All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 33 megapixel Extra Fine JPEG setting, which produces an average image size of around 16.5Mb. Storage comes courtesy of two card slots: one for SD and one that supports either SD or CFexpress. Note that you’ll need a fast SD or CFexpress card for certain advanced recording modes. I don’t have one, so I wasn’t able to test out the camera’s XAVC S-I formats. By default each mode shares the same exposure settings, but delve into the Customisation in the Setup menus and you’ll find options to enable separate settings for stills and movies, which saves lots of time for anyone who regularly switches between them. Note if you push the movie record button during stills mode though, the video will inherit the stills settings. As always, these figures are more useful for comparing cameras, rather than getting an idea of exactly how many shots you'll get (in our experience, getting double the rated number isn't unusual with a new battery). We tend to find a rating of over 500 shots per charge means not really having to worry about battery life in anything but the most intensive pro sports or wedding shoots. The a7 IV's image quality is extremely good, with excellent levels of detail, extensive dynamic range and attractive JPEG color. However, it's not significantly improved over its predecessor or its rivals: you'll get more detail in low ISO situations but this small gain seems to come with slight decreases in dynamic range and high ISO noise performance. The margins are tiny but it's hard to see a net benefit to the new chip.

This effectively means that you either need to accept and work with the 1.5x crop when shooting in 4K/60p, record in 4K/30p for wider-angle subjects, or use an ultra-wide-angle lens for 4K/60p to offset the crop factor. Competition in this space is fierce, with Nikon and Panasonic making very capable, less expensive cameras, and Canon's EOS R6 going toe-to-toe with the Sony in most respects. Dig deep enough, though and the ways in which the Sony stands out start to add up. It's enough to wrest the crown from the R6, which is also enough for it to earn a Gold award. Scoring Focus Map is a brand new feature which lets you easily visualise the depth of field when you're shooting. When enabled, depth map information is overlaid on a display of the live view in real time, so you can easily see which areas are in or out of focus before taking the shot. Ok, next for autofocus and you’re looking at the A7 IV filming 4k 25p with the FE 70-200 2.8 GM II at 70 2.8 and pulling focus between the two bottles effortlessly using a single AF area – this also works well using the touchscreen to select the desired subject.If you shoot video with this camera all the time, you’ll soon have it eating out of the palm of your hand, but if you’re a once-a-month video dabbler, you’re going to have to put some time in learning exactly what’s what, and where it is.

Continuous shooting speed is an area where the Canon EOS R6 appears to perform better with a mechanical shutter frame rate up to 12fps and electronic up to 20fps. To achieve the top speeds, you will need a battery with a decent charge level and a modern lens, but it seems less fussy about RAW file type than the A7 IV.

Main Rivals

If you come to this camera from another Sony model, you will find its settings and controls a logical extension of what you know already, and its performance and capabilities an absolute revelation. The Sony A7 IV offers a range of 11 Picture Profiles which are available when shooting JPEG and/or Raw files. Please complete the form below for a quote - Please be as accurate as possible to help us give an accurate quote. To measure and compare the resolution between the A7 IV, A7 III and EOS R6, I photographed my standard test chart using each camera fitted with the same adapted Sigma 40mm f1.4 ART lens closed to f8. I shot RAW and JPEG but until the A7 IV is supported by Adobe, I’ll be presenting JPEG results for now.