Late last month, Sony Malaysia opened pre-orders for their new flagship mirrorless camera, the Sony Alpha 1 II. Today, it was officially launched for the Malaysian market.
The Alpha 1 II is a flagship mirrorless camera that many Sony users have been waiting for. However, many great and sophisticated features have already been introduced in their other cameras such as the Alpha 9 III. One of the most interesting features is the 50.1 Megapixel Exmor RS stacked CMOS sensor with BIONZ XR technology. It can save in the 21 Megapixel APS-C crop format.
The Pre-Capture feature is provided to take pictures before the shutter button is pressed. The Continuous Shooting Speed Boost feature that is supported gives more flexibility in taking moving pictures. Sony also brings their fast and powerful AI autofocus feature powered by the AI processor chip. The Sony Alpha 1 II's image stabilization system now supports 8.5 stops compared to 5.5 stops previously. It also has an active dynamic mode.
The LCD screen is still there, which is 3.2-inch in size with a 4-axis hinge system for easy use from various angles. On the viewfinder there is an FDA-EP21 type eye pad for more comfort. The camera also comes with a BC-ZD1 dual battery charger to charge two NP-FZ100 Z batteries in 155 minutes.
Sony has not forgotten that the Alpha 1 II is a modern camera so it also has Sony Creators Cloud cloud system integration. This allows users to directly save photo and video files on Google Drive or Adobe Lightroom. The camera also supports 2.5GBASE-T LAN connection for other alternatives.
In conjunction with the first introduction in Malaysia, the Sony Alpha 1 II is sold at RM29,299. Every early purchase entitles buyers to receive free gifts worth RM3,381, namely a Sony CEA-G80T CF Express Card, Sony NP-FZ100 battery, PGYTECH OnePro Flex 50l Backpack and a three-month subscription to Capture One All-In-One.
At the same launch event, Sony Malaysia also launched a new professional camera lens. This lens is the FE 28-70mm F2 GM with an E-mount that focuses on zoom capabilities with an aperture of f/2.0. This lens uses glass from three XA (extreme aspherical), one ED (extra-low dispersion) and three Super ED elements to reduce chromatic aberration.
Nano AR Coating II is also used to reduce flare/ghosting. This lens is ideal for shooting close-up shots with sharp focus and has a G Master bokeh finish.
This lens, priced at RM13,199, uses a linear motor with four XD (extreme dynamic) and a new algorithm that ensures the large f/2.0 focus is under precise control. For this rather premium price, the FE 28-70mm F2 GM is also capable of recording videos at 4K 120p/FHD 240p settings without any problems.
For those who purchase this lens early, Sony Malaysia will give them an NP-FZ100 battery worth RM402 and a NITECORE BB21 air blower worth RM299.