"We’re still using a magnesium alloy body, but the way the parts are combined makes it more rigid. I’m sure you’d like to know about the sealing, and that’s totally different to the previous models. Compared to previous cameras, the a7S III and A1 have a totally new body structure. I can’t give you details, but we’re using very advanced [sealing] technology with the Alpha 7S III and the Alpha 1."
"We had to develop a new sensor, and we implemented our latest imaging processor as well as a totally new analog to digital conversion method. That’s how we achieved high resolution and high speed. I cannot give you any additional details, I’m sorry!"
"We’ve evolved our autofocus functions, but we still think there’s room to improve. We will continue to strengthen our current technologies, but also will also [continue to develop] object and scene recognition - that will be key."
interesting to see that they have an eye in the media, like watching DPReview content, hope the evasive stance around computational photography is a sign that some interesting stuff might come later.
and on the a1 being the start of a new phase in alpha cameras most of the newer stuff is great but I hope they can incorporate more of the fx3 utilitarian look into the a7 series
I’m still blown away by how well Sony kept the a1 under wraps. I know there were inklings of rumors swirling about, but I think I’m right in saying the world was taken by surprised on January 26.
Stoffer wrote:
Well, the price of these high res, high fps cameras just go up, up, up right? Nikon D850 -> Canon R5 -> Sony Alpha 1
Yes they do...but I think those three cameras each somewhat justify another notch on the price scale. R5 can look on paper to do a lot of what A1 does but people forget about the stacked sensor magic and still being able to push 50MP up to 30FPS.
Anyways, the A1 is actually going to put money in my pocket as I'm looking at selling A7RIV (already sold), A9II and R5. Plus Canon lens and probably finally sell my Nikon lenses. I'll have a good surplus for at least the next big thing Sony wasn't kidding when they said this A1 can do everything. Only issue is having a backup body but I seldom need/use one so will look at something less expensive later this year like a used A9 or new A7IV.
ShootPDX wrote:
I’m still blown away by how well Sony kept the a1 under wraps. I know there were inklings of rumors swirling about, but I think I’m right in saying the world was taken by surprised on January 26.
To be fair, there was a set of rumors published in September that was mostly right. You could say that half the things listed were predictable based on previous releases, but since they got the 50MP resolution spot on and correctly said it would be in the $6,000 range, it may have been a legitimate source:
arbitrage wrote:
Yes they do...but I think those three cameras each somewhat justify another notch on the price scale. R5 can look on paper to do a lot of what A1 does but people forget about the stacked sensor magic and still being able to push 50MP up to 30FPS.
Apparently it doesn't matter to most people, but the maximum shutter speed of the R5 is 1/8000. As someone who likes to use fast glass wide open outdoors this is a big selling point (to me) for the Alpha 1.
ShootPDX wrote:
I’m still blown away by how well Sony kept the a1 under wraps. I know there were inklings of rumors swirling about, but I think I’m right in saying the world was taken by surprised on January 26.
I hope they're keeping the RX1R iii under wraps as well and we'll hear about that one soon. Not holding my breath, though.
sector99 wrote:
For the serious pros who pay models, pay for travel shoots or get paid by Fortune 500 firms for unmatched content, the added differential quality between modern MF (Fuji GFX) and FF (Including the A1) MF is inherently better.
SONY/NIKON/CANON fanboys notwithstanding, there is in addition to a 100 MP sensor a ≈ 30% resolution gain due to the simple increase in focal length/entrance aperture for say, standard lenses at similar f/stops (50mm to 80mm). Example:
Sony Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA (λ[.00005] ÷ D[29.4mm] [@ f/1.7] = 1.7x10-6rad
Fuji GFX 80 f/1.7 (λ[.00005] ÷ D[47.1mm] [@ f/1.7] here bokeh is identical or better = 1.06x10-6rad
It's λ/D = Angular Resolution (rad) where "D" is the entrance aperture.
The above example resolution difference is 37% better (smaller) with standard lens and this advantage carries through to all commonly used lenses regardless of apochromatic corrections.
Of course, SONY makes money selling sensors, the real issue is why serious pros who have their own cash on the line and who seek to offer demanding clients unmatched quality, have reached and continue to reach for leading digital MF products. Their clients can see the difference.
This isn't just a sensor or megapixel capacity advantage – the MF resolution/noise advantage extends to all common lenses. SONY knows it's run up against this performance wall and thus ramped up their A1 hype.
Is the A1 a great camera? Certainly. The 8K video alone makes it desirable along with a crucial ergonomically class leading viewfinder. However, with stills as the final product, on expensive photo shoots with expensive models and demanding Fortune 500 clients, the MF tools continue to predominate.
BTW Fuji has other unmatched systemic secret weapons...but we'll save that one for later....Show more →
Still not sure what your point is. Yes, we know MF and other larger format sensors can product images that are "better" in many ways. This is not news or even a new debate. But there's more to a camera system than just the sensor size. People choose FF sensors for myriad reasons and there are already a lot of MF sensor options out there that they could choose if they wanted to.
I'm pretty sure photographers and clients understand the differences between FF and MF systems and choose accordingly. And I'm pretty sure you don't know what "Sony knows" about its market. As I said before, Sony could probably launch a MF body pretty fast if it wanted to since it already has the sensor tech and fabrication capabilities, not to mention the lens manufacturing capabilities. That it has chosen not to perhaps suggests it knows something about that market that you don't?!
Were you here in 2019 banging on about how the A7R4 was overhyped and MF was better? Or the Canon R5 last year? Or maybe the Canon 5DSr back in 2016? Clearly there's a market for high-resolution FF sensor cameras, and clearly there's always been a market for $6K+ high speed FF professional camera bodies -- markets you don't seem to (or want to) consider.
arbitrage wrote:
Yes they do...but I think those three cameras each somewhat justify another notch on the price scale. R5 can look on paper to do a lot of what A1 does but people forget about the stacked sensor magic and still being able to push 50MP up to 30FPS.
Anyways, the A1 is actually going to put money in my pocket as I'm looking at selling A7RIV (already sold), A9II and R5. Plus Canon lens and probably finally sell my Nikon lenses. I'll have a good surplus for at least the next big thing Sony wasn't kidding when they said this A1 can do everything. Only issue is having a backup body but I seldom need/use one so will look at something less expensive later this year like a used A9 or new A7IV....Show more →
"R5 can look on paper to do a lot of what A1 does but people forget about the stacked sensor magic and still being able to push 50MP up to 30FPS."
There are more than a few differences making the A1 much more appealing (and, unfortunately, more expensive).
arbitrage wrote:
Yes they do...but I think those three cameras each somewhat justify another notch on the price scale. R5 can look on paper to do a lot of what A1 does but people forget about the stacked sensor magic and still being able to push 50MP up to 30FPS.
Anyways, the A1 is actually going to put money in my pocket as I'm looking at selling A7RIV (already sold), A9II and R5. Plus Canon lens and probably finally sell my Nikon lenses. I'll have a good surplus for at least the next big thing Sony wasn't kidding when they said this A1 can do everything. Only issue is having a backup body but I seldom need/use one so will look at something less expensive later this year like a used A9 or new A7IV....Show more →
I may have Riv sold but my friend whose buying for his wedding photographer daughter can't decide if she needs my a9 or the Riv. I told him a package deal could be easily worked out. And the backup camera. Well over all the years I've carried one I've never needed it. My justification after realizing that the odds of abject body failure are so small was for another lens bodied up for what-if environmental shots. Nowadays I just have a small Rok in the pocket. The FE28-60 is already here sitting in a corner awaiting its new pocket role.
