When outdoor adventure and lifestyle pro Jay Goodrich took the Sony α7R IV and four Sony zoom lenses cover the range from 16-600mm on a 14-day assignment to Baja, Mexico he wasn't doing some kind pseudo-real-world test where he walked around with the camera and lenses for a day or two. "I put a camera right into the thick of things," he writes. "If it works and has me getting the shots I need for a paying client, then we are golden. It’s basically, a drive-it-like-I-stole-it concept." After reading a number of other reviews, Goodrich decided to write up his own. From his perspective. We've curated some of his key points.
"What is most important though, is the fact that the Sony α7R IV allows me to capture shots that other cameras haven’t to date." – Read more of Jay Goodrich's α7R IV review
"There are 567 auto focus points in the viewfinder and those points cover a whopping 74% of it. Sony has also built in a new feature called Real Time Eye Tracking. When the auto focus system detects a person, the camera immediately locks onto that person’s eye. This functionality also includes the option to switch between human and animal eyes. I cannot even begin to understand how the camera does this, but it did it automatically on every portrait I took in Mexico. They have also added this feature to the video side of the camera."
"So who is the beast for? I know, with the file size, you immediately think studio photographer. However, the built-in crop function has me shooting wildlife. The 10FPS, 68 image buffer and auto focus has me shooting mountain biking, and skiing. I feel like this camera is kind of for everyone. It is the device that the DSLR photographer should look at when thinking about mirrorless."
"The price is also right. You get a 61MP, 10FPS auto focus tracking, 68 RAW photo buffer for $3498.00. Attach this to one of the 34 full-frame lenses from Sony and you have a complete professional system at your finger tips."
We mentioned that Goodrich had read a number of reviews about the α7R IV before he took it to Mexico. One reason he decided to write up his own was because he had a sense some of those reviewers were doing their readers a disservice. He explains, "In my opinion the reviews of the Sony α7R IV are a result of pure laziness. Menu difficult to navigate—read the owner’s manual. Dust as an issue—clean your sensor BEFORE the shoot. Large megapixel files—well your screwed, spend more money, but hard drives are relatively cheap these days. A 24TB drive from Lacie is $1999. If you need less, then you spend less. Come on people, get with the program. The Sony α7R IV is one of the best cameras on the market for the money. Put that in your Nikon and Canon pipes and take a massive hit. I’m going out shooting."
Goodrich wraps up his review simply, "I got back from Mexico and immediately ordered the entire system that I was using during that trip. The Leica SL was sold and every single remnant of Canon gear is now gone from my office as well. I am finally almost to the point of a successful photo gear pare down and it’s pretty liberating." And, "What is most important, is the fact that the Sony α7R IV allows me to capture shots that other cameras haven’t to date."
Read the full review.
