Sony A7000 mirrorless camera to offer 15.5-stop dynamic range

A new piece of information regarding the Sony A7000 flagship E-mount mirrorless camera has been revealed and it says that the device will employ an image sensor with a 15.5-stop dynamic range and native HDR.

With each passing moment it becomes more clear that the upcoming A6000-series camera will be called Sony A7000. It will replace the NEX-7 and it will become the flagship E-mount mirrorless camera with an APS-C sensor.

A flagship device translates into high-profile features and it seems like the A7000 will duly-deliver. The main attraction of the show will be its sensor which will offer unrivaled dynamic range as well as on-sensor HDR capabilities, sources have revealed.

Sony NEX-7 will be replaced by a camera called A7000 which will employ a sensor with a 15.5-stop dynamic range.

Sony A7000 rumored to feature 15.5-stop dynamic range

Sony is the leading company in sensor technology which puts it atop the sensor market. The Japan-based company has recently unveiled the A7R II, the first full-frame camera with a back-illuminated sensor.

Moreover, the RX100 IV and the RX10 II have been unveiled alongside the A7R II boasting the world’s first 1-inch-type stacked CMOS sensor. However, the manufacturer will not stop there, as the rumor mill is claiming that the Sony A7000 will become world’s first APS-C camera with 15.5-stop dynamic range and on-sensor HDR.

The announcement date of the NEX-7 replacement is still unknown, but insiders are stating that it will most likely become available sometime this fall with a set of impressive specifications.

What does 15.5-stop dynamic range and on-sensor HDR mean?

Professional photographers will certainly enjoy having a 15.5-stop dynamic range at their disposal. Extended DR is useful when a scene includes high-intensity and low-intensity areas. Such situations are usually encountered in broad daylight when the sky is lit, while other areas are darkened.

To provide decent photos in such conditions, a technique called high dynamic range (HDR) photography has been developed. Essentially, the camera captures three photos at different exposures to ensure that all areas of a scene will be properly exposed in the resulting photo.

It seems like the next step is native on-sensor HDR provided by the Sony A7000’s 15.5-stop dynamic range. With conventional HDR technology, the camera captures photos at different exposures, but with this new technique it will capture the photo and the exposure will vary with each two pixel lines. This means that users will not have to shoot three different photos to grab a HDR shot.

There are not many details available regarding how this native on-sensor HDR technology will work, but it sounds exciting. Stay close to Camyx to see how this story unfolds!

Source: SonyAlphaRumors.