Announced a few weeks ago and finally the time has come to unravel the mystery; Sony's new model, announced as a new Alpha series camera concept, called Sony A7C, is a full-format mirrorless, such as the Sony A7 and A9, but in the compact body of one of its A6000 series APS-C trimmed sensor cameras. Its presentation has confirmed that Sony continues to look preferably at the most advanced and/or professional users, for which it seeks to offer a full frame camera with all the possibilities that this implies (without commitments in terms of quality or performance) but in a small body to carry everywhere; hence Compact's "C" in his name. Therefore, it is a fusion of their camera systems that, as you know, use the same E-mount, to offer the smallest and lightest full format system on the market with stabilizer and viewfinder integrated into the camera body.
A necessary precision the latter since the smaller full frame mirrorless is still the Sigma FP (even if it is a very minority model). Translated into data, we are talking about a camera that weighs 509 grams (battery included) and has dimensions of 124.0 x 71.1 x 59.7 mm, measures very similar to those of the Sony A6600 whose body has been the basis for the external appearance and controls of the new camera, and which reduce by about 20% the dimensions of an A7 III, whose performance would be comparable to those of the A7C. Its body has a magnesium alloy skeleton that, as a novelty, has been manufactured in the form of a monocoque (i.e. in one piece), which promises a very robust construction that is rounded with a seal against the weather. On the other hand, the camera debuts a two-color look, in black and silver, which makes it different from the A6000 and gives it a rather interesting touch (although it is also sold in black).
As we said, the idea is to offer the full power of the A7 family in a more compact body, including components similar to its older sisters. Starting with a 24.2 MpÃxel backlit Exmor R CMOS image captor inherited from the A7 III and A9, which allows you to work at levels of 100 to 51,200 ISO (forced up to 204,800) and promises 15 dynamic range steps; supported by the same BIONZ X processor of the A7R IV and A9 II. This allows a burst of fire of up to 10 photos per second with the possibility to capture up to 223 images continuously (115 if shooting in RAW format) and compatible with the camera's completely silent mode.
In addition, this includes AF tracking as, unsurprisingly, the camera also promises the acclaimed autofocus system that has made the house's most advanced cameras popular. In this case it is an AF system with 693 phase detection points and 425 contrast points, 93% coverage and improved sensitivity to focus up to -4 EV. Of course, there is also no lack of real-time tracking and Real Time Eye AF approach for both animals and humans, which are comparable to those of the Sony A7R IV. In order to accommodate all these elements in a smaller body, some internal components have had to be redesigned; starting with the integrated stabilization system that operates on five axes and promises to be able to compensate for up to five light steps.