Sony has announced the Alpha 1 mirrorless camera, a camera that combines all of Sony’s top technologies into one body, creating a 50 megapixel camera that can take pictures at up to 30 frames per second, without glare, as well as 8K video.
The Sony Alpha 1 is a combination / condensation of all Sony’s most advanced technologies in one body. It features a new 50.1-megapixel Exmor RS CMOS full-frame image sensor combined with an upgraded BIONZ XR image processing engine with eight times more processing power compared to the BIONZ X processor.
It can shoot up to 30 frames per second – the fastest recording speed ever – dark-free, while also combining with Sony’s autofocus technology that enables up to 120 autofocus calculations per second, which is twice the speed of the a9 II.
That 50.1-megapixel sensor is capable of stopping dynamic range of 15 and offers no expected ISO performance.
Even with the high pixel count of this sensor, the Alpha 1 offers high sensitivity with low noise, plus 15+ stops of dynamic range for video and 15 stops for photos, for smooth, natural gradations of shadows to highlights thanks to the latest processing system ‘throughout’ a wide ISO sensitivity range of 100-32,000 (expandable to 50-102,400 if you take photos).
The Alpha 1 also has a massive resolution OLED viewfinder: 0.44-type 9.44 million dots (approximately) OLED Quad-XGA electronic viewfinder with the world’s first refresh rate of 240 fps.
It also features a silent, vibration-free electronic shutter that features the world’s first antiflick recording with both mechanical and electronic shutters. In addition, the Alpha 1 electronic shutter flash synchronization can be up to 1/200 second and up to 1/400 second with the mechanical shutter (it extends up to 1/500 when recording in APS-C crop mode) thanks to the company calling it ‘double triple hatch’.
The Alpha 1 has 759 AF points with a coverage of 92% of the sensor, which exceeds the A9 range. IT also adds real-time eye-AF for bird photography, and the overall real-time detection has been improved for more reliable detection and can be terminated as f / 22.
Sony also mentions that the Alpha 1 is a “professional movie camera” because it can play 8K video at up to 30 frames per second, a first in the Alpha line. The 8K video is captured by 8.6K to 8K ear sampling (oversampling and condensation are a feature of Sony video features). In addition, it can shoot up to 4Kp120 in 10 bit 4: 2: 2: All-I compression. Higher quality 4K earplugs are also available in Super 35 mode.
The Alpha 1 also supports S-Cinetone, which is on the cinema line delivering cinema color, as well as 10-bit S-Log3 delivering 15+ dynamic range. Of course, the camera also supports HLG.
As expected, the a2 also supports 5-axis optical image stabilization in the body for 5.5 stabilization stops and a heat-removing structure for extended recording: 30 minutes in 4Kp60 or 8K. It can also output 16-bit raw video via HDMI.
The Alpha 1 has two media slots that support both 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. It also features a durable magnesium alloy chassis, long battery life with the Z battery that can be extended with the optional VG-C4EM vertical grip (sold separately), an improved dust removal function, shutter shut-off function to protect the image sensor, plus dust and moisture resistance that maximizes reliability in challenging environments. It features a durable, reliable HDMI Type-A connector and USB PD (Power Delivery) support, which allows higher power to be supplied from an external source, allowing users to record for long periods with minimal internal battery usage.
The Sony Alpha 1 will be available in March 2021 for $ 6,500.