JIM DECKER
CEO

The Sony a1 II is arguably a small update from the original a1. Little tweaks to the specs like “AI” autofocus processor to help with AI subject recognition is pretty much the top line update. Other things remain relatively the same over the old model specs wise. I did notice a slight improvement in AF performance in macro. The AF would recognize and pick up the eye of a blenny through a +18.5 wet macro lens and pretty much stay locked on the eye or switch to the head. This is certainly a step ahead of the original a1, but at the same time not a ground shattering improvement. In our topside adventures in shooting birds, we’ve noticed a much bigger improvement in tracking, which is understandable since there’s probably a ton more bird shooters than fish shooters. If you’re into a lot of topside action photography I do think an upgrade could potentially be warranted especially if you suffer from GAS (gear acquisition syndrome).

A less talked about, but also great improvement is the ergonomics for the hybrid video/photo shooter. In the menu, Sony has an option to have separate settings for certain items between video and photo. I select shutter, aperture, ISO, and white balance to be separate. This way when shooting 4K/120p video, I can set the shutter to 1/250, F8, Auto ISO, -.7 EV and my exposure settings are ready for anything. All I have to do is capture a custom white balance for the ambient light white balance which is an easy shortcut to get to. With 3 white balance banks, one could set up for 3 predetermined depths to be ready to go at all times. Although the original a1 had this same menu function, this becomes a much bigger deal because the a1 II has a dedicated video/photo switch rather than having movie mode stuck on an infinite spin mode dial. This allows for instant access to video which actually encourages more swapping between the two.

Bottom line is for most current a1 shooters, it may not be worth the upgrade. But if you have the aforementioned GAS condition, and like the ability to swap out the Sony a9 III with its paradigm shifting global shutter and uses the same exact housing with no mods required, by all means you will be thoroughly pleased. And anyone coming into this camera for the first time will appreciate the barriers it breaks with superior autofocus, 1/400 flash sync speed, and industry leading image quality and resolution. All which make it an easy camera to get the shot in addition to looking the best.