The Four Tops

From commercial to personal shoots, Callum McInerney-Riley discusses how the Sony Alpha A7 IV has become a go-to camera for all his photography needs

- Callum McInerney-Riley

Last year, I wrote a long-term review for Amateur Photographer of the Sony Alpha 1 after using it for three months. While I loved my experience with the Alpha 1, my conclusion was that the Alpha A7 IV would be a better choice for me. My decision was made on two key factors. Firstly, the A1’s street price is £5,879 – more than double the A7 IV’s comparatively modest £2,399. Secondly, I just don’t need the insanely high-end specification of the Sony Alpha 1. Of course, it’s wonderful to have a 50.1MP sensor, 30fps shooting, and 4K 120fps video. But honestly, the A7 IV’s 33MP sensor, 10fps and 4K 60fps video is perfectly adequate for what I do. So, I bought an A7 IV back in August 2022 and for the past nine months, I have been shooting with it exclusively. Has it lived up to my expectations?

Why I switched to Sony

Before jumping ship to Sony, I had been shooting professionally with Canon cameras since the days of the EOS 5D Mark II some 15 years ago. As a former technical writer for Amateur Photographer, I am no stranger to playing with the latest and greatest camera tech on the market. I have been fortunate enough to have many of these cameras on loan for extended periods of time. It’s a blessing and a curse because no camera is perfect, so flirting with different systems just highlights the thing you love about certain brands, and what’s missing from the one you want to buy. For that reason, it took me forever to finally switch to mirrorless for all my work.