Sony Alpha 1 camera with 50MP sensor achieves 30fps and costs 7300 euros

Sony has announced a new top model in its Alpha camera line. The Alpha 1 gets a new 50-megapixel full-frame sensor and a speed of 30 frames per second. The device can also film in 8k at 30fps.

Sony gives the Alpha 1 a new Exmor RS CMOS sensor. It is a stacked design, in which there is also dram on the sensor, so that the images can be read quickly. This makes it possible to read the full 50.1 megapixel resolution thirty times per second. At that speed, the electronic shutter must be used. The buffer holds 155 compressed raw files or 165 JPEGs. Two Bionz XR image processors take care of the processing of the images and the sensor has five-axis image stabilization.

The Sony A1 contains an electronic viewfinder that uses an OLED screen with a resolution of 9.44 million pixels. The viewfinder has a magnification of 0.9x and a refresh rate of up to 240Hz. According to Sony, there is no blackout when shooting through the viewfinder. The sensor is equipped with 759 autofocus points and these are spread over 92 percent of the sensor surface. The camera will include eye autofocus that now also works with birds. Other Sony cameras already have that, but it only works with people and larger animals.

The device has an 8k movie function, with a maximum frame rate of 30 fps. The entire sensor is used with this movie mode. According to Sony, the device then shoots videos in 8.6k format and that is recalculated to 8k for better image quality. Frame rates up to 120fps are possible in 4k resolution. The camera can also output video in 16-bit raw format via HDMI.

The camera has two memory slots, which support both UHS-II SDXC cards and CFexpress Type A memory cards. Furthermore, the camera has built-in support for WiFi, a gigabit Ethernet connection and a USB-C connection that achieves 10Gbit/s. Sony will release the Alpha 1 in March for a suggested retail price of 7300 euros.