Sony has launched its all-new A1 II mirrorless camera which has several speed and performance improvements over its predecessor.
The A1 II uses the same 50.1MP stacked CMOS sensor as the original A1 and it’s capable of shooting full-resolution RAW photos at 30 frames per second and up to 8K video at 30p (as well as 4K video at 120p).
The company has paired that sensor with its Bionz XR image processing engine, but added a dedicated AI processor to handle subject recognition and autofocus.
As a result of that dedicated AI processing unit, Sony promises substantial improvements in autofocus accuracy. It says that the camera is 50 per cent better at locking eye focus on birds and 30 per cent better at eye autofocus when it comes to other animals and humans.
Also, you won’t need to toggle between different subject-detection modes, with the camera automatically handling that for you. Sony’s pre-capture feature also offers a one-second buffer that can capture up to 30 frames before fully depressing the shutter button, while the Continuous Shooting Speed Boost can temporarily change the burst shooting speed.
One of the significant updates to this camera is the inclusion of Sony’s most powerful in-body image stabilization (IBIS) to date. The A1 II has 8.5 stops of stabilization – three additional stops of stabilization over the original A1.
As for video, it can also record 4K video at 120 fps and FHD footage at 240 fps for slow motion.
The A1 II weighs in at 743grams, just 6grams more than its A1. It has borrowed some design features from the A9 III. Carried over from the A9 III is the new camera’s deeper grip as well as 3.2-inch four-axis LCD screen and 9.44-million dot OLED viewfinder with 240Hz refresh rate.
As for connectivity, the A1 II has a full-sized HDMI connection, USB-C and an upgraded Ethernet port that supports transfer speeds of up to 2.5Gbps.
In addition to the A1 II, Sony has also debuted a new FE 28-70mm f/2 GM zoom lens to launch alongside it.
Both the lens and the A1 II are expected to be available in December, with the A1 II priced at A$10,999 and the lens priced at A$5,299.
