Sony Alpha 7 IV

If you are looking for a particularly compact full-frame camera with the latest autofocus capabilities, the Alpha 7C II is a good choice. However, most of the larger cameras in the test field offer greater ease of use, e.g. an autofocus joystick or better viewfinders. The Canon EOS R8, which is the second cheapest camera tested with a street price of 1800 euros, won the test and offers the best value...

The Alpha 7 IV combines some of the features of the top-of-the-range Alpha 1 model and the video specialist Alpha 7S III: touch operation, good image stabilisation, many video modes - everything is actually there. So if you're a photographer who doesn't need more than 33 megapixels or more than 10 fps, the Alpha 7 IV is the best choice in the Sony segment...

Our test results clearly show the advantages and disadvantages of the new technology: for the first time, extremely fast image series and videos are possible without any rolling shutter effect or problems with flickering artificial light and there are also new possibilities with flash. However, this is offset by higher image noise and a lower dynamic range...

The Sony A7IV also intervenes strongly in the signal tuning of RAWs. At ISO 100 you gain an unusual amount of resolution with RAW. At higher sensitivities we tend to use more careful denoising, for example with LR2. This is more likely to preserve the improvements in fine detail...

All in all, the A7 IV is the best entry-level camera Sony has ever offered: 33 megapixels for more crop latitude, a larger body for comfortable handling, many detail improvements. Sony has upgraded the OLED viewfinder and extended the touch functionality to menu navigation; in the newly structured main menu, orientation is easier...

The presentation of the new generation of an already existing camera series is often characterised by the fact that there are only rather small and evolutionary improvements. In the case of the Sony A7 IV, this is somewhat different. It goes a big step further with the notable increase in image resolution, which is very well implemented by the sensor and image processor...