Jan 25, 2025 17:30:00

Sony's mirrorless camera 'α1 II' with 50.1 megapixels and AF tracking, capable of shooting 30 frames per second, exterior review

Sony's mirrorless camera '

α1 II ', released in December 2024, has advanced functions such as 'approximately 50.1 million effective pixels', 'capable of continuous shooting at 30 frames per second with AF tracking', and 'automatic subject recognition and tracking with an AI processing unit'. I was able to borrow such an α1 II from Sony, so I first took a closer look at its appearance.

α1 II | Digital single-lens camera α (Alpha) | Sony
https://www.sony.jp/ichigan/products/ILCE-1M2/

In addition to the camera body, the α1 II comes with a battery, a battery charger, two types of eyepiece cups, a cable protector, and a shoulder strap.

This is what the α1 II looks like from the front. Logos such as 'SONY' and 'α1' stand out. The dimensions are approximately 136.1 mm wide x 96.9 mm high x 82.9 mm deep.

The lens mount is E-mount. The sensor is a full-size stacked CMOS sensor 'Exmor RS' with built-in memory, and the effective pixel count is about 50.1 million pixels. In addition, a customizable C5 button is installed next to the mount (where the middle finger of the right hand touches when holding the camera).

The size of the rear monitor is 3.2 inches and the number of pixels is 2,091,040. An independent recording button is located in the upper right corner of the rear monitor.

The rear monitor can be adjusted to an angle of approximately 98 degrees upwards and approximately 40 degrees downwards.

Additionally, you can open it sideways and rotate the monitor.

The eyepiece cups included are the thin '

FDA-EP19 ' and the deep ' FDA-EP21 '.

The eyepiece cup can be attached to the viewfinder (EVF) with one touch.

This is what it looks like with the thin eyepiece cup attached.

This is what it looks like with the deep eyepiece. The number of pixels in the viewfinder is 9,437,184.

The top surface is equipped with a mode dial and various buttons.

There are seven drive modes: 'Single shot', 'Continuous shooting (Hi)', 'Continuous shooting (Mid)', 'Continuous shooting (Lo)', 'Self-timer', and 'Blanket'. In 'Continuous shooting (Hi+)', it is possible to shoot up to 30 frames per second. In addition, there are four focus modes: 'AF-S (Single AF)', 'AF-C (Continuous AF)', 'DMF (Direct Manual Focus)', and 'MF (Manual Focus)'.

Exposure modes available include 'AUTO (automatic auto),' 'P (programmed auto),' 'A (aperture priority),' 'P (shutter speed priority),' and 'M (manual exposure),' and you can also register your preferred settings in '1,' '2,' and '3.'

There is also a multi-interface shoe for attaching a flash, etc.

There is a battery slot and a tripod hole on the bottom.

When you open the battery slot it looks like this.

The battery included is

NP-FZ100 .

There is a card slot on the side of the grip.

There are two card slots, both of which are compatible with CFexpress Type A cards and SD cards.

Various terminals are mounted on the opposite side.

From the top left, there is a LAN terminal, multi/micro USB terminal, sync terminal, microphone terminal, headphone terminal, USB Type-C terminal, and HDMI terminal.

The actual weight of the main unit and battery combined is 746g.

This is what it looks like when the

FE 28-70mm F2 GM is attached.

This is what it looks like when you hold it in your hand.

The part where the side of your thumb rests is raised, so it feels stable even when a heavy lens is attached.

The α1 II is available at electronics retailers and online shops, and is sold at Camera Kitamura Rakuten Market for 907,498 yen (tax included). However, at the time of writing, the delivery date has not yet been decided.

Sony α1 II Body [ILCE-1M2] {Delivery date TBD}


We will be publishing a review article on taking photos with the α1 II at a later date, so please stay tuned.

[to be continued]