Sony launches a99 II A-mount interchangeable lens camera

Sony India has launched a new flagship É‘ A-mount model, the a99 II. A successor to the É‘99, the new a99 II combines Sony’s latest digital imaging technology including a new Hybrid Phase Detection AF system with exclusive Sony A-mount features such as Translucent Mirror Technology (TMT). The É‘99 II will be available in select Sony Center, Alpha flagship stores and electronic and digital imaging stores across the country at a price of Rs 2,49,990.

The É‘99 II has been redesigned to allow for high resolution and continuous shooting at high frame rates. A new front-end LSI works with the image sensor and BIONZ X image processing engine, as well as a newly designed shutter unit, to enable continuous shooting at up to 12fps with AF/AE tracking, all whilst harnessing the sensor’s 42.4MP capabilities.

Enhanced EVF display algorithm deliver continuous live-view shooting at up to 8 fps 4 with AF/AE tracking with minimal display lag so that the viewing experience is essentially no different from that of an optical viewfinder. Exposure, white balance and other camera settings are displayed in real time in the viewfinder and continuous live view shooting can be set in 3 stages to match a variety of subjects: 8 fps, 6 fps and 4 fps.

The back-illuminated full-frame 42.4MP 5 Exmor R CMOS sensor benefits from a gapless-on- chip design and allows for fast readout of large volumes of data as well as being extremely efficient in its light gathering ability. The net result is very high sensitivity with low noise, wide range and 42.4MP resolution across an ISO range of 100-25600, expandable to ISO 50 – 102,400 6. The É‘99 II has been designed without an optical low-pass filter to allow the finest natural details and textures to be captured with depth and the photographer can select compressed or uncompressed RAW files, as required.

The newly developed Phase Detection AF System is capable of ‘full-time AF’ and is the first implementation of 4D FOCUS in the full-frame É‘ series, bringing a supreme new level of AF performance to É‘99 II users.

The É‘99 II enables internal 4K movie recording featuring full pixel readout, without pixel binning, for ultimate high resolution video in the pro friendly XAVC-S format. It is capable of recording high quality footage at 100Mbps for 4K recording. A new ‘Slow and Quick’ mode (S&Q) supports both slow motion and quick motion. Frame rates from 1 fps to 120 fps (100 fps) can be selected in 8 steps for up to 60x (50x) quick motion and 5x (4x) slow motion recording.

The new model is 8 per cent smaller than the original É‘99 and has a newly designed grip, magnesium alloy body, dual SD 17 card slot and other upgrades that improve both hold and operation. All major buttons and dials are provided with seals and the media jack cover and enclosure edges feature tongue and groove.

In addition to being designed for faster response, the new shutter unit is also more durable and has passed endurance tests in excess of 300,000 shutter operations. The XGA OLED Tru-finder has a ZEISS T Coating and has a 4 element lens group that includes a double sided aspherical element whilst offering a powerful 0.78x magnification, delivering outstanding clarity from corner to corner. It also has a fluorine coating on the outer lens to prevent fingerprints, dust, water, oil and dirt from sticking, thus ensuring a clear view.

Location data acquisition has also been made possible via Bluetooth 20 connection to a compatible mobile device and it is now possible to select whether the storage location should just be on a tethered computer or also on camera for easy review without leaving the shooting position.