In summary
The Alpha 1 has been designed primarily for professional photographers and videographers. It is especially well suited to photo and video journalists as well as sports shooters and the like, who need to deliver the images and movie recordings they capture to bureaus or clients as quickly as possible.
Subjective assessments of stills taken by the camera showed JPEGs were recorded with excellent colour accuracy, well-controlled saturation and a relatively wide dynamic range. ARW.RAW files provided plenty of scope for post-capture adjustments to bring out shadow details without compromising highlights.
Our Imatest tests showed the camera plus FE 35mm f/1.4 GM lens to be an excellent combination that came close to meeting expectations for the sensor’s resolution with JPEGs and comfortably exceeded expectations with raw files. Resolution remained high for both file types across the camera’s sensitivity range, beginning to decline starting at ISO 12800.
The Sony Alpha 1 provides a nice balance of sophisticated features and professional capabilities.
Full review
Announced in late January 2021, the Alpha 1is Sony’s most technologically advanced and innovative camera to be released so far. It comes with a new 50.1-megapixel stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor with integral memory plus an upgraded BIONZ XR imaging processing engine. With eight times more processing power, it enables up to 120 AF/AE calculations per second, which is double the speed of the Alpha 9 II. This enables the camera to support professional standard stills and video recording.
Angled view of the Sony Alpha 1 camera fitted with the FE 24mm f/1.4 GM (SEL24S14GM) lens. (Source: Sony.)
We received the review camera with the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 G-Master (SEL2470GM) and Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM (SEL35F14GM) lenses. We used the SEL2470GM lens for our video tests. The SEL35F14GM lens, which we used for our main Imatest tests, is reviewed separately.
Who’s it For?
The Alpha 1 has been designed primarily for professional photographers and videographers. It is especially well suited to photo and video journalists as well as sports shooters and the like, who need to deliver the images and movie recordings they capture to bureaus or clients as quickly as possible.
The A1 uses the same menu as the Sony A7S III, which is an improvement on previous models. The new system separates the stills and video settings in both the camera’s menu and the customisable Fn menu and provides colour-coded sections to improve navigation.
The new camera provides a nice balance of sophisticated features and capabilities for its target users. However, its high price tag is likely to put it beyond the reach of most photo enthusiasts (who probably won’t need many of its capabilities).
Key Features
The most important features are outlined below. Details, where relevant, will be provided in separate sections of this review.
- The Alpha 1 has a new 35.9 x 24 mm stacked Exmor RS BSI CMOS image sensor with 50.1-megapixel effective resolution.
- It’s paired with an upgraded BIONZ XR imaging processing engine with eight times more processing power than the BIONZ X chip. This processor is capable of up to 120 AF/AE calculations per second (double the speed of the Alpha 9 II) for fast sensor readout and enables blackout-free continuous shooting at 30 fps with the electronic shutter while maintaining full AF and AE tracking performance.
- High-speed readout from the new image sensor has made it possible to reduce rolling shutter effects by up to 1.5 times when compared to the Alpha 9 II.
- The buffer memory can accommodate up to 155 full-frame compressed RAW images or 165 full-frame JPEG images recorded with the maximum frame rate.
- The 0.64-type OLED Quad-XGA viewfinder is both large and bright with a resolution of 9.44 million dots and two modes. The default mode has a refresh rate of 120fps and uses the full 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution. The second mode reduces the resolution to 1600 x 1200 to achieve a super-fast refresh rate of 240 fps, overlaying narrow black bars at the top and bottom of the screen to carry the camera settings instead over overlaying them on the image. The EVF also offers a magnification of 0.9x for an immersive view plus a 41 degree diagonal field of view and a 25mm-high eyepoint to provide clear, low distortion viewing from corner to corner.
- The Alpha 1 has a hybrid mechanical/electronic shutter with a carbon fibre shutter curtain and dual-driven shutter system that utilises spring and electromagnetic drive actuators to combine high durability plus low weight. It boasts a top shutter speed of 1/8000 second and the first-ever anti-flicker shooting with both the mechanical and electronic shutter. The electronic shutter can provide silent, vibration-free shooting plus flash sync at up to 1/200 second. The mechanical shutter offers flash sync at up to 1/400 second, the fastest for its type.
- Sony continues to develop its hybrid autofocusing system, providing the Alpha 1 with 759 phase detection points covering approximately 92% of the image area. The camera also has 425 contrast detection points. In addition to improved Real-time Eye AF for humans and animals, high-level subject recognition technology now provides Real-time Eye AF for birds, a first in an Alpha series camera. AI-based Real-time Tracking uses colour, pattern (brightness) and subject distance (depth) data to process spatial information in real time for automatically maintaining accurate focus.
- Even with this sensor’s high pixel count, the Alpha 1 offers high sensitivity with low noise, plus 15+ stops of dynamic range for video and 15 stops for stills, for smooth, natural gradations from shadows to highlights. The ISO sensitivity range of 100-3200, can be expanded to ISO 50 and ISO 102,400, when shooting stills. The sensor can capture a wide dynamic range of 15 stops for stills and 15+ stops for video.
- The Alpha 1 adds the HEIF (High-Efficiency Image File) image format option to the standard JPEG and RAW file formats, giving users the option to record images with 10-bit colour, to provide smoother gradations in tones than 8-bit JPEGs without increasing file sizes. Lossless compressed raw capture is available for first time in a Sony Alpha camera with support for recording bursts at up to 20fps.
- Sony has long offered a 1.5x crop mode that simulates the field of view from an APS-C camera but resulted in relatively low resolution (12 megapixels in the Alpha 9 II). The Alpha 1 oversamples the cropped frame to deliver a much improved 21-megapixel image. In addition the medium-sized and small-sized JPEG image from the Alpha 1 to have the exact same pixel dimensions in both full-frame and crop mode (5616 x 3744 and 4320 x 2880 respectively), which is handy for sports photographers as it lets them swap between full frame and cropped modes to gain reach through the 1.5x crop without changing the resulting image sizes.
- The new camera features an evolved Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode that composites up to 16 full-resolution images. During capture, the camera shifts the sensor in one pixel or half-pixel increments to record 16 separate pixel-shifted images containing a total of 796.2 million pixels of data. These frames can be composited into a 199 million pixel (17,280 x 11,520 pixels) image using Sony’s Imaging Edge desktop application. This mode can be used with flash exposures.
- The professional-level video capabilities include the ability to record 8K 25p 10-bit 4:2:0 XAVC HS video recording with 8.6K oversampling for outstanding detail and resolution. The new camera can also shoot 4K video at 50p and 25p and Full HD at 25p, 50p and 100p, the latter for up to 5X slow-motion video recordings. 10-bit 4:2:2 movie shooting capabilities. In addition to supporting 10-bit 4:2:2 recording, this feature can be used with efficient Long GOP inter-frame compression or high-quality Intra (All-I) intra-frame compression.
- The Super 35 video crop mode can deliver 4K recordings with full sensor readout and no pixel binning. This makes more than twice (2.3x) the amount of data is available for each Super 35 4K frame, which should represent a noticeable improvement in output quality.
The Alpha 1 set up for recording video footage. (Source: Sony.) - Special video features include support for the S-Cinetone colour matrix, which delivers a cinematic look with natural mid-tones, soft colours and expressive highlights to meet a growing need for footage with more depth. The S-Log3 gamma curve makes it possible to achieve 15+ stops of dynamic range, while the S-Gamut3 and S-Gamut3.Cine colour gamut settings make it easy to match Alpha 1 footage with video shot on professional cinema cameras.
- The camera body includes a special heat-dissipating structure that keeps the image sensor and processor temperatures within their normal operating range, while maintaining compact body dimensions. This makes it possible to record 8K/30p video continuously for approximately 30 minutes.
- A high-precision stabilisation unit and gyro sensors, plus optimised image stabilisation algorithms provide up to a 5.5-stops of shake correction, depending on the lens fitted. The camera includes an Active Mode, designed for handheld movie shooting. Users can take advantage of the metadata generated by camera’s built-in gyroscope when viewing and editing clips in Sony’s desktop applications Catalyst Browse or Catalyst Prepare.
- Professional workflow support is provided by the industry’s fastest built-in Wi-Fi, which allows communication on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands with dual antennas to ensure reliable communications. The 5 GHz function includes 2×2 MIMO support (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac) offering 3.5 times faster wireless FTP transfer speed than the Alpha 9 II. The Alpha 1 also has a built-in 1000BASE-T LAN connector for high-speed, stable data transfers, including remote shooting. FTPS (File Transfer over SSL/TLS) is supported, allowing SSL or TLS encryption for increased data security.
- The Alpha 1 has two multi-format media slots that support UHS-I and UHS-II SDXC/SDHC cards, as well as new CFexpress Type A cards for higher overall capacity and faster read/write speeds. Use of the CFexpress is necessary for some video settings (although faster SD cards can accommodate both 8K and 4K footage) but not for shooting stills, although the buffer depth increases to 165 JPEGs or 155 ARW.RAW files with CFexpress cards.
- The Alpha 1 can support APS-C E-mount lenses and when one is fitted the camera switches to a cropped (reduced-resolution) mode. While it may be convenient for sports and wildlife shooters with existing lenses, we can see no logic in buying this camera solely for the purpose of using such lenses.
- The Alpha 1 uses the same NP-FZ100 battery as the α9 II, α7S III and α7R IV and can accept the VG-C4EM battery grip, which is weather-resistant and can hold two batteries. As well as providing controls for vertical orientation, batteries can be recharged via the camera’s USB port, without detaching the grip from the camera.
Build and Ergonomics
The Alpha 1 has a durable magnesium alloy chassis with similar styling to Sony’s α7 cameras and the same dust- and moisture-resistant sealing. Like those models, the new camera is made in Sony’s factory in Ayutthaya, Thailand.
Physically, the camera has the familiar shape of Sony’s full-frame cameras, with almost the same body size and weight as the α9 Mark II. The magnesium alloy chassis feels solid and the slightly taller body and deeper handgrip make the camera comfortable to hold.
Front view of the new Sony Alpha 1 camera with no lens fitted. (Source: Sony.)
Otherwise, the front panel is almost identical to the α9 II with a front panel almost devoid of any controls, save for the control dial, which is semi-embedded in the top of the grip moulding. The rear and top panels have the same control layouts as the α9 II, as shown in the illustrations below.
Top view of the Alpha 1 camera with no lens fitted. (Source: Sony.)
The three dial controls – which select drive, shooting mode and exposure compensation – have locking buttons to prevent unintentional readjustment. There also two programmable function buttons just behind the shutter release – but still no top panel data display screen.
The rear panel of the Alpha 1 camera. (Source: Sony.)
Sony has made some minor modifications to a couple of buttons on the rear panel, the most noticeable being the replacement of the red dot on the movie button with a red ring.
Angled rear view of the Alpha 1 body showing the dual media slots. (Source: Sony.)
Both card slots are compatible with UHS-I and UHS-II SD cards as well as CFexpress Type A cards that provide higher overall capacity and faster read/write speeds. There’s been a small shift in the position of the Multi/Micro USB terminal but the microphone and headphone jacks and HDMI port remain in the same places as in the α9 II,
Side view of the Alpha 1 body showing the main interface ports. (Source: Sony.)
Internally, the changes are more extensive. The shutter design has been revised to enable full-frame flash sync speeds up to 1/400 second. In addition, flash sync up to 1/200 sec is possible with the silent electronic shutter.
The new shutter supports high-speed shooting up to 30 fps at full 50.1-megapixel resolution with full AF and AE capabilities, when the electronic shutter is selected. The electronic shutter also provides silent, vibration-free performance plus flicker-free shooting under fluorescent (and other flicker-prone) lights.
The mechanical shutter supports shutter speeds up to 10 fps. Blackout-free shooting is provided with the viewfinder, thanks to a fast 240 fps refresh rate.
Enhanced 5-axis SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilisation provides up to 5/5 stops of shake correction for handheld shooting of stills and video with any lens that can be fitted to the camera. An additional Active IS mode adds more precise stabilisation for video to ensure smoother footage from the camera.
As is normal in current cameras, built-in Wi-Fi and NFC provide easy connections between the camera and external devices. Bluetooth connectivity allows location data acquisition via a connected smartphone with GPS capabilities. In addition, the Ethernet port offers up to 1000BASE-T speeds for quick wired LAN sharing and remote operation.
Sensor and Image Processing
The new 50.1-megapixel Exmor RS full-frame sensor features a stacked back-illuminated design with integrated memory that supports an expandable sensitivity up to ISO 102400 plus a 15-stop dynamic range. It also enables full-frame 8.6K oversampling for 8K video recording
Native ISO sensitivity settings range from 100 to 25600 with the electronic shutter, with up to ISO 204800 available when the mechanical shutter is selected. Both shutters support a low sensitivity equivalent to ISO 50 and but the electronic shutter tops out at ISO 25600. Movie settings are restricted to ISO 100 to 102400.
Whereas most Sony cameras only offer 3:2 and 16:9 aspect ratio settings, the Alpha 1 adds in 4:3 and 1:1 aspect ratios. Typical file sizes are shown in the table below.
| Aspect ratio | Pixels | |
| 3:2 | 8640 x 5760 | |
| 5616 x 3744 | ||
| 4320 x 2880 | ||
| 4:3 | 7680 x5760 | |
| 4992 x 3744 | ||
| 3480 x 2880 | ||
| 16:9 | 8640 x 4864 | |
| 5616 x 3160 | ||
| 4320 x 2432 | ||
| 1:1 | 5760 x 5760 | |
| 3744 x 3744 | ||
| 2880 x 2800 |
Continuous shooting is possible at up to 30 frames/second (fps) with JPEG and HEIF images or up to 20 fps with raw files when the electronic shutter is selected. The maximum frame rate with the mechanical shutter is 10 fps, regardless of file format and you’ll need a CFexpress or UHS Speed Class U3 card to get the maximum speed and capacity.
The table below shows buffer capacities for High quality JPEG and HEIF format images as well as the various raw file options.
| File Format | Number of images when JPEG is selected | Number of images when HEIF is selected |
| JPEG/HEIF (Fine) | Approx. 165 images | Approx. 153 images |
| RAW (Compressed RAW) | Approx. 155 images | Approx. 155 images |
| RAW & JPEG/RAW & HEIF (Compressed RAW) | Approx. 152 images | Approx. 120 images |
| RAW (Uncompressed RAW) | Approx. 82 images | Approx. 82 images |
| RAW & JPEG/RAW & HEIF (Uncompressed RAW) | Approx. 78 images | Approx. 64 images |
| RAW (Lossless compression RAW) | Approx. 96 images | Approx. 96 images |
| RAW & JPEG/RAW & HEIF (Lossless compression RAW) | Approx. 83 images | Approx. 64 imag |
Buffer capacity can be increased by selecting slower frame rates. During continuous shooting, the focus will normally be locked on in the first shot at apertures wider thanf/22. However, with the mechanical shutter, shooting in the Continuous Shooting: Lo mode allows the camera to adjust the focus continuously while the burst is recorded.
As in the α9 II, the APS-C/Super 35mm crop mode enables cropped-frame E mount lenses to be used and crops the sensor accordingly. This reduces the maximum image size to 5616 x 3744 (21 megapixels) but can provide a useful focal length extension of 1.5x when shooting movies.
Video
The Alpha 1 is the first Sony camera to offer 8K 30p 10-bit 4:2:0 XAVC HS recording, enabling it to compete with the Canon EOS R5. Sony has learned from Canon’s initiative and has designed the camera with a heat dissipating structure that keeps temperatures within the ‘normal operating range’. Although the camera certainly warms up while 8K video is beign recorded, Sony says continuous recording is possible for approximately 30 minutes.
4K recording is supported at up to 120 fps, which enables up to 5x slow-motion recordings. The Alpha 1 also supports 10-bit 4:2:2 recording with efficient Long GOP inter-frame compression or high-quality Intra (All-I) intra-frame compression.
Movie recording formats and compatible memory cards are shown in the table below.
| File Format | Maximum recordable bit-rate | Supported memory card |
| XAVC HS 8K | 400Mbps | CFexpress Type A memory card (VPG200 or higher)
SDXC card V60 or higher |
| XAVC HS 4K | 280Mbps | CFexpress Type A memory card (VPG200 or higher)
SDXC card V60 or higher |
| XAVC S 4K | 280Mbps | |
| XAVC S HD | 100Mbps | CFexpress Type A memory card
SDHC/SDXC card (U3 or higher) |
| XAVC S-I 4K | 600Mbps | CFexpress Type A memory card (VPG200 or higher)
SDXC card V90 or higher |
| XAVC S-I HD | 222Mbps |
The Alpha 1 also offers the same S-Cinetone colour matrix as Sony’s VENICE, FX9 and other professional cinema cameras. The S-Log3 gamma curve makes it possible to achieve 15+ stops of dynamic range, while the S-Gamut3 and S-Gamut3.Cine colour gamut settings make it easy to match Alpha 1 footage with video shot on professional equipment.
Connectivity
To support photo and video journalists and sports shooters who need to deliver stills or movies quickly, the Alpha 1 includes fast built-in wireless LAN for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands with dual antennas to ensure reliable communications. In addition, a USB Type-C connector allows fast data transfer when connected to a 5G mmWave compatible device such as Sony’s Xperia PRO and also enables high-speed PC Remote (tethered) data transfer for large image files.
The Alpha 1 also has a built-in 1000BASE-T LAN connector for high-speed, stable data transfers, including during remote shooting. FTPS (File Transfer over SSL/TLS) is supported, allowing SSL or TLS encryption for increased data security.
It is also compatible with a variety of apps, add-ons and tools, including the regular Imaging Edge Mobile and Imaging Edge Desktop for converting raw files and basic editing as well as supporting remote control of Touch Tracking and Touch Focus. The Transfer & Tagging add-on can automatically covert voice memos attached to image files to text captions or transfer the files to an FTP server from a mobile device.
For video, desktop applications Catalyst Browse/Catalyst Prepare allow users to browse and manage video clips shot by the camera. The Remote Camera Tool provides control over camera settings and shooting from a computer connected via LAN cable and features refinements for the Alpha 1 that include faster transfer, touch response, dual slot and HEIF support.
Playback and Software
Playback settings are much the same as for the α9 II and, as before, not well covered in the basic printed manual that comes with the camera. The online help guide is more comprehensive and covers selecting which memory card to play back, image options like zoom, rotate and delete and playing movie clips recorded by the camera.
For video, users can also adjust audio volume and set the audio to be monitored by the device connected to the camera’s headphone port when playing back a movie clips. Slideshow playback is available for viewing images with intervals selectable between one and 30 seconds.
As is common in the latest digital cameras, all the software must be downloaded and a link is provided in the printed basic manual. Imaging Edge Mobile, Imaging Edge Desktop and Transfer & Tagging were updated in late April. Other applications available for downloading include Remote Camera Tool, Catalyst Browser / Catalyst Prepare, Imaging Edge Webcam, the Sony-only HEIF Converter and IPTC Metadata Preset for creating and exporting IPTC metadata.
Performance
Subjective assessments of stills taken by the camera showed JPEGs were recorded with excellent colour accuracy, well-controlled saturation and a relatively wide dynamic range. ARW.RAW files provided plenty of scope for post-capture adjustments to bring out shadow details without compromising highlights.
Our Imatest tests showed the camera plus FE 35mm f/1.4 GM lens to be an excellent combination that came close to meeting expectations for the sensor’s resolution with JPEGs and comfortably exceeded expectations with raw files. Resolution remained high for both file types across the camera’s sensitivity range, beginning to decline starting at ISO 12800. The effects of noise-reduction processing only became visible in shots taken at ISO 51200 and above. The graph below shows the results of our Imatest tests.
Long exposures at night showed no evidence of noise right up to ISO 6400 and very little noise thereafter. However, slight softening became visible at ISO 12800 due to noise-reduction processing. This softening increased progressively through the remaining sensitivity settings. By ISO 51200 contrast was also reduced.
The reduction in contrast increased progressively as sensitivity was raised and by ISO 204800 (the highest setting), images appeared rather flat and slightly fuzzy. Interestingly, colour reproduction remained constant throughout the sensitivity range and was generally quite close to the subject’s normal range.
Auto white balance performance was similar to other Sony cameras we’ve tested, particularly under incandescent lighting, where most of the warm cast was corrected, especially with the White Priority setting. Shots taken under fluorescent lighting were virtually cast-free, while only traces of the cast produced by warm-toned LED light remained uncorrected with the White Priority setting.
For both incandescent and lighting fluorescent, the pre-sets tended to over-correct, while manual measurement delivered a neutral colour balance with all three types of lighting. In-camera micro-adjustment enables users to tweak image colours on-the-fly and white balance bracketing across three frames is available.
As far as we were able to determine, AF speed was similar to the α7M3 and we encountered few instances of hesitation in our low-light tests. In the AF-C mode with close subjects and very low light levels we encountered occasional hunting, although it was usually quite brief.
We were quite impressed by Sony’s Eye Detection AF, especially in very low light levels. An example taken with the Tamron 70-200mm f/4.5-6.3 lens (INSERT LINK) well after sundown is shown in the Samples section below.
Our timing tests were carried out with a Sony TOUGH 80OB CFexpress card with read/write readings of 800/700MB/second, respectively plus the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. The camera started up ready to take an exposure in less than half a second, which is what we expected for this camera’s processor.
With the camera’s default settings, we measured an average capture lag of 0.1 seconds, which was eliminated when shots were pre-focused. Shot-to-shot times averaged 0.7 seconds.
High-resolution JPEGs took 2.6 seconds to process on average, while ARW.RAW files were processed in 2.1 seconds and RAW+JPEG pairs in 2.3 seconds.
In the Continuous Hi+ mode, which uses the silent electronic shutter, the review camera recorded 116 Large/Fine JPEG frames in 10.1 seconds, which represents a little over 10 frames/second. Processing was completed within 13 seconds of the last frame recorded.
Swapping to raw file capture, the camera recorded 115 ARW.RAW files in 10.1 seconds without hesitating. It took 12.7 seconds to complete processing this burst. Similar results were obtained with RAW+JPEG capture, where the camera recorded 116 pairs in 10.2 seconds. It took 12.8 seconds to process this burst. The camera body became slightly warm during burst shooting.
Video performance was outstanding. With the P shooting mode and default video colour settings the camera recorded a wide brightness range that provided plenty of scope for post-capture production..
AF tracking while recording video was also very good. The camera was quick to focus on the centre of the frame on start-up and swiftly moved to focus on subjects as they appeared and tracking them as they moved across the frame.
Conclusion
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SPECS
Image sensor: 35.9 x 24.0 mm Exmor RS CMOS sensor with 51 million photosites (50.1 megapixels effective)
Image processor: Dual BIONZ XR
Lens mount: E-mount
Focal length crop factor: 1x
Digital zoom: Smart zoom (Still images): 35mm full frame: M: Approx. 1.5x, S: Approx. 2x, APS-C: S: Approx. 2x, Digital zoom (Still images): 35mm full frame: L: Approx. 4x, M:Approx.6.1x, S: Approx. 8x, APS-C: M: approx. 4x, S: approx. 5.2x, Digital zoom (Movie): 35mm full frame: Approx. 4x, APS-C: Approx. 4x
Still image formats: Stills: JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver. 2.33), HEIF (MPEG-A MIAF compliant RAF.RAW (Version 4.0 14-bit), RAW+JPEG; External recording of 16-bit raw files available
Still image size: 3:2 aspect ratio: 8640 x 5760 (49.7M), 5616 x 3744 (21M), 4320 x 2880 (12.4M), APS-C: 5616 x 3744 (21M), 4320 x 2880 (12.4M)
Image quality modes: RAW (Compressed / Lossless Compressed / Uncompressed), JPEG (Extra fine / Fine / Standard / Light), HEIF (4:2:0 / 4:2:2) (Extra fine / Fine / Standard / Light)
Movie formats: XAVC S, XAVC HS; External recording of 4:2:2 10-bit and 4:2:0 8-bit video available
Audio: LPCM 2ch (48kHz 16bit), LPCM 2ch (48kHz 24bit), LPCM 4ch (48kHz 24bit), MPEG-4 AAC-LC 2ch
Movie sizes (PAL format): UHD 8K (7680 x 4320) at 25p, UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 50p, 25p, Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 25p, 50p, 100p; Slow & Quick Motion frame rates: 1fps, 2fps, 3fps, 6fps, 12fps, 25fps, 50fps, 100fps, 200fps
Aspect ratios: 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, 1:1
Image Stabilisation: 5-Axis sensor-shift IS; 5.5 stops shake compensation (depends on lens specifications)
Dust removal: Charge protection coating on Optical Filter and ultrasonic vibration mechanism
Shutter (speed range): Mechanical shutter (30-1/8000 seconds plus Bulb; Electronic shutter: 30 to 1/32,000 second; 1-1/8000 second in movie mode); X-sync at 1/400 second
Exposure Compensation: +/- 5EV in 1/3EV steps (+/-EV for movies)
Exposure bracketing: 3/5/9 frames selectable. (Ambient light, Flash light)
Other bracketing options: White Balance bracket, DRO bracket
Self-timer: 2, 5 or 10 seconds delay
Interval recording: Yes, for time-lapse
Focus system: Fast Hybrid AF (phase-detection AF / contrast-detection AF) with 759 phase-detection and 425 contrast detection points
AF selection: Wide / Zone / Centre / Flexible Spot / Expanded Flexible Spot / Tracking; Eye AF: Human (Right/Left Eye Select) / Animal (Right/Left Eye Select) / Bird; Predictive control, Focus lock, AF Track Sens. (Still), AF Subj. Shift Sensitivity (Movie), AF Transition Speed (Movie), Switch V/H AF Area, AF Area Regist., Circ. of Focus Point
Focus modes: AF-S (Single-shot AF), AF-C ( Continuous AF), DMF (Direct Manual Focus), Manual Focus
Exposure metering: 1200-zone evaluative metering with Centre-Weighted Average, Highlight Weighted, Multiple and Spot patterns; metering range -3 to 20 EV
Shooting modes: Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual Exposure
Movie functions: Audio Level Display, Audio Rec Level, PAL/NTSC Selector, Proxy Recording (1280 x 720 (6Mbps), 1920 x 1080 (9Mbps), 1920 x 1080 (16Mbps)), TC/UB, Auto Slow Shutter, Gamma Disp. Assist, RAW Output (HDMI)
Picture Profile modes: Yes (Off / PP1-PP11) Parameters: Black level, Gamma (Movie, Still, S-Cinetone, Cine1-4, ITU709, ITU709 (800%), S-Log2, S-Log3, HLG, HLG1-3), Black Gamma, Knee, Colour Mode, Saturation, Colour Phase, Colour Depth, Detail, Copy, Reset
Creative Look modes: ST, PT, NT, VV, VV2, FL, IN, SH, BW, SE, Custom Look (1-6)
Colour space options: sRGB standard (with sYCC gamut), Adobe RGB standard and Rec. ITU-R BT.2100 standard (BT.2020 gamut)
Custom Functions: Custom key settings, Programmable Setting (Body 3 sets /memory card 4 sets),My Dial Settings, My Menu, Reg Cust Shoot Set
ISO range: Auto, ISO 100 to 32000 with extensions to ISO 50 and ISO 102400
White balance: Auto, Cloudy, Colour Temperature (2500 to 9900K), Colour Temperature Filter, Custom, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent (Cool White), Fluorescent (Day White), Fluorescent (Daylight), Fluorescent (Warm White), Incandescent, Shade, Underwater
Flash: External flashguns only
Flash modes: Auto, Fill Flash, Hi-Speed Sync, Off, Rear Sync, Red-Eye Reduction, Slow Sync
Flash exposure adjustment: +/-3EV in 1/3, ½ EV steps
Sequence shooting: Max. 10 shots/sec. with mechanical shutter; 30 fps with electronic shutter
Buffer capacity: Max.182 Large/Extra Fine JPEGs, 238 RAW files; RAW+JPEG: 192 frames
Storage Media: Dual slots for CFexpress Type A / SD cards (UHS-I / UHS-II UHS Speed Class 3 standard compatible)
Viewfinder: 0.64 type OLED EVF with 9,437,184 dots, 25mm eyepoint, 0.9x magnification -4 to +3 dpt adjustment
LCD monitor: 3-inch, 1,440,000-dot tilting touch-screen LCD; adjustable angle – Up by Approx. 107 degrees, Down by Approx. 41 degrees
Interface terminals: HDMI A (Full Size), USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1), USB Micro-B (USB 2.0), 3.5mm Microphone, 3.5mm Headphone, RJ45
Wi-Fi function: Built-in Wi-Fi; Bluetooth v5.0 (Bluetooth Low Energy)
Power supply: NP-FZ100 rechargeable Li-ion battery; CIPA rated for approx. 430 shots/charge with EVF; 530 shots/charge with monitor; 145 minutes for movies
Dimensions (wxhxd): 128.9 x 96.9 x 69.7 mm
Weight: Approx.737 grams with battery and card
Distributor: Sony Australia; 1300 720 071
TESTS
Based on JPEG files taken with the FE 35mm f/1.4 GM (SEL35F14GM) lens.
Based on ARW.RAW files recorded simultaneously and processed with Adobe Camera Raw.
SAMPLES
The images and video frames below were taken with the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lens.
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting, Ambient Priority mode.
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting, White Priority mode.
Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.
Auto white balance with LED lighting, Ambient Priority mode.
Auto white balance with LED lighting, White Priority mode.
50mm focal length, 30-second exposure at ISO 50, f/2.8.
50mm focal length, 30-second exposure at ISO 100, f/3.5.
50mm focal length, 8-second exposure at ISO 800, f/5.
50mm focal length, 3.2-second exposure at ISO 6400, f/8.
50mm focal length, 1.6-second exposure at ISO 12800, f/11.
50mm focal length, 1.6-second exposure at ISO 25600, f/16.
50mm focal length, 1-second exposure at ISO 51200, f/16.
50mm focal length, 1/2-second exposure at ISO 102400, f/16.
35mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/400 second at f/9.
Crop from the above image magnified to 100%
35mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/100 second at f/6.3.
35mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/10 second at f/8.
35mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/11.
35mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/60 second at f/14.
35mm focal length, ISO 125, 1/160 second at f/8.
35mm focal length, ISO 1600, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
35mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/320 second at f/9.
44mm focal length, ISO 800, 1/125 second at f/6.3.
35mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/320 second at f/7.1.
Taken with the Tamron 70-300mm lens at 300mm, ½ second at f/6.3; ISO 12800. This image shows the accuracy of the Eye AF system in very low light levels.
The movie clips from which the frame grabs below were taken were recorded with the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 G-Master lens using Long GOP compression.
Still frame from XAVC HS 8K (7680 x 4320) movie at 25p.
Still frame from XAVC HS 4K (3840 x 2160) movie at 50p.
Still frame from XAVC HS 4K (3840 x 2160) movie at 100p.
Still frame from XAVC S 4K (3840 x 2160) movie at 50p.
Still frame from XAVC S 4K (3840 x 2160) movie at 25p.
Still frame from XAVC S FHD (1920 x 1080) movie at 100p
Still frame from XAVC S FHD (1920 x 1080) movie at 50p.
Still frame from XAVC S FHD (1920 x 1080) movie at 25p.
The clips from which the frame grabs below were taken were recorded with ALL-Intra compression.
Still frame from XAVC S-I 4K (3840 x 2160) movie at 50p.
Still frame from XAVC S-I HD (1920 x 1080i) movie at 50p.
Additional image samples can be found with our review of the FE 35mm f/1.4 GM (SEL35F14GM) lens.
Rating
RRP: AU$10,499 (body only); US$6,499
- Build: 9.2
- Features: 9.0
- Ease of use: 8.9
- Autofocusing: 9.0
- Still image quality JPEG: 8.8
- Still image quality RAW: 9.0
- Video quality: 9.0
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