Oddly enough, one of the biggest problems with the Sony a7r IV probably isn’t Sony’s fault.
The Sony a7r IV is targeted at the high-end photographer who needs more resolution, color depth, etc. This photographer will use it for professional applications and is bound to use off-camera lighting unless they’re shooting landscapes. To that end, one of the most significant issues with the Sony a7r IV has to do with light. At the recent Sony Kando trip, we confirmed a lot of the problems we had while previously working with the camera in NYC. If Sony wants to support the professional audience, then they’re going to have to work with lighting partners. And let’s be honest, their flashes suck.
At their Kando Trip, Sony brought on Light and Motion as a partner. While LEDs serve their purpose, they don’t yet give off the beautiful effects that good strobe lighting can–or at least we haven’t seen it yet. But with the Profoto Air TTL system, we encountered issues with TTL light transmission and communication. To confirm this, we tested the Profoto B10 with an air remote on the a7r IVa number of times. Then we put the transmitter on the III, and it worked like a charm. TTL can be very useful in lots of situations for photographers. So Profoto will need to update their firmware to better support this camera.
Now, you’re probably saying, “Well shoot manual, Chris.” Sometimes manual just doesn’t make sense. One significant situation where it doesn’t work is with HSS. While you can bring out a Lumu light meter or something else to meter the light before you shoot, it isn’t always efficient. Sometimes, it’s just better to start shooting if you’re in a time crunch. Further, what’s the point of getting the Profoto Air system unless you’re getting the TTL transmission? Professional photographers who use Profoto and are considering the Sony a7r IV may want to wait until Profoto officially supports the camera.
Otherwise, the camera seems to be performing very well so far. We’re excited to have it in for review later on.