Sony Launches A1, a 50MP, 30FPS Flagship

Sony announced a 30 frames per second, 50 megapixel monster called the A1. It autofocuses 120 times per second and shoots without blackout. All of this is made possible with a major new processor upgrade, multiplying processing speed. It uses the E-mount system. It does not have a curved sensor, but rather a stacked CMOS sensor that is very much flat.

It will cost about $6500 and start shipping in March.

Video shooters now have 8k, downsampled from 8.6k. 4k shooting can be done with 5.6k downsampling and at framerates up to 120/second. It includes 10-bit S-Log3. It can shoot for 30 minutes in 8K or 4k 60p, which appears to be a heat limit more than a regulatory limit.

Sony finally upgraded the viewfinder to its best available, a 9.4 million dot model with a 240 frames per second refresh rate.

It claims a 5.5 stop IBIS system. Sony, originally an innovator in IBIS, has fallen behind of late in stabilization.

Sony finally released a lossless compressed RAW format. Specifics of how compressed that is are yet to be released.

Flicker control is now available in electronic shutter. Rolling shutter is also significantly curtailed relative to the A9 Mark II. The camera also allows flash photography in electronic shutter – a frustration for many pros using the A9 series in the past.

For wildlife photographers, it finally caught up to Canon with eye autofocus with birds. It also adjusted algorithms to anticipate fast takeoffs and other behaviors that might otherwise thwart autofocus.