@photonewspn | photographynews.co.uk
GEAR / 41
OFF THE CHART The speedy A9 III is perfect for action shots (below) but its lower resolution hinders its TIPA score rating is 77 for stills and 85 for video. That’s the highest in both categories of both cameras in our test. The video animals, birds, insects and vehicles. A new auto mode can automatically recognise the subject target without specifying a subject mode. The A9 III has the same system but no auto mode. There’s also an upgraded in-body image stabilisation system that enables an improvement to 8.5 stops in the centre, as well as a new dynamic active mode for video. The A9 III offers a maximum of eight stops. All these changes make a real difference in handling. The A1 II can shoot photos at up to 30fps blackout- free, and for video it retains 8K/30p and 4K/120p 10-bit like its predecessor. Or 240fps if you don’t mind HD, with little rolling shutter artefacts. In terms of image quality, the TIPA inch LCD screen that replaces the old tilt-only version. Both cameras use a pair of UHS- II SD card slots that also accept the new CFexpress Type A cards, which you’ll need to invest in to access the fastest frame rates for stills and video. But under the surface, there are many important differences to consider. Big-money Alpha bet pays off Sony gambled that retaining the sensor of the four-year-old A1, but improving AF and handling, would ensure the Mark II is still a winner. Like the original 50.1-megapixel Sony A1 from 2021, it offers high-resolution detail that you can crop into hugely. The new version is still the ultimate do-everything mirrorless – if you can afford it, of course. If you’re a landscape or studio fan, then the cheaper A7R V offers a few more pixels, but its non-stacked sensor is totally outclassed by the stacked sensors in the A1 II and A9 III. What’s new on the A1 II is the AI processing unit for stills, but it now also works for video. The new processor has human pose estimation that recognises a person’s head and torso. It also tracks
Specifications
Sony A1 II Price £6299 body-only Sensor type/size 50.1 megapixels 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 Video formats 8K up to 30p, 4K up to 120p, FHD to 240p. Raw 16-bit external via HDMI Storage 2x CFexpress Type A or SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots Dimensions (wxhxd) 136.1x96.9x82.9mm Weight 743g/1.6lb body-only Sony A9 III Price £5099 body-only Sensor type/size 24.6 megapixels stacked BSI-CMOS, full-frame Shutter type Global electronic Max stills frame rat e 120fps LCD Four-axis tilting 3.2-inch touchscreen LED, 2095k dots Viewfinder Electronic OLED, 100% coverage, 9437k dots Video formats 4K/120p FHD up to 240p. Raw 16-bit 4.6K/60p recorded external via HDMI Storage 2x CFexpress Type A or SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots
Dimensions (wxhxd) 136.1x96.9x82.9mm Weight 617g/1.4lb body-only
score is the highest of any camera TIPA has ever tested, but this is skewed towards high-resolution cameras. In the real world, lower noise and more accurate colours with rich, detailed files are more useful. The ISO range goes from 100- 32,000, expandable 50-102,400. The noise is excellent up to around ISO 6400. If you often need to go higher than that, you might need some noise reduction software. The electronic viewfinder is improved, but you’ll need at least one spare battery for a full day of shooting. Its stills performance is simply amazing, with studio-quality files when needed and high-resolution files at up to 30fps when you need speed. However, that frame rate is only with certain Sony lenses and with compressed Raw or HEIF files, or else it drops to 20fps. For the most detail, the Pixel Shift setting takes four Raw shots, which are then combined into a 200-megapixel image in Sony software. It’s amazing versatility like this and pretty much no compromises that make the A1 II such a great mirrorless camera. It’s more camera than most will ever need.
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