Sony a7R III vs a7R IV

Two generations of Sony's high-resolution full-frame body. Both shoot up to 10 fps with AF/AE tracking, rate 5.5 stops of in-body stabilization, use the NP-FZ100 battery and weigh within about 8 g. The a7R IV adds 61MP, wider phase-detect coverage, a 5.76M-dot finder, two UHS-II slots and a 240.8MP Pixel Shift mode.

A black Sony a7R III body fitted with a large lens, on a white background — **Sony a7R III**42.4MP full frame · launched at $3,200 in 2017Photo: Jürgen Matern via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

A black Sony a7R IV with a Zeiss 55mm lens and hood on a white background — **Sony a7R IV**61MP full frame · launched at $3,500 in 2019Photo: Franz van Duns via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

Side-by-side specs

	Sony a7R III	Sony a7R IV
Sensor	42.4MP full-frame back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS; no optical low-pass filter	61.0MP full-frame back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS
Processor	BIONZ X with front-end LSI	BIONZ X
ISO	100–32000; expandable to 50–102400	Same
Autofocus	399 phase-detection points (about 68% coverage) + 425 contrast points	567 phase-detection points (about 74% coverage) + 425 contrast points; Real-time Eye AF for people and animals
Bursts	Up to 10 fps with AF/AE tracking	Same
Stabilization	5-axis in-body; 5.5 steps (CIPA)	Same
Pixel Shift	4 frames composited into a 42.4MP image	16 frames composited into a 240.8MP image
Viewfinder	0.5-inch OLED, 3.69M dots, 0.78x	0.5-inch OLED, 5.76M dots, 0.78x
Screen	3.0-inch tilting touchscreen, 1.44M dots	3.0-inch tilting touchscreen, about 1.44M dots
Card slots	Two SD (one UHS-II)	Two SD (both UHS-II)
Battery	NP-FZ100	NP-FZ100
Weight	About 657 g with battery and card	About 665 g with battery and card
Launch price	Oct 25, 2017; $3,200 body-only (US)	Jul 16, 2019; $3,500 body-only (US)

Specs from Sony Electronics' October 25, 2017 and July 16, 2019 releases, Sony Japan's ILCE-7RM3 specifications page and the Sony specs cited in our a7R IV review; US launch prices from Sony. ✓ = advantage; blank = tie or not directly comparable.

Sample photos

Four photos taken with the Sony a7R III and four with the Sony a7R IV, shared on Wikimedia Commons under open licenses.

Sample photo 1 of 8 taken with the Sony a7R III — Taken with the Sony a7R III. Photo: Christopher Harriot from Penang, Malaysia via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)

Sample photo 2 of 8 taken with the Sony a7R III — Taken with the Sony a7R III. Photo: David Zhang via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized)

Sample photo 3 of 8 taken with the Sony a7R III — Taken with the Sony a7R III. Photo: David Zhang from Canada via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized)

Sample photo 4 of 8 taken with the Sony a7R III — Taken with the Sony a7R III. Photo: John Knight via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)

Sample photo 5 of 8 taken with the Sony a7R IV — Taken with the Sony a7R IV. Photo: Prasan Shrestha via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

Sample photo 6 of 8 taken with the Sony a7R IV — Taken with the Sony a7R IV. Photo: Roman Eisele via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

Sample photo 7 of 8 taken with the Sony a7R IV — Taken with the Sony a7R IV. Photo: Franz van Duns via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

Sample photo 8 of 8 taken with the Sony a7R IV — Taken with the Sony a7R IV. Photo: PantheraLeo1359531 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (resized)

Who should buy which

Buy the a7R III if…

You want the speed and stabilization ratings of the newer body with 42.4MP files: 10 fps and 5.5 steps on both.
You want smaller raw files to store and edit.
You are happy with a 3.69M-dot finder and one UHS-II slot.

Buy the a7R IV if…

You shoot landscapes or architecture and will use 61MP or the 240.8MP Pixel Shift mode.
You want the 5.76M-dot finder and wider phase-detect coverage: 567 points, about 74% of the frame.
You want both card slots to be UHS-II.

Both bodies share 10 fps bursts, 5.5-step in-body stabilization, the ISO range, the NP-FZ100 battery and a 1.44M-dot screen, so the choice is mostly resolution, finder, AF coverage and card slots. See our full a7R III and a7R IV reviews, or all comparisons.

Where to buy

Sony a7R III

a7R III · body (Renewed)

Sony a7R III: Launched at $3,200 in 2017.

Check price (Renewed)
Read the full Sony a7R III review

Sony a7R IV

a7R IV · body (new)

Sony a7R IV: Launched at $3,500 in 2019.

Check price
Read the full Sony a7R IV review

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