ISSUE 122
40 / GEAR
GROUP TEST
Pixel power or pure speed?
£6299/£5099
sony.co.uk
Sony’s flagship A1 II and A9 III tested by both humans and science to see which is the best for your needs With Sony at the cutting edge of technology in its priciest, flagship full-frame mirrorless cameras, buying the wrong one could be an expensive mistake if you don’t know exactly what you need. The £5099 A9 III and £6299 A1 II might share virtually identical bodies, processors and clever AF systems, but offer something very different in terms of what they can do. It might not be as obvious as it seems. It’s easy to write off the A9 III as being purely a camera for fast-action shooting thanks to its incredible speed in terms of frame rates. But for flash users and strobists, its clever global sensor offers something no other mirrorless camera does: no limit on flash sync speed. So if you want to shoot fast lenses wide open, using flash or not, on portrait or fashion subjects, then the A9 III could be the optimal buy for you. Alternatively, the A1 II might seem the best all-rounder, as it offers twice the resolution in stills and 8K video, as well as high-speed capture – although not in the same league as the A9 III. But its ace could be its lower-base ISO that lets you open up your lenses more for creative effect. Its higher maximum ISO means it works great at low light, even compared to the lower pixel count of the A9 III. This is a test that delves deeper than most. Our reviews usually are mostly hands-on, shooting what these cameras are designed for in the real world and closely inspecting the results. And of course, that’s what we’ve done. But this time, we’ve been using both cameras for lots of different shoots over many months. As members of the prestigious Technical Image Press Association (TIPA), we also have full access to some of the most high-tech test facilities in the world. So we also had the cameras put through their paces by independent experts to add authoritative data. This means we’re armed with measurements and charts that cover a wide range of individual performance parameters for stills and video, such as resolution, high-contrast detail at
TIPA rating
Sony A1 II Video image quality 85 Photo image quality 77 Sony A9 III Video image quality 81 Photo image quality 73
different ISO settings, noise, colour reproduction and lots more. TIPA comes up with separate scores for video and photo image quality, and they form part of our verdict. So here we present the definitive test on the latest flagship mirrorless cameras for both stills and video use, to help Sony users make the right choice. What’s so good about these Sony flagships? Full-frame mirrorless wondercams are being snapped up by well-heeled and keen enthusiasts, even including professionals because they’re compact and pack in incredible spec as well as amazing image quality and high-bit- rate video. These priciest Sony models have stunning, AI-driven autofocus, plus very fast frame rates and blackout-free viewing thanks to their stacked sensors. Both cameras have the same, high- resolution viewfinder, use the same batteries and have pre-capture, to start taking photos up to a second before the shutter is actually triggered. Both are weather sealed, rugged and use an improved, ergonomically designed body including a fully articulating 3.2-
MASTER OF ALL TRADES The A1 II is far from a slouch when it comes to action, such as this shot of classic racers
If you want to see more sample images and video shot by both cameras, then head to our website photographynews.co.uk . There are lots of stills, plus a video compilation of footage from both cameras, often shot side-by-side at the same event. See for yourself!
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