Sony A7R IV With 61 MP Full-Frame Sensor Revealed

It’s surprising that Sony was able to keep this secret until the new Sony A7R IV was revealed today at a big press event in New York. The main specs boast a newly developed 61 megapixel back-illuminated full-frame CMOS sensor with 15 stops of dynamic range (14 stops video recording). As well as real-time eye AF tracking for still and video.

Sony A7R IV – A New Era In Full-Frame Sensor Technology

According to Sony the new 61MP rivals medium format performance and in conjunction with the eye AF tracking it sports a new milestone for mirrorless cameras. The hybrid AF system with 567 PDAF and 425 contrast-detect points, (74% frame coverage) and the built-in 5-axis image stabilization (which according to Sony can reduce shake up to 5.5 stops) definitely marks a new level for full format mirrorless cameras.

The redesigned body now features a deeper and slightly bigger grip with improved weather sealing. The button layout has been revamped for better ergonomics when working with the A7R IV.

A Full-Frame Beast With Medium Format Performance

With the pixel shift multi-image mode multiple 16 full-res images can be composited into a 240 megapixel with the “Imaging Edge™” desktop application. While this very likely will be a workflow for the photography enthusiast, videographers and filmmakers are probably not going to look at this as a killer feature. However, it’s not hard to believe that the resulting image quality is putting the Sony A7R IV very close to the quality of medium format cameras.

But Where Are The Impressive Video Specs?

On the video side though, a little more than the 8-Bit 4:2:0 has been expected. This and 4K/60p is something we already see in much cheaper competitors. But given that Sony has conceived it’s model portfolio in specialized cameras for every niche (photography, videography etc.), the long-awaited A7S III will probably be Sony’s take on the competitors’ filmmaking behemoths while this camera should be something professional photographers in the architecture & nature photography niche would consider their A-camera. With a decent burst speed of 10 fps and impressive low-light autofocus performance, the Sony A7R IV is not leaving much to be desired for the sophisticated photographer.

For those of you who can’t wait to see this camera in action, here is a promo video shot on the Sony A7R IV:

Video Oriented Accessories

With accessories like the new ECM-B1M Shotgun Microphone and XLR-K3M XLR Adaptor Kit utilizing the new Multi-Interface (MI) Shoe, it’s clear that Sony (despite the upcoming A7S III) caters to both, the photography AND the filmmaking target group.

With an APS-C crop that covers a huge 26.2 megapixel area with almost 100% phase-detect AF coverage and an exceptional 5.76 million dot UXGA (Ultra-XGA) OLED viewfinder, we are looking at the most advanced mirrorless full-frame camera to date. With its great video capabilities, it still comes with a few major flaws (especially for filmmakers) but that’s probably because Sony just can’t cannibalize other products in this segment and cram everything under the sun into this already very capable camera. Who would buy a potential A7S III then, right?