Sony α7s: Palm Sized Camera that shoots 4K video, ISO 409,600
Sony has announced the latest addition to the their family of the world’s smallest full-frame interchangeable lens camera, the a7s or α7s. The key thing that stood out, the insane maximum ISO of 409,600.
This is made possible by the newly developed, 12.2 effective megapixel 35mm full frame Exmor® CMOS sensor paired with the BIONZ X image processor, allowing for unprecedented dynamic range and low noise. The new model is also the world’s first camera to utilise the entire width of a full-frame image sensor in 4K video acquisition, and does this without cropping or line skipping as it can read and process data from every one of the sensor’s pixels. This allows 4K video shooters to utilise all of the artistic and creative benefits provided by the unique sensor.
The sample pictures took with the camera caught my attention with their details and sharpness.
This looks like a great camera for videographers. Features include HD and 4K (QFHD 3,840 x 2,160 pixels) video4 while utilising the full-width of the sensor. In addition to the benefits for low-light shooting, the read out of all pixels frees the video from aliasing, moiré and false color artifacts (as opposed to pixel binning) to achieve the highest quality video. Also, the body itself is one of the smallest package, palm-sized, at 446g, 126.9 x 94.4 x 48.2 mm.
I had no idea what pixel binning was, so if you are like me, here’s the definition: “Pixel binning is the process of combining the data in a group of pixels into a single pixel, such as a 2×2 or a 3×3 block. Doing so can increase the effective sensitivity or reduce the noise present in the resultant pixel. The trade off is of course reduced resolution in the final images.” Essentially, what it means is that pixels are processed independently, I think.
The only issue, possibly would be the price and would likely be quite a bit higher than the Sony a7. Pricing and availability of the Sony a7s in Singapore will be announced at a future date. We will keep you updated as we get more information.
