Sony A9 II

QUICKFACT SHEET

The Sony A9 II (aka a9 II, α9 II, Alpha 9 II) is a pro-level/expert-level full-frame mirrorless camera for pros and photography enthusiasts who needs speed performance. It is compact for a full-frame camera and is fully featured with many professional-grade features, accessories and lenses. It offers in-body image stabilization (IBIS). It uses a new stacked CMOS image sensor with integral memory for impressively fast overall readout speed and is the sports-oriented version of the A7 III/IV.

The A9 II allows you to compose your shots using the ultra high resolution 3.69M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) with a high 120fps refresh rate. An Anti-flicker shooting mode reduces the effect of flickering that tends to occur under artificial lighting. Or, you can use the 2.95-inch 1.44M-dot Tilt Touchscreen LCD on the back of the camera. The LCD tilts up about 107° and down about 41°. The LCD is also touch-screen so you can tap a point on the screen to lock focus, and use touch gestures to zoom or swipe right and left when reviewing images.

The Hybrid Real-time AF (Auto Focus) system uses a total of 693 phase detection AF points and 425 Contrast-Detection AF points continuously performs AF/AE calculation up to 60 times/sec. to quickly and precisely lock focus on, and track, your subject. For sharp portraits, Real-time Eye AF reliably locks focus on your subject’s eye (Left, Right, Auto), even when shooting movies. For those who love to shoot pets, Real-time Eye AF for Animals automatically detects and tracks the eyes of animals. The AF range is EV -3-20. Other useful focus features include Focus Magnifier, Zebra, and Focus Peaking. The A9 II incorporates an internal damper structure to absorb the impact of shutter motion for minimum shutter vibration and noise.

Other features include Continuous Shooting at 20fps with AF/AE using the electronic shutter and with no viewfinder blackout, a hot shoe to accept an external speedlite, Wireless Flash Control, RAW, PASM Shooting Modes, ±5 stops Exposure Compensation, Shutter Speed from 1/32000 sec. to 30 sec. (flash-sync shutter speed of 1/250 sec.), Picture Effect, Creative Style, Interval Shooting (Time Lapse video has to be produced on the computer), Voice Memo, faster FTP Transfer, and Silent Mode.

There are dual card slots both accepting UHS-I/II cards.

In designing the A9 II to be able to work in adverse weather conditions, Sony claims to have listened and responded to pro photographers’ feedback:
– “Enhanced sealing is applied to the battery cover, terminal cover and all joints in the chassis.”
– “A double-sealed sliding mechanism replaces the hinge of the media compartment lid for better moisture resistance.”
– “Routes to dust and moisture entry have been re-examined, and a cushion around the lens mount has been added to ensure reliable operation in challenging environments.”

In light of these weather sealing features, the A9 II can be considered somewhat weather resistant. However, its specifications does not provide an industry rating nor does it rate as freeze-proof. Sony is also careful to post a disclaimer that the A9 II is “Not guaranteed to be 100% dust- and moisture-proof.”

There are a number of technical and connectivity features that make the A9 II ideal for photographers who shoot professional sports events and need to get the images back fast to their editors waiting at their remote desks to edit and post them online right away:

• The shutter has been tested for durability in excess of 500,000 shutter-release cycles.
• A large-capacity NP-FZ100 battery and a highly energy-efficient circuit design double operation longevity to professional session lengths (500 shots using the EVF, 690 shots using the LCD). The optional VG-C4EM vertical-position grip adds even longer hours of shooting. In addition, USB Type-C™ and Multi/Micro USB ports allow external mobile batteries to power the camera for further extended recording.
• The camera is compatible with the updated Remote Camera Tool application that, after pairing to assure a secure connection, handles remote single or multi-camera shooting using a wired LAN connection. Remote switching of the camera’s FTP server settings is also possible, as well as remote control of saving and loading settings to/from an SD memory card.
• Connectivity has been improved, with new support for the IEEE 802.11ac 5 GHz band Wi-Fi® when the camera is connected in wireless mode, along with the camera’s USB Type-CTM terminal that supports USB 3.2 Gen 1.
• A dramatically increased number of camera settings can be stored in the memory card, and saved settings can be read by other cameras of the same model. Moreover, up to 10 sets of camera settings can be stored in a memory card, thanks to the Save/Load Setting function. Camera setups can also be imported to the Imaging Edge Mobile application while imported setups can be exported to other cameras of the same model.
• Ratings from 1 to 5 stars can be applied to still images and maintained as the images are imported into the Imaging EdgeTM desktop application (Viewer) running on a PC. This function and a protect function to prevent accidental image deletion can each be assigned to a custom button (C3 by default for protect). Ratings and protection can be applied via review playback display and continuous groups can be reviewed, protected, and deleted while you’re on location or traveling. With the Image Jump Setting, you can now also review large photo collections in 10 or 100-frame jumps, and group-review continuous burst shots for swift, efficient image evaluation.
• You can directly transfer images to an FTP server with significantly higher speed via the camera’s LAN terminal that supports the Ethernet 1000BASE-T standard. It is also possible to upload images to an FTP server through an available wireless access point. The camera supports either transfer mode in the background while shooting. Up to nine servers may be pre-registered for fast menu selection.

The Sony A9 II is supported by a system of high quality lenses, vertical grip, external flashes, microphones, monitor hood, shooting grip with wireless remote commander, grip extension, and software that further expand the shooting system.

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The Sony A9 II (2019, US $4,499.99), together with the A7R III, precipitated the exodus of professional photographers from DSLR to mirrorless technology. The exceptional full-frame image quality, fast performance and various advantages that only mirrorless could provide convinced them that they could produce the same high quality images their craft demanded with a smaller and lighter camera. If you need or prefer to shoot onto a full-frame sensor, we highly recommend the Sony A9 II.

For those who shoot landscape, check out the Sony A7R III (2017, US $2,499.99) with 42.4MP or the Sony A7R IV (2019, US $3,499.99) with 61MP.

If you do not need 61MP resolution, check out the Sony A7 III (2018, US $1,999.99) with 24.2MP.

If you instead shoot a lot in challenging low-light conditions and also needs as an excellent video camera, you may want to check out the Sony A7S III (2020, US $3,499.99) with 12MP, a standard ISO range of ISO 80-102400 for stills and movies (expandable ISO range: 40-409600 for stills, 80-409600 for movies), Hybrid Phase- and Contrast-Detection AF with an AF low-light performance of -6EV.

If the Sony A9 II is the camera that is best for you, please support this site by ordering it as well as accessories from our Trusted Sponsor B&H Photo-Video, the Professional’s Source, satisfying millions of customers for over 35 years (prices are in USD):

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Related Links:

• Sony A9 II Press Release
• Sony A9 II Technical Specs
• Sony A9 II Instruction Manual
• Sony A9 II Software & App Download
• Sony A9 II Firmware Update