Sony’s acquisition of Konica Minolta’s DSLR
camera business in 2006 has already resulted in a bountiful crop of impressive
digital SLRs, but the long-awaited A99, launched four years after Sony’s last
full-frame SLR, may be its most exciting to date.
The A99, or Alpha SLT-A99 to give it its
posh name, is not technically an SLR because it doesn’t have a mirror that flips
out of the way or an optical view finder. Instead, it uses a semi-transparent
mirror to direct light at the autofocus sensor – hence ‘SLT’. Both live view
and autofocus are permanently active. Having the 19-point phase detection
autofocus and the 109-point on-sensor array permanently in use has allowed Sony
to develop what it calls ‘a unique dual phase-detect AF system’ which should
improve both autofocus sensitivity and tracking, overcoming some of the
limitations of other mirrorless systems.
Sony
Alpha SLT-A99
The A99 houses a full-frame, 24 megapixel
CMOS sensor, and, like most of today’s DSLRs, was produced with at least half
an eye on videography. To that end, Sony claims the A99 is the ‘first full-frame
DSLR to offer Full HD 60p/24p progressive video recording to meet AVCHD Version
2 specifications and Full-time Continuous AF Movie mode, allowing smooth,
non-stop tracking of moving subjects’. So there.
It can also spit out real-time Full HD
video through its HDMI socket, so you can monitor what you’re shooting live on
an external screen, and it can switch seamlessly from one media card slot to
the other without stopping recording. There’s a programmable multi-control dial
on the front of the body which allows silent adjustment during shooting of
exposure compensation, ISO sensitivity, shutter speed, aperture, and more. And
a levels display allows for adjustment of audio input, while the headphone
socket lets you monitor it. There’s also an optional XLR adaptor to plug in
your own mic.
The
A99’s body is weather-proof and the buttons have been designed to better
withstand the rough-and-tumble of outdoor photography, while the redesigned
hand grip should make it more comfortable to hold.
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) covers 100%
of the frame, even when you attach a DT lens intended for an APS-C sensor, and
the big LCD on the back can be pulled out and tilted in three directions.
Dispensing with the moving mirror mechanism
and the glass pentaprism has allowed Sony to keep the weight down, producing a
body made from rigid magnesium-alloy panels that it claims is the lightest 35mm
full-frame interchangeable-lens digital camera, at 733g. The A99’s body is
weather-proof and the buttons have been designed to better withstand the
rough-and-tumble of outdoor photography, while the redesigned hand grip should
make it more comfortable to hold.
The A99 is currently available to preorder
at $4049 inc VAT (body only). Find all the details at
sony.co.uk/product/dsi-body/slt-a99v.
