One generation apart, and a clear step apart in price — but not in resolution. Both cameras are 33MP. What separates them is how fast that sensor is read out: 10 fps against 30, 4K60 from a crop against full-width 4K120.
Updated: October 2026
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Stay or buy if: You shoot weddings, events, portraits and hybrid content at a normal pace. Same 33MP file as the A7 V, same viewfinder, for noticeably less money.
Upgrade if: You keep running into 10 fps, into rolling shutter, or into the Super 35 crop at 4K60. That is what the money buys here — not more pixels.
| Specification | Sony A7 IV | Sony A7 V |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor | 33MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS | 33MP Full-Frame partially stacked Exmor RS CMOS |
| Processor | BIONZ XR | BIONZ XR + AI Processing Unit |
| Video (Max) | 4K60 (S35 1.5x crop), 4K30 full-width | 4K120 (3840 x 2160, 280 Mbps 4:2:2 10-bit) — no 8K mode |
| Internal Rec | 10-bit 4:2:2 XAVC S-I / XAVC HS | 10-bit 4:2:2 XAVC S-I / XAVC HS |
| Autofocus | 759-point hybrid, Eye AF (Human/Animal/Bird) | 759-point AI Recognition (Human/Animal/Insect/Vehicle) |
| IBIS | 5-axis, 5.5 stops | 5-axis, 7.5 stops centre / 6.5 periphery (CIPA2024) |
| Burst Speed | 10fps | 30fps (Hi+) |
| ISO Range | 100–51,200 (exp. 50–204,800) | 100–51,200 (exp. 50–204,800) |
| Viewfinder | 3.69M-dot OLED, 0.78x magnification | 3.69M-dot OLED, 0.78x magnification — identical |
| Screen | 3.0" vari-angle, 1.03M-dot | 3.2" 4-axis multi-angle, 2.1M-dot |
| Card Slots | 2x (1x CFexpress A/SD, 1x SD UHS-II) | 2x (1x CFexpress A/SD, 1x SD UHS-II) |
| Battery Life | ~580 shots (LCD) | Sony does not publish a CIPA figure for this body |
| Weight | 658g (with battery and card) | 695g (with battery and card) |
Spec figures from the makers: Sony A7 IV (sony.co.uk, checked 25 Sept 2026) · Sony A7 V (helpguide.sony.net, checked 26 Sept 2026)
This is where most upgrade advice about these two cameras goes wrong. Sony gives both bodies as 33 megapixels on a 35.9 x 23.9 mm full-frame sensor. The file you get out is the same size. What changed is the readout:
Winner: Tie on image, A7 V on speed. If you are upgrading for bigger files, you are buying the wrong body — the 61MP one is the A7R V.
The A7 V is the bigger leap here for video-first creators:
Winner: Sony A7 V — for the frame rate, not the resolution. Neither camera shoots 8K. 4K at 120p and less rolling shutter is the whole video argument.
Both have excellent, tenacious autofocus, but the A7 V adds a dedicated AI processing unit:
Winner: Sony A7 V for subject variety and AI tracking, though the A7 IV is still excellent for people and events.
Two real differences here, and one non-difference worth naming:
Winner: Sony A7 V on stabilisation. The finder is a tie — anyone who has read that the A7 V has a 9.44M-dot EVF has read the A1's spec sheet.
Both cameras share Sony's mature E-mount with 100+ native lenses plus affordable third-party glass from Sigma, Tamron, and Samyang. Both use the same NP-FZ100 battery, dual card slots with CFexpress Type A support, full-size HDMI, and a weather-sealed magnesium body. If you already own A7 IV lenses and accessories, they carry straight over to the A7 V — there's no ecosystem switching cost in this upgrade.
Winner: Tie. The shared ecosystem makes upgrading friction-free.
For most photographers: The Sony A7 IV remains the smarter buy. Costing less, it covers weddings, events, portraits, and hybrid video without compromise for the vast majority of shooters.
If speed is what limits you: The Sony A7 V earns its price with 30 fps, 4K120, a 1/16,000 s electronic shutter and 7.5-stop IBIS. Same sensor resolution, a far faster camera.
The upgrade verdict: this is a speed upgrade sold in a generation that people assume is a resolution upgrade. If your pictures are not being limited by frame rate, crop or rolling shutter, the A7 IV gives you the identical 33MP file for less.
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