Sony has been dominating the mirrorless market for some time and has arguably had the most impressive cameras in that sector. The launch of their new flagship mirrorless body has raised some eyebrows for a number of reasons, not least because of the sensor.
Sony cameras have been synonymous with mirrorless for years and went largely unrivalled for most of it, with other brands sticking with their DSLR lines. Finally, in 2020, we saw some competition from competing brands — brands that have dominated the industry for decades — and most notably, Canon. Canon’s announcement and launch of the R5 and R6 mirrorless bodies were met with simultaneous applause and sighs of relief from many of us. I primarily shoot with Canon and Sony bodies, and I wasn’t alone in wondering when they would start taking the mirrorless market seriously. Now that they have, the next question was how Sony would react. The R5 has an eye-watering spec, and if Sony wants control of the high-end mirrorless shooters, they’ll need to match or beat it.
Well, last week, we saw the announcement from Sony of their new flagship body, the a1. With regards to spec, it’s right up there with the R5, offering many of the same impressive features that had people frothing with delight at Canon’s best mirrorless. The question this video asks, however, is whether or not the Sony a1 boasts the best sensor Sony has ever produced. Well, we’re limited in real-world examples thanks to the embargo, meaning side-by-side comparisons are not yet possible. Early reports from reviewers have been incredibly favorable and complimentary of the performance and image quality, but the Sony a7R IV still offers the highest resolution (61 megapixels), but that’s far from the whole story.
What are your predictions? Will the a1 pip its siblings to the title of best Sony sensor?