Sony Alpha 1 | My initial thoughts on the Sony A1

Uncategorized Jan 26, 2021

Sony A1 | My initial thoughts

The Sony A1 was just announced, and the concept behind the camera is that it combines all of the features of Sony’s Camera lines into a single camera. High resolution, blazing fast continuous shooting, upgraded AF, and incredible video features. 

The new feature that we haven’t seen yet is the Dual Drive Mechanical Shutter, as well as Flash Synchronization enabled electronic shutter. The DDMS allows up to 1/500th of a second flash sync in APS-C Mode (as well as 1/400th of a second in 35mm mode). The camera pushes some more boundaries by upgrading virtually everything incrementally about their cameras, such as the viewfinder, AF performance, and connectivity (10gbps USB C)

What intrigued me the most about this camera is it’s compatibility with Sony smart phones, the Xperia line can now be used to broadcast live over 5g. This could be something that would be incredibly useful as an educator….think about it….we could essentially have you all follow along live on a wedding day with solid audio thanks to the built in connectible hotshoe that Sony uses. While this is an expensive setup to pull off, it would be worth it for full-time content creators. 

Overall if you are a Sony shooter, this is the camera you have been waiting for….it’s expensive, sure, but it’s the only camera you will need. This right now is a direct competitor to the Canon R5, however it’s aimed to compete with a future Canon R1 (if we see one which I am betting we will)

If I were a Sony shooter today, I would have my pre-order in if budget allowed for it, because I used to use the A9, A7R, and A7S series all for different purposes, but this would allow me to consolidate all of those cameras into 2 main bodies. 

What are your thoughts? Let me know below….

Key Features

  • 50.1MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS Sensor
  • BIONZ XR Image Processor
  • Up to 30 fps Shooting, ISO 50-102400
  • 8K 30p and 4K 120p Video in 10-Bit
  • 9.44m-Dot EVF with 240 fps Refresh Rate
  • 759-Point Fast Hybrid AF
  • 5-Axis SteadyShot Image Stabilization
  • Dual Drive Mech. Shutter, 1/400 Sec Sync
  • 5 GHz Wi-Fi, 1000BASE-T Ethernet
  • Dual CFexpress Type A/SD Card Slots
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