Sony a7R V Video Settings: 4K, 8K, Frame Rates, Profiles

To set up the Sony a7R V for video, turn the Still/Movie/S&Q dial to movie, record 4K at up to 60p for most work, and choose S-Cinetone for ready-looking color or S-Log3 when you want more room to adjust color later. Keep 8K for times you truly need it, because it tops out at 24p (25p in PAL regions) with a 1.2x crop and is hard on cards and batteries.

Start with the Still/Movie/S&Q dial

The a7R V has a dial with three spots: still photos, movies, and S&Q, which stands for slow and quick motion. Sony's help guide says some menu items only appear when that dial is set to movie or S&Q.

So if you open the menu to find a video setting and it is not there, look at the dial first. This mix-up happens to almost everyone in their first week, and now you know the fix.

Think of the dial like two doors in a house. Walk through the photo door and you see photo tools. Walk through the movie door and the video tools appear.

Keep your photo and video settings apart

Photos and video often want different settings. A very fast shutter that freezes a running dog in a photo can make video look choppy, and a color setting you like for video may not suit your photos. Keeping them apart means switching the dial does not undo your work.

Sony's help guide for the a7 IV describes a menu item called Different Set for Still/Mv. It lets you choose, item by item, whether photos and movies share one setting or keep separate ones. You add check marks next to the items you want kept separate, then select OK. The a7R V also moves between photo and movie with a dial, so look for the same item in its menu before you build your setup.

Two things the help guide warns about

When you change from shared settings to separate settings, your current settings get copied to both photo and movie, but a custom white balance only carries over to photos. That means you should set custom white balance again in movie mode.

When you change back from separate to shared, most items return to their starting values, except aperture, shutter speed and custom white balance, which take the photo values. Write down your video settings before you flip this switch, so you can put them back in a minute instead of starting over.

The same idea on a smaller body is covered in the a6700 photo and video switching guide.

Choose a resolution: 4K or 8K

Resolution is how many tiny dots build each picture. More dots means more detail, but also bigger files.

8K: for special jobs

The a7R V records 8K (7680 x 4320) at 24p or 25p using the XAVC HS format with HEVC/H.265 compression. A codec like H.265 is how the camera packs video into a smaller file, a bit like rolling clothes tightly to fit more in a suitcase.

Digital Camera World points out that 8K comes with a 1.2x crop. A crop means the camera uses a smaller part of its sensor, so your view looks a little tighter, like taking a small step toward your subject.

4K: the everyday choice

For 4K, you can pick a full-frame or a Super 35mm sensor area, at up to 60p or 50p. Super 35 is a smaller, cropped area of the sensor. In Super 35 mode the camera reads every pixel without pixel binning, which makes 2.6x oversampling possible for 4K. Oversampling is like drawing a big detailed picture and then shrinking it: the small version looks extra crisp.

DXOMARK lists oversampled 4K at up to 30p from either the full sensor width or a Super 35 crop. Digital Camera World says the best-quality oversampled 4K is in Super 35 crop mode, and that 4K 60p brings back the same 1.2x crop as 8K.

In 4K you can record in XAVC S-I (All-Intra) or XAVC HS, with 10-bit 4:2:2 color. In plain words, 10-bit is like a bigger box of crayons with more in-between shades, so skies and skin blend more smoothly.

Mode	Top frame rate	Notes	Source
8K (7680 x 4320)	24p / 25p	XAVC HS, H.265, 1.2x crop
4K oversampled (full width or Super 35)	30p	Super 35 uses full pixel readout, 2.6x oversampling
4K 60p	60p / 50p	1.2x crop
Full HD	120p (NTSC) / 100p (PAL)	Highest frame rate on the camera

How long you can record

PetaPixel reports about 30 minutes of 8K and unlimited 4K at 24p or 25p. Digital Camera World describes 8K as having no time limit, though you are still held back by how fast and how full your cards are. Because the reviews disagree, test one long take on your own camera before a shoot where you cannot stop.

Choose a frame rate

Frame rate is how many pictures the camera takes each second. Video works like a flipbook: flip the pages fast and the drawings seem to move.

A simple habit helps a lot: pick one frame rate for a whole project, so all your clips match when you edit. Choose 60p when you think you might want to slow a moment down later, and remember that 4K 60p uses the 1.2x crop.

The a7R V does not have 120fps or 240fps modes in 4K, even with a crop. TechRadar notes that 4K is limited to 60fps. If slow motion matters, Full HD goes up to 120fps in NTSC or 100fps in PAL.

Slow motion and quick motion with S&Q

S&Q mode uses the same recording frame rates and record settings that are available in Movie Settings. The playback speed changes depending on the frame rate you set. You cannot pick XAVC HS 8K in S&Q, and if 8K is selected the camera switches to XAVC HS 4K on its own.

One surprise catches many new shooters. Sony's help guide says that in slow-motion recording the shutter speed becomes faster, so you may not get enough light. Its fix is to lower the aperture value or raise the ISO.

Lowering the aperture value means a smaller f-number, like going from f/8 to f/4. The aperture works like the pupil of your eye: a smaller number opens the pupil wider and lets in more light.

Shutter speed for video

The shutter is like a door that opens and closes for each frame. Leave the door open longer and more light comes in, and moving things smear a little. Close it quickly and less light comes in, and moving edges look crisper but can feel jumpy.

Shutter speed never works alone. When the door closes faster, the aperture or ISO has to make up the missing light, which is exactly what Sony's slow-motion advice describes. DXOMARK lists a native ISO range of 100 to 3,200, expandable to 50 to 102,400.

PetaPixel notes that the a7R V's slow sensor readout can cause noticeable rolling shutter in video. The sensor reads each picture from top to bottom like a scanner, so quick sideways moves can make straight poles look tilted. Slow, smooth pans help a lot.

For the full picture of how shutter, aperture and ISO balance each other, read the exposure triangle guide.

Picture profiles: S-Cinetone or S-Log3

A picture profile is a recipe for color and contrast that the camera uses while recording. The a7R V offers S-Cinetone and S-Log3, among others.

S-Cinetone

Videomaker reports that S-Cinetone is based on technology from Sony's CineAlta cinema cameras, such as the Venice, and that it gives natural mid-tones, soft colors and great highlights. Choose it when you want clips that look good straight from the camera, such as a family video or a quick social post.

S-Log3

S-Log3 can achieve more than 14 stops of dynamic range. Dynamic range is how much of a scene the camera can hold at once, like seeing both a bright window and the shadowy corner of a room. Choose S-Log3 when you plan to adjust color in editing and want the most room to work with bright skies and dark shadows.

When you are ready for S-Log3, the FX30 S-Log3 exposure guide explains how to expose it and when S-Cinetone is the better pick.

Stabilization for handheld video

The a7R V has a 5-axis in-body stabilization system that Sony rates at up to 8 stops. For video there is also Active Mode, which gives stronger stabilization for handheld shooting with a slight crop. Active Mode is not available when recording XAVC HS 8K or at 120 or 100fps.

TechRadar notes that Active Mode can be paired with some lenses that have optical stabilization for even smoother video. If you plan to walk while filming, turn Active Mode on and record in 4K.

Cards, batteries and the record button

The camera has two card slots that accept both CFexpress Type A and SD cards. Digital Camera World warns that only the fastest SD cards can keep up with 8K, and that cards fill very quickly.

Digital Camera World's reviewer also found 8K hard on the battery: it did not last through a single day of filming short clips around London, and lower video settings helped only a little. That reviewer suggests several batteries or an external power source if you film a lot.

The movie record button sits just behind the shutter release, and Digital Camera World notes you may need to shift your grip to reach it. PetaPixel points out that the a7R V has many customizable buttons, so it is worth placing record on a button your finger finds easily. The camera also has mic and headphone ports and a full-size HDMI port.

Is the a7R V a good video camera for you?

PetaPixel calls the a7R V a well-rounded video camera that can handle most traditional shoots, but not a replacement for cinema-specific cameras like the a7S III or FX3. TechRadar says videographers will find the A7S III a better camera overall for video.

Where the a7R V shines is stills, with its roughly 61-megapixel sensor. Digital Camera World suggests the A7 IV may be the better fit for mixed photo and video work at a lower price.

If you are comparing bodies, the a7 IV video settings guide and the ZV-E10 II video settings guide walk through the same steps for those cameras.