Camera
Sony a7 IV initial review
The Sony a7 IV is the fourth generation of the company’s core a7 full-frame mirrorless camera model. It’s the most advanced yet, bringing many of the improvements Sony has made in terms of autofocus and interface design since the launch of the a7 III, back in February 2018.
Key Specifications
- 33MP BSI CMOS full-frame sensor
- Up to 10 fps shooting in lossy Raw with extensive buffer
- In-body stabilization rated up to 5.5EV
- Full-width oversampled 4K from 7K, up to 30p
- 4K/60p with Super35 / APS-C mode
- 10-bit video or HEIF stills capture
- H.265 video, S-Cinetone color mode
- 3.69M dot OLED viewfinder
- Twin card slots (1x CFe A/UHS-II, 1x UHS-II SD)
- Full-time Bluetooth LE connection
The a7 IV sees just about every one of its specifications improved over the a7 III, from basics such as the resolution of the sensor and viewfinder to significantly increased video capture options.
The a7 IV will be available from late December 2021 at a recommended price of $2499, a $500 increase over the launch price of the a7 III.
What’s new
33MP BSI-CMOS Sensor
At the heart of the a7 IV is a new 33MP BSI-CMOS sensor. This represents a move away from the 24MP chip used by the a7 III and its immediate Panasonic and Nikon rivals. Given that BSI sensors are already widely used in the current generation of cameras, we’re not expecting huge leaps forward in image quality. A slight uptick in detail and comparable low light performance is the most likely thing we can expect, in terms of image quality.
Despite the higher resolution, the a7 IV can still shoot at 10 frames per second. However, it can only do so in the lossy compressed format if you want to shoot Raw. The a7 IV has a lossless compression option, for when you need maximum processing flexibility, but the burst rate drops to around 5 fps if you use it. Sony says the camera’s buffer depth allows over 800 Raw+JPEG images (or over 1000 JPEGs), but this is in the uncompressed Raw format, which again shoots at around 5 fps.
Our first look at the rolling shutter rates suggest this isn’t an especially fast sensor. 14-bit readout of the whole sensor for stills takes around 1/15 sec (~66ms), which is around seventeen times longer than the super-fast a1 takes to read out its sensor. This means silent shutter mode is likely to result in significant distortion with moving subjects.
Silent shutter mode is likely to result in significant distortion with moving subjects
Full-width 4K video takes around 26.5ms, which is comparable with the other models in its class. It’s likely the camera is dropping to 12-bit readout for video mode, but the process of combining pixels should reduce noise and hence prevent DR dropping to ~12EV. 60p footage has rolling shutter rate of around 12.8ms, which is low enough to avoid distortion of all but the fastest movement.
Autofocus
In terms of autofocus, the improvements over the a7 III should be fairly significant, not so much because of the promise to focus in conditions that are one stop darker (–4EV with an F2 lens) but because that camera was one of the last Sonys that didn’t integrate Eye AF into its main AF system, and relied on a much more primitive AF tracking system. The a7 III could detect human eyes, but it couldn’t seamlessly and dependably switch between eye, face and body tracking, if you set the camera to focus on a person.
The a7 IV does exactly this, and has modes that can detect and more accurately track animals, include birds, dogs and cats. For the first time, these animal detection capabilities extend to the camera’s video mode, too.
The simplicity of the system makes it difficult to convey just how effective it is. But like Canon’s latest AF system, you need only indicate to the camera what you want to focus on and it’ll use the most appropriate of its powerful AF algorithms to maximize your hit rate. Until you’ve used a system like this, or the comparable one in recent Canon cameras, it’s difficult to appreciate how powerful, reliable and simple they can be.
Video
Breathing compensationThe a7 IV adds a Breathing Compensation mode that crops and resizes the video to cancel-out any change in a lens’s angle-of-view (AoV) as it focuses. The mode only works with select Sony lenses (all the GM lenses and some G series glass), as the camera needs a profile of the breathing characteristics. Video is cropped to match and maintain the narrowest AoV that might occur if you focused from minimum focus distance to infinity, meaning there’s no distracting change of framing as you refocus. |
After autofocus, the biggest area of improvement is in terms of video capability. The a7 III was the first a7 model to offer 4K capture. Its implementation was pretty good for early 2018, with oversampled 24p capture from the full width of its sensor but a crop required for 30p shooting. All footage was captured in 8-bit precision, at relatively modest bitrates.
The a7 IV moves things forward considerably, adding 10-bit capture to increase the processing flexibility of Log footage and to allow full Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) capture for playback on HDR TVs.
It also gains the ability to shoot 4K/60p for action capture or slow-mo work, but this requires a crop to APS-C/Super 35 dimensions. There are also options to use H.265 compression (XAVC HS) and apply the S-Cinetone color profile.
Eye AF is now available in video mode, which should substantially increase the degree to which you can depend of autofocus staying on your chosen subject. As in stills shooting mode, the camera has been trained to recognize humans, animals and birds.
However, while you can set video mode to use different color and white balance settings, define separate button setups and Fn menu layouts for stills and video, the camera still carries its exposure settings over from stills to video shooting, which isn’t always ideal.
Live streaming
A fully articulating screen can be useful for waist-level shooting, vlogging or selfies. It also allows you to monitor the camera if you’re using its streaming mode. |
The a7 IV also offers the ability to live stream video over its USB connection using the audio and video standards (UVC/UAC) that are part of the USB standard. This allows a choice of HD or FullHD resolutions with FullHD available at up to 60fps. There’s also a 4K option but this only supports 15 frames per second, which gives a dreadful stop-motion look to the footage. Connection is designed to be as simple as possible, using the Imaging Edge Webcam software for Mac or PC. A connection via smartphone is also possible, though audio may not be available at resolutions above HD (720).
HEIF 10-bit stills
The a7 IV gains the ability to capture 10-bit compressed images, rather than just the 8-bit JPEGs historically offered. Unlike Canon, which only uses HEIF capture for HDR images, the Sony lets you shoot standard DR images in 10-bit, with a choice of 4:2:2 or 4:2:0 chroma sub-sampling, if you can find benefit to doing so.
The downside of this added flexibility is that you need to engage HEIF capture before you can engage the Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) color/gamma mode, rather than having both settings change to match one another. It’s worth trying, though: images shot in HLG can show much more of the camera’s dynamic range to give a much more lifelike version of your image, if viewed with an HDR-capable TV.
How it compares
The a7 IV becomes the most expensive iteration of the a7 model yet, with a price that makes it among the most expensive of its peers. We’ve lined it up next to the similarly priced EOS R6 and the significantly cheaper Nikon Z6 II. Panasonic’s Lumix DC-S5, which we didn’t have space to include, offers a pretty similar video spec (10-bit 4K capture, including 60p from its APS-C crop) but its autofocus isn’t quite as effective. Like the Nikon, thought, it’s markedly less expensive.
We’ve included the a7 III to show what the a7 IV gains over its predecessor but there’s also the smaller, less expensive a7C that shares most of its specs with the a7 III. The only major difference is that the a7 C has a slower flash sync speed and a smaller but higher resolution viewfinder. The a7C has a newer AF system than the a7 III, so its performance and usability will be a little more like that of the new camera.
Sony a7 IV | Canon EOS R6 | Nikon Z6 II | Sony a7 III | |
---|---|---|---|---|
MSRP at launch | $2499 | $2499 | $1999 | $1999 |
Pixel count | 33MP | 20MP | 24MP | 24MP |
Sensor tech | BSI-CMOS | CMOS | BSI-CMOS | BSI-CMOS |
AF system | On-Sensor PDAF | Dual Pixel (On-sensor PDAF) |
On-sensor PDAF | On-sensor PDAF |
Image stabilization | 5-axis | 5-axis + sync with lens IS | 5-axis | 5-axis |
CIPA rating | Up to 5.5EV | Up to 8EV | Up to 5EV | Up to 5EV |
Maximum frame rate | 10 fps (lossy Raw) | 12 fps mech shutter 20 fps electronic |
12 fps (14 fps*) |
10 fps |
Flash Sync speed | 1/250 sec | 1/250 sec** | 1/200 sec | 1/200 sec |
Viewfinder res / mag |
3.69M dots /0.78x |
3.68M dots / 0.76x |
3.68M dots / 0.80x |
2.36M dots / 0.78x |
Rear screen | 1.04M fully-articulated touchscreen | 1.62M-dot fully articulated touchscreen | 2.1M-dot tilting touchscreen | 0.92M-dot fully articulated touchscreen |
Top-plate settings display | No | No | Yes | No |
Video capture | UHD 4K 30p (full sensor) UHD 4K 60p (1.5x Crop) |
UHD 4K 60p (1.05x crop) |
UHD 4K 30p (full sensor) UHD 4K 60p (1.5x Crop) |
UHD 4K 24p (full sensor) UHD 4K 30p (1.2x Crop) |
Log/HDR modes | S-Log2 / 3 / HLG 10-bit internal |
C-Log HDR PQ 10-bit Internal |
N-Log HLG 10-bit (HDMI) |
S-Log2 / 3 / HLG 8-bit Internal |
Memory cards | 1x CFe Type A / UHS-II SD 1x UHS-II SD |
Dual UHS-II SD | 1x CFexpress B 1x SD (UHS-II) |
1x UHS-II SD 1x UHS-I SD |
Battery life (CIPA) LCD/EVF | 580 / 520 | 510 / 380 | 410 / 340 | 710 / 610 |
USB-charging | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Dimensions | 131 x 96 x 80 mm | 138 x 98 x 88 mm | 134 x 101 x 68 mm | 127 x 96 x 74 mm |
Weight (CIPA) | 659 g | 680 g | 675 g | 650 g |
* When shooting 12-bit Raw using a single AF point
** In electronic first-curtain mode: 1/200th with mechanical shutter
This table should make clear that the a7 IV is well specced, but not to the point of standing out from its less expensive rivals. As such, it’s going to be the real-world performance of the AF system, the degree of rolling shutter in its 4K footage, and its ability to maintain its 10fps burst rate for many hundreds of images that will need to set it apart.
Body and controls
The shoulder dial (with the toggle-lock shown in its unlocked state) controls exposure comp by default, but is now unmarked and can be set to control other functions. |
The a7 IV appears to share its body with the a7S III, which offers a series of refinements over the previous a7 model. The grip is slightly deeper, the joystick on the back is improved and there’s a full-size Type A HDMI socket on the side of the camera.
A further improvement over the a7S III is the move to an unmarked lockable dial on the shoulder of the camera, meaning it can be re-purposed if you don’t shoot in a manner that requires exposure compensation.
There’s also a fully-articulating rear screen. These aren’t to everyone’s taste but allow video, vlogging and selfie shooting in a way that a tilt-out screen doesn’t.
The a7 IV still offers twin card slots: both accept UHS-II SD cards with the upper one also able to take one of Sony’s small CFexpress Type A cards, which can maintain much faster write speeds than the fastest SD cards (typically 400MB/s minimum sustained write, vs 90MB/s minimum sustained write for V90 SD cards).
The a7 IV also gains the white balance sensor from the a7S III, which should help deliver greater white balance consistency, even if you’re shooting tight-in on a brightly colored subject.
Improved UI
More than the ergonomic changes, we’re delighted to see the a7 IV gain the improved menus and expanded touchscreen utilization first seen in the a7S III. The menus now have their section tabs down the left-hand side of the screen, meaning you’re only ever a click or so away from being able to jump between tabs. They’re also touch sensitive, so you may not need to click or nudge anything at all.
This layout makes the menus much quicker to navigate, as do sub-section headings within each tab. The arrangement differs from previous Sony cameras but the underlying relationships between settings remain the same, so it shouldn’t take too long to familiarize yourself with the new system, if you’re an existing Sony user.
Constant smartphone connection
Sony has offered Bluetooth on its cameras for many years but has used it solely for transferring location data from smartphones. The a7 IV adds a constant-connection option of the type offered by most of its rivals. This means you only have to pair the camera with your smartphone once, after which they will automatically re-establish a Bluetooth Low Energy connection, making it much quicker and simpler to transfer images to your phone.
Closable shutter
The a7 IV gains the ability to close its mechanical shutter when the camera is turned off, helping to prevent dust build-up on the sensor. Shutter blades tend to be very lightweight, which also means they can be pretty fragile, so this should be seen as a dust prevention, rather than physical protection measure.
Battery
The a7 IV uses the same NP-FZ100 battery as the a7 III and other more recent Sony cameras. It’s a usefully hefty unit that, combined with the relatively modest viewfinder res, lets the a7 IV achieve a CIPA battery life rating of 580 shots per charge using the rear screen and 520 shots per charge using the EVF.
As always, these figures are more useful for comparing cameras, rather than getting an idea of exactly how many shots you’ll get (in our experience, getting double the rated number isn’t unusual with a new battery). We tend to find a rating of over 500 shots per charge means not really having to worry about battery life in anything but the most intensive pro sports or wedding shoots.
As you might expect of a new camera, the a7 IV can be either charged or powered over its USB-C socket.
Initial impressions
Much has changed in the eight years since the original a7 was launched: with Sony now far from alone in offering a modern full-frame mirrorless camera. Technology has made huge leaps forward, too, with autofocus in particular improving in terms of speed, sophistication and simplicity, to the point that no one would now suggest DSLRs retain the upper hand.
Sony’s move to bigger batteries has had a huge impact on its cameras’ usability, and its ergonomics and user interface have been radically improved with each iteration. The video features have also expanded significantly, with the fourth a7 model bringing the series back into line with its competitors.
Sony FE 35mm F1.8 | F3.5 | 1/160 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Richard Butler |
What’s clearly changed, in the meantime, is the positioning. The original a7 was launched at what was then a record low price for a full-frame camera: $1700, body only. Even taking inflation into account, that’d still be a hair under $2000 in today’s money. The a7 IV’s price is a significant increase over this, and it’s notable that Sony now offers the a7C for more price or size-conscious buyers. This provision of a relatively up-to-date sister model, rather than simply lowering the prices on outdated models is a welcome change. The a7C might not have the improved menus of the a7 IV but it doesn’t feel as unrefined and clunky as the Marks I and II do, by comparison to the latest cameras.
Owners of the first two a7 models, and even some a7R series users are likely to be stunned by how far the series has come in the past few years
This move allows the a7 IV to address the needs of more dedicated enthusiasts, and makes it a direct competitor to Canon’s very likable EOS R6. On paper, at least, it doesn’t go far beyond the Canon, though, so it’ll be interesting to see how they compare in real-world use. Of course, if Sony decides to continue the a7 III at a lower price, the waters get significantly muddier. The a7 III’s autofocus is recognizably more than a generation behind the new camera, but it isn’t made to look like a work-in-progress, the way that the older models were when the Mark III arrived. The a7 III still does very well at most of the things the a7 IV does, which could undermine the attempt to push the series upmarket.
Sony seems very keen to say that the a7 IV has gained many of its improvements from the flagship a1, which we think that risks implying a closer connection than actually exists. While it is not untrue that the a7 IV has some features that arrived with the a1, the new camera doesn’t have the Stacked CMOS sensor that provides the brute power underpinning the a1’s performance. In many instances, it’s fairer to point out that the a7 IV’s features are shared with the video-centric a7S III. Still not a bad thing to be able to claim, but perhaps setting more realistic expectations, in terms of how much star quality you expect to rub off on the more mass-market model.
Overall the a7 IV looks to be a very capable camera: one with much-enhanced video and more sophisticated autofocus. For newcomers the increased price, an array of credible rivals and the high bar set by the a7 III means it’s going to have its work cut out if it’s to stand out in the way earlier a7 models did. However, owners of the first two a7 models, and even some a7R series users are likely to be stunned by how far the series has come in the past few years.
Sample Gallery
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Camera
On this day 2003: we reviewed the world's first designed-for-digital SLR
It’s 21 years since we reviewed the Olympus E-1, arguably the only successful attempt to develop a digital SLR from first principles, rather than trying to adapt what had come before. As part of our 25th Anniversary celebrations, we look back at the E-1 as one of the most significant cameras of the past 25 years.
In the early days of digital photography the large number of photographers already heavily invested in film lenses put pressure on companies to continue their existing systems, even though ‘full-frame’ sensors that matched the film format they were designed around were prohibitively expensive for most photographers.
The Four Thirds system was an attempt at a clean slate design, with the intention of developing a new set of lenses designed to suit digital sensors, and built around a sensor chosen because it had a good performance-to-price ratio, not to match the arbitrary dimensions of cinema film stock adapted for photography in the early 1900s. It was a decision that would also allow smaller lenses, particularly at longer focal lengths.
The first open system: the Four Thirds timeline
- Feb 2001: Kodak and Olympus enter patent sharing agreement
- May 2001: Olympus confirms DSLR concept with Type 4/3 sensor
- Sep 2001: Kodak and Olympus announce “Four Thirds” system with Fujifilm participation
- Jun 2003: Olympus reveals E-1 5MP Four Thirds DSLR
- Nov 2003: DPReview reviews the first Four Thirds camera
- Feb 2004: Panasonic, Sanyo and Sigma join Four Thirds
The Four Thirds initiative was started by Kodak and Olympus, with the two companies settling on a 5MP Type 4/3 (17.3 x 13mm) CCD sensor. This sensor size and the use of the 4:3 aspect ratio common in most early digital sensors give the system its name.
They also announced it would be an open standard, with other companies welcome to join, a decision that prompted Fujifilm to announce its interest, followed by Sanyo, Sigma and Panasonic, some seventeen months later. For a while it looked like a critical mass might coalesce, finally bringing about the long dreamt-of common mount, allowing complete interoperability between multiple brands.
In the meantime, although later than the initially suggested Feb 2002 launch date, Olympus developed the E-1, a high-end magnesium alloy DSLR with a 100% viewfinder and that 5MP Four Thirds CCD at its heart. Announced alongside five lenses in mid 2003, the original press release highlights the ‘Supersonic Wave Filter’ sensor shake system that shook dust off the sensor as solving “a problem that has long been an Achilles heel of … digital SLRs.”
Unfortunately, in his review, Phil highlighted that the Olympus couldn’t offer either the speed or the resolution that were typically expected of a camera with the E-1’s stated professional ambitions. This was made more stark by its $2199 original price tag (albeit with a ‘street price’ well below that), at a time when Canon’s 6MP EOS 10D would set you back nearer $1500.
It took the more affordable E-300 model for the Four Thirds to really find its audience. By the time the E-330 arrived, two years later, Kodak was out of the picture. |
It took 2004’s 8MP E-300, with its much more attainable price point (around $1000 with kit lens) for Four Thirds to really find its audience.
By 2006 Panasonic and Leica were alongside Olympus spearheading the system, with each brand releasing variations of technologies co-developed by the two Japanese companies, including “Live MOS” sensors from Panasonic, rather than Kodak. The Olympus E-330 and Panasonic L-1/Leica Digilux 3 were some of the first DSLRs to offer live view, with the E-330 including a more sophisticated/complex implementation. You don’t have to squint very hard to see the beginnings of the first mirrorless camera, which Panasonic would introduce just two years later.
Despite a broadly sound initial concept, one challenge of the use of a smaller-than-film sensor in a DSLR was that the viewfinders were often quite small and dark (because the sensor size defines the size of the camera’s mirror, which in turn puts a limit on how large or bright you can make an optical viewfinder).
This was resolved with the move to a mirrorless design and the creation of the Micro Four Thirds system, built around the same Type 4/3 sensor format and a lot of technology developed during the Four Thirds era. Perhaps fittingly, the final Four Thirds camera was a direct continuation of the original E-1 line, with the system being officially discontinued 18 months later.
With this in mind, it might seem odd to call a system with a span of just over seven years between the launch of its first camera and its last a success, but I’d focus more on the groundwork it laid. Twenty-one years after the launch of the E-1, the Four Thirds sensor format is still very much with us, and you can trace a direct line from the first all-digital DSLR project to the mirrorless cameras that dominate the ILC market today, even if both Kodak and Olympus have now exited the photography market.
Camera
Cast your vote: Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award
Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award
A few weeks ago, The Natural History Museum, London, announced the winners of its 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards for 2024. Now, it needs your help to select the winner of its 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award.
The 25 finalists for the People’s Choice Award were selected from 59,228 entries from 117 countries and territories. Members of the public can cast their vote for the award until January 29, and the winning image, along with four runners-up, will be announced in February. Here, we present the 25 finalists for this year’s award.
If you’re a wildlife photographer and want to enter your own images in the 2025 competition, you can find information on the competition’s website. However, act quickly: you have until December 5th to submit your images.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.
Wolf Pack
Wolf Pack by Arvind Ramamurthy, India
Members of an Indian wolf pack pause briefly as they play in fields in Bhigwan, India.
Indian wolves were once found all across India. Now, their number has dwindled to as few as 3,000. Living so close to humans poses many risks. Farming has fragmented their rolling grassland habitat, and feeding on cattle carcasses puts them at risk of disease. But Indian wolves are hardy animals. With better grassland management and protection, they could make a strong comeback. Arvind was photographing this pack playing in the grassy fields. One of them came and sat down at the edge of the agricultural crop, and one by one, four others joined it. They paused for a few seconds before they ran off again, playing and chasing one another.
Copyright Arvind Ramamurthy / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Icy Repose
Icy Repose by Sue Flood, UK
A dramatic blue-grey sky highlights the soft greys of a Weddell seal as it rests on an ice floe.
Sue watched this Weddell seal from aboard a rigid inflatable boat in Neko Harbour of the Antarctic Peninsula. So as not to disturb its peaceful slumber, Sue used a long lens to record this serene portrait. Weddell seals’ large bodies are covered in a thick layer of blubber. This keeps them warm above and below the icy waters of the Southern Ocean.
Copyright Sue Flood / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A Good Scratch
A Good Scratch by Mark Williams, UK/Canada
A beluga whale rubs its underside on a shallow river bottom to exfoliate its skin.
Mark took this image in a remote inlet along the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic. Hundreds of beluga whales come here to socialize and exfoliate in the shallow water. The passage is also a safe haven, away from the predatory orcas. Belugas are extremely sociable mammals. They live, hunt and migrate together in pods that can range from quite small into the hundreds. Nicknamed ‘the canaries of the sea’, they produce a series of chirps, clicks, whistles and squeals that Mark found otherworldly.
Copyright Mark Williams / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Scanning the Realm
Scanning the Realm by Aaron Baggenstos, USA
A puma stands on a windswept outcrop in the rugged mountain terrain of Torres del Paine National Park, Chile.
It is a symbol of hope. A successful conservation movement led to the creation of the national park and a rise in ecotourism in the region. This has also helped to reduce conflict between pumas and local gauchos (sheep farmers). The gauchos view pumas more positively because they’re attracting tourists, which is good for income. The introduction of sheepdogs has also helped. The dogs confront any approaching pumas and stop them attacking the sheep. In turn, the pumas hunt their natural prey, and the gauchos are less likely to shoot them. The change has been gradual but has gained momentum over the past 20 to 30 years. There is hope that humans and pumas can live alongside one another.
Copyright Aaron Baggenstos / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Aspen Shadows
Aspen Shadows by Devon Pradhuman, USA
Four grey wolves cross a minimalist landscape of naked aspens and snow in Yellowstone National Park, USA.
It was early spring in the Lamar Valley, and this pack was in search of its next meal. Watching from a distance, Devon saw them heading towards this patch of aspens and thought it would make a compelling image. The wolves walked right past these trees and then continued to follow the tree line, eventually disappearing over the hillside.
Copyright Devon Pradhuman / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Evening Song
Evening Song by Christian Brinkmann, Germany
A singing Eurasian songbird is silhouetted against a backdrop of colorful fairground lights in Münster, Germany.
During a popular fair in Münster called the Send, an interesting atmosphere arose behind the castle. The evening mood was gentle, and Christian had singing birds on one side and party music on the other. In front of the fairground lights, this Eurasian blackbird posed for its song. Although blackbirds are a common sight, Christian likes to photograph them in distinctive ways. Here, the silhouette of the bird set against a colorful backdrop gives the image an artistic flair.
Copyright Christian Brinkmann / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Sneak Attack
Sneak Attack by Erlend Haarberg, Norway
A polar bear cub attempts an underwater surprise attack on a northern fulmar.
In the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, a walrus carcass had attracted a female polar bear and her two cubs. But one of the cubs was more interested in playing in the water than eating. The cub was having fun diving under the water and resurfacing, playing with the seaweed and kelp. The northern fulmar resting on the surface of the water awakened the cub’s desire to hunt. Erlend watched as it attempted several underwater surprise attacks on the bird, only to fail each time. Play hunting like this is essential learning for a young bear. Eventually, it will have to survive in the Arctic without its mother.
Copyright Erlend Haarberg / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Slap Shot
Slap Shot by Savannah Rose, USA
A beaver cocks its tail before slapping it down on the water to alert its family to a newcomer.
Savannah enjoys photographing North American beavers in this pond in Jackson, Wyoming, USA. As she approached the shoreline, a beaver cruised cautiously by after emerging from its lodge. It cocked its tail up and brought it down with a resounding crack. Savannah had been trying to document this dramatic beaver behavior for years. Beavers use tail smacks to alert their family group to a newcomer. Despite the theatrics, beavers usually relax quickly after discovering the newcomer doesn’t pose a threat.
Copyright Savannah Rose / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Togetherness
Togetherness by Ivan Ivanek, Czech Republic
A striking pair of red-shanked douc langurs are seen mating in the forests of the Sơn Trà peninsula in Vietnam.
Known for their bright red ‘stockings’, these primates are found only in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The species is critically endangered because of habitat loss, hunting and the illegal pet trade. After days observing the area, looking for evidence of the monkeys, Ivan managed to find a small group. Late one evening, he saw these two mating. Compared to other species of monkey he’d seen mating, it was an unexpectedly gradual and graceful affair!
Copyright Ivan Ivanek / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Concert in the Forest
Concert in the Forest by Vincent Premel, France
A Surinam golden-eyed tree frog puffs out its cheeks as it prepares to call for a mate.
The first rains come in French Guiana after a long dry spell. They’re a release for all wildlife, but especially for amphibians. When it rains, the ponds fill with water. Dozens of species descend from the canopy or come out of the ground. They’re here to lay their eggs in the water, in an event called ‘explosive breeding’. The density of individuals is hard to imagine. It made for a special night for Vincent, who is both a herpetologist and a photographer. The call of the Surinam golden-eyed tree frog is so powerful it can be heard hundreds of meters away.
Copyright Vincent Premel / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Snuffling Sengi
Snuffling Sengi by Piotr Naskrecki, Poland
A rarely seen four-toed sengi forages for food among the leaf litter in Mozambique.
Sengis mainly eat insects and look for their prey at dusk and dawn. They rely on a combination of good vision and excellent sense of smell to find food. Piotr watched this sengi over several weeks in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. It followed the same network of trails every day, looking for beetles and other tasty morsels among the leaf litter. Sengis are extremely shy and skittish, so Piotr set up a remote camera to photograph the little creature sniffing for food.
Copyright Piotr Naskrecki / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Whiteout
Whiteout by Michel d’Oultremont, Belgium
A stoat sits up and observes its territory as it blends perfectly into a snowy landscape in Belgium.
Michel had been looking for stoats in the snow for many years. The magic of snowfall fascinates Michel every winter. He wanted to take a photograph that showed how the stoats blend in with the whiteness of the landscape. He’d seen a few in Switzerland but never in his native Belgium. Then, finally, his dream came true. He lay in the snow with a white camouflage net covering all but his lens. This curious stoat came out of its snowy hole and sat up from time to time, observing its territory just before setting off to hunt.
Copyright Michel d’Oultremont / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Earth and Sky
Earth and Sky by Francisco Negroni, Chile
A double lenticular cloud is illuminated at nightfall by the lava emitted from the Villarrica volcano, Chile.
Villarica is in the town of Pucón in the south of Chile. It’s one of the country’s most active volcanoes, and last erupted in 2015. Francisco takes regular trips to Villarrica to monitor its activity. On this visit, he stayed nearby for 10 nights. He says every trip is “quite an adventure – never knowing what the volcano might surprise you with”. Some nights are calm, others furious, as in this photograph, where the brightness of the crater illuminates the night sky.
Copyright Francisco Negroni / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Fallen from the Sky
Fallen from the Sky by Carlo D’Aurizio, Italy
A collage of dead butterflies and moths trapped by the surface tension of the water floats in a stream in Italy.
It was a summer morning in the San Bartolomeo Valley in the Majella National Park, Italy. Carlo had visited this small stream many times. He expected to see the graceful flight of butterflies and dragonflies along it. He never thought he would find such a still life, a sad collage of dead insects calmly floating in the water. It hadn’t been particularly hot, and there hadn’t been any storms in the previous days. To this day, Carlo has no explanation of why the insects died.
Copyright Carlo D’Aurizio/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Spiked
Spiked by David Northall, UK
A bloodied yet determined honey badger returns to finish off a Cape porcupine, which earlier had tried to defend itself.
Found throughout Botswana, honey badgers are famously ferocious. They often chase animals many times their own size. This honey badger got an unpleasant surprise when it attacked the normally nocturnal Cape porcupine. The badger grabbed the porcupine’s right leg. In defense, the porcupine repeatedly backed into its attacker, piercing it with many quills. During a lull in the attack, the porcupine managed to shuffle away, its leg badly damaged. After a short retreat, the bloodied badger returned. It finished off the porcupine under a bush close to the original attack, then dragged it into its underground den.
Copyright David Northall / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Unsold
Unsold by Jose Fragozo, Portugal
A young cheetah cub hisses while waiting to be sold in Ethiopia.
Captured from her home plains in the Somali Region, she was transported for several days on the back of a camel to the northern coast of Somaliland. Illegal wildlife trafficking is a problem in the Somali Region. Farmers catch and sell cheetah cubs to traffickers, claiming that the cheetahs attack their livestock. Sometimes, the farmers and traffickers cannot sell the cubs immediately. The bigger the cheetahs get, the harder it is to find buyers. Some end up being killed and their parts sold, their bones shipped to Yemen and then to other Asian markets. They are then sold as tiger bones and used to make Chinese bone wine. After hissing at the camera, the cub started chirping, calling out for its mother.
Copyright Jose Fragozo / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Annoying Neighbor
Annoying Neighbour by Bence Máté, Hungary
A European roller defends its territory from a bemused-looking little owl in Kiskunság National Park, Hungary.
The little owl and the European roller are very different birds, but their nests and feeding requirements are similar. This means they sometimes breed near each other. The male roller makes a sport of annoying other birds that stray into its breeding area during the short mating season. It makes a surprise ambush, flying at full speed behind them. To catch such a fleeting scene, Bence spent 27 days watching from a hide. The little owl seemed nonplussed by the spectacle.
Copyright Bence Máté/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Curious Connection
Curious Connection by Nora Milligan, USA
A chimpanzee pauses and looks down as its family moves across the forest floor of Loango National Park, Gabon.
On a trek through the forest, Nora’s guide signaled for the group to stop near the bank of a swamp. They heard the call of a chimp first, then the leaves around them started to rustle and a group of chimpanzees appeared. This family is called the Rekambo group. A group of researchers from the Ozouga Chimpanzee Project is studying them. Nora couldn’t believe her luck when they started to climb the nearby trees. As she peered through her viewfinder, a large male paused and looked down at them. The chimp craned its neck forward and its eyes seemed to widen, as if to get a better look.
Copyright Nora Milligan / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Meeting in the Marsh
Meeting in the Marsh by Michael Forsberg, USA
A disguised biologist approaches an endangered whooping crane in Louisiana, USA.
Michael has been chronicling the lives of endangered whooping cranes since early 2019. The biologist acted with cat-like quickness to check the bird’s health and change a transmitter that was no longer working. The transmitter helps biologists track these non-migratory birds and learn more about them. This experimental population was reintroduced in Bayou Country in 2011. In the 1940s there were roughly 20 whooping cranes in the region. Since then, numbers have climbed to over 800.
Copyright Michael Forsberg / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The Brave Gecko
The Brave Gecko by Willie Burger van Schalkwyk, South Africa
A giant ground gecko stands fast against a pale chanting goshawk in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa.
One hunting strategy of the southern pale chanting goshawk is to walk or run on the ground in pursuit of prey. Willie watched as the little lizard put up a brave fight against its large attacker. Unfortunately, there was no hope of survival, but Willie was impressed by the gecko’s bravery.
Copyright Willie Burger van Schalkwyk / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Forest Dreams
Forest of Dreams by Samuel Bloch, France
A northern giant petrel sits on its nest at the edge of a rātā tree forest on Enderby Island, New Zealand.
Northern giant petrels are large seabirds. They’re used to flying above the waves for weeks without encountering land. Samuel was surprised to find this one in such a woody environment. Like many other seabirds, it breeds on islands where there are fewer predators. Samuel took this image from a distance and left quickly to avoid disturbing the bird.
Copyright Samuel Bloch / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Edge of Night
Edge of Night by Jess Findlay, Canada
A ghostly barn owl exits the hayloft window of a derelict barn to hunt fields outside Vancouver, Canada.
Combining high-speed and long-exposure photography in a single exposure required a technical setup. First, Jess quietly watched the owl for several nights to understand its habits and plan the shot. He then set up an invisible beam that would trigger a flash when the owl flew out of the barn. Simultaneously, a slow shutter speed gathered ambient light cast on the clouds and barn to complete the scene. On the tenth night, all the moving parts came together as the owl left to begin his hunt.
Copyright Jess Findlay / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
No Access
No Access by Ian Wood, UK
An ambling Eurasian badger appears to glance up at badger graffiti on a quiet road in St Leonards-on-Sea, England, UK.
Residents had been leaving food scraps on the pavement for foxes. But Ian noticed that badgers from a nearby sett were also coming to forage. After seeing a badger walking along the pavement by this wall late one night, he decided to photograph it. He set up a small hide on the edge of the road to take his picture. Only the light from a lamppost illuminated the creature as it ambled along, seemingly glancing up at the badger graffiti just in front of it.
Copyright Ian Wood / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Drifting Dinner
Drifting Dinner by Noam Kortler, Israel
A decorator crab perches on top of a sea squirt to comb the water for drifting plankton.
Noam took this photograph during a night dive off Komodo Island, Indonesia. The sea squirt provided the crab with the perfect stage to feed on drifting plankton. The crab had camouflaged and armed itself with tiny hydroids known as Tubularia. These can sting other animals and so helped protect the crab from predators. Noam watched the crab gracefully search for food, illuminated by the camera flash as if in a spotlight center stage.
Copyright Noam Kortler / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The Arrival
The Arrival by Brad Leue, Australia
Floodwaters that have traveled for months surge towards an enormous salt lake in South Australia.
Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is Australia’s largest inland lake and one of the world’s largest salt lakes. Photographing from a helicopter in strong winds was quite a challenge for Brad. As well as the floodwaters, a dust storm was blowing and rain was falling on the horizon. Floodwaters had traveled more than 1,000 kilometers (1,600 miles). They’d surged steadily from Queensland towards South Australia. Timing was imperative to photograph this once-in-a-decade natural event. Brad’s image shows the water channeling steadily down Warburton Groove. This is the final stretch before entering the mighty lake. On their journey, the waters bring new life to this remarkable desert system and its rare and threatened wildlife.
Copyright Brad Leue / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Camera
Black Friday 2024: the best deals on our favorite photography gear
Black Friday has gone from being a single-day event to a series of sales spanning over a week. And while there are hundreds of discounted items out there, not all of them are worth your while. We’ve dug through them to find products that are actually a deal – the items that we know are good, and that are cheaper than their usual prices.
If the deal is only available for a very narrow window of time, we’ll be sure to note that.
Shortcuts:
Camera Deals
Nikon
Deals will be available starting 11/28
Gold Award Winners
Nikon Z9 – $5,000, $500 off
Nikon Z6III – $2,200, $300 off
Photo: Richard Butler |
Canon
Gold award winners
EOS R5 – $2,799, $600 off
Photo: Dan Bracaglia |
EOS R6 II – $1,999, $500 off
Photo: Dale Baskin |
Silver Award winners
EOS R8 – $1,199, $300 off
Photo: Brendan Nystedt |
EOS R7 – $1,299, $200 off
EOS RP – $899, $100 off
EOS R10 – $879, $100 off
Photo: Shaminder Dulai |
EOS R50 – $579, $100 off
Photo: Richard Butler |
Other sales
EOS R3 – $4,499, $500 off
Sony
Gold award winners
Sony a1 – $5,500, $1,000 off
Photo: Dan Bracaglia |
Sony a7R V – $3,400, $500 off
Photo: Richard Butler |
Sony a7 IV – $2,100, $400 off
Photo: Richard Butler |
Sony a7S III – $3,200, $300 off
Panasonic
Silver Award winners
Lumix S5II – $1,700, $300 off
Photo: Richard Butler |
Lumix G9II – $1,600, $300 off
Photo: Brendan Nystedt |
The Lumix G9 II is the company’s high-end Micro Four Thirds camera, featuring a 25MP sensor and phase detection autofocus.
Fujifilm
Photo: Richard Butler |
Outside of its Instax cameras, Fujifilm currently has only one camera on sale: the Gold Award-winning X-T5, which costs $1,600, $100 off its original price. You can read the full review here.
OM System
OM-1 Mark II – $1,899, $500 off
Photo: Shaminder Dulai |
OM-5 with 12-45mm F4 Pro lens – $1,099, $300 off
Photo: Brendan Nystedt |
Lens Deals
Nikon
Image: Nikon |
NIKKOR Z 70-200mm F2.8 – $500 off (after 11/28)
NIKKOR Z 24-70mm F2.8 – $400 off
NIKKOR Z 35mm F1.8 – $250 off (after 11/28)
NIKKOR Z 50mm F1.8 – $200 off (after 11/28)
NIKKOR Z MC 105mm F2.8 – $200 off
Canon
Image: Canon |
Sony
Do note: the Sony 24-70mm F2.8 and 70-200mm F2.8 that are on sale are the first-generation ones, which are a fair bit heavier than the second-generation ones.
Image: Sony |
Panasonic
Micro Four Thirds
Image: Panasonic |
Full Frame
Image: Panasonic |
{BuyButton: linkHref=”https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Full-Frame-Stabilizer-Freeze-Resistant-Mirrorless/dp/B07N844X8Q/”, linkTitle=”$1,100 at Amazon}
{BuyButton: linkHref=”https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Full-Frame-Stabilizer-Freeze-Resistant-Mirrorless/dp/B07ZZQ3DCC”, linkTitle=”$1,900 at Amazon}
Fujifilm
Image: Fujifilm |
XF 16-50mm F2.8-4.8 R LM WR – $200 off
Sigma
Image: Sigma |
150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS – $200 off | L-mount, E-mount
500mm F5.6 DG DN OS – $200 off | L-mount, E-mount
14mm F1.8 DG HSM – $200 off | E-mount
Tamron
Image: Tamron |
150-500mm f/5-6.7 – $200 off | E-mount, X-mount
35-150mm F2-2.8 – $200 off | E-mount, Z-mount
28-75mm F2.8 – $200 off | E-mount
Accessory Deals
DPReview merch
Okay, we’ll level with you – our newly-released 25th anniversary merch isn’t on sale. But if you’re looking for a gift for photography nerds in your life, definitely head over to our pop-up shop and see if any of our shirts, mugs, or hats would fit the bill. They’re only available for a limited time, so grab them while they’re here.
Visit the DPReview Pop-up Shop
MacBook Pros
Apple doesn’t generally run sales on its laptops, which are well-liked by photographers and other creatives. However, that doesn’t stop retailers like Best Buy, B&H, Costco, or Amazon from knocking $200-300 off the price for Black Friday, even for the latest M4-equipped models. The ones with older chips are no slouches either, just make sure you’re not getting one of the entry-level ones with a vastly insufficient 8GB of memory.
Peak Design
You can get Peak Design’s normally $600 carbon fiber travel tripod for $480.
Photo: Dan Bracaglia |
Peak Design makes camera straps, tripods, and camera-focused packs, some of which are popular around the DPReview office. Most of them are currently 20% off, which can be a fair chunk off the price if you’re looking at a higher-end item like its carbon fiber travel tripod or camera-ready Everyday Backpack.
NiSi Filters
If you’re looking for lens filters, NiSi is having a 20% off sale on most of its offerings. That can add up to some rather substantial savings if you’re looking to stock up on different sizes or strengths of ND or black mist filters, or if you’re shopping for a pricier piece of glass like a variable ND filter.
Software Deals
DXO
DXO has put its photo-focused apps on sale. Its full Raw editing suite, PhotoLab 8, is available for $180 ($50 off its normal price) for first-time buyers, or $90 as an upgrade. Its plugin pack, film emulation pack, geometry correction software, and Raw processing software, are also on sale.
Davinci Resolve
Image: Blackmagic |
Davinci Resolve Studio, the upgrade to the free Davinci Resolve video editing software, is also on sale for Black Friday; you can pick it up for $235, $60 off its usual price.
Topaz Labs
Topaz Labs is well known for its AI-powered noise reduction and upscaling software. You can get it for 50% off from the company’s website. It’s also running a deal where you can bundle all its programs – Photo AI 3, Video AI 5, and Gigapixel 8 – together for $399.
Find a deal we missed? Leave it in the comments!
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