Sony Alpha 1 camera: 8K 30FPS + 4K 120FPS video shooting for $6500

Sony has just announced its flagship Alpha 1 camera, which the company proudly says is "the most technologically advanced, innovative camera".

Sony's new Alpha 1 camera rocks a new 50.1-megapixel full-frame sensor, and can shoot 8K 30FPS and even 4K 120FPS videos all day long. If you want to shoot fast-moving objects like sports and action photographers, the 50.1-megapixel sensor lets Alpha 1 owners shoot "up to 155 full-frame compressed RAW images or 165 full-frame JPEG images at up to 30 frames per second with the electronic shutter while maintaining full AF and AE tracking performance".

The new Sony Alpha 1 camera features a high-resolution OLED electronic viewfinder with a refresh rate of 240Hz, pretty baller for a mirrorless camera. Sony claims this is a world first, and it is a big one. There's some next level Eye AF that focuses perfectly on people, pets and birds. The company says that it has "optimized algorithms ensure that tracking is maintained even if a sitting bird suddenly takes flight, or the framing suddenly changes".

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This is where Sony's new Alpha 1 camera sits, with "unprecedented resolution and speed" above the previous flagships from Sony.

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Sony is providing everything including the kitchen sink on its new Alpha 1 camera, with a full HDMI Type-A port, full SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps (USB 3.2) Type-C port with Power Delivery, micro USB, and a full GbE ethernet port (!!!). It's pretty jam packed in here with the Alpha 1 when it comes to connectivity.

Neal Manowitz, deputy president for Imaging Products and Solutions Americas at Sony Electronics explains: "We are always listening to our customers, challenging the industry to bring new innovation to the market that goes far beyond their expectations".

He continued: "Alpha 1 breaks through all existing boundaries, setting a new bar for what creators can accomplish with a single camera. What excites us the most - more than the extensive product feature - is Alpha 1's ability to capture that which has never been captured before. This camera unlocks a new world of creative possibilities, making the previously impossible now possible".

• New 50.1-megapixel (approx., effective) full-frame stacked Exmor RS™ CMOS image sensor in combination with an upgraded BIONZ XR™ imaging processing engine with eight times more processing power
• Blackout- free continuous shooting at up to 30 frames per second
• Fast sensor readout enables up to 120 AF/AE calculations per second, double the speed of the Alpha 9 II, even during 30fps continuous shooting
• Bright and large 0.64-type 9.44 million-dot (approx.) OLED Quad-XGA electronic viewfinder with the world's first refresh rate of 240 fps
• Silent, vibration-free electronic shutter
• World's first anti-flicker shooting with both mechanical and electronic shutter
• Electronic shutter flash sync up to 1/200 sec. for the first time in the Alpha™ series
• World's fastest mechanical shutter flash sync up to 1/400 sec.
• 8K 30p 10-bit 4:2:0 XAVC HS video recording with 8.6K oversampling for extraordinary detail and resolution, in addition to 4K 120p 10-bit 4:2:2 movie shooting capabilities
• Wide dynamic range of 15 stops for stills and 15+ stops for video
• Improved Real-time Eye AF (autofocus) for humans and animals, and new Real-time Eye AF for birds, as well as Real-time Tracking that automatically maintains accurate focus
• 5-axis optical in-body image stabilization for a 5.5-step shutter speed advantage
• S-Cinetone color matrix as seen in FX9 and FX6 to deliver expressive cinematic look
• Professional workflow support with the industry's fastest built-in Wi-Fi, SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps, 1000BASE-T Ethernet and more

Sony will be charging $6500 for its new Alpha 1 when it launches in March 2021.