Sony Unveils the Alpha a9 Full-Frame Digital Mirrorless Camera
Imagine a camera that allows blackout-free continuous shooting at up to 20fps. Add to that a maximum shutter speed of up to 1/32,000 second and 60 AF/AE tracking calculations per second. Well, you need not imagine any more for Sony has just unveiled the a9 Full-Frame Digital Mirrorless Camera. A first of its kind, it carries all of the features mentioned above and a lot more.
Blazing a new trail is its 35mm full-frame Exmor RS CMOS sensor which enables data processing speeds of up to 20 times faster than previous Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras. This sensor is combined with the upgraded BIONZ X processing engine and the front end LSI for maximum overall performance which translates to continuous shooting buffer for up to 362 JPEG or 241 RAW images.
Speed and Focusing Accuracy
When the shutter of the Sony a9 is released while shooting stills, the electronic viewfinder provides a seamless live view of their subject at all times. Likewise, its 693 focal plane phase-detection AF points cover almost the entire frame to provide improved precision in focusing. Combine that with the Fast Hybrid AF system to achieve a faster Autofocus than the α7R II. This mechanism makes the A9 an ideal camera for sports photography or capturing fast-moving subjects.
A Pro Camera in a Compact Body
The high-resolution, high-luminance Quad-VGA OLED Tru-Finder is capable of reproducing true-to-life details thanks to an optical design that includes a double-sided aspherical element. This design helps it achieve 0.78x magnification and impressive corner sharpness. It also sports a ZEISS® T* Coating to reduce reflections and fluorine coating to repel dirt. The frame rate of the Tru-Finder can also be customized to either 60 fps or 120 fps to match your preference.
The Sony a9 also comes with a 5-axis image stabilisation system that provides a shutter speed advantage of 5 steps. The IS can be seen through the viewfinder of the LCD screen by half-pressing the shutter button. It also has an Ethernet port (wired LAN terminal) for efficient transfer of still image files to a specified FTP server. In addition, there is a sync terminal for connecting flash units and cables.
Fast Autofocus Operation
For fast autofocus, the Sony a9 has a multi-selector joystick for easier shifting of focus within the frame. You can use this to bring the selector to any direction and combine it with any focus area modes such as Zone, Flexible Spot, or Expanded Flexible Spot. Touch focusing via the LCD screen is also possible. The a9 is also built with separate drive mode and focus mode dials, plus a new “AF ON” button for easy Autofocus access.
There is also the AF Area Registration to recall often-used focus areas via custom button assignments. The camera can also recall the last focus point used in either a vertical or horizontal orientation and use it instantly to match the orientation of the camera. Up to 30 menu items can also be registered for quick access via the My Menu feature.
More Battery Life, More Memory
With a camera as impressive and functional as the a9, it also carries the new NP-FZ100 rechargeable battery which has more than twice the juice as previous Sony camera batteries. Aside from a longer shooting performance, you can also store more photo and videos thanks to its two media card slots. One of these slots is for UHS-II media. Both cards can be used at once for file back-up.