Sony Alpha 9

EACH year we give our innovation award to the product or development that we feel has most advanced photographic technology. As usual, we’ve seen some very impressive achievements. With its PowerShot G1 X Mark III, Canon managed to fit an APS- C sensor into a remarkably small zoom compact, while Huawei offered us a glimpse of the future by including a built-in artificial intelligence processor to improve the output of its flagship Mate 10 Pro smartphone’s camera (co- developed with Leica, no less).

However, when it comes to outright innovation, there’s really no competition. By designing a mirrorless camera for high-speed sports and action shooting from the ground up, Sony served notice on the last clear technological advantage offered by DSLRs. Indeed with the Alpha 9, it has rewritten the rule book regarding what we can expect from a sports-and-action camera.

By developing entirely new sensor and viewfinder technology, Sony has made a camera that can shoot silently at 20 frames per second, with no viewfinder blackout and minimal subject distortion due to rolling shutter effects. It’s also capable of tracking focus on moving subjects wherever they move within the image frame. As a result, the Alpha 9 enables professional sports photographers to keep shooting in situations where they’re simply not allowed to use DSLRs. It’s a remarkable achievement that shows how cameras will work in the future.