Screen & EVF
There are reports that the A7 IV will have a similar screen to the A7s III. It will be at a lower resolution, but if reports are true, it should be fully-articulating, which seems minor, but it’s a really nice feature to have.
The bump up to 3.69M-dots for the EVF would be an upgrade and put it online with the likes of the Canon R6 and Nikon Z6 II, which are sure to be its main competitors.
Video
Now, video has become a more important spec to me, I know not everyone is interested in it, but the cool thing about all these mirrorless systems is that they have the potential to create stunning cinematic-level video. The A7 III is great, but now recent releases, such as the Sony A1, Canon R6/R5, and Nikon Z6 II/Z7 II are all compelling options if you want professional still and video quality.
One thing I’m really hoping for is internal 10-bit recording capability. The large sensors on full-frame cameras make that very difficult to achieve – it takes A LOT of processing power so fingers crossed for this new engine.
If the A7 IV has 10-bit 4K/60p and Full HD/120p internal recording, I will almost most definitely be buying. Until the R6/5 line, it was nearly impossible to find 10-bit internal capabilities outside of a Micro Four Thirds system. And, 10-bit makes a huge difference when it comes to processing video.
Menu
Sony makes excellent cameras, but the knock against them seems to be the user interface and menu system…especially when compared to Canon and Nikon. It doesn’t bothersome and I’ve found the menu system to be fine to navigate, albeit confusing at times.
A new menu system debuted with the A7S III and it addressed a lot of the qualms with the old layout. The new menu system is featured in the A1 and it will definitely be in the A7 IV.
Summary
Overall, I think whatever the A7 IV brings will be amazing. It is one of my most anticipated cameras for 2021. This year could really end up being ‘The Year of the Cameras’, we are going to get a lot of awesome releases from everyone, not just Sony.
But, the overall package of the A7 IV is rumored to really interest me. A low or mid-30s MP resolution with amazing hybrid capabilities for stills and video – that’s a winner for me.
I’ve been considering purchasing a Z6 II to either pair or replace my Z7, but I’m going to wait to see what the A7 IV brings because it could be a perfect fit for me – and many others!