After over a year of anticipation and rumors, Sony has officially announced the α7 V, the latest addition to its renowned full-frame mirrorless camera lineup.
The centerpiece of the upgrade is a new partially-stacked 33MP CMOS sensor, matching the resolution of the α7 IV but delivering twice the readout speed. This enhancement allows for significant improvements in performance while maintaining exceptional detail, outperforming competitors according to Sony's internal tests.
Coupled with the new BIONZ XR2 image processor, which integrates an AI processing chip, the α7 V offers blackout-free shooting at 30fps with the electronic shutter—three times faster than the α7 IV's 10fps. The mechanical shutter speed remains at 10fps.
Significant advancements have been made to the autofocus system, which now extends the AI-powered subject detection beyond humans, animals, and birds to include airplanes, cars, trains, and insects. The camera also supports human pose estimation, face memory, and advanced tracking for animal eyes, heads, and bodies.
The autofocus system performs calculations 60 times per second and features pre-capture AF/AE tracking of up to one second, enabling the capture of full-resolution 30fps stills even before the shutter button is pressed.
Sony α7 V Body Improvements
The α7 V features a refined 3.2-inch LCD with 2.1 million dots and 4-axis articulation, allowing the screen to swivel up to 90 degrees upward and approximately 45 degrees downward, as well as full articulation. Additionally, Sony has added a second USB-C port with USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps) support alongside the existing USB 2.0 port, facilitating simultaneous streaming and charging or faster file transfers while charging.
Video capabilities have also been enhanced. The camera supports 4K recording at 60fps with 7K oversampling from full-pixel readout without binning. For the first time in Sony’s base α7 series, it offers 4K recording at 120fps with a 1.5x APS-C crop.
Although the α7 V does not include a built-in cooling fan like Panasonic’s Lumix S5 II, its thermal performance has improved significantly over the α7 IV. Sony claims up to 90 minutes of continuous 4K 60fps recording at 25°C. Even at 40°C, the camera can record for approximately 60 minutes, a substantial increase from just 10 minutes on the previous model.
Battery life also benefits from improvements, with the α7 V using the same NP-FZ100 battery but achieving 20-30% longer endurance thanks to the upgraded processor.
The Sony α7 V is now available for pre-order at $2,899/€2,999 and will be released on December 19.
