It’s been almost three years since Sony launched the A7 IV, a mirrorless hybrid that we still consider the world’s best camera for most people – and now fresh rumors are finally predicting a release date for its successor.
According to the pretty reliable Sony Alpha Rumors and its “two trusted sources”, the Sony A7 V will be “on the market between January and March 2025”. That’s apparently a little later than planned, with the camera apparently due to have been announced in October 2024.
Still, it’s good to hear that an announcement is on the cards (potentially in late 2024) with Sony Alpha Rumors claiming that “the camera will start shipping in Q1”. That means, at worst, sometime before the end of March.
What upgrades can we expect to the full-frame camera that our Sony A7 IV review called “the best hybrid mirrorless camera you can buy right now”? The specs are a little hazy right now, but Sony Alpha Rumors claims the big upgrades will be related to “speed” and “new AI features”.
We don’t have to look too far for a glimpse of what those might be – since the A7 IV launched, the Sony A7R V and Sony ZV-E1 have come equipped with an AI chipset that delivers some genuinely useful video features. ‘Auto Framing’ crops into the full image and intelligently tracks your subject as they move around the frame, while Sony’s subject-detection autofocus remains the best around.
Two things we shouldn’t expect, according to the rumors, are 8K video powers or global shutter, as seen on the Sony A9 III. For most people, those are relatively niche features, so wouldn’t be a great miss – and we’d imagine that the A7 V could also inherit the A7R V’s handy four-axis touchscreen, too.
The new sweet spot?
The main appeal of the Sony A7 IV was that it combined most of the best features of Sony’s stills and video cameras in one small, approachable body – so if the A7 V can repeat that trick, it could be a real contender to take the crown at the top of our guide to the world’s best cameras.
Our only real complaints with the A7 IV, other than its price hike from the classic Sony A7 III, were its relatively modest burst shooting ceiling (of around 9fps) and its heavily cropped 4K/60p video. If the A7 V improves on those, as the rumors predict it will, while adding AI features, it could be a near-perfect camera for those who like to shoot an even mix of photos and video.
The only real stumbling block could be outside of Sony’s hands. Canon recently announced in Japan that it was “experiencing delivery delays” for new products like the Canon EOS R5 Mark II due to “the impact of global parts supply”. We don’t know if that’s the reason for the A7 V’s seemingly delayed announcement, but Sony certainly has been quiet on the announcements front this year.
Still, Sony Alpha Rumors says that a Sony A1 II is also en route “within the next 6-7 months” alongside a new 24-70mm f/2 lens and another mystery lens. So it seems the Sony camera drought could end in spectacular fashion soon, even if it does all come a bit too late for Christmas.
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mark.wilson@futurenet.com (Mark Wilson)
