Sony’s α7 series of cameras has been one of the most successful releases in recent years, but today the company has taken it a step further with the launch of the new α9 interchangeable lens camera in Malaysia.
The Sony α9 is an interchangeable lens camera that packs a full frame sensor in a compact body. The specs list easily reads like a professional photograher’s wish list. It has a blazing fast 20fps continuous shooting, near-constant 60fps AF/AE calculation, silent and blackout-free shutter, a whopping 693 autofocus points covering 93% of the frame, and a maximum shutter speed of 1/32,000 sec.
And it does 120fps Full HD video, as well as full-frame 4K video with zero pixel binning.
At the heart of the Sony α9’s performance is the new 24.2 Exmor RS stacked CMOS sensor with integrated memory. It is this integrated memory that allows for the zero-viewfinder blackout, high-speed silent shutter, and a data readout that’s 20 times faster than conventional CMOS sensors.
On top of that, the Sony α9 camera further improves the existing features from the α7 series. There’s a new battery with 220% capacity from the previous generation, two SD card slots (with one that supports UHS-II), a new Quad-VGA OLED viewfinder with 120fps refresh rate, and a 5-step, 5-axis image stabilisation.
Given its inherent speed, it is little wonder that Sony is positioning the α9 camera for photojournalists. We were given some time to test out the camera at the launch event earlier, and again, it’s not a surprise that the α9 had absolutely no issues with the fast-moving ice skaters and national ice hockey players. Here are some shots captured on the Sony A9 (more at the end of the article):
Needless to say, this is a camera built to be the absolute best in the market – and the price tag is a clear reflection of that. The Sony α9 camera body retails for RM21,799 in Malaysia, and takes most E-mount lenses. A bundle with the 24-70mm G Master lens costs RM31,099, while the second bundle with the 70-200mm G Master telephoto lens goes for RM33,299.
Sony α9 Sample Images:
