Sony releases Alpha 1 II flagship mirrorless camera

Sony today launched the second generation model of its flagship Alpha 1 camera. Sticking with the company's famously bad naming conventions, the new camera is called Alpha 1 II.

The original Alpha 1 was the Swiss Army knife of mirrorless cameras and was critically acclaimed for its incredible high speed photo and 8K video capabilities. The Alpha 1 II borrows the same 50.1MP full-frame stacked CMOS sensor but combines it with a new AI processing unit.

This improves the autofocusing capabilities, which can now detect a more diverse range of subjects apart from humans, including animals, birds, insects, and different kinds of vehicles. It can also estimate human poses and track a person even if they move or look away.

The Alpha 1 II also improves the in-body image stabilization, which is now rated for 8.5 stops in the center of the frame (up from 5.5 stops) and 7 stops on the periphery. The new camera also has a pre-capture mode, which lets you capture a moment just before you press the shutter, just in case you were too late.

The Alpha 1 II has a new and much more articulating display. Instead of moving on a single axis like on the previous model, the new display can now fully rotate in every direction along 4 axes. The digital viewfinder also has a new deeper eyecup that comes along with the standard version. The camera body has also been changed with a better grip and more shortcut buttons.

The new camera has much of the same connectivity as before but Sony has upgraded the Ethernet from 1Gbps to 2.5Gbps. Finally, the camera comes with a new BC-ZD1 charger, that can charge two Z batteries at the same time. The rest of the camera is more or less identical to the original model from 2021, which means it's still an incredibly powerful and capable tool without a lot of competition in its segment.

The Sony Alpha 1 II is priced at $6500, and will be available starting December 2024.

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