Panasonic LUMIX S1II / Sony α7 IV (ILCE-7M4)

Panasonic LUMIX S1II: DC-S1M2 · black, body only

Sony α7 IV (ILCE-7M4): ILCE-7M4 body (body only) and ILCE-7M4K / 7M4M kits (with the FE 28-70 mm lens). The α7 III and α7 V are separate models.

SpecificationPanasonic LUMIX S1IISony α7 IV (ILCE-7M4)
Release year20252021
Release year2025 Panasonic—
Sensor35.6 × 23.8 mm full-frame CMOS; 24.1 MP effective, 26.8 MP total Panasonic35 mm full-frame (35.9 × 23.9 mm) back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS; about 33.0 MP effective (34.1 MP total)

Back illumination moves the wiring behind the light-sensitive layer, helping reduce noise in low light.

Sony
Lens mountLeica L-Mount Panasonic—
Still image size3:2, up to 6000 × 4000 Panasonic—
High-resolution mode3:2, up to 12000 × 8000; multi-shot mode Panasonic—
FilesJPEG, HEIF, RAW; MP4 and MOV video options Panasonic—
Card slots1 × CFexpress Type B; 1 × UHS-II SD/SDHC/SDXC PanasonicSlot 1: CFexpress Type A or SD; Slot 2: SD; both slots accept UHS-I and UHS-II SD

Fast cards are needed for high-bitrate S&Q and S-I recording.

Sony
Open Gate video5952 × 3968, 3:2, 29.97p; 4:2:0 10-bit HEVC option Panasonic—
6K high frame rate5952 × 2512, 2.4:1, 59.94p; 4:2:0 10-bit HEVC option Panasonic—
Stabilization5-axis sensor shift; Dual I.S.2 compatibility Panasonic—
AutofocusImage-plane phase detection + contrast detection PanasonicFast Hybrid AF; 759 phase-detection points (full frame); EV -4 to 20; human, animal and bird eye detection (stills and movies)

Phase-detection points track the subject quickly; eye detection locks focus on the eye of moving people and animals.

Sony
Viewfinder0.5-inch OLED, 5.76 million dots; approximately 0.78× Panasonic0.5-inch OLED, 3.69 million dots; 100% coverage, about 0.78× magnification; 60/120 fps

The 120 fps finder setting shows a smoother view when following moving subjects.

Sony
Monitor3-inch, 3:2 touchscreen; 1.84 million dots Panasonic3.0-inch TFT touchscreen, 1.04 million dots; vari-angle (about 176° opening, 270° rotation) Sony
USBUSB-C, 10 Gbit/s; USB PD 9 V / 3 A Panasonic—
HDMIFull-size Type A; RAW video output Panasonic—
AudioSeparate 3.5 mm microphone and headphone; 2.5 mm remote Panasonic—
External recordingExternal SSD recording support Panasonic—
Dimensions134.3 × 102.3 × 91.8 mm; excluding protrusions Panasonic—
Weight800 g with battery and one SD card; 718 g body only Panasonic—
WirelessWi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 5.0 LE PanasonicWi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz); Bluetooth 4.1 Sony
Operating range−10–40 °C; splash resistant, not for submersion Panasonic—
ISO—Stills ISO 100–51200 (expanded 50–204800); movies ISO 100–51200 (expanded up to 102400) Sony
Image stabilisation—5-axis sensor shift; 5.5 stops (CIPA)

The figure is measured with the Planar T* FE 50 mm F1.4 ZA for pitch/yaw only; it varies by lens and conditions.

Sony
Shutter and burst—Mechanical/electronic 1/8000–30 s, Bulb; flash sync 1/250 s; Hi+ 10, Hi 8, Mid 6, Lo 3 fps Sony
Video—Up to 4K 60p/50p in 10-bit 4:2:2; XAVC HS (H.265) up to 200 Mbps, XAVC S (H.264) up to 200 Mbps, XAVC S-I up to 600 Mbps

XAVC S-I compresses each frame individually; it is easy to edit but takes much more space. 10-bit 4:2:2 reduces banding when grading.

Sony
Connections—USB Type-C (charging/power with USB Power Delivery), Multi/Micro USB, 3.5 mm mic and headphone, Multi Interface Shoe with digital audio interface

USB PD lets the camera run from a power bank or adapter during long shoots.

Sony
Battery—NP-FZ100 rechargeable battery Sony
Dust protection—Charge protection coating on the optical filter and sensor-shift mechanism

The coating aims to reduce dust sticking to the sensor; Sony gives no moisture-resistance rating on this page.

Sony
Size and weight—131.3 × 96.4 × 79.8 mm; about 658 g with battery and card Sony