is a reviewer covering laptops and the occasional gadget. He spent over 15 years in the photography industry before joining The Verge as a deals writer in 2021.
Sony is announcing the A7 V, its first camera with a partially stacked sensor and various features borrowed from pricier Alpha models. It will be available body-only in late December for $2,899, and a kit including a new 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II lens is coming in February.
The A7 V is one of Sony’s most versatile all-purpose full-frame cameras, for enthusiasts and pros not looking to spend nearly $7,000 on an A1 II. The new A7 retains a 33-megapixel sensor like the A7 IV before it, but with a partially stacked design like Nikon’s Z6 III. Thanks to this tech, the A7 V can be used full time with its electronic shutter for totally silent shooting and blackout-free 30fps continuous bursts. While the Nikon Z6 III, as great as it is, had some controversies over its partially stacked sensor’s reduced dynamic range, Sony claims the A7 V’s sensor has 16 stops of latitude.
The new sensor design is the biggest change here.
Other features of the A7 V include a new Bionz XR2 processor with a dedicated AI chip for tracking autofocus and subject detection (like the A7R V), a new tilt screen (also first introduced on the A7R V), improved five-axis image stabilization (rated up to 7.5 stops), up to one second of pre-capture in continuous burst shooting, and a speed boost button that allows on-the-fly faster shooting (borrowed from the A9 III). The A7 V’s OLED electronic viewfinder is the same 3.68-million dot resolution as its predecessor, but it now supports a faster 120fps, and the live view feed switches more quickly from the LCD when you put your eye to it. Sony also managed to squeeze a bit more life out of the new model using the same NP-FZ100 battery — rated for an estimated 630 shots using the EVF or 750 with the LCD (an increase of 110 and 170 over last gen).
The A7 V is designed as a hybrid for both stills and video, and its video chops have a significant improvement over the A7 IV. The new model records in oversampled 7K resolution to yield 4K 60p full-frame video, fixing one of the A7 IV’s biggest issues and oversights. The last-gen model relied on a 1.5x crop for its 4K 60p footage, whereas the A7 V now crops only to hit a high-speed 4K 120p for slow-motion work.
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