Sony Finally Upgrades Alpha A1 Flagship Camera

2024.11.19

Three and a half years after launching a flagship Full-Frame Mirrorless Digital Camera that bridged resolution and speed in a single model, the Alpha A1, Sony unveiled its successor. These digital cameras remain unique on the market as every other manufacturer makes separate flagship high-resolution and high-speed cameras.

The Sony Alpha A1 II very much builds from the original while adopting ergonomic improvements from the A9 III, the top Sony camera for action photography. New to the A1 II is a 5-axis IBIS system that compensates for up to 8½-stops of camera shake. This is the highest image-stabilization performance achievable to date, matching the OM System OM-1 Mark II. This is also a new processor that promises improvement in subject-recognition and AF tracking performance.

The core of the A1 II remains the same 50 Megapixels Exmor RS Stacked-CMOS sensor that was launched with the original A1. Without being the highest-resolution or the fastest in the line-up, this sensor strikes an excellent compromise between image-detail and continuous drive speed. The sensor has an ISO 100-32000 standard sensitivity range which is expandable to ISO 50-102400. Continuous drive reaches 30 FPS which can even be used in Pre-Capture mode with the Sony Alpha A1 II.

Ergonomically, the new A1 II is identical to the A9 III. This is one of the rare camera bodies with 4 control-dials and comes with numerous dedicated dials for Exposure Mode, Drive Mode and Focus Mode. There are plenty of customizable buttons around this mirrorless. Another change inherited from the A9 III is a 4-axis tiling screen. This lets the reear LCD, now with 2 megapixels of resolution, tilt vertically and horizontally. The viewfinder on the A1 II remains the best one around. It is a 9 Megapixels 0.64" EVF with 0.9X Magnification, 100% Coverage and an essential Eye-Start Sensor. The OLED panel used in the EVF refreshes at 240 FPS.

This is an extremely capable digital camera for both photography and videography. It has enough resolution to record 8K video, which it can at 30 FPS in 8-bits. Much faster 4K @ 120 FPS is possible at 10-bits. Audio can be captured in stereo or 4-channel when using a special microphone via the Multi-Interface Hot-Shoe. This camera has a large feature-set, including 200 MP Super-Resolution capture and Multi-Frame RAW Noise-Reduction that combines 4-32 frames to average out noise.

As anyone expects from a camera of this class, the A1 II is weatherproof. It has dual memory-card slots, each of which can accept SDXC UHS-II or CF Express Type A cards. The camera runs on a single proprietary Lithium-Ion battery that gives it a 420-shot battery-life. The camera comes bundled with a USB-C charger than charges 2 batteries simultaneously. There are also 2 USB-C ports on the camera, one which accepts Power-Delivery. An Gigabit Ethernet port, Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi round-out connectivity.

Sony plans to ship the Alpha A1 II next month for $6500 USD or $8500 CAD. Both Adorama and B&H Photo are already accepting pre-orders. Pre-orders yours quickly to increase your chances of being among the first with the new Sony flagship Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera.

• Digital Camera