Sony has just announced a brand new camera—the world’s smallest and lightest full-frame mirrorless, the A7C.
The A7C looks more like an APS-C camera than a full-frame, and in fact at 509g it weighs almost exactly as much as the A6600. Nevertheless, there is a a 24.2MP 35mm full-frame back-illuminated Exmor R™ CMOS sensor inside. This will definitely appeal to a certain subset of photographers who want the big files and low-light performance offered by a full-frame camera, in a body that’s easy to carry around. I imagine a lot of street shooters will be excited by this, and perhaps also some wedding and event shooters looking for a discreet back-up camera. And as it’s an E-mount camera, you won’t have to invest in any new lenses if you already own a full-frame Sony camera.
The A7C has all of the high-performance functionality you would hope for in a Sony camera, like 5-axis in-body stabilization, a maximum ISO of 51,200 (expandable to 204,800), and 4k video recording with full-frame, full-pixel readout. It also has a newly designed shutter unit and a refined image processing system that allows it to shoot up to 10fps with autoexposure.
One of the great design features of the A7C is the fully articulated touchscreen that rotates all the way to the forward-facing position. This is one of the features I wish I had on my A7III as it gives you so much more versatility. Obviously it’s a must-have for vloggers who need to be able to compose their shots form in front of the camera. Another plus for vloggers is the dedicated movie record button on top of the camera. Vloggers will also appreciate the Real-time Eye AF for video shooting, which keeps the subject’s eye in focus. There is also Touch Tracking available which allows you to pick your focus point by tapping the touchscreen.
The A7C is the first Sony camera that I’ve seen with a silver top plate, which looks great. It is also available in black. One of the unavoidable downsides of a compact camera like the A7C however is the small electronic viewfinder. I think most users will default to using that great LCD screen however. In terms of cutomizability, the A7C has just one customizable button, where the A7III has four. It also lacks a control dial on the front of the camera. It should be pointed out that there are a number of minor features on the A7C that the A7III lacks.
Sony has also announced a new FE lens, the 28-60mm F4-5.6, and a new compact flash, the HVL-F28RM. The 28-60mm lens is billed as the ‘world’s smallest and lightest full frame lens’. It is dust and moisture resistant (as is the A7C), and has a minimum focus distance of just 12 inches. And just in case you were wondering, it is not a stabilized lens.
You can preorder the Sony A7C (body only) here, or the kit with 28-60mm lens here.
Check out this video from Sony introducing the new A7C.
