The Sony a7R V might be revealed at Sony’s secret Kando event

The a7R IV, released in 2019, is due an upgrade, and word on the street suggests we might see the new Sony a7R V within the next week.

The Sony a7R IV has been and will continue to be a solid camera for many photographers who want tons of resolution for their images. The 61-megapixel sensor in the a7R IV is truly breathtaking. The amount of detail it can render is nothing short of extraordinary. However, the rest of the camera is now a little tired and needs to be updated with Sony’s new design language.

Sony has come a long way in regards to ergonomics, IBIS and ease of use since the a7R IV hit the market, and now, many photographers are waiting with bated breath for a Sony a7R V that features new tech and the improvements listed above. The good news is that we might not have to wait long to see it. The bad news is that little is known about the potential high-megapixel camera. However, if the report on Sony Alpha Rumors is true (we know, we know), the camera might be introduced during a hush-hush Kando event that will be held in Idaho on Aug. 29, 2022.

What is the Sony Kando event?

Sony Kando events were well publicized and very popular before the pandemic hit. Members of the media, influencers and educators would be invited to a retreat to learn about shooting techniques and editing styles. Often, new cameras and lenses were handed out as well. The Sony a7R IV was introduced at Kando 3.0 in 2019, so speculation about the Sony a7R V being teased at this Kando event might be accurate. Since 2019, Kando events have been held online due to safety concerns.

The difference this year is that Sony has been very quiet about their Kando event. The report mentioned above lists that this year’s event will be an in-person shindig. However, news about it has been kept quiet, and only a select few influencers will be in attendance. It’s likely that attendees will get their hands on new gear. However, they will be bound to secrecy until the NDA breaks. The word is that the magical announcement date for the Sony a7R V could be Sept. 5, 2022.

Will the Sony a7R V launch in 2022?

At this point, your guess is as good as ours regarding when the camera will launch. However, I believe the Sony A7R V will launch this year. The Sony a7R IV was launched in September of 2019, so the above reports regarding the timeline are on track.

What will the camera look like? Again, details about any new camera have been kept quiet. However, there has been plenty of speculation about the next iteration of the a7R series. The camera might feature an image sensor (I believe non-stacked BSI) that’s between 90 and 100 megapixels. If this is the case, the Sony a7R V would still have the most pixel-dense full-frame sensor on the market.

New design language

Anything else we write here is all still pure speculation. Still, I would be shocked if the new Sony a7R V didn’t feature an improved EVF. The camera will use Sony’s new menu system and feature enhanced ergonomics, weather sealing and IBIS. Seeing as the a7R series is aimed at photographers, I think it will likely retain the tilting LCD instead of shifting to a swivel screen, and it will more than likely start using CFexpress cards. 90-megapixel files will be huge. So, data transfer rates will need to be speedy.

One thing for sure is that Sony will want to beat Canon to market with a high-megapixel camera. Canon has done an outstanding job of closing the vast technology gap that Sony once enjoyed. At this point, Canon could be the one to topple Sony from the top of the mirrorless pile. This could really be the case if speculation surrounding a high-megapixel Canon EOS R1 is true. Sony will need to price the Sony a7R V right. The a7R IV was launched at a price of $3,498. I would imagine the new version will come in higher than that, but Sony will need to be careful.

I hope we see the Sony a7R V soon. Still, if we don’t, we are still on track to have an exciting end to the year when it comes to new cameras hitting the market. So, what do you want to see in the Sony a7R V? Let us know in the comment section below.