Sony a7 IV

The Sony a7 IV is a full-frame mirrorless camera released in 2021. It accepts Sony E mount lenses and carries a 33 megapixel sensor.

That combination suits photographers who want detail for large prints and tight crops, alongside capable 4K video recording. Anyone working across stills and video gets both from one body.

Carrying it involves a 659 g body, a middleweight size that still fits a normal bag. Weather sealing and a flip-out touchscreen suit regular shooting outdoors and at awkward angles.

With an exceptional optics score of 85, the a7 IV sits in the top 4% of cameras in our database for Optics. The 33 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor produces files with plenty of detail, so you can crop tightly or print large while keeping fine texture.

In-body stabilisation shifts the sensor to counter camera shake, which helps you keep shots sharp handheld at slower shutter speeds. It counters your own movement, so a moving subject still needs a faster exposure.

For moving subjects, the camera offers 10 fps shooting, 759 autofocus points and a top shutter speed of 1/8000 s. The burst figure is a maximum rather than a sustained promise, and the mode and autofocus conditions behind it are not stated.

The ISO range runs from 100 to 51200, covering bright daylight through dim interiors, and the electronic viewfinder's 3.69 million dots make manual focus checking straightforward.

Video is a very good strength here, with a section score of 91. The camera records 4K, which gives footage enough resolution for modern displays and some room to crop during editing.

The highest frame rate on offer is 120 fps, which opens up slow-motion work. The supplied figures list 4K resolution and 120 fps separately, so check which combinations are supported before planning a project around 4K slow motion.

Recording formats include MPEG-4, XAVC S, XAVC HS, XAVC S-I, H.264 and H.265. That spread lets you pick a codec your editing setup and storage can handle.

A built-in timelapse mode saves you from firing off hundreds of frames by hand.

Features earn a very good score of 83. The 3-inch touchscreen, with just over a million dots, gives touch control over menus and playback, and it flips out from the body to help at waist level or overhead.

Weather sealing protects the body against dust and moisture, which makes changeable outdoor conditions less stressful. It does not make the camera waterproof.

Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built in, so the camera can connect wirelessly to other devices.

There is no built-in flash, so indoor fill light needs an external flash, which the camera supports. GPS is absent too, so location data has to come from elsewhere.

Storage and battery rate a good 76. The dual slots accept CFexpress Type A and SD UHS-II cards, so you can match card choice to the job, and the second slot leaves room for a spare card on a long shoot.

Battery life is rated at 580 shots from the NP-FZ100. The measurement conditions behind that rating are not stated, so treat it as a guide rather than a promise, and a spare battery is sensible for long or video-heavy outings.

USB charging lets you top the battery up between shoots, which is handy for travel whenever a USB power source is close at hand.