plessner Loc: North Dakota

I have the Sony A99II and have had it since 2017. I keep hearing the good things about the new mirrorless cameras. Someone has suggested to me that I should look at getting the Sony AR7IV. Can any of you tell me if I would be improving myself enough to justify the cost of an all new system plus lenses and everything else I would have to replace?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Your camera is a 42MP camera with IBIS. It was Sony's top of the line model for the A-mount lenses migrated from Minolta and further developed by Sony. To 'see' a difference on a 61MP E-mount Sony AR7IV, you're also going to have to invest in Sony's top lenses that are native E-mount. Your best bet would be to test / rent a body and candidate lens and test for yourself for a week. There will be handling differences, but only you can decide if there are visual differences that justify changing from a camera that is already top-of-line (just older).

plessner Loc: North Dakota

thank you I really have no problems with the one I have and would be happy to keep it! Just wanted some feedback about what people are thinking of the newer models as compared to the old. A big plus for me would be the lighter weight, but not worth switching just for that

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

A full-frame camera is a full-frame camera, and fast-aperture glass for full-frame cameras all weigh the same. When you put the lenses on the bodies, the difference in total weight is negligible, if at all. I like the smaller size of my Sony a7II, but I'm also using smaller Canon FD manual focus lenses from the 80s. Weight wize, they're the same as my EOS DSLR, just in a smaller package.

plessner Loc: North Dakota

more good info--thank you

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

I moved from dslr to mirrorless in 2017 and am now shooting with the A7r4. I would say that in terms of image, you would not see much if any real difference between those from your A99 and the A7r4. However, for me at least, the A7r4 has upped my game considerably. The ability to customize all the buttons, the silent shutter, focus magnification, immediate feedback on exposure and highlight warnings, metering for highlights, a bright image in dark conditions, higher burst rates, improved IBIS, horizon level, etc, etc, have proven immensely valuable for me in my work. I now know exactly what I am getting at the moment I press the shutter. I would estimate that I have at least 30% more keepers now than when using the dslr.

I originally has the A7r2, and find that the A7r4 has major refinements in handling and features. I would never go back to dslr. Whether the features I have described would really be useful for you is something you have to decide.

I will say that it took a couple of weeks of using mirrorless before I was really comfortable with it. However I now have it set up in a way that suits me perfectly.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

For sure... "cost of an all-new system plus lenses." I have a Sony A65 and a full cadre of lenses that were from my Minolta i7000 days and some gifts or very low cost. I have a friend who was talked into a Sony 7 and she is so limited in lenses because of cost.

Modern AI software works wonders and the gains with new equipment vs your A99 could be mitigated by software.

plessner Loc: North Dakota

thank you for the detailed info--I will think about it some more before deciding what to do

plessner Loc: North Dakota

thank you for responding I too at one time had the A65 and I really liked that camera

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

I currently use the sony a7r iii, before that I used a sony a-77 which I loved. One major difference for me was the af system which very limited on the a-77 in terms of coverage, and speed compared to the a7r iii.
But one other difference which I’ve never seen mentioned any where is that in sony-world the SLT design uses one third of a stop of incoming light for af.
This doesn’t seem to be much of an issue to most photogs, but it is a HUGE deal to me.
I like to shoot astro and other low light shots and I want every photon I can get.

Edit: just to clarify, 1/3 of a stop is 33% of all the gold!

plessner Loc: North Dakota

wow never knew that!