Sony a9II Accessories Guide

Have you upgraded your Sony a9 to the Sony a9II recently? Or perhaps you are new to the world of Sony Alpha and the a9II is your first Alpha?

Whichever it is I expect you might be a little bit curious about which accessories are compatible with the a9II.

Although I own many Alpha cameras including the a9 Mk1 and a7R IV I don’t currently own the a9II. But since it shares many accessories with the a7R IV and I’ve read far too many reviews online I do have a very good idea about which are the best accessories to pair with the a9II.

I’m currently working on a complete accessory guide for the a9II but until that is finished here are my top 10 accessories.

You can also view my complete Sony a7R IV Accessories Guide for additional accessory ideas.

My Top 10 Sony A9II Accessories

Here are my Top 10 recommended accessories for the Sony a9II.

1. Sony PCK-LG1 Screen Protector

The official Sony screen protector for the a9II is the PCK-LG1. The PCK-LG1 is normally labelled as the screen protector for the Sony a9 and it doesn’t mention a9II on the packaging, but rest assured this is also supported fully with the a9II.

I’m using this screen protector on my a9, a7III and a7R IV and so far it’s lived up to its name. It’s well made, doesn’t fall off like some of the cheaper screen protectors and still allows you to use the touch screen functions of the a9II.

2. Sony VG-C4EM Vertical Grip

The a9II has a larger grip than its predecessor the a9 so Sony have designed a new VG-C4EM vertical grip. The grip holds two NP-FZ100 batteries that double the battery life of the a9II. The size, shape and tactile feel of the buttons is identical to those on the a9II camera body and the grip also uses the same material.

3. Sony RMT-P1BT Remote Commander

If you require a remote control for your a9II then the Sony RMT-P1BT is one of your best options. It’s a bluetooth remote which provides a reliable connection even in bright sunlight or when there are obstacles between the remote and your camera. The RMT-P1BT remote works reliably up to around 18m or 60 feet away from the camera.

The RMT-P1BT has a fast 0.05 seconds release time, an external LED that flashes or lights continuously to show shutter, movie recording and AF status.

The remote covers essential camera controls including releasing the shutter, a focus button, a lock switch that prevents accidental operation during transport, movie recording start/stop and power/digital zoom.

There are also two custom buttons that mirror the functions of the C1 and AF-ON buttons on the a9II body. The RMT-P1BT also supports burst shooting when in continuous shooting mode.

Please note that you will not be able to use the smartphone link to tag your photos with GPS data when using this remote.

4. Sony NP-FZ100 Battery and BC-QZ1 Charger

The Sony a9II uses the Sony NP-FZ100 battery. Although it has great battery life compared with Sony’s previous batteries, if you are shooting all day then you might want to keep one or two spares just in case.

The a9II includes the BC-QZ1 external charger in the box but you if you need to charge two batteries rapidly then you can always purchase an additional one.

5. Sony SF-G Tough UHS-II Memory Cards

The Sony SF-G Tough Series of UHS-II SD cards have read speeds of up to 300MB/s and write speeds of up to 299MB/s. If you want the fastest memory cards for your a9II that take full advantage of the fast UHS-II slots then these are the cards to go for.

The Tough series of memory cards are also are times stronger than standard SD cards, bend proof to 180N, drop-proof to 5 meters, waterproof to a depth of 5 meters for up to 72 hours (IPX8 rating) and dustproof with an IP6X rating, X-ray proof, magnet proof, anti-static and temperature proof.

6. Sony ECM-B1M Digital Shotgun Microphone

The Sony a9II features a Multi Interface Shoe (MI Shoe) that is enhanced with a Digital audio interface. This allows you to use the new ECM-B1M Shotgun Microphone to record high-quality sound with minimized deterioration.

7. Sirui P-326 6 Section Carbon Fiber Monopod

This Sirui P-326 6 section carbon fiber monopod weights only 0.45kg and when collapsed measures just 39.2cm high. Fully extended it reaches 154cm in height.

The monopod consists of 6 sections with 5 sealed twist locks. There’s a rubber foot and also a twist-out metal spike built in. I’ve owned this monopod myself for a couple of years now and have zero complaints.

8. Peak Design Cuff + Slide Lite Straps

The Peak Design Cuff wrist strap connects to the a9II via Peak Designs anchor system and the wrist loop magnetically locks in the open position, or comfortably cinches down on your wrist for added security. It took me a little while to get used to the magnetic lock, but now I wouldn’t want to be without this strap.

The Peak Design Slide Lite can be worn as a sling, neck, or shoulder strap. It uses internally-padded nylon webbing has a smooth side that glides over clothing in sling mode and a grippy side that prevents slipping in shoulder mode.

There are two versions of the slide strap, a full sized version with a strap width of 45mm, and a lite version with a strap width of 32mm. I have both and find that the 45mm strap is really overkill for a mirrorless camera like the a9II so I’d recommend going with the Lite version unless you are using a very heavy telephoto lens.

9. Think Tank / MindShift Backlight 18L Backpack

The MindShift Backlight 18L Backpack features a rear access panel to your camera gear that you can also access without taking the backpack off by simply rotating the bag to the front of your body while the waist belt is still secured.

There’s a dedicated compartment that will fit up to a 13” laptop or tablet, front storage pockets totaling 5L of space and great for any personal gear like a light jacket or food. There’s also a seam-sealed rain cover included. The pack weighs 3.5 lbs (1.6 kg) and has a total volume of 18 liters.

The exterior dimensions are 10.6” W x 18.5” H x 7.1” D (27 x 47 x 18 cm) so it also meets most international and US carry-on requirements. Internal dimensions are 9.4” W x 16.7” H x 5.5” D (24 x 42.5 x 14 cm).

I recently purchased this pack myself and it will even fit the Sony FE 200-600 lens (hood inverted) whilst attached to a camera. It’s extremely comfortable and the rear of the pack and straps are very well padded. If you check the reviews on Amazon or Adorama you’ll see that this pack usually receives very high praise.

It’s available in two colors: charcoal grey and woodland green. I went for the woodland green color. If 18L is not large enough then there is also a 26L and 36L version available, I also have the 36L version which is ideal for when you need to carry a little more gear.

10. Rocket Air Blaster Large

The Rocket Air Blaster is really a must have item for your gear bag. It’s great for blowing dust off your lenses and the sensor of the a9II, as well as clearing dust and bits from the EVF and lens filters as well.