Sony A1 II Review: A Powerhouse Camera That Falls Short of Sony’s High Standards

How to Follow Up a Product That Has Dominated the Mirrorless Camera Market for Four Years? For Sony, the answer was simple: just improve everything. The result is the $6,498 Sony A1 II, a powerful pro-level hybrid mirrorless camera that’s the company’s best to date.

Design and Handling

The A1 II is Sony’s best-handling camera to date. In terms of design and control placement, it’s nearly identical to the company’s high-end A9 III. At 743 grams (1.64 pounds), it’s heavier than the 617-gram (1.36 pound) A1, but still a featherweight compared to other professional models like the three-pound Z9. The new grip has slightly softer materials and more rounded contours, making it more comfortable and secure to hold than the hard-edged A1. This is a big help to working pros with heavy lenses.

Improved Autofocus and Manual Controls

The A1 II has significantly improved autofocus, with more reliable tracking of moving subjects. It also supports the same subject tracking modes available when capturing photos. There are also three primary dials, compared to just two on rival flagships. There’s a mode selector ring to choose photo, video, and "Slow & Quick" modes, along with a dual-control wheel for both shooting and autofocus. Around back, there’s yet another dial, plus a joystick and numerous customizable buttons.

Enhanced Menu System

The A1 II’s menu system has been refreshed to match the A9 III. It now offers a "home" setting for your most-used features, and everything is neatly organized into sub-menus. Sony also added an easy-to-use section for customizing buttons, dials, the quick menu, and more.

Video Capabilities

On paper, the A1 II is a powerhouse for video, offering up to 8K 30 fps recording and 4K 60 fps (up to 4K 120 fps with no sound). It also has a setting that lets you better match footage with Sony’s professional cinema cameras. The in-body stabilization is also impressive, providing near-GoPro-like smoothing with minimal distortion when moving quickly.

Image Quality

Images from the A1 II are sharper than just about any full-frame camera, with the exception of Sony’s own A7R V. Dynamic range is excellent and colors are accurate when shooting JPEGs. However, the new model has the same sensor as the A1, so image quality is not a significant improvement over its predecessor. For studio and landscape photographers who value image quality above all, the A1 II may not be worth the investment.

Conclusion

The A1 II is an awesome camera and near the top of the food chain in terms of speed and power. However, the innovation that Sony is known for is lacking here, and on top of that, the A1 II is very expensive. With that taken into account, I think it falls short. The A1 II is only a mild upgrade over the A1, and when it comes to video, it’s lagging behind the Nikon Z8 and Z9 as well as the Sony R5 II. If you already have the A1, I don’t think the A1 II offers enough extra to justify a new investment. And anyone who is more serious about video should consider either the Canon R5 II or Nikon Z8, as both offer higher-quality RAW video at up to 8K 60p for less money. However, for pros or serious amateurs going into the A1 lineup for the first time, who focus on photos and have no qualms about the $6,498 price, the Sony A1 II is a great pick.