Sony · a7 IV · Free lesson
Common fixes
What fixes the a7 IV problems everyone eventually meets?
camerasdecoded.com/camera-select/sony/a7-iv/common-fixes
The answer — share this
Bright spots: Pixel Mapping. Dust spots: Sensor Cleaning. Heat shutdowns: Auto Power OFF Temp. Focus stealing: Tracking Sensitivity 1. Most a7 IV “problems” are one menu item deep.
All paths below verified in Sony’s ILCE-7M4 Help Guide.
Cameras Decoded — Camera Select
Bright spots in every imagePixel Mapping. MENU → Setup → Setup Option → Pixel Mapping. The camera remaps the sensor’s problem pixels and restarts. Auto Pixel Mapping (same group, on by default) already does this at power-off — if you turned it off, Sony recommends a manual run every three days.
Dust spots, same place every frameSensor Cleaning. MENU → Setup → Setup Option → Anti-dust Function → Sensor Cleaning. Battery at 3 bars or more. It vibrates the sensor; finish with a blower, camera face-down. Setting Shutter When Pwr OFF to On keeps dust off in the first place — but never touch or blow on the closed shutter.
Camera quits mid-record, hot to the touchAuto Power OFF Temp. → High. MENU → Setup → Power Setting Option. Longer record times before shutdown — and Sony’s warning stands: on High, shoot from a tripod, not your hand.
AF will not grab in dim lightAF Illuminator. MENU → Focus → AF/MF → AF Illuminator → Auto (its default — check nobody turned it off). Know its limits: it does not fire in movie mode, or with Continuous AF while the subject is moving.
Focus keeps jumping to the wrong personAF Tracking Sensitivity → 1. MENU → Focus → AF/MF. Locked on means passers-by crossing the frame no longer steal your subject. Full walkthrough in the Autofocus lesson.
USB stream to the computer looks softCheck the cable, then the output. The a7 IV streams up to 4K — but over a USB 2.0 connection output drops to 720p. Set the output at MENU → Network → Streaming → USB Streaming. While streaming, the camera is locked to movie mode and Picture Profile is off.
Try it now
Run Pixel Mapping once today even if you have no bright spots — learn where it lives now, not the night it matters.