Sony A7R IV Print Quality & Image Quality Comparison

 

Sony A7R IV Print Quality Analysis

Print Quality Summary: Yet another fantastic showing for Sony's A7R-series in our print quality analysis! The 61MP sensor inside the A7R Mark IV is a print-making powerhouse. The end. All the way up to ISO 1600, you're basically limited by your creativity and printing needs in how large you can print. Our print testing tops out at 30 x 40 inches, and the A7R IV easily makes fantastic prints at this large size from extended low ISO 50 up to ISO 1600. Noise remains extremely low throughout this ISO range, fine detail is excellent and colors are vibrant. As the ISO rises, the image processing and in-camera noise reduction with JPEGs does an excellent job of controlling noise while retailing lots and lots of crisp detail. As such, even up to ISO 25,600, the A7R IV can print up to an 8 x 10 inch print -- a rare feat for the vast majority of cameras. Going further up the ISO scale, noise does start to take its toll on resolving power, with a 4 x 6 print being the maximum print size at ISO 51,200 -- which is still quite impressive given that this is also an extended high ISO. At the highest ISO of 102,400, the images are very noisy and too soft overall to be usable for print-making.

ISOs 50 through 1600, much like with the predecessor, look fantastic and offer an incredible level of crisp fine detail and vibrant colors. Across this wide ISO range, noise remains very well controlled. At ISO 400, we start to notice the faintest increase in noise in the background/shadows, but it's really only visible with a close, side-by-side comparison to a lower ISO print. As before, from ISOs 400 to 1600, at each ISO step, we can see a very subtle increase in shadow noise. However, it's a very minimal level of noise, such that it doesn't impact our recommended print size. From extended low ISO until ISO 1600, prints look fantastic up to 30 x 40 inches, the maximum print size we test. With the A7R IV's new 61MP sensor, even with a massive 30 x 40 print, we don't observe even the slightly bit of pixelation that we can usually see with lower resolution sensors. The Sony A7R IV is clearly capable of much larger prints beyond what we're capable of testing in our lab.

ISO 3200 images look fantastic but now display enough noise to impact print quality, though not to a significant extent. Noise is really mainly visible in the shadows and background areas, while prints show lots of sharp, fine detail, allowing this ISO level to make excellent prints up to 24 x 36 inches -- a still-impressive print size and a size larger than the predecessor at this ISO! What's more, a 30 x 40 inch print might be possible, too, with careful post-processing and noise reduction.

ISO 6400 prints begin to show some detail loss, particularly in our fabric swatches, but detail elsewhere in our test image, particularly higher contrast areas, are still pleasing and sharp. Noise is definitely noticeable in the shadow areas. Again, the A7R IV can print a size better at this ISO than the former model, allowing for a very good 16 x 20 inch print. A 20 x 30 might be possible with careful image editing and processing.

ISO 12,800 images provide an impressive level of detail and colors, despite this relatively high ISO level. While detail is generally good, noise is becoming a bit too strong for our liking to make an acceptable 13 x 19 inch print. Therefore, we're calling it at 11 x 14 inches here. A print size larger might be doable for less critical applications.

ISO 25,600 prints still offer a lot of fine detail, but noise is quite visible in the shadows, and the processing is definitely reducing detail in the image overall, making for a usable 8 x 10 inch print.

ISO 32,000 images, the camera's native ISO, work well up to 5 x 7 inches. Noise is quite strong now, but an 8 x 10 might work for less critical applications or with careful post-processing.

ISO 51,200 prints are right on the cusp at being acceptable at 5 x 7 inches, but noise is strong and impacting detail quite heavily at this point. We're more comfortable putting the stamp of approval for a 4 x 6 inch print at this ISO.

ISO 102,400 images are, unfortunately, simply too noisy and soft to consider usable for print-making. A 4 x 6 inch print may work for casual prints or less critical purposes, but this ISO is best avoided if you can help it.

 

Sony A7R IV Image Quality Comparison

Below are crops from our laboratory Still Life target comparing the Sony A7R Mark IV's JPEG image quality to its predecessor, the A7R Mark III. We've also compared the A7R IV to a couple of high-resolution cameras from Canon and Nikon, namely the Canon 5DS R and Nikon Z7, as well as to Fuji's GFX 50S and the Panasonic S1R.

NOTE: These images are from best quality JPEGs straight out of the camera, at default settings including noise reduction and using the camera's actual base ISO (not extended ISO settings). All cameras in this comparison were shot with our very sharp reference lenses. Clicking any crop will take you to a carrier page where you can click once again to access the full resolution image as delivered straight from the camera.

 

Sony A7R IV vs Sony A7R III at Base ISO

Sony A7R IV at ISO 100	Sony A7R III at ISO 100

Sony A7R IV vs Canon 5DS R at Base ISO

Sony A7R IV at ISO 100	Canon 5DS R at ISO 100

Sony A7R IV vs Fujifilm GFX 50S at Base ISO

Sony A7R IV at ISO 100	Fujifilm GFX 50S at ISO 100

Sony A7R IV vs Nikon Z7 at Base ISO

Sony A7R IV at ISO 100	Nikon Z7 at ISO 64

Sony A7R IV vs Panasonic S1R at Base ISO

Sony A7R IV at ISO 100	Panasonic S1R at ISO 100

Sony A7R IV vs Sony A7R III at ISO 1600

Sony A7R IV at ISO 1600	Sony A7R III at ISO 1600

Sony A7R IV vs Canon 5DS R at ISO 1600

Sony A7R IV at ISO 1600	Canon 5DS R at ISO 1600

Sony A7R IV vs Fujifilm GFX 50S at ISO 1600

Sony A7R IV at ISO 1600	Fujifilm GFX 50S at ISO 1600

Sony A7R IV vs Nikon Z7 at ISO 1600

Sony A7R IV at ISO 1600	Nikon Z7 at ISO 1600

Sony A7R IV vs Panasonic S1R at ISO 1600

Sony A7R IV at ISO 1600	Panasonic S1R at ISO 1600

Sony A7R IV vs Sony A7R III at ISO 3200

Sony A7R IV at ISO 3200	Sony A7R III at ISO 3200

Sony A7R IV vs Canon 5DS R at ISO 3200

Sony A7R IV at ISO 3200	Canon 5DS R at ISO 3200

Sony A7R IV vs Fujifilm GFX 50S at ISO 3200

Sony A7R IV at ISO 3200	Fujifilm GFX 50S at ISO 3200

Sony A7R IV vs Nikon Z7 at ISO 3200

Sony A7R IV at ISO 3200	Nikon Z7 at ISO 3200

Sony A7R IV vs Panasonic S1R at ISO 3200

Sony A7R IV at ISO 3200	Panasonic S1R at ISO 3200

Sony A7R IV vs. Sony A7R III, Canon 5DS R, Fujifilm GFX 50S, Nikon Z7, Panasonic S1R

Sony A7R IV ISO 100 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Sony A7R III ISO 100 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Canon 5DS R ISO 100 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Fujifilm GFX 50S ISO 100 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Nikon Z7 ISO 64 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Panasonic S1R ISO 100 ISO 3200 ISO 6400