Sony SLT-A99 review

PERFORMANCE AND IMAGE QUALITY

The translucent mirror means the imaging and autofocus sensors operate simultaneously. In cheaper Sony SLT cameras, this has delivered seriously fast continuous performance with full-time autofocus – the A77 managed 12fps. The A99 couldn’t achieve half that, delivering 5.9fps in our tests, slowing to 4.3fps after 24 frames. Raw performance slowed more dramatically, falling to 1.2fps after 10 frames (testing with a 94MB/s SDHC card). The Canon 5D Mark III delivered 6fps for JPEGs with no slowdowns in our tests, while its raw performance started at 6fps and fell to 2.5fps after 19 frames.

The A99’s 5.9fps result puts it ahead of cheaper full-frame cameras, though. It also offers faster modes using a cropped area of its sensor – 8fps for 10-megapixel photos, and 10fps for 4.5 megapixels. However, only the slowest 3fps, 24-megapixel mode provides a live view display. The faster modes show a sequence of captured photos, which made tracking moving subjects extremely difficult.

It’s always nice to end on a positive, and the A99’s image quality lets us do exactly that. The 24-megapixel resolution is, in our view, perfect for a full-frame camera, delivering plenty of detail and seriously low noise levels. There was a slight increase in noise because of the translucent mirror, which stops some of the light from reaching the imaging sensor. However, comparing the A99’s output with the Nikon D600, which uses the same sensor and a conventional moving mirror, there wasn’t much to choose between them.

Taking the A99 out of the studio and into the wild, its JPEGs were simply stunning. Testing with a 24-70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens (a snip at £1,449 inc VAT) certainly helped. Subtle details were rendered with precision, without any hint of digital artefacts. The metering coped well in tricky conditions, amply supported by dynamic range optimisation to lift gloomy shadows. Noise was barely perceptible at ISO 1600, and it produced print-worthy JPEGs at ISO 12800.

The skin and hair in this shot are immaculately rendered

This ISO 800 shot is virtually indistinguishable from the A99’s output at ISO 100

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There’s lots of detail and remarkably little graininess at ISO 6400

CONCLUSION

It’s hard to give an overall rating for the A99. We loved using it, and the small autofocus coverage was rarely a big nuisance. When we got the photos back home for inspection, we loved this camera even more.

However, while the heart is willing, we can’t avoid making comparisons with other full-frame SLRs. We’re not convinced that Sony has done enough to justify pricing the A99 above the Canon 6D and Nikon D600. A 4K video mode or 10fps full-frame photo capture would have clinched it. As it stands, this is a seriously impressive full-frame camera but it’s not our favourite.