News Sony A1 II + 28-70mm F2 Announcement & Discussion

[Tim Mayo]

The Sony A1 II along with the FE 28-70mm F2 GM lens have now been announced. Let's try and keep all of the discussion in a single thread.

The A1 II will cost $6,498 in the US, €7,500 in Europe and £6,299 in the UK.

The FE 28-70mm F2 GM will cost $2,898 in the US, €3,600 in Europe and £3,049 in the UK.

Pre-orders are already open in Europe and will start in the US at 9:30am ET, Wed Nov 20. Shipping will start in December 2024.

A1 II Key Features:

• 50.1 МР Ехmоr RЅ ѕtасkеd СМОЅ ѕеnѕоr
• 8.5-ѕtор сеntrаl аnd 7.0-ѕtор реrірhеrаl іmаgе ѕtаbіlіѕаtіоn
• ВІОNZ ХR іmаgе рrосеѕѕіng еngіnе wіth 8х рrосеѕѕіng роwеr
• АІ рrосеѕѕіng unіt fоr Rеаl-tіmе Rесоgnіtіоn АF іn ѕtіllѕ аnd mоvіеѕ
• Ассurаtеlу dеtесtѕ а wіdе vаrіеtу оf ѕubјесtѕ fоr fаѕt-расеd АF
• 759-роіnt hіgh-dеnѕіtу рhаѕе-dеtесtіоn АF соvеrѕ 92% оf іmаgе аrеа
• Rаріd, blасkоut-frее соntіnuоuѕ ѕhооtіng uр tо 30 fрѕ
• Рrе-Сарturе аnd Соntіnuоuѕ Ѕhооtіng Ѕрееd Вооѕt
• 8К 30р аnd 4К 50/60р 10-bіt 4:2:2 mоvіе rесоrdіng
• Ніgh frаmе rаtе rесоrdіng аt 120р іn 4К аnd 240р іn Full НD
• Ѕ-Сіnеtоnе аnd іn-саmеrа LUТ іmроrt fоr сіnеmаtіс lооkѕ
• Тwо nеw Соmроѕіtе RАW funсtіоnѕ fоr hіgh-rеѕ lоw nоіѕе іmаgеѕ
• 4-ахіѕ multі-аnglе LСD mоnіtоr wіth 3.2-tуре lаrgе ѕсrееn
• 9.44 mіl dоt ОLЕD ЕVF wіth rеduсеd dіѕрlау lаg
• Вuіlt-іn WіFі, ЅuреrЅрееd UЅВ 10Gbрѕ, аnd 2.5GВАЅЕ-Т wіrеd LАN
• Dеdісаtеd mісrорhоnе рrоvіdеѕ thе орtіоn fоr сlеаr vоісе rесоrdіng
• Тwо ЅDХС/СFехрrеѕѕ Туре А соmраtіblе ѕlоtѕ

 

[NightBreed]

Just got the price - £6,299

 

[Unframed Dave]

Go on, someone explain a 4 axis monitor to me please?

 

[Tim Mayo]

Go on, someone explain a 4 axis monitor to me please?

Just skip to 4:33 in the video: https://youtu.be/xYMNPvgWcdY?si=HhiZqBemPHH-9Jlk&t=273

 

[RogerSmith]

It will be a great camera for someone jumping to the flagship, but not tempting me off my mark 1 for the time being. Was surprised at the 30FPS remaining the same even with a C5 boost button coming over from the A9III body.

 

[iamdlewis]

Does it actually have the faster CF-A card slots? Doesn't seem to be any documentation and the boys at PP didn't mention it.

 

[Tim Mayo]

Does it actually have the faster CF-A card slots? Doesn't seem to be any documentation and the boys at PP didn't mention it.

I've not seen anything either. You'd think it would be mentioned if 4.0 was supported.

 

[iamdlewis]

I've not seen anything either. You'd think it would be mentioned if 4.0 was supported.

Jared Polin mentions that it is still the CF-A 2.0 and not the 4.0

 

[Tim Mayo]

Jared Polin mentions that it is still the CF-A 2.0 and not the 4.0

I'm not sure if it's such a big deal anyway. At 30 fps the 2.0 cards are fast enough, I've never felt the need for faster cards in my A1. If they had upgraded it to 120 fps like the A9 III then the faster cards would be more beneficial. The 4.0 cards will still work just at 2.0 speeds, so you can still take advantage of the faster offload speeds if you are using a 4.0 reader.

 

[Angus Cameron]

Marc Galer has some interesting comparisons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2waK5Bc2tAg
At 48.30 in the video he compares the buffer speeds of the A 1, A1 II and A9 III

Not sure if that answers the CF-A slot question?

 

[Tim Mayo]

Marc Galer has some interesting comparisons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2waK5Bc2tAg
At 48.30 in the video he compares the buffer speeds of the A 1, A1 II and A9 III

Not sure if that answers the CF-A slot question?

He just mentions the buffer depth. The A1II might have a slightly larger buffer to allow for an extra 11 shots.

 

[AlphaWorld]

OK, the disappointments first:

• 30fps still requires lossy compressed - does not support lossless. Lossless still tops out at 20fps - that's my biggest disappointment
• V4 CFeA not supported

The unrumoured changes:

• auto subject recognition - this could be useful
• the 8.5 stop IBIS - rumour was 8 stop
• the composite RAW functionality also supporting Pixel Shift
• 2.5GbE wired Ethernet - not that I have ever plugged my camera into Ethernet (but I do have 2.5GbE)

The unclear:

• whether 120Hz refresh on the EVF is full res. 240Hz is definitely reduced
• whether the voice note transcription into text metadata happens in camera or not

The cute but unimportant:

• dual battery charger in the box (it didn't say if they included the required power source)
• choice of two eye cups in the box (I am using a third party one on the A9III - this one is Sony supplied)

 

[AlphaWorld]

Go on, someone explain a 4 axis monitor to me please?

It's the screen that debuted on the A7RV. It's on the A9III, too. It's very good. You want it!

 

[AlphaWorld]

@Tim Mayo - I just noticed that the Sony supplied image says "120 AF/AE calculations" - wow! I think I'll use all of those up while I'm setting up the camera. What will I do after that???

</sarcasm>

You'd think they'd have put "/ second" or "/ s" after it!

 

[iamdlewis]

dual battery charger in the box (it didn't say if they included the required power source)

Are you hoping for a portable nuclear reactor or just a slow solar panel? If it is the nuke this would make it a deal even if you never used the camera.

 

[Richard A]

Looks like A$11,000 here. It'll be interesting to see if there are many original A1 bodies coming to the 2nd hand market over the next few months.

 

[spudhead]

OK so I don`t want to upset anyone, but it looks like Sony did half a job again with the new a1 mk2 having read what you guys were hoping for. Not much that is a plus for me on the new a1 mk2, in fact the a 9iii is starting to look good to me. Maybe Sony have had to consider the offerings from the other makers and they are cheaper regardless of if they are worse or better. I guess Sony will stop updates for the a1 mk1 now as they do, as for the new lens 28-70 f2, 28mm is not wide enough at the short end for me and it is very pricey not sure who will buy that lens

 

[AlphaWorld]

Looks like A$11,000 here. It'll be interesting to see if there are many original A1 bodies coming to the 2nd hand market over the next few months.

Remember that the A9III and A1 both started with a similar price at announcement here, but dropped below $10k before arrival. Will be interesting to see how much it drops before arrival, and when that arrival is.

 

[AlphaWorld]

Are you hoping for a portable nuclear reactor or just a slow solar panel? If it is the nuke this would make it a deal even if you never used the camera.

No. I mean “is the PD USB-C transformer block in the box?” - no one has answered that yet. I can’t say that I’m sweating on it, given I have multiple Apple devices, and they all use the same supplies, so I won’t be rushing to find one. Others might be.

 

[AlphaWorld]

OK so I don`t want to upset anyone, but it looks like Sony did half a job again with the new a1 mk2 having read what you guys were hoping for. Not much that is a plus for me on the new a1 mk2, in fact the a 9iii is starting to look good to me. Maybe Sony have had to consider the offerings from the other makers and they are cheaper regardless of if they are worse or better. I guess Sony will stop updates for the a1 mk1 now as they do, as for the new lens 28-70 f2, 28mm is not wide enough at the short end for me and it is very pricey not sure who will buy that lens

No upset here. Not even going to disagree very strongly. Mild disappointment on the 30fps and the V4 CFeA. Apart from that, I am going to be happy to have an A9III and A1II with exactly the same handling and virtually the same AF. Sony has brought out a ton of features between the A1 and now, and I wanted them.

If you are feeling tempted, the A9III is an extraordinary camera, and you should ignore the constant “oh, the A9III is just a niche camera” nonsense from people who have never tried it. I am using the A9III in lots of places that aren’t “niche”. More importantly, the A9III has made me understand how skilled shooters could get awesome BiF shots from 24Mp; I couldn’t do it with the A9II - I needed the A1 to cope (crop). With the A9III I can track birds more readily (faster, more detailed EVF makes a huge difference). I doubt that my skills have improved hugely - I give the credit to the camera.

I’m not a big user of “standard zoom” lenses, and the new lens does not tempt me - I’m happy enough with the 20-70 when I want a short zoom. I can easily believe that wedding shooters will enjoy the 28-70 f/2, though - an extra stop in dark churches and reception centres will help. And is anyone surprised that the Sony version of the lens is a third lighter than the Canon?

 

[Tim Mayo]

If this was my first A1 then I might just be able to justify it over the Mark I. But it's definitely not convincing me to upgrade my Mark I. I just checked and If I sold it to MPB they would offer me £2525. So I'd need to find another £3774. Are the upgrades worth shelling out £3774? I've not seen the grey market prices yet, but you could probably take £1000 off making it an extra £2774. Still not worth it, at least not for me but I have nothing against those who do think it's worth it and wish to upgrade. It's like the minor upgrade from the A9 to the A9II, that never tempted me either.

 

[Unframed Dave]

I won't be upgrading purely because the A1 does everything I need. Very simple, me.

 

[iamdlewis]

No. I mean “is the PD USB-C transformer block in the box?” - no one has answered that yet. I can’t say that I’m sweating on it, given I have multiple Apple devices, and they all use the same supplies, so I won’t be rushing to find one. Others might be.

It only comes with USB-C cable.

 

[Tim Mayo]

It only comes with USB-C cable.

I don't think it even includes a USB-C cable. On B&H the listing for the dual charger says that the USB-C cable is not included and it does not mention a USB power adapter so I'm guessing that's not included as well, which is common with Sony's recent cameras. The A1 II listing also does not include a USB-C cable. According to Sony's website you'll need a PD compatible power supply with a 30 W or higher output to charge two batteries in around 155 minutes with the BC-ZD1.

 

[Angus Cameron]

From WexPhoto UK

Whаt’ѕ іn thе bох?
1 х Ѕоnу А1 ІІ Dіgіtаl Саmеrа Воdу
1 х Rесhаrgеаblе Ваttеrу NР-FZ100
1 х Ваttеrу Сhаrgеr ВС-ZD1
1 х Саblе Рrоtесtоr
1 х Ѕhоuldеr Ѕtrар
1 х Воdу Сар
1 х Ассеѕѕоrу Ѕhое Сар
1 х Еуеріесе Сuр (FDА-ЕР19)
1 х Еуеріесе Сuр (FDА-ЕР21)

 

[iamdlewis]

I don't think it even includes a USB-C cable. On B&H the listing for the dual charger says that the USB-C cable is not included and it does not mention a USB power adapter so I'm guessing that's not included as well, which is common with Sony's recent cameras. The A1 II listing also does not include a USB-C cable. According to Sony's website you'll need a PD compatible power supply with a 30 W or higher output to charge two batteries in around 155 minutes with the BC-ZD1.

Looks like I got that mixed up with the Angelbird plug Gerald did and that came with a USB-C cable.

 

[Paul stuart]

OK so I don`t want to upset anyone, but it looks like Sony did half a job again with the new a1 mk2 having read what you guys were hoping for. Not much that is a plus for me on the new a1 mk2, in fact the a 9iii is starting to look good to me. Maybe Sony have had to consider the offerings from the other makers and they are cheaper regardless of if they are worse or better. I guess Sony will stop updates for the a1 mk1 now as they do, as for the new lens 28-70 f2, 28mm is not wide enough at the short end for me and it is very pricey not sure who will buy that lens

I feel similar this latest iteration is needed but not what i wanted nothing to wow me so to speak ,this is less of a upgrade than a7r4 to a7r5 was back 2 years ago and that was still a little light ,sony really needs to increase shutter/fps on lower models also i was expecting a uptick here with the A1mk2 but still need to use compressed to get 30fps like the original .The lens is more a sony showcase look what we can do make a lens sharper faster and lighter than competition in their normal way ,i would love it in some scenarios ,but i am thinking of the f4,s for my general walk about 20-70mm really useful 70-200mm f4 g ii for its macro esque opps.

 

[AlphaWorld]

I'm starting to wonder if we are getting a bit jaded = we have to have something extra, because it all it includes is stuff we have seen before it's not exciting.

Watched another review (Julia Trotti), and was amused to see that Sony got really thorough in collecting enhancements from other cameras released after the A1 - we already know about the AF from the A7RV and the body from the A9III, but did you realise they also brought over features from the ZV family? No kidding! They have even included those "keep the presenter in frame" features (works by cropping the frame to keep the presenter the same size)! Makes me wonder if they made a list of every camera, and every feature, and said "we want it all" - I guess they were getting really heavily into the idea that the A1 family does it all.

BTW: Sony Australia wanted a little something extra for people pre-ordering the camera from Sony (yes, all three of them ). They do things like include the airplane adapter with headphones, etc. This time I think they were clever - they are offering a custom Peak Design Slide Lite strap with the A1 II - not just any Slide Lite - it has Sony Alpha embroidered onto the adjuster strap end. I think that's the first time I've thought "I would like that" to one of those "extras". Sure beats the usual strap that's in the box - I haven't used the strap from the box in years.

 

[AlphaWorld]

Sony Australia include a "next estimated shipping date" on items that they don't have in stock.

The A1 II has one: it's estimated to ship 24 December 2024. I guess Santa is going to be delivering them

 

[Richard A]

Looks like A$11,000 here. It'll be interesting to see if there are many original A1 bodies coming to the 2nd hand market over the next few months.

I set up an eBay search when I posted this. There's one up there already. With grip, all boxes and accessories etc. Looks well looked after albeit well used, if you know what I mean. A$5999.00.