Sony asserts its place at the grownups’ table with new flagship SLR camera

on the Photokina exchange convey, Sony launched a protracted-awaited followup to its aging flagship SLR digicam. The Sony A99 II sports high-resolution sensors, 5-axis image stabilization, a raft of high-finish video features and a hefty worth-tag to check. The camera is striking its proverbial foot down as a power to be reckoned with within the high-finish SLR market that has historically been dominated through Canon and Nikon.

When Sony at first launched its flagship A99 SLR digital camera six years ago, at the top of the digital camera growth, the product was mostly met with a “Oh, you guys nonetheless make cameras? That’s adorable.” Barring a small collection of ardent fans who clung on to Minolta’s legacy, Sony had all but lost the fight for the hearts and minds of photographers. Let’s simply say so much has changed in half a decade.

Oh it’s on, now.

Whereas other digicam makers have been leading the cost on the SLR front for many years, Sony’s A7 full-frame mirrorless collection have given Canon and Nikon one thing to really fear about. With unbelievable low-gentle capabilities, Wi-Fi connectivity that, y’recognize, works and top-shelf quality pictures out of a diminutive digital camera platform, Sony has singlehandedly reinvented the mirrorless camera niche, nudging it into the skilled space.

It isn’t a surprise, then that a refresh of the corporate’s flagship SLR variation is making people sit up and have in mind. sporting a beefy forty two-megapixel sensor? nice, but indirectly no person is paying attention to the megapixel race anymore. what’s fascinating is the opposite innovations the company have filled into the new digital camera physique.

capturing full 4K video shall be a boon to fanatics of transferring photos and the digicam introduces a “slow and quick” mode. One frame per 2nd is effectively a time-lapse video mode in an effort to spit out a fully assembled time-lapse, whereas the one hundred twenty fps mode is a 4x slow-mo mode.
Taking a leaf out of the company’s high-finish mirrorless cameras, the A99 II contains 5-axis image stabilization constructed into the physique. In impact, all of your current A-mount lenses get a cheeky improve to full image stabilization. The image stabilization is to be had for stills, of course, but most curiously, most likely, is that it’s became on for video, too, enabling extra constant video taking pictures, even when filming handheld. A propose stills, shooting at 12 frames per second and with a revamped tremendous-pace autofocus mechanism, it’s no slouch both.

Fancy features, heavy price-tag

“we are persevering with to innovate with each and every new digicam body, lens and accent that we carry to market, providing compelling selections to each current and potential users of the Sony α device” mentioned Neal Manowitz, vp of Digital Imaging at Sony Electronics. “With the αninety nine II, we’re turning in an industry-prime stage of efficiency to A-mount owners and enthusiasts. Its powerful combination of pace and backbone is solely unmatched in these days’s market.”

With a ticket of $ 3,200 for the physique on its own, the brand new camera received’t be low-cost. Canon and Nikon, of course, will almost certainly ignore its existence as they all the time have, however the second of reality will come when it ships in November — maybe there’s eventually a serious 1/3 player within the high-end SLR area value worrying about.