The Sony α7, α7R, α7S and α7C (the α is sometimes spelled out as Alpha) are four closely related families of full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras.

The α7C introduced an even more compact form factor, being the smallest full-frame camera with in-body image stabilization.

[citation needed] The basic α7 II model has 24 MP and has manual focus and hybrid autofocus.

[citation needed] The second generation common ground is the newer and improved body design as well as the world's first five-axis sensor-shift image stabilization system for a full-frame ILC.

This processing is one of the bottlenecks in digital camera speed, so manufacturers put much effort into making, and marketing, the fastest processors for this step that they can.

Sony designs the circuitry of the processor in-house, and outsources the manufacturing to semiconductor foundries such as MegaChips and (mostly) GlobalFoundries, as they currently do not own any fabrication plant capable of producing a system on a chip (SoC).

[1] Sony also sources DRAM chips from various manufacturers namely Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron Technology.

The first chip is an SoC that manages overall functionality of the camera such as SD card storage management, wired connection such as USB and HDMI, and wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi and NFC that are increasingly common on modern Sony α cameras.

The Sony α (Alpha) cameras, particularly the α7 and α7R models, garnered widespread acclaim from critics and industry experts.