Sony a9 vs a9 II – Key Spec Comparison

With Sony announcing the a9 II today I thought I’d do a quick key spec comparison for those interested in the differences between the new a9 II and its predecessor the Sony a9.

I will expand on this article as soon as I learn more about the new Sony a9 II.

Sony a9 vs a9 II Key Specifications Comparison

Sony a9 II – So What’s Actually New?

If you take a quick look at the above comparison table you’ll probably be left wondering if the a9 II has anything new to offer over the a9 at all, thankfully it does!

Upgraded BIONZ X Processor

According to Sony they have upgraded the BIONZ X Image-Processing engine and front-end LSI for improved autofocus speed and precision, face detection and EVF response. They have also tuned their AF algorithms to achieve even more reliable tracking of fast and unpredictable moving subjects.

Improved Grip & Dust & Moisture Resistant Body

The Sony a9 II also gets the new deeper grip that was first introduced with the a7R IV. The new body design features more prominent control buttons with improved ergonomics including lock/release buttons on the EV Compensation Dial and Drive Mode Dial. Sony has also improved the weather-sealing around ports and doors.

Dual UHS-II SD Card Slots

Just like with the a7R IV, the a9 II now supports UHS-II memory cards in both slots 1 and 2. So you are no longer handicapped to UHS I speeds if you decide to simultaneously record to both slots.

Voice Memo

The a9 II has a new voice memo recording feature that allows you to record up to a 60 second voice memo and attach to images via a .wav file that can be replayed when images are reviewed.

New Low-Vibration 10 FPS Mechanical Shutter

Sony a9 II also gets a new low-vibration shutter which improves the mechanical frame rate from 5 FPS on the a9 to 10 FPS on the a9 II. The mechanical shutter is now also quieter and has better vibration dampening. It’s also compatible with Anti-flicker shooting which automatically detects flicker and adjust shutter timing to eliminate exposure and color variations when shooting under flickering lights.

USB 3.2 Type-C Connection

The a9 II now supports fast 3.2 Gen 1 data transfer speeds for high-speed PC Remote tethering and data transfer.

Upgraded High-Speed 1000BASE-T and 5GHZ FTP Background Transfer

The a9 II now also gets a 1000BASE-T LAN port for high-speed data transfer including remote shooting. The 5 GHz wireless LAN support also allows lower interference for high-speed data transfer. It’s now also possible to save FTP settings and reload them onto any a9 II body. Up to 10 sets of FTP settings can be saved to SD card separately from normal shooting settings. Imaging Edge Mobile app can be used to save up to 20 sets of settings.

5.5 Stop 5-Axis Image Stabilization

The Sony a9 II gets a slight stabilization improvement at 5.5 stops compared with 5 stops for the a9.

New & Improved Menu Settings

The a9 II menu now includes separate Fn Button settings for stills & video as well as the ability to Save & Load camera settings via SD card.

Real-Time Eye AF for Movies and Improved Tracking

Real-Time Eye AF is now supported for Movie recording and there is also improved Real Time Tracking for Movies. There are still no picture profiles however.

MI Shoe with Digital Audio Interface

The Sony a9 II also get the new MI Shoe Digital Audio Interface like was introduced with the a7R IV. This means that it will also support accessories like the Sony ECM-B1M Digital Shotgun Microphone.