Sony A9II For Wildlife Photography - Still Relevant in 2022?

[@PangolinWildlife]

Are you a Sony Shooter? Do you agree with Danielle? Are you considering changing to Sony and if so from which brand?

[@quentinfourie2173]

Left Canon for Sony. We stayed at Pangolin in September 2022, and the Sony shined. It was awesome that our Pangolin photo host, Marco Buegel was also a Sony user to assist with problem-solving. Good to see Danielle and Charl showing interest in Sony. As a matter of interest, our Sony cameras were A7 III and A7 IV. The pictures were amazing.

[@wilduntamedphotography1260]

@@quentinfourie2173 Thanks a lot Quentin, it's been a pleasure for me having Cheryl and you on my boat - I appreciate your kind words 🤗 Cheers Marco

[@3flyte_3flyte]

The question is "is it still relevant?" Yes, and so are the Canon, Olympus and Nikon dslr's that came before the Sonys. The Sonys have introduced AI and advanced tracking software, and that is its greatest contribution to wildlife photography and photojournalism.

[@rolandruesch6862]

I usually don’t watch videos about a Nikon/Cannon/Pentax/etc. photographer trying out a Sony camera but this channel is not only very informative but also shows great wildlife pictures. I have to say, I was not disappoint. Thanks I have been using a used A9II for some time. Everybody talks about the Sony menu system as a factor to stay away from it. I just put all the option I use in the favorite folder which filled in my case 4 pages beside the 8 on screen options and the customizable buttons.

[@jakesdewet3567]

I use the Sony A9ii with 200-600 after many yrs of using Nikon. The combo is fantastic and very versatile. I am like the customizable ergonomics and focus is fantastic. On the IQ side, I am happy but in my view Nikon Z6ii files are better snd ISO performance better. I changed to Sony as the 200-600 is a fantastic lens and Nikon have nothing that competes with the lens and the A9ii that I bought on a fantastic Sony promotion. After using the A1 a few times I am very tempted to upgrade should Sony run a special deal. The EVA, faster focus and improved files are very tempting. But A9ii remain an amazing camera.

[@PangolinWildlife]

Thanks Jakes.

[@etiennescamera]

Just saw that they are running a special at the moment

[@yaakovcomley]

Thanks for the content Danielle. Really appreciated. I used the following combinations on a S. African safari recently: Sony a9ii with the 200 to 600 and the Sony a7riv with the 70 to 200ii. The a9ii performed very well and was the combo I used 90% of the time.

[@PangolinWildlife]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@benwiles7433]

You hit the nail on the head. Cost to change. I couldn't justify moving from my Nikon DSLR.

[@TheGazzadj]

I moved from Sony from Canon and whilst there is some extra cost involved I actually own the lenses I need - With Canon I had glass I wasn't using and therefore could thin down my equipment..

[@raffscallion6639]

Good to see you back Danielle! Great review, and especially good editing/scripting with the recordings in-camera showing on-screen, very useful :)

[@ralphporter7492]

Thank you, I have been considering punching a used A9 II, I'm primarily a nature photographer but after shooting birds in flight for a few days in New Mexico and Colorado with my A7 III I decided I wanted something with better autofocus and tracking. The Sony A1 is financially out of reach as is changing systems so I had decided it would be the A7 IV or the A9 II. This in field review was very helpful. Much appreciated.

[@hans6304]

Hello Ralph, may I know which camera you ended up getting and how are you liking it for birding? I'm planning to upgrade from an A7iii and considering the Z8 for it's overall value vs performance. But switching systems would mean getting another set of lenses, too. Cheers!

[@ralphp.2360]

@@hans6304 Hans, I got the A9 II. I like the camera a lot, its handling and control layout. Here is the but, while I think the image quality is quite good being a 24 mp camera same as A7 iii cropability remains unchanged. What I notice is better build, better overall handling, more convenient control layout, and better focus and tracking. I have more in focus bird in flight images. So I’m happy with it yes. In the Sony system it works,I couldn’t afford the A1 and changing systems was out of the question because of lens replacement costs. Ralph

[@hans6304]

@@ralphp.2360 Ralph, thank you for the kind response and glad that you are liking the A9ii. Does it still take great low-light pictures like the A7iii? Insane price for the new A9iii by the way. Cheers, Hans.

[@murrayr01]

Hi, appreciated your insights. I have recently purchased a new A9 II to expand on my A9. With the recent firmware upgrade, my A9 now tracks quite well. Keep up the good work.

[@DCFotographs]

Would you say the a9 is the same af performance as a9ii with fw upgrade?

[@murrayrosenthal2957]

@@DCFotographs hi Daniel. I’ll need three weeks to answer that question . Just received the a9ll

[@DCFotographs]

@@murrayrosenthal2957 really appreciate it! Thank you

[@grom5756]

​@@murrayrosenthal2957how do you say your a9 mki compared to the a9 ii

[@ruudthoomes2608]

Thanks for this video Danielle. I’m using an a7iii (and my good old workhorse the 7Dmkii). I hope that the a9iii will allow me to upgrade to a used a9ii in the future.

[@PangolinWildlife]

Thanks for sharing!

[@mansoreaa]

As always, I like your videos and your delivery of the idea, as well as your beauty🌹

[@guyjackson4143]

While I'm certain that Danielle did an excellent job on the video of this Sony mirrorless camera and lense, it is a moot point for photographers like myself who have not or plan to go mirrorless anytime in the future ( unless I score the lottery). I'll be a diehard dslr user. The cost of a mirrorless system compared with the loss you take on selling existing gear just is not viable option money wise. Looking forward to hopefully a few more Canon dslr videos in the future.

[@PangolinWildlife]

There are a few more in the pipeline I believe.

[@rogersmith4308]

I still very much enjoy shooting my A9II in 2022, I've held off on an A1 until I see what the A9III looks like. One thing the review didn't touch on was file size, their can be some advantages when piling up shots at 20FPS to having a lower resolution camera. I'm hoping the A9III goes to a stacked version of the A7IV's 33MP sensor, a sweet spot.

[@jeroenvdw]

I think the A9III will probably have a 33MP stacked sensor together with the new screen and AI chip of the A7R V. The A9II is already discounted to 3k in my country so I guess the A9III will go for €4.5k-5k, maybe even 6k to show it's just slightly less than the A1...

[@etiennescamera]

My first Sony was an A7Riv, then I bought a used A9ii as second camera and found myself preferring the A9ii over the A7Riv to the point where I almost never used the A7Riv any more, eventually recently trading it in on an A1 while keeping the A9ii. Having recently been on a 6 day visit to Pangolin, where I used both the A1 and the A9ii, I must admit that I am pleasantly surprised at how well the A9ii still performed. The A1 is clearly the superior camera in all respects, but I still got very pleasing results with the A9ii. The menu on the A1 is a bit easier than the A9ii, but after setting up both cameras according to my preferences, I mainly use the customisable buttons and have very little reason to go into the menus any more.

[@rmclark339]

Really good review. I have the A1 and the menu system is better but still difficult for someone moving from another system but it's so customizable that I don't get into the menu system that much anymore. I would have loved to have given the Z9 a chance but after waiting for six months without being able to secure a copy, I gave up and am very happy with the A1.

[@PangolinWildlife]

Thanks for sharing

[@gyalbobhutia2825]

Hello Danielle, Nice to see your new video after an interval of long time. I request you to please make a video on Z6II and 500 PF too from the wildlife/BIF point. As z9 will be outside the budget of many serious wildlife enthusiasts.

[@mattpacker4372]

Please do a review off the new sigma 5.6 500 prime

[@photography6777]

I shoot the a9ll and the a1… both are excellent for birds and wildlife; the 200-600 and 100-400 are absolutely superb lenses. Nevertheless, if I were coming on one of your safaris, I would bring my Nikon D6 with the 80-400 because The Nikon seems more robust and it’s a bit easier for me to understand and operate.

[@PangolinWildlife]

Nikon do make good cameras!

[@jeroenvdw]

I really wish someone would compare the AF with the new Sony A7R V which has an AI chip for AF. To me the higher resolution is very beneficial. I'm using a Sony A7III right now and just sometimes I find the AF a little too slow and the resolution a bit too low. The A9II has the same resolution, but better AF. And it's €3000 incl taxes right now in my country.

[@TheGazzadj]

I have an A9ii, which I have owned for just over a year. I did take the plunge and buy an A1 in June which I love. I would like to see what extras the A9iii may have if and when it is released. I would hope that they might follow OM Systems and incorporate in-body stacking and a form of pro-capture. Great video, maybe just boost the sound a little - a little hard to hear. ;-)

[@PangolinWildlife]

Thanks for the feedback...always appreciated.

[@amitavaganguly6919]

I got used a1 with 2 years 6 month left warranty and 3500 dollar , i shifted canon to sony , no regret

[@camerasutra247]

The sony A9ii rocks

[@grega9220]

Switched over from Canon a few years back when they stopped innvoateing. Been an A7RIV 200-600 user since. Love the combo. I'd be happy to add an a9II but wouldn't give me too much more than I have. Will probably wait on a used A1.

[@HotGates]

I think Canon are innovating and also think Canon is #1 with AF tracking as of now, I have a Nikon Z9 and a Canon R7 and that 1600.00 body tracks better than my Z9 go figure.

[@timdriman4253]

Hi Daniele. We are now back from our epiccamping trip ( In more ways than one!) to South Luangwa in Zambia. (*If you are interested, I will send you a copy of the trip report by email. If you ever contemplate a trip up there, especially to camp, it was our 5th trip) As you know, my main go-to bodies are my two Sony A1's, but I still have my Sony A9ii. As somebody who is familiar with the A9ii, I watched your video really carefully, and firstly, congratulations on a very balanced, and unbiaised critique which many will surely find very informative. However, as you quite rightly said, the menue on that model is now outdated, and all their latest Alpha bodies are coming out with the latest menus, which are far easier, and better laid out. With the Sony brand, the Alpha bodies have many different ways, and options of setting the internal camera functions, and settings, to optimise the speed etc, at which the sensor, and other functions work, and some options may appear to be insignificant, but missing that one step is critical, and does cost the functioning some speed. *It is advisable to watch some of tghe Sony shooters videos on the set up, eg: Mark Smith Photography; Mark Galer, and you also know Steve Perry who is a regular visitor to Pangolin. Their advice is invaluable. :-P Please say hi to all the "Chobe Gang" for me. Warm regards Tim

[@emilvacek610]

I was a Nikon shooter for 30 plus years and switched to Sony for the past 2.5 years and have not looked back ,if Nikon had the Z9 then I would have not probably switched but theybwere late to the game.I use A1 ,A9II with 600 F4 ,200-600,100-400 and new 70-200 f2.8.

[@masterprintmaker]

hi there any pointers as to why the A9II EVF would show so many artifacts ( purple blue moire ) and has so little resolution especially while half pressing the shutter ?

[@NikCan66]

Another excellent video

[@creature57]

I wanted to know what steps you took to focus the way you did. I'm new to this camera and I'm shooting a performance. The menu is never ending.

[@wilduntamedphotography1260]

I think the biggest issue with the Sony Menu system is the use of strange abbreviations. Many of those just don't make sense and even if the info box opens up, it's either just the same or does not help at all. That is really something Sony has to work on in the future. Apart from that, the current version of the menu is much much better and easier to use compared to the one in an A9/A9ii for example, which is one of the worst menu systems in camera history ;-) But compared to Nikon and Canon, the customization is just incredibly good and as soon as everything is fixed and assigned according to your liking or workflow, you won't need it that often anymore - which is fantastic. Besides that, the Sony A9 and A9ii are definitely still very capable wildlife cameras and definitely worth every penny, new or used. But if you're interested in a new Sony A9 I would definitely wait a couple of months more, if you got the patience, because it's clear that a A9iii is coming in the next couple of months. Which is also good news for those who plan to buy new or used A9ii, cause prices will drop drastically as soon as the A9iii is out and available.

[@PangolinWildlife]

Thank you for the comments. appreciated.

[@NikCan66]

Nikon z9 and Canon R3 user and tried the aforementioned Sony camera and the ergonomics and smaller body especially wearing gloves in minus 15 conditions didn't feel comfortable enough and battery life wasn't great.

[@jordiolbe]

Nice video and great photos! I'm a Sony shooter since a few months ago, coming from Nikon Z6II and Nikon D500, I bought the Sony A9 original because nowadays buying a Sony A9 used + Sony 200-600m gets you a great combo with small budget, I'm a hobbist wildlife photographer and I don't make a living from it. I found the Sony A9 very capable nowadays once I get used to the ergonomics (better on Nikon), the menu is a temporary problem, less intuitive but once I have all set to the custom buttons I didn't need the menu anymore... Better AF than Nikon Z6II by far and maybe better than D500, with more fps in silent mode... I'm enjoying it but no doubt the Sony A9II with a bit better ergonomics and better buttons are a super great camera right now and cheap if you get it second hand, but Sony A9 is too

[@CreekchronicleZ]

@Jordi Oltra benavent, is there anything that you miss from your Z6ii (when compared to the A9)?

[@jordiolbe]

@@CreekchronicleZ hey, the ergonomics is the thing I miss the most from Nikon Z6II, also the speed of the XQD Cards too, 20 fps despite using a good SD is a lot of data to tranafer and is a pain in the ass to wait for review the photos but overall is a good camera and the pros still adding up

[@CreekchronicleZ]

@@jordiolbe, thank you. This is helpful!

[@jordiolbe]

@@GeraintDafis i'm with the A7IV now, less fps but more image quality, the low pass filter in the A9 was quite strong and destroy the details of the bird's feathers, nothing too dramatic but if you are used to the A7IV you'll notice it a lot

[@grom5756]

​@@jordiolbewas a9 autofocus much better than your a7 iv and is blackout a problem in the a7 iv

[@markrhodes5474]

Excellent review I have the Sony a9 running the latest firmware version 6 it’s an even cheaper option and just as good as the a9 mk2

[@DCFotographs]

Af is the same between the 2 now?

[@AjaySingh-228]

Good One Mam 🙂

[@PangolinWildlife]

Thanks a lot 😊

[@alma175w]

Currently use the 200-600 and the 100-400 with an a7riii and the a7riv. The smaller sensor of the a7riii never disappoints while the a7riv has some flaws as it is so demanding with the longer lens. Hoping to add an a9ii so that the 200-600 can see its full potential.

[@MK-bg9bj]

At first, i'd read "Sony A99 II For Wildlife Photography - Still Relevant in 2022?" 😅