Sony is trying to reclaim any technological footing it lost last year to the Nikon Z9 and Canon EOS R3 cameras. While Sony was at the forefront for years with advanced features like real-time autofocus and eye tracking, its competitors have recently made huge strides to catch up. Now, Sony is announcing its new $3,899.99 A7R V camera – and it’s baking in an AI processing unit for the sole purpose of getting back in the lead of the autofocus rat race. The A7R V maintains the massive 61 megapixels of the prior A7R IV, but the backside-illuminated full-frame sensor and Bionz XR processor are now paired with a dedicated AI processing unit. Sony says its autofocus can do things like accurately focus on the eye of a subject that’s partially obscured or turned in profile. The A7R V also includes an improved in-body image stabilisation system with up to eight stops of compensation, 8K video recording at 24p / 25p with a 1.2x crop, and a redesigned four-axis articulating rear display that can quickly pull out for waist-level shooting and turn for front-facing recording.