With the 28-60mm kit lens, it’s US$2,099.99, and this combo will also be available late October.
There’s also a new compact swivel-head flash, the HVL-F28RM, which, when linked to a compatible camera like the alpha 7C, links into the face detection system to influence that camera’s choice of white balance, making sure skin tones are rendered in natural colors.īody-only, the Sony alpha 7C will set you back US$1,799.99, hitting the shelves in late October. Otherwise, the camera can take the full range of FE-mount lenses, of which there are now many, but high quality full-frame glass can certainly get very big and heavy. At just 167 grams (5.9 oz) and extending just 45 mm (1.8 inches) from the camera body, this is the one to grab if you want a super-portable kit. Sony has backed it up with a new super-compact zoom lens in the FE 28-60mm F4-F5.6, which offers a decent standard zoom range but is clearly mainly focused on being the world’s smallest and lightest full frame standard zoom. It’s got Wi-Fi connectivity for wireless image transfer and quick sharing, as well as remote shooting, either in the studio, or for example when mounted to a drone, where the alpha 7C becomes the absolute lightest way to get a proper 35mm sensor airborne for aerial photo and video shooting.
In terms of slow motion, it’ll do 1080p at up to 120 fps, and if you’re the type to get stuck into color grading, it’ll shoot in S-Log, HDR and S-Gamut profiles. We suspect if it could do 60 fps like the Panasonic, that would’ve been a key part of the announcement. We don’t yet know what frame rate it can handle at full 4K resolution, just that it can definitely handle 24 fps.
In terms of video, it’s probably best described as a basic but beautiful 4K shooter. There’s real-time eye-autofocus for people and animals. The AF system is a beast 693 phase-detect autofocus points and 425 contrast detection points distributed all over the sensor, all working fast enough to shoot 10 fps bursts with autofocus and auto-exposure adjusting between every frame. In-body stabilization offers some 5 stops worth of compensation for a wobbly hand, and a new high-capacity battery lets you bang away for up to 740 images on a charge using the LCD monitor, or 680 if you use the electronic viewfinder. Sony’s sensors are top-shelf, and this one offers a huge 15 stops of dynamic range, grabbing lots of detail in shadows and highlights that can be brought out in post-processing. Inside that tiny, nicely retro case lies a 24.2-megapixel full-frame, back-illuminated Exmor sensor. That’s nearly 30 percent lighter than the above S5, for reference, so it’s a pretty incredible feat. Which is a bit of a mouthful, but the new alpha 7C looks like a pretty amazing bit of kit.ĭimensionally, you’re looking at 124.0 mm x 71.1 mm x 59.7 mm (4.9 inches x 2.8 inches x 2.2 inches) and a weight of just 509 g (18 oz) with a battery and memory card inside.
Now, Sony has announced a full-frame mirrorless rig that’s somehow even tinier, claiming the status of the world’s smallest and lightest full-frame camera with interchangeable lenses and in-body optical image stabilization. Earlier this month, Panasonic revealed its S5, a full-frame video/stills beast in a body that’s somehow slightly smaller and lighter than its own GH5, which uses a tiny micro 4/3rds sensor.
But it seems 2020 will be the year that full-frame camera body size ceases to be an issue. The drawbacks tend to be that they’re more expensive, they use big, heavy and pricey lenses, and they tend to be a fair whack heavier and bulkier than cameras with smaller sensors.
The benefits of full-frame mirrorless cameras are well known chiefly, a big sensor tends to offer much better low-light performance than a small one, plus they allow you to use super-thin depth of field to define your subject and blur out the background.