Sony A7S: How the full-frame, low-light shooter differs from the A7R and A7
posted Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at 1:09 PM EDT
Earlier this week, Sony excited fans of low-light photography and 4K video with the debut of its latest full-frame mirrorless camera, the Sony A7S. Helping ensure a big splash, the company played its cards very close to its chest, tightly controlling information until the camera's debut at the National Association of Broadcasters tradeshow.
That left us with quite a number of unanswered questions as to precisely how the new model differed from its existing siblings, the A7 and A7R. Although we knew quite a bit about its new sensor, and what it meant for low light / high sensitivity shooting and video, there were more than a few things we still wanted to know. Would the A7S offer an electronic first-curtain shutter? What would its flash sync speed be, and would its build be all-metal like the A7R, or a mixture of metal and plastic like the A7?
These questions and more now have answers direct from our contacts at Sony, and we've compiled them into a table that willl give you a quick rundown of how the Sony Alpha 7S fits into the product line. (Nutshell answer: Other than the lack of on-chip phase detection pixels, the A7S generally matches whichever of its siblings had the highest specification for any given feature, be that the A7 or A7R.)
Read our updated Sony A7S preview for the full story including comparison table; we've also updated our existing Sony A7 and Sony A7R reviews with the same table.