Sony announced the Alpha 7R IV, a new full-frame mirrorless camera with a 61-megapixel back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor. Sony said it’s the highest-resolution full-frame camera it has ever introduced.
“The new Alpha 7R IV combines medium format-level image quality with high-speed shooting, extremely fast focusing and an extensive list of upgrades to design, connectivity and usability,” said Neal Manowitz, deputy president of Sony Electronics Imaging Product and Solutions Americas, in a prepared statement. “This will allow professional photographers, videographers and all other types of creators to capture content in ways that were simply not possible before.”
Sony launch video for Alpha 7R IV.
The high-res sensor, which is said to capture 15 stops of dynamic range, is complemented by a new 5.76-million-dot UXGA OLED viewinder that Sony said is — you guessed it — its highest-resolution electronic viewfinder (EVF) ever. The EVF can be set to standard or high quality mode, and can refresh at either 60fps or 120fps.
Focus on Video Performance
The Alpha 7R IV is designed for impressive auto-focus (AF) performance, with 567 focal-plane phase-detection AF points covering 74 percent of the image area, as well as 425 contrast AF points. Sony said it has refined its AF system for improved speed and stability when shooting video.
And it puts something else in the mix for videographers: a new Sony feature called Real-Time Eye AF. That means the camera automatically tracks the eye of a subject, keeping focus locked even as they move around in the frame so that you can concentrate on framing the image rather than worrying about keeping your subject in focus. Eye AF can be activated by tapping the intended subject on the camera’s 2.95-inch LCD touchscreen.
Also included for video shooters is a digital audio interface built into the MI Shoe, allowing a direct connection from Sony’s new ECM-B1M shotgun mic or its new XLR-K3M adapter kit.
The camera captures 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) XAVC S video at up to 30p across the full width of the CMOS sensor, and offers full-pixel readout (without pixel-binning) when shooting in Super 35mm mode. (Image capture at up to 120p is available in HD mode.) S-Log 2 and S-Log 3 encoding are available, and HLG support enables Sony’s Instant HDR workflow.
Among the accessories Sony is offering for the Alpha 7R IV are the new VG-C4EM Vertical Grip, which holds two NP-FZ100 batteries; the NPA-MQZ1K Multi Battery Adapter, which holds up to four Z batteries; the SF-M series of Tough UHS-II SD cards, and the MRW-S3 USB 3.1 Gen 2 PC hub and UHS-II SD/microSD card reader.
Sony launch video for ECM-B1M shotgun mic.
The Alpha 7R IV is expected to ship in September with a retail price of “approximately $3,500 in the U.S. The ECM-B1M shotgun mic ($350) and VG-C4EM grip ($400) should be available at about the same time, with the XLR-K3M XLR Adapter Kit ($600) following in October.
