61 Megapixels, Three Disciplines: Working with the Sony A7R IV

When the Canon 5D Mark III came out in 2012 I was one of the first in Antalya to own it. When I bought the Sony A7R IV in January 2021, it was the same. Nine years had passed, the system had changed, but the excitement was the same. From that day to today another 5 years have passed. I'm now around 400 thousand shutter clicks. Throughout this time I've used only this camera on all my photography sets. I haven't even rotated to a single backup body.

I say three disciplines because the A7R IV does three different jobs for me. In fashion, the 61-megapixel sensor reads skin texture under studio light with a character close to film grain. This is something I've seen in very few sensors. On lifestyle sets, moving from hotel room to poolside, the dynamic range gives me permission to hold sun and shadow in a single frame. Around 15 stops. In architecture the real work of 61 megapixels comes out. I shoot wide, then crop the corner I want, and I still have resolution sufficient for large prints. This shrinks my lens bag. I do two shoots with one lens.

Let's get to the A7R V matter. It came out at the end of 2022. I tested it many times. There is no character difference between them. Same 61-megapixel sensor. The only difference is processor and software speed. The A7R V opens menus faster, opens the buffer faster. If you're building your photography on this speed difference, go ahead. I'm not building it. There's also a crowd that buys the A7R V and thinks their photo comes out better. I don't want to name names. But let me say this: No matter how much technology a machine carries, if you don't know how to color, can't set up light, can't see composition, the new model in your hand will produce the same photo. Maybe even worse. Because now you can't blame the machine.

I'm a photographer who picks the smallest AF point and places it manually. For someone doing this, there's no practical difference between the A7R IV and A7R V. I'm not someone who catches the moment, I'm someone who builds the scene. AI-based new autofocus systems may be a revolution for sports and wildlife shooters. Not in my work. I place the model, set the light, then I decide which point of the eye gets focus. Not the machine.

I'm waiting for the A7R VI. It's expected within 1-2 months. The May 2026 rumor is strong. A new-generation sensor around 67 megapixels is coming. If the sensor changes, the character of the camera changes too. Then I'll test, then I'll decide. Paying for a new model that comes with the same sensor isn't changing equipment, it's changing model number.

Rebellious Luxury works this way on the equipment side too. I don't jump because a new model came out. Knowing the equipment is more important than changing the equipment. After 5 years and 400 thousand shutter clicks, I know the limits of this camera, and its strong sides too. That's why I take better photos with it. Rather than buying a new body and being indecisive 5 thousand shutter clicks later, I keep agreeing with the old one.

The ordinary chases hype. The rebellious knows its equipment.