Breaking News: Sony Announces Powerful Flagship A99 II Full-Frame Camera With 42.2MP Sensor

This morning at Photokina Sony introduced a new flagship A-mount camera with a high-resolution 42.4-megapixel back-illuminated sensor, a redesigned interface, and 12 fps continuous shooting. The A99 II is the first model in Sony’s full-frame line to feature the company’s ultra-fast 4D focus system with 79 cross-type AF points.

The camera also features 5-axis image stabilization for stills and video, and 4K movie recording with full pixel readout and 4k movie recording with full pixel readout without pixel binning.

During this morning’s press conference in Cologne, Sony VP of Digital Imaging Neal Manowitz said “With the A99 II we’re delivering an industry-leading level of performance to A-mount owners and enthusiasts,” adding, “Its powerful combination of speed and resolution is simply unmatched in today’s market.”

(Editor's Note: Later this week, we got our hands on a prototype of the Sony A99 II and put it to the test here.)

The camera’s large buffer permits shooting at 12fps with AF/AE tracking, and continuous live shooting up to 8fps with minimal display lag. The continuous live view shooting can be set to match your needs in three stages—8fps, 6fps, or 4fps.

The image stabilization system in the A99 II provides a shutter speed advantage of 4.5 stops, the results of which can be seem in the viewfinder or on the LCD screen with a half-press of the shutter button. Sony incorporated user feedback in the design of the new A99 II which is 8% smaller than the original A99 and features a newly designed grip, dust and moisture resistance, dual SD card slots, and a lightweight/durable magnesium ally body.

The camera also boasts an array of features for videographers, including picture profiles, time code, clean HDMI output, and more.

The new Sony A99 II is expected to ship in November for $3,200. You can read more details on Sony’s website.

X