5 best Sony cameras to buy in 2024

Whether you’re into photography or video production, and into either as an amateur or a professional, Sony cameras offer an incredible platform for building your skills and business. Sony’s cameras are available at every budget and for every use-case, and buying into the ecosystem is a gateway to a vast array of lenses and accessories that few other camera companies can boast of. Sony even has a comprehensive line of cinema bodies and lenses, but for now we’ll only focus on Sony’s consumer line-up.

5 best Sony cameras in 2024

Here’s a list of the 5 best Sony cameras in 2024.

1. Sony Alpha ZV-E10: Budget vlogging and photography

2. Sony Alpha 6700: Enthusiast photography and vlogging

3. Sony Alpha 7 IV: The high-end camera for everyone

4. Sony Alpha 7R V: A photographer’s dream camera

5. Sony Alpha 1: The ultimate camera… if price is no object

1. Sony Alpha ZV-E10: Budget vlogging and photography

The Sony Alpha ZV-E10 is the perfect entry to Sony’s world. This camera comes with an APS-C sensor capturing 25MP stills and 4K30 or 1080p120 videos. The 425-point AF system is easily the best in the business and includes modes for shooting products as well as tracking human and animal eyes. The camera takes both Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD cards.

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There is no EVF (electronic viewfinder), but you do get a 921,600-dot touch screen that rotates. Pros will need to be aware that the camera records in 4:2:0 8-bit, which can be a problem for professional video production.

2. Sony Alpha 6700: Enthusiast photography and vlogging

The Alpha 6700 is a significant step up from the ZV-E10, and can almost be considered a professional version of the E10. It takes the capabilities of the ZV-E10 and dials them up a notch, adding 4K60 video support, a slightly faster sensor, and the ability to record for longer without overheating. Video quality is also higher as the camera records in 4:2:2 10-bit – again, something that only pros will care about.

Essentially, this is the camera to get when you want something a lot more capable than the E10 for video production. The stills capabilities of both cameras are largely similar. The A6700 is available for Rs 1,34,990.

3. Sony Alpha 7 IV: The high-end camera for everyone

If you want to take your photography and videography skills to the next level, you’ll want to step up to a full-frame sensor. A full-frame sensor is much larger than the APS-C sensor, giving you superior depth of field and noise control in both stills and video.

The Sony Alpha 7 IV can be thought of as a full-frame upgrade to the A6700 with added speed and features. The sensor goes up to 33MP, you get support for 4K120 video, a faster EXMOR R sensor, and a whopping 759 AF points for faster and more accurate tracking.

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At Rs 2,18,490 this is a big investment, but if you’re starting to take your work seriously and need the capabilities of a full-frame camera, the A7 IV is a great place to start. If you want something more compact for stills, you could look at the Sony A7C II.

4. Sony Alpha 7R V: A photographer’s dream camera

If you’re primarily a photographer and want to shoot images at the highest possible resolution, consider the Sony Alpha 7R V. This full-frame Sony camera features a monster 60.1MP sensor that will capture the finest possible details with its incredibly sharp sensor. The resolution is nearly double that of competing cameras, and video resolution also gets a boost to 8K24 (or 4K60).

This is primarily a stills camera and the video modes are a bonus owing to severe rolling shutter, a side effect of having such a high-resolution sensor. You’ll want to keep that in mind before spending Rs 3,49,990 on this camera.

5. Sony Alpha 1: The ultimate camera… if price is no object

The ultimate Sony camera, the Alpha 1 is one of the most extraordinary full-frame cameras to exist. It shoots 50.1MP stills at an incredible 30FPS, while also capable of capturing video at 8K30 and 4K120. These feats are possible thanks to a stacked sensor with an insanely fast readout that virtually eliminates rolling shutter. This is one of the fastest, most capable cameras you can buy today, and among the very few to offer high-speed flash sync with an electronic shutter.

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This camera’s extraordinary performance is matched by a Rs 4,99,989 price tag, but for someone who shoots professionally, that asking price is more than justified.

Remember, when buying a camera system for the first time it’s important to look into the ecosystem of accessories and lenses as well. These camera systems are a lifetime investment and commitment to a particular brand, and it’s important to invest in a manner that suits your needs.