Sony is bringing out the big guns to the full-frame mirrorless camera wars. The Alpha 7 IV, that it is launching in India today, is packed to a T with high-end specs and features all put together meticulously inside a relatively light and compact chassis to woo creators—storytellers—away from the Nikons and the Canons. Sony in fact is so confident about its product, it goes so far as to call it “game changing.”
If you’re someone keeping track, you’d know that the Alpha 7 IV is successor to the highly successful Alpha 7 III, which is to also say that this camera has been a long time coming. The wait it seems was worth it as Sony is bringing “major” upgrades across the board. From a higher-resolution 33MP sensor, much superior AI-powered autofocus, nearly unlimited buffer capacity, wider selection of video capture modes to improved ergonomics, you name it—the A7 IV has it all.
In an exclusive interview with Financial Express Online’s Saurabh Singh, Sony India’s head of Digital Imaging, Mukesh Srivastava, decodes the new A7 IV full-frame hybrid camera for our readers while also sharing key insights on the global semiconductor shortage and its potential impact on availability.
Excerpts.
— The demand for hybrid full-frame mirrorless cameras is on the rise. How does the A7 IV fit in?
There was a time when those who wanted to create content would consider taking professional training before venturing into the field of content creation, editing and production but situation has drastically evolved now where social networking has enabled the common man to acquire these skills and has given birth to innumerous number of story tellers. We see more and more people expressing themselves with the help of visuals and that is where the demand for hybrid cameras comes into play. There is a cluster boom among creators who are investing into the gear that serves them with all the formats of digital recording, is user friendly, light weight and flexible. The A7 IV fits right into the segment where the user is looking for a camera that goes a step further in fulfilling the creator’s requirement for photography and videography.
— What is the idea behind this camera?
As the demand for shooting cinematic videos, slow motion, stills and online streaming has taken over the digital world, we have been focusing on creating cameras that go beyond the basics. That’s how a powerful hybrid camera like the Alpha 7 IV was created. This camera is built around a newly developed 33MP sensor to achieve image resolution with rich movie expression. It offers more ease, flexibility and lets you challenge tough situations.
— People, especially creators, want to capture and share things immediately. Is this camera up for it?
With the embedded AI on this camera, we have simplified many complex processes to a simple touch and click. By offering a variety of connectivity options, the A7 IV enables on-the-spot streaming and sharing of high-quality content to meet the growing need for remote communication in real-time. Live streaming can be executed from a computer or smartphone, making it easier to stream with a minimalistic setup. We’ve put in a feature called “Shot Mark” which allows users to mark scenes on a video clip, within the camera and further process them on Sony’s Catalyst Browse/Prepare applications. It can also be paired with a range of mics and accessories to deliver high quality sound. The connection between the camera and Imaging Edge Mobile application is simplified via Bluetooth, and fast data transfer is possible with Wi-Fi thus letting users to shoot, transfer, share and syndicate with a simple touch.
— What are some of the things that set the A7 IV apart from competition?
Sony is always in pursuit of creating better technology and this quest is based on a lot of research and analysis. The A7 IV is packed with everything you can possibly think of from video, stills to multimedia. Users have a wide choice from a range of file formats, picture profiles, digital audio, high-end output formats, a long-lasting battery and multiple options to combine with other production accessories.
The high resolution 33MP sensor enables it to express smooth gradation, fine details and textures of the subject while reducing noise supported with the latest Bionz XR processing engine delivering high-speed AF and uninterrupted continuous shooting up to 10fps.
The A7 IV features breathing compensation to combat focus breathing. Real-time Eye AF can now track birds’ and animals’ eye for both still images and movies, in addition to humans. The camera has a revamped menu with separate functions for stills and for movies that can be cascaded to show three levels of hierarchy at once. The vari-angle mechanism LCD allows flexible positioning and framing. Touch sensitivity of the LCD lets you select a subject and track simply by touching the screen, even while using the viewfinder, for more intuitive AF control for both still shots and movies.
— How is this camera placed when it comes to videography? What are some of its unique selling points in video recording?
The A7 IV inherits technology taken from the real-world movie production, including the S-Cinetone picture profile adopted from Sony’s highly regarded Cinema Line cameras creating high-quality movies at 4K 60p recording and up to 4K 30p recording with 7K sampling. This camera also features 10-bit depth 4:2:2 colour sampling to enable natural gradation and continuous recording for more than an hour thanks to the camera’s heat-dissipating structure.
In video production the focus breathing is a huge challenge and professionals wrestle a lot to achieve perfection with it, for the first time in the Alpha series, the A7 IV camera features breathing compensation to combat focus breathing and maintain a consistent angle of view throughout focus changes and can be switched on or off.
Exclusive features are available for creators when using the A7 IV with Sony E-mount lenses, besides 100% performance, unique AF features are achieved, including AF Assist that supports focus transitions when using AF, and Focus Map that visualises depth of field.
— How are the design and ergonomics of this camera different from its predecessor, the A7 III?
The essence of the mirrorless camera design is to keep it compact and lightweight. The A7 IV maintains a chiselled design, just like other cameras in our line-up. Compared with A7 III, the A7 IV has even larger and deeper handgrip and numerous advantages ranging from a side-opening vari-angle touch-panel rear LCD monitor, to the top-panel REC button. Majorly, all Sony cameras maintain a body built with magnesium alloy to achieve a robustness while minimising weight. functions for stills and for movies can be assigned to various buttons and dials, including the new, freely customisable rear dial R which contributes to enhanced still- and movie-shooting efficiency. The model was developed with the environment in mind by using Sony’s original recycled plastic SORPLAS for the camera body and packaging with recyclable materials and less plastic.
— Will Sony have enough stock available? What is the kind of market response you’re looking at? Who is the target audience?
Being leaders in the full-frame mirrorless segment in India, we have got an overwhelming response pan India to our register your interest campaign for the A7 IV. This camera will be a game changer, just like its predecessor A7 III and we are all geared up to meet the demand. Even though the market has been impacted due to semiconductor shortage, we at Sony have seen tremendous growth over the last financial year.
We see content getting better and more impactful day by day and that is where hybrid content creators look for cameras which don’t disappoint them. This camera is best suited for anyone who is a storyteller and content creator.
— DSLR versus mirrorless—what is Sony’s take on this? Is mirrorless really the future?
We are at the forefront of mirrorless technology, and I will not hesitate to say that this is the future of imaging. People want cameras which are light weight, fast, have superb autofocus, embedded with artificial intelligence and meet all the challenges of a creator. In today’s world we cannot limit a camera to shoot stills or video only, it must also excel in all the areas that a creator puts it through (and mirrorless cameras make that possible).
Besides power packed camera bodies, Sony has the widest gamut of 65 lenses including 15 top-of-the line G-Master lens in the mirrorless segment. The best part is that all these lenses can be connected to any Sony camera body because of our one-mount approach i.e., the E-Mount. We always try our best to render creative solutions and today we are setting milestones with hybrid cameras, such as our newly launched A7 IV.
The Alpha 7 IV price in India is set at Rs 2,42,490 (body only). Sony will also sell it separately with a 28-70 mm zoom lens for Rs 2,62,490.
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