Sony splits its mirrorless camera lineup with upcoming A7C R and A7C II

Sony A7C R

Sony today is now our with the new A7C R mirrorless camera. Slimming down the form factor and price of one of the brand’s more popular releases, the upcoming debut packs a 35mm full-frame sensor with 61 MP image capture and 4K video recording. Instead of just one new mirrorless camera, Sony is splitting the lineup by also launching the new A7C II.

Check out the new Sony A7C R mirrorless camera

Kicking off with the higher-end of the two cameras, the Sony A7C R is an entirely new model centered around a 35 mm full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor. That enables it to shoot 61 MP RAW images at 7 FPS. On the other hand, video recording gets capped out at 4K 60p full-frame recordings, as well as 6.2K oversampled 1.5x cropped 4K 60 FPS video. It also backs both of those with full in-body stabilization with seven stops of compensation.

The Sony A7C R also uses the same processor as the more expensive A7R V, so everything from autofocus performance to burst shooting, subject tracking, and all of the other features should be able to keep up – though there may be some limitations due to the smaller camera body. The video recording is likely capped at 4K instead of the 8K seen on the higher-end counterpart due to overheating, so we can’t bank on some of these other features having identical performance just yet.

All of that tech comes packed into a refreshed exterior made of a softer and grippier material to help with handling. There’s also a deeper handle to that same end. Around the back is a flip-out 1,036,800-dot display with a 2.36-million dot OLED electronic viewfinder. The latter has improved (0.70X) magnification too. You’ll also find other staples for a mirrorless camera, including ports for a microphone, headphones, USB-C 3.2, and micro HDMI. A single UHS-II card slot on the side is also fairly standard.

Sony launches new A7C II, as well

Then there’s the Sony A7C II, a second-generation mirrorless camera centered around a smaller 33 MP sensor. You’re largely looking at many of the same upgrades as on the larger sensor brethren, sporting the same dedicated AI processor as the A7C R. Sony is largely focusing on comparing its new A7C II to the original model, with the newer model sporting improved subject tracking. More specifically, you’ll get 20% better auto exposure tracking and an increase of as much as 40% for animal autofocus tracking.

It offers sharp full-frame 4K 30p video with 7K oversampling or 4K 60p with a 1.5x crop. You get 10-bit 4:2:2 color sampling with S-Log3 and S-Cinetone, as well. You’ll also want to read the product listing for the full breakdown of what else to expect.

Pre-order ahead of launching this fall

Both of the new Sony mirrorless cameras are now available for pre-order, too. Retailers like Adorama and B&H have listings live right now ahead of shipments going out on October 12. The Sony A7C R arrives at the $2,998 price point, while its counterpart, the A7C II, carries a $2,198 price tag.

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