Sony a7 III vs Sony a7 IV

“The A7III is indeed a good start into videography. 5k oversampled 4k, IBIS (in body image stabilization) and extremely good low light capabilities are a neat package. Sony offers a bunch of free LUTs that’ll help him tremendously when it comes to color grading (which represents the only shortfall of the A7III since it only records 8-bit footage). Add the dual SD-Card slots. When it comes to videography, “cheap” isn’t a word that’s usually associated with it. Everything costs tremendously. And if you compare prices (and capabilities) between a full frame camera like the A7III and other crop sensor cameras (Sony has some with IBIS, I think the A6500 is one?), the A7III comes almost always out on top. Used it can be had for $800-$900 for a fairly good condition one at almost all retailers that offer used gear. When it comes to lenses, full frame lenses are always more expensive than their APS-C counterparts. A good starting point would be something like a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. New $699, used around $450. Overall, as a package, expensive, yes. But I strongly believe we need to foster our kids interests to give them the right start. And yes, that usually comes with a lot of hard earned dollars spend. The A7III was just on sale during black Friday for around $1,000 new which is an insane price for its capabilities, still so many years after release. I realize I’m playing the devil’s advocate here but running 2 A7III’s myself for my hybrid business and dabbling in film making, I strongly advocate for this camera. Are there better cameras out there? Sure, if you have a bunch of kidneys to sell. Comparable ones that are cheaper? Hardly. The A7III was the camera that changed the market and probably the first that was good at both, photography and videography, all in one weather resistant package with amazing battery runtime. Another benefit of the Sony E-Mount system is the virtually endless choice of lens options. Since others already mentioned the A6400, I ran that one as a gimbal camera. And I didn’t like it. Especially the noise it produced. And the batteries are fairly small, so I personally wouldn’t recommend it, even if it produces sharp 4k footage. But that’s just my take.”

“I have had A6400 setup like that on a tripod in a studio for like 2 years. Where the collar mount was holding the lens and the camera was dangling for almost 2 years while I ran a studio. Didn't have any issues. Then again, I had setup where the A7IV was holding up 24-70GM for 2 years as well during that same time period as that was the main camera that I used. Didn't see any issues.”