
Based on their prolific production schedule, I’m sure Sony will have released another eight cameras by then, but we’ll have to see. Not enough used copies have come through our doors yet, so we’ll have to revisit this topic at some point in the future to get a better picture of how those lines fit in. The Shiftįirst, let me start by saying that we did not include the newer a1 and a7C lines in our research, as there just isn’t enough data from which to pull. Now that it’s been nearly 8 years since the release of the first generation of Alpha mirrorless full-frame cameras, let’s look at how these lines compare in sales, and which ones have held their value better over time. In developing these lines of full-frame mirrorless cameras, Sony has achieved tremendous success, and they’ve eaten a big chunk of market share away from Canon and Nikon, which were slower to move away from their DSLR lines and dive fully into the world of mirrorless.įour of the six lines of Alpha cameras have been updated with several different variations through the years, which include the a7 II, a7 III, a7R II, a7R III, a7R IV, a7S II, a7S III, and a9 II.
#Sony full frame mirrorless camera series
And finally, in January of 2021, the a1 was released, becoming the flagship for the Alpha series of cameras. More recently, in 2020, the entry-level a7C line was introduced, featuring a more compact body and vlogger-friendly features. These three lines became the backbone of Sony’s full-frame strategy-the a7 being the basic model for general use, the a7R being the high-resolution model for landscape and portrait photographers, and the a7S being the high sensitivity model for low-light and videography use.Ī few years later, in 2017, Sony introduced the a9 line, for high-performance, targeting sports photographers and photojournalists. These were the Sony a7 and a7R, introduced at the same time in October of 2013, with the a7S following six months later in April of 2014. The cropped-sensor NEX-3 & NEX-5, both released in May of 2010, were the first Sony mirrorless cameras to use the new mount, and it would take another three years of development for Sony to create their first full-frame bodies, set to revolutionize the industry. The A-mount was used on Sony’s line of DSLRs, while a new mount, the E-mount, was developed for mirrorless cameras.
