I shoot Sony and now I have to deal with Sony envy just like all the other brand shooters. Today, Sony released it’s new flagship camera dubbed the Alpha 1. The specifications are very impressive, as is the price tag. I am what is called an “Enthusiast Photographer”. I know more about camera tech than most pro photographers, own capable equipment and take some really nice photos (I’m told), but I don’t make my living in the field of photography or really want to lest it spoil the fun I get out of it. As an “EP” without vast amounts of disposable income, I couldn’t possibly justify the $6,500 price tag of the new body only. I can, however see why it is at that price point. It’s simply the specs. It dwarfs the capabilities of the still $6,500 Nikon D6 and Canon 1DX DSLRs as well as topping the new mirrorless flagships from both. With the AP news organization recently moving to Sony equipment because of its performance and functionality for journalism, I expect to see more and more Sony bodies and glass on the sidelines in future sports competitions.
Specs:
- New 50.1MP full-frame sensor with stacked memory for faster readout
- Improved BIONZ XR™ imaging processors with eight times more processing power than prior generations.
- 30 frames per second shooting with no viewfinder blackout, full exposure control and focus tracking.
- 759 AF points that cover 92% of the sensor area.
- 120 Autofocus/Auto-exposure calculations per second, which is 2x the Alpha 9 II
- Huge .9x, 9.44MP OLED Quad-XGA electronic viewfinder with a refresh rate up to 240hz.
- Silent, vibration-free electronic shutter
- Electronic shutter flash sync up to 1/200 sec. Mechanical shutter flash sync up to 1/400 sec.
- 8K 30p 10-bit video recording with 8.6K oversampling for greater detail and resolution. 4K 120p movie shooting as well. The same heat-dissipating tech as the a7sIII is used.
- 15 stops dynamic range for stills and and 15+ stops for video.
- Improved Real-time Eye Autofocus for humans and animals, and new Real-time Eye AF for birds.
- 5-axis optical in-body stabilization rated at 5.5 stops.
- Same color matrix as seen in FX9 and FX6 pro camcorders to deliver cinematic quality.
- Built-in Wi-Fi, SuperSpeed USB, Gigabit Ethernet.
Even though the dimensions of the body are listed as identical to the A7sIII, it is about 120g heavier. This makes it about 50g heavier than the A9II. All the controls look the same as it’s predecessors and it has the updated menu system.
All-in-all, it is a dream camera for most people but I expect it will find itself in the hands of many pro photographers that currently use the A9 or A9II. Wedding shooters that use the A7rIV may give it a look because the resolution is close with greatly expanded video utility. I also see where some other brand shooters may see the A1 as the straw that broke the Canikon’s back and make that jump they have been putting off for so long.
Can’t wait to see what they are going to stuff in the A7IV…
D