Sony Alpha 1 II: one for everything

The Sony Alpha 1 was a revolution when it was released in January 2021. It combined high resolution with a blazingly fast stacked sensor, great autofocus and top video functions. Almost four years later, Sony is bringing its flagship camera up to the latest state of the art and is encountering two problems in the process: firstly, its predecessor was already almost perfect, and secondly, sensor technology has come to a standstill in terms of image quality.

Cameras

Sony Alpha 1 II

Cameras

Sony Alpha 1 II

So the Sony Alpha 1 II can improve a few small things, but doesn't come up trumps with any surprises. One of the most important new features is the AI chip, which gives the focus system all the conveniences of the Alpha 9 III - for example, more scene recognition and the pre-capture function.

The camera has made further progress with the viewfinder (it is brighter), the display (it is larger and rotatable) and the image stabiliser (it compensates 8.5 instead of 5.5 steps). The body is the same as the Alpha 9 III. I tried out the new flagship.

Sensor: one mill less image noise

The new camera has the same stacked sensor with 50 megapixels as the original Alpha 1. There is no Global Shutter as with the Alpha 9 III. Apparently, this is not compatible with such a high resolution.

I don't think that's a bad thing, because a global shutter would probably have disadvantages in terms of image quality. And the sensor of the Alpha 1 II is one of the fastest on the market anyway. According to measurements of the predecessor model, the readout speed is 3.8 milliseconds (ms), meaning that rolling shutter effects only occur in extreme situations.

Only the Canon EOS R1 is currently faster at 2.7 ms. However, it only manages 24 megapixels in this time. Other stacked sensors with high resolution are no better than that of the Sony Alpha 1 II. The Nikon Z8 reads out 45 megapixels in 3.7 ms, while the Canon R5 Mark II needs 6.3 ms for the same resolution.

Sony says it has improved the imaging pipeline behind the sensor. This should ensure less image noise at high ISO values and greater colour accuracy. I cannot yet judge the latter. The better noise behaviour can be seen in a direct comparison with the old Alpha 1 if you look very closely. I would estimate the advantage to be around half a f-stop - that's not much, but it's better than nothing.

Autofocus: one of the best

The Sony Alpha 1 II is said to have an even better autofocus system than its predecessor. According to Sony, the eye detection works "30 per cent better". The range of subjects has also been increased. It now includes people, animals, birds, insects, trains, aeroplanes, cars and motorbikes. There is also a new automatic mode in which the camera is supposed to find out for itself what you are currently photographing.

As a test, I pit the camera against Emma. The slightly over-enthusiastic dog is a real challenge for any autofocus system with her vigour. Firstly, I set the focus range to "Wide". This means that the Sony Alpha 1 II often struggles to capture Emma as she runs towards me. Whether I set the subject detection to "Animal" or "Auto" makes no difference.

The autofocus works much better if I limit the area to one field and focus on Emma briefly at the beginning. The camera then recognises the dog immediately and doesn't let her go. Even at full speed and in scenes with little contrast to the background, the hit rate remains astonishingly high. The old Sony Alpha 1 is slightly more often off the mark in direct comparison.

In simpler scenes such as portraits, the focus of the Alpha 1 II is virtually infallible. This applies to both photos and videos. Sony's pre-release function from 0.03 to 1 second is useful and well implemented. Overall, the new system is just as good as that of the Alpha 9 III and is one of the best on the market. In my opinion, the Canon EOS R5 Mark II is on the same level, with the Nikon Z8 just behind it.

Operation and features: finally a "flippy screen"

The new body feels better than the old one because it is slightly rounder. The grip offers more space and the release button is on a sloping surface, making it more comfortable to operate. Sony's bodies have made clear progress in recent years - but in my opinion they still lag behind those of Canon and Nikon in terms of ergonomics. These fit my hand even better.

I have nothing to criticise about the operation. There are five custom buttons that I can assign. The shooting mode, switching between photo and video, the drive mode and the type of autofocus can all be changed using the dials. At the back, I have the choice between a good joystick and the scroll wheel with 4-way buttons. Everything feels solidly made.

The thing I notice most compared to its predecessor is the display. It is 0.2 inches larger and has a higher resolution, and it can finally be folded out and rotated. That makes a big difference for me in everyday use. I could only tilt the screen of the old Alpha 1 up and down and the photos didn't look particularly good on it. The electronic viewfinder, on the other hand, has always been one of Sony's strengths. It has become even brighter in the Alpha 1 II. It doesn't get any better than this.

Video: almost everything as before

It was expected in advance that the Alpha 1 II would be able to produce videos in 8K 60p, as is the case with Canon and Nikon. Nothing there - Sony leaves it at 8K 30p. At first glance, this seems like a step backwards. But in reality, the function is hardly suitable for everyday use with the competition, as it only works in the huge RAW format. All manufacturers lack the computing power to record 8K 60p in a reasonable codec such as H.264 or H.265.

As before, 4K offers 120 frames per second. While 8K videos are calculated from the full 8.6K resolution using oversampling, the camera switches to pixel binning in 4K. The only new feature compared to the previous model is the digital image stabiliser known from models such as the ZV-E1 called "Dynamic Active Mode".

First conclusion: expensive perfection

From first impressions, the Sony Alpha 1 II lives up to its claim: it eliminates the imperfections of its predecessor, improves the image quality a little and is back at the top of the market overall. It is a camera without weaknesses that can simply do everything.

However, there are no real innovations. This makes the elephant in the room all the bigger: the price. Yes, the new flagship is less expensive at market launch than its predecessor. But while there was simply nothing comparable in 2021, the world looks different today. The Canon R5 Mark II is a whopping 2400 francs cheaper than the Sony Alpha 1 II. And the Nikon Z8 is currently half the price. To repeat: half!

The two competitor models do have a few marginal disadvantages: poorer viewfinders, slower readout speed with Canon and less perfect autofocus with Nikon. However, it is doubtful whether these differences justify such a price difference.

The Sony Alpha 1 II is suitable for people who want a camera without compromises at absolutely any price - or are simply already deep into Sony's system. An upgrade from the original and now "cheaper" Alpha 1 is definitely not worth it. If I were to buy a new one, however, I would grudgingly pay the extra price for the new display and the slightly better ISO performance.