Sony
A1 2021
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
£4199
new today at Wex Photo Video
Decision tools · Compare
A1 vs A7R IV
Quick take: The A7R IV has the highest resolution at 61MP; the A7R IV is the most affordable.
16 specs side by side·14 genres scored·UK prices from Wex Photo Video and Clifton Cameras
How to read this page. Highlighted cells win that row on the spec alone. Genre scores are the engine's base scores (enthusiast, photo and video); Camera Match re-weights them for your level and priorities. Price buttons are affiliate links; the price you pay is the same.
Sony
A7R IV 2019
Best for Landscape, studio, commercial
£2199
list price · used from £1079 at Wex Photo Video
Price buttons are affiliate links — GearFrame may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects a score. Learn more
Verdictwhich should you buy?
A1 — Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting: 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
A7R IV — Landscape, Studio, Commercial: 61MP in a mirrorless body — the resolution benchmark.
Who should buy what
A1 (2021)
is the right camera for you if…
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
A7R IV (2019)
is the right camera for you if…
- Landscape photographers who print large
- Studio shooters needing maximum detail
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | A1Sony · 2021 | A7R IVSony · 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,199 | £2,199Best |
| Sensor | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS | Full-frame BSI Exmor R CMOS 35mm |
| Resolution | 50.1MP | 61.0MPBest |
| Video | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 4K 30fps |
| Autofocus | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points | 567-point phase-detect, real-time tracking |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops | 5-axis IBIS, 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 30fps electronic with full AF/AEBest | 10fps |
| Battery Life | ~430 shots (CIPA) | 670 shots (CIPA)Best |
| Weight | 737g (with battery and card) | 665g (body only)Best |
| Dimensions | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm | 128.9 × 96.4 × 77.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps | EVF 0.78× 5.76M-dot |
| Screen | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 1.44M-dot |
| Mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) | Sony E-Mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II | Dual SD UHS-II slots |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.1, USB-C 3.2 |
Wins the row — price, resolution, burst, battery, weight and sealing are compared; text specs aren't ranked.
How they score by genreengine base scores out of 10
Genre
A1
A7R IV
Portrait
8.2/10
8.1/10
Street
6.1/10
6.2/10
Travel
6.0/10
6.4/10
Wedding & Events
7.9/10
7.8/10
Filmmaking
7.8/10
6.4/10
Documentary
7.6/10
6.9/10
Sports & Action
8.8/10
7.4/10
Landscape
7.6/10
7.9/10
Wildlife
8.7/10
7.7/10
Casual
4.8/10
4.8/10
Food
7.4/10
7.4/10
Macro
7.3/10
6.5/10
Architecture
7.9/10
8.1/10
Astrophotography
6.8/10
6.9/10
Scores come from the same engine as Camera Match: verified specifications weighted by what each genre needs, with documented adjustments. The product page and this table show the enthusiast base score. See how scores are calculated →
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