In early 2021, after three generations of improvements, Sony launched its flagship mirrorless camera, the Alpha 1.
This camera’s release marked a new leader among the R series for still images, the S series for video, and the balanced M series, becoming a core product at the time.
While everyone expected the Alpha 1 to be a hot product for a while, the situation changed—other series cameras also performed excellently. The M series saw performance boosts, the R series reached its fifth generation, the Alpha 7S III became popular for its high sensitivity and astrophotography features, and the Alpha 9 III stole the spotlight from the Alpha 1 at the end of 2023.
Four years later, Sony’s new flagship, the Alpha 1 II, has arrived.
Four Years in the Making
The CMOS sensor is crucial as the camera’s core, converting all light signals into electrical signals to create digital photos.
The Sony Alpha 1 II continues to use the same 50.1-megapixel full-frame Exmor RS BSI CMOS sensor as its predecessor, the Alpha 1, model IMX 610.
With no change in the CMOS over four years, the Alpha 1 II’s static image capture hasn’t significantly improved. For high-resolution needs, users can rely on the pixel-shift multi-shooting mode, commonly known as “shake reduction,” to capture 16 photos and later combine them into a high-resolution image of approximately 199 million pixels (17,280 x 11,520 pixels).
The unchanged CMOS might draw some criticism, but there’s a reason—there’s currently no stronger CMOS available for consumer use.
Theoretically, the IMX 610 can shoot 50mp 14-bit RAW photos at 60 frames per second or record 8K 240p 14-bit video, and the Alpha 1 II hasn’t reached its limits. The same sensor is also used in Sony’s flagship cinema camera, the CineAltaV 2 (also known as VENICE 2), priced at around $47800. Since its release in 2021, this cinema camera has been used in several films, indirectly proving its performance potential.
Despite no change in the CMOS, the Alpha 1 II’s continuous shooting performance is impressive, capable of 30 frames per second at 50.1 megapixels without blackout, supporting up to 153 consecutive RAW photos, and calculating exposure at approximately 120 times per second to ensure accurate exposure in burst shots.
Thanks to the high-speed readout of this CMOS and the anti-distortion feature from the previous generation, the electronic shutter doesn’t produce a strong rolling shutter effect. With a faster shutter speed, the electronic shutter may have advantages over traditional mechanical shutters in many scenarios.
To capture a photo, it’s not just about the CMOS; autofocus performance is equally important.
The Alpha 9 III, released at the end of 2023, already showcased Sony’s strong technical reserves in autofocus. Evan Vucci, the Associated Press’s chief photographer in Washington, D.C., who captured the “Trump Fist Pump” photo, uses it as his work camera due to its powerful autofocus capabilities.
The Alpha 1 II is equipped with 759 phase-detection autofocus points, covering approximately 92% of the viewfinder area. The large amount of data read by the CMOS is quickly processed by dual BIONZ X R processors. The optimized algorithm ensures fast autofocus and tracking performance, reliably locking onto and tracking subjects.
The focus point size settings have also been expanded. In addition to the previous S, M, and L sizes, the Alpha 1 II now includes XS and XL sizes, allowing users to make quick selections.
The addition of an AI chip addresses a shortcoming of the previous Alpha 1. Paired with dual BIONZ XR processors, the Alpha 1 II can recognize human posture, offering faster focus and more stable locking.
In addition to recognizing humans, the focus success rate for animals, birds, insects, cars, trains, and airplanes has also improved, making photo and video shooting more flexible and reliable.
With its powerful continuous shooting and focus performance, the pre-shooting feature from the Alpha 9 III is also present in the Alpha 1 II. This feature can capture images up to 1 second before the shutter is pressed.
It’s like having Live Photo on a camera, allowing users to avoid regret over missed moments, providing a “regret remedy.”
In the era of streaming and video, the flagship mirrorless Alpha 1 II, equipped with the same CMOS as the CineAltaV 2, boasts strong video performance.
The Alpha 1 II can shoot up to 8K 30p 10-bit 4:2:2 or 4K 120p 10-bit 4:2:2 video. When shooting 4K 30p or 24p in Super 35 mode, it delivers images derived from 5.8K oversampling, providing ample image quality for various creative needs.
The body supports S-Log curves compatible with professional cinema cameras. The S-Log 3 gamma curve can record over fifteen stops of dynamic range, easily matching footage shot with CineAltaV 2, FX9, and other cinema cameras, simplifying post-production workflows.
For beginners, S-Log can be challenging to master. The Alpha 1 II supports importing 16 user LUTs for previewing footage, reducing the difficulty of using professional color grading curves.
If S-Log doesn’t meet user needs, the Alpha 1 II also supports connecting external recording devices via the HDMI port on the body, outputting 16-bit Raw format video to external recorders. This provides nearly lossless image quality, offering significant adjustment space in post-production to support creative endeavors.
In terms of design, the Alpha 1 II follows Sony’s consistent design philosophy. The overall shape is compact and sleek, with a matte black magnesium alloy body that appears refined and sturdy, offering a strong tactile feel and excellent durability and protection.
The Alpha 1 II weighs only 743 grams. Its deep grip design reduces hand strain and fatigue during extended use.
Within the orange lens mount ring, the Alpha 1 II features a 5-axis stabilization system, achieving up to 8.5 stops of central image stabilization and 7.0 stops of peripheral image stabilization compensation, ensuring clear imaging under high-resolution conditions.
Notably, the Alpha 1 II includes an enhanced dynamic stabilization mode, first seen on the Sony ZV-E1, improving stabilization by over 30%. This feature allows the flagship camera to function like an “action camera,” although it is unavailable when shooting in 8K or at 120 frames per second or higher.
Additionally, the body is equipped with the same touch-operable 4-axis multi-angle flip screen as the Alpha 9 III, making it easy to capture photos and videos from any angle.
Regarding the card slots, both slots on the Alpha 1 II support the latest CFExpress A4.0 card format, with write speeds exceeding 3GB/s, which is 2 to 2.5 times faster than CFexpress 2.0. When reviewing photos, the Alpha 1 II allows seamless sequential reading of photos stored on both cards.
The official price of the Sony Alpha 1 II is approximately $6,565, and it was officially released in early December 2024.
The Pinnacle of Imaging: What Does It Mean?
There’s a joke that goes like this:
“To fully utilize the capabilities of today’s flagship cameras, you might need to record a wild animal running in a wedding dress under the Milky Way on the African savannah at the highest video settings.”
While it sounds absurd, it truly reflects the current state of flagship cameras.
Just as Bugatti defines the benchmark for supercars with extreme speed and performance, the Alpha 1 series is a performance beast that almost no one can push to its limits in every aspect. This positioning means it serves professional film crews or photographers with extreme demands, and its price of nearly 50,000 RMB (about $6,565) confirms this.
So, does this camera, which seems out of reach for ordinary people, have any significance?
I believe it does.
We are currently at a pivotal moment in the history of photography—over a hundred years after its inception, smartphone photography has entered the market with its portability and powerful algorithms, making photography more accessible than ever.
The entry of smartphones has compressed the camera market over the past decade, but from another perspective, it has also invigorated the entire photography environment by attracting countless new players.
The camera and smartphone camps have moved from initial opposition to a stage of mutual integration and learning. Cameras are incorporating AI-assisted imaging, while smartphones are learning color science from camera manufacturers. Each camp’s technological breakthroughs can inspire and direct the other.
The possibilities for imaging have become infinitely rich.
Returning to specific devices, the Sony Alpha 1 II, this “pinnacle of imaging,” is far from what ordinary people need, but we do need them—these somewhat distant devices nurture the imagined imaging technology. As long as technology advances, it will eventually become accessible to every user in some form.
Each of us might one day take better photos thanks to the birth of a “distant” device.
Source from ifanr
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