Sony launches firmware update for Sony Alpha 9II

Understanding the needs of the news and sports photographer, Sony has released a firmware update for the Sony Alpha 9 II. The new firmware has been released this week. The second firmware brings to the table many new functions and improvements. Be it the ability to protect the sensor from dust and rain to closing the shutter while changing lenses, the firmware lets the users display the camera’s MAC address as a QR code. It will also let the photographers save custom camera settings on My MENU and Face/Eye Priority auto-focus customization, among several other features.

We have mentioned a quick list of features which have been added in the Firmware 2.00 (you can also see our quick guide to Sony firmware updates)

A boon for photographers

One of the first advantages of the Sony Alpha 9 II firmware is that it has been updated with a Hi Frequency flicker function. This particular feature allows photographers to reduce the impact of flickering from artificial light sources (such as digital signage, electronic signboards, or LED lights) by setting the shutter speed more finely than usual The second advantage is that the firmware has focused on improving the Face/Eye Priority in the AF function. When set to a custom key, the Face/Eye Priority in the AF function can be turned on or off each time it is pressed. If it is already set to custom key, the photographers can use it with the new method of operation. Thirdly, the firmware significantly improves the Remote Camera Tool function. It adds support for displaying Focus Frame for almost all scenes including tracking AF. (Note: Version 2.00 (or later) of the Remote Camera Tool is required. Please update to the latest version.) The fourth advantage is that the FTP transfer function has also been improved. The fifth advantage is that it adds a function to display the MAC address as a QR code.

There are many prominent features which will enhance the output of the photographers.

1) Improvement of the camera settings saving function:

Now a dramatically increased number of camera settings can be stored on the memory card, and saved settings can be read by other cameras of the same model.

2) Versatile movie recording functions:

The Alpha 9 II provides a wide array of functions to facilitate movie shooting workflows, including interval recording, clean HDMI output, time code/user bits (TC/UB), REC Control, marker display/setting, zebra function, Slow and Quick Motion, simultaneous proxy movie recording, and extraction and separate storage of a still from a movie, among others

3) Add a voice memo to your images:

The Alpha 9 II brings higher efficiency to work delivery tasks with a new Voice Memo function that allows you to record up to 60-sec audio files (.wav) describing shooting conditions or image content with an automatic transcription into text, which is then attached to images.

4) High-resolution 4K movie recording:

The camera is capable of 4K movie recording with full-pixel readout without pixel binning.

5) Anti-flicker shooting:

Flicker from fluorescent and other artificial lighting is automatically detected and shutter action is timed to minimise the effect of flicker on still images.

5) Other benefits:

With so much to offer, there are other benefits. The firmware update has a function to close the shutter when the photographer turns off the camera to prevent dust or rain from obeying to the image sensor when they change lenses. It also allows the photographer to save or load the customized camera settings on My MENU. The update has significantly improved the overall stability of the camera.

Things to remember:

The Hi Frequency flicker function cannot be accessed through The Imaging Edge Remote, Imaging Edge Mobile and Remote Camera Tool software (as of April 9th, 2020) For updated function usage and additional information, please refer to the ILCE-9 Help Guide.