Which Sony??? That is the question!!!

[Mannheim62]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on these forums. As the title states: Which Sony??? Right now, I'm considering either the A7RIII or the A7RIV. I've compared all the specs and for those members here who own either model, I'd appreciate any help or feedback you'd be willing to give. My questions are as follows but in no particular order of importance:

1. With all the firmware updates to the A7RIII, does it still have the gray focus point? If memory serves, the A7RIV has a red focus point.

2. For those who own the A7RIV, how does it handle low-light situations? I've seen YouTube videos saying the A7RIII handles low-light much better because there's less noise in the blacks, even at low ISO's.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions as will be greatly appreciated,
Mike

 

[Josi]

Hi. I don't have either but am considering which Sony to get as a second body. I have an A7iii at the moment. Could I ask what type of photography you plan to use your Sony and all those extra megapixels for.

 

[Mannheim62]

Hi Josi, thanks for replying. Having sold my Nikon D850 and D810, I'd like to stay above 36 megapixels because quite often when reviewing my photos in Lightroom Classic, I find a picture within a picture. So having higher megapixels will give the the option to crop without losing detail etc. As to the kind of photography I'll be doing; I like street photography with shadows, architectural, macro and minimalistic long exposure photography.

Mike

 

[Josi]

Could I ask a little about your workflow? The main thing that puts me off one of those cameras and such big files is how quickly it'd eat my computer memory.

 

[Mannheim62]

I'm not worried about the big files sizes or how long they take to import into Lightroom. First and foremost, my Lightroom catalog lives on a Seagate 4TB external hard drive. Once I've imported all my photos, the first thing I do is delete the ones I know are totally unusable. Then I'll start my post processing and once that's done, I'll keep the ones I really like and the ones I'm not crazy about but don't want to delete ... they get transferred to a folder, (usually by date) on a Seagate 2TB External Hard drive. This may not be the most efficient way to do things but it make sense to me and in my opinion it accomplishes 3 things:

1. My photos are not stored on my computers hard drive so it doesn't slow it down.
2. My Lightroom Catalog only has the photos in it that I really like, so it makes it easier to find what I'm looking for.
3. The ones I'm not crazy about but don't want to delete are there for future review. Because I've put photos in this category, reviewed them in the future and said to myself: I like this photo, what was I thinking by putting it here?

Hope this helps,
Mike

 

[Josi]

Thank you. Yes it does help. I need to get more organised. I do have a 4tb external drive which I store pictures on but I hadn’t considered actually putting lightroom on one. That actually makes so much sense. Thanks

 

[Mannheim62]

You're very welcome. If there's anything I can help you with please don't hesitate to reach out.

Mike

 

[AHPZuazua]

I think we need to all practice flushing out our catalogs with the images we just know we shouldn't be keeping.

 

[Mannheim62]

I totally agree. I got to a point with everything in my life, including photography when I just said STOP !!! I took an entire week of vacation from my job, I organized, categorized and prioritized literally every aspect of life. What a breath of fresh air that was ...

 

[AHPZuazua]

I totally agree. I got to a point with everything in my life, including photography when I just said STOP !!! I took an entire week of vacation from my job, I organized, categorized and prioritized literally every aspect of life. What a breath of fresh air that was ...

I did that at the beginning of this year revamp website name change new images. Better future from a clean start

 

[Mannheim62]

Great minds think alike. My website is next on my list ...

 

[Clix Pix]

PhotoMechanic is a great program for quickly looking through and culling/deleting unwanted images..... A real lifesaver when one goes out shooting and comes home with a bunch of near-similar ones thanks to Continuous High...... I am not sure but I think it also works on culling older files as well, but to date I've only used it for current ones upon which I'm working or about to work.

 

[Mannheim62]

PhotoMechanic is a great program but I've been using Lightroom for so long I'd be hard pressed to change just for the sake of changing.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Re low light on the RIV. The most important thing, bar anything else, is getting your exposure right, though the RAW files are very forgiving of adjustments. I never understand people moaning about low light performance, it's all about how well you control exposure, what you are shooting and a myriad of other things.

 

[Mannheim62]

While I understand the need to get the exposure right, my concerns are purely based on what I've read ... not experience with the RIV.

Thanks for replying ...

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Yes,

While I understand the need to get the exposure right, my concerns are purely based on what I've read ... not experience with the RIV.

Thanks for replying ...

Yes, but what I'm saying is don't read too much into it. Yes the A7 III is more forgiving, because it doesn't have so much detail to cram in with the lower pixel count. The RIV resolution will show any flaw, hence my mention of exposing well. I think with practice it should easily be a match. Why does it concern you so much? Do you shoot a lot of low light subjects?

 

[Mannheim62]

Now I understand, thank you for the clarification. The reason it concerns me is because I'm trying to educate myself by asking people who actually own and have experience using the RIV so I can make a better informed decision when it comes time to buy a Sony Camera.

 

[SandtoSnow]

I use an a7rII, and A9, but work with someone with an A7rIII and A7rIV, so I get to play with those raw files a bit as well. At first glance, yes, the rIV raw files appear to be noisier, but I really feel it's the jump in resolution, and different sensor creating a different grain structure in the raw files. I experienced a similar jump going from my old A7r to rII, and before that going from my old a900 to the a7r.

The added resolution over an a9 or a7iii in the A7rIII is great, to the rIV, it's almost overwhelming. My favorite balance of resolution, detail, and noise is still in the a7rIII.

My type of photo work, landscape, adventure sports, and outdoor lifestyle. For the later, having the extra rosolution and cropability is handy when out in the field and you are limited in your lens selection (reach).

Greg

 

[Mannheim62]

Hi Greg,

Thanks so much for replying. Before I sold my Nikon D850 and D810, I used to do a lot of macro and high speed water drop photography. But what I really enjoyed was getting out early in the morning and walking through my town taking photos of foggy street scenes, street lamps down side streets with shadows. I guess that's why I'm concerned about noise with the RIV. But as Kev stated in his post above, you have to get the exposure right. I completely understand about crop-ability. I've taken quite a few shots where, when I review them in Lightroom, I find a better image within the original image. With the resolution of the RIV, cropping shouldn't be an issue. It's good to know that the RIII has a nice balance of resolution, detail, and noise.
I do appreciated your input, thanks again,
Mike

 

[RGaffney]

There seems to be many concerns with Photographers using the A7RIV and the 200-600 lens, looking at questions in other groups i have not used the camera but if I were interested in a purchase i would rent the camera and see how it responds to your type of photography just my thoughts, I use the A7III and am very satisfied.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

There seems to be many concerns with Photographers using the A7RIV and the 200-600 lens, looking at questions in other groups i have not used the camera but if I were interested in a purchase i would rent the camera and see how it responds to your type of photography just my thoughts, I use the A7III and am very satisfied.

It seems this issue is mostly affecting the early RIV models. I've had no issues whatsoever, or none that match what others have had, just user error stuff and occasions when AF won't pick the subject, but that's only with me shooting a tricky subject anyway. I think a lot of people are wrongly being deterred from buying what is an excellent combination.

 

[Mannheim62]

There seems to be many concerns with Photographers using the A7RIV and the 200-600 lens, looking at questions in other groups i have not used the camera but if I were interested in a purchase i would rent the camera and see how it responds to your type of photography just my thoughts, I use the A7III and am very satisfied.

Now there's an option I hadn't considered ... renting !!! Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Tim Mayo]

The latest a7R III firmware doesn't allow you to change the focus frame color I'm afraid so you are limited to grey. With the a7R IV you can also select red or white. I do find myself using red most of the time now. There's not a big difference in autofocus performance between the two but the additional tracking modes of the a7R IV are nice to have, although frustratingly these don't work when animal eye af is enabled unlike with the a9. ISO performance is similar up to around 3200 but after this the a7R III is cleaner. A larger number of pixels covering the same 35mm sensor is only possible by reducing the size of the pixels, but this also diminishes their light gathering capabilities. I appreciate the slightly larger grip of the a7R IV and the larger buttons especially the AF-On button which is now easier to press with gloves on. The dual UHS-II slots also helps to speed things up if you are writing to both slots at the same time or rollover to slot 2. Having 26MP in crop mode is also handy as I'll sometimes use the E 70-350 lens on mine if I want to keep things light. Both are great cameras and I don't think you will be disappointed with either.

 

[Mannheim62]

Thank you so much for replying Timothy, much appreciated. I now have all my questions answered and I'm going to rent each camera and see which I'd prefer. Thanks again to everyone who has responded to my OP. All of you have helped me a great deal.

Mike

 

[garuda]

In my view, if money is no issue and you are skilled/experienced in photography principles and understanding or plan to be soon - then 7R iv is the one. Understanding light and exposure are key regardless of camera, but more important with Riv for reasons mentioned above. Smaller sensors may be more forgiving. But big sensors offer more res, clarity, flex if you become skilled in the principles. But as mentioned, big sensors may also emphasize flaws, noise, and user errors by the inexperienced (like me).

So if one doesn't plan to immerse themselves in the principles and mechanics of high end photography, perhaps the lesser cams are more user-friendly in the beginning.

But if you have the time and money to plunge in deeply in understanding and mastering, then big sensors and big lens are likely the best choices.

If low lighting is a major concern, Sony's dynamic range often allows those with a proclivity for using AI software in post to redeem many imaging disappointments while navigating the learning curve. But remember the importance of lighting and exposure, as already emphasized earlier. Good luck!

 

[Mannheim62]

All good points to consider thank you; I appreciate your reply.

 

[AlphaWorld]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on these forums. As the title states: Which Sony??? Right now, I'm considering either the A7RIII or the A7RIV. I've compared all the specs and for those members here who own either model, I'd appreciate any help or feedback you'd be willing to give. My questions are as follows but in no particular order of importance:

1. With all the firmware updates to the A7RIII, does it still have the gray focus point? If memory serves, the A7RIV has a red focus point.

2. For those who own the A7RIV, how does it handle low-light situations? I've seen YouTube videos saying the A7RIII handles low-light much better because there's less noise in the blacks, even at low ISO's.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions as will be greatly appreciated,
Mike

My first inclination is too be a bit facetious: “Which Sony?” - all of them

More seriously:

1. Yes, the focus point remains grey on the A7R3 - it might be hardware-related. The A7R4 offers a choice of colours.

2. I have managed to get some low-light shots with the A7R4, including one in lighting measured at EV -3. It was not a great shot, but converted to black-and-white it made a good example of “gee, that’s not bad considering...” - however, the A1 did noticeably better in the same lighting - AF tracking in EV -3. I don‘t recall trying the A7R3 in similar conditions.

In terms of auto-focus “power” it’s definitely A7R3 < A7R4 < A1, but that’s no surprise

oh, apologies. I had not noticed how old the thread was. I guess the OP has long since made a decision. I wonder which way the decision went?

 

[garuda]

...... Right now, I'm considering either the A7RIII or the A7RIV....

I have an A7iii at the moment. Could I ask what type of photography you plan to use your Sony and all those extra megapixels for?

I don't necessarily need all those mega-pixels in my a7R iv, but I bought it anyway to make some extra money on the side by selling my extra pixels to a7 owners.

 

[AHPZuazua]

I don't necessarily need all those mega-pixels in my a7R iv, but I bought it anyway to make some extra money on the side by selling my extra pixels to a7 owners.

Haha never that about selling the extra pixels. I'll call you and pay you for your time. Teach me how to sell the extra pixels. Looking for side income