14 DAY TRIAL // Sony unveiled the A7s not so long ago, but one important aspect was left out. We had no clue how much the new camera would cost. But now, thanks to a UK retailer that has already started taking pre-orders for the device, we have an idea of the price for which the A7s will sell.
As you might have expected, it’s not going to be cheap. WexUK has the camera up for pre-order as we speak. So if you plan to get the Sony A7s body-only, you will have to come up with a hefty £2,500 / $4,194 / €3,017. And of course that means that if you want the kit lens, you’ll have to throw in an extra amount of cash.
WexUK was quizzed on Twitter by users hoping that this was a placeholder price, but apparently, the rates were handed out to the British retailer directly by Sony. However, they leave a door open, saying that the prices might sustain modifications until the release date arrives.
Currently, WexUK is selling the Sony A7r for £1,669 / $2,800 / €2,014, so judging by this, Sony has bumped up the price of the successor with around 50%, which is really a shame.
If we are to apply the same pricing logic to the US, it means that the camera will arrive to American shorelines with a massive $4,194 / €3,017 price tag.
Then again, the two countries have different pricing schemes that take into account the local taxes and such, but that doesn't mean that the Sony A7s will be a lot cheaper in the US.
The new shooter was launched just last week. For those of you who don’t remember, the new Sony A7s comes equipped with a full-frame 35mm Exmor CMOS sensor that favors boosting individual photoreceptor pixels size instead of pushing for high megapixels.
The A7s has a 12.2-megapixel equivalent sensor and Sony claims that users will see noticeable improvements in low-light performance for both videos and stills. The company has also posted a video sample, so you can check that out, to get an idea.
Under the hood, there’s a BIONZ X processor that’s capable of pushing 4K video through the HDMI port with 4:2:2 sampling. However, an extra recorder will be needed if you plan to capture 4K resolution, because on its own, the A7s is only capable of 1080p recording.
The A7s uses XAVC S recording format at 50MBps, something we’re used to seeing in Sony’s professional video recorders.
Anyway, as impressive as the new camera sounds, would you pay as much as £2,500 / $4,194 / €3,017 for it?