Mirrorless cameras are known for their compact design and smaller size when compared to DSLR cameras. Camera manufacturers continue to make smaller and smaller mirrorless models and the recently announced Sony a7C is evident of that. The a7C is the world's smallest and lightest compact full-frame mirrorless camera with In-Body Image Stabilization. It's the ultimate hybrid between the Sony a7III and a6600, in that it is similar in size to the a6600 and has most of the same features of the a7III.
Incredible Full Frame Quality in a Compact Body
The Sony a7C now gives Sony users a whole new category of camera when it comes to its full-frame lineup. Users now have the option for a high-resolution, high-megapixel camera with the a7RIV, a video-centric camera with the a7sIII, a hybrid camera with the a7III and now a compact, all-in-one camera with the a7C. Content creators will enjoy the portable, sleek design for high-quality imagery on the go.
Some of the main features in the a7C include a 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS Sensor along with a BIONZ X Image Processor. As briefly mentioned above, it has 5-Axis In-Body Image Stabilization and a new Vari-Angle touchscreen LCD following in the footsteps of the a7SIII. With a native ISO range of 100-51,200 and expandable to 204,800, the a7C will no doubt be excellent in low-light situations. When it comes to video, it has UHD 4K30p Video with HLG/HDR and S-Log3/2.
The Difference Between the a7C and a7III
So besides the size, what's the difference between the a7C and the a7III? Well, to start, the a7C has one (UHS-II) card slot compared to two (UHS-I & UHS-II) card slots in the a7III. Battery life is slightly improved on the a7C even though it still uses the same NP-FZ100 battery. The a7C can take approximately 740 images with 225 minutes of recording while the a7III can take 710 images with 210 minutes of recording.
Due to the redesign and compact size of the a7C, the viewfinder placement is on the lefthand side and a lot smaller than the a7III's. Like previously mentioned, it has a Vari-Angle screen compared to the previous tilt-screen on the A7III and it offers more touch functions such as touch tracking. Sony updated the AF algorithm now featuring more accurate tracking and even allowing the user to switch between eyes. Not to mention, it includes better autofocus capabilities in lower light than the a7III.
Availability
The new Alpha 7C compact full-frame camera will be available in late October and will be sold for approximately $1,799.99, $200 cheaper than the a7III. A new kit featuring the Alpha 7C compact full-frame camera and a new FE 28-60mm F4-5.6 zoom lens will also be available in late October and will be sold for approximately $2,099.99. It also comes in two different colors: black and silver.