The Sony Alpha A99 Mark II was announced at Photokina 2016, and uses the same 42.4 megapixel Full-Frame BSI CMOS sensor as found in the Sony Alpha A7R Mark II, and offers 12fps continuous shooting, 4K video recording, and a number of professional features. The A99 II is available for £2999 body only.
Sony Alpha A99 II Features
The Sony Alpha A99 Mark II is 8% smaller than the previous version, the A99, and with a built-in 5-axis image stabilisation system it is possible for it to compensate for 4.5 stops. The battery life of the A99-II is rated at 390 shots when using the viewfinder, or 490 shots when using the rear LCD screen.
The new A99 Mark II shows that Sony is still committed to the Sony Alpha A-mount system, despite the focus on their mirrorless range. (The last new A mount lenses from Sony were announced in 2015). There is also continued support for the Sony A mount from thirds parties like Tamron, Samyang, and Laowa to name a few.
The Alpha 99 II features Full-frame 4D focus and a 42.4 megapixel 35mm BSI CMOS sensor. The camera is a newer version of the A99, released back in 2012. The newly developed Phase Detection AF System is capable of ‘full-time AF’ and is the first implementation of 4D FOCUS in the full-frame Alpha series, bringing a new level of AF performance to Alpha 99 II users.
The Hybrid Phase Detection AF System is enabled by combining a precision 79-point dedicated phase detection AF sensor with 399 focal plane phase detection AF points to produce a 79 hybrid cross AF point array. These cross points deliver incredibly precise autofocus performance and advanced subject tracking of any moving objects right across the image, at high speed. In addition, as there is no moving mirror, Translucent Mirror Technology (TMT) enables continuous AF operation and the finder image remains unaffected during any type of shooting, including live view and movie recording.
The Alpha 99 II has internal 4K movie recording with a host of pro-orientated movie features, 100mbps and multiple frame rates, including 30/25/24fps.
The A99 II shoots at 12fps in continuous shooting mode, at the full-resolution of 42 megapixels, making it one of the fastest full-frame digital cameras available with a high resolution. In comparison, the Leica SL offers 11fps at 24mp, the Canon EOS-1D X II offers up to 16fps at 20mp, and the Nikon D5 offers up to 14fps at 20mp.
The menu system has been updated with a larger font, updated design, and the layout has been improved in an effort to make it easier to find and use the menu system.
If we look at the differences between the A99, and A99 Mark II, there have been several updates, and it is also a good indication of how far technology has progressed over the last 4-5 years.
| Sony Alpha A99 | Sony Alpha A99 Mark II |
| 24mp sensor | 42mp sensor |
| ISO50 - ISO25600 | ISO50 - ISO102400 |
| 19point AF, 102point PDAF | 79 / 399 AF points |
| 3inch screen, 1,229K dots | 3inch screen, 1,229K dots |
| 2.359K dot EVF, 0.71x magnification | 2,359K dot EVF, 0.78x magnification |
| 6fps continuous shooting (full-resolution) | 12fps continuous shooting (full resolution, with C-AF) |
| Steadyshot image sensor | 5-axis Steadyshot image sensor |
| FullHD video | 4K video |
| Mic, and Headphone sockets | Mic, and Headphone sockets |
| Built-in GPS | Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth |
| 410shot / 500shot battery life (EVF/LCD) | 390 / 490 (EVF/LCD) battery life |
| 812g (with battery, memory card) | 849g (with battery, memory card) |
A number of features have upgraded, with the camera doubling the continuous shooting speed for full-frame images, FullHD video has been upgraded to 4K video recording, and there are now 4 times as many focus points. The screen remains the same, and whilst the viewfinder resolution is the same, magnification has been improved. One area where we would have liked to see improvement, is in battery life, with 390 or 490 shots depending on whether you use the EVF or LCD, it is nowhere the battery life offered by some other professional full-frame DSLRs. The camera no longer has built-in GPS, but with built-in Wi-Fi, it's possible to get GPS location data from a smartphone if needed, however, the A99 II does not support the installation of Sony's PlayMemory Apps on the camera.
Key Features
- 42.4-megapixel Full-Frame BSI CMOS sensor (with copper wiring)
- Sony A-mount, no optical low-pass filter
- 5-axis image stabilisation sensor
- 3inch 1228K dot tiltable screen
- 2360K dot XGA OLED EVF, 0.78x magnification
- 399 phase detection AF points
- 79 hybrid cross AF points
- -4EV AF sensitivity
- 4K (UHD) video recording, S-Gamut, S-Log
- Clean HDMI out
- ISO50 - ISO102400
- 12fps continuous shooting (with AF/AE tracking)
- 300,000 shutter life rating
- Updated menu system
- Top LCD display
- Dual SD / SD/MS card slots
- Remote tethering, Bluetooth connectivity
- Weather-sealed magnesium alloy body
Sony Alpha A99 II Handling
The Sony Alpha A99 Mark II offers traditional DSLR handling, with a large handgrip that has ample rubber grip that continues onto the rear of the camera. As part of the grip, there are dual memory card slots, so you can use two SD memory cards in the camera (or one Sony MS, and one SD card). The left hand side of the camera is also covered in rubber grip, and there are a number of ports under rubber covers, including a flash sync socket, microphone, headphone, HDMI, Multi/USB, Remote and DC in. There's also a front control wheel, with a central button, and the click of this can be switched on and off.
There's a cornucopia of buttons on the back of the camera, including a joystick that is easily in reach of your thumb, and is used to adjust the focus position. There are two custom buttons: C1 on the back, and C2 front left (from the view above).
The Fn (Function) button brings up an overlay of controls on the rear screen, and these can be customised, so you can put your favourite settings here. On top there is an auto locking mode dial, with 3 custom modes, and you need to press the button to turn the mode dial. Top LCD illuminates when you press the small light button next to it...
The camera is weather and dust sealed, with great build quality, feeling very well-made thanks to a metal body. This is as you would expect, considering the price of the camera, which is just under £3000.
There are an impressive number of focus points, up to 399, and up to 323 focus points are selectable, covering a wide area of the image. The screen looks good, and has a wide range of positions thanks to the multiple hinges on the screen. This makes it possible to move the screen to accommodate awkward shooting angles, and visibility is good.
The camera automatically switches between the electronic viewfinder (EVF) and the rear screen when you hold the camera up to your eye, but you can also set this manually with the finder/monitor button on top of the camera. The EVF has dioptre correction, so you can set this up for in case you wear glasses. The EVF has a high resolution of 2.36m dots, and this looks great, with a higher magnification than the A99.
Continuous live-view shooting at up to 8 fps with AF/AE tracking has been setup to shoot with minimal display lag so that the viewing experience is no different from that of an optical viewfinder.
Menus – The menus are now colour coded, so that each main section has it's own colour, for example, Photo1 (Photo options) is colour coded in red, Photo2 (Mostly movie options) is colour coded purple, etc. This is welcome, however, the photo section now has 12 pages of options (up from 4 on the A99), and the movie section has 9 pages of options (up from 2 on the A99). This is because Sony has organised the options into more logical categories, however, this means that some pages have only 1 or 2 options on them. You can see the options and layout of the menus in the video below:
Wi-Fi, and NFC are built-in and the A99 M2 supports remote operation from a smartphone or tablet. The A99 M2 also features Bluetooth, and this can be used to add location data to images. You can use Wi-Fi to send photos to a smartphone, a computer, view images on a TV, as well as use NFC to set up the connection.
Battery life - Battery life is rated at 390 / 490 (depending on whether you're using the EVF or LCD). Battery life is reasonable, but not as good as some of the other full-frame DSLRs.
Sony Alpha A99 II Performance
The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Sony Alpha A99 II Sample Photos
Sample Photos - Focus is reliable and rapid, and exposure is reliable, with little need to exposure compensation, unless shooting in challenging situations. The camera gives images with good colour reproduction, and there are a number of options that can be set, so that you can customise the look of images. There is no built-in flash.
Sony Alpha A99 II Lens test images
Lens Performance - 5-axis "SteadyShot Inside" sensor based image stabilisation, helps keep shots steady when shooting with low shutter speeds, but also gives a stabilised view when composing images on the screen or EVF. There are built-in lens correction options. Processing the raw files, we were able to easily correct the colour of the image for more pleasing results in our portrait shot. The majority of the time this isn't necessary, although this will vary based on the type of photography you shoot, the lighting you use, and how colour critical the work is.
Sony Alpha A99 II ISO test images
ISO Noise Performance - Noise is very low from ISO50 up to ISO3200, with images showing plenty of detail. You can also experiment with adjusting the noise reduction settings, as some may find them a little strong on detaul settings. With the same sensor as the Sony Alpha A7R Mark II, noise performance is very similar, with good results up to ISO6400, with ISO12800 also being usable, depending on your preferences and intended use. At ISO25600 noise becomes more noticeable, but is quite grain-like in appearance. Noise becomes more of an issue at ISO51200 and above, so these settings are best avoided (particularly ISO102400). We took these photos with the default noise reduction options.
Sony Alpha A99 II White-balance test images
White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) produces a warm result under tungsten light, with the Tungsten preset giving a more accurate result. AWB performs well under fluorescent lighting, and there are a number of fluorescent presets available if needed.
There are now options that can be set for Auto White Balance so that you can choose whether you want the correction to be stronger or weaker. "Priority Set" in AWB options are now: Standard, Ambience (Warmer), and White. However the difference these settings make is quite subtle in our shots (so much so that you may not be able to see the difference on the rear screen at first glance), and if you want truly accurate results, then you're still best using manual white balance or one of the presets.
Sony Alpha A99 II Digital filters
Digital Filters - There are numerous creative effects available, and we have shown these above. The camera features an automatic panoramic mode, where you simply press the shutter release button and pan the camera from one side to the other. Results are good, and well stitched together, with a good resolution mage produced.
Video - The A99 II features internal 4K video recording at 30/25/24fps, with full pixel readout, without pixel binning (in Super 35mm recording mode). It is recorded in XAVC S format, at 100Mbps. UHS-I (U3) SDHC/SDXC cards are required for 100Mbps recording.
Slow and Quick mode supports both slow motion and quick motion, with frame rates from 1fps to 120fps. There are picture profiles, time code options, and clean HDMI output, as well as Gamma assist for real time S-Log monitoring (S-Log3 and S-Log2 included), and zebra mode display.
Sensor-based image stabilisation helps keep video stable, and the video quality is impressive with the camera giving detailed results. As with almost all cameras, using a tripod or a steady base will help improve the viewing experience when watching videos back.
Sony Alpha A99-II SLT Camera Review - Verdict
Value For Money
The Sony Alpha A99 Mark II is available for £2999 body only (which was the same price as the A7R Mark II, until the recent price reduction on the A7R II) which makes it quite an investment, but quite good value compared to the Nikon D5 (£5099) and Canon EOS-1D X Mark II (£4799).
Sony Alpha A7R Mark II is £2499 body only (42mp)
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is £3499 body only (30mp)
Nikon D810 is £2399 body only (36mp)
Pentax K-1 is £1799 body only (36mp)
You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.
Sony Alpha A99 II Verdict
The Sony Alpha A99 Mark II is a combination of Sony's latest technogies, including the excellent 42 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, which gives both high resolution images, and low noise, delivering excellent image quality. With Sony's latest image processing, the camera can shoot at 12fps with continuous AF, at the full resolution.
There are improved white balance options, and although the difference is quite subtle this feature is very welcome. The menus have been updated, with colour coding, and a more organised layout, but this has resulted in numerous pages to scroll through, and it would be nice if all of the video options were in their own section. We're not really a fan of the menu system update, but saying that, there are worse menu systems out there, and I'm sure it won't take long for users of this camera to get used to it. .
Sony last announced new Sony A mount lenses in 2015, which were updates to existing lenses. Sony seem to be more committed to releasing lenses for the Sony FE mount, with new full-frame lenses announced for that system regularly. Yes, the A99-II is an excellent camera, and if you have a collection of lenses for the system, then it would make an excellent upgrade from the A99, but considering Sony's focus on their mirrorless camera system, it's difficult to see a long and prosperous future for Sony's A-mount.
For anyone with an A99, then A99 Mark II is very clearly a significant update, but it is also quite an expensive upgrade, with the A99 Mark II being priced at £3000 body only (compared to the A99's original RRP of £2299, blame Brexit). If you want a Sony A mount camera with excellent image quality and high-speed, then the A99 Mark II is it, and compared to the Nikon D5 and Canon EOS-1D X II it offers great value. If you don't need the speed and want something a little smaller, then the A7R Mark II offers better value for money, particularly with the recent price cut.
| The Sony Alpha A99 Mark II offers excellent image quality and high speed shooting. |