Sony announces the $10,999 Alpha 1 II flagship camera
Sony's long-awaited successor to its four-year-old A1 is here, with the overnight announcement of the AI II full-frame mirrorless camera.
The sensor
First off, some will be disappointed to read that the AI II used the same 50.1MP stacked CMOS sensor as the original A1, although Sony says image quality at mid-to-high ISOs is improved thanks to a new BIONZ XR image processing engine.
Autofocus
A dedicated AI processing unit (likely similar to those found in the A7R V and A9 III) promises improved autofocus performance and is capable of recognising up to seven different subject types.
This includes insects, cars, trains and airplanes in addition to the A1's original humans, animals and birds.
Handily, all recognition modes are now available in movie modes as well, and the system can specifically target key parts of recognised subjects, such as a helmet.
If you're wondering if this makes the autofocus overly complex, Sony has already considered this, and added a new “Auto” feature that allows the camera to automatically recognise the subject target without specifying a subject mode.
There will be a slight penalty in autofocus performance while the camera identifies the type of subject in front of the lens, but it is possible to limit which types of subjects the Auto mode selects between.
And when you've identified your subject, the camera offers blackout-free high-speed continuous shooting with AF/AE tracking at up to 30 frames per second, which can track complex movements with AF/AE calculations at up to 120 times per second.
Following other manufacturers like Nikon, the A1 II also includes a Pre-Capture function, which allows images to be captured up-to one second before the shutter button is pressed, while the Continuous Shooting Speed Boost can temporarily change the burst shooting speed.
Anti-distortion shutter
It's no global shutter as found on the A9 III, but the A1 II features an 'anti-distortion' shutter that enables shooting with reduced distortion.
Sony says this is one factor that improves low noise performance at mid to high-sensitivity, allowing users to capture images with less noise and clear backgrounds even in indoor sports where a high shutter speed is required.
Additionally, the A1 II has improved optical image stabilisation of up to 8.5 stops (centre) and 7.0 stops (periphery) when shooting still images, up from a 5.5 stop rating on the A1.
Build
Physically, the II is largely similar to the original A1, with the new model weighing in at just 743g, just 6g more than its predecessor.
Sony says it does include "thoughtful design updates" to the grip, a slightly angled position of the shutter button, and evolved custom buttons over its predecessor however, bringing it into alignment with the A9 III.
The A1 II has the same 9.44M dot 0.90x EVF as the original, although Sony says you can now run in 120fps mode with display quality set to 'high', and there's a new deep-type padded eyepiece cup accessory for additional viewing support.
A standard eyepiece comes attached to the camera by default but can be swapped with the deep pad option if desired.
The rear LCD also sees a marginal improvement, from 3' to 3.2" and 1.44M to 2.1M dots.
The a1 II uses Sony's standard NP-FZ100 batteries, and includes a dual-battery charger in the box, which the company claims is capable of charging two batteries in about 155 minutes. Its CIPA rated to give 420 shots per charge when using the rear screen.
Video
The A1 II makes relatively minimal changes to the video formula of the original. This means 8K capture at up to 30p, and full-width 4K capture at up to 60p.
However, its now possible to import up to 16 custom LUTs that can be used to preview what Log footage will look like when graded.
There's also a 'Dynamic active' image stabilisation mode, which Sony says increases stabilisation by up to 20% compared to the standard 'Active' mode.
Connectivity
Sony has made strides in the A1 II's connectivity, and although most of this functionality will only be of use to professional working photographers, its an obvious inclusion for the company's flagship.
The standout feature is the inclusion of 2.5GBASE-T via wired LAN, compared to the 1GB LAN of the A1.
Additionally, captured data can be automatically transferred to Adobe Lightroom or Google Drive via Sony's cloud storage service, Creators' Cloud.
Our thoughts
Despite the four-year wait for the Sony A1 II, the update appears on paper at least, largely iterative, with the new camera sharing the same sensor and similar video specs to its predecessor.
You can think of the A1 II more as a usability upgrade to the A1, as it inherits an improved autofocus system and physical changes to make the camera more functional, but really does lack any of the truly game-changing features that made the original A1 so compelling at launch.
We hope to give it a proper review soon.
Pricing and availability
The A1 II will be available in Australia at the end of December 2024, and will have an RRP of $10,999, the same as the original A1 when it was released.
Find out more at Sony.com.au.