERY large and crop at will. Then you have the Pixel Shift which is amazing for product photography as well. Really, aside from a possible 36MP version of the A9, this camera is at the top of my favorites list!

I've only had this for about 5 weeks having moved up from the A6500, first impressions, I was blown away, loved the bigger body, the deeper grip, the amazing EVF, the 61 mega pixels full frame, the 26 mega pixels in crop mode, the gorgeous colours. Prior to purchasing I'd read forums and reviews so I knew what I was getting, I expected more visible noise & I expected the focusing to be several milliseconds slower than the A9 but I didn't expect the focus to be quite as suspect and inconsistent as it is. I'm not sure if the firmware update has affected it, it sure seems to have become worse following the install but sometimes the camera just won't focus on the subject at all, I'm pressing the back button focus & nothing happens regardless of the focus area in use, I have to move the camera away from the subject, quickly focus on something else then back to the subject, missing the shot. I've also noticed that it doesn't track well, especially on small birds and the focus point tends to jump around, you can point it at the birds head & it will jump off onto the branch, if the bird moves off, it doesn't go with it. (I have the focus setting at 1 locked on) My most recent use of the camera was in woods in the Cairngorms, I had locked the ISO not to go about 4000, it was fairly dark and overcast so every shot was taken at ISO4000, could it be the dark conditions are affecting the camera? I wouldn't have thought so given Sony's rating of it. Now having said that, before the firmware update was released I photographed red kites and I was thrilled by the amount of keepers I got, way more than I did with the A6500, the example attached was shot using the 100-400 at ISO 4000 and it's sharp. I've read that having 61MP will show up any flaws in technique, you need to up your shutter speed to compensate but using it in the Cairngorms I was getting inconsistent results at 1/1000, not many were critically sharp while some were, example 2, but I really struggled to get anything small, the focus system simply didn't seem fast enough to lock on before the bird was off. So in summary, am I happy with my purchase, not really, would I recommend it? Possibly for landscape works or where something is static but not at this time for wildlife or nature. I'll keep testing and if the focus still provides inconsistent results then I'll sell it and get the A9.

Switched from Canon 5D MK II and 6D MK II. Absolutely incredible. Resolution and detail is beyond what I could've ever imagined.

Traded in a Nikon z7 for this for the auto focus which is fantastic but colour and noise at hi iso not up to Nikon standards

Looking forward to using this new Camera next year when time allows

Love everything about the camera and the focus system for Birds in flight. It's another world makes photography fun again.

I am so happy with the handling and the performance it will be my camera fir next couple of years MP , power , handling , speed all in one package Try it , you will love it

This camera is without a doubt the best camera I have ever owned. The detail in the images form the headlining 60MB sensor is astonishing, while the autofocus modes are varied and very quick and accurate. The amount of customisation available is staggering, and it will take time to find all the available options and set the camera up in the best way for you; but make no mistake: this is currently the best landscape camera that money can buy.

Owned for 1 month. used for wildlife photography. Excellent results.

61Mp is a thing, and this camera manages it very well. Slightly noisy if you pixel peep, but the focusing and the image quality is immense. The menu system sucks, and Sony need to address that sometime. Overall very happy with camera.

AWSOME BUILD. FEELS AND LOOKS VERY SOLID. I LOVE MY NEW SONY A7RIV. THANKS

I bought it today and I can not compare it to any camera I have used before

I love macro photography and the superb crop factor of the camera gives me extra magnification without loss of detail.

Fantastic camera in terms of features and performance but seems to have caused my 24-70GM lens to fail. If so want Sony to help. In any case, such an expensive pro lens should never fail for light amature use and it has not been abused in any way.

I bought this as a supplement to the A9 for the extra megapixels

I bought an A7r4 and this lens a month ago, waited until yesterday for the lens, as it is quite popular. and there is a waiting list. This is my first Sony full frame, and I have spent the interval learning the system and setting the camera up. (I also got a Zeiss Batis 18mm, amazing lens) First impressions: I would not classify this kit as lightweight, but it is substantially lighter than anything else similar capability. Image quality is simply awesome, in FF or crop mode. I suspect most birders will use the crop mode more than the FF mode, particularly for small and/or distant birds.The lens becomes a 300-900 in APS-C mode (Called super 35mm here). First order of business is to assign this to a custom button. Cropability of the images is also eye-popping. Resolution is reach, and this oozes resolution. Image stabilization is amazing, I can't hold this rig all that steady, and yet it is tack sharp at relatively low shutter speeds. I haven't started playing with the three modes on the lens yet. So far I am using silent shooting for everything but BIF. Works great, but there is a risk of shutter roll with the tracking focus, hence regular shuttering for BIF. I am using hi-speed shooting mode (10fps, but am thinking about slowing it down except for BIF.) Auto Focus is also highly capable. As a start, I am using DMF with center mode for perched birds, or birds in clutter (often the same). Also have a set up with C-AF and Expand Flex spot. For BIF I am using C-AF with wide focus area, so far in limited action grabs right onto the bird Rear focus button is your friend; use it, and disable the shutter release focus. I also have an Olympus ee-1 red-dot sight for BIF, where has this been all my life?? Makes tracking BIF so much easier. (Note to Sony, build something like this into the view screen, make it assignable to a custom button, or just make it standard above 200-300 mm or so.) As for the infamous menu system, it is really a reflection of the extremely customizable nature of the camera. You aren't really going to use most of it, but you need to know what it all does. It is fairly easy to assign the settings you actually need in the field to the custom buttons, dials, fn menu and the "my menu" slot in the top menu row. I also recommend backing settings up to both the in-camera card(s) and to another (old) card that you carry in your bag. And copy them to your computer as well. And as you set the camera up, keep a chart on what you did, and keep that on your phone. (Note to Sony: you should have an option in the camera to offload something like this as a PDF) (Additional note to Sony: you should provide an option to make ANY setting a favorite from the setting itself. The process of going to the "my menu" section and using an add function is not only cumbersome, but impeded by the fact that the add function uses a different numbering system than the actual menu tree). Couple of random notes about the lens: The tripod foot is not Arca-compatible, you might want to get a third-party one. Look for one that will allow it to mount to the tripod without removing any carrying strap attachment. (Note to Sony: ????!!?). I got a set of camo lens-coats, the lens is pretty white to point at birds. Also, you should buy some lens caps with built in leashes. You can attach the leash to the tag on the lens coat section that covers the hood, using a couple of small cable ties. (be sure that said tag points toward the ground with when locked into place). The leash will reach the lens with the hood in either position, and keeps the cap always at hand. Couple of random notes about the camera. The FF files are very large, a reason to use the crop mode if you are going to crop the photos at least the much anyway. I am recording compressed RAW plus JPEG, given the size of the RAW files, having the JPEGS speeds up workflow considerably. Best advice seems to be that unimpressed RAW is only better for night shooting and astrophotography. Setting can be put into one of the easy to reach places if you want to switch it, for birding it seems superfluous. High capacity UHS-2 cards are NOT an option, unless you like watching your buffer write. The ergonomics of the camera are really excellent (I am average size, wear a mens large glove). It feels great in the hand, and the buttons are well-placed and easy to ID by touch. So, basically happy with it so far, will post some more when I have used it awhile.

- Does not focus properly in Low light (I'm not talking about focusing in dark night scenarios). I'm talking about focusing in well lit conditions where A7III and D810 has no issues. - Sony claims has made improvements with the grip. Well, not unless you buy the Battery grip for this camera. It's still very front heavy (when having a 24-70mm or 85mm Gmaster on it). It'll be great to have a deeper grip. - 10 FPS is great but only if the focus can keep up with it. Experimented with different Fucus techniques (AF-C, AF-A, etc), for some reason even when the focus is locked on the eye or simply an object that doesn't move, You'll still have only 2 of the 10 pics locked. - Finally, THIS IS NOT A CAMERA FOR EVENT PHOTOGRAPHERS. I'm a part time Wedding, Event photographer. Since mirrorless cameras don't have a way of using the AF beam coming from Speedlights (that works perfect in DSLRs) these cameras would not event be useful for events. Only 25-30% of my images could be useful since on the rest the focus is way off. For instance, it takes a D810 a couple of miliseconds to lock the focus, where an a7rIV will still be hunting. So what is the use of this camera on low lit events, I can't turn on an LED to ruin the vibe on the dance floor only because I want to take a picture, Or ruin a moment when I want to take a candid shot.

Before I give my review about this camera, I have to mention that I'm a Sony A7III owner, and also a D810 owner. I use the Nikon D810 as my event photocamera and the A7III for Movies and Photos as well. Now, since I invested into Sony lenses and felt like it's time to upgrade to the A7RIV, I did the move. But since I got it, only 2 days past and here are the main issues with it: - Does not focus properly in Low light (I'm not talking about focusing in dark night scenarios). I'm talking about focusing in well lit conditions where A7III and D810 has no issues. - Sony claims has made improvements with the grip. Well, not unless you buy the Battery grip for this camera. It's still very front heavy (when having a 24-70mm or 85mm Gmaster on it). It'll be great to have a deeper grip. - 10 FPS is great but only if the focus can keep up with it. Experimented with different Fucus techniques (AF-C, AF-A, etc), for some reason even when the focus is locked on the eye or simply an object that doesn't move, You'll still have only 2 of the 10 pics locked. - Finally, THIS IS NOT A CAMERA FOR EVENT PHOTOGRAPHERS. I'm a part time Wedding, Event photographer. Since mirrorless cameras don't have a way of using the AF beam coming from Speedlights (that works perfect in DSLRs) these cameras would not event be useful for events. Only 25-30% of my images could be useful since on the rest the focus is way off. For instance, it takes a D810 a couple of miliseconds to lock the focus, where an a7rIV will still be hunting. So what is the use of this camera on low lit events, I can't turn on an LED to ruin the vibe on the dance floor only because I want to take a picture, Or ruin a moment when I want to take a candid shot. What a disappointment, Sony. What a loss.