Illustration, not a product photo.
The original 50MP stacked flagship. Nearly everything the A1 II does, for much less used.
The Sony Alpha A1 is a 2021 Full frame 50.1MP mirrorless camera on the Sony E / FE mount. It shoots up to 30 frames per second, records 8K 30p / 4K 120p video and has in-body stabilisation, and it's weather sealed. The original 50MP stacked flagship. Nearly everything the A1 II does, for much less used.
It's best suited to sports & action, wildlife & animals, landscape, flagship & medium format. In our database, 78 lenses fit it natively (61 from third-party makers such as Sigma, Tamron, Samyang), 27 more work in crop mode, and 1 fit with an adapter.
Used at MPB it currently sells for £2,439 to £2,769 depending on condition, against roughly £4,199 new: a saving of up to 42%.
| Released | 2021 |
| Type | Mirrorless |
| Sensor | Full frame (36×24mm, 1× crop) |
| Resolution | 50.1 megapixels |
| Max burst | 30 fps |
| Sensor readout | ≈4ms (Very fast) |
| Max ISO | 32,000 |
| Low-light score | 4/5 |
| Stabilisation | In-body (IBIS) |
| Viewfinder | Electronic |
| Video | 8K 30p / 4K 120p |
| Weather sealed | Yes |
| Weight | 737 g with battery |
| Mount | Sony E / FE |
78 native · 27 crop mode · 1 adapted in our database
| Lens | Fit | Focal | Aperture | Weight | New ≈ | Used (MPB) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 Chip Everyday & travel · Vlogging & video | Native Third-party | 28mm | f/4.5 | 60g | £89 | £43–72 | |
| Viltrox AF 20mm f/2.8 Vlogging & video · Everyday & travel | Native Third-party | 20mm | f/2.8 | 155g | £149 | £140–154 | |
| Viltrox AF 40mm f/2.5 Air Everyday & travel · Vintage / film look | Native Third-party | 40mm | f/2.5 | 130g | £149 | £99–101 | |
| Viltrox AF 14mm f/4 Air Landscape · Vlogging & video | Native Third-party | 14mm | f/4 | 180g | £169 | — | |
| Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air Portraits · Everyday & travel | Native Third-party | 50mm | f/2 | 175g | £169 | £154–159 | |
| Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 Portraits · Everyday & travel | Native First-party | 50mm | f/1.8 | 186g | £229 | £80–113 | |
| Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC (manual) Astrophotography · Landscape | Native Third-party (manual focus) | 14mm | f/2.8 | 552g | £299 | £112–164 | |
| Viltrox AF 28mm f/1.8 Everyday & travel · Astrophotography | Native Third-party | 28mm | f/1.8 | 330g | £299 | £219–239 | |
| Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8 II Portraits | Native Third-party | 85mm | f/1.8 | 540g | £349 | £159 | |
| Samyang AF 24mm f/1.8 Astrophotography · Vlogging & video | Native Third-party | 24mm | f/1.8 | 230g | £399 | £229–294 | |
| Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 Portraits | Native Third-party | 75mm | f/1.8 | 230g | £399 | £159 | |
| Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 Everyday & travel | Native First-party | 28-60mm | f/4-5.6 | 167g | £449 | £126 | |
| Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 Portraits | Native First-party | 85mm | f/1.8 | 371g | £499 | £194–259 | |
| Samyang AF 14mm f/2.8 FE Astrophotography · Landscape | Native Third-party | 14mm | f/2.8 | 485g | £499 | £214–304 | |
| Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Everyday & travel · Vintage / film look | Native Third-party | 45mm | f/2.8 | 215g | £499 | £309–324 | |
| Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD Wildlife & animals · Sports & action | Native Third-party | 70-300mm | f/4.5-6.3 | 545g | £499 | £299–369 | |
| Samyang AF 50mm f/1.4 II Portraits | Native Third-party | 50mm | f/1.4 | 420g | £499 | £164–354 | |
| Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 Astrophotography · Landscape | Native Third-party | 16mm | f/1.8 | 545g | £549 | £429 | |
| Sigma 24mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary Everyday & travel · Vlogging & video · Astrophotography | Native Third-party | 24mm | f/2 | 365g | £599 | £404 | |
| Sigma 35mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary Everyday & travel | Native Third-party | 35mm | f/2 | 325g | £599 | £314 | |
| Sigma 90mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Portraits | Native Third-party | 90mm | f/2.8 | 295g | £599 | £504–524 | |
| Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD Vlogging & video · Everyday & travel | Native Third-party | 20-40mm | f/2.8 | 365g | £599 | £459 | |
| Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD Everyday & travel · Portraits | Native Third-party | 28-75mm | f/2.8 | 550g | £599 | £544–624 | |
| Samyang AF 35mm f/1.4 II Everyday & travel · Portraits | Native Third-party | 35mm | f/1.4 | 645g | £599 | £204–249 | |
| Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.4 Pro Portraits | Native Third-party | 85mm | f/1.4 | 650g | £599 | £414 | |
| Sigma 65mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary Portraits · Everyday & travel | Native Third-party | 65mm | f/2 | 405g | £649 | £474 | |
| Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art Portraits | Native Third-party | 105mm | f/2.8 | 710g | £699 | £524–579 | |
| Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Everyday & travel | Native Third-party | 28-200mm | f/2.8-5.6 | 575g | £699 | £424–524 | |
| Tamron 17-50mm f/4 Di III VXD Everyday & travel · Vlogging & video · Landscape | Native Third-party | 17-50mm | f/4 | 460g | £699 | £404 | |
| Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 Portraits | Native Third-party | 85mm | f/1.4 | 568g | £699 | £434–669 | |
| Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D (manual) Astrophotography · Landscape | Native Third-party (manual focus) | 15mm | f/2 | 500g | £699 | £354 | |
| Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Everyday & travel | Native Third-party | 28-70mm | f/2.8 | 470g | £749 | £619–704 | |
| Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Everyday & travel · Portraits | Native Third-party | 28-75mm | f/2.8 | 540g | £749 | £564–629 | |
| Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Astrophotography · Landscape | Native Third-party | 24mm | f/1.4 | 520g | £749 | £359–509 | |
| Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD Landscape · Astrophotography | Native Third-party | 17-28mm | f/2.8 | 420g | £799 | £499–564 | |
| Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Landscape · Astrophotography · Vlogging & video | Native Third-party | 16-28mm | f/2.8 | 450g | £799 | £719 | |
| Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 Di III VC VXD Everyday & travel · Wildlife & animals | Native Third-party | 28-300mm | f/4-7.1 | 610g | £799 | £589 | |
| Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di III Macro VXD Portraits | Native Third-party | 90mm | f/2.8 | 630g | £799 | £434–449 | |
| Viltrox AF 135mm f/1.8 LAB Portraits | Native Third-party | 135mm | f/1.8 | 1215g | £799 | £574–599 | |
| Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G Astrophotography · Landscape · Vlogging & video | Native First-party | 20mm | f/1.8 | 373g | £849 | £444–574 | |
| Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Everyday & travel · Portraits · Astrophotography | Native Third-party | 35mm | f/1.4 | 640g | £849 | £599 | |
| Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Landscape · Vlogging & video · Astrophotography | Native Third-party | 16-30mm | f/2.8 | 440g | £849 | £779 | |
| Samyang AF 14-24mm f/2.8 Landscape · Astrophotography | Native Third-party | 14-24mm | f/2.8 | 445g | £899 | £929–944 | |
| Samyang AF 24-70mm f/2.8 Everyday & travel · Portraits | Native Third-party | 24-70mm | f/2.8 | 645g | £899 | £414 | |
| Samyang AF 135mm f/1.8 Portraits | Native Third-party | 135mm | f/1.8 | 772g | £899 | £514–554 | |
| Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB Portraits · Everyday & travel | Native Third-party | 35mm | f/1.2 | 1235g | £899 | £554–629 | |
| Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G Everyday & travel · Landscape · Vlogging & video | Native First-party | 20-70mm | f/4 | 488g | £999 | £789–834 | |
| Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary Wildlife & animals · Sports & action | Native Third-party | 100-400mm | f/5-6.3 | 1135g | £999 | £399–774 | |
| Sony FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G Everyday & travel · Vlogging & video | Native First-party | 24-50mm | f/2.8 | 440g | £1,049 | — | |
| Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS Everyday & travel · Landscape · Vlogging & video | Native First-party | 24-105mm | f/4 | 663g | £1,099 | £409–634 | |
| Sony FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G Landscape · Vlogging & video | Native First-party | 16-35mm | f/4 | 353g | £1,099 | £529–764 | |
| Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Portraits | Native Third-party | 85mm | f/1.4 | 625g | £1,099 | £569–609 | |
| Samyang AF 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Portraits · Everyday & travel | Native Third-party | 35-150mm | f/2-2.8 | 1090g | £1,099 | £739 | |
| Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Sports & action · Portraits | Native Third-party | 70-180mm | f/2.8 | 855g | £1,199 | £554–769 | |
| Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Wildlife & animals · Sports & action | Native Third-party | 50-400mm | f/4.5-6.3 | 1155g | £1,199 | £689–784 | |
| Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD Wildlife & animals | Native Third-party | 150-500mm | f/5-6.7 | 1725g | £1,199 | £749–794 | |
| Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art Everyday & travel · Portraits | Native Third-party | 28-45mm | f/1.8 | 960g | £1,199 | £979–1,059 | |
| Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN II Art Everyday & travel · Portraits | Native Third-party | 24-70mm | f/2.8 | 735g | £1,299 | £994–1,139 | |
| Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Landscape · Astrophotography | Native Third-party | 14-24mm | f/2.8 | 795g | £1,299 | £624–834 | |
| Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 GM Portraits · Everyday & travel | Native First-party | 50mm | f/1.4 | 516g | £1,399 | £934 | |
| Sigma 15mm f/1.4 DG DN Diagonal Fisheye Art Astrophotography | Native Third-party | 15mm | f/1.4 | 670g | £1,399 | £1,359 | |
| Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Portraits · Everyday & travel · Astrophotography | Native Third-party | 35mm | f/1.2 | 1090g | £1,399 | £734 | |
| Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Portraits | Native Third-party | 50mm | f/1.2 | 740g | £1,399 | £849–1,079 | |
| Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 Macro G OSS II Sports & action · Wildlife & animals · Portraits | Native First-party | 70-200mm | f/4 | 794g | £1,449 | £1,119–1,219 | |
| Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Astrophotography · Landscape | Native Third-party | 14mm | f/1.4 | 1170g | £1,499 | — | |
| Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Wildlife & animals · Sports & action | Native Third-party | 150-600mm | f/5-6.3 | 2100g | £1,599 | £759–989 | |
| Sigma 135mm f/1.4 DG Art Portraits | Native Third-party | 135mm | f/1.4 | 1420g | £1,599 | £1,619 | |
| Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD Portraits · Everyday & travel | Native Third-party | 35-150mm | f/2-2.8 | 1165g | £1,599 | £779–1,079 | |
| Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Wildlife & animals · Sports & action | Native First-party | 200-600mm | f/5.6-6.3 | 2115g | £1,799 | £839–1,379 | |
| Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM Portraits | Native First-party | 135mm | f/1.8 | 950g | £1,899 | £819–854 | |
| Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM Portraits | Native First-party | 50mm | f/1.2 | 778g | £1,999 | £929–1,159 | |
| Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Wildlife & animals · Sports & action | Native Third-party | 60-600mm | f/4.5-6.3 | 2495g | £1,999 | £1,679 | |
| Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II Everyday & travel · Portraits | Native First-party | 24-70mm | f/2.8 | 695g | £2,099 | £1,079–1,479 | |
| Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG DN OS Sports Sports & action · Portraits | Native Third-party | 70-200mm | f/2.8 | 1300g | £2,299 | £1,359–1,399 | |
| Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II Sports & action · Portraits · Wildlife & animals | Native First-party | 70-200mm | f/2.8 | 1045g | £2,799 | £1,679–1,919 | |
| Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports Wildlife & animals | Native Third-party | 500mm | f/5.6 | 1370g | £3,299 | £1,899–2,079 | |
| Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Sports & action · Wildlife & animals | Native First-party | 400mm | f/2.8 | 2895g | £12,999 | £7,769 | |
| Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS Wildlife & animals | Native First-party | 600mm | f/4 | 3040g | £13,999 | — | |
| Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS Portraits | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 50mm | f/1.8 | 202g | £249 | £114–169 | |
| Viltrox AF 33mm f/1.4 Everyday & travel · Portraits | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 33mm | f/1.4 | 270g | £249 | £132–174 | |
| Viltrox AF 23mm f/1.4 Everyday & travel · Vlogging & video | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 23mm | f/1.4 | 260g | £249 | £169 | |
| Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.4 Portraits | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 56mm | f/1.4 | 290g | £289 | £130–169 | |
| Samyang 12mm f/2 NCS CS (manual) Astrophotography · Vlogging & video | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 12mm | f/2 | 260g | £299 | £120–130 | |
| Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Everyday & travel · Portraits | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 30mm | f/1.4 | 265g | £339 | £199–214 | |
| Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Astrophotography · Vlogging & video · Landscape | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 16mm | f/1.4 | 405g | £399 | £259–289 | |
| Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Portraits | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 56mm | f/1.4 | 280g | £399 | £329–349 | |
| Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 Astrophotography · Vlogging & video · Landscape | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 13mm | f/1.4 | 420g | £399 | £244–274 | |
| Viltrox AF 27mm f/1.2 Pro Everyday & travel · Portraits | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 27mm | f/1.2 | 520g | £399 | £324–369 | |
| Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D (manual) Landscape · Astrophotography · Vlogging & video | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 9mm | f/2.8 | 215g | £399 | £199–244 | |
| Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III VC Everyday & travel | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 18-200mm | f/3.5-6.3 | 460g | £449 | £234–314 | |
| Samyang AF 12mm f/2 Astrophotography · Vlogging & video | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 12mm | f/2 | 213g | £449 | £144–194 | |
| Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.2 Pro Portraits | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 56mm | f/1.2 | 535g | £449 | £389 | |
| Sony E 11mm f/1.8 Vlogging & video · Astrophotography | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 11mm | f/1.8 | 181g | £499 | £344–424 | |
| Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary Everyday & travel · Vlogging & video | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 18-50mm | f/2.8 | 290g | £499 | £434–479 | |
| Sigma 23mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Everyday & travel · Vlogging & video · Astrophotography | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 23mm | f/1.4 | 340g | £499 | £389–399 | |
| Viltrox AF 75mm f/1.2 Pro Portraits | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 75mm | f/1.2 | 670g | £499 | £264–369 | |
| Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Everyday & travel | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 18-135mm | f/3.5-5.6 | 325g | £549 | £274–384 | |
| Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary Landscape · Vlogging & video | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 10-18mm | f/2.8 | 260g | £599 | £544 | |
| Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD Landscape · Vlogging & video · Astrophotography | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 11-20mm | f/2.8 | 335g | £599 | £339–394 | |
| Sony E PZ 10-20mm f/4 G Landscape · Vlogging & video | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 10-20mm | f/4 | 178g | £649 | — | |
| Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD Everyday & travel · Wildlife & animals | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 18-300mm | f/3.5-6.3 | 620g | £649 | £414–464 | |
| Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary Everyday & travel · Wildlife & animals | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 16-300mm | f/3.5-6.7 | 535g | £649 | £539 | |
| Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD Everyday & travel · Vlogging & video | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 17-70mm | f/2.8 | 525g | £699 | £434–524 | |
| Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS Wildlife & animals · Sports & action | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 70-350mm | f/4.5-6.3 | 625g | £899 | £504–664 | |
| Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G Everyday & travel · Vlogging & video | Native · crop Native, in APS-C mode | 16-55mm | f/2.8 | 494g | £1,199 | £714 | |
| Sony 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G SSM II Wildlife & animals · Sports & action | Adapted Via Sony LA-EA5 adapter, autofocus on recent bodies | 70-400mm | f/4-5.6 | 1500g | Discontinued | £249–809 |
Nikon's integrated-grip flagship. Huge battery, tough build and a stacked sensor.
Full-frame Cinema Line body with a fan for unlimited recording. Superb in low light.
Partially stacked 24MP hybrid with fast readout and 70fps bursts.
Sony NP-FZ100 · maker's battery about £65
Z-series battery used across Sony's full-frame bodies, the A6600/A6700, ZV-E10 II and FX cameras. Third-party: SmallRig/Mathorn USB-C versions from about £35. Carry at least one spare.
2×CFexpress A/SD
A CFexpress Type A card (VPG200 or VPG400) unlocks the fastest burst and video modes. A V60 or V90 UHS-II SD card works for most other shooting.
*Used prices on this site come from MPB on 5 November 2026. MPB only lists what it has bought in, so "None listed" means none in their stock that day, not that Sony Alpha A1 is hard to find. Check these trusted UK dealers too.
Real-world shots taken with the Sony Alpha A1. Results are searches on each site, so check the camera or lens listed in each photo's details.
Yes. Full-frame sensor for low light and shallow depth of field. High resolution (50.1MP) for big prints and heavy crops. Pair it with a 70–200mm-equivalent zoom; f/2.8 for indoor or floodlit games.
Yes. Full-frame sensor for low light and shallow depth of field. High resolution (50.1MP) for big prints and heavy crops. Pair it with as much reach as you can carry: 400–600mm equivalent or more.
It uses the Sony E / FE mount. 78 lenses in our database fit natively, including 61 third-party options, and 1 more via adapter (Nikon FTZ).
At MPB, used examples range from £2,439 to £2,769 (checked 5 November 2026), depending on cosmetic grade from Heavily used to Like new.
Yes, it has in-body image stabilisation (IBIS), so every lens is stabilised.