SONY GOES BIG D-SLR HUNTING
CELEBRATING ACHIEVING SECOND place in interchangeable lens camera sales in the USA, Sony intends to keep up the momentum with the much-anticipated launch of its first A9 series full-35mm format mirrorless body.
Similar in styling to the A7 models, the A9 is specifically targeted at the top-of-the-line ‘sports’ D-SLRs, so the emphasis is on speed which is delivered via a new ‘stacked’ back-illuminated CMOS sensor, powerful ‘Bionz X’ processor, a significantly bigger buffer memory and 693-point phase-detection autofocusing. The sensor’s stacked design enables a quicker read-out which Sony claims is 20 times faster than that of the A7 II’s imager. As a result the A9 can shoot at up to 20 fps at its full effective resolution of 24.2 megapixels and with continuous AF/ AE adjustment. More importantly, there’s no viewfinder black-out at this speed. The maximum burst length for JPEG/large/extra-fine capture is quoted at 362 frames and around 240 frames with 14-bit RAW capture (where there’s the option of losslessly compressed or uncompressed settings). The new sensor has a sensitivity range equivalent to ISO 100 to 51,200 which can be expanded to ISO 50 and 204,800.
Exposure metering is via a sensor-based 1200-zone system with multi-segment, centre-weighted average, full average, spot (two sizes) and highlight-biased measurements. The camera’s focal plane shutter has a speed range of 301/8000 second with the option of using sensor shutter – for silent shooting – which gives a top speed of 1/32,000 second. An upgraded sensor-shift image stabilisers operates over five axes and enables up to five stops of correction for camera shake (depending on the lens focal length).
The A9’s magnesium alloy bodyshell is weather sealed and has a tilt-adjustable RGBW monitor screen with a resolution of 1.44 megadots and touch controls, including ‘Touch AF’. The EVF uses an OLED-type display with a resolution of 3.68 megadots and a refresh rate of 120 fps which eliminates blackout with continuous shooting. Magnification is 0.78x (35mm equivalent) and the eyepoint is 23 mm. Dual slots are provided for SD and MemoryStick memory cards (each has dual compatibility) with one slot providing support for UHS-II speed SDXC devices.
Not surprisingly, the Sony A9 is also designed as a video camera and can record UHD footage (3840x2160 pixels) at 25 fps in the XAVC S 4K format, giving a bit rate of 100 Mbps. Significantly, 4K footage is recorded using the full sensor area and without any pixel binning to optimise image quality. Full HD footage be recorded at 100, 50 or 25 fps in the XAVC HD format with the option of using the AVCHD or MP4 formats at 50 or 25 fps. The camera can output both 4K and 2K video via its HDMI connector while also recording internally. Built-in stereo microphones are supplemented with a 3.5 mm stereo audio input for connecting an external mic (an optional XLR adaptor is available) plus there’s a 3.5 mm stereo audio output for connecting headphones.
The A9 has both WiFi (with NFC) and Bluetooth connectivity for wireless image transfer and remote camera control via smart devices.
Announced along with the new camera is the FE 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 GM OSS telephoto zoom which joins Sony’s growing line-up of high-performance G Master models.
The Sony A9 body is priced at $6999 in Australia and is available now.
The new 100-400mm E-mount telezoom is expected to be available locally during July and is priced at $3999.
For more information visit www.sony.com.au