Thx for your review: A99mk2 is great for action stills - I am using it for 1 month with ZA 24-70 and the 70-400 G2. The lock-on AF works perfect, better than that one on the A77II and the 42 MPx full frame sensor is awesome. I love it.
dunno if you guys gives a shit but if you are bored like me atm you can stream all of the latest movies on Instaflixxer. I've been binge watching with my brother for the last couple of months xD
Purchased this camera today. I started my DSLR Life with the Sony A200 many years ago. Took a big leap from this to the A77 and then the A77 Mk2. So far i am really impressed with my upgrade. Thanks for this review, Oh and i love the outtakes
It's a shame that this camera has not received more attention as it really is excellent, and for some, especially when using big, heavy fast glass, the DSLR style ergonomics are just more comfortable than the ergonomics of the e-mount cameras. The e-mount cameras are obviously the main focus of Sony's attention, and they have sexy specs for sure, but if this is a-mount's swan song then it is one hell of a way to go out in style
Agreed! I really love the a99ii but like you said, Sony's attention is on the E-mount. I understand the reason because that's what the market is trending towards. Even today, still a solid camera!
People need to recognize this is essentially a Sony Canon Mark V. (With better specs.) Take in to account you can easily shoot wit 10 other Brands of aftermarket lenses and you're probably looking at the best Camera on the Market for the Money.
@@JohnSisonPhotography I'm not sure I understand that logic. The market will clearly trend towards E-mount if A-mount is abandoned. It's pretty much the definition of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If i compare it with my "old" 77ii i have to say the Camera is awsome. The AF is accurate and very fast. Even if you dont use the Sony lenses. I have the Tamron (which made me a Little sad dont have all AF points) the camera is very accurate catching and following the correct object in AF-C. Which i reale miss is the Automatik smile shutter as a had in 77ii. Just this was a feature which was for me insane good and should be available again
Great review as always John. I'm going to add this camera to my A-mount family. I was thinking of making a decision between this and the A7RII, but I don't want to mess with adapters or buying new lenses right now.
Thanks for your review John. I use the A77ii and I would change to the A99ii but there's two reasons that stop me doing so. Firstly is the price and secondly is that I need the extra reach that i get from the A77ii. Being an APSC body gives me that 1.5 extra reach on my 70-200mm f2.8 lens. I shoot a lot of wildlife and it's hard to get close enough. I use a 1.4x Tele as well and this gives me a 147-420mm f4 lens. This works great for me!! Thanks again John for your review. You're doing a great job. Cheers.
I use Sol Glow too John! Through work as usual John. I like to see a compare/ contrast between A9911/ Niknn D810/ Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. As of now my money would be on Sony for the focusing speed you described and the MP.
John Sison Only do give aways if YOU want to. Not someone begging for free handouts. When at 12fps is it on locked focus? or tracking focus? Is it true 4K or the hacked up UHD? Good video, good information and nice to see outdoors and not in a studio. I loved the outtakes. Finally someone on RU-vid with a sense of humour.
Haha yeah thanks John! Appreciate it :) Focus and exposure is not locked when you're doing 12fps shooting. I'm not sure what you mean with true 4k unless you're thinking about the actual 4K resolution which is 4096x2160. The a99ii does 4k at 3840x2160. Hope that answers your question.
Yes 4K is 4096 x 2160 or true 4K. UHD is the 3840 x 2160 that is being passed off as 4K. Or better called TV manufacturer 4K UHD, as seen on advertising. Full HD is 1920 x 1080 no one ever called it 2K. This site gives quite an in depth review about the focussing of the A99ii. www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-slt-a99-ii/6 Everyone seems to get different results. Have you tried the focussing system with sports or fast moving wildlife...not static subjects? of course lenses make a difference. Thanks again for the outtakes. Had to watch them again!!!!!
Hi John, I'm a bit surprised you didn't use the front knob on the A99II much. I shoot an old mk 1 and find the knob super useful for changing autofocus setting, particularly as it is close to the lens so my brain finds it easy to relate (lens-focus, focus lens!) Does the mk2 have auto focus range control? This is a feature I use on the mk 1 when shooting wildlife in woodland or long grass - so I don't focus on those irritating leaves or stalks that get into shot! IPS: see you can now get "imaging edge" for this camera (since October)
Haha I know you were waiting for this one. Yeah I do miss it too! haha brings me back to when I first started hehe. Thanks for the support throughout the years! Need to organise a meetup or something when I get back to Melbourne or if you come to Sydney ;)
Well I'll only use AF-C for fast shots but I loved watching the autofocus points light up. It looked like it was working perfectly. When I did some street photos though, that's when I used AFS.
Thanks Paras! I was able to get all those points up by setting the "AF Range" to focus on something either close or far away. You can assign a button for this function in the menu if its not set already.
pls reply John! im thinking. to get it to upgrade from old a37. just stickin to A mount so i i don't have to buy new lenses and I want a good aftermarket support but it' doesn't matter if it shoots crispy 4k like a6300. a99 worth for me? my main priority is to shot video and bit of part time photograph
thanks for the review. I just have a few questions. when do you start to see noise? could you do a review with the vc a77ii vertical grip? If I were to get the a99ii, I'd most likely get the grip as well for the additional battery power. I'd like to know how much a system like that weighs. I currently shoot with the Nikon d4s and I'm considering switching systems.
I'd say it would start to creep in at ISO 3200 but isn't really too noticeable unless you're pixel peeping but of course it depends on the lighting conditions. I don't have the vertical grip anymore unfortunately :( The grip and the camera together weigh 1184 grams though.
Did you run test for A99II over-heating when shooting 4K video? Sony told me it should run 30 minutes before overheating. I get about 12 minutes and then it gets progressively worse after shutting down to cool off. I got it just over a month ago but they're trying everything to get out of fixing it... I'm suppose to turn off stabilization, tilt the viewer up so the back gets more air, turn off the viewer, or basically turn off all the function you need for shooting video.
I got up to the 29min mark with no issue. Other than what you are doing already to alleviate the overheating issue, I'm not too sure. It doesn't sound right if you're only getting 12mins. Are you filming in the desert? How about opening the ports although, thats not the most ideal thing to do as well.
Hi John, Can you please do a full review on Sony Alpha 68? I didn't find any good review online.I am planning to upgrade from A58 to A68 please give me your suggestions on this .Thank you...:)
Hi, John - nice review! As a former owner of Sony A-mount, (a77/99) I miss all info in the viewfinder, and the fact that you don`t have you remove your eye from the viewfinder in order to change exp, iso, f/s etc. Is it still like this? Next - heard about issues regarding buffercleaning - compared with let`s say A77M2 - better? Worse? Next - some claims it is to clumpsy to change the AF. Lets say from af-singelpoint, grouped, and wide. Your experience? Next - some say it`s 18mps in cropmode - is that mode canged? Or modified Thank`s in advance
Hi Stein! All the info is still there in the viewfinder. Great to have this still! Much better buffer, especially when compared to the a77m2. For changing AF, I don't think its clumsy at all. If its a setting that you change a lot, it might be best to assign that function to a custom button and change it that way. Too easy! And yes it crops down to 18 megapixels when in that mode.
did you find the performance of this camera a lot superior than the 1st generation A99? is it worth upgrading? does it use the same batteries as the A99?
Hi John, at 3:25 with Sony PlayMemories on Adroid or Apple phone? If not what software used to get wireless live-view on cell phone & what max distances? Can it do USB Cable tethered or wireless live-view to a Windows? Well over 6 years, Sony been making live-view cameras, A900, SLT-A99/A77, and Sony Remote Camera Control (software for Apple/Windows) will not do live-view on computer. Olympus been making live-view cameras and their software provide live-view on computer.
It'll work on both android and apple. I haven't actually tried to tether my phone to the camera via a USB cable. It can do USB cable tethered to a computer with live-view for photos with Capture one Pro.
So Sony Remote Camera Control software will not do live-view to a computer, just the Sony SLT-A99 and SLT-A77 (which Sony has abandoned with no supports)? "It'll work on both android and apple." was that using Sony PlayMemories or one has to pay for a software? All Canon cameras can do live-view to computer. It has one of the best software and it is still free, EOS Utility.
Hmm I'm not too sure.. I actually didn't read their review but everyone has a different opinion of cameras and lenses and my experience with it could be different compared to what they said.
I can see why Sony kept this A-mount camera in the marketplace. One there is only one high end “current” A-mount. Which keeps that platform returning high value returns for a lot longer than replacing a model every year. Also if one purchases a used one, you lose very little compared with the E-mount platform. Clever stuff. With the LAE-5 adaptation, there is still a clear pathway.
@M Tech I’m having trouble dragging my arse away from some stunning legacy glass, which you would be hard pressed spotting anything much better in today’s terms.
@M Tech I have been trying to buy one for far to long and 3 weeks ago an 80-200 came up in Oz for just under $600. A tad heavy but isn’t it the ducks. Hey I bought the Minolta STF and the sharpness is diabolically sharp. With the focus peaking on it fills a niche for walk around. The Minolta 100 mm f2.8 D is a razor blade as well.
what do you say about the lenses for a mount ...can it be used for wedding photography....?? i am preferring to switch from Nikon to Sony.... I am bit confused with what is perfect lenses for Sony a99 ii..
The lenses for A-mount are great! If anything I'd say the CZ 24-70mm F2.8 is a must. Maybe a nice prime like the 85mm F1.4 or 135mm F1.8. Before moving to the E-mount completely I haven't had any issues with them and I did use them for a couple of weddings too! I can actually refer you to a person that has moved to the a99ii for weddings. She kitted herself out with a whole lot of A-mount lenses. Look her up. Her name is Jessica Nazarova. She's got a lot of examples of wedding photos shot with the a99ii.
OK Thank you I will find her....So you Switch form Sony A mount to Sony E mount....Can ask you why??? or is it because their lots of lenses for option in Sony e mount....??? As you use both of them A & E mount Which one you prefer ??? one more Question what you say is Sony A7rii or A99ii is perfect for wedding?
I mainly switched from A-mount to E-mount for the size. There is actually a few more lenses available for the A-mount rather than the E-mount. I prefer the E-mount these days but I still have an A-mount camera that I may use every now and then. That's a tough question about the a7rii or a99ii. They're both very good cameras. The a99ii is more comfortable to hold because it is the larger camera and has slightly better battery life and better autofocusing. The A7rii is just smaller to me. Obviously there are other differences but to me that is the main one.
John have you tried to use AF in a situation when you have several subjects that block each other? I had real hard time with A7RII and A6300 when shooting my child taekwando classes, where there are kids appear and disappear and sometimes block each other. On my A7RII and A6300, I tried every mode, but camera gets confused and switches to different kids. I have other brands cameras that can ignore obstacles and just keep to the subject as a glue..... I wonder if A99II system is more advanced in that fashion. In your testing here you just had one bird, it's easy that way. Try to keep a focus on a face in a crowd and let us know if it works
Yes I've tried it before. It can struggle a bit which is why I use the centre autofocus point or flexible spot. The a99 should do great with subject tracking especially with its AF system but the a6300 and a7rii shouldn't have an issue either I reckon.
Full frame cameras don't necessarily have a built in flash, other than a few select Nikon models. Why? I'm actually not too sure but its been like this for a long time. Ever since the a900.
JUNIOR True, I have the A7R2 and although I love it, sometimes it seems a bit overkill. The AF and buffer along with the size files on the 6500 seem to fit for weddings to me. The DOF is still nice and I use only fast lens f1.4 primes/ 2.8 zooms to help with the Low lighting, to have them both would be great but again for weddings if you put a dual card on the A6500 I think you would have an almost perfect camera for weddings. Just my thoughts
A99II and A7RII would have been better at 24 or 32 MP; less overkill on file size. It will also improve the buffer. I will take a A99III or A9 that is 24MP, 15fps, unlimited buffer and dual SD (highest class) or XQD cards. OLED screen and Leica-quality OLED Viewfinder would be nice! Newer and better batteries. A7S2 low light performance.
