Sony Alpha A7V: the future 24×36 entry-level champion?

The Alpha A7IV finally has its successor! Four years after its launch, the entry-level Alpha 7 box has dubbed its runner-up, logically named Alpha A7V. Fifth iteration since the launch of the Alpha line in 2012, the A7V is a highly anticipated case, as this line of cases weighs so heavily in the market.

Unlike a Nikon Z5 II which plays the moderate price card thanks to technological trickle-down, the new A7V is an “entry-level” Sony-style body: a price of €2,999 justified by new components and the acceleration of the race for performance.

New sensor, new processor

Definition-wise, nothing changes for this body which represents Sony’s entry-level range: like its ancestor, the A7V retains a 24×36 mm sensor with a definition of 33 Mpix. However, its electronic partition changes both from the point of view of the sensor and the image processor.

Like Nikon and its Z6 III, Sony integrates a semi-stacked sensor – which is less expensive than a classic stacked sensor. This technology, which consists of adding RAM to the sensor (directly on the back for stacked ones, on the side of the photosensitive part for semi-stacked ones), makes it possible to accelerate the reading speed. This allows the burst to go from 10 fps on the A7IV to no less than 30 frames per second!

A tripling of performance which benefits from the arrival in this range of the AI ​​coprocessor, absent from the A7IV. And which therefore allows you to shoot at 30 fps with active AI AF tracking (AF sampling at 60 Hz, compared to 120 Hz in the A9 III and A1II). Better yet: this super AF can be activated on demand through a new feature called AF Boost. This avoids finding yourself stuck at 30 fps permanently.

Another imaging improvement, a dynamic range which goes from 15 stops (or stops in the jargon) to no less than 16 stops. A value which carries with it the promise of a notable improvement in the recovery of details in under or overexposed areas. Note, however, that this value is when using the mechanical shutter.

Sony is also taking advantage of this box to introduce a brand new image processor, the Bionz XR2. A processor which has the particularity of directly integrating within it the AI ​​coprocessor that the A9 III and other A7R V integrate alongside the first generation Bionz XR. Questioned by Les Numériques, Sony refused to comment on the technical details of this chip (fineness of engraving, number of cores, theoretical raw power of the ISP, etc.). But a company representative told us that “improvements in AI AF, white balance, color reproduction and battery endurance are made possible by this new chip which directly integrates our AI co-processor.”

With increased battery endurance and six-fold increase in filming time at high temperature (read further), we can therefore deduce that the first strength of this new product is its fine engraving. Finesse which allows, at probably approximately equivalent size, to integrate the IA circuits (NPU or DSP) of the coprocessor while reducing heating and energy consumption. Logic: after all, digital cameras are computers like any other!

AI at the service of white balance (and not only)

Renowned for its very accurate, but very clinical, color science, Sony is taking advantage of the Bionz XR2 to take a step into “popular” colors. The extra power of its new chip allows it to run improved algorithms, particularly in terms of white balance.

The Sony teams told us that “engineers carried out deep learning work based on thousands of images to generate a new white balance engine. » On the slides of the presentation, we perceive between the lines a form of alignment of the search for warmer tones which also affects smartphones as we told you about here.

The “AI” part of the A7V can also be transferred to your computer, PC or Mac, using the free Imaging Edge Desktop application. The A7V offers, in addition to Composite RAW Shooting (16 images are shot on a tripod to generate a RAW with improved colors and reduced noise), a new mode called Extended RAW Processing. An image upscaling function based on – you guessed it – AI algorithms.

4K60p without crop

In the video field too, the A7V offers great progress. Starting with the improvement to full-frame 4K mode. Limited to 4K30p without cropping, the A7IV’s 4K60p mode required a Super35 crop (APS-C equivalent). The A7V now has 4K60p mode without crop and pushes up to 4K120p… Again with Super35 crop.

What’s even better about 4K60p mode is that the output 4K file comes from 7K oversampling, which promises excellent image definition on paper. Sony declined to comment on the presence (or absence) of dual ISO circuitry, inviting us “to make our own observations.” With a more powerful processor, we hope for improved processing, particularly digital noise.

Among the other improvements, we should note the presence of an S-Cinetone mode (contrast rendering of the log, certainly less flexible, but practical for quick editing), the import of LUTs into the box, as well as the addition of the Auto-Framing automatic tracking and cropping function.

The A7V, however, skips open gate video – full sensor recording. And this is probably for a marketing reason: 33 Mpix corresponds, more or less, to 8K. A video definition that the processor is undoubtedly capable of supporting. But apart from the fact that the heat dissipation design was probably not sized for this, at Sony, the video segmentation is much more drastic than at certain brands.

No transition to black and stabilization 7.5 stops

To best serve the 30 fps burst in electronic shutter, Sony has improved its electronic viewfinder. If the OLED panel still has the same definition of 3.69 Mpix, it no longer requires a switch to black. This “no blackout” function that Sony inaugurated with its first Alpha A1 completely transforms the burst experience: no more interruptions, we see a continuous video stream where the capture of each image is signified by the rapid appearance of a white frame in the image.

To further add to the promises of successful fast shots, Sony has also (very much) advanced its sensor stabilization mechanism. From 5.5 speeds we went to 7.5 speeds in the center and 6.5 speeds at the edge of the frame (the new CIPA standard requires a differentiation of values, editor’s note).

And for those who are even more demanding on the acquisition of THE good image, note the addition of the pre-capture function. A mechanism that allows you to set a pre-recording duration for the burst when the shutter button is pressed halfway. A function that Sony wanted to be highly configurable, since the recording range oscillates between 0.03s and 1 second.

Better screen, dual USB C and Wi-Fi 6

The screen integrated into this A7V also takes a nice leap forward. It doubles the definition of its ancestor by going to 2.1 Mpix and is now oriented on 4 axes – and “yes”, it is designed to never obstruct the sockets.

Speaking of sockets, if we still find an HDMI A (full format), it is no longer one, but two USB C sockets which are available. Two sockets which, however, meet very different standards. The first is the USB-C Gen 3.2 standard, which means that its high speed (up to 10 Gbit/s) is suitable for connected shooting, live streaming or even file transfer to offload the memory card to the computer. The second socket is USB 2.0 standard and therefore much slower; we will keep it in particular for powering the box or low-speed communications.

The latest progress is that this A7V integrates a Wi-Fi 6E chip for the first time at Sony. Yes, here is finally a box compatible with the IEEE 802.11ax standard called Wi-Fi 6. Better yet, it is the Wi-Fi 6 E standard, therefore compatible with the 6 GHz band, and the animal is equipped not with one, but with two antennas (2×2 MIMO, like the Alpha A1 II). This accounting promises Wi-Fi not only with better range and speed, but also with greater signal stability. Which is not useless: apart from the fact that comfort should be better with the mobile application, it should be noted that this box is the first to offer PC streaming in 4K30p UAC/UVC.

There is one important point to note when it comes to endurances – yes, with an s. Reducing the engraving fineness of the Bionz XR2 chip has two virtues. The first concerns the number of shots, which go from 520/580 (viewfinder/screen) on the A7IV to 630/750 on the A7V, respective increases of 21% and 29% for the same battery size (this is the same NP-FZ100).

The second increase in endurance is video recording time at high temperatures. In 4K60p and at 25°C, the A7IV and A7V are equal with a guaranteed continuous recording time of 90 min. But at 40°C, while the A7IV goes into overheating position after 10 minutes, the A7V promises one hour (60 minutes) of recording. In hot environments, the A7V will therefore be much more reliable than its ancestor for all video work.

The Sony Alpha A7V is available today at €2,999 bare box.

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