So....Sony A7rV may be hard for me to resist.

[pierces]

Four years ago, I bit the bullet and ordered my first full-frame camera. The A7III has been a workhorse and produces superb images. I really like it. 

 

However, the leaked specs for the A7rV may be enough of a technological leap for me to consider giving the ol' piggy bank a radical cash-ectomy.

 

   • Possibly a new version of the 61MP sensor with better light gathering performance
   • New processor for faster image processing and sensor readout
   • Next-gen autofocus system with AI learning and tracking algorithms
   • A bunch of video-centric alphabet soup that affects my decision not at all but may come in handy someday
   • 8-stop, 5 axis stabilization (sounds optimistic but maybe 8-stop is possible with a slightly cropped image and sensor-based assist)
   • New Pixel shift function for ultra-high-res images with AI-driven (I assume) subject movement correction
   • The fully articulating LCD screen that I still miss from my old A77

   • The new touch-capable menu system 

   • Retains the very hi-res viewfinder

 

Based on the teaser on Sony's Alpha Universe site, the rumors will end with the official announcement on October 26.

 

Stay tuned.

 

Dave

[pierces]

Well, it's here.

 

The initial reviews I've read/watched are unanimously positive. I was already considering an upgrade, so the new camera is pretty much a forgone conclusion. If you have an A7rIV, the choice is a bit harder. Tony and Chelsea Northrup did a good comparison review between the IV and V with a Canon R5 thrown in. The Sony and Canon pretty much tied with Canon getting a frown for lack of lens availability with their petty third-party ban. If you are a hybrid video shooter, the A7rV is a compelling choice with a wide format selection and a new cooling system to prevent overheating. 

 

60MP BSI CMOS sensor is the same as the A7RIV, which is pretty spectacular.

 

Improved AF, including significantly better low-light subject recognition and lock courtesy of the AI learning and faster processor. Also does side-eye detection (human profile), animal-eye detection and various common subject detection. From the brief first looks, it's pretty awesome.

 

Smart real-time AF subject tracking

 

In-body stabilization rated at up to 8 stops. Jury is out on this claim until more thorough reviews appear, but it sounds neat.

 

Continuous shooting at up to 10fps with flash (!)

 

8K/24p or 4K/60p video (both with 1.24x crop) plus full-width (no crop) 4K up to 30p and the aforementioned alphabet soup of video modes and options

 

Fully-articulated rear screen (see below) 😁

 

Gargantuan buffer - 500+ continuous compressed RAW or JPEG images at 10fps

 

Focus bracketing mode that takes a series of photos to be stacked (not in-camera as far as I can tell)

 

Multi-shot pixel-shift ultra-high-res mode (240MP) with motion compensation (also not in-camera processing)

 

802.11ac 2 x 2 MIMO Wi-Fi = "really fast" for wireless downloading or transfer directly from the camera

 

USB-standard video for use as the most expensive 4K webcam ever. 

 

Best in class viewfinder. 

 

New menu (I never really hated the Sony menu, but this one looks a lot better)

 

Improved weather sealing

 

Pricey at $3900 USD (buy the best and cry once?)

 

Pricey again since crap lenses will not make use of the huge resolution

 

On the other hand, there are a LOT of e-mount lenses available. Many are as good as you can get from any manufacturer, including some less pricey but still superb f/4 options 

 

 

I'm not pre-ordering, so that means I probably won't see one until springtime with the expected demand and shortages. I think my mind is made up though. 

 

Dave

Edited October 26, 2022 by pierces

[pierces]

Adding a link to DPReview TV initial review:

 

 

 

Dave

 

[bronzey214]

On 10/26/2022 at 11:23 AM, pierces said:

Pricey at $3900 USD (buy the best and cry once?)

I've always been a Canon customer (my first camera was an HP Photosmart and then my mom bought the first Digital Rebel as a graduation present - then came the 40D, 70D, sold both for the RX10 and RX100, sold those for the R)

After the R, I jumped to the R6 for the IBIS thinking "I won't miss the pixels".

I missed the pixels. Ended up selling the R6 after just 75 shutter actuations and got the R5. I'm set for quite a while now.

[pierces]

The sample photos look pretty good. A pretty little scene...

 

Cropped from this:

 

This is an extreme, impractical crop from a downloaded JPEG (20+MB!) pasted here as a .png.  The original view is pasted as well since the downloaded JPEG exceeds the forum size limit. It does, however, illustrate the ridiculous resolution of the sensor. In APS-C mode, you still get a 26MP image with a 1.5x crop.

 

I have decided I don't need a camera with this much resolution or any of the advanced AI processing.

 

I have also decided that I will buy one because I want the resolution and the advanced AI stuff.

 

The power of want over need is what led us from the caves to civilization. 

 

Wow. I think I just set a record for over-justifying a purchase...

 

 

Dave

[Oviedo32765]

19 hours ago, pierces said:

I have decided I don't need a camera with this much resolution or any of the advanced AI processing.

 

I have also decided that I will buy one because I want the resolution and the advanced AI stuff.

 

At least you are discussing this with yourself.

 

I recently had a "want vs need" discussion (argument) with my wife when we both upgraded our smartphones. I told the sales person what I wanted (iPhone 14 Pro Max with 256GB) and my wife said (barked) you don't need that!!! Smiling from ear-to-ear 😁 I said I know, but I want it. She gave me "that look," shook her head in disapproval, and I got what I wanted.

[pierces]

On 10/21/2022 at 10:25 AM, pierces said:

However, the leaked specs for the A7rV may be enough of a technological leap for me to consider giving the ol' piggy bank a radical cash-ectomy.
*****************************************************************************
I'm not pre-ordering, so that means I probably won't see one until springtime with the expected demand and shortages. I think my mind is made up though. 

 

Turned out it was.

 

So I did.

 

 

Dave

Edited March 23, 2023 by pierces

[byargertx]

I have the A7RIV (for a year now) which has really been spectacular even up against my A7RII, so I’m going to keep my IV for another year or two. But the specs on the V are great! Have fun!

[KYBOB]

I got mine back in December and it is amazing for resolution and the focus tracking AI is amazing. You will love it and worth breaking the bank for it. 

[pierces]

The adventure begins...

 

... Thanks for the rapid response Amazon

 

And CF Express Type A cards? Yikes!

 

Dave.

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by pierces

[pierces]

What a difference five years makes.

 

A few discoveries.

 

The negatives so far:

 

After shooting several test images with a CF Express card in slot #2 and a SDXC card in the primary slot #1 (since my CF Express reader doesn't come until Monday), I was dismayed that Lightroom couldn't read any of the images from the SDXC card. My first thought was that I hadn't updated Camera RAW to read files from the relatively new model, but immediately realized that that didn't matter for JPEG. I became suspicious and pressed the review button on the camera and the test images were still there. A not-so-quick trip through the new menu system confirmed my suspicions that the top slot is now the primary slot #1 instead of the bottom slot. Why the switch? No idea. 

 

Horrible noise even at ISO 100! I took a test snap of stuff on the desk and was horrified at the noise in the 100% crop...until I noticed the tether cord behind the card I had focused on was razor shop and the "horrible noise" was actually the 240PPI printing pattern on the card. 

 

The battery drained a lot faster than I am used to on the A7III, but it has also been five years since I spent half a morning setting preferences and exploring menus. Jury's out on this but the much higher resolution viewfinder and rear screen may be part of the problem. I will play with viewfinder refresh and resolution settings and see if I can tell a big difference in use and/or battery life. If it turns out I have to change batteries every day instead of every other day for a better viewfinder, no tears will flow.

 

Those are the negatives so far. Two out of three turned out to be the equivalent of a PEBKAC issue on a computer (Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair), so I'm not quite ready to send it back. 

 

The positives so far:

 

Resolution. Holy crap! I'm not even going to list the 30MB-40MB JPEGs as a negative. I knew what I was getting into. I realize that any images from the camera that I post on the web will only be a reduced, processed representation of what comes out of the camera, but looking at the meaningless test snaps so far has me eager to see the images from next hockey game, ice skating performance and especially our upcoming Alaska trip later this year. 

 

The new menu is definitely better. I became used to the A7III menu and after setting preferences, was always curious about the complaints about it. After working my way through the new menu, I have some insight about why Sony's extensive menus were always listed as a negative. It's what you are used to. Up until a few years ago, most of the reviewers were Canikon shooters that had to learn a new menu layout while testing the Sony cameras. I found the new menu initially frustrating after ten years with the old layout on various models, but after an hour or two I became familiar enough to appreciate the improvements. In a few weeks it will be what I'm used to. 

 

The shutter is significantly quieter. Even Wonderful Wife commented about it while I was taking some of those meaningless test shots. Not silent, but very quiet. 

 

CF Express cards are FAST. My initial faux pas with the slot numbering had me regretting spending the money on the new cards since the SDXC cards seemed to clear the buffer almost immediately. I retested after the slot numbering epiphany and found that while the fast SDXC card (300mb/s read - 299mb/s write) wasn't clearing the buffer at a snail's pace, The CF Express card was visibly and significantly faster. 

 

The buffer. I am not a spray and pray shooter, but I occasionally fire off a long burst while following the skating granddaughter in a lead-up to a jump or grandson racing to block a run on the goal. I never had to worry with the A6600 or A7III but shooting 10 fps at 60MP had me thinking.  No worries. The buffer will never fill up with an SDXC card and will double extra super never fill up with the CF Express card. The cards may.

 

Back to resolution. Big files. the MTIs (meaningless test images) ran from a low of 32.9MP to a high of 47.6MP. Compare this to the 10MP to 15MP files from the A7III and it looks like the one card per trip days are over. A 64GB card will hold about 1,600 images instead of the endless storage bin it was on the A7III. A couple of the 80GB CFE cards should do the trick for an Alaska trip, but I will be taking a few old SDXC cards as a backup.

 

The A6600 has a new purpose. I used to use it and it's 1.5x APS-C crop effect to good use as a teleconverter when at the zoo and on wildlife tours. I tried it for hockey and ice skating but unless the venue has great lights, the A7III's better high-ISO performance trumped the extra reach. The A7rV's APS-C crop mode setting produces a 26MP image from the center of the sensor, mimicking the teleconverter function of using the A6600. The A7III had this feature, but only resulted in a 10.6M image. On the new camera, I have programmed one of the custom buttons to switch between full and crop modes for when I want the reach on an image I would just crop anyway. We'll see. Anyway, the A6600 is going to live on as the wide-angle walkabout option when I want to carry a smaller camera around the ship or on shore when not on a tour. 

 

So much for first impressions. A new camera every five years or so isn't too far from normal, but I'm still a little in awe of how much the tech has changed and also a little surprised how much it hasn't. 

 

Noe to take the new tool out for a spin...

 

 

Dave

 

 

 

[KYBOB]

I do not know if you do this but a trick I learned was to turn the display off, I have set one of the positions on the 'dial' to cycle through the various display options with off being one. So only the viewfinder will be on the display off. I hit the up on the dial if I want to use the viewfinder for shooting. If you want to 'preview' a shot it will come back to life. That will greatly extend your battery life. But that being said I carry 2 batteries with me when I go out. The battery grip has also come in handy with its 2 batteries on a long days shooting. 

 

As to the cards you might need a few more, larger ones or not take many bursts, especially if you are shooting birds, whales, etc. It will fill up fast.  

[Host Bonjour]

4 hours ago, pierces said:

What a difference five years makes.

 

Congrats and have fun with the new camera Dave 🙂

 

Thanks for the great review, it sounds like you're going to love this camera. There's always a little bit of an adjustment with navigating the setup/menus, but it's gone before you know it. (Unless changing cameras every year, which I guess then the changes are less noticeable?? I should ask a brand ambassador...) 

 

Looking forward to seeing your new images. As @KYBOB mentioned, I would definitely always carry extra batteries AND a charger; as the specs in the cameras become more...advanced (people make movies and videos with them) they're going to continue to use more power at a faster rate. It adds a little to the camera bag, but avoids any frustration if you're out and suddenly can't get a shot. (Extra cards too, we'll expect a photo review of Alaska 😉 )

 

Enjoy, look forward to the new hockey and skating images!

 

Colleen

[pierces]

1 hour ago, KYBOB said:

I do not know if you do this but a trick I learned was to turn the display off, I have set one of the positions on the 'dial' to cycle through the various display options with off being one. So only the viewfinder will be on the display off. I hit the up on the dial if I want to use the viewfinder for shooting. If you want to 'preview' a shot it will come back to life. That will greatly extend your battery life. But that being said I carry 2 batteries with me when I go out. The battery grip has also come in handy with its 2 batteries on a long days shooting. 

 

As to the cards you might need a few more, larger ones or not take many bursts, especially if you are shooting birds, whales, etc. It will fill up fast.  

 

Since the A6600 takes the same batteries, I currently have a total of four with the two spares riding in a little Tenba battery purse in the bag. Until I get a handle on consumption, I'll just carry the extras with me instead of leaving them in the bag.

 

I'm resurrecting an LCD trick from my old A77. The LCD turns off when turned inward and since I rarely use it to frame a shot, I'll keep it that way most of the time. It doesn't use power and isn't impolite in a darkened venue. The non-articulating screen was one of my main irritations with the E-mount bodies but the circle has now closed on that problem.

 

Set to large/extra fine, the 64GB SDXC I'm testing with shows a capacity of about 1,300 images. I ordered a couple of 80GB CFE-A cards with the camera and will use those after the reader gets here. Those show a capacity of around 1,600. Honestly, my personal practices make shooting more than 3,000 images in a week unlikely. That said, I will heed your advice and take the SDXC cards along. Two is one and one is none, right?

 

Thanks for chiming in. Always good to hear experiences from a user of the same model.

 

Dave

[pierces]

Remember all the hubbub about high-ISO shooting requiring a low-megapixel sensor with huge photosites to capture all those elusive photons?

 

Maybe that was true a few years ago,

 

This was taken at EV-2.39 which is slightly brighter than EV-3, which the chart describes as "Nighttime landscape under full moon". 

 

1/125s - f/7.1 - ISO 64,000 - Lightly processed for noise in Topaz Photo AI.

 

 

Reducing it to upload here softened it up quite a bit. This is a screenshot from Lightroom that didn't soften it quite as much.

 

 

I won't be shooting portraits or really much of anything at ISO 64,000, but it's nice to know that in a pinch, I could.

 

More rain this week. Next week is supposed to be rain-free. It's also the beginning of the wildflower season. That sounds fun.

 

Dave

 

[pierces]

An event!

 

Last night Granddaughter Daisy graduated high school. She attends a charter school with widely spaced locations throughout the county (we live in a county that is larger than nine states), so the ceremony was held at a sort of centralized semi-pro hockey venue. A bit of a reach. I took the A7rV with the 70-300 G with the idea that the APS-C mode would provide some extra reach, and did I ever need it! Seats were first-come-first-served, so we ended up in the upper tier over where one goal would be with the proceedings happening at the opposite goal. 

 

The venue was well-lit, so most shots were under ISO3200 with only a few sneaking up into the five-figure range. The equivalent 450mm reach of the APS-C mode worked out great and being able to further crop the resulting 26MP files further resulted in very usable shots.

 

The compression here is not kind to the sharpness of posted photos so you will have to trust me that the final result from the shots made me very happy. Being able to discern "Diploma of Graduation" at that distance from a crop impressed the heck out of me. 

 

Original of the shot above:

 

Crop of the crop:

 

The dynamic range of the last few generations of Sony sensors has been spectacular and the current generation is better. This "Cousins" shot was taken outside just after a cloudy sunset. The detail in the black rose and the paper really illustrates this.

 

I guess the bottom line is that I am very happy with my choice of the A7rV. Painfully expensive, but it just might have been worth it.

 

Dave