Over the Christmas period I decided it was time for an upgrade. Despite being almost entirely happy with the Sony A6000, the Sony A7iv is just on another level. For my first two outings with the new toy I decided to stay local.
The first batch of photos taken with this camera were outside of a Porsche dealership on the outskirts of Norwich. Here I could play about with the settings, get to grips with the A7iv and wrap my head around holding the camera comfortably while using manual focus.
From here I ventured onward to Marston Marshes. A stunning and isolated part of Norwich which backs onto the River Yare. Despite being surrounding by a wide open environment, I found it quite fitting that I photograph some marshes.
As you can see, the camera performs beautifully even in windy conditions. It has a top shutter speed of 1/8000. You’d be hard pressed to find anything in nature that can outrun that.
From the marshes I ventured into Norwich City Centre and hung around the market square for about 15 minutes. The only thing that really caught my eye was a group of pigeons. The one pictured below in particular really stood out and was more than deserving of its own personal photoshoot.
The following day I met up with fellow photographer, Daniel Gheorghe, at Eaton Park. We spent an hour or so photographing the almost 100 year old pavilion and it’s surroundings.
Before I bore you with two many pictures, let me tell you why I went for the camera upgrade at the end of 2022. The three main reasons for upgrading to the A7iv are as follows:
Full-frame 33.0 Megapixel Sensor
The Sony A6000 is a 24.3 megapixel camera with a crop sensor. I’ve no formal training in photography. Meaning I had to Google what this meant when people spoke in Facebook groups about “full-frame” and “crop sensors”.
My research told me that a full-frame sensor mimics that of traditional 35mm film cameras. While the cropped counterparts are often smaller and found in more compact cameras such as the Sony A6000.
The benefits of having a full-frame are increased dynamic range giving you more options in the editing process. Better low light performance thus less reason to increase the ISO or exposure in post. Most importantly for myself, it offers more detail in your photos and videos as well as a wider field of view.
Sony A7iv 4K Video Shooting
This camera is an absolute work-horse. It’s capable of shooting in 4K video quality up to 60fps. Not only that the S&Q feature allows you to shoot in HD to 120fps. Meaning you can capture incredible footage to a high standard. Then reduce the speed by up to five times while maintaining a smooth picture.
Unfortunately I won’t be capturing any ballistic research footage with the A7iv but it does everything I need as a budding videographer. 4K is the current industry standard for video and the main reason for my upgrading to this camera.
Incredible Auto-Focus Features
The Sony A7iv is a huge step up from the Sony A6000 regarding auto-focus. The Sony A6000 has just 179 AF points versus 759 AF points in the A7iv. It has real time eye tracking and the ability to track and focus on tiny objects that move incredible fast.
As you can see from the photo below, the camera was able to track and focus on a remote control speedboat more than 30 metres away. Keep in mind this boat was moving at approximately 40mph and blended in with the light coloured water surface.
With my previous camera I very rarely used auto-focus. Nine times out of ten I would get better results photographing moving objects while using manual focus. Now, I’m converted. The camera has beaten me. I cannot compete with what the A7iv has to offer in terms of auto focus.
Moving forward with the A7iv
Over the course of the coming months I’ll be working on various projects both personal and for clients with the new camera. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the vast difference in quality compared to the work I’ve done so far.
Considering buying a Sony A7iv?
The Sony A7iv is a powerful bit of kit and in my opinion, worth every penny. The retail at £2399.99 but have been reduced recently for various end of year and post-Christmas sales.
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