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Sony Alpha 7R IV Versus Sony Alpha 9 for Wildlife
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Oct 19, 2019 17:42:28   #
Jacqui Burke Loc: Perkiomenville, PA
 
I recently purchased the Sony A7R IV and the new Sony 200-600 mm lens from B&H with the purpose of shooting wildlife. Previously I used a Nikon D7100 and a Nikon D7200 with the first generation Tamron 150-600 lens. The lens began to become a bit "glitchy" and both DSLRs had many clicks on them, so I decided to succumb to the GAS attack and buy the Sony system.

I am finding that the new Sony camera can take excellent photos, however, there is a large amount of noise in low light situations, even with ISOs well within the range at which my DSLR system performed well. I have been researching a lot over the past few days and feel that perhaps I should have purchased the Alpha 9 instead. Apparently, the high resolution of the A7R IV leads to more noise. The camera also requires a high shutter speed because the high resolution magnifies movement, but then with the high shutter speed comes the excessive noise. Most of the reviews online indicate that the A7R IV is best for landscapes and product photos as it will be used on a tripod with low shutter speeds, and the Alpha 9 is better for wildlife as it has a superior low light performance and a faster autofocus system. Obviously low light performance is critical for wildlife as animals are most active at dawn and dusk, and a high shutter speed is necessary to arrest movement.

I am still within the 30 day window (barely!) to return the A7R IV to B&H, and the Alpha 9 is exactly the same price now, so it would be an even trade. I really want to make the right decision on this as a lot of money is involved and I won't be able to afford to upgrade again for at least five more years. After having tried the Sony for a short time, however, I am definitely committed to a mirrorless camera. I love the electronic viewfinder and I love the zoom ring on the 200-600 lens; it is so easy to zoom in while maintaining the focus box on the subject.

Thanks in advance for your help with this!

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Oct 19, 2019 18:24:46   #
Ob1 Loc: Utah
 
I own the A7rll and an A9 even though the A7rll is an older version of th A7rIV I have found the same result. I believe it is because of the high mp per image. I prefer to shoot a portrait or landscape on the A7rll. The a9 is exactly what you need for wildlife. It is fast and accurate. I use it for everything. I love it for sports, wildlife and the beautiful portraits are breathtaking. You have to do what you see best but you will be extremely happy with the a9. Happy decision making time.
Brad

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Oct 19, 2019 20:49:29   #
Jacqui Burke Loc: Perkiomenville, PA
 
Ob1 wrote:
I own the A7rll and an A9 even though the A7rll is an older version of th A7rIV I have found the same result. I believe it is because of the high mp per image. I prefer to shoot a portrait or landscape on the A7rll. The a9 is exactly what you need for wildlife. It is fast and accurate. I use it for everything. I love it for sports, wildlife and the beautiful portraits are breathtaking. You have to do what you see best but you will be extremely happy with the a9. Happy decision making time.
Brad
I own the A7rll and an A9 even though the A7rll is... (show quote)


Thank you so much Brad! Your experience has confirmed what I suspected, and I will return the A7Riv and purchase the A9. Thanks!

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Oct 20, 2019 05:40:55   #
Jerrin1 Loc: Wolverhampton, England
 
Jacqui Burke wrote:
I recently purchased the Sony A7R IV and the new Sony 200-600 mm lens from B&H with the purpose of shooting wildlife. Previously I used a Nikon D7100 and a Nikon D7200 with the first generation Tamron 150-600 lens. The lens began to become a bit "glitchy" and both DSLRs had many clicks on them, so I decided to succumb to the GAS attack and buy the Sony system.

I am finding that the new Sony camera can take excellent photos, however, there is a large amount of noise in low light situations, even with ISOs well within the range at which my DSLR system performed well. I have been researching a lot over the past few days and feel that perhaps I should have purchased the Alpha 9 instead. Apparently, the high resolution of the A7R IV leads to more noise. The camera also requires a high shutter speed because the high resolution magnifies movement, but then with the high shutter speed comes the excessive noise. Most of the reviews online indicate that the A7R IV is best for landscapes and product photos as it will be used on a tripod with low shutter speeds, and the Alpha 9 is better for wildlife as it has a superior low light performance and a faster autofocus system. Obviously low light performance is critical for wildlife as animals are most active at dawn and dusk, and a high shutter speed is necessary to arrest movement.

I am still within the 30 day window (barely!) to return the A7R IV to B&H, and the Alpha 9 is exactly the same price now, so it would be an even trade. I really want to make the right decision on this as a lot of money is involved and I won't be able to afford to upgrade again for at least five more years. After having tried the Sony for a short time, however, I am definitely committed to a mirrorless camera. I love the electronic viewfinder and I love the zoom ring on the 200-600 lens; it is so easy to zoom in while maintaining the focus box on the subject.

Thanks in advance for your help with this!
I recently purchased the Sony A7R IV and the new S... (show quote)


I shoot wildlife exclusively and part exchanged my A9 and A7III for an A7R4 and have not looked back. If you require fantastically fast and accurate AF along with blisteringly high fps, then the A9 is the camera for you. If you are continually shooting in low light the A7III offers a better solution. I, on the other hand, realised the 61MP, which provides for better cropping, coupled with the better AF the A7R4 offers over the A7III, made the A7R4 a better camera for me. I have no issues with the noise at higher ISO, I have shot up to ISO 4000 and taken care of the noise in LR. Generally, I rarely shoot at higher than ISO 2000 - even with my 200 - 600mm. I may purchase Tapaz Denoise at some point, but at the moment do not feel the need. You may care to check out Mark Smith's YouTube channel, he uses both the A9 and A7R4 extensively. He also released a video showing the value of Topaz.

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Oct 20, 2019 07:11:19   #
BebuLamar
 
You could try to down size the images from the A7RIV down to 24MP and see if the noise is going away?

Reply
Oct 20, 2019 07:21:05   #
ehaynes1
 
Jacqui Burke wrote:
I recently purchased the Sony A7R IV and the new Sony 200-600 mm lens from B&H with the purpose of shooting wildlife. Previously I used a Nikon D7100 and a Nikon D7200 with the first generation Tamron 150-600 lens. The lens began to become a bit "glitchy" and both DSLRs had many clicks on them, so I decided to succumb to the GAS attack and buy the Sony system.

I am finding that the new Sony camera can take excellent photos, however, there is a large amount of noise in low light situations, even with ISOs well within the range at which my DSLR system performed well. I have been researching a lot over the past few days and feel that perhaps I should have purchased the Alpha 9 instead. Apparently, the high resolution of the A7R IV leads to more noise. The camera also requires a high shutter speed because the high resolution magnifies movement, but then with the high shutter speed comes the excessive noise. Most of the reviews online indicate that the A7R IV is best for landscapes and product photos as it will be used on a tripod with low shutter speeds, and the Alpha 9 is better for wildlife as it has a superior low light performance and a faster autofocus system. Obviously low light performance is critical for wildlife as animals are most active at dawn and dusk, and a high shutter speed is necessary to arrest movement.

I am still within the 30 day window (barely!) to return the A7R IV to B&H, and the Alpha 9 is exactly the same price now, so it would be an even trade. I really want to make the right decision on this as a lot of money is involved and I won't be able to afford to upgrade again for at least five more years. After having tried the Sony for a short time, however, I am definitely committed to a mirrorless camera. I love the electronic viewfinder and I love the zoom ring on the 200-600 lens; it is so easy to zoom in while maintaining the focus box on the subject.

Thanks in advance for your help with this!
I recently purchased the Sony A7R IV and the new S... (show quote)



I tried the Sony a7RIV but returned it and ordered the a9II. The focusing on close ups, handling the large files, and the noise of the a7RIV was more than I could handle. The a9 is a great camera and the a9II should be even better with more updates coming. Tough decision but I would rather have the a9 over the a7RIV personally.

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Oct 20, 2019 08:47:30   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
Jacqui Burke wrote:
I recently purchased the Sony A7R IV and the new Sony 200-600 mm lens from B&H with the purpose of shooting wildlife. Previously I used a Nikon D7100 and a Nikon D7200 with the first generation Tamron 150-600 lens. The lens began to become a bit "glitchy" and both DSLRs had many clicks on them, so I decided to succumb to the GAS attack and buy the Sony system.

I am finding that the new Sony camera can take excellent photos, however, there is a large amount of noise in low light situations, even with ISOs well within the range at which my DSLR system performed well. I have been researching a lot over the past few days and feel that perhaps I should have purchased the Alpha 9 instead. Apparently, the high resolution of the A7R IV leads to more noise. The camera also requires a high shutter speed because the high resolution magnifies movement, but then with the high shutter speed comes the excessive noise. Most of the reviews online indicate that the A7R IV is best for landscapes and product photos as it will be used on a tripod with low shutter speeds, and the Alpha 9 is better for wildlife as it has a superior low light performance and a faster autofocus system. Obviously low light performance is critical for wildlife as animals are most active at dawn and dusk, and a high shutter speed is necessary to arrest movement.

I am still within the 30 day window (barely!) to return the A7R IV to B&H, and the Alpha 9 is exactly the same price now, so it would be an even trade. I really want to make the right decision on this as a lot of money is involved and I won't be able to afford to upgrade again for at least five more years. After having tried the Sony for a short time, however, I am definitely committed to a mirrorless camera. I love the electronic viewfinder and I love the zoom ring on the 200-600 lens; it is so easy to zoom in while maintaining the focus box on the subject.

Thanks in advance for your help with this!
I recently purchased the Sony A7R IV and the new S... (show quote)


The other rap on the Sony A7R IV is the buffer speed. Sony says one thing but users are saying other things.
I wish both camera's had the XQD card, Sony recommends the XC II card as it gets 300 mb/sec vs. the 170 with the I. But with the XQD card I can get 440 mb/sec.
Any way, I just rented the Sony 200-600 and put it on my new, used Sony a9 and went to a dog park, I found the focusing system worked GREAT. Camera went from face recognition to eye focusing automatically as dog got closer to me. I have updated the firmware to latest on the a9. Has options for animal or human eye recognition. I am a Nikon guy thinking about switching to Sony. I will be posting more photo's in the future.



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Oct 20, 2019 08:51:23   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
BebuLamar wrote:
You could try to down size the images from the A7RIV down to 24MP and see if the noise is going away?

Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the camera with a 61 mp rating?

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Oct 20, 2019 08:52:51   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
Jacqui Burke wrote:
Thank you so much Brad! Your experience has confirmed what I suspected, and I will return the A7Riv and purchase the A9. Thanks!


Personally I never make a decision based on one reply. Why not wait to see what others think.

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Oct 20, 2019 10:45:09   #
imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida
 
Jacqui Burke wrote:
I recently purchased the Sony A7R IV and the new Sony 200-600 mm lens from B&H with the purpose of shooting wildlife. Previously I used a Nikon D7100 and a Nikon D7200 with the first generation Tamron 150-600 lens. The lens began to become a bit "glitchy" and both DSLRs had many clicks on them, so I decided to succumb to the GAS attack and buy the Sony system.

I am finding that the new Sony camera can take excellent photos, however, there is a large amount of noise in low light situations, even with ISOs well within the range at which my DSLR system performed well. I have been researching a lot over the past few days and feel that perhaps I should have purchased the Alpha 9 instead. Apparently, the high resolution of the A7R IV leads to more noise. The camera also requires a high shutter speed because the high resolution magnifies movement, but then with the high shutter speed comes the excessive noise. Most of the reviews online indicate that the A7R IV is best for landscapes and product photos as it will be used on a tripod with low shutter speeds, and the Alpha 9 is better for wildlife as it has a superior low light performance and a faster autofocus system. Obviously low light performance is critical for wildlife as animals are most active at dawn and dusk, and a high shutter speed is necessary to arrest movement.

I am still within the 30 day window (barely!) to return the A7R IV to B&H, and the Alpha 9 is exactly the same price now, so it would be an even trade. I really want to make the right decision on this as a lot of money is involved and I won't be able to afford to upgrade again for at least five more years. After having tried the Sony for a short time, however, I am definitely committed to a mirrorless camera. I love the electronic viewfinder and I love the zoom ring on the 200-600 lens; it is so easy to zoom in while maintaining the focus box on the subject.

Thanks in advance for your help with this!
I recently purchased the Sony A7R IV and the new S... (show quote)


Yes, you need the A9 .....!! ......and don't be afraid to use the Clear Image Zoom .....
.

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Oct 20, 2019 10:47:50   #
imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida
 
Jerrin1 wrote:
You may care to check out Mark Smith's YouTube channel, he uses both the A9 and A7R4 extensively. He also released a video showing the value of Topaz.



Reply
 
 
Oct 20, 2019 10:48:24   #
BebuLamar
 
billnikon wrote:
Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the camera with a 61 mp rating?


I have the Nikon Df which has very low noise. When I was shopping for it the dealer didn't have it and the sales guy tried to sell me the D800 and said if you down size the image from the D800 to 16MP you would have the same low noise level as the Df. Plus you have higher resolution when shooting in bright light and noise is not a problem.
Still I didn't buy the D800.
So what I said to the OP is that he could down size the image from the A7RIV when he has to shoot in low light and have the same resolution as the A9 and possibly same noise level. In bright light he can have the 61MP images.

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Oct 20, 2019 13:09:05   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
BebuLamar wrote:
I have the Nikon Df which has very low noise. When I was shopping for it the dealer didn't have it and the sales guy tried to sell me the D800 and said if you down size the image from the D800 to 16MP you would have the same low noise level as the Df. Plus you have higher resolution when shooting in bright light and noise is not a problem.
Still I didn't buy the D800.
So what I said to the OP is that he could down size the image from the A7RIV when he has to shoot in low light and have the same resolution as the A9 and possibly same noise level. In bright light he can have the 61MP images.
I have the Nikon Df which has very low noise. When... (show quote)


Got it.

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Oct 20, 2019 15:14:48   #
DennisC. Loc: Antelope, CA
 
I wouldn’t worry about the noise with the A7rIV, check out Jared Polin’s real world review of the A7rIV posted yesterday, he talks a lot about the noise with excellent samples when viewing the huge files at 1:1 on screen compared to printing where you hardly see it.

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Oct 20, 2019 19:22:47   #
bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada
 
Jacqui Burke wrote:
I recently purchased the Sony A7R IV and the new Sony 200-600 mm lens from B&H with the purpose of shooting wildlife. Previously I used a Nikon D7100 and a Nikon D7200 with the first generation Tamron 150-600 lens. The lens began to become a bit "glitchy" and both DSLRs had many clicks on them, so I decided to succumb to the GAS attack and buy the Sony system.

I am finding that the new Sony camera can take excellent photos, however, there is a large amount of noise in low light situations, even with ISOs well within the range at which my DSLR system performed well. I have been researching a lot over the past few days and feel that perhaps I should have purchased the Alpha 9 instead. Apparently, the high resolution of the A7R IV leads to more noise. The camera also requires a high shutter speed because the high resolution magnifies movement, but then with the high shutter speed comes the excessive noise. Most of the reviews online indicate that the A7R IV is best for landscapes and product photos as it will be used on a tripod with low shutter speeds, and the Alpha 9 is better for wildlife as it has a superior low light performance and a faster autofocus system. Obviously low light performance is critical for wildlife as animals are most active at dawn and dusk, and a high shutter speed is necessary to arrest movement.

I am still within the 30 day window (barely!) to return the A7R IV to B&H, and the Alpha 9 is exactly the same price now, so it would be an even trade. I really want to make the right decision on this as a lot of money is involved and I won't be able to afford to upgrade again for at least five more years. After having tried the Sony for a short time, however, I am definitely committed to a mirrorless camera. I love the electronic viewfinder and I love the zoom ring on the 200-600 lens; it is so easy to zoom in while maintaining the focus box on the subject.

Thanks in advance for your help with this!
I recently purchased the Sony A7R IV and the new S... (show quote)

I would highly recommend the A7 III. Fabulous low light camera; right up there with the A7S.

bwa

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