The A7 IV and A7R V are the two full-frame Sonys we see traded most often, and they're a year apart in release date but roughly a thousand dollars apart on the used market. One is the camera most people should buy; the other is the camera most people think they should buy. This guide is about figuring out which group you're in.
The short answer
Buy the A7 IV if…
- You shoot a mix of stills and video and want one camera that does both well
- 33MP is enough (it is, for most people, including a lot of pros)
- You'd rather spend the difference on a G Master lens
- You value smaller files and faster editing over cropping headroom
Buy the A7R V if…
- You shoot landscape, architecture, product or studio work and print large
- You crop heavily, or use one prime where others carry a zoom
- You want the best subject-detection autofocus Sony makes
- You want the better viewfinder and the articulating-and-tilting screen
Spec sheet, the parts that matter
| Sony A7 IV (2021) | Sony A7R V (2022) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor | 33MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 61MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Processor | BIONZ XR | BIONZ XR plus a dedicated AI processing unit for subject recognition |
| Stabilisation | 5-axis IBIS, rated 5.5 stops | 5-axis IBIS, rated 8 stops |
| Burst | 10 fps | 10 fps (buffer fills faster at 61MP) |
| Viewfinder | 3.69M-dot OLED | 9.44M-dot OLED, the best in Sony's line-up |
| Rear screen | 3.0" vari-angle, 1.03M dots | 3.2" four-axis tilt and flip, 2.1M dots |
| Video | 4K60 (APS-C crop at 60p), 4K30 oversampled from 7K, 10-bit 4:2:2 | 8K24, 4K60 (APS-C crop at 60p), 10-bit 4:2:2 |
| Pixel shift | No | Yes, up to 240MP composites on a tripod |
| Storage | 1x CFexpress Type A / SD, 1x SD | 2x CFexpress Type A / SD |
| Battery | NP-FZ100 | NP-FZ100 |
| Weight (with battery and card) | roughly 660 g | roughly 725 g |
| Typical used price | Roughly $1,500 – $1,900 | Roughly $2,600 – $3,200 |
Used Sony prices move with each new body announcement. Check what the A7R V has actually sold for on Aperture.market, and check the A7 IV sold-price page and browse the Sony listings for current asking prices.
The resolution question, answered honestly
Sixty-one megapixels is a lot. A 61MP file is around 120MB as an uncompressed RAW, it slows down everything from import to export, and it exposes lens flaws that 33MP politely hides. For a 24-inch print you need far fewer pixels than either camera has. So the question isn't "is more better," it's "what do I do with the extra?"
Three groups actually use it. Landscape and architecture shooters who print at 40 inches and up. Product and studio photographers who crop to deliverables. And people who shoot one prime and crop instead of zooming: a 61MP file cropped to APS-C is still 26MP, which turns a 50mm into a usable 75mm. If you're in one of those groups, the A7R V's sensor is the reason to buy it. If you're not, the resolution is a cost, not a feature, and the A7 IV's 33MP files are the sweet spot for almost everything else.
"Most people who ask about the A7R V want the autofocus and the viewfinder. The 61MP is just what you have to accept to get them."
What the A7R V does better that isn't resolution
Autofocus. The A7R V introduced Sony's dedicated AI processing unit, which recognises people, animals, birds, insects, cars, trains and planes, and tracks a human by body pose when it can't see a face. The A7 IV's autofocus is very good, with reliable eye-detection for people, animals and birds, but the R V is a step up in stickiness on turned-away subjects and in busy scenes. If you shoot kids, pets or events, you'll notice.
Viewfinder and screen. The 9.44M-dot finder on the R V is a genuinely different experience from the A7 IV's 3.69M-dot unit: bigger, sharper, better for manual focusing. The rear screen is Sony's four-axis design that tilts for waist-level stills and flips out for video; the A7 IV has a simpler vari-angle screen that is fine but lower resolution.
Stabilisation. Eight stops rated versus five and a half. At 61MP you need it, and it translates into usable half-second handheld exposures for people with steady hands.
Two CFexpress-capable slots. The A7 IV has one combined CFexpress A/SD slot and one SD-only slot. For most people that's irrelevant; for anyone shooting dual-card backup at high speed it's a real difference.
What the A7 IV does better
Video, for most people. Both cameras shoot 4K60 with a crop, but the A7 IV is the better hybrid: its 33MP sensor is less demanding on heat and storage, its oversampled 4K30 is excellent, and the files are easier to work with. The A7R V's 8K is a headline more than a workflow. The A7 IV is also lighter, its buffer lasts longer at 10 fps because the files are smaller, and its lower resolution is kinder to older and third-party lenses. And it's the better value by a wide margin: the price difference buys a Sony 35mm f/1.4 GM on the used market, and a good lens moves your pictures more than 28 extra megapixels.
Buying used: what to check
Both bodies report shutter count in the menu or through a free online EXIF tool; Sony rates these shutters for a lot of actuations, so the number matters less than how the camera was used. Check the sensor for scratches by photographing a plain wall at f/16 and looking for marks that don't move. Test the IBIS by listening for an unusual rattle with the camera off (some movement is normal) and by shooting a slow handheld exposure. Confirm both card slots read and write, the hot shoe's multi-interface pins are clean and undamaged (they bend easily), and the rubber grips haven't started to lift. On the A7R V, check the screen hinge, which has more moving parts than most. Ask whether the camera was used for long video sessions, since heavy video use is harder on a body than a similar stills count.
Our condition guide explains how sellers on Aperture.market grade bodies. If you're the one selling, the AI listing writer will draft a description with the right model names and specs. And if you're buying, Aperture.market charges zero commission and lists each seller's location, so you can meet locally, put your own card in, and shoot a few frames before you pay. Start with the mirrorless listings or the Sony hub.