NA-α1

Sony Alpha 1

The Sony α1 is the company's flagship full-frame interchangeable lens camera.  Designed around the new 50.1MP Exmor RS BSI CMOS sensor and the BIONZ XR processor, the a1 is truly a camera which can do it all.  It's 759 point Fast Hybrid Autofocus system offers advanced subject tracking and real-time eye autofocus on both humans and animals.  The optimized processing within the a1 allows it to achieve 30fps continuous shooting at full resolution along with 8K 30p and 4K 120p 10-bit video recording.   

8K 30p recording is possible using the full width of the sensor while 4K 120p uses a 10% crop.  Through a Super 35 crop, oversampled 4K recording is also achievable, via an 5.8K capture area.  For shooters who demand more post production flexibility, 4.3K raw 16-bit recording is possible to an external recorder using the camera's full size HDMI A port.  

The a1 has also received major upgrades compared to its predecessors, including a 9.44M-dot OLED EVF with a 240fps refresh rate.  The newly designed shutter allows for flash sync speeds up to 1/400 sec and the body includes dual card slots supporting either CFexpress Type A or SD UHS-II memory cards.  

Sony Alpha α1 Key Specifications

• 50.1MP Exmor RS BSI CMOS full-frame sensor
• 759 point Fast Hybrid AF with tracking
• 30 fps burst shooting with electronic shutter
• 9.44M dot OLED viewfinder with 240fps refresh rate
• 8K 30p and 4K 120p video in 10-bit
• 4.3K 16-bit Raw video output
• Dual UHS-II / CFexpress Type A card slots

The Nauticam NA-α1 Underwater Housing

Nauticam has supported the Sony Alpha full-frame line since the original a7 with professional grade aluminum housings that offer intuitive access to all the controls and functions of the cameras. As the cameras have evolved, so have the Nauticam housings. The NA-α1 underwater housing provides fingertip access to all key camera controls in a rugged and reliable aluminum underwater housing. Ergonomic camera control access is one of the defining strengths of a Nauticam housing, and the NA-α1 continues this tradition.

Integrated DSLR-housing styled handles with ergonomic rubberized grips and stainless steel stiffening brackets add stability and accessory mounting points. The NA-a1 also features dual rear thumb-levers that are easily reached from the handle that access three of the most-used controls on the rear of the camera. The right lever actuates the AF-ON and RECORD buttons while the left lever is mapped to the PLAY button.

Atop the housing on the left side are controls in the form of a MODE dial and FOCUS mode lever. The C1, C2 buttons as well as the EV compensation dial also have direct access from the top of the housing. The C3, which is typically assigned to control switching between the EVF and the LCD screen is easily reachable on the rear of the housing from the left handle.

Accessory Ports

The NA-α1 has both an M24 port at the front of the housing for both HDMI 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 connectivity (see sidebar for recommendations) as well as an M14 at the rear for the optional Vacuum Valve (25624). The housing comes with electronics pre-installed for Nauticam's Vacuum Check and Leak Detection system. This monitoring system provides constant updates on the water tight and safe-to-dive status of the housing. A simple color coded LED lighting system lets the user know that the vacuum is solid, or that the housing is losing vacuum. Leak detection is built into the same circuit, so if there is water intrusion, an audible and visual indication will occur. The Nauticam system is temperature compensated, eliminating false alarms caused by a change in outside temperature, or from a camera heating up on an action packed dive.

Premium Professional Optics

Nauticam's wide range of ports and in-house corrective optics are the perfect compliment to the NA-α1's inherent flexibility. Built around the N100 Port System, the NA-α1 supports a wide variety of Sony FE mount lenses, as well as EF mount lenses via adapters. In addition, there are several options available to use the groundbreaking WACP and WACP-2 wide-angle corrective lenses as well as the more compact and in-water removable WWL-1B.

For example, With the Sony SEL1635GM FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM, the WACP 2 brings the original 105º field-of-view to an impressive 128º with sharper corners, an ~0" minimum focus distance and a more natural looking image than would be provided by a standard glass dome port.

Flash Triggering

Both fiber-optic and electrical strobe triggering options are available. The Nauticam Universal Fiber Optical cables attach to the built-in bulkheads atop the housing and feature modular connections for both Sea&Sea-style bushings and INON threaded connections. Triggering is achieved using the optional Nauticam Mini Flash Trigger for Sony (26302) which uses LEDs powered by an on-board coin-cell battery to generate a manual signal that is transmitter via the optical cables to compatible strobes.