Sony Alpha 7 V camera’s partially stacked sensor offers fast, silent shooting
Sony's new Alpha 7 V camera features a partially stacked sensor for fast, silent shooting. It's available today.
Sony has announced the Alpha 7 V camera, which is the first of its full-framed mirrorless cameras to include a partially stacked CMOS sensor. The fifth-generation model, which is available now in the UK, keeps its 33-megapixel sensor but the partially stacked design offers a big boost.
Just like the Nikon Z6 III camera you’ll be able to use the electronic shutter for much quieter shooting – making it ideal if you’re shooting wildlife, for instance. The sensor is 4.5x faster compared with the fourth-generation model. It also makes 30-frames-per-second bursts more achievable, while helping to reduce rolling shutter effect for full-frame video, which has previously led to image distortion for fast-moving subjects.
There’s also a pre-capture function that’s akin to Apple’s Live Photo mode. It’ll record up to one second before the shutter is pressed and “captures decisive moments even with subjects whose movements are difficult to predict, such as pets and sports.”
Speaking of video, you’ll be able to capture 4K footage at 120fps, while there’s also a 7K oversampled 4K mode at 60fps.
Sony is powering the camera with the BIONZ XR2 processing engine, which promises some AI-powered performance boosts for this generation, including a 30% improvement in real-time recognition for auto-focus. There are 759 phase detection points and 94% frame coverage which means you’ll get better subject tracking too.
The idea behind this generation is to improve matters greatly for those operating at this price point by integrating flagship features and speed more commonly associated with models like the A1 II.
The Alpha 7 V body can be bought from December 2 and it’ll cost £2,799/$2,899. The new FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II follows in February for £429.
Chris Smith
