Sony introduces the α9, the latest in their full frame mirrorless camera line up.

The new camera comes with high-speed, blackout-free continuous shooting at up to 20fps, 60 AF/AE tracking calculations per second, a maximum shutter speed of up to 1/32,000 second.

The camera is equipped with 35mm full-frame 24.2 MP stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor – hailed to be a world first. The sensor is back-illuminated, allowing it to capture maximum light and produce true-to-life image quality. The sensor also enables ISO range of 100 – 51200, expandable to 50 – 204800 , ensuring optimum image quality with minimum noise at all settings. With upgraded BIONZ X processing engine and front-end LSI, it maximises overall performance of the camera, giving up to 20x faster processing speed.

Decked out with a vibration free, fully electronic, completely silent anti-distortion shutter with absolutely no mechanical mirror or shutter noise; combined with a focusing system that features an incredible 693 phase detection AF points covering 93% of the frame. You can take reliable photos while being swift as a cheetah and quiet as a mouse.

The a9 sports a new Z battery with approximately 2.2x the capacity of W batteries, as well as dual SD media card slots, including one that supports UHS-II cards. An Ethernet port (wired LAN terminal) is available as well.

The α9 features a new high-resolution, high-luminance Quad-VGA OLED Tru-Finder with approximately 3,686k dots for extremely accurate, true-to-life detail reproduction. The EVF also utilises a ZEISS T* Coating to greatly reduce reflections, and has a fluorine coating on the outer lens that repels dirt.

The α9 comes with 5-axis image stabilisation system and offers an Ethernet port. The camera features a multi-selector joystick on the back of the camera, allowing easy shift focus within the frame by pressing the multi-selector in any direction. The new model also offers touch focusing on the rear LCD screen.

New to e-mount cameras, a9 includes the addition of separate drive mode and focus mode dials, plus a new “AF ON” button that can be pressed to activate autofocus directly.

The “AF Area Registration” allows frequently used focus areas to be memorised and recalled via custom button assignments. There is also the ability to assign specific settings (exposure, shutter speed, drive mode, etc) to a custom button to be instantly recalled when needed. The camera can memorise and automatically recall the last focus point used in a vertical or horizontal orientation, instantly switching back to it when that specific orientation is used again.

Based on extensive customer feedback, the new camera offers two separate media card slots, including one for UHS-II media. The same data can simultaneously be recorded to both cards, or the user can choose to separate RAW / JPEG or still images / movies. Movies can also simultaneously be recorded to two cards for backup and more efficient data management.

The new α9 also supports uncompressed 14-bit RAW, and 4K video recording. The camera uses full pixel readout without pixel binning to collect 6K of information, oversampling it to produce high quality 4K footage. Additionally, the camera can record Full HD at 120 fps at up to 100 Mbps, which allows footage to be reviewed and eventually edited into 4x or 5x slow motion video files in Full HD resolution with AF tracking.

Accessories

Sony has released a variety of new accessories to compliment the new α9, including:

• NP-FZ100 Rechargeable Battery: High-capacity battery with approximately 2.2x the capacity of the NP-FW50 W-series battery.
• VG-C3EM Vertical Grip: Provides same operation, handling and design as α9, doubles battery life and allows USB battery-charging via the camera body.
• NPA-MQZ1K Multi-Battery Adaptor Kit: External multi-battery adaptor kit capable of functioning as an external power supply for four Z series batteries and as a quick charger. Kit comes with two packs of NP-FZ100 rechargeable batteries.
• GP-X1EM Grip Extension: Grip extender with same look, feel and design as α9.  Enables more solid hold on camera.
• FDA-EP18 Eyepiece Cup: Eye piece cup with locking mechanism
• BC-QZ1 Battery Charger: Quick-charging battery charger.  Charges one new Z series battery in approximately 2.5 hours.
• PCK-LG1 Screen Protect Glass Sheet: Hard, shatterproof glass screen protector with anti-stain coating to prevent fingerprints.  Compatible with touch operation and tilting LCD screen

The α9 interchangeable lens camera will be available in selected Asia Pacific countries from June 2017.