This has been a relatively slow year for Sony. With only 2 cameras announced (ZV-E10II and Sony A1II) and 5 lenses (28-70GM, 85GM, 16-50PZII, 16-25G and 25-50G). By comparison in 2023 we got:
Cameras: A9III, A7cR, A7cII, ZV-E1, ZV-1II
Lenses: 300GM, 16-35GMII, 70-200GII, 50GM, 20-70G.

It has happened in the past that Sony has had a weak year, usually followed by a year with numerous camera announcements… so we have high hopes for 2025 and I will soon write an article (and a Youtube video) about what we can expect.

But back to 2024: Petapixel-TV tried to rank the camera/lens releases of 2024 for each company. Sony still managed to score well, mainly because of their great lens releases. They also review the Sony A1II, which they say is a very solid release whose only ‘problem’ is the camera’s high price.

Let me know in the comments section if you agree with the reviews. My task now is to buckle up for the 2025 rumor era. With the Sony A7V and the new FX9 successor coming out very soon, we’re going to have a lot of exciting things to talk about!

Black Friday: You save $350 on the entire AI tools package from Topaz (Click here).

Two weeks ago Topaz announced the new GigaPixel Ai (click here to see all new features with ton of examples). Here is a new introductory video with the CEO of Topaz. It explains very well why this software is different from what you get with Adobe and others:

This is what you can do with Sony A9III and Sony LR1 cameras!

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Sony Camera Holiday deals:

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Sony general manager Masanori Kishi explained in a BCN interview why the Sony A1II kept the same Sony A1 sensor:

The sensor used in the α1 has a fast readout speed comparable to a global shutter, and has very little image distortion. It was a sensor with high potential to begin with. This time, we improved the image processing algorithm to improve image quality. The α1 II has evolved to be worthy of a new flagship camera.” The sensor had a lot of “room for growth”, so it was reused.
The highlight of this model is the inclusion of AI. By increasing the subject recognition rate, the focus accuracy has been greatly improved.

The journalist from BCNranking added some speculations:

It is said that it is difficult to achieve high pixel count and high image quality with a global shutter, so this may be one of the reasons why it was not used this time. If I were to speculate, for example, resources may have been taken up in the development of a sensor equipped with a global shutter, and there may not have been room for the development of a new sensor to be installed in the α1 II.

I agree that the original Sony A1 sensor was and still is fantastic. The limitations of the Sony A1 were in other aspects, some of which have been addressed with the new A1II (some others, like the lack of 8k60p, have not).

It’s also perfectly normal for Sony to “reuse” previous generation sensors. My own Sony A7rV still uses the 61MP sensor from the older Sony A7rIV released in 2019. I can’t say that this has disappointed me. That said, I’ve never found a Sony sensor to be a limitation in any of their models. If we want to criticize Sony, then we can talk about the high price, the less than spectacular firmware support strategy and so on.

What do you think about my take?

Preorder links:
Sony A1II at  BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, BestBuy, FotoErhardt, FotoKoch, Calumet, WexUK, Clifton, CameraPro. Sony Australia.
Sony 28-70mm f/2.0 GM at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, BestBuy, FotoErhardt, Fotokoch, Calumet, WexUK, Clifton, CameraPro. Sony Australia.

Use code “BFCM24” to get a 10% off on nearly everything sold by Keh.com (Click here). You can find the Sony cameras here and the E-mount lenses here.