The latest Sony rumor is that a 67MP partially-stacked sensor that can record 10K video and features advanced dynamic range technology is on the way.
If this is true, then I think we’re much more likely to see this, and not the previously-rumored 80MP sensor, in the forthcoming Sony A7R VI – itself still rumored, but almost certainly guaranteed for release later this year.
Sony Alpha Rumors (SAR) broke the story yesterday – meaning it’s unlikely an April Fool’s crack – and, while it didn’t state a source, it does claim that it knows the sensor specs with certainty.
According to SAR, along with 67MP, 10k30p recording, and a whopping 60fps burst mode, the mystery sensor packs dual conversion gain high dynamic range (DCG HDR).
DCG is a Sony sensor technology that improves dynamic range by reading pixels twice at different gains (high and low) within a single image. This minimizes noise, reduces the risk of blowing out the highlights, and suppresses shadow clipping.
These specs match the direction in which Sony has been taking its sensors over the past few years of prioritizing performance over maximum resolution, as seen in the partially-stacked designs in the A7R V and the latest release, the A7 V.
A step up in resolution from 61MP, as seen in the A7R V, to the prospective 67MP that could now be seen in the forthcoming A7R VI, is much more likely than a leap of almost 20MP too, which I previously reported.
I’ve also come across a Sony sensor release roadmap (pictured above), supposedly authentic, that was leaked on Weibo (Chinese social media) by a prominent camera rumor source.
In the roadmap, you can see a 67MP sensor that matches the description of the newly rumored one, but there's no mention of an 80MP sensor. Although, I’d say take this Weibo report with a decent pinch of salt.
So, am I saying that this newly rumored 67MP Sony sensor is going to feature in the A7R IV, when that’s released? No, but it definitely seems more likely than an 80MP sensor that wouldn't fit the pattern of how Sony has been upgrading its sensors in recent years.
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