Sony Alpha 1
It’s one of the truisms of the modern world that technology advances at an extraordinary pace. In the world of cameras, recently this development has largely been driven by Sony, at least in terms of image sensors and electronics. When the firm first set its sights on competing with the established duopoly of Canon and Nikon, it determined that any path to success must be through innovation. Nobody could accuse it of not sticking to its guns.
Sony’s latest flagship model, the Alpha 1, boasts the kind of spec sheet that photographers could only dream of before. Previously we’ve had to choose between resolution and speed, but it delivers both in spades. In terms of pixel count, its 50.1MP full-frame sensor is surpassed in a similar price bracket only by the firm’s own 61MP Alpha 7R IV and Fujifilm’s 102MP medium-format GFX100S. Yet this is combined with the ability to shoot at a startling 30 frames per second while adjusting focus and exposure between frames. Oh, and it records 8K video, too.
To put this into context, we need to look at the alternatives. The only camera that really comes close is the Canon EOS R5, which blew us away last year with its ability to shoot 45MP images at 20fps with continuous AF, along with being capable of 8K video. The aforementioned A7R IV delivers 61MP at 10fps, while Sony’s previous speed king, the Alpha 9 II, achieves 20fps at 24MP. Unsurprisingly, the Alpha 1 is considerably more expensive than any of these, but it comes with a lot of other goodies too. The question is, does it
