Weighing it all up

Every time a new camera is released, surpassing the previous model, most photographers can’t help but feel a pull at their heartstrings, and of course their wallet. I have to confess, I’m the same myself and the release of the Sony Alpha 7R IV in September 2019 caught my attention and made me consider an upgrade, which after some consideration I decided against. It’s certainly an impressive camera if you’re considering an upgrade yourself or looking into entering Sony’s full-frame ecosystem, but the A7R III is still an outstanding camera and considerably less expensive, so which model is right for you?

I moved to Sony just over two years ago and have been happy with the change; the image quality of the A7R III is great, features are 85% of the way there and despite an unintuitive and frankly awkward menu system, there are an incredible number of controls and functions within for photographers and videographers to customise the camera to their near-exact requirements. So, when I had the opportunity to try out the A7R IV for my landscape photography I was interested to see how much better, or not, the camera actually is. And most importantly, whether my decision not to upgrade was the right one.

With the memories of lockdown still fading, photography trips aren’t as numerous for