Sony Alpha 7S (ILCE-7S)

Sony Alpha 7S (ILCE-7S)

Price :  $ 2,498.00
Available at :  Adorama | B&H | Amazon

Key features

  • 12.2MP Full-Frame Exmor CMOS Sensor
  • BIONZ X Image Processor
  • Gapless On-Chip Lens Design
  • 3.0″ 921.6k-Dot Tilting LCD Monitor
  • XGA 2.36M-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
  • Full HD Recording in XAVC S
  • 4:2:2 UHD 4K Output via HDMI
  • Full Pixel Read-Out, S-Log2 Gamma
  • Expandable Sensitivity: ISO 50-409600
  • Fast Intelligent 25-Point AF System

Sony’s new α7S model puts extraordinary sensitivity, low noise and spectacular 4K video quality into the hands of professional photographers and videographers.

The innovative α7S camera features a newly developed, 12.2 effective megapixel 35mm Exmor® CMOS sensor paired with a powerful BIONZ X image processor, allowing it to shoot at a sensitivity range of ISO 50 – 409600 with unprecedented dynamic range and low noise.

The new model is also the world’s first camera to utilize 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 utilize all of the artistic and creative benefits provided by the unique sensor.

“The α7S gives Sony the most complete, versatile lineup of full-frame cameras in market today,” said Neal Manowitz, director of the interchangeable lens camera business at Sony Electronics. “Between the α99, VG900, RX1, α7, α7R and now α7S models, we have completely revolutionized what it means to be a ‘full-frame’ camera, bringing a new level of quality and portability to enthusiast photographers and videographers.”

Wide ISO Sensitivity (ISO 50 – 409,600) and Impressive Dynamic Range

Sony, the world’s largest manufacturer of image sensors, has developed a unique 12.2 MP sensor with extraordinary sensitivity that allows the α7S camera to collect dramatically more light than traditional cameras and to produce beautifully detailed, low-noise images in even the darkest environments.

The camera also features a newly developed on-sensor technology that allows it to optimize the dynamic range throughout the entirety of the ISO50 – 409,600 sensitivity range. This on-sensor technology also broadens the range of tonal gradation in bright environments and minimizes noise in dark scenes, allowing the camera to deliver impressive results in these extreme conditions where other cameras (and image sensors) typically struggle.

World’s First Full-Frame Camera with Full Pixel Read-out (without pixel binning) during Movie Shooting

With the new α7S camera, the high-speed read out of the 35mm full-frame image sensor combined with the high-speed processing of the BIONZ X processor enables significant improvements in video quality.

These powerful components allow the camera to process data from all of the sensor’s pixels and output stunning HD and 4K (QFHD 3840 x 2160 pixels) video3 while utilizing 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.

Additional Pro-Quality Video Functions

In video mode, the α7S can output 4K video at QFHD (3840×2160) to an optional external 3rd party 4K recorder, and can record full HD (1920×1080) at frame rates of 60p, 60i, 30p and 24p directly to a compatible memory card. Video modes can be changed from full-frame to APS-C (super 35mm equivalent) if desired, and in this crop mode, the camera can support high frame rate 120fps shooting at standard HD resolution (1280 x 720p), creating a 5x slow-motion effect.

The α7S camera is also equipped with S-Log2 gamma. Common to Sony’s range of professional video cameras, S-Log2 expands the dynamic range by up to 1300% to minimize clipped highlights and loss of detail in shadows. Additionally, for the first time ever in a Sony α camera, the α7S adopts the workflow-friendly XAVC S recording format in addition to AVCHD and MP4 codecs. XAVC S format allows for full HD recording at a data rate of 50 mbps with lower compression for improved video quality.

Other specialist video functions on the new camera include a picture profile that can adjust settings like gamma, black, level and color adjustment, and can be saved for use in a multi-camera shoot. It also has Full HD and 4K base band HDMI® output, time code/user bit for easier editing, synchronous recording feature with compatible devices, various marker and zebra displays on both the LCD screen and viewfinder and can dual record XAVC S as well as MP4 (1280×720 @30p).

The camera also has a Multi-terminal interface shoe that is compatible with Sony’s XLR Adaptor Microphone Kits (XLR-K1M plus a new model under development), allowing the use of professional microphone systems.

Low-light Shooting Advantages

The high ISO sensitivity range of the α7S camera is extremely effective for still image shooting, especially in low-light conditions, where the camera can shoot at high shutter speeds while keeping noise as low as possible. This is particularly useful for shooting indoor, dimly lit sporting events or other situations where most cameras typically struggle.

The camera is also equipped with the same high-precision Fast Intelligent AF system as the α7R camera, with drastically improved low-light AF sensitivity that can go as low as -4EV.

 

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Expanding α Mount System and New Power Zoom Lens for Movie Shooting

Directly compatible with the growing family of E-mount lenses, the α7S camera can also be used with A-mount and others lens systems with optional adapters. Sony’s complete α lens system now includes 54 total lenses for both A and E mounts, including several premium offerings from Carl Zeiss® and G Series Lenses.

As a whole, Sony’s E-mount lens system is particularly well-suited for video shooting, with a variety of models containing “movie-friendly” features like smooth focusing, powered zoom control, and silent iris/aperture control. Building on this, Sony has announced development of a brand new, full-frame power zoom 28-135mm F4 lens E-mount lens that is an ideal match for the powerful movie capabilities of the α7S model.

Product Photo

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Sample Image

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Video

Specification

General Camera type Interchangeable-lens digital camera
Lens mount E-mount
Image sensor Type 35 mm full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm), Exmor CMOS sensor
Number of pixels (effective) Approx. 12.2 megapixels
Number of pixels (total) Approx. 12.4 megapixels
Image sensor aspect ratio 3:2
Anti-dust system Charge protection coating on optical filter and ultrasonic vibration mechanism
Recording system (still images) Recording format JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver. 2.3, MPF baseline compliant), RAW (Sony ARW 2.3 format)
Image size (pixels) [3:2 aspect ratio] 35 mm full frame L: 4240 x 2832 (12M), M: 2768 x 1848 (5.1M), S: 2128 x 1416 (3.0M)APS-C L: 2768 x 1848 (5.1M), M: 2128 x 1416 (3.0M), S: 1376 x 920 (1.3M)
[16:9 aspect ratio] 35 mm 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)
[Sweep Panorama] Wide: horizontal 12416 x 1856 (23M), vertical 5536 x 2160 (12M), Standard: horizontal 8192 x 1856 (15M), vertical 3872 x 2160 (8.4M)
Image quality modes RAW, RAW & JPEG, JPEG Extra fine, JPEG Fine, JPEG Standard
RAW output 14 bit
Picture Effect 13 modes: Posterization (Color, B/W), Pop Color, Retro Photo, Partial Color (R, G, B, Y), High Contrast Monochrome,Toy Camera, Soft High-key, Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich-tone Monochrome, Miniature, Watercolor, Illustration
Creative Style Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Clear, Deep, Light, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Autumn Leaves, Black & White, Sepia (Contrast -3 to +3 steps, Saturation -3 to +3 steps, Sharpness -3 to +3 steps) (Style Box 1-6 also provided)
Dynamic range functions Off, Dynamic Range Optimizer (Auto/Level (1-5)), Auto High Dynamic Range: Auto Exposure Difference, Exposure Difference Level (1.0-6.0 EV, 1.0 EV step)
Colour space sRGB standard (with sYCC gamut) and Adobe RGB standard compatible with TRILUMINOS Color
Recording system (movies) Recording format XAVC S / AVCHD format Ver. 2.0 compliant / MP4
Video compression XAVC S: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264AVCHD: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264

MP4: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264

Audio recording format XAVC S: LPCM, 2chAVCHD: Dolby Digital (AC-3), 2ch, Dolby Digital Stereo Creator

MP4: MPEG-4 AAC-LC, 2ch

Image size (pixels) [1080 60i compatible device] XAVC S: 1920 x 1080 (60p/50Mbps, 30p/50Mbps, 24p/50Mbps), 1280 x 720 (120p/50Mbps)AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 (60p/28Mbps/PS, 60i/24Mbps/FX, 60i/17Mbps/FH, 24p/24Mbps/FX, 24p/17Mbps/FH)

MP4: 1440 x 1080 (30fps/12Mbps), 640 x 480 (30fps/3Mbps)

[1080 50i compatible device] XAVC S: 1920 x 1080 (50p/50Mbps, 25p/50Mbps, 24p/50Mbps), 1280 x 720 (100p/50Mbps)AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 (50p/28Mbps/PS, 50i/24Mbps/FX, 50i/17Mbps/FH, 25p/24Mbps/FX, 25p/17Mbps/FH)

MP4: 1440 x 1080 (25fps/12Mbps), 640 x 480 (25fps/3Mbps)

Picture profile Yes (Off / PP1-PP7) Parameters: Black level, Gamma (Movie, Still, Cine1-4, ITU709, ITU709 [800%], S-Log2), Black Gamma, Knee, Color Mode, Color Level, Color Phase, Color Depth, Detail, Copy, Reset
Movie functions Audio Level Display, Audio Rec Level, Auto Slow Shutter, HDMI info. Display (On/Off selectable), Time Code/User Bit, Creative Style, Picture Effect, Rec Control, Dual Video Rec, Marker Setting
Colour space xvYCC standard (x.v.Color when connected via HDMI cable) compatible with TRILUMINOS Color
Clean HDMI output [1080 60i compatible device] 3840 × 2160 (30p/24p) / 1920 × 1080 (60p/24p) / 1920 × 1080 (60i), YCbCr 4:2:2 8bit/ RGB 8bit
[1080 50i compatible device] 3840 × 2160 (25p) / 1920 × 1080 (50p) / 1920 × 1080 (50i), YCbCr 4:2:2 8bit/ RGB 8bit
Media Media Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, Memory Stick XC-HG Duo, SD memory card, SDHC memory card (UHS-I compliant), SDXC memory card (UHS-I compliant)
Slot Multi slot for Memory Stick Duo / SD Memory card
Noise reduction Noise reduction Long exposure NR: On/Off, available at shutter speeds longer than 1 sec., High ISO NR: Normal/Low/Off selectable
Multi Frame NR Auto/ISO 100 to 409600
White balance Modes Auto WB / Daylight / Shade / Cloudy / Incandescent / Fluorescent (Warm White / Cool White / Day White / Daylight) / Flash / Color Temperature (2500 to 9900K) & Color Filter (G7 to M7: 15 steps, A7 to B7: 15 steps) / Custom / Underwater
AWB micro adjustment G7 to M7 (15 steps), A7 to B7 (15 steps)
Bracketing 3 frames, H/L selectable
Focus system Type Contrast-detection AF
Focus point 25 points
Sensitivity range EV -4 to EV 20 (at ISO 100 equivalent with F2.0 lens attached)
AF modes Single-shot AF (AF-S), Continuous AF (AF-C), Direct Manual Focus (DMF), Manual Focus
Focus area Wide (25 points) / Centre-weighted / Flexible Spot (S/M/L) / Zone
Other features Lock-on AF, Eye AF, Focus lock; Eye-start AF and AF micro adjustment (both only available with optional LA-EA2 or LA-EA4 attached), AF illuminator (built-in, LED type, range: Approx. 0.30-3m), AF ON
Exposure control Metering type 1200-zone evaluative metering
Metering sensor Exmor CMOS sensor
Metering sensitivity EV -3 to EV 20 (at ISO 100 equivalent with F2.0 lens attached)
Metering modes Multi-segment, Centre-weighted, Spot
Exposure modes AUTO (iAUTO, Superior Auto), Programmed AE (P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter-speed priority (S), Manual (M), Scene Selection, Sweep Panorama, Movie
Scene Selection Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports Action, Sunset, Night Portrait, Night Scene, Hand-held Twilight, Anti Motion Blur
Exposure compensation +/-5.0 EV (in 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV steps), with exposure compensation dial: +/-3.0 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
AE bracketing With 3 frames in 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 2/3 EV, 1.0 EV, 2.0 EV or 3.0 EV increments.
AE lock Available with AE lock button. Locked when shutter button is pressed halfway. Can be disabled from the Menu.
ISO sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index) Still images: ISO 100–102400, Videos: ISO 100–102400 equivalent (both expandable to 409600, for stills: expandable down to 50)
Viewfinder Type XGA OLED, 1.3cm (0.5 type) electronic viewfinder (color)
Total number of dots 2,359,296 dots
Brightness control Auto/Manual (5 steps between -2 and +2)
Color temperature control Manual (5 steps)
Field coverage 100%
Magnification Approx. 0.71x (with 50 mm lens at infinity, -1 m-1)
Dioptre adjustment -4.0 to +3.0m-1 diopter
Eye point Approx. 27 mm from the eyepiece lens, 22 mm from the eyepiece frame at -1m-1 (CIPA standard)
Display Graphic Display / Display All Info. / No Disp. Info. / Histogram / Digital Level Gauge
Real-time image-adjustment display On/Off
LCD screen Type 7.5 cm (3.0 type) TFT drive
Total number of dots 921,600 dots
Brightness control Manual (5 steps between -2 and +2), Sunny Weather mode
Adjustable angle Up approx. 90 degrees, down approx. 45 degrees
Display selector (Finder/LCD) Auto/Manual
Display Graphic Display / Display All Info. / No Disp. Info. / Histogram / Digital Level Gauge / Shooting information for viewfinder mode
Real-time image-adjustment display On/Off
Focus magnifier 35 mm full frame: 4.2x, 8.3x, APS-C: 2.7x, 5.4x
Zebra Yes
Peaking MF Yes (Level setting: High/Mid/Low/Off, Color: White/Red/Yellow)
Other features Face detection On / On (Regist. Faces) / Off, Face registration, Face selection (Max. number of detectable faces: 8)
Auto Object Framing Yes
Clear Image Zoom Still / Movie: Approx. 2x
Digital zoom Smart zoom (still images) M: Approx. 1.5x, S: Approx. 2.0x
Digital zoom (still images) Approx. 4x
Digital zoom (movies) Approx. 4x
PlayMemories Camera Apps Yes
Lens compensation Peripheral shading, chromatic aberration, distortion
Shutter Type Electronically controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane type
Shutter speed Still images: 1/8000 to 30 sec., Bulb
Movies: 1/8000 to 1/4 (1/3 step)
1080 60i compatible device: Up to 1/60 in AUTO mode (up to 1/30 in Auto Slow Shutter mode)
1080 50i compatible device: Up to 1/50 in AUTO mode (up to 1/25 in Auto Slow Shutter mode)
Flash sync. speed 1/250 sec.
Electronic front curtain shutter Yes, On/Off
Silent Shooting Yes, On/Off
SteadyShot INSIDE (image stabilisation) Type Not supported (image stabilization supplied by lens)
Flash Control (with optional external flash) Control Pre-flash TTL
Flash compensation +/-3.0 EV (switchable between 1/3 and 1/2 EV steps)
Flash bracketing 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1, 2, 3 EV steps, 3/5 frames selectable
Flash modes Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync*1, Wireless*1
External flash Sony α System Flash compatible with Multi Interface Shoe. Attach the shoe adaptor for flash compatible with Auto-lock Accessory Shoe.
Drive Drive modes Single shooting, Continuous shooting, Speed Priority Continuous shooting, Self-timer (10/2 sec. delay selectable), Self-timer (Cont.) (10 sec. delay; 3/5 exposures selectable), Bracketing (Cont., Single, White Balance, DRO)
Speed (approx., max.)*2 Continuous shooting: Max. 2.5fps, Speed Priority Continuous shooting: Max. 5.0fps
No. of recordable frames*2 (approx.) Continuous shooting: 88 frames (JPEG Extra Fine L), 200 frames (JPEG Fine L), 200 frames (JPEG Standard L), 61 frames (RAW), 35 frames (RAW & JPEG)Speed Priority Continuous shooting: 65 frames (JPEG Extra Fine L), 200 frames (JPEG Fine L), 200 frames (JPEG Standard L), 30 frames (RAW), 25 frames (RAW & JPEG)
Playback Modes Single (with or without shooting information, Y RGB histogram & highlight/shadow warning), 9/25-frame index view, Enlarged display mode (Maximum magnification L: 13.3x, M: 8.7x, S: 6.7x), Auto Review (10/5/2 sec, off), Image orientation (Auto/Manual/Off selectable), Slideshow, Panorama scrolling, Folder selection (Still / Date / MP4 / AVCHD / XAVC S), Forward/Rewind (Video), Delete, Protect
Interface PC interface Mass-storage, MTP, PC remote
Multi/Micro USB Terminal Yes*3
Wireless LAN (built-in) Wi-Fi Compatible, IEEE802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz band)*4Playback of still images and movies on smartphones, PCs and TVs
NFC Yes (NFC Forum Type 3 Tag compatible, One-touch remote, One-touch sharing)
HD output HDMI micro connector (Type-D), BRAVIA Sync (link menu), PhotoTV HD, 4K still image playback
Multi Interface Shoe Yes
Others Auto-lock Accessory Shoe compatible with supplied shoe adaptor, Microphone terminal (3.5mm Stereo minijack), Headphone terminal (3.5mm Stereo minijack), Vertical Grip Connector
Compatible OS Windows Vista*5 SP2, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Mac OS X (v. 10.6–10.9)
Audio Microphone Built-in stereo microphone or ECM-XYST1M / XLR-K1M (sold separately)
Speaker Built-in, monaural
Print Compatible standards Exif Print, Print Image Matching III, DPOF setting
Custom function Type Custom key settings, Programmable setting
Memory function Yes (2 sets)
Power Battery Rechargeable battery pack NP-FW50
Still images Approx. 320 shots (viewfinder)/approx. 380 shots (LCD screen) (CIPA standard)
Movies Actual*6*7: Approx. 55 min with viewfinder, approx. 60 min with LCD screen (CIPA standard)
Continuous*6*8: Approx. 90 min with viewfinder, approx. 90 min with LCD screen (CIPA standard)
External power AC Adaptor AC-PW20 (optional)
Operating temperature Range 32°-104°F / 0-40°C