Sony’s а7 V brings 33MP partially-stacked sensor, AF and video improvements | Infinium-tech

After more than a year of rumors and high expectations from fans, Sony finally announced the а7 V, the latest in its workhorse lineup of full-frame mirrorless cameras.

Highlight upgrades include a new partially stacked CMOS sensor with the same 33MP resolution as the a7 IV. According to the company’s tests, the new sensor supports twice the readout speed of the older sensor, unlocking a number of improvements while maintaining a higher level of detail than the A7 V’s competitors.

Paired with the new BIONZ XR2 image processor with integrated AI processing chip, the а7 V delivers 30fps blackout-free shooting with electronic shutter – that’s three times the a7 IV’s 10fps. The mechanical shutter speed is unchanged at 10fps.

The new AI-powered autofocus expands the a7 IV’s human, animal, and bird subject detection to include airplanes, cars, trains, insects, as well as human pose estimation, facial memory, and eye, head, and body tracking for animals.

The new AF system counts 60 times per second and pre-captures up to 1 second with AF/AE tracking – this means the camera will capture 30fps full-size stills up to one second before pressing the shutter.

sony a7v

What’s new with the A7 V body is a 3.2-inch 2.1m dot LCD with 4-axis articulation, meaning it can rotate up to 90 degrees or about 45 degrees and still fully articulate like before. There is now a second, faster USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps) USB-C port to go along with the existing USB 2.0 (480Mbps) USB-C port. This enables dual-port workflow for simultaneous streaming and charging, or file transfer and charging.

In terms of video, the a7 V supports up to 4k@60fps with full pixel readout (no binning) with up to 7k oversampling. The camera also brings 4k up to 120fps with a 1.5x (APS-C) crop – a first for the base α7 line.

While the a7 V doesn’t have a built-in fan like competitors like Panasonic’s Lumix S5 II, Sony has improved thermal performance compared to the a7 IV. It claims you can record up to 90 minutes at 4k@60fps XAVC S 150mb 4:2:0 8-bit at 25°C. Even at 40°C, the α7 V will run in about 60 minutes, which is just over 10 minutes on the α7 IV.

Finally, the a7 V uses Sony’s NP-FZ100 battery, but gets about 20% to 30% more stamina thanks to the upgraded processor.

The Sony a7 V is now on pre-order for $2,899/€2,999 and will go on sale on December 19th.