Sony Alpha 1 II Review | A1 Just Got Better. But…

Sony A1 II is here and I tested out the features that are new. While I found some incredible features like the new stabilization, some features may need your attention.

🎥 MY MAIN CAMERAS
🟠 Sony Alpha FX3 - No Review Needed :)

🔭MY MAIN LENSES
🟡 Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM - Studio, Talking Head
🟡 Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G - Vlogging, Outside

🎙️AUDIO
🟤 Sony ECM-B10
🟤 Sennheiser MKH 50P48
🟤 Zoom F3
🟤 Sony ECM-B1M
🟤 Sony ECM-G1

🏮LIGHTS
⚪️ Aputure 300D II - Key Light
⚪️ Amaran P60x - Fill Light
⚪️ Amaran 100d - Hair Light
⚪️ Amaran P60x - Desk Light
⚪️ Amaran COB 60d - Desk Light
⚪️ Aputure MC RGBWW
⚪️ Aputure B7c
⚪️ Aputure MT Pro

📷 Other Cameras

🧩 VIDEO Editing
🔵 Final Cut Pro
🔵 Yanobox
🔵 FxFactory
🔵 ProSoundEffects

🪑MY CHAIR:

Come say hi:

DISCLOSURE: THE LINKS IN THIS DESCRIPTION BOX CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU.

[ACDGibson]

That NY sequence was 🔥🔥🔥
You are such a creative person. This channel should have a lot more views!!

[hikertrashfilms]

As an A1 owner, I am disgusted with every release since the 50 1.2 GM. They refuse to provide firmware support for the A1, while providing cutting edge firmware to the a7C (animal/bird eye AF in Video 12/21) They waited 2.5 years to provide us with focus breathing comp, and we still don't have focus bracketing or focus stacking in body. a7IV still has superior 4K30 over the a1ii, with oversampled 7K at 4K30 while the Z8 has 8.3K oversampled at 4K30. No Gen 4 CF-Express Type A support, and the C5 button does nothing, because I already have a button assigned to go into full AF-C burst instantly on the A1, and the A1ii offers no extra burst over the A1. Nikon never announced Pre-Capture with the debut of the Z9, yet they provided firmware support later on and added this cutting edge feature. The A1 has the hardware to do 0.5s Pre-Capture JPEG, but Sony wanted to troll all of us A1 owners buy withholding firmware to keep pace with Nikon. Plus the grip of the a9iii is too big, whereas the a1 grip is perfect. If I wanted a fat grip, I would purchase Canon or Nikon. Everything Sony has done since the 50 1.2 GM release has been going the wrong direction. As someone with $16, 000 invested, and as a Sony Pro Member, I am ready to get rid of everything the moment the Z8ii drops.

[chaochewei]

Your creativity is much more than α1 Ιii

[valentinomc]

Active stabilization is amazing; I really love it.

[retropixer]

Great job, as always. Good to meet in person today Faruk. Ali.

[Techno_Rama]

i have the a1 original and i have to say your nighttime NY videos look terrific on my 75 inch 8k Sony TV. i think the killer feature may be the image quality

[drtravisrader]

Hello, good video. Did you test 4k 30fps or 60fps on overheating? I've considered this camera, but don't want one that overheats. Thank you in advance.

[scpecialist]

Dear iPhonedo, first of all, I would like to thank you for publishing such nice review videos. I have a request from you. Can you make some more videos on sound systems (not just microphones)? What kind of configuration do you use in your workflow? For example, what kind of sound system/speaker do you recommend for someone who processes basic video? (Yamaha HS4 etc.) We hope to see your new product reviews in the sound field.

Sevgili iPhonedo bey öncelikle böyle güzel inceleme video'ları yayınladığınız için teşekür erderim. Sizden bir ricam olacak birazdaha ses sistemleri üzerine videolar çekebilrimisiniz.(sadece mikrofonlar değil) Siz iş akışında nasıl bir yapılandırma kullanıyorsunuz? Mesela temel düzey video işleyen biri için nasıl bir ses sitemi/hoparlör önerisiniz? (Yamaha HS4 etc.) Ses alanında yeni ürün incelemelerinizide görmek ümidiylr.

[mickandtrudie]

Well I still think the Lumix S5iix is better value for money and has more video features plus there is one thing that all these upgrades with the 422 colour grading is all the computers and editing Suıtes are struggling with it unless you use proxies the more advance they get the worst it’s going to get 🤠 Faruk great review by the way I hope to see you in Turkey one day 🤠Mick Amca

[vincevenom]

Does the Auto Framing feature work in 8k? I'd imagine if it did, that would be worth using. Also, IMO the new screen plus the new stabilization may be worth trading my A1 for the mk II for what I shoot. Great review!

[scottsolomon]

It seems to me, as a hobbyist, that many YouTubers/creatives I see in the comments sections of reviews like this, as opposed to the content in the video being commented on, take the same approach with Sony as they do with Apple. The aforementioned group wants the “flagship” products designed specifically for them and lambaste the companies when that fails to happen. Apple makes BOTH an iPad Pro AND a MacBook Pro and will NEVER make one of these obsolete in lieu of the other. The iPad Pro will NOT become the MacBook. In like manner, Sony makes cameras designed MAINLY for video use cases. The A1M2 is not one of those cameras. They also stated upfront that the A1M2 is an EVOLUTIONARY change which incorporates innovations introduced in more recent cameras. People seem overly upset that Sony did not come up with a brand new innovation that only the A1M2 got. I do not understand this complaint. The A1M2 is getting the sum total of just about ALL the tech these other cameras have gotten PLUS the existing tech in the original A1. Sony is not “forcing” anyone to upgrade from the A1 any many of the improvements are based on more modern hardware. Also, firmware is NOT the same as software. Software is generally platform independent (for the most part) meaning it will work on different models of hardware as long as the instruction set is in the same family (x86 vs ARM CPU). Firmware is tied to specific hardware and it is not just a matter of releasing new features in firmware, they have to be coded for the hardware and that costs development $$$. I’m not saying there were NO features Sony could have introduced but if they just added new stuff to older hardware they would limit their sales of new hardware. Sony is NOT a non-profit organization. They exist to sell products to customers. For the same reason Apple does not make the iPad into a TRUE MacBook replacement, Sony ought not to be expected to give away their IP for free. Now, one could argue the price of the A1M2 is too high based on the current competition from Nikon and Canon, but that is a different conversation. Just like Apple, people tend to pay more because of an investment in the “ecosystem”. I will be upgrading from my A7R5 to the A1M2 to get better low-light ISO performance and faster shooting using the A1 stacked sensor. If you don’t think the upgrade from your camera is worth the $$$, great… don’t upgrade. Just don’t make it seem as if Sony is unethical because they are not magically coming up with a brand new unique feature for the A1M2.

[StalwartMan]

🥳👋Another great review, another great video... Of course, I watched you first, because I learned a lot from you about photography and video shooting techniques. Thanks❤. I was thinking of buying Sony 7R5, but I waited for the new "Alpha 1 II" announcement. After watching your nice review, I decided to continue with 7R5.

[JoeMustang]

If I didn't already have an A1, I might be interested. I'm thinking sales of the original A1 will increase some at the lower price. I'm very happy with the S5iiX for my needs. I have two of them for video, . I will stick with the original A1 for stills, its enough for me, overkill most of the time. Fine cameras, all, however.

[vivalasvegas]

Sony Alpha A1.02 😂

100%…..

Dead Before Arrival, WTF….still NO internal raw or 8k60 in 2024! Pathetic codec options, R5ii way superior in terms of codec flavors. EVF still drops rez while focusing(according to Gordon). NO top plate LCD. LCD still super low rez from 2020. NO Zebra or False color for video. Still using super slow/expensive Type A cf card(no gen4 support). Menu system still convoluted to navigate. Body ergonomics still meant for guys with super “tiny” hands. Rebadged 2020 sensor. Still the same limited AF area coverage and AF points vs R5ii. NO eye AF. A1ii overheats sooner than R5ii. NO cooling grip option. Over $2400 vs R5ii but only matching 85% of R5ii’s capabilities.

Canon AF is still Sony’s benchmark.

[joelconolly]

I'm using the Xperia 1 VI and the AI tracking is also available here. I also wished this have priority since i face the same issue of that it doesn't know who or what to track sometimes. AI tracking is better if it's only one subject at a time. If the scene is busier with multitude of people, it doesn't know who to track and that I have to manually tap focus on the subject for it to track properly. This is especially apparent when there's people on the front when I want to capture the people on the rear.

[mathiaserichsen]

Upgrading from A7S III for higher photo resolution, better IBIS and AF.
A bit bummed they couldn’t implement down sampled 4K video, open gate, shutter angle ProRes or raw internal or to a SSD, but get that this is probably for other cameras 😅
- hope they’ll be able to give some of it through firmware at some point 🤞🏻

[AppleTrack]

Suddenly I'm considering buying an 8K camera

[coardtech]

you can buy a7 iii and get the same IQ using 24-70, shame nothing innovative here. not even an internal nd

[goodwolf]

It occurs to me there may be some hope for firmware support this time around, with so much competition in the market now. That was not the case for the Mark i until basically the end of its life cycle, so there was no market incentive to support it. But if Canon and Nikon support their equivalents, Sony will be all but forced to do the same…especially if they intend to even pretend to justify that price.

[rawatt_g]

I mean, listen to this guy SONY!! He just gave you a crazy idea for your “vlogging camera” line ups to include a vertical cropped version BY DEFAULT. That shit would sell