I got some very wild hints that something might be “moving” at Sony (watch video on top). And to be fair I also want to give you a different opinion:

TheDigitalDigest (vide below) is sort of “defending” Sony’s firmware policy by basically saying that:

• Sony has not promised to add features on their Sony A1 (or any other) camera. So we should stop asking for things Sony didn’t say they would deliver
• He says it’s perfectly normal in the digital industry to not add new features via software. You have to buy new gear if you want new features.

My simple answer to that is the following:

Of course the A1 is till a superb camera! But Sony doesn’t live in a bubble. There are competitors out there like Fuji and Nikon that indeed are going the opposite way and often do ADD new features via firmware update that they didn’t anticipate or promise ahead of their camera launch. So the problem is that customers will think twice in future if they should buy a Nikon Z8 or Sony A7rV or Fuji X-T5 knowing that with Nikon and Fuji they will likely get new features on future updates.

The new Thronmax Mic has been launched on Kickstarter (Click here).

More Kickstarter projects:

There is a 45% discount on the Flex Bolt sold on Indiegogo. The FLEX Bolt makes it easy to capture stunning lightning shots effortlessly.
Spinn launched the brand new version of their famous Fully self-adhesive protective gear wrapper on Kickstarter (Click here).

Sony announced the new Xperia 1V (preorders at Amazon and BHphoto. ).  The interesting part for us is that it uses the enow Exmor T dual layer camera sensor. And the improvements claims are quite stunning. They say the noise and dynamic range performance equivalent to a full-frame camera!

The full Xperia press text is available here: pressroom.pixelshift.studio/sony-electronics-launches-new-xperiar-1-v-smartphone. And this is what they write about the new sensor:

The Xperia 1 V is raising the bar with its’ newly developed image sensor which depicts rich colors and textures of people, landscapes, and scenes in even dark locations. Due to the combination of the low-light performance, which is approximately double compared to the previous modelⁱⁱ and the high-speed multi frame overlay procession technology of the Xperia 1 V, it is possible to shoot a noise resistant photo with a wider dynamic range that is equivalent to a full-frame camera. ​ The 24mm lens on the back of the Xperia 1 V equipped with a 2-layer Transistor Pixel stacked CMOS image sensor “Exmor T for mobile” which is about 1.7 times larger than the Xperia 1 IV’s image sensor. ​ In addition, the 85-125mm (F2.3-F2.8) optical zoom lens enables bright portraits with little distortion. 

-Cinetone, designed for cinematographersⁱⁱⁱ, has been adjusted and installed for mobile. Since the texture of the human skin can be beautifully expressed when shooting, it is possible to record as an impressive cinematic image as it is, without color grading. In addition, the new sensor has approximately three times of saturation signal levelⁱⁱ compared to the conventional sensor, and unique image quality processing suppresses noise that tends to occur in dark scenes, resulting in beautiful images with soft colors.

That sounds incredibly impressive!

As you know within hours Sony will announce the new Xperia 1V smartphone that will feature the world’s first dual layer camera sensor tech. A new source just sent me this:

Exmor = old FSI
Exmor R = BSI regular (majority of photo cameras)
Exmor RS =  sensors for phones (regular BSI type) , those with built-in DRAM for phones/cameras, industry (starvis)
Exmor T = dual layer transistor

Apparently
It has same combo 16/24/85-125mm of previous model.
Probably just 24mm has new tech.  

Here is my last weeks video about this sensor:

Based on the specs I made this quick comparison between the Nikon Z8 and Sony A7rV. Overall the Z8 is a superb hybrid camera while Sony’s much better EVF, autofocus and mechanical shutter make the A7rV the best stills camera. As a photographer I definitely prefer the A7rV (which I do own). But the real risk for Sony is that the Nikon Z8 stacked sensor performance is close enough to the Sony A1 that it’s hard to justify the $2,500 price gap.  What do you think?

Sony A7rV vs Nikon Z8
– Z8 has a much faster stacked sensor (20fps vs 10fps in RAW)
– Z8 has better video quality (12bit internal recording vs 10bit, 8K 4:2:2)
– Z8 has better ergonomics (and top LCD screen)
– A7rV has three times better EVF resolution
– A7rV still has the edge in terms of resolution
– A7rV has still better autotofocus (200 more AF points)
– A7rV has also a mechanical shutter (no distortions risk)

Sony A1 bv Nikon Z8
– A1 has 10% more resolution
– A1 still shoots 30fps RAW
– Z8 is much cheaper!

More info:
A full spec comparison chart with he Sony A7rV A1 and the Canon R5 is available at BHphoto (Click here).
Nikon Z8 pricing and specs info at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, FotoErhardt

Nikon announced the new Z8. A full spec comparison chart with he Sony A7rV A1 and the Canon R5 is available at BHphoto (Click here).  As a side note it’s interesting to see the new Dpreview Z8 review which seems to hint to the fact that somehow Dpreview will continue to exist?