Upgrade Guide
Sony A7S II→Sony A1
Is it worth upgrading? Spec analysis, key improvements, and our verdict.
→
Worthwhile
Clear improvements over the A7S II. Whether it justifies the cost depends on which upgrades matter most to your shooting.
What's new in the A1
-
Resolution50MP vs 12MP (+38MP)
-
StabilisationImproved — IBIS — up to 5.5 stops
-
Burst rate30fps electronic with full AF/AE vs 5fps continuous
-
Battery life~430 shots (CIPA) vs ~370 shots (CIPA)
-
Generation6 years newer (2021 vs 2015)
Suitability by genre
| Genre | A7S II | A1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vlogging & Video | — | ||
| Low Light | — | ||
| Wedding | +2.0 | ||
| Portrait | +2.0 | ||
| Street | — | ||
| Sports | +5.0 | ||
| Wildlife | — | ||
| Landscape | — |
Full spec comparison
| Spec | A7S II | A1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £799 | £5,999 | |
| Released | 2015 | 2021 | ↑ |
| Sensor | 12.1MP full-frame BSI Exmor CMOS | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS | |
| Resolution | 12MP | 50MP | ↑ |
| Video | 4K/30p internal (full sensor readout), 1080p/120p, S-Log2/S-Log3 | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | |
| Autofocus | 169 phase-detect + 25 contrast AF — limited by modern standards | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points | |
| Stabilisation | 5-axis IBIS — 4.5 stops (first Sony mirrorless with IBIS) | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops | |
| Burst Rate | 5fps continuous | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE | ↑ |
| Battery Life | ~370 shots (CIPA) | ~430 shots (CIPA) | ↑ |
| Weight | 584g body only | 737g (with battery) | ↓ |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes | |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.71× magnification | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps | |
| Screen | 3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen | |
| Mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) | |
| Memory Cards | Dual SD UHS-I slots | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
Compare side-by-side
⚖️ Compare these cameras
See A7S II and A1 next to each other with our interactive comparison tool.
Get a personalised upgrade score
Run the upgrade checker →
Tell us what you shoot and we'll score the A1 against your specific genres — not just specs.
Other upgrades from the A7S II
Related buying guides
Camera family history