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Sony A7 IV vs Sony A7S

Portability
61
Imaging
81
Features
92
Overall
85
Sony Alpha A7 IV front
 
Sony Alpha A7S front
Portability
77
Imaging
60
Features
73
Overall
65

Sony A7 IV vs Sony A7S Key Specs

Sony A7 IV
(Full Review)
  • 33MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Expand to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 699g - 129 x 97 x 81mm
  • Released October 2021
  • Earlier Model is Sony A7 III
Sony A7S
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 489g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Introduced April 2014
  • Refreshed by Sony A7S II
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Sony A7 IV vs Sony A7S Overview

In this article, we will be evaluating the Sony A7 IV and Sony A7S, both Pro Mirrorless cameras and both are produced by Sony. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the A7 IV (33MP) and A7S (12MP) but they enjoy the same exact sensor measurements (Full frame).

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The A7 IV was manufactured 7 years after the A7S which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a quick overview of how the A7 IV grades vs the A7S in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A7 IV over the Sony A7S

 A7 IV A7S 
IntroducedOctober 2021April 2014Newer by 92 months
Screen typeFully articulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1440k1230kClearer screen (+210k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A7S over the Sony A7 IV

 A7S A7 IV 

Common features in the Sony A7 IV and Sony A7S

 A7 IV A7S 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements

Sony A7 IV vs Sony A7S Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Sony A7 IV provides outside measurements of 129mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2") with a weight of 699 grams (1.54 lbs) and the Sony A7S has dimensions of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 489 grams (1.08 lbs).

Analyze the Sony A7 IV and Sony A7S in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the A7 IV compared to the A7S.

Sony A7 IV vs Sony A7S size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A7 IV and A7S is 61 and 77 respectively.

Sony A7 IV vs Sony A7S top view buttons comparison

Sony A7 IV vs Sony A7S Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be difficult to see the gap in sensor dimensions just by looking through a spec sheet. The image here will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the A7 IV and A7S.

As you can see, both the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Sony A7 IV to render extra detail due to its extra 21 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The newer A7 IV will have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Sony A7 IV vs Sony A7S sensor size comparison

Sony A7 IV vs Sony A7S Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7 IV vs Sony A7S Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A7 IV
Portrait photography with Sony A7S
81
manual focus
MP count high (33MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
offers face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
no liveview
68
you can focus manually
sensor size is great (Full frame)
comes with face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Sony A7 IV Street photography advice
Sony A7S Street photography advice
79
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
offers touch focus
weather proof
good high ISO (51,200)
76
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is great (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
lighter than others in class (489g)
very good high ISO (409,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sony A7 IV Sports photography details
Sony A7S Sports photography details
84
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count high (33 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
offers tracking focus
weather proof
better than average battery power (600 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect AF
no liveview
52
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
comes with tracking focus
weather sealing
max frames per second low (5.0 fps)
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12MP)
terrible battery life (360 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7 IV Travel photography factors
Sony A7S Travel photography factors
80
better than average battery power (600 shots)
weather proof
connects via bluetooth
offers touch focus
MP count high (33 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
58
lighter than others in class (489g)
weather sealing
terrible battery life (360 per charge)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
does not have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A7 IV Landscape photography highlights
Sony A7S Landscape photography highlights
84
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count high (33MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
good high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
better than average battery power (600 shots)
has dual storage slots
no liveview
66
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
very good high ISO (409,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (360 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A7 IV Vlogging highlights
Sony A7S Vlogging highlights
80
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect focusing
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes microphone jack
34
comes with face detect focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
comes with microphone port
lighter than others in class (489 grams)
does not have selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
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Sony A7 IV vs Sony A7S Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7 IV and Sony A7S
 Sony Alpha A7 IVSony Alpha A7S
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha A7 IV Sony Alpha A7S
Type Pro Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Released 2021-10-21 2014-04-06
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Full frame
Sensor measurements 35.8 x 23.8mm 35.8 x 23.9mm
Sensor surface area 852.0mm² 855.6mm²
Sensor resolution 33 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 7008 x 4672 4240 x 2832
Highest native ISO 51200 409600
Highest enhanced ISO 204800 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 759 25
Lens
Lens mount type Sony E Sony E
Available lenses 172 121
Crop factor 1 1
Screen
Screen type Fully articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,440 thousand dot 1,230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 3,690 thousand dot 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x 0.71x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes no built-in flash no built-in flash
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/200 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 3843840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, XAVC HS, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 50p / 200 Mbps, XAVC HS, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 140 Mbps, XAVC HS, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 140 Mbps, XAVC HS, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 100 Mbps, XAVC HS, MP4, H.265, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 600 Mbps, XAVC S-I, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 50p / 500 Mbps, XAVC S-I, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 300 Mbps, XAVC S-I, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 250 Mbps, XAVC S-I, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 240 Mbps, XAVC S-I, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 120p / 280 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 100p / 280 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 200 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 50p / 200 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 3840 x 2160, XAVC S 1080 60p(50Mbps), 30p (50Mbps), 24p (50Mbps). 720 120p (50Mbps). AVCHD 60p (28Mbps), 60i (24Mbps/17Mbps), 24p (24Mbps/17Mbps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, XAVC S, XAVC HS, XAVC S-I, H.264, H.265 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB Yes (USB PD supported) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 699 grams (1.54 lb) 489 grams (1.08 lb)
Dimensions 129 x 97 x 81mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.2") 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 87
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.2
DXO Low light rating not tested 3702
Other
Battery life 600 photographs 360 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FZ100 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Dual Single
Price at release $2,500 $1,998