GEAR GROUP TEST
SPECIFICATIONS
Price: £6299/$6498 body only Sensor type/size: 50.1-megapixel, stacked BSI CMOS, full-frame Shutter type: Focal plane mechanical, plus rolling electronic Max stills frame rate: 30fps with e-shutter, 10fps mechanical LCD: Four-axis tilting 3.2-inch touchscreen LED, 2095k dots Viewfinder: Electronic OLED, 100% coverage, 9437k dots, 240fps Formats: 8K/30p 4:2:0 10-bit. 4K up to 120p, FHD to 240p, 10-bit 4:2:2 internal capture up to 600Mbps in H.265/All-I H.254. Raw 16-bit 4.3K, 4K/60p 4:2:2 10-bit, 8K/30p, 4K/60p 4:2:0 8-bit recorded external via HDMI Storage: 2x CFexpress Type A or SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots Dimensions (wxhxd): 136.1x96.9x82.9mm/ 5.4x3.8x3.3in Weight: 743g/1.6lb body only
ALPHA BET PAYS OFF Sony bet big by sticking with the four-year-old A1’s sensor – but with improved AF and handling, the Mark II is set to outshine its predecessor SONY A1 II W hen we tested the Sony A1 at launch back in 2021, we highlighted its appeal for pros shooting moving and still images. The A1 was the ultimate do-everything mirrorless – if you could afford it. JACK OF ALL TRADES The mighty Sony A1 II handles fast action, high-quality studio work and pretty much
and an improved, ergonomically designed body including a fully articulating screen replacing the old tilt-only version. There’s an upgraded IBIS system, enabling an improvement to 8.5 stops in the centre and seven stops at the periphery when shooting still images, plus a new Dynamic Active mode for video. The camera’s new four-axis 3.2-inch LCD monitor is just one of several design updates, alongside an improved grip, repositioned shutter button, refined custom buttons and an optional deep, padded eyepiece cup. Additionally, the A1 II now includes a charger that juices up to two Z batteries simultaneously in 155 minutes. A new real-time
Four years on, and the Mark II version is here. At first glance, it seems to be far from a huge leap ahead. It retains the 50.1-megapixel full-frame sensor of the original A1, as well as all its codecs and frame rates – though with slightly improved image clarity at mid-to- high sensitivities. But you need to really pixel-peep to notice this. The big news is the AI processing unit, which brings advanced subject recognition that newer but lesser Sony cameras already have, plus features from the recent A9 III sports camera. This includes stills pre-capture of up to one second
both video and stills – especially of fast-moving subjects. It offered high resolution for detailed stills as well as impressive frame rates and awesome AF for fast-paced work. With 8K video spec that exceeded even the A7S III, it was the perfect buy for anyone who blends both
everything else you want to throw at it
“There’s an upgraded image stabilisation system, enabling an improvement to 8.5 stops”
56
PRO MOVIEMAKER
Powered by FlippingBook