New Higher-Res Rear LCD's for A7rIII and A7rIV

[Biro]

This was mentioned in another thread with a link to a rumor page. But I figured we'll probably discuss it more in the days ahead, making it worthy of its own string. And here's a link to a confirmation of the rumor:

https://www.dpreview.com/news/87569...tm_medium=marquee&utm_campaign=traffic_source

 

[Biro]

And here's Thom Hogan's take on them...

https://sansmirror.com/newsviews-2/the-not-new-new-model.html

 

[SpecFoto]

Having had 2 Sony bodies now with the 1.44 million dot LCD, I think that the only ones complaining about it in actual use are the online reviewers, who have to complain about something My original A7III LCD was 922,000 dots, where the A7RIII and now A7RIV are both 1.44 million dots, and I never thought either LCD was bad or low quality.

But I can see new owners of the A1 being really pissed at Sony over this. Why didn't they put this bigger 2.36 million dot LCD on their new flagship, which is just hitting the streets in quantity right now? The person at Sony who made that bonehead decision deserves to be fired.

For me the EVF is much more important and I did notice the upgrade from 2.36 million dot EVF in the A7III to 3.6 million dots in the A7RIII. More so with the A7RIV, with its 5.76 million dot EVF, which is just about perfect to me and certainly the best I have used.

Edit: The other item upgraded in this new release is the transfer speed of the USB protocol, which is now at USB 3.2 standards, and finally gets closer to the speed of the UHS-II slot(s). On my Sony A7III I saw that they, just like Nikon did with my D500, used a slower connector/protocol than what the USH-II slot was capable of. (This slower protocol was in the A7RIII and continued with the A7RIV). I bought a USH-II card reader 2-1/2 years ago and have used this reader to quickly transfer photos at these faster speeds on my 2019 iMac. Now Sony is finally matching that......So for me, another non-issue like the LCD.

 

[bdbits]

I do not understand all the angst over the LCD either. Most of the time I use it for selecting menu items or options. Unless I am in a difficult shooting position - e.g. low to the ground or working with a tripod - I am going to use the EVF for composition, focussing, optimizing settings, etc. Hence I definitely appreciated the higher pixels in the A7Riii EVF versus the A7ii. But maybe that is just me and the type of photography I do.

 

[WoodWorks]

I think people who habitually use the LCD are mostly those who grew up using their phone cameras to take pictures. I can't tell you the number of times I've handed my camera to someone to take a photo, only to watch them hold the camera out at arm's length instead of using the EVF. It just doesn't occur to them that they're supposed to put the thing up against one of their eyeballs.

 

[WNG]

A lot of DSLR users are prone to the practice of relying on the rear LCD for liveview and video recording. As well as chimping after each shot. And they continue doing this after switching to mirrorless. Initially, I did so too, until I realized the EVF is superior for all composition and review, especially in bright sunlight.
So, yes, I too don't care to have a bleeding edge highest res OLED screen. Far more important to have it be touch capable.

 

[unlo]

A lot of DSLR users are prone to the practice of relying on the rear LCD for liveview and video recording. As well as chimping after each shot. And they continue doing this after switching to mirrorless. Initially, I did so too, until I realized the EVF is superior for all composition and review, especially in bright sunlight.
So, yes, I too don't care to have a bleeding edge highest res OLED screen. Far more important to have it be touch capable.

its honestly the touch capability that annoys me. my Nex5r has "touch" capabilities. so it's not like sony is new to this, or idk, HAVE A SMARTPHONE line with muti-touch capabilities.. just.. do it already! what is the hold up?! its 2021!!!!!

 

[TedG954]

And I thought the A7RIV was discontinued.

 

[Biro]

And I thought the A7RIV was discontinued.

Not only is the A7rIV not discontinued, but it's now clear that the A7rIII is still in production.

 

[TedG954]

Not only is the A7rIV not discontinued, but it's now clear that the A7rIII is still in production.

My mistake, I meant A7RIII.

 

[TedG954]

It really makes sense. Sony needs to offer a 42mp camera for those that don't need/want 60+ mp. 24, 42, and 63 cover the needs pretty well. That's why I chose the III over the IV. And in all honesty, 24 was plenty for my particular needs.

 

[bdbits]

Sony continues offering older models long after newer generations are released. I believe everything from mark 2 onwards is still available brand new - A7ii, A7Rii, etc. But I am not a multi-billion-dollar trans-national corporation competing in global markets, so what do I know. My guess is that they sell the older models in still-developing markets where people cannot afford or will not be willing to buy the newer, more expensive models.

 

[Biro]

The A7rIII would be perfect if it had the autofocus system from the A7rIV. But that would require a new sensor. So that's not happening. And never mind the enhanced weather resistance of the new camera. *sigh*

 

[TedG954]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[Biro]

You know what would be really nice with the A7rIVa? A full-frame, reduced-resolution option - say, 42mp or 36mp. This has been rumored for a while now and this update would be the perfect time to bring out such a feature. And it could be accomplished with a firmware update. But I don't think it's going to happen. Sony is just too cynical. Too bad. I'd buy an A7rIVa right now with a full-frame, reduced-resolution option.

 

[SpecFoto]

Just to remind you @Biro, the A7RIV does have a APS-C crop mode that produces an excellent 26MP file. I used this in late March to shoot almost 2,000 photos of the Blue Angeles for added reach with my 100-400GM, without losing a stop like a TC does. The only issue I found was added noise, especially in the shadows, but Topaz DeNoise worked just wonders.

But like you I would prefer a true native 36 or 42MP mode as an alternate to the 61MP.

 

[Biro]

Not that many of us have been holding our breath, but... it looks like the updated A7rIV and a7rIII can be "preordered" next week...

https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-a7riiia-and-a7riva-camera-preorders-will-open-on-may-17/