Sony a1 initial review

The Sony a1 is the company’s flagship interchangeable lens camera, with a 50MP sensor that can capture bursts of images at 30 frames per second and records 8K video. That sensor also helps power the a1’s capable autofocus system, which comes with updated machine learning derived algorithms for detecting human faces and eyes, as well as the eyes of many types of animals and birds.

Sony is billing the Alpha 1 as, well, the one camera that can do just about anything you’d need it to do, whether you’re shooting fast action, landscapes, or high-end video. It’s also in a reasonably sized body, so wouldn’t be out of place for use in reportage or travel photography, and its Ethernet and high-speed USB-C ports speak to its ambitions as a pro-sports machine.

Key specifications:

• 50MP ‘stacked’ full-frame CMOS sensor
• 30 fps burst shooting with electronic shutter (lossy compressed Raw/JPEG only)
• 8K/30p video recording with Log and 4K Raw video out over HDMI
• 1/400 sec flash sync with mechanical shutter (1/200 sec with electronic shutter)
• 9.44M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with 0.9x magnification
• 3.0″ tilting touchscreen with 1.44M-dot resolution
• Full-size HDMI port, headphone / mic ports, USB-C port with 10 Gb/s transfer speeds, ethernet port
• Dual UHS-II / CFexpress Type A card slots
• CIPA rated to 530 shots with rear LCD (430 through the viewfinder)
• Weather-sealed body
• 737g (1.62 lb)

Not just a speed demon: The Sony a1’s 50MP sensor provides plenty of detail for studio shooting, too. Click or tap through for the full image (beware: it’s 43 Megabytes). Out-of-camera JPEG. ISO 200 | 1/160 sec | F11 | Sigma 105mm F2.8 Macro Art

From the flash sync speeds to the huge and high-res electronic viewfinder, it really looks like Sony’s thrown just about everything possible into the a1, and the result is a hugely impressive camera for all types of uses. And of course, given the high price of entry, it should be. So let’s get started, first with a look at all the new tech that the a1’s got inside it.

The Sony a1 will be available in March 2021 for a suggested price of around $6500 / €7,300 / £6,500.