Sony A7R4: Sony announced this 61MP full frame camera yesterday which should be available in September. According to the information presented it is a complete new camera not just an...

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Sony announced this 61MP full frame camera yesterday which should be available in September. According to the information presented it is a complete new camera not just an upgrade.

It is 26 MP in the crop mode which is the highest MP at this time. It seems to cover the bases for landscape, wild life, studio, etc. genres. Priced at $3500 its in line with many of the other camera makers' new releases.

I'm mildly interested and waiting for the reviews. My main concern is the large files and how they will impact the computer/processing.

bleirer

Does the crop mode just throw away the unused pixels? In other words identical to cropping the full image yourself? I know that is how it works with my canon.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

bleirer wrote:

Does the crop mode just throw away the unused pixels? In other words identical to cropping the full image yourself? I know that is how it works with my canon.

Yes it does and it gives the advantage of smaller files and more images before the buffer fills. Of course cropping in post provides more framing (composition) options.

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

joer wrote:

Sony announced this 61MP full frame camera yesterd... (show quote)

I have a similar fear that one could wind-up with a $7K cost on the Back End of this leap into Huge Files and storage dilemmas and printer-upgrades & ink expenses over the edge......scarey to think about.

jhkfly

Is the sensor a 35 mm one or larger like a Hasselblad 64X33 mm or 645 format?

mflowe Loc: Port Deposit, MD

jhkfly wrote:

Is the sensor a 35 mm one or larger like a Hasselblad 64X33 mm or 645 format?

35mm

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

I get 41 MB RAW files and 81 MB Uncompressed RAW files with my A7Rii. For what I am doing this camera is all I need. If I had a studio and did portraits or small products, then I would consider the Riv. My point is that 61 mp has a place, but is that place for all photographers. It seems this may be a more specialized camera.

rodox

Seems overkill to me. Very impressive, yes but unnecessary for most users I think.

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

joer wrote:

. . . My main concern is the large files and how they will impact the computer/processing.

My main concern is the end result. However, you have identified a real concern that many people already have. It takes considerable time on your computer to ingesting and cull all of your files, most of which you won't post-process anyway, and higher resolution images make the problem worse. Solution: Get a screening/rating application like Fast Raw Viewer or Photo Mechanic. You can ingest and cull (composition, sharpness, exposure) and rate your images much, much faster than you can in Lightroom or other post-processors, then ingest and post process only the keepers with your current post-processing software.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

rodox wrote:

Seems overkill to me. Very impressive, yes but unnecessary for most users I think.

The appeal of this camera for me is:

Resolution available for cropping extending the focal (equivalent) length of any lens. No need for expensive 500/600/800mm lenses. My relatively light 100-400 would handle just about most bird/wildlife photography.

Best at this time crop sensor resolution potentially increasing the camera buffer and card storage capacity.

Weather sealing, improved focus and tracking, slightly better ergonomics.

I currently use the A7R3 and A6400 and I like both but the ergonomics and controls are different and that slows me down at times. One camera might be a solution and it may well be a bargain, all things considered..

File size and noise are questionable until someone with integrity posts and actual use review. So far all the influencers are just regurgitating camera maker's release hype, and we know how that goes.

bleirer

I believe it says 250 mp resolution via in camera pixel shifting similar to image stacking multiple images in post.

Diffraction would have to be an issue, since the pixels must be tiny. There would be diffraction visible starting at f11 using the 20/20 standard on a calculator.

Photec

I have a question about the LENS REQUIREMENTS to obtain the quality potential of the A7R4. Exactly what lenses are going to provide the resolution and contrast that this 61MP sensor can fully record? It looks to me like you can immediately forget about using current glass, so this will have to be considered in the initial upgrade, not just the body.

lev29 Loc: Born and living in MA.

Photec wrote:

I have a question about the LENS REQUIREMENTS to obtain the quality potential of the A7R4. Exactly what lenses are going to provide the resolution and contrast that this 61MP sensor can fully record? It looks to me like you can immediately forget about using current glass, so this will have to be considered in the initial upgrade, not just the body.

Good question!

Paul J. Svetlik Loc: Colorado

Hi Joe, good points,

the Sony introduction looks really great - but...
The new Sony high MP model is touching the base of medium format cameras.
Even the prices, right?

rcarol

chapjohn wrote:

I get 41 MB RAW files and 81 MB Uncompressed RAW files with my A7Rii. For what I am doing this camera is all I need. If I had a studio and did portraits or small products, then I would consider the Riv. My point is that 61 mp has a place, but is that place for all photographers. It seems this may be a more specialized camera.

Why would you need a 61 MP camera to do portraits? The portrait that I had taken of me and my wife was taken with a 12 MP Nikon. I can see the wrinkles just fine.