Sony a1 & a7R IV at Yellowstone - My Review of Which Camera is Best for Wildlife & Landscape
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2021
- I took an a1 and an a7R IV to Yellowstone and Grand Teton for over a week. These are my thoughts on how the bodies compare! Also, I mentioned many links. They're below!
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Sony a7R IV: • The Most Advanced Came...
Sony 200-600mm: • OMG Sony Super Telepho...
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And see more of my reviews! • Photography Gear Reviews
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Hi! I’m SnapChick. My channel is about photography as an art form and as a lifestyle, with a healthy dose of technology thrown in! I post new videos every week so subscribe here on CZcams, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+, and join in on the conversation!
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I was co-leading a tour with Juan Pons while I captured these images. I'm working on putting together another workshop with him but, in the meantime, check him out! www.juanpons.org/
Great video Leigh! You always go on the best adventures. I'm living vicariously through them 😀👍📸
Thanks for watching! Yellowstone and Grand Teton are amazing. :)
@@LeighAndRaymond Hy! Are those fewer pixels make a difference in aps-c mode with aps-c lenses. Is it noticable from going 26mbp on a7r4 to 2 sg on a1?
Thanks for your video. Very nice images as well!
This is a very useful comparison, including the very intriguing A1, arguably the top mirrorless camera on the market right now. Love the photos BTW. I am very much looking forward to the time - perhaps later this year - when we can do a proper flagship comparison between the top 3.
Nice presentation Leigh; one of the very few, and getting rarer, YT channels that can present a topic with grace and aplomb. No screaming hype, no clickbait statements, and no pleading with the viewer, even before we've seen the video, to "please subscribe, please like, please, please, ...
There are still some of us out there in CZcams land who appreciate a class act.
Thank You.
Hi Leigh,
Thanks a lot for making this comparison.
Same experience I have with both cameras.
A few more differences:
1. A1 has EVF you can adjust to a smaller angle, if you use glasses. That is somewhat important to me.
2. A7r4 - You can't customize the Movie button, It has few silly software bugs, like not allowing to change eye subject during tracking.
3. A7R4 OSS/IBIS doesn't work as well with FE 200-600, due to speed limitations and F/stop limitations.
4. AF aperture limits for phase detection are F/13(A7R4), and F/22(A1). That is important if you are at low light in the dark. Canon R5 is at F/22 here just to compare.
5. Software update pretty much dead on A7R4 compared to A1.
6. A7R4 has still a much better resolution vs. A1, for birding and heavy cropping. Those 10MPix make big difference, when needed.
7. S-Cinetopne is an awesome feature I use in conjunction with the much better color range for jpeg.
8. I dropped my A7R4 with a 35/1.4 for one second into a river. Quickly I removed the battery and lens, mems. Water was dripping out of the A7R4. I sucked all water I could out of the camera and lens. I dried the A7R4 two days on the hot dashboard in my car - It worked like a champ again. The lens perhaps was a total loss. Now the A7R4 is like a good old friend I owe big - Won't sell it. Never!
It takes wonderful pictures!
On a budget the A7R4 is excellent for half the price. Going through 1000s of pics after each shoot isn't fun! The reason is you really only know what you have after a picture went through your workflow. You see the perfect pic and then you need to see what it really is - tedious.
Conclusion: I use both. A1 for speed/preconfig, and A7R4 as a workhorse for everything else.
Very interesting and informative video. I have been contemplating either the D850 or the new Sony A7r iva and this has led me further towards Sony. I'm off to the UK photography show tomorrow to get my hands on one and to see if it's the right choice for me. Thanks again for the well crafted review.
Awesome review, thank you so much. Just a returning beginner to photography. love the tee shirt.
Regards,
Rod
Great review, thanks! How about a low light ISO comparison with A7S iii for photography
Another great review, maybe you could do a video about the way you have your R4 set up I would be very interested in watching that.
Forget it I found it LOL
Thank you for another brilliant, informative, and objective video Leigh! I own both the a1 and a7RIV and shoot wildlife 80% of the time (landscapes the rest). The a1 with 400mm f2.8 GM is a spectacular combo for critters as is the a7RIV with lenses like the Sigma 14-24 f2.8 and 24-70 f2.8 DG DN Art lenses are for landscapes. If I had to choose between the two, I’d go for the a1 for the focus edge (it even works wonderfully with manual focus primes like two favorites - Loxia 21mm and 35mm - when I want to slow things down and “smell the roses!”
In your opinion, what is the big different when use A1 and A7rIv with manual lens? I would appreciate for you advice.
@@thanyawong I haven't noticed a big difference, if any, between the two bodies.
I own both the a7R IV and the a1. I took over 40k images on a trip to Kenya in May. I did notice a significant difference in high ISO images and would be happy to provide you a few of the a1 to compare if you are interested.
I agree with your point re the frame rate. I had to turn down the framerate unless I was photographing birds in flight or feeding.
Did you own the A7R III before the A7R IV? I am considering upgrading to the A7R IV for wildlife and landscape photography. Is the A7R IV still a fantastic camera for birds in flight?
Was all that footage from one trip? You saw a huge variety of wildlife. Grats!
Thanks for your assessment. I love my A7Riii still.
I just upgraded from a7r3 to a1. I debated about the a7r4 but figured I'd splurge. Great comparison.
I just bought Sony A1 for my bird photography....after using D780 then Z7ii, since A1's autofocus is much better. 200-600mm Sony lens is also much better than my old 200-500 Nikkor lens. Now, feel much better after familiarizing the A1 buttons. Mark Smith's points to switch to Sony were really good ones.
Using both cameras and leads me to a very similar conclusion as Leigh. The A7R4 does in general the same for me as the A1. One reason is that doing BIF requires all pixels you have to used in the file.
Perhaps I have the impression after testing that the A1 lossless RAW files are different compared to the uncompressed files using ACR13.2. They have less resolution limiting A1 speed to 20pics/sec for BIF.
The increased resolution of the A7R4 seems to help for perched birds as well.
Leigh as always great video. As hobbyist photographer/retired and Nikon user (love to have lot better AF on my Z50), I can't justify the price on either Sony camera models. Like you if I had a bottomless piggy bank, I would probably purchase the A1. As you mention Sony and Canon are on the top when it comes AF. Nikon is definitely behind. Looking forward to your next video.
You have an excellent way of presenting photo material. I really enjoyed this. I did purchase the A1, but I was moving from Nikon DSLR to mirrorless and didn't already have a Sony A7R4. I shoot 95% wildlife and of that, it's mostly birds - so the bird eye focus made sense and Nikon has nothing like this. Although as you mentioned, I hear Canon's animal eye focus may be a rival. I do know that the Canon video does animal eye focus and as of right now, Sony does not. hmmmm. Nikon's DSLR family and lenses have been great for me; however the handwriting is on the wall for DSLRs. It's clear to me that in 7 years there will be few dslrs. I will definitely look at more of your material because it's a breath of fresh air to hear(see) such clear presentation. I did shoot on a Juan Pons workshop in Alaska (Silver Salmon Creek Lodge) years ago and enjoyed it tremendously.
A comment/comparison about the difference in ISO sensitivity would be great. My impression is that the Sony ARIV has a lot more noiser image than the A1, which make a huge impact on the image quality .
Hi Leigh 😃
Could you please expound on your comment about the need/requirement for a powerful computer to handle 10 bit color video from the a1? Thank you!!
I love my A1. I will be selling my A7r4 and my A9II and a couple lenses as I purchased the Sony 50mm f1.2 and now wanting the 600mm f4. Still saving. Thanks again for your great job. I feel Sony is on top of the mirror less mountain right now as they have a few years of design on the competition. Both Nikon and Canon will strike back shortly with their new flagship mirrorless cameras hopefully by Christmas.
As allways a good review and only a comparing of the most importent differensis
Nice Video. It is so easy to fall into the trap of letting reviewers convince you that marginally better but substantially more expensive equipment will make a difference in the quality of you photos/videos. 9 times out of 10 it does not. Technique, practice and talent are more important than equipment. This video made that message very clear. That was refreshing.
So curious what the A7 IV will bring.
Yes, Astro!
Great video Leigh. The alpha 1 is a remarkable camera capable of capturing birds in flight, and at great distance, with stunning clarity with the Sony 200-600 mm lens. It does take some orientation if you’ve never used a Sony camera before, but it’s feature rich and once dialed in the way you want it’s focusing system will bring you many shots that you could not get with other cameras I have used and the keep rate will make you giddy once you start looking at the photos on your computer. I do think it might be time to refresh the 24-70mm lens, and when they do I will buy one. Thanks for sharing such great photos, and I’m totally envious that you captured a photo of Bear 399. I have tried but have not been successful, yet. DaveinMN
We were persistent in our search for wildlife! We drove for hours, stood in the cold rain and snow with our big lenses, but it was all worth it. 399 was a real treat. :)
I bought the a7R3 in 2018 for a South-America trip as a full frame (FF) addition to my APS-C a6300. Great but sometimes there were some mistakes during light measuring with overblure, overrun of light have nearly a white vf. Do not now why, but it needs seconds to „come back“.
Also on a countable number I was not happy with the development of the picture at the end. Never had this on the APS-C. So my opinion at the end is swinging between elation and frustration.
In the meantime I am back for the daily use, if you can call travel photographie „daily use“ with the limited situation now for travelling, to my APS-C now the a6600. Even the A7r3 is a nice small FF, for „quick“ all the time with you „use“ the a6600 is smaller and leighter.
A reason to substitute the a7r3 is for me an a7r“5“ somewhat between the r4 and a1 with the 50,1 Mp sensor, or the same sensor and options in the a7c body.
and a price level maximum close to the a7r4.
Well you only need one of them ! but if you only do landscape, the A7rIV should save some cash ! If your going pro for wildlife get the A1, big bucks though ! 👍 Great review 👍😍
Does 10 bit color effect stills?
I think high res cameras have better iso quality than low. Of course if you look the image at 100%, you can see more noise, but you cant compare they that way. If you put side by side two pictures, make a print from both or export them to the same resolution. Downsize a 45 mpx noisier image to 20 mpx will be better than a less noisier taken with a 20 mpx camera i belive
Great images too.
Great point on the amount of photos you take,all leads to more time at the computer,more work,more storage space and ultimately the expense grows ……I’ll keep my fingers crossed for an a7iv…🤞🏻🤞🏻
You never know when something magical is going to happen, so I captured many, many bursts. Of course, that led to me spending a ton of time deleting thousands of Raw images later on. :)
I owned the A7RIV and A7III. What I do not like abt A7rIV is the way it handle the noise in low light. Especially for night landscape. The file is too big and the buffer is slow. In low light, A7r4 AF also not working well (in door studio shooting). I end up using A7iii more than A7r4. If i need a high resolution file, I shoot with A7iii multiple shots then do stacking (stacking even helps to clean up the noise better) or I shoot pano. That's why I sell off my A7r4 (when its resell price is still good bcos A7r4 A is not in stock yet . Sold at 2,500 Usd after 1&half year used, >33k shoot). Bought A1 and I'm impress of its AF expecially in low light. The actual frame in focus (and in the right point that you aim for) is more than 95%. Yes, the fast speed can fill up the card quickly but after a while you will learn how to control your shooting. At least when you need fast speed, it is there for you.
I have both cameras and I honestly enjoy both of them.
This is based on my subjective observation of the high ISO results - I have to deal with a lot of low light situations so I'm more relaxed on my standard. :) Plus whenever possible I switch to using the A7Siii for low light where I'm fine going up to 16000. I'm not comfortable going beyond 4000 with the A7Riv whereas I'm good up to 8000 with the A1.
If you view at 100% you'll see a noise difference but if you view the images globally you won't see a dramatic difference. Dp review just did a video explaining this common misconception. As have some other channels. Why this is so is because smaller pixels produce smaller sized blobs of noise grain. Every thing stays in the same proportion.
THAT osprey is an amazing perfect video
Awesome job as always
Love my a9 with the sigma 500mm f4
You must have used the Sony A1 without the new firmware update V1.10. NOW it's even better, in every way .....I love mine :-)
Would love an A1 but the price is hard to justify. My A7RIV is pretty awesome. Maybe down the road some of that spec will trickle down to lower priced cameras or I find a used one I can afford.
3.5k price difference... just master your R4 ))
Great video. Especially liked “if Sony ever releases an a7iv”
Aside from gear information, this could be an English learning channel many thanks to the outstanding articulation of the host.
So what lens do shoot wildlife with normally when your not renting? Thanks in advance for any replies.
I only rented the a1. I own everything else I used. The 200-600mm is my most-often used lens for wildlife.
@@LeighAndRaymond That is good to know. No problems then with the 7R4 I guess or you would of returned it. This is the combo I want & can afford. I have watched some vids where some had soft photo problems. In all honesty the A7R3 would be enough but I would have the better focus &menus that come with the A7R4. Thanks for the reply.
Cuando compré la A9 estaba reciente la última actualización con unas mejoras impresionantes. En mi caso los resultados con isos 2500, 3200, 6400 incluso llegué a probar hasta 8000 iso, los resultados son más que satisfactorios. La reducción del ruido la aplico con el TopazDeNoise AI y los resultados son muy buenos. En cuanto al factor reductor que te ofrece la cámara ya se que no se puede comparar co los megas de la A7RlV o la A7Rlll pero en cuanto a rapidez de enfoque no tiene la velocidad de una A9 o A9ll, R resolución las A9 para acción. Tengo echo ampliaciones de 30x45 con los 10.6 mp del recorte y la calidad es incuestionable. Todo esto lo vaso en mi experiencia personal y en mi facebook se puede comprobar. En cuanto a los posibles problemas del combo A7RlV y el 200-600 no se si sony lo solucionó pero conozco a compañeros-as que tenía problemas con la calidad del enfoque. Mi recomendación A9 o A9ll para la acción y las A7RlV o A7Rlll para todo tipo de fotografías. Por supuesto que para las personas que tienen un presupuesto alto la A1, no hay que pensarlo, es una herramienta muy poderosa.
If you are not making $$$ with your camera, $3k R4 is just perfect compared to $6.5k A1. Just got mine for $2400, so it's a keeper for a while
Where did you rent your camera from? Give them a shout out and possible future rental house sponsor trelationship😬
I rented the a1 from Lensrentals but I have also ordered from BorrowLenses in the past. I've had good experiences with each. :)
@@LeighAndRaymond renting from lens rentals is fairly easy.
Yes, A1 astrophotography vs a7riv and a7iv video
great video as always! Although I am a Nikon shooter, I enjoyed this very much! How do I find out about future workshops that you are leading?
I always roll out the workshops to members first (bit.ly/joinscmember) but if there are spaces left, I will let you all know in a video here on the channel! :)
Is ISO6400 doable on the A7R4 ? I don't have the budget for the A1 and sometimes i need to crop a bit on 200-600mm atleast to a field of view of 750mm (26MP at 900mm is like heaven). The A7R4 & A9 are similarly priced where i live & A7R3 about 695 USD less than both of them. And i am switching from Nikon D850 & 200-500mm. I do only wildlife, mostly mammals like bigcats and static birds in the wild so i dont need many FPS but a little bit of low light and superb image quality is top priority. And I am also used to single point autofocus, never used any fancy features before so all that will be like bonus but not a must have. The A7R4,A9 & A7R3 are in my budget.
Thank you and nice video.
Muy buenas Jeet Dutta, te doy una respuesta como usuario de una sony A9+200-600 G de sony. El equipo funciona muy bien para todo lo que dices y más. Calidad de imagen muy buena, en cuanto al factor recorte en el sensor te pasa de 24 mp a 10.6 mp pero los 600 mm pasan a ser 900mm y sin pérdida de calidad de imagen. Y como para muestra basta un botón te invito a que mires en mi facebook y compruebes las imágenes que realizo con este combo. Yo me decantaría por una A9 o una A9ll si el presupuesto no te da para la A1. Un saludo desde España.
@@abelfernandez5648 didn't understand sorry. I don't know Spanish. I know that A9 will be 10MP at 900mm & about 13MP at 750mm but A7R4 is a new camera and will get more future updates. My D850 was 19MP at 750mm so is a bit worried about Megapixels. The A9 also has an AA filter which the D850 & A7R4 don't.
Good question! The a9 is super fast but does not have as many pixels to crop as the a7R IV or a7R III. Additionally, the a9 is lacking in dynamic range. Because of usability improvements made between the a7R III and a7R IV, I would recommend the a7R IV. I have used the camera up and down the ISO range. :)
I'd say that I see no quality loss till ISO 1000 and values around 5000 or 6400 are something that can be handled in post-processing if exposure is good enough. Sometimes I go up to ISO 12800 with result image downscaling to a ~30MP equivalent.
Also note that there are lots of complains about AF misses for A7R4+200-600mm combo and still no action taken by Sony. As far as I understood, this doesn't happen for everyone and applies more to a birds in flight, but I cannot say that I am pleased with my keeper ratio for a low light static shots as well. Began to get better results with an electronic shutter and third OSS mode though.
@@LeighAndRaymond thank you 😃
Love your honesty of good and bad in your reviews. Also loved your images. Our very recent trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons saw nothing but very bright sun, albeit no need to consider raising ISO. I wanted very light for the travel/trip, so I took my Sony RX10 MKIV as a light but very good P&S with good zoom range but a small 1 inch sensor. I also did take my heavy Canon 5D MKIV with my very heavy Canon 300mm F2.8, with 2x extender, version one lens.
The question is that I've been very hesitant switching over to mirrorless because the blackout while tracking subjects, particularly birds in flight. Is the blackout between shots noticeable enough to lose a bird in flight while tracking?
Thank you! The a1 does not have blackout but the a7R IV does have limited blackout. That being said, I don't have any issues capturing birds in flight with the a7R IV due to experience and the addition of superb autofocusing tracking.
@@LeighAndRaymond Thanks! Although like you, I don't have an unlimited bank account that the A1 demands. :)
Excellent video Thank you. Why does the R iv get so many bad reviews?
Let’s see low light comparisons
What makes you switch to other brands when your not shooting wildlife or sports and why ?
I had A7R4 and it was very slow and I did not like the EVF and the menu. Now I have A1 and it is simply great, now I love photography even more, everything is perfect on A1. The new dial, LCD, battery life, fast and precise AF… it is very expensive but I do not regret any dolar fot it
Buena compra Nikol, la diferencia en todo con tu antigua equipo lo tienes que notar y mucho. El precio vale lo que es, a muchos nos gustaría tenerla pero no tenemos esa cantidad de dinero para invertir. Al final cual es el problema, el dinero, no nos engañemos.
I like having a variety of cameras as well. Love my Nikon Z7ii and to keep the cost down I will likely get the new Sony A7iv or baby A1 to keep the cost down. Don't need the extra FPS but will miss the 4k 120p I could get from the A1. Good work. Great photos.
The Sony A1 does NOT have an anti-aliasing filter as you claimed.
That isn’t what I heard. If my source was wrong though, I’d like to make a correction. What is your source so I can confirm?
@@LeighAndRaymond most places online say there isn't an AA filter on the A1. Imaging Resource apparently had it confirmed to them (following forum threads).
@@timwhite1111 I'm having trouble finding a reputable source that isn't someone saying that they heard it from someone else. I think it's time to get in touch with my contact at Sony.
@@LeighAndRaymond be interesting to hear what your contact says (although different contacts seemingly often say different things!). The Imaging Resource site states no AA filter, but yeah, depends if you count that as reputable or not :)
I already own the a7RIV so I'm not sure if you just saved me $3,000 or the full $6,500 but unless I take up bird photography I'm now at peace. 🙏🏼😆
You make a very good point, All modern cameras, and systems, are capable of production high quality image files. I have recently ended my 18 month relationship with Sony. Gone back to what I have used for 34 yrs. Main reasons, in my case and say again, in my case as a wildlife photographer, (not only birds) and my style is more about light, context, space and not so much about posting detailed images of how well the AF tracked the bird and cropped images of birds or animals to show the minute details of resolution. In my view these images have a very short lifespan on social media. The system I am currently using is a combination of Mirrorless and DSLR and one of the main reasons I got out of Sony. The lenses that forms the most critical parts of my gear is not available from Sony and where they do, like the 400 f2.8, would cost me a significant amount of money vs what is available with my current system in the used market or even new. No argument, the A1 is an amazing machine and the AF system is crazy good, but also have some drawbacks. Compared to the Canon R5/6 bodies that cost substantially less but offer a focus system in the same class and in some aspects even better. The speed of 30 fps with 50mp files come at a cost of what I regard as very average ISO performance. The lesson I learned is before your change, you have to really do good evaluation of why you need to change and what you will gain and loose. Sony has some outstanding equipment and leader in its class with some aspects of the equipment. In my view it comes at a very high price, and it is not the solution to all.
The grizzly bear mum have funny ears.
Great video comparison
Personally, I would only up when your current equipment is the factor holding you back from getting the images
Because of the way Sony brings out new models so frequently, the A1 is probably going to be replaced soon enough to further complete with the pending Nikon Z9 and Canon R3, so paying top dollar at this time is not worth it
A1 will be above Canon R3 and probably the Z9 as well by the looks of it. The Canon R1 will likely be a step above though, and I don't think Sony will bother competing with it for a while.
The a7r4 blackout is unacceptable. If the a1 is too expensive I’d recommend an a9ii. No blackout and almost as good for birds in flight as the a1.
I disagree about the limited blackout being unacceptable but that’s the beauty of the market today - we all have choices to fit our preferences. :)
@@LeighAndRaymond I know others who agree with you. And for most photography even I agree with you. But not for serious birds in flight.
@@alanross3661, the whole set of A7R4 specs doesn't suit birds in flight well, so this shouldn't be a priority for A7R4 buyer. Nothing impossible from my experience though.
Oh yes - what makes bear 399 stand out from the other grizzlies in the park?
You're like the female Bob Ross of photography on CZcams Way to go
hw old r u ?
(just curious)
If the 30frames is something you really need the A1 is the best, if you are fine with 10,12,15 frames etc.
Don't waste your money on it.
The AF is something that most of the time people will be satisfied about having the right focus on the subject. However I don't need a higher megapixel like 61mp, unless it's a medium format sensor. The Sony A7iii/ R7iii is fine for (most) things.
First Like🤙
for now, yes. But the darkside is waiting
translate french please on your video
haha- switched to M focus- No you didn't!!!
If I were to spend that much money on a camera, I would probably go for digital medium format.
Wow, you're an absolutely beautiful woman!