Olympus PEN-F vs Sony A7R IV

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus PEN-F and Sony A7R IV, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and A7R IV (61MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and A7R IV (Full frame) posses totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The PEN-F was released 4 years earlier than the A7R IV and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A7R IV being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go right into a complete comparison, here is a short overview of how the PEN-F grades against the A7R IV in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN-F & Sony Alpha A7R IV. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus PEN-F Gallery & Sony A7R IV Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus PEN-F provides outer dimensions of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") along with a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Sony A7R IV has specifications of 129mm x 96mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1") and a weight of 665 grams (1.47 lbs).

See the Olympus PEN-F and Sony A7R IV in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the PEN-F and the A7R IV.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the PEN-F and A7R IV is 84 and 62 respectively.

Quite often, it can be difficult to see the gap between sensor sizing only by reading technical specs. The photograph here will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the PEN-F and A7R IV.

As you have seen, both of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The PEN-F featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A7R IV will offer you extra detail as a result of its extra 41MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots way more aggressively. The older PEN-F is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.