Sony Announces $6,500 USD Alpha 1 As Its Newest Flagship Camera

Sony has revealed its most advanced mirrorless camera to date. The Alpha 1 is capable of continuous photo shooting at 30 photos per second and features a new 50.1-megapixel full-frame sensor, and is also able to record 8K video at 30 fps.

With such monstrous specs, it is no wonder Sony has decided to make the Alpha 1 its flagship camera. Though an obvious powerhouse, the camera’s $6,500 USD price point is on the expensive end of the most premium mirrorless cameras, including ones from competitors Nikon and Canon. Acknowledging its high price, Sony promises customers and photography enthusiasts that those who buy the Alpha 1 are sure to be rewarded with “the most technologically advanced, innovative camera” of its lineup.

Sony has stated that the Alpha 1 is especially useful for sports and action photographers, allowing them to 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 AF and AE tracking performance.” Perhaps still the top-performing autofocus system in the camera world, Sony’s Alpha 1 apparently speeds up Eye AF even better when it focuses on pets and humans. The Eye AF is so refined that it also works on birds since Sony says that “optimized algorithms ensure that tracking is maintained even if a sitting bird suddenly takes flight, or the framing suddenly changes.”

Additionally, Sony claims that users will be able to experience the world’s first high-res OLED electronic viewfinder that hosts a refresh rate of 240Hz. Other features include the five-axis, in-body image stabilization, and a standard ISO range between 100-32,000 with the ability to expand to 50-102,400 ISO range for stills. The Alpha 1 has also upgraded its flash sync speeds to 1/400 sec with the mechanical shutter. Due to the high-speed sensor readout, Sony says that users can fully unlock the 30 fps continuous shooting without any blackout.

The Alpha 1 goes on sale in March for the price of $6,500 USD. More information about the beast is available on Sony.

In case you missed it, Apple launches its “Black Unit Collection” limited edition Apple Watch.