Considering the higher MP I would have not expected better noise and at best par but the article does sort of say that.
Imaging-resource doesn’t equalize the print sizes, so it was difficult to judge whether the Sony A7riv images were really truly noisier.
but the difference between the Sony A7riii and Sony A7riv is pretty minor in my opinion.
Now, let’s start looking at what happens to noise at high ISO raw files:
Comparison of full size crops of Sony A7r4, Sony A7r3, Sony A7iii and Canon R, ISO 512000
The Sony A7riv is clearly the noisiest of the four cameras, but it’s also the most enlarged image. What happens when we downsize all the cameras to the equivalent of the Sony A7iii?
Downsized comparisons at ISO 512000 of Sony A7riv, Sony A7riii, Sony A7iii and Canon R
They are all now pretty close. To my eye, the Canon R looks the worst. The Sony A7iii and Sony A7riii look about the same. But the Sony A7riv looks a bit worse than the other two Sony cameras, especially with color noise in the blacks.
Some preliminary conclusions pending my own testing and confirmation:
At ISO 6400, all 3 Sony cameras look good, they are all slightly better than the Canon R, which is starting to show noise
At ISO 12,800, the Sony A7riv starts to show a bit more noise than the A7riii and A7iii, but not as bad as the Canon R. Differences are minor.
At ISO 25,600-51,200, the Sony A7riv looks much worse than the Sony A7riii and Sony A7iii, though still not as bad as the Canon R.
At maximum ISO, 102,000, the Sony A7riv looks really bad, just as bad as the Canon R. While the Sony A7riii and Sony A7iii looks better.
What Does it Mean for the User?
These noise differences at high ISO are truly not that significant. But it appears the user or prospective buyer should be aware that the high ISO image quality on the Sony A7riv may be a small step below the A7riii and Sony A7iii. At the same time, the gain in resolution from 42mp to 61mp is also realistically only a small step, in practicality. So you are possibly trading a small loss in high ISO image quality for a small gain in resolution.
If you routinely shoot at high ISO (over 12,800), then you might not want to upgrade to the Sony A7riv solely for the resolution. (Though you may have other reasons for wanting to upgrade). If you mostly shoot at lower ISO, then you are likely to appreciate the higher resolution without any image quality downside.
This is new territory for me. I've been wanting more resolution but never pulled the trigger on an A7r3. Now that the A7r4 is out and I've tested it I was very impressed with the A9 AF performance.
Do you see a colour difference between your previous Sony bodies. It's been discussed that the A73 colour science looks different compared to the A9. Just wondering if the new A7r4 has a similar looking colour science.
I'm curious if many here shoot the A7R series for family documentation or allocate this body series to non event work (food, studio, landscape) work only.
I just look at the A9mk2 in the price range of about 6800 CDN after tax.I'm just looking at the A7r4 as a nice A9 AF package with high res.
I have my name on an A7r4 at the "candy store" but don feel like driving after work in the rain today dealing with back to school traffic..I will decide if I will buy it tomorrow. My A73 have been fantastic for my automotive/run gun photography. As I mentioned before having a high res is very new to me. My 5dmk4 is only 30MP so it's in a sweet spot for MP but I just wonder how the sony will perform in the IQ department.
This is the most indecisive process I've ever experienced in the history of owning camera gear. 61 MP just is a lot for my workflow but this is where I know I'll appreciate extra mega pixels for a hobby camera. hmmmmmmm
Test driving the A7r4 I was really impressed. Just not sure what to expect having hundreds of files that are full res 61mp though....
