The successor to Sony’s highly acclaimed a7R III has arrived.
During a live presentation in New York City Sony revealed the latest in its series of high-resolution full-frame mirrorless cameras and claims that sets “new standards” in image quality and operability. The Sony a7R IV boasts a full-frame sensor with 61MP of resolution, which delivers “medium-format image quality” and also achieves 26MP in APS-C mode, surpassing many APS-C cameras. For the APS-C crop it uses the central part of the lens’s image, the best and sharpest section.

The a7R IV’s sensor is an Exmor R back-illuminated model. It’s also capable of using Pixel Shift Multi Shooting to produce ultra-high-resolution images, taking 16 separate exposures with movements of less than one pixel. The resulting image is 240MP in resolution and reportedly almost 1GB in file size.

In addition to that pixel-packed sensor, the a7R IV features a 15-stop dynamic range, continuous shooting up to 10 frames per second and 567 phase-detect autofocus points that cover 74% of the frame; real-time eye autofocus tracking for stills and movies, which can handle both human and animal subjects; 4K HDR movie recording without any pixel binning and with S-Log 2/3 support for editing (although without a 60p mode, as it caps out at 30p); ISO range of 100-32000 (and 50-102400 expandable); battery life of around 539 shots with the EVF or 670 shots without.

Other improvements include a 5.76-million-dot electronic viewfinder, redesigned grip, enhanced resistance against dust and moisture, dual UHS-II SD card slots, and wireless tethering. Sony’s latest camera comes as more and more consumers shift away from DSLR-style cameras to mirrorless bodies, which are often more compact and efficient.

The body has been redesigned, with upgraded weather-sealing, including foam gaskets around the battery and card doors, and raised lips around all the connectors that, along with rubber port doors prevent water from working its way around the seal. There’s also a significantly deeper grip, a larger joystick and repositioned, ‘newly designed’ buttons and dials. The camera also has 802.11ac Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth and NFC.

Naturally, as is the case with most of Sony’s mirrorless line, the a7R IV is geared toward photographers and videographers alike.

Regarding the movie recording functions of the new a7R IV camera, it is very nice to see that there is no limitation of 29:59 Min. recording time anymore. The camera will also boast a 4K (3840 x 2160px) from 6K oversampling feature. For video autofocus, the Sony a7R IV employs an improved Fast Hybrid AF system which delivers a faster, smoother and more reliable autofocus function throughout continuous video recording.

In addition to that, the camera sports an HDMI Type-A connector as previous models but there is especially one important new feature to mention: The camera monitor will stay on while recording and having the HDMI 4K output (24p) hooked up as well. There will also be a new dedicated movie function menu and an overhauled new digital audio interface available with the camera.

There’s also a new digital interface between the microphone and camera, making the a7R IV the first camera to accept digital audio input. To go along with that there’s a new microphone and an XLR adapter, both of which have built-in ADCs to provide a digital signal to the camera (but which also have analog output modes to retain compatibility with older cameras).

Alongside the product announcement of the a7R IV camera, Sony has introduced four new accessories which will also hit the market very soon: a new Vertical Hand-Grip, a new Digital Shotgun Microphone including an all-new design (ECM-B1M) and a new XLR adaptor kit (XLR-K3M).

So here is an overview of the specifications:

• World’s first 35mm Full-Frame 61.0 MP Image sensor (Exmor R CMOS sensor)
• BIONZ X image processor (newest generation)
• 4K HDR / S&Q
• 15-stop Enhanced Dynamic Range
• 5-axis Optical IN-body Image Stabilisation (shutter speed advantage of 5.5 steps; CIPA standards)
• 10 fps Shooting with Full AF /AE tracking
• 567 focal-plane phase-detection AF points covering 74% of the image area and 425 contrast AF points
• Real-time Eye AF for Still / Move / Human / Animal (a first in all of Sony’s cameras)
• Real-time Tracking
• 5.76 million dot UXGA OLED Viewfinder (Tru-Finder™)
• Upgraded Connectivity and Operability
• 4K Movie Recording, S-Log 2/3, HLG
• Upgraded Dust and Moisture Resistance / Built for Durability
• Multi-Interface Shoe (MI Shoe) with Digital Audio Interface
• ISO range: 100 – 32.000 ISO (Expandable: 50 – 102.400 ISO)
• Interchangeable E-Mount Lens Camera
• In Super 35mm mode: full pixel readout without pixel binning
• Faster wireless Data Transfer via high-speed Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz)
• SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.2 Gen 1) USB Type-C™ connector for ultra-fast data transmission
• Updated Handgrip

The new Sony alpha 7R IV is expected to ship in late August 2019, priced at approximately $3500.
The VG-C4EM Vertical Grip will be shipping in September, priced at $400, and the ECM-B1M Shotgun Microphone will ship in the same month, priced $350.

More info on Sony’s website.