The first specs for the Sony A1 II have surfaced online, with the headline feature being a new AI chip, along with a claimed announcement between November and January.
While I expected the new camera to possess the same 50.1MP resolution as the original Sony A1, the big surprise to me is that it will apparently use the exact same sensor itself.
Which is fine, as it's a perfectly capable sensor. But I can't say that I was especially jazzed by its performance in our lab tests – and given that the sensor is now over four and a half years old, I would have expected Sony to replace it with a newer one (particularly given that Sony makes its own sensors). Though the consensus is that it won't be a global shutter one, due to the tradeoffs in fidelity to achieve speed.
Anyway, beyond resolution, the big improvements seem to be "new AI chip" and "best in class autofocus", which will no doubt be largely intertwined. I think it's a safe bet that we'll be getting a similar AI processing unit to the one found in the Sony A9 III, along with its Real-time Recognition AF.
While I found the A9 III to be a great performer for autofocus, its predictive "human pose estimation technology" wasn't foolproof – and it certainly has a way to go before meeting the standards set by the Canon EOS R1 and R5 Mark II.
The other noteworthy tidbit is the rather nebulous "improved frame rate". On the one hand, this could mean a bump to the original A1's 30fps burst speed. On the other, it could mean "improved" as in "consistent", as the A1 wasn't always able to achieve those 30fps bursts in the field.
As far as the actual release date, Sony Alpha Rumors says that "the Sony A1II will be on the market in 2025," with a purported announcement taking place between next month and January. Following are the rumored specs, per the website's report.
Sony A1 II specs (rumored)
• 50MP (same Sony A1 sensor)
• New AI chip
• Improved frame rate
• Best in class autofocus
• C2PA authentication
• SD+ CFexpress Type A 4.0 generation dual hybrid slot
• Same A1 body style (no upgrade to the A9 III body)
• Announcement between November 2024 and January 2025
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