My guess is the one crippling factor the A7RVI will have compared to A1II will be the buffer depth. For sports and BIF shooters that will likely leave the A1II as the better choice even if all the other parts of the rumour are true. 2 weeks to go.
arbitrage wrote:
One could dream....I always thought it should have been 60FPS from the start as that would be similar data rates to the 120FPS in the 24MP A9III.
That's been my biggest complaint about the A1II. Very disappointing the FPS didn't increase after several year. But I bought two anyway.. Like you, I would be shocked if the A7RVI really has a fully stacked sensor and beat the A1II in features relevant to us birders, at USD5000
Rumored $5K for body and $5K for the reported 100-400 F/4.5. Oof! Sounds like a neat spec boost. I wonder if the flash sync speed is updated to the A1's as well (I believe it's 1/400).
Spec wise, the a7rVI is sounding very exciting. Hopefully, the price will be closer to 4,500 than 5,000. going from 2,898 for the a7V to 5,000 for the a7rIV would be a 2,100 price jump, which is quite large. Also curently The Z8 is 4,300, R5II is 4,400, and the a7rV is 4,200, and are often on sale for under 4,000. Once a camera jumps over 4,000, it seems to generate less interest. Hopefully, Sony will decide to keep the a7rVI price competitive in the US 🤞
As for the 100-400mm f4.5, 5k isn't as unexpected when the Nikon and Canon 200-400mm f4 ish lenses go for 10k+. Admittedly, the 100-400mm would still be more tempting for me at 4k than 5k. At 5k, it might just make more sense to give in and get the Sigma 300-600mm f4 for wildlife.
arbitrage wrote:
My guess is the one crippling factor the A7RVI will have compared to A1II will be the buffer depth. For sports and BIF shooters that will likely leave the A1II as the better choice even if all the other parts of the rumour are true. 2 weeks to go.
Exactly, and I would also guess a slower read out on the sensor on the new camera, but whether that will be a dealbreaker over the Sony A1 II remains to be seen. Probably fine for most. I also assume that you will need to use the new Compressed HQ format if you want to capture a ton of frames fast.
But the a7r VI does sound really exciting!
Apr 30, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
arbitrage wrote:
My guess is the one crippling factor the A7RVI will have compared to A1II will be the buffer depth. For sports and BIF shooters that will likely leave the A1II as the better choice even if all the other parts of the rumour are true. 2 weeks to go.
I am guessing it will not be a fully stacked sensor and will only have around a 12ms/1/80th of a second sensor scan speed, there is a big difference between that and the A1 II sensor scan speed (4ms/1/250th of a second).. I do expect it to have the same increase in dynamic range (DR) we saw in the A7 V as well. So clearly a better sensor than the A7r V, but the A1 II sensor still is much better suited for silent electronic shutter shooting. The A7r Vi wins for DR and resolution, the A1 II wins if you want to shoot fast action. To me that is product segmentation that makes sense.
At first, I was thinking there was no way Sony was going to make the a7rVI a fully stacked sensor, but if Sony wants to compete with the Z8 and R5II they will most likely need a stacked sensor with a fast readout speed.
We also don't know what the plans for the a1III might be. Maybe Sony has something massive in the works, like a 90mp stacked sensor or a 50mp global shutter sensor. The a1ii will be 2 years old this year, and Nikon will probably be putting out the z9II by the end of the year or early next year. The Canon R3 is also due for an update if Canon plans to keep that model around. So Sony could very well be planning for a major a1III upgrade within the next year. So even if the a7rVI takes the crown for a bit, it might not last long.
Apr 30, 2026 at 01:23 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
DWOfPaul wrote:
At first, I was thinking there was no way Sony was going to make the a7rVI a fully stacked sensor, but if Sony wants to compete with the Z8 and R5II they will most likely need a stacked sensor with a fast readout speed.
We also don't know what the plans for the a1III might be. Maybe Sony has something massive in the works, like a 90mp stacked sensor or a 50mp global shutter sensor. The a1ii will be 2 years old this year, and Nikon will probably be putting out the z9II by the end of the year or early next year. The Canon R3 is also due for an update if Canon plans to keep that model around. So Sony could very well be planning for a major a1III upgrade within the next year. So even if the a7rVI takes the crown for a bit, it might not last long....Show more →
I don't think this camera is going to compete with the Z8 or 5D II. They have notably less resolution and the A7r series has never competed with those cameras. Tbe A7r series is about having the highest resolution and good capabilties for many things and not about being a camera for fast action. The Z8 and 5D II are tuned for action photography in a way that I don't think the A7r series ever will be. This camera wll ultimately compete with the Z7 III when it comes out (if it ever comes out) and the R5s (if that ever comes out).
Steve Spencer wrote:
I don't think this camera is going to compete with the Z8 or 5D II. They have notably less resolution and the A7r series has never competed with those cameras. Tbe A7r series is about having the highest resolution and good capabilties for many things and not about being a camera for fast action. The Z8 and 5D II are tuned for action photography in a way that I don't think the A7r series ever will be. This camera wll ultimately compete with the Z7 III when it comes out (if it ever comes out) and the R5s (if that ever comes out)....Show more →
Historically, I agree that the r series was for slow and steady IQ. But the market has shifted. The Z8 is Nikon's high res body and the R5 II is Canon's high res body, and both are fantastic action cameras too, for a similar price point to an a7rV. Sony put themselves in a corner a bit by pricing the a1ii so much higher than the Z8 and R5II. About six months ago, I even suggested on another thread that maybe Sony could use the a7s line for a FF stacked sensor camera that is cheaper than the a1II and compete with the Z8 and R5 II. Sony may have decided to solve multiple issues in there line up in one move and put Nikon and Canon on notice. Instead of matching the Z8 and R5II, Sony could surpass them in almost every way.
It would also make sense to release the 100-400mm f4.5 with an action oriented body.
At the end of the day, SAR might be completely wrong, but the more I think about it, the more it sounds plausible. If we get 67mp and an additional stop of dynamic range like the a7V, that would be a nice bump in IQ too over the a7rV.
Likely, an improved, more responsive auto-focus will also be a major improvement for many. I have quite a few lenses for this camera, but just sold my last Sony body. I’m about to sell my M11M and that will leave me with film cameras and an X2D for film copying and X2Dii, my replacement for the Sony. I would expect the new Sony to have a clear, bright and responsive EVF and that’s not a small thing. Such high resolution/high dynamic range, great autofocus and a first class EVF sounds like a wonder birding platform. One more hurdle to overcome, my A7CR was the camera my wife used when on vacation.
DWOfPaul wrote:
Historically, I agree that the r series was for slow and steady IQ. But the market has shifted. The Z8 is Nikon's high res body and the R5 II is Canon's high res body, and both are fantastic action cameras too, for a similar price point to an a7rV. Sony put themselves in a corner a bit by pricing the a1ii so much higher than the Z8 and R5II. About six months ago, I even suggested on another thread that maybe Sony could use the a7s line for a FF stacked sensor camera that is cheaper than the a1II and compete with the Z8 and R5 II. Sony may have decided to solve multiple issues in there line up in one move and put Nikon and Canon on notice. Instead of matching the Z8 and R5II, Sony could surpass them in almost every way.
It would also make sense to release the 100-400mm f4.5 with an action oriented body.
At the end of the day, SAR might be completely wrong, but the more I think about it, the more it sounds plausible. If we get 67mp and an additional stop of dynamic range like the a7V, that would be a nice bump in IQ too over the a7rV....Show more →
Ok, we will see when it comes out, but I remember just recently everyone was saying the A7 V was going to be a fully stacked sensor and it didn't turn out that way. I didn't think that made sense and predicted a partially stacked sensor.
I think it is the same thing all over again. People are saying it is going to be a fully stacked sensor, but I think we are going to get a partially stacked sensor, and like the A7 V we are going to get a nice increase in DR, and along with the faster sensor scan speed that comes with the partially stacked sensor. That still makes it a great upgrade in the sensor. I just think it makes no sense to expect the sensor to not only out compete the R5 II and Z8, but the A1 II as well. I don't think there is any way that is going to happen.
Steve Spencer wrote:
Ok, we will see when it comes out, but I remember just recently everyone was saying the A7 V was going to be a fully stacked sensor and it didn't turn out that way. I didn't think that made sense and predicted a partially stacked sensor.
I think it is the same thing all over again. People are saying it is going to be a fully stacked sensor, but I think we are going to get a partially stacked sensor, and like the A7 V we are going to get a nice increase in DR, and along with the faster sensor scan speed that comes with the partially stacked sensor. That still makes it a great upgrade in the sensor. I just think it makes no sense to expect the sensor to not only out compete the R5 II and Z8, but the A1 II as well. I don't think there is any way that is going to happen....Show more →
I think you’re right. A partially stacked sensor makes the most sense; otherwise the A1 II would have no real market. Give it the A7V features plus a 67MP sensor and it would leap ahead of the competition in almost every category. That said, Canon is selling the R5 II for around $3,900 with a fully stacked sensor, so Sony may need to push harder this generation. The dominance Sony once had in the mirrorless space isn’t as clear‑cut anymore.
- Square sensor
- ISO 50 with DGO
- High quality UI similar to Leica
- Battery life of 1,000 exposures per CIPA
YES:
- Bright OLED with tilting mechanism like the Fuji or Z8 and optional clickable pop-up sunshade.
- Freely configurable displays in the viewfinder and screen 1/3200s as the shortest shutter speed
- Improved creative profiles
YES:
- Bright OLED with tilting mechanism like the Fuji or Z8 and optional clickable pop-up sunshade
- Freely configurable displays in the viewfinder and screen
- 1/32000s as the shortest shutter speed
- Improved creative profiles
- Focusing aids like Nikon or Canon
- Quick-release fasteners for camera straps like on older Hasselblads or Rolleiflexes
- Cheaper
ramesesthe2nd wrote:
That said, Canon is selling the R5 II for around $3,900 with a fully stacked sensor, so Sony may need to push harder this generation. The dominance Sony once had in the mirrorless space isn’t as clear‑cut anymore.
That's exactly why I am thinking Sony may be looking to shake up the market. The Z8 is currently going for 3,400 with a fully stacked sensor camera, too. Both the R5 II and Z8 also have raw video, which Sony has yet to put in a photo camera.
Sony is making some great lenses, and e mount definitely has the best selection of native lenses, but when it comes to cameras, there is a strong argument that Sony does not have a clear lead for most users.
So far, Sony clearly doesn't feel they need to be price competitive on bodies. I think it's insane that the market is supporting that/them for cameras that are more than 50% more expensive than their competition, but clearly Sony isn't feeling pressure to drop prices or they would have done it already.
Apr 30, 2026 at 04:33 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
ramesesthe2nd wrote:
I think you’re right. A partially stacked sensor makes the most sense; otherwise the A1 II would have no real market. Give it the A7V features plus a 67MP sensor and it would leap ahead of the competition in almost every category. That said, Canon is selling the R5 II for around $3,900 with a fully stacked sensor, so Sony may need to push harder this generation. The dominance Sony once had in the mirrorless space isn’t as clear‑cut anymore.
I agree with Scott that Sony doesn't really want to compete on price. If they did, there is an easy peasy way to do so. They still sell the A1 original. They could drop the price on that to match or maybe even beat the Canon R5 II, and it is a very competitive camera to the Canon with a faster sensor scan speed and a little more resolution. They aren't doing that, however. They still sell the A1 original at $5,500. I see no way they make this A7r VI to be less than $5,000 and have a sensor that is better than the A1 II. I think that is a bit of a pipe dream.
All of this came from one “reliable source” comparing this new camera with the A1ii. Now, nothing specific there and a lot of wiggle room for whatever specs end up not at all like the A1ii. The more I thought about this, the less specific information seemed to be “leaked”.
- Stacked crap
- FPS of any kind
- More megapixels
- Video
YES:
- Square sensor
- ISO 50 with DGO
- High quality UI similar to Leica
- Battery life of 1,000 exposures per CIPA
Every brand deserves a photographic flagship. Not everything needs to be a kitchen sink for every imaginable fringe use case.
With the exception of battery lie, you may find yourself to be a market whose size may by approximately one. ;-)
- - r-
BTW, about prices… First, we don’t actually know what the price of the new camera will be. (And we are actually still only at the strong rumor stage regarding features.) Let’s say that the list price at introduction is about $5000. (That is, I think, the report.) That is about 25% more than the Canon R5ii which sells now — after being out a while — for a little under $4000.
Each time a new camera comes out, it does so in a new inflation environment, so we can’t reall expect this year’s camera to cost the same as last year’s new thing.
That doesn’t account for for the entire difference. But if rumors (all we have to go on for any of this, right?) are in the ballpark, the new camera arguably exceeds the performance specs of the R5ii in ways that will be important to some buyers and, thus, account for a higher price. A 67MP sensor (compared to 45MP), a fully stacked sensor, reportedly a very fast frame rate. And more.
So, when comparing pricier it isn’t quite as simple as saying X costs $Y or Z should also cost $Y.
In any case, if the rumors are correct (yeah, again…) we’ll all be able to to speak more concretely about these things in a few weeks.
. Like you, I would be shocked if the A7RVI really has a fully stacked sensor and beat the A1II in features relevant to us birders, at USD5000