Introduction
The Sony Alpha 1 II, or Sony A1 II for short, is a brand new flagship 35mm full-frame mirrorless camera which boasts all of Sony’s latest cutting-edge still photography and video technologies.
This camera has a 35mm full-frame stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor offering a resolution of 50.1 megapixels. The native sensitivity range is ISO 100-32,000, which can be expanded down to ISO 50 and up to ISO 102,400.
For video, it offers 8K/30p 10-bit 4:2:0 XAVC HS video recording with 8.6K oversampling, up to to 4K 120p 10-bit 4:2:2 (with a 10% crop), and Full HD at 240fps movie shooting capabilities, and it can also output 16-bit Raw video over HDMI.
The A1 II has a blackout-free 240fps EVF with 9.44M dots, 4-axis LCD screen, 8.5-stops of in-body image stabilization (IBIS), dust and moisture resistance, and dual BIONZ XR processors which provide the latest AI-based Real-time Recognition AF system.
The AF system has 759 on-sensor phase detection points that covers approximately 92% of the image area and can auto-focus down to EV-4 in low light. The new A1 II now has a dedicated AI chip that provides Subject Recognition AF modes for stills and movies, including a new Auto subject mode.
There are special Pre-capture and Continuous Shooting Speed Boost modes, the latter allowing you to select 30fps at the press of a button, if you’re not already shooting in it.
The new Composite Raw shooting mode takes up to 32 images to reduce noise through Sony’s Imaging Edge software, with handheld shooting possible. It also adds a brand new Noise Reduction pixel shift mode which produces super low-noise composite images using the same process.
Other key specs include 30fps burst shooting, weather-sealing, electronic shutter flash sync, a new 2.5Gbps wired LAN port, up to 530 shot battery life, and dual memory card slots.
It sits right at the top of the Sony Alpha range, above the 61 megapixel landscape-focused A7R V, 120fps sports-orientated A9 III and the 4K video-centric A7S III, with the cheaper A7 IV all-rounder and the super-compact A7C II positioned below those three models.
The Sony A1 II is priced at £6300 / €7500 / $6500 body-only in the UK, Europe and USA respectively.
It’s compatible with the VG-C5 vertical grip which is priced at £390 / $400 / €450.
Image Quality
All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 50 megapixel Extra Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 30Mb.
The Sony A1 II produced images of outstanding quality during the review period.
The Alpha 1 II has an extensive and very usable expanded ISO range of 50-102400. When shooting JPEG, ISO 50-00 is virtually noise-free, while ISO 12800 and 25600 produce more than acceptable results, and even ISO 51200 and 102400 are OK for emergency use.
The long exposure photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and the Bulb mode offering lots of scope for creative night photography.
The effective Dynamic Range Optimizer function extracts more detail from the shadow and highlight areas in an image, without introducing any unwanted noise or other artifacts.
The various Picture Profiles quickly produce special looks for your JPEG files that would otherwise require you to spend a lot of time in the digital darkroom, while the Creative Looks provide a quick and easy way to tweak the camera’s JPEG and Raw image output.
Noise
There are 12 ISO settings available on the Sony A1. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting for the JPEG format.
File Quality
The Sony A1 has 4 different JPEG image quality settings available, with Extra Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.
| Extra Fine (23.2Mb) | Fine (11Mb) |
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| Standard (6.8Mb) | Light (4.13Mb) |
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Pixel Shift Multi Shoot
In the Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode, the Sony A1 shoots either 4 or 16 uncompressed RAW images whilst shifting the image sensor either one pixel or a 1/4 of a pixel at a time. You can then generate images with a higher resolution than is possible with regular shooting by combining the RAW images on a computer using the Imaging Edge (Remote/Viewer/Edit) application.
Dynamic Range Optimizer
D-Range Optimiser (DRO) is Sony’s solution to improve shadow detail in photos taken in contrasty light. There are 5 different levels and an Auto option.
Creative Looks
There are 10 Creative Look preset effects that you can use to change the look of your images. They can be applied to both JPEGs and Raw files.
Picture Profiles
The Sony A1 offers a range of 11 creative Picture Profiles, which can only be selected when JPEG is set as the image quality option.
Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Sony A1 II camera, which were all taken using the 50 megapixel JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
Sample RAW Images
The Sony A1 II enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We’ve provided some Sony RAW (ARW) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).
Product Images
Main Rivals
Listed below are some of the rivals of the Sony A1 II.
The EOS R5 Mark II is the eagerly awaited successor to Canon’s hottest full-frame camera, the R5, which was released way back in 2020. Still offering 45 megapixel resolution and 8K video, the R5 II ups the ante by greatly improving the auto-focus system, burst shooting speeds, image stabilisation and video recording performance. Check out our Canon R5 Mark II review so far, complete with full-size sample JPEG and RAW photos!
As the spiritual successor to the popular D850 DSLR, the new Z8 full-frame mirrorless camera could turn out to be one of the most important products that Nikon have ever released. Read our in-depth Nikon Z8 review, complete with full-size sample photos and videos, to find out more about this mirrorless marvel…
The Nikon Z9 is a professional level, full-frame mirrorless camera for photographers and videographers that features a 45 megapixel stacked BSI sensor, 8K/30p and 4K/120p video recording, 30fps burst shooting and a dual-grip design. Read our in-depth Nikon Z9 review complete with full-size sample photos and videos to find out just what this flagship camera is capable of…
The Sony Alpha 1 camera, or Sony A1 for short, is the best camera that Sony have ever released, and currently the best all-round camera on the market. It’s also one of the most expensive, so read our in-depth Sony A1 review complete with full-size sample JPEG and Raw photos and movies to find out if it’s truly the One for you…
The Sony A7R V full-frame camera is a hybrid powerhouse that in some ways outperforms even the flagship Alpha 1 model. Can this exciting camera really meet the needs of all kinds of photographers? Read our in-depth Sony A7R V review to find out…
“The power of one frame” – that’s the ethos of the new Sony A9 III, the first ever full-frame mirrorless camera to feature a global shutter. Why does that actually matter? This technological leap forwards allows the A9III to shoot at up to 1/80000th shutter speed with no distortion, provides flash-sync at any shutter speed, and offers a 120fps blackout-free burst mode at full 24 megapixel resolution. Read our early review of the revolutionary Sony A9 III to find out more, complete with sample photos.
Specifications
General
CAMERA TYPE
Interchangeable lens digital camera
Camera Section
SENSOR TYPE
35mm full frame (35.9 x 24.0 mm), Exmor RS CMOS sensor
NUMBER OF PIXELS (TOTAL)
Approx. 50.5 megapixels
NUMBER OF PIXELS (EFFECTIVE)
Still images: Approx. 50.1 megapixels max.,Movies: Approx. 42.0 megapixels max.
COLOR TEMPERATURE RANGE
2500 K – 9900 K
Recording (still images)
RECORDING FORMAT
JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver. 2.32, MPF Baseline compliant), HEIF (MPEG-A MIAF compliant), RAW (Sony ARW 5.0 format compliant)
IMAGE SIZE (PIXELS) [3:2]
35mm full frame L: 8640 x 5760 (50 M), M: 5616 x 3744 (21 M), S: 4320 x 2880 (12 M)
Recording (movie)
VIDEO COMPRESSION
XAVC S: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264,XAVC HS: MPEG-H HEVC/H.265
AUDIO RECORDING FORMAT
LPCM 2ch (48 kHz 16 bit), LPCM 2ch (48 kHz 24 bit), LPCM 4ch (48 kHz 24 bit)
Recording System (movie)
MOVIE RECORDING FORMAT (XAVC HS 8K)
7680 x 4320 (4:2:0, 10bit) (Approx.): 29.97p (400 Mbps / 200 Mbps), 25p (400 Mbps / 200 Mbps), 23.98p (400 Mbps / 200 Mbps), 7680 x 4320 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.): 29.94p (520 Mbps / 260 Mbps), 25p (520 Mbps / 260 Mbps), 23.98p (520 Mbps / 260 Mbps)
MOVIE RECORDING FORMAT (XAVC HS 4K)
3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 10bit) (Approx.): 119.88p (200 Mbps), 100p (200 Mbps), 59.94p (150 Mbps / 75 Mbps / 45 Mbps), 50p (150 Mbps / 75 Mbps / 45 Mbps), 23.98p (100 Mbps / 50 Mbps / 30 Mbps), 3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (approx.): 119.88p (280 Mbps), 100p (280 Mbps), 59.94p (200 Mbps / 100 Mbps), 50p (200 Mbps / 100 Mbps), 23.98p (100 Mbps / 50 Mbps)
MOVIE RECORDING FORMAT (XAVC S 4K)
3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.): 119.88p (200 Mbps), 100p (200 Mbps), 59.94p (150 Mbps), 50p (150 Mbps), 29.97p (100 Mbps / 60 Mbps), 25p (100 Mbps / 60 Mbps), 23.98p (100 Mbps / 60 Mbps), 3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.): 119.88p (280 Mbps), 100p (280 Mbps), 59.94p (200 Mbps), 50p (200 Mbps), 29.97p (140 Mbps), 25p (140 Mbps), 23.98p (100 Mbps)
MOVIE RECORDING FORMAT (XAVC S HD)
1920 x 1080 (4:2:0, 8bit) (Approx.): 119.88p (100 Mbps / 60 Mbps), 100p (100 Mbps / 60 Mbps), 59.94p (50 Mbps / 25 Mbps), 50p (50 Mbps / 25 Mbps), 29.97p (50 Mbps / 16 Mbps), 25p (50 Mbps / 16 Mbps), 23.98p (50 Mbps), 1920 x 1080 (4:2:2, 10bit) (approx.): 59.94p (50 Mbps), 50p (50 Mbps), 29.97p (50 Mbps), 25p (50 Mbps), 23.98p (50 Mbps)
MOVIE RECORDING FORMAT (XAVC S-I 4K)
3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.): 59.94p (600 Mbps), 50p (500 Mbps), 29.97p (300 Mbps), 25p (250 Mbps), 23.98p (240 Mbps)
MOVIE RECORDING FORMAT (XAVC S-I HD)
1920 x 1080 (4:2:2, 10bit) (Approx.): 59.94p (222 Mbps), 50p (185 Mbps), 29.97p (111 Mbps), 25p (93 Mbps), 23.98p (89 Mbps)
Movie Functions
SLOW & QUICK MOTION (SHOOTING FRAME RATE)
Yes
PROXY RECORDING
Yes
TC / UB
Yes
RAW OUTPUT
Yes (HDMI)
Recording System
MEMORY CARD SLOT
SLOT1: Multi slot for SD (UHS-I/II compliant) memory card / CFexpress Type A card, SLOT2: Multi slot for SD (UHS-I/II compliant) memory card / CFexpress Type A card
Focus System
FOCUS TYPE
Fast Hybrid AF (phase-detection AF / contrast-detection AF)
FOCUS POINT
Still images: Max. 759 points (phase-detection AF), Movies: Max. 627 points (phase-detection AF)
FOCUS SENSITIVITY RANGE
EV-4 to EV20 (ISO100 equivalent with F2.0 lens attached in AF-S)
RECOGNITION TARGET (STILL IMAGES)
Auto, Human, Animal, Bird, Insect, Car, Train, Airplane
RECOGNITION TARGET (MOVIES)
Auto, Human, Animal, Bird, Insect, Car, Train, Airplane
OTHER FEATURES
AF Level for Crossing (Still), AF Track for Speed Change (Still), AF Subj. Shift Sensitivity (Movie), AF Transition Speed (Movie), Switch V/H AF Area, AF Area Regist., Circ. of Focus Point, Focus Map (Movie), AF Assist (Movie)
AF ILLUMINATOR
Yes (with Built-in LED type)
Exposure Control
METERING TYPE
1200-zone evaluative metering
METERING SENSITIVITY
EV-3 to EV20 (ISO100 equivalent with F2.0 lens attached)
EXPOSURE COMPENSATION
+/- 5.0 EV (1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps selectable)
ISO SENSITIVITY
Still images: ISO 100 – 32000 (expandable to ISO 50 – 102400), AUTO (ISO 100 – 12800, selectable lower limit and upper limit), Movies: ISO 100 – 32000 equivalent, AUTO (ISO 100 – 12800, selectable lower limit and upper limit)
ANTI-FLICKER SHOOT.
Yes
Viewfinder
TYPE
1.6 cm (0.64 type) electronic viewfinder (Quad-XGA OLED)
NUMBER OF DOTS
9 437 184 dots
MAGNIFICATION
Approx. 0.90x (with 50 mm lens at infinity, -1 m-1)
DIOPTRE
-4.0 to +3.0 m-1
EYE POINT
Approx. 25 mm from the eyepiece lens, 21 mm from the eyepiece frame at -1 m-1 (CIPA standard)
FINDER FRAME RATE SELECTION
NTSC mode: STD 60fps / HI 120fps / HIGHER 240fps, PAL mode: STD 50fps / HI 100fps / HIGHER 200fps
LCD Screen
MONITOR TYPE
8.0 cm (3.2-type) type TFT
TOUCH PANEL
Yes
NUMBER OF DOTS
2 095 104 dots
ADJUSTABLE ANGLE
Opening Angles (approx.): Up 98 °, down 40 °, side 180 °, rotation 270 °
Other Features
OTHER FEATURES
Soft Skin Effect, Creative Look, Custom function, Picture Profile, Time-lapse, Auto Framing, Pre-Capture, Continuous Shooting Speed Boost, NR Shooting, Framing Stabilizer
CLEAR IMAGE ZOOM (STILL IMAGES)
Approx. 2x
CLEAR IMAGE ZOOM (MOVIES)
Approx. 1.5x (4K), Approx. 2x (HD)
Shutter
SHUTTER TYPE
Auto / Mechanical shutter / Electronic shutter
SHUTTER SPEED
Still images (Electronic shutter): 1/32000 to 30 s, Still images (Mechanical shutter): 1/8000 to 30 s, Bulb, Movies: 1/8000 to 1 s
FLASH SYNC. SPEED
1/400 s (35mm full frame), 1/500 s (APS-C)
ELECTRONIC FRONT CURTAIN SHUTTER
Yes
Image Stabilization
TYPE
Image sensor-shift mechanism with 5-axis compensation (compensation depends on lens specifications)
COMPENSATION EFFECT
Center 8.5 stops and Periphery 7.0 stops (based on CIPA2024 standard. Pitch/Yaw/Roll compensation. With FE 50mm F1.2 GM lens mounted. Long exposure NR off.)
MODE
Still images: On / Off, Movie: Dynamic active / Active / Standard / Off
Flash
TYPE
–
CONTROL
Pre-flash TTL
FLASH COMPENSATION
+/- 3.0 EV (switchable between 1/3 and 1/2 EV steps)
EXTERNAL FLASH COMPATIBILITY
Sony α System Flash compatible with Multi Interface Shoe, attach the shoe adaptor for flash compatible with Auto-lock accessory shoe
Drive
CONTINUOUS DRIVE SPEED (APPROX. MAX.)
AUTO/Electronic shutter: Hi+: 30 fps , Mechanical shutter: Hi+: 10 fps
NO. OF FRAME RECORDABLE (APPROX.)
JPEG Extra fine L: 190 frames , JPEG Fine L: 400 frames , JPEG Extra fine L: 400 frames , RAW: 240 frames , RAW & JPEG: 200 frames , RAW (Uncompressed): 84 frames , RAW (Uncompressed) & JPEG: 80 frames , RAW (Lossless Compressed): 100 frames , RAW (Lossless Compressed) & JPEG: 86 frames
PIXEL SHIFT MULTI SHOOTING
Yes (4 shots / 16 shots)
Playback
MODES
Enlarged display mode, Protect, Rating, Shot Mark (Movie), Divider Frame, Crop, Photo Capture
Accessibility
FUNCTIONS
Screen Reader, Focus Magnifier, Focus Map (Movie), Peaking Display, Subject Recognition in AF, Touch Focus, Touch Tracking, Touch Shutter, Touch AE, Multi-angle LCD screen, Custom function, Enlarge Menu Screen
Interface
PC INTERFACE
Mass-storage / MTP
MULTI / MICRO USB TERMINAL
Yes
USB TYPE-C TERMINAL
Yes (SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps (USB 3.2) compatible)
NFC
–
SYNC TERMINAL
Yes
WIRELESS LAN（BUILT-IN）
Yes (Wi-Fi Compatible, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz band/5 GHz band))
BLUETOOTH
Yes (Bluetooth Standard Ver. 5.0 (2.4 GHz band))
HDMI OUTPUT
HDMI connector (Type-A), 3840 x 2160 (59.94p / 50p / 29.97p / 25p / 23.98p) / 1920 x 1080 (59.94p / 50p / 23.98p) / 1920 x 1080 (59.94i / 50i), YCbCr 4:2:2 10bit / RGB 8bit, 7680 x 4320 (29.97p / 25p / 23.98p), YCbCr 4:2:0 8bit / RGB 8Bit, 4332×2446 (59.94p / 50p / 29.97p / 25p / 23.98p), Raw 16bit
MULTI INTERFACE SHOE
Yes (with Digital Audio Interface)
MIC TERMINAL
Yes (3.5 mm Stereo minijack)
HEADPHONE TERMINAL
Yes (3.5 mm Stereo minijack)
REMOTE CONTROL (WIRELESS)
Yes (Bluetooth remote control)
LAN TERMINAL
Yes (2.5GBASE-T, 1000BASE-T, 100BASE-TX)
FUNCTIONS
FTP Transfer Func. (Wired LAN, USB Tethering, Wi-Fi), Send to smartphone, Remote control via smartphone, PC Remote
USB Streaming
VIDEO DATA FORMAT
MJPEG, YUV420
VIDEO RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160 (15p / 30p), 3840 x 2160 (12.5p / 25p), 1920 x 1080 (30p / 60p), 1920 x 1080 (25p / 50p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 1280 x 720 (25p)
AUDIO DATA FORMAT
LPCM 2ch (16bit 48 kHz)
Network streaming
VIDEO DATA FORMAT
MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, MPEG-H HEVC/H.265
VIDEO RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160 (30p), 3840 x 2160 (25p), 2560 x 1440 (30p), 2560 x 1440 (25p), 1920 x 1080 (30p / 60p), 1920 x 1080 (25p / 50p), 1280 x 720 (30p / 60p), 1280 x 720 (25p / 50p)
AUDIO DATA FORMAT
AAC-LC 2ch (16bit 48 kHz)
PROTOCOL
RTMP, RTMPS, SRT
Audio
MICROPHONE
Built-in: stereo, Built-in: voice memo
SPEAKER
Built-in: monaural
Lens Compensation
SETTING
Shading, Chromatic Aberration, Distortion, Breathing (Movie)
Power
SUPPLIED BATTERY
One rechargeable battery pack NP-FZ100
BATTERY LIFE (STILL IMAGES)
Approx. 420 shots (Viewfinder) / Approx. 520 shots (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard)
BATTERY LIFE (MOVIE, ACTUAL RECORDING)
Approx. 85 min (Viewfinder) / Approx. 90 min (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard)
BATTERY LIFE (MOVIE, CONTINUOUS RECORDING)
Approx. 140 min (Viewfinder) / Approx. 150 min (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard)
INTERNAL BATTERY CHARGE
Yes (Available with USB Type-C Terminal. USB Power Delivery support)
USB POWER SUPPLY
Yes (Available with USB Type-C Terminal. USB Power Delivery support)
POWER CONSUMPTION WITH VIEWFINDER
Still images: Approx. 4.7 W (with FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens attached), Movies: Approx. 7.0 W (with FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens attached)
POWER CONSUMPTION WITH LCD SCREEN
Still images: Approx. 3.8 W (with FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens attached), Movies: Approx. 6.6 W (with FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens attached)
Size & Weight
WEIGHT (WITH BATTERY AND MEMORY CARD INCLUDED)
Approx. 743 g / Approx. 1 lb 10.3 oz
BODY ONLY
Approx. 658 g / Approx. 1 lb 7.3 oz
DIMENSIONS (W X H X D)
Approx. 136.1 x 96.9 x 82.9 mm, Approx. 136.1 x 96.9 x 72.8 mm (from grip to monitor) / Approx. 5 3/8 x 3 7/8 x 3 3/8 inches, Approx. 5 3/8 x 3 7/8 x 2 7/8 inches (from grip to monitor)
Operating temparature
OPERATING TEMPERATURE
0 – 40 ℃ / 32 – 104 °F
Supplied Accesory
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
Rechargeable Battery NP-FZ100, Battery Charger BC-ZD1, Cable Protector, Shoulder strap, Body cap, Accessory shoe cap, Eyepiece cup (FDA-EP19), Eyepiece cup (FDA-EP21)
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