Throughout its award-winning tenure, the Sony Alpha line has been something of a standard-bearer for mirrorless cameras. In particular, the Alpha 7 cameras have garnered industry-wide acclaim for their versatility and power. While the Alpha 7 line is posited as the base package for Sony’s line of full-frame and mirrorless cameras, it’s anything but standard. And Sony is looking to further elevate the connotation associated with base model cameras with the latest iteration of the Alpha line, the Alpha 7 IV.
Sony’s latest hybrid camera has more than eight times the processing power of its predecessor, the Alpha 7 III, with the inclusion of the newest generation of the BIONZ XR image processing engine. The added power provided from the BIONZ XR engine allows the camera to feature real-time Eye-AF tracking for humans and animals, bolstering the Alpha 7 IV’s video capabilities. A 5-axis in-body image stabilization and Active Mode further strengthen the Alpha 7 IV’s video capabilities, allowing users to shoot high-quality footage without the use of a tripod. Moreover, the Alpha IV includes a new 35mm full-frame CMOS Sensor that increases the resolution to 33 megapixels. This major boost in resolution provides an ultra-clear picture while minimizing noise. To put that in perspective, the earlier Alpha models just had 24-megapixel sensors, so the increased resolution in the Alpha 7 IV is something to take notice of. Furthermore, Sony augmented the Alpha 7 IV to have faster memory card support and UVC/UAC live streaming capabilities up to 4K 15p. Add in the improved ergonomics to the grip, and you’ve got a professional-caliber camera that allows you to shoot crisp video or still footage on the go.
The Sony Alpha 7 IV truly is an evolved form of its predecessor. It may look similar, but its improved tech and processing power put it in a league of its own in terms of what a “basic” hybrid camera can offer. Sony is releasing the Alpha 7 IV on December 30 for $2,500.
