Sony Alpha 1 Unveiled. 50MP, 30fps and 8K Video Powerhouse

The just announced Sony Alpha 1 mirrorless camera combines all of the latest and greatest technologies Sony has to offer, to create their most innovative and technologically advanced mirrorless camera to date.

The Alpha 1 features a 50-megapixel, full-frame Exmor RS CMOS sensor combined with an upgraded BIONZ XR image processor offering eight times more processing power than the regular BIONZ X processor.

It boasts a continuous shooting speed of up to 30 frames per second, blackout free, that when combined with the autofocus technology enables up to  120 autofocus calculations per second, doubling the speed of the Sony a9 II.

The sensor is also capable of 15-stops of dynamic range without sacrificing any ISO performance.

The Alpha 1 features 759 AF points covering 92% of the sensor and adds real-time eye-AF for bird photography and improves upon overall real-time tracking even when shooting at up to f/22.

Sony also says that the a1 also features a number of firsts.

The silent, vibration-free electronic shutter boasts the “world’s first” anti-flicker shooting with both electronic and mechanical shutter.

It’s also capable of electronic shutter flash sync up to 1/200 second (a first for Sony Alpha cameras)and up to 1/400 second with the mechanical shutter.

Interestingly, the mechanical shutter sync can be extended to 1/500 when shooting in APS-C crop mode using what Sony is calling its “dual driven shutter.”

It also features an OLED Quad-XGA electronic viewfinder boasting a massive 9.44 million-dot (approx) resolution and the world’s first refresh rate of 240fps.

The Alpha 1 also features 5-axis optical in-body image stabilization with Active Mode, offering an additional 5.5 stops of compensation even when shooting handheld.

Professional Quality Video

The Alpha 1 isn’t just a powerful stills camera, Sony is also branding it as a camera that can deliver professional quality, video (captured at 8.6K and oversampled down to 8K) at up to 30fps (another first for the Alpha line) with 15+ stops of dynamic range as well.

In addition to 8K 30p 10-bit 4:2:0 XAVC HS video recording, the Alpha 1 is capable of capturing 4K 120p/60p 10-bit 4:2:2 A11-I and Long GOP inter-frame compression video.

When shooting at 4K 120p the Alpha 1 can capture up to 5x slow-motion footage as well.

Furthering its professional level credibility, the Alpha 1 uses the same S-Cinetone colour matrix as found on  the larger (and substantially more expensive) PXW-FX9 and PXW-FX6 cameras allowing it to produce the “cinematic look” that everyone is looking for these days.

10-bit S-Log 3 (providing 15+ stops of dynamic range),  S-Gamut3 and HLG are also supported.

Other video features of note include:

• 16-bit RAW output to an external recorder via HDMI
• Digital audio interface in the Multi Interface (MI) Shoe for clearer audio recordings from a compatible Sony external microphone
• 5.8K oversampled full pixel readout without pixel binning for high-resolution 4K movies in Super 35mm mode

Lastly, the Alpha 1 features a unique heat-dissipating structure that allows the camera to keep it’s small form facture but still capture 8K/30p footage continuously for up to 30 at a time without over heating.

Key Features:

• New 50.1-megapixel (approx., effective) full-frame stacked Exmor RS™ CMOS image sensor in combination with an upgraded BIONZ XR™ imaging processing engine with eight times more processing power
• Blackout- free continuous shooting at up to 30 frames per second
• Fast sensor readout enables up to 120 AF/AE calculations per second, double the speed of the Alpha 9 II, even during 30fps continuous shooting
• Bright and large 0.64-type 9.44 million-dot (approx.) OLED Quad-XGA electronic viewfinder with the world’s first refresh rate of 240 fps
• Silent, vibration-free electronic shutter
• World’s first anti-flicker shooting with both mechanical and electronic shutter
• Electronic shutter flash sync up to 1/200 sec. for the first time in the Alpha™ series
• World’s fastest mechanical shutter flash sync up to 1/400 sec.
• 8K 30p 10-bit 4:2:0 XAVC HS video recording with 8.6K oversampling for extraordinary detail and resolution, in addition to 4K 120p 10-bit 4:2:2 movie shooting capabilities
• Wide dynamic range of 15 stops for stills and 15+ stops for video
• Improved Real-time Eye AF (autofocus) for humans and animals, and new Real-time Eye AF for birds, as well as Real-time Tracking that automatically maintains accurate focus
• 5-axis optical in-body image stabilization for a 5.5-step shutter speed advantage
• S-Cinetone colour matrix as seen in FX9 and FX6 to deliver expressive cinematic look
• Professional workflow support with the industry’s fastest built-in Wi-Fi, SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps, 1000BASE-T Ethernet and more

Sony Alpha A1 Mirrorless Body – Vistek Canada

The most technologically advanced, innovative camera that Sony has ever released, the Alpha 1 combines high-resolution and high-speed performance at a level never previously reached. A 50.1-megapixel full-frame stacked Exmor RS™ image sensor capable of up to 30 fps continuous shooting with up to 120 AF/AE calculations per second, 8k 30p 10-bit 4:2:0 video and much more, the Sony Alpha 1 will allow creators to capture what they’ve never been able to before.