General Thoughts on the Sony A7S
Another camera that made waves at NAB this year was the Sony a7S full frame mirror less camera.
Sony announced the a7S, a 12MP full-frame mirror-less camera designed for both stills and video that will ship sometime this summer. The Sony a7S outputs uncompressed 4:2:2 Full HD and 4K QFHD output via HDMI at up to 30p. This approach promises higher quality for the 1080p video (up to 60p) it can record internally. The camera records at up to 1080/60p internally with 4:2:0 chroma sub-sampling. Unfortunately, in an attempt to keep the size of the camera as small as possible, the 4:2:2 Full HD and 4K QFHD footage is only available over HDMI. The Sony a7S records internally to SDXC card.
— Pricing has not yet been announced.
Sony a7S Sensitivity – Crazy and inspiring at the same time
Clearly the excitement behind the camera is the reported sensitivity and from the sample video that has been provided by Sony (embedded below) it looks great even at ISO 12800. That fact is something I’m still trying to comprehend.
In movie shooting, it offers an ISO 200 – 102,400, with extension to 409,600. In stills it offers ISO 100 – 102,400, extendable to an ISO 50 – 409,600 range. Sony also says the camera’s large pixels will offer good dynamic range, gradation and color fidelity.
In the Sony a7S, a range of movie-centric S-Log2 gamma will be included, along with several Picture Profiles previously found in Sony’s FS range of high-end camcorders.
Final Thoughts on the Sony a7S
The limitation of external only recording for 4K 4:2:2 footage is a slight concern but really the cost of an external recorder such as the Blackmagic Hyperdeck Shuttle (Retails for $345) is minimal concerning the promised quality you will be able to obtain with the Sony a7S. It’s a palm sized, super sensitive monster when it comes to low-light possibilities. I can’t wait to get my hands on one and see just how far I can push it.
Available Video Resolution :
XAVC S:
Full HD – 1920 x 1080/60p@50Mbps
Full HD – 1920 x 1080/30p@50Mbps
Full HD – 1920 x 1080/24p@50Mbps
HD – 1280 x 720/120p@50Mbps
AVCHD:
PS – 1920 x 1080/60p@28Mbps
FX – 1920 x 1080/60i@24Mbps
FH – 1920 x 1080/60i@17Mbps
FX – 1920 x 1080/24p@24Mbps
FH – 1920 x 1080/24p@17Mbps
MP4:
HD – 1440 x 1080/30p@12Mbps
VGA – 640 x 480/30p@3Mbps
Audio Format : XAVC S: LPCM 2ch. AVCHD: Dolby Digital (AC-3), 2ch., Dolby Digital Stereo Creator MP4: MPEG-4 AAC-LC, 2ch.
Video Format : XAVC S / AVCHD™ format Ver. 2.0 compliant / MP4
Video Mode : XAVC S / AVCHD™ / MP4 / Uncompressed 4K and HD output via HDMI
Still Image Size 16:9 : 35mm full frame:
L: 4240 x 2832 (12M), M: 2768 x 1848 (5.1M), S: 2128 x 1416 (3M)
APS-C:
L: 2768 x 1848 (5.1M), M: 2128 x 1416 (3M), S: 1376 x 920 (1.3M)
Still Image Size 3:2 : 35mm full frame:
L: 4240 x 2384 (10M), M: 2768 x 1560 (4.3M), S: 2128 x 1200 (2.6M)
APS-C:
L: 2768 x 1560 (4.3M), M: 2128 x 1200 (2.6M), S: 1376 x 776 (1.1M)
Still Image Mode : RAW, RAW & JPEG, JPEG Extra fine, JPEG Fine, JPEG Standard
Still Image File Format : JPEG: DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver.2.3, MPF Baseline compliant, RAW: Sony ARW 2.3 format
Media Type : SD / SDHC (UHS-I compliant) / SDXC memory card (UHS-I compliant), Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, Memory Stick XC-HG Duo
Still Image Max Effective Resolution : 12.2 Megapixels
Official a7S Sample Footage from Sony
Sony a7S Specs –
Highlights –
- 35mm sensor with large pixels for high-ISO & Dynamic Range
- 12.2MP sensor optimized for 4k and low light video
- Fast Intelligent AF in light as low as EV -4
- Uncompressed 4:2:2 Full HD and 4K QFHD output via HDMI
- 50Mbps XAVC S 1920×1080 at 60P, 1280×720 at 120P
- Pro-workflow with Picture Profile, S-Log2 and time code
- High contrast 2.4-million dot XGA OLED Tru-Finder EVF
- Audio level controls, AAC/Linear PCM, optional XLR kit
- Compatible with Sony E-mount lenses and many others
- Simple connectivity to smartphones via Wi-Fi or NFC
For more specs and info, visit Sony’s website at http://store.sony.com/a7s-full-frame-mirrorless-camera-zid27-ILCE7S/B/cat-27-catid-All-Alpha-NEX-Cameras