Industry News: Sony Introduces the High-resolution A7R IV with World’s First 61.0 MP Back-illuminated, Full-frame Image Sensor

[Stereodude]

Sony has been ‘hungry’ for a decade, but they haven’t gained any weight.

It's only a matter of time if things continue like they are. Japanese cars used to be a joke, now they're generally regarded as the standard. Korean cars used to be a joke, now they're considered competitive. Sony's offerings will not be dismissed indefinitely if things continue as they have been. Canon can't ride their momentum forever.

 

[AlanF]

What i meant is that you still have 22 MP left after cropping 1.67x, making your 200-600 lens 200-1000 effectively.

If you meant 200-1000 relative to a FF 22 MP sensor, then OK. It's about the same with a 5DS vs a 1DX.

 

[AlanF]

It's only a matter of time if things continue like they are. Japanese cars used to be a joke, now they're generally regarded as the standard. Korean cars used to be a joke, now they're considered competitive. Sony's offerings will not be dismissed indefinitely if things continue as they have been. Canon can't ride their momentum forever.

After 20 years with Merc, I've just switched to Toyota with no regrets. For their smaller range of A and B Class, they have done the equivalent of using a Sony sensor - using an engine jointly developed with Renault and Nissan, and charging much more with lower reliability rating on Which consumer reports.

 

[neuroanatomist]

It's only a matter of time if things continue like they are. Japanese cars used to be a joke, now they're generally regarded as the standard. Korean cars used to be a joke, now they're considered competitive. Sony's offerings will not be dismissed indefinitely if things continue as they have been. Canon can't ride their momentum forever.

Funny how I’ve been reading comments like that on this forum since I joined nine years ago. Still waiting.

The thing that many people, including yourself, apparently fail to grasp is that the views expressed on this forum really don’t represent the market as a whole. That fact should be obvious to anyone with a modicum of intelligence, because comments like yours have been made here for close to a decade, and over that decade the only thing that has happened to Canon’s market dominance is a slight increase. But hey, maybe that will change someday.

 

[woodman411]

Agreed.
As much as I hate to say this canon does seem to be severely falling behind.
They still have superior lenses but really do need to step up the sensor and technology of the R cameras.
I have no problem dropping the DSLRs completely if they will become industry leaders in mirrorless and that really includes battery life which is one of the last far superior aspects of the DSLR.

How good is Sony's sensor when someone posts a video on the a9 + 600 f/4 (that's US $17,000), and the only thing people comment on, is sensor dust? Canon nipped this issue in the bud with its sensor shutter closing. Google "sony sensor dust", this issue is real and pervasive, and Sony has done nothing to address it since the original A7. Here's another example: anti-flicker. The irony baffles me as to how Sony brags about high frame rate, yet can't get this simple yet vital concept right: consistent exposure in artificial light. Only TDP documented this with the a7R3 ( https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Sony-a7R-III.aspx ) . Here's another Sony flaw when it comes to video: low bitrates, which affects grading, kinda important. Alik Griffin pointed this out in his R versus A7 review ( https://alikgriffin.com/canon-eos-r-just-about-everyone-got-it-wrong ), very few other reviews did. This affects grading, as Potato Jet and Armando Ferreira discovered: ( ). Funny how so many pro-Sony reviews "forgot" to mention this important flaw.

But you go right ahead and keep believing that Canon is "severely falling behind". But if you really believed that, you wouldn't be here. You would have switched. And be posting on Sony forums, and sharing your pics and showing how much better the equipment made your photography, right?

 

[BillB]

It's only a matter of time if things continue like they are. Japanese cars used to be a joke, now they're generally regarded as the standard. Korean cars used to be a joke, now they're considered competitive. Sony's offerings will not be dismissed indefinitely if things continue as they have been. Canon can't ride their momentum forever.

Well, how long is Sony willing to keep putting money in to camera development without increasing its camera share? We don't know whether Sony is making money on its cameras or not.

 

[Ozarker]

Canon is doomed! Sony now has 2 jaw-dropping top-of-the-line cameras in the A9 and A7R IV. Impressive. Even Canon websites are listing Sony camera announcements on their front page!

On which websites is Canon listing Sony on the front page? Don't confuse private blog sites with official stuff.

 

[Justhandguns]

Agreed.
As much as I hate to say this canon does seem to be severely falling behind.
They still have superior lenses but really do need to step up the sensor and technology of the R cameras.
I have no problem dropping the DSLRs completely if they will become industry leaders in mirrorless and that really includes battery life which is one of the last far superior aspects of the DSLR.

I think it is only the lens collection that keep us here. I think Canon knows this well.

I must say the new A7 really got me interested.

 

[Ozarker]

It has the specs we want for bird photography - high resolution, superb AF, high fps when we want it and that APS-C mode. It's taken 3 generations of Sony users to be beta testers for it to get there. Canon might be slow, but its products work. I'd like to try it out.

???

• "High-speed continuous shooting at up to 10 fps(4) with full AF / AE tracking for approximately seven seconds(5) in full-frame mode with an increased buffer memory, and approximately three times as long in APS-C mode."

Of course, I'm not a wildlife shooter, but this seems slow to me... at least compared to a 1DX Mark II (which is more money). But that sensor....

I guess the A9 is Sony's sports/wildlife cam? I really don't know.

 

[blackcoffee17]

If you meant 200-1000 relative to a FF 22 MP sensor, then OK. It's about the same with a 5DS vs a 1DX.

Yes, except that Canon does not have anything like the 200-600 natively.

 

[StoicalEtcher]

....The grass is always greener. ...

Since this is a photography gear site, shouldn't that read "The glass is always cleaner .."?

 

[ashmadux]

Canon said they would be the most aggressive camera company in terms of mirror-less development, but Sony certainly isn't taking a wait and see mode. Hopefully the new Canon RF models will be sooner than 2020

I dont think anyone could credibly believe that. Canon has had years upon years where all they showed- even with thier biggest lines- 5d, 7d- that they were content with making adequate cameras.

There hasn't been true excitement for a canon body arguably since the 1dx2, and that has a limited audience. The RP got so much attention for its cheapness, but has one of the most pathetic spec sheets of any modern full frame camera. And thier sensor tech....just...shameful. Lookat all the bad press it took for them to finally be looking into ibis.

Canon's own philosophy has now doomed them. They can't catch up to this. They wont.

I give canon 5 years before they pull out of camera development. The writing is on the wall, especially if they have no desire to make class leading products. at that end, whats the point?

 

[woodman411]

I think it is only the lens collection that keep us here. I think Canon knows this well.

I must say the new A7 really got me interested.

Not really, good Canon glass has tremendous resale value, you wouldn't lose much at all, I've bought and sold a ton of them so I know. Oh wait stupid me, this is just a troll comment...

 

[ashmadux]

You work in landscape, astro and nature photography? Tell us your secrets, oh wise one!
Canon have hardly "thrown away" 2019. They've announced and released a ton of RF mount lenses in readiness for a new body, and we're only six months in. If you don't want to wait, Sony just announced a 60mpx 10fps camera for your nature/astro/landscape fast moving work. I guess you're the target market! Either way, I'm sure Canon will heed your demands and immediately release all their R&D for fear of you leaving.

lenses.

Everyone has lenses.

No one really needs canons specialty lenses, to be totally honest. We need our solid work lenses.

And yeah...lets all buy Canon R's now. Not a chance.

 

[Stereodude]

Funny how I’ve been reading comments like that on this forum since I joined nine years ago. Still waiting.

Way to have that early 80's Big 3 attitude.

The thing that many people, including yourself, apparently fail to grasp is that the views expressed on this forum really don’t represent the market as a whole. That fact should be obvious to anyone with a modicum of intelligence, because comments like yours have been made here for close to a decade, and over that decade the only thing that has happened to Canon’s market dominance is a slight increase. But hey, maybe that will change someday.

Do you have any more baseless & rude insults you'd like to sling around in your blind, head in the sand, loyalty to Canon? You're on a roll with your "modicum of intelligence".

Well, how long is Sony willing to keep putting money in to camera development without increasing its camera share? We don't know whether Sony is making money on its cameras or not.

It seems like the 2nd part of your post invalidates the second. The first part assumes they're losing money which in the second part you admit you don't know.

 

[unfocused]

???

• "High-speed continuous shooting at up to 10 fps(4) with full AF / AE tracking for approximately seven seconds(5) in full-frame mode with an increased buffer memory, and approximately three times as long in APS-C mode."

Of course, I'm not a wildlife shooter, but this seems slow to me... at least compared to a 1DX Mark II (which is more money). But that sensor....

I guess the A9 is Sony's sports/wildlife cam? I really don't know.

Side note: If I read the footnotes correctly on the Sony release, those figures are jpg only.

 

[jeffa4444]

My main gripe with the Sony bodies is the instance on using SD cards. Cfast would be better, but every pro camera using CFExpress is the ideal. I want to have 'a' set of memory cards I trust. But I am sure there are folks just as happy they can put SD cards into this thing.

Never had a single SD card failure in over 20 years. Sony Tough SD cards are the way to go.

 

[blackcoffee17]

If you meant 200-1000 relative to a FF 22 MP sensor, then OK. It's about the same with a 5DS vs a 1DX.

What you mean relative to FF sensor?

The way i look at it: i have 61MP / 10 FPS full frame quality at 200-600mm and APS-C quality 22MP / 10 FPS at 1000mm, still pretty amazing. And 1.3 crop gives 30MP / 800mm / 10 FPS. All in a single camera with an $1800 lens.

 

[unfocused]

...Do you have any more baseless & rude insults you'd like to sling around in your blind, head in the sand, loyalty to Canon? You're on a roll with your "modicum of intelligence"....


...It seems like the 2nd part of your post invalidates the second. The first part assumes they're losing money which in the second part you admit you don't know.

If you consider those comments from Neuro to be rude, you obviously haven't been paying much attention to this forum.He was on good behavior with those remarks.

No, BillB's comment did not contradict themselves. He wondered how long Sony would be willing to invest in cameras without gaining market share. He then commented that we don't know if they are actually making money on cameras or not. One can certainly make money without gaining market share, but it's also appropriate to assume that most companies would like to increase their market share, especially when the overall market is shrinking.

 

[unfocused]

What you mean relative to FF sensor?

The way i look at it: i have 61MP / 10 FPS full frame quality at 200-600mm and APS-C quality 22MP / 10 FPS at 1000mm, still pretty amazing. And 1.3 crop gives 30MP / 800mm / 10 FPS. All in a single camera with an $1800 lens.

Yes, that sounds great. But, please keep in mind that that $1,800 lens performs on par with a $900 Sigma lens. So, if you put a $900 Sigma lens on a 20 mp 10 fps Canon 7DII, you have about the same level of performance for well under half the price.