Sony Alpha a99 II

Incredible 42MP full-frame image sensor. 12fps capture rate. Dual autofocus system. Sturdy, pro-grade build. Crisp EVF. Articulating rear LCD. Focus point joystick selector. Uncompressed or compressed Raw capture options. 4K video capture.

Lengthy write times. Neglected lens system. Some photographers dislike EVFs. In-body stabilization not as effective as lens-based IS. Battery life lags behind other pro models. Omits built-in flash.

There was some question as to whether the Sony Alpha 99 II would ever be released. Sony has seemingly put all of its efforts into developing its mirrorless system, letting SLRs fall by the wayside. But the Alpha 99 II shows that the company hasn't...

The A99 II enables internal 4K movie recording featuring full pixel readout, without pixel binning, for ultimate high resolution video in the pro friendly XAVC S format. It is capable of recording high quality footage at 100Mbps for 4K recording. A new...

Sony has produced an excellent camera with the A99 II, following on from the excellent work of the original A99. We may have thought that Sony was giving up on its SLT range as it has been concentrating on its E-mount range for some time, but with this...

Superb image quality at low, moderate ISOs; Improved high ISO performance; Fast continuous shooting speeds; Very impressive hybrid autofocus; High-quality 4K UHD video; Rugged camera body.

Multi-selector joystick can be awkward to use; No EVF live view at fastest burst rate; Buffer clearing is slow with no UHS-II support; 4K UHD video isn't as full-featured as E-mount counterparts.

At long last, Sony's new flagship A-mount SLT camera is here. The Sony A99 Mark II can capture high-quality 42.4-megapixel RAW images at a very impressive burst rate. It has an excellent hybrid phase-detect autofocus system to back up the fast capture...

Well-rounded feature set ; Superb overall image quality ; Fast focusing system ; Seamless LCD/EVF use ; Highly flexible LCD screen

Relatively short battery life ; Can be sluggish at times ; No touchscreen ; No in-camera raw processing

Sony has made some significant changes from the original A99 for this latest iteration, and the result is a camera that should satisfy a broad range of users, whether they tend to focus on stills or video. While some issues from the A99 remain, it’s...

42.4-million-pixel full-frame sensor with fixed mirror is a landscape photographer's dream ; Sharp when paired with good glass ; Image stabilisation ; Excellent JPEG quality ; Strong feature set ; Performance in 8fps continuous high burst mode ; Superb 4k

Autofocus promises much but can’t keep up in the 12fps continuous high+ burst mode ; Poor battery life ; Joystick is fiddly ; Improved processor again does not match the continuous high shooting modes ; Menus not available while buffer clears

On paper, the Sony Alpha 99 II sounds massively impressive. So is it good enough to cater for both professionals who want to print big and those who want to never miss a shot from its speed-focused setup?