Sports and Action Photographers listen up! Sony has just dropped the Sony Alpha 1 and we think it just might be the mirrorless camera to end all mirrorless camera’s! Boasting a 50MP full-frame sensor and 8K capabilities, the Alpha 1 features an unbelievable array of high-end specs that make this mirrorless flagship camera the one to beat.
Do you think the Sony mirrorless system might be for you? We’ve made it a lot easier to decide by reviewing two of Sony’s most notable new models from 2020. We tested the Sony A7C for content creation and we took the Sony A7S III to the Two Oceans Aquarium to see if it is really the beast that Sony claims it is. We even put the A7S III head-to-head with the Canon R5 in the battle of 2020’s biggest releases!
A quick look reveals a brand-new full-frame 50.1MP Exmor RS stacked CMOS sensor capable of 30 fps full-res shooting; 8K 30p and 4K 120p video in 10-bit 4:2:2 with no recording limit; all the latest connectors, including full-size HDMI, Ethernet, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and 5GHz MIMO Wi-Fi—and that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Let’s Take A Look At The Sony Alpha 1
The A1 borrows a lot from the more recent A7S III. Other things you might find familiar are the ethernet port, USB Type-C upgraded to USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds, a Multi Interface Shoe with support for digital audio, and a full-size HDMI port. Wi-Fi got shown some love with a nice upgrade to 2×2 MIMO, making it 3.5x faster than previous transfer speeds. Hello dependable remote work!
Thanks to a pair of new Bionz XR processors and a stacked CMOS sensor, you can shoot JPEG photos at an incredible 30fps, which is impressive for a full-frame camera with this kind of resolution. The Sony A1 also manages 400JPEGs or 238 raw files in one sequence! Even with full AF tracking, the Sony Alpha 1 is able to shoot up to 165 JPEGs or 155 raw images without breaking a sweat.
The camera’s ability to capture images at a faster-than-lightning speed is complimented by its viewfinder which features the world’s firstiv 240 fps refresh ratexiv, for a super-smooth display. The viewfinder does not black out when an exposure is made to offer an uninterrupted view and allow for seamless framing and tracking, even during continuous shooting.
Compared to the 4K-shooting A7S III, the A1’s higher-resolution sensor can create high-quality 4K at the same frame rates and color depths, while also enabling 8K 30p recording. Compared to the well-connected a9 II, the a1’s lightning-fast AF system and sensor can hit an incredible 30 fps at double the resolution without slowing down for 200 frames. What more could you want from a camera?
Let’s Take A Look At The A1’s Video Performance
To wrap it up, let’s cover video performance. The 8K recording might excite you, but it’s the smaller details that make the Sony Alpha 1 a race-car of a video camera. The 8K video feature is a really big deal thanks to a new sensor and processing capacity. It manages a stable 30p rate and is able to record in 10-bit 4:2:2 by oversampling the 8.6K area, promising gorgeous footage. An added bonus is the in-camera extraction option which allows you to pull 33.2MP stills from the 8K video without a computer.
One small but exciting feature of this hybrid camera is the addition of the S-Cinetone profile. This feature is only seen in Sony’s high-end cinema cameras like the FX9, giving you amazing colour straight out of camera!
Like we said, this release may just be the mirrorless camera to end all mirrorless camera’s!
Key Specifications
- 50MP Full-Frame Exmor RS BSI CMOS Sensor
- Up to 30 fps Shooting, ISO 50-102400
- 8K 30p and 4K 120p Video in 10-Bit
- 4.3K 16-Bit Raw Video Output, S-Cinetone
- 9.44m-Dot EVF with 240 fps Refresh Rate
- 759-Pt. Fast Hybrid AF, Real-time Eye AF
- 5-Axis SteadyShot Image Stabilization
- Dual Drive Mech. Shutter, 1/400 Sec Sync
- 5 GHz MIMO Wi-Fi, 1000BASE-T Ethernet
- Dual CFexpress Type A/SD Card Slots
We are yet to receive an ETA for stock arrival and pricing as the Sony Alpha 1 has just been announced. Keep an eye on Orms Direct for when we’ll have this powerful hybrid camera in-stock.
