Sony A1 Review (by PhotographyBlog)
PhotographyBlog published their full review of the new Sony a1 camera. They said the new Sony Alpha 1 really is the best all-round, do-it-all camera on the market, whether you’re a sports-shooter, wildlife-lover, landscape photographer or videographer.
Sony a1 Key Features:
- 50MP Full-Frame Exmor RS BSI CMOS Sensor
- Up to 30 fps Shooting, ISO 50-102400
- 8K 30p and 4K 120p Video in 10-Bit
- 4.3K 16-Bit Raw Video Output, S-Cinetone
- 9.44m-Dot EVF with 240 fps Refresh Rate
- 759-Pt. Fast Hybrid AF, Real-time Eye AF
- 5-Axis SteadyShot Image Stabilization
- Dual Drive Mech. Shutter, 1/400 Sec Sync
- 5 GHz MIMO Wi-Fi, 1000BASE-T Ethernet
- Dual CFexpress Type A/SD Card Slots
From Photography Blog:
The new Sony Alpha 1 really is the best all-round, do-it-all camera on the market, whether you’re a sports-shooter, wildlife-lover, landscape photographer or videographer.
The ability to shoot outstanding 50 megapixel stills at up to 30fps with unerring AF tracking of any subject, along with 8K video recording that doesn’t suffer from overheating, and a class-leading viewfinder and the most refined handling of any Alpha camera that we’ve ever tested, all add up to make the Alpha 1 the one camera that we’d love to own above all others.
All of that does comes at the rather eye-watering literal cost of £6500 / $6500 / €7300, which is even more than buying, say, an A9 and A7R IV, or an A7S III and A9 (but not all three together!). If you’re only into one of the disciplines that the A1 so superbly covers, it’s definitely more financially prudent to choose one of the cheaper A9, A7R IV or A7S III models, with the caveat that bird photographers will definitely benefit from the A1’s excellent Bird-eye-detect AF mode.
If you’re more of a multi-discipline shooter, though, the Alpha 1 starts to make a lot more sense in terms of cost – you really can now buy one camera that offers best-in-class features and performance for a variety of photographic and video subjects, whether that be high-resolution landscapes and studio portraiture, fast-moving sports and wildlife, or 8K, 4K/120p and 1080/240p video. You could always pair the A1 with one of those “cheaper” A9/A7R/A7S models if you absolutely need a backup body!
In terms of the Alpha 1’s main rivals, the EOS R5 is still a very strong contender as it offers excellent performance and features at a much cheaper price, although it doesn’t match the A1 in 8K video performance, resolution, burst shooting or the latter’s the class-leading LCD viewfinder. The R5 does also offer a great AF system, though, plus better handling, a more effective IBIS system and a more versatile LCD screen, whilst costing a whopping £2400 / $2,600 less than the Alpha 1.
Overall, though, if money is no object and you’re doubly sure that you’d benefit from most, if not all, of the cutting-edge technology and performance that it offers, then the new Sony Alpha 1 is definitely the dream camera that you’ve been waiting for.
Sony a1 body: $6,498 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, FocusCamera.
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