The Sony A9 is Here!

While I don’t want this to turn into a Sony camera “fanboi” site, I do use Sony cameras, and thus I would be remiss if I failed to note today’s developments.  So… today, after months of rumors about a new high end, pro-focused, full-frame Sony E-mount camera, Sony finally announced their new A9 camera positioned to sit above its A7 series in their full-frame lineup.  As a full-frame camera with:

• a new, “first-of-its-kind” 24 megapixels, backside illuminated, stacked imaging sensor,
• silent electronic shutter capable of 1/32,000 sec shutter speed, and
• 20fps continuous shooting frame rate with full autofocus and auto-exposure engaged, …

The new A9 appears to be targeted straight at the Canon and Nikon flagship pro cameras, the 1DX II and D5 respectively.

Here’s a link to an article with the press release:  http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/full-sony-a9-press-release/

And here’s another to Sony’s own product page with all the details:  https://www.sony.com/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-9

At US$4500, and with the above noted specs, this is clearly aimed at the professional sports, action and photo-journalist photographer – the same market as the D5 and 1DX II.  With other added features new to Sony’s full-frame line like:

• a joystick for moving focus points,
• a touchscreen,
• an added dial for controlling “drive mode” and focus mode,
• dual card slots with one a fast UHS-II-rated one,
• a PC sync port for wired off-camera flash,
• an Ethernet port for tethering at major events, and
• a double-capacity new battery, …

Sony is aiming high with this new body.  But it is clearly the new sensor, with it’s backside illuminated, stacked, integral memory design, that enables the true headline feature: that super-fast 20fps continuous shooting speed, which, via a large and fast buffer, can go for up to 200+ RAW images or 300+ JPEG images in a single long burst.  20 frames per second is almost  – nay, actually IS – a video frame rate!  Oh, and did I mention that the A9 can also do 4K video, of course?!

Reports from photographers and journalists that get to use it this week are sure to pour in soon, and the real verdict on how this new camera stacks up is still to come.  But it seems so far that Sony has once again upped their game in the ILC world.

More to come, I’m sure….