Sony A7 IV vs A7R V – Landscape Showdown 🌅📸
📍 Shot during our photo expedition in Lofoten, June 2025
🧭 See the full details & reserve your spot: 👉 www.smidphotography.com/lofoten-midnight-sun-2026
What happens when golden hour never ends — and you test your camera at 2 a.m. on a glowing mountain peak?
Welcome to the Midnight Sun — the ultimate test for every landscape photographer. This is where cameras either shine… or fail.
🌍 Shooting in the Arctic Circle
We spent a week deep inside the Arctic Circle, where the sun never sets and the light is in constant flux. Imagine:
Seascapes bathed in pink twilight
Mountain ridges glowing at midnight
Light so magical it feels unreal
But this isn’t a studio test — this is the A7 IV and A7R V pushed to their limits in the field. No charts, no controlled lights. Just cliffs, rain, ocean, and real-world photography.
🎥 Watch the Full Field Test:
📊 ISO Performance – A Surprising Result
To simulate low-light conditions (since nights here never get dark), we used ND filters and ran side-by-side ISO tests from 3200 up to 51200.
Sony A7 IV – Native ISO: 100–51,200 (expandable to 50–204,800), dual native at 100 and 640.
Sony A7R V – Native ISO: 100–32,000 (expandable to 50–102,400), dual native at 100 and 320.
Result? Up to ISO 25,600 both cameras are nearly identical.
At ISO 51,200, the A7 IV is cleaner, thanks to its higher native ISO range.
⚙️ Real-Life Handling
A7 IV: lighter, simpler, efficient with storage — perfect for long hikes and field work.
A7R V: premium feel, better screen & EVF, dual-axis tilting LCD… but huge file sizes. Ideal for fine-art prints and large-scale commercial work.
😤 Exposure Bracketing – Our Biggest Frustration
Sony’s zebra function is amazing in live view — but useless in continuous bracketing. You can’t preview underexposed frames, forcing clumsy workarounds.
Curious for more? Watch the video embedded in this article…
Want More Arctic Light?
If you love the look of this video and want to go even deeper, check out our full range of Lofoten photo workshops — we offer:
Summer Midnight Sun Expeditions (June 2026) ☀️
Autumn Photo Tour (September 2025) 🍂
Winter Northern Lights Workshops (February 2026) ❄️
Each offers a completely different look, vibe, and shooting challenge — but all include personalized instruction, deep local knowledge, and spectacular scenery.
📷 Shot on Location – Lofoten, Norway
This tutorial was filmed during our Summer Lofoten Photo Expedition, where seascape photography is at its best. The Arctic light, moody weather, and raw landscapes create ideal conditions for capturing stunning coastal scenes. You can join us there too – check out our photo expeditions to this amazing location in autumn 2025 and spring 2026.
If you’d like to experience this for yourself, join one of our upcoming photo expeditions:
👉 View All Photo Expeditions
❓ FAQ: Sony A7 IV vs A7R V – Landscape Showdown
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Both are excellent choices for landscape photography. The A7R V offers higher resolution (61MP), a premium dual-axis tilting LCD, and exceptional detail for large prints. The A7 IV delivers about 90% of the performance for half the price and is lighter, simpler, and more storage-efficient.
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Up to ISO 25,600, both cameras perform nearly identically. At ISO 51,200, the A7 IV produces cleaner results, while the A7R V starts showing minor color artifacts due to being beyond its native range.
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Unfortunately, no. Both cameras have the same limitations in continuous exposure bracketing. While zebras are useful for exposure control, they can’t preview underexposed frames during continuous bracketing.
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Both cameras suffer from the “red haze” issue during multi-minute exposures due to heat buildup. Flipping out the rear screen and opening side doors (HDMI/USB) helps reduce the problem. The A7 IV tends to run hotter, so extra care is needed.
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You can watch the complete field test video — including real Arctic landscapes under the midnight sun — embedded in this article. The video also includes a free RAW file download link so you can examine the results yourself.