If you think that Sony’s two full-frame interchangeable lens
cameras are insanely expensive, then be prepared to be shocked even more as the
Japanese manufacturer recently announced the A7S, at the annual NAB show
(National Association of Broadcasters) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The A7S will be in direct competition with Panasonic’s GH4
in the sense that it is also capable of outputting 4K content, though you need
to have an external media to record 4K.
According to Sony, the S in the camera’s name stands for
sensitivity, which is also one of the highlights of the A7S. The camera has a
jaw-dropping ISO range of up to 409,600 compared to the A7 and A7R’s ISO 25600.
However, the bumped ISO means Sony had to decrease the resolution of the
sensor. The A7S’s resolution is now at 12.2MP compared to the 24.3MP and 36.4MP
in the other A7 models.
In terms of video recording, the A7S is capable of recording
not only in AVCHD but also in XAVC S-format with a class 10 or higher SDXC
card. The camera can also shoot at 120 frames per second at 720p resolution,
but in case you want to record Full HD, the A7S will crop the video to APS-C
size.
As for the rest of the specs, the A7S comes with Wi-Fi, NFC,
a multi-interface shoe that supports Sony’s various accessories, a 2.35M-dot
screen and an OLED viewfinder.
Sony has yet to announce the pricing of the A7S, but we
expect it will be placed beyond the $1500 range just like its siblings when it
reaches retail stores sometime in Q2 2014.
