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Sony A99 II Reviews Worth Checking Out and More…

Sony A99 II
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Sony Alpha A99 II
Release Date
September 9, 2016
Retail Price
$3198 US
Sensor
42MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS Sensor
Lens Mount
A-Mount
Hybrid Phase Detection AF
79 (15 Cross-Type)
Video
Internal UHD 4K Video & S-Log3 Gamma
Check Pricing
@ BHPhoto
@ Amazon

The A99 II is the current flagship full frame DSLR style camera for Professionals made by Sony. It has the best autofocus system ever created for a Sony camera, and offers incredible build quality, insane pro oriented features, awesome battery life, and image quality to die for. At a price point of $3198, the Sony A99 II blows away most of the competition when you look from the perspective of bang for the buck in my opinion.

So why is there not much coverage about the Sony A99 II and/ or the Sony A77 II for that matter?

Well everybody, including myself, has been fixated on the new Mirrorless camera phenomenon.  They are smaller, lighter, have the same killer image quality, and for most people, provide everything needed in a camera body. However, they are not really pro oriented in a number of ways.

For example, they do not have the super rugged build quality, they don’t have the best battery life in general, lens selection is close now, but still lacking in some areas, and they tend to cost more for what you actually get performance wise.

Sony DSLR Style Camera Time

I think it’s time I give some love an attention to the DSLR style A-Mount cameras like the pro oriented A99 II and A77 II in particular! For the current lens line-up, be sure to check out my Sony A-Mount Lens Guide, which is completely redesigned and updated!!

I’m currently reviewing the New Mirrorless Sony A9, but after that is complete, I plan on getting the Sony A99 II for Review! With that in mind I wanted to get your requests in for what lenses and accessories you would like me to test and/or review? Please let me know in the comments area below or shoot me an email if you would rather.

My Sony A99 II Review

In this Sony A99 II Review I will be using the Sony Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II Lens and Sony 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G SSM II Lens to really see what this camera is capable of. Please come along for the ride! Jay

My Full Sony A99 II Written Review >>
Sony A99 II at the Zoo >>
Sony A99 II and HDR Photography >>

Quality Sony A99 II Reviews and Videos

#1 – Sony A99 II Hands-On Field Test

Courtesy of TheCameraStoreTV a high quality field test style review which covers a number of features and   the real world performance of the Sony A99 II.

Published on Jun 27, 2017
After years of speculation that Sony had abandoned the A-Mount, everyone (including us) were shocked when the A99 II was announced, boasting the best specs of any full frame camera on the market. We took the A99 II out to shoot action and landscapes, and talked to photographer Ken Locke about shooting portraits with this flagship A-Mount camera. Is it worth investing in a mount on life support? Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake take a look.

#2 Sony a99 Mk II Review (vs a7R II, Canon 5D Mk IV, Nikon D810)

Courtesy of Tony & Chelsea Northrup

Published on Apr 1, 2017
We go to Thailand to review the Sony A99 Mk II against the A7R II, Canon 5D Mk IV, and Nikon D810. We test still image quality, portraits, 4k video, and more! We also test the Sony 70-200 f/2.8 SSM II vs the Sony 70-200 f/2.8 GM and Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 ED.

An awesome Sony A99 II Tutorial Video

This is totally worth watching if you are new to Sony cameras and/or the A99 II. Even if you know what your doing, I guarantee you will learn a few things in this video!

#3 Sony A99 II Review | John Sison

I always enjoy John Sison’s reviews and I hope you do as well!

Published on Mar 10, 2017
I take a look at the Sony a99ii, Sony’s newest top of the range full frame A-mount camera. Featuring Sony’s translucent mirror technology with dual phase detection autofocusing, this camera looks to be promising for people that shoot fast action photos. The camera also features a 42 megapixel sensor, 12 fps, 5-axis stabilisation, Wi-Fi and a lot more features for any type of photographer.

#4 – Sony A99II Review – Look Out World, A New Full Frame Alpha is Here

Courtesy of Dan Watson

Published on Mar 19, 2017
The Sony A99II absolutely has my favorite spec list of all time. While using one of the most amazing full frame 42mp sensors on the market today from the A7RII, the A99II is still able to maintain 12fps with full AF and AE. But there is always more to the story so let’s dive a bit deeper with this Sony A99II Review

#5 – Sony A99 II vs Nikon D5 – The new A99 II Shocks us!

Courtesy of Max Yuryev

#6 – Sony A99 II Review @ DPReview.com 

In the famous words of an unnamed Monty Python character: ‘I’m not dead yet!’
Joking aside, the a99 II is the ultimate SLT. It is the SLT that should be used by any photographers that have had prior doubts about the system, as its all-round balance of features and capabilities leave the ultimate decision for many photographers up to two things: EVF vs. OVF, and the lens system. For those that love SLT, the a99 II is definitely worth a look, but for those that need a solid all-rounder, or a lens selection beyond A-mount, the complications of SLT may not be worth the advantages.

Full highly detailed A99 II Review Here @ DPReview >>

#7 – DXOMark Sensor Score 

#8 – Sony A99II Settings for Sports/Action Photography

This is a great tutorial style video for those looking for recommendations on camera settings for sports photography with the Sony A99 II courtesy of Patrick Murphy-Racey

Closing Remarks

As you can see from these quality Sony A99 II Reviews, it’s a beast of a camera and a clear contender for the title shot! I would love to own one to replace my now old Canon 5d Mark II, but I honestly don’t want to go thru the pain stacking task of selling all the L lenses and accessory gear I have for my occasional pro type work. Plus, my wife loves the Canon for taking photos of the kids and stuff, so why mess up a good thing. She does not want to learn another camera system, and I can’t blame her for that.

I do plan on reviewing the Sony A99 II after the Sony A9 if you guys are interested in that?? Please let me know and what lenses and/or accessories you would like me to test the camera with.
Thanks again for checking in and please have a wonderful day,
Jay

Sony A99 II for $3198 @ BH | AMZ

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Your support is greatly appreciated as we run this site in our spare time and are not paid. We can however, make a small commission if you click a product link that your interested in. That click will then give us credit if you choose to purchase any given item. This has no effect on the cost of the product, and is a simple way to give back to SonyAlphaLab.com for the effort and info we provide. Thanks, Jay
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6 Comments

  1. Hi Jay,
    As the owner of an A77ii it’s nice to finally see articles on something other than the A9 and other mirrorless. It often feels like Sony is abandoning the A-mount.

    Reply

  2. Jay – thanks! As a hobbyist and an A99-II owner, and it’s predecessor, the original A99 – I’m obviously a huge fan. I see the smaller Mirrorless cameras getting all the attention, and I’m good with that. I do feel, however, that the beauty of the A99-II is missed by so many because of the lack of info being put out about this full size camera.
    When you do your review, I’d like to see what you think with various lenses. I use the Zeiss 24-70, 85mm, and the 135mm along with my Sony G-Master 70-200. I shoot mostly portraiture and can pretty much cover any scenario between these 4. However, I find that I’m now leaning more towards the 70-200 because it’s convenient. I love the shots I get with the Zeiss 135, but when I travel (of late) I only carry the 24-70 and the 70-200.
    The A99-II is strong and tough; has great battery life; 12 FPS which is faster than I’ll ever need; a ridiculous amount of focus points; dual SD slots, and takes fantastic photo’s. Again – I’m good with all the love shown to the A7R2, and now the A9 but I feel the A99-II is a hidden gem, that could be a difference-maker for so many.
    Can’t wait to check out your review! Thanks.
    -Rusty

    Reply

    1. Hi Rusty and thank you very much for your detailed comments and sharing you experiences with the A99 family. I will do the best I can with the A99 II and try to give it the same review love I’m currently giving the A9. I agree with you it seams like it’s just not on the radar, and it really should be! For the money, it’s a way better camera for many users than the mirrorless cameras. I plan on pointing out all those little details in a series of articles. The cost to power/ build quality is just off the charts as far as I’m concerned. Mirrorless is all the rage though these days and I think people are forgetting what a kick ass DSLR is really all about. It’s for people like us who want the best of everything! Lighter weight is great, but not the most important thing in the world when it comes to photography as a passion. Build quality and pro oriented features are really worth a lot more to me than less weight. Currently the A9 has most of those pro features, but not the super rugged build quality, and it’s ~$1,500 more! Seams a bit odd to me coming from the perspective of I want the best of everything….
      Thanks again for the input and I will see what I can get for the lenses with the A99 II Review 🙂 The 70-200mm is a great option also for review, and my go to pro lens of choice when using my Canon gear!! I figured the 70-400mm would give me a bit more telephoto reach type fun for testing the AF abilities and possible some wildlife, but it’s not really that big of a deal either way for me…
      Jay

      Reply

  3. Hi Jay
    I love your reviews. I am a new A99II owner, upgrading from the A77II. I have the Sony-Zeiss 50 F1.4 — that lens just sings on the A99II, and it’s compact and well balanced. I swapped the Sigma 18-35 F1.8 for the Sigma 24-105 F4 (vs the Sony 24-70 F2.8) as my “standard zoom” because I have weakness for Sigma Art lenses and want to save my not-limitless funds for the Sony 135 F1.8 (because I am getting serious about portraiture, and I got to play with that lens in BH Photo and, oh was it sweet!).
    The limitation of Sigma vs Sony lenses is the loss of access to the on-sensor PDAF points with non-Sony lenses (annoying but not critical), but the Sigma lens focuses quickly with the separate PDAF (79 points, I think) points across the center of the frame. Eye AF also works on those points. That said, the Sigma 24-105 F4 is so very pleasing on the A99II. I am getting some sweet images!
    I’ll echo what others have said here. I think the A99II is a real gem. I already had 3 Tamron A-mount lenses (the 15-30 F2.8 for ultra wide/real estate stuff, the 150-600 for bird photography, and the 90 mm F2.8 Macro). I just picked up an immaculate copy of the famous Minolta beercan – the 70-210 F4, for $100. Like the A7RII, the sensor really merits great glass – I wish Sony showed the A-mount lenses a bit more love, but there is enough out there between Sony, Tamron and Sigma to make this camera sing. There are better cameras for specific tasks, but the A99II is not bad at anything (even video), and it really excels in a lot of areas.
    So many choices out there. It’s a great time for photography!
    I look forward to your insights.

    Reply

    1. Hi Basil,
      Thanks for the comments and I couldn’t agree more! It’s an amazing time for photography and like you said, with all the Sigma and Tamron A-Mount lenses there are plenty. Sony still needs more though like the 24-105mm f/4 in particular, but like you said the Sigma lens works great, so it’s not the end of the world. I want that native glass though for maximum compatibility and smooth AF iv video mode. I notice that immediately when using a Sigma or Tamron, although the sharpness is usually very good. Especially the Art Lenses!
      Thanks again for the comments and sharing so much of your experience with the camera! It’s great to hear and I really look forward to seeing what the A99 II can do and how it performs compared to all the Sony mirrorless cameras I have tested over the past few years…
      Jay

      Reply

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