When the world marvel over Canon’s new EOS R5, partly because of its 8K video recording capabilities, everyone expected Sony to do the same with their high-end video hero, the Sony Alpha (α) 7S III. They stuck to their ways and went with a better 4K video recording capability though. They introduced a few changes and improvements to make the production favourite even better. The third generation of the low-light champion has better dynamic range, and even better colour science. In that sense, if you are looking for a great camera that can do great looking videos without breaking your production budget, the α7S III should be right on top of your list.
Of course, while any big rumours of 8K video capabilities have been snuffed out by Sony launching the α7S III, Sony was not done yet. Not to be outdone by their countrymen, they launched their α1 last night (11.00 p.m. Malaysia time +0800 GMT). The headline figures are impressive.
50.1-Megapixel, 8K @30p, 4K @120p
The headline figures read 50.1-Megapixel full-frame sensor. It is still mirrorless, so it is fitted into a body as big as the current α7 body. It is the same size as the Sony α9 II as well.
That 50.1-Megapixel full-frame stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor is backed by a brand new improved BIONZ XR image processor with eight folds of processing power over the previous image processor you find on the α9 II. That image processor allows up to 120 autofocus calculations every second at 30fps blackout free continuous shoot. That is twice as fast as the α9 II. 30fps is also as fast as a regular film that you watch in the cinema, by the way.
That powerful sensor also enables the Sony α1 to shoot videos at 8K resolution at 30fps with 10-bit 4:2:0 XAVC HS video format for as long as 30-minutes. That 8K footage is oversampled internally at 8.6K for even more detail on your 8K footage; it is Sony after all. You might not use 8K that often, but you will appreciate its 10-bit 4:2:2 4K videos at 120fps capabilities; slow motion has never looked better. Of course, you get access to Sony’s very famous S-Log profiles up to S-Log3. At the same time Sony is adding S-Cinetone colour matrix profile to the camera for even more creative flexibility for filmmakers.
It is not like it will underperform under low-light conditions too. The α1 features 15 stops on dynamic range for stills and even more for videos. You can see better too, through the lenses with the new Electronic ViewFinder that projects 9.44 million dots at 240fps.
Eye AF (Autofocus) has been improved too, now it works nicely with 4K videos and is even faster alongside its general AF capabilities. You can even track birds with the new Eye AF algorithm. The new AF system also covers about 92% of the frame at 759 phase detection points so you have more room to place your subjects.
Even Faster, More Stable, All Around Better
The α1 is also now the world’s fastest camera with 1/400 seconds flash sync speed with its mechanical shutter. Because it is Sony, they over engineered the mechanical shutter, obviously. It is a carbon fibre unit with two drive units to make it super-fast. At the same time though, more shutter speed also means that you get more creative room in the studio.
The α1 also features a new sort of stabilisation mechanism for both a better image quality and even more stable videos. Keep in mind that Sony’s lenses do not have built-in stability mechanism and stabilisation is solely done within the camera body. While that may not look as impressive as Canon’s EOS R5 or R6 in their plain form, put Sony’s footage into Sony’s Catalyst Browse and Prepare applications and watch the magic unfold.
The α1 is not just better in all that areas though. In some very magical way, the α1 has minimised its rolling shutter problem with a new electronic shutter function. We see this implemented in the α7S III as well, but apparently the one on the α1 is even better. We will not know until we see its implementation right next to α7S III.
Connectivity Options
Sony also launched the Sony Xperia PRO alongside the α1 camera. Get this though, the Sony Xperia PRO with 5G connectivity and 4K display can be used as α1’s 4K HDMI output monitor so that you do not have to rely on the tiny display on the Sony α. With the Sony Xperia PRO you are also adding some 5G capabilities to the Sony α1.
Of course, like the Sony α7S III the new Sony α1 is powered by their proprietary Z-series battery with support for a vertical grip. The two media slots can support up to UHS-II SDXC/SDHC cards or Sony’s new SFexpress Type A cards for even faster read/write speeds. We do recommend these if you want to shoot 8K videos or 4K videos at 120fps though. Get this too, the Sony α1 packs a SuperSpeed 10Gbps USB port and an ethernet port for professional convenience and workflows. That is on top of its built-in WiFi antenna. All of that in a body no bigger than a compact APS-C DSLR, imagine that.
Price and Availabilty
While you are now salivating all over the floor with the thought of getting your hands on one, hold your horses. The Sony α1 will be available in North American region in March 2021 onward at approximately US$ 6,500 (MYR 26,286*) for the body only. There are no official figures or launch dates for Malaysia just yet. For more information on the Sony α1, head over to their website.
**UPDATE: Sony Electronics Malaysia has confirmed that the Sony Alpha 1 (α1) will be available in Malaysia April 2021 onward. No confirmed pricing just yet.
*Approximate conversion based on US$ 1 = MYR 4.044 on Xe Currency Converter as of 27th January 2021