- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How it compares
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Sony SLT-A99
- 24 MP
- Full frame EXMOR
- 3" LCD
Released October, 2012
Rated 84% by by DPReview (Dec, 2012)Though clearly designed for use during video recording, the controller can be used equally as well in a stills shooting mode.
Conclusion Check out the Sony SLT-A99
First reviewed October, 2012
Features Key features of the Sony SLT-A99
24 MP
Full frame
Rated 84% by by DPReview (Dec, 2012)It's worth pointing out though that the A99 sports the same 2.4M dot resolution OLED 'Tru-Finder' EVF whose performance we found so impressive in our NEX-7 review.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 24 MP    | 40 MP |
SLT-A99 by DPReview (Dec, 2012)The A99's JPEG performance on our resolution chart is about what you'd expect from a Bayer sensor at this resolution, with the ability to resolve detail up to about 2800LPH.
SLT-A99 by James-D.-LaPiana (Dec, 2012)I will take the 10 megapixel 1.4x increase with my Zeiss lenses; can you say Zeiss 189mm.
sensor size
SLT-A99 by D.-F.-Watt--dfwattOverall, this is an appealing choice for individuals looking to upgrade from Sony APS-C models or other subframe DSLRs to full frame cameras - if they are willing to pay the hefty cost and weight penalties, in order to get the extra picture quality at high ISO, along with somewhat better speed of operation and an improved autofocus system.
SLT-A99 by D.-F.-Watt--dfwattSports shooting will be worlds better compared to even the best m4/3 and APS-C sensor performance at high ISO and long telephoto.
viewfinder size
SLT-A99 by T-Payne--t_payneI personally like the EVF a lot and appreciate the fact that I can see the white balance of my picture as it will actually be captured, I can see the picture I just took right in the viewfinder (great for bright outdoors) and the clarity and realism of what you see through that thing is remarkable.
SLT-A99 by Kirk-Tuck--Kirk-TuckMine works flawlessly, the EVF is as close to an optical viewfinder as you can imagine and the extras on the camera are features you can't find in the Nikon or Canon camp.
body size
147 x 111 x 78 mm
111 x 59 x 38 mm
113 x 65 x 70 mm
SLT-A99 by D.-F.-Watt--dfwattBut again, this is what a FF sensor should deliver for its cost (and weight) penalties.
SLT-A99 by DPReview (Dec, 2012)It must be said though that pairing the A99 with top-notch Zeiss glass like the Sony 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens will effectively negate any weight savings against rival combinations from Nikon And Canon.
focus points
| 0 | 61  | 70 |
SLT-A99 by DPReview (Dec, 2012)As you reduce the focus range, fewer and fewer of the camera's 121 focus points will light up yellow, letting you isolate your subject and prevent the lens hunting outside that range.
SLT-A99 by DPReview (Dec, 2012)Below these buttons is the camera's joystick - this is used to select focus points while in shooting mode and for navigation and selection in the menu and image playback screens.
Performance Real world tests of Sony SLT-A99
DxOMark image quality
SLT-A99 by DPReview (Dec, 2012)Sony is certainly confident about it, suggesting that it's close enough to the quality of a high-end optical viewfinder that the advantages (the ability to preview exposure and white balance, or to gain-up for working in low light), outweigh the areas in which it isn't as good.
SLT-A99 by T-Payne--t_paynePicture quality is frankly fantastic although I have to defer that discussion to the labs and their special equipment with phD-type people in white lab coats to tell you more.
DxOMark low light performance
SLT-A99 by Tim-Naff--TimOf the three similar options (the other two are Handheld Twilight and Night Scene) on the cameras, MFNR is my favorite.
shutter lag
| 0 ms | 271 ms | 200 ms |
SLT-A99 by Tim-Naff--TimLower noise means more than the ability to work in low light: it means you can shoot at higher f-number when you need depth of focus and at faster shutter speed (SS) when you need to minimize camera-shake blur (e.g., with long lenses or low SS), or freeze action.
SLT-A99 by Tim-Naff--TimWhile this is limited to stationary subjects, you must remember that you can't generally shoot moving subjects with long exposures on tripods either.
continuous shooting
SLT-A99 by DPReview (Dec, 2012)One distinct disadvantage to current EVF technology is that when shooting bursts at higher frame rates, you are not seeing a live preview, rather the frames you have just captured.
SLT-A99 by DPReview (Dec, 2012)In the 6 fps burst mode we often found more precise focus on the second or third frame.
battery life
500 photos
980 photos
950 photos
SLT-A99 by DPReview (Dec, 2012)With a CIPA standard capacity of 410 shots using the EVF, it provides less than half the shooting capacity of the A99's rivals; a direct consequence of having to support full-time live view.
SLT-A99 by Alex-Parker (Feb, 2013)I haven't shot to exhaustion on the a99 yet, but under the same conditions (manual focus, EVF 70% of the time) I took about 500 shots on one of the days and showed just under 30% battery life.
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
Phase detection focusing system -
1,229 k dots -
HD video -
Generic -
Sensor shift -
Gives you more flexibility when framing your shot -
Great for recording movies -
127 ms -
14.0 ev -
25.0 bits -
Stitches together multiple photos into a single ultra-wide view -
Translucent -
Records the location of your photos automatically -
Aug, 2012 -
Built in flash -
147 x 111 x 78 mm -
812 g -
78 mm -
1/8000 s
cons
-
3" -
0.5 s -
25,600 ISO -
1,555 ISO -
500 -
6 fps -
85.25% -
19 -
11 -
None -
2,360 k dots
Reviews Word on the street
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 |  Rated by 26 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by R.-King (Jan, 2013) Rated 100% by by E.-Johnson--happy-camper (Feb, 2013) Rated 100% by by K.-Reid--WI-Nurse (Feb, 2013) |
Sensor
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 80% by by Jeremy-Birn--jeremy (Nov, 2012)It's great to be able to crank the ISOs up so high, and still (after shooting RAW and processing my images in Lightroom 4.2) get clean, colourful images.
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 84% by by DPReview (Dec, 2012)You can shoot Raw images in the 8 fps mode, whereas the faster 10 fps mode is JPEG-only.
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by Tim-Naff--TimYour left thumb (Silent Multi-controller) controls shutter speed (SS) because when you change ISO, SS compensates to maintain the exposure level.
Focus
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 84% by by DPReview (Dec, 2012)So with its flagship SLT camera, Sony has taken the opportunity to enhance autofocus capability by introducing a dual AF sensor design.
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by Tim-Naff--TimIf you're just breaking into FF, and you're on a budget, get the Maxxum AF 50mm F1.7, the Maxxum AF 35-70mm F4, and the Minolta AF 70-210 F4.
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 84% by by DPReview (Dec, 2012)The ability to use this dedicated sensor at all times means that the A99 offers full DSLR-style autofocus in live view, so the shooting experience is fast and responsive regardless of whether you use the viewfinder or the rear screen (something no conventional DSLR can claim).
Lens
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 84% by by DPReview (Dec, 2012)In the examples below we compare a 2x zoom using both Clear Image and standard zoom options and are hard pressed to find significant difference between them.
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by Charles-Carnefix (Apr, 2013)If you are a current Sony owner, don't worry it's worth the bucks and all of your favorite Sony/Minolta lenses will work perfectly well with this beauty.
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by E.-Johnson--happy-camper (Feb, 2013)Other camera lines have the stabilization system housed in the lens and you have to buy new lenses to get this benefit.
Video
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 84% by by DPReview (Dec, 2012)The Movie button can be configured either to function in any shooting mode, or restricted to be active only when the mode dial is set to movie mode.
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by Alex-Parker (Feb, 2013)Sony is supposed to be the king of video, and the rest of the alpha lineup (especially the crops) are, IMO, knockout good with video.
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 84% by by DPReview (Dec, 2012)With the A99 though, Sony leverages its considerable video expertise by combining 1080p60 video capture with SLT-enabled phase-detection AF along with the ability to output uncompressed video over HDMI (a feature we first saw in the Nikon D800).
Viewfinder
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by T-Payne--t_payneOther things that make this camera awesome: a lot of info in the viewfinder that you will never get in an optical viewfinder.
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | by TrustedReviews (Sep, 2012)The Sony Alpha A99's OLED viewfinder is highly detailed thanks to its blistering 2369k-dot resolution, and responds fluidly when light levels or scene content changes.
Sony Alpha SLT-A99 | Rated 100% by by Tim-Naff--TimI'll say more about this powerful and VERY COOL feature, which is highly synergistic with the EVF.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Nikon D600 Least noise at high ISO Nikon D600 vs Sony SLT-A99 |
 | 2 | Nikon D800 Best image quality as rated by DXOMark Nikon D800 vs Sony SLT-A99 |
 | 3 | Canon EOS 5D Mark III Many many cross-type focus points Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Sony SLT-A99 |
 | 4 | Sony SLT A77 Fastest rapid fire mode SLT A77 vs SLT-A99 |
 | 5 | Canon EOS 6D Most shots per battery charge Canon EOS 6D vs Sony SLT-A99 |
 | 6 | Sony NEX-7 Smallest NEX-7 vs SLT-A99 |
 | 7 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 2-way tie: Highest resolution screen Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 vs SLT-A99 |
 | 8 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 OK viewfinder Alpha DSLR-A900 vs SLT-A99 |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
Popular Questions
October 17, 2012
Why would you select the A99 over the D800 or 5D MKIII?
I own a Canon 60D with a few lenses, but am thinking of jumping into the full framed world, I'm not glued to Canon and I have no issues leaving them behind. I'll be using it as an all-purpose be...
Visitor
14
Answers September 12, 2012
Ok which camera is better?
The sony a99 looks like the better camera. Does the Sony a99 shoot 24 frames per second at 1920x1080p? Sony is the cheaper camera $2800.00 flip out screen. Can magic lattern improve the Mark...
Beginner I
5
Answers October 17, 2012
Overall Shooting: Nikon D600, D800 or Sony A99
I shoot a little bit of everything from weddings, to skateboarding, to military training/ action. I currently shoot with a D300s and love the size, button placement and feel. I will soon be up a...
Intermediate I
4
Answers Unanswered Questions
- 5 discussions
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February 17, 2013
The D600 oil spotting issues from the sensor has Nikon fixed??
I'm currently using a Sony A200 and ready to upgrade. I thought I found it in the Sony A77 SLT then I read about firmware issues. I've looked at the Nikon D7000 But saw low MP count and I...
Visitor
0
Answers January 14, 2013
Sweep Panorama with wide angle lens
Is is possible to use the sweep panorama feature with a wide angle lens, in order to capture a 360 panorama with more vertical field of view? Thanks
Visitor
0
Answers January 8, 2013
Low-Light Pictures
Hello: For Low-Light photography, is it more advisable to purchase the A99 because of it's low noise at high ISO, or purchase the A77 with a better lens (i.e. CZ 85mm f1.4)?
Visitor
0
Answers Community Find out what the Sortable community is saying about the Sony SLT-A99
19
people have recommended the
Sony SLT-A99Top Sony SLT-A99 experts at Sortable
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- 22.1 MP
- Full frame CMOS
- 3.2" LCD
11 more Sortable users recommended the Sony SLT-A99 over the Canon EOS 5D Mark III.
View all discussions | View comparison 
Intermediate I
10
votes Frankly I don't see any reason in your description why you shouldn't go with Sony. The majority of photographers have canon and Nikon embedded in their minds as the only two "real" options, as...
- 0 comments
- October 17, 2012
- Reply to: Why would you select the A99 over the D800 or 5D MKIII?
Beginner I
3
votes Just sacrifising 1.5 stops of Low light performance in Sony A99 gives you advantage of 10 things over 5D Miii 1. Dynamic Range 2. Flexibility & ability to view the composition with we take a...
- 0 comments
- November 1, 2012
- Reply to: Ok which camera is better?
Beginner II
1
vote Yes, for video recording the a99 has got some very nice features. * Continuous autofocus while filming * Uncompressed HDMI output * Viewfinder usable in movie mode (because it is an ...
- 0 comments
- September 12, 2012
- Reply to: Is the Sony a 99 a camera worth waiting for?
Nikon D800
- 36.2 MP
- Full frame CMOS
- 3.2" LCD
1 more Sortable user recommendeds the Sony SLT-A99 over the Nikon D800.
View all discussions | View comparison Intermediate I
10
votes Frankly I don't see any reason in your description why you shouldn't go with Sony. The majority of photographers have canon and Nikon embedded in their minds as the only two "real" options, as...
- 0 comments
- October 17, 2012
- Reply to: Why would you select the A99 over the D800 or 5D MKIII?
Nikon D600
- 24.2 MP
- Full frame CMOS
- 3.2" LCD
It's a tie. Cast the deciding vote!
View all discussions | View comparison 
Expert I
1
vote Our system doesn't have the ability to model 2 focus systems on one camera yet. Sorry.
- 0 comments
- October 12, 2012
- Reply to: Why 19 points of focus?? sony has 102+19, or not?
