Why you’ll love it: The
Sony A99 II DSLT's impressive image quality and 42.4-megapixel image sensor give it a leg up in the top end of the market.
Unlike the rest of the cameras in this guide, Sony's A99 II is a DSLT (Digital Single Lens Translucent). You're surely familiar with DSLR cameras, but what's a DSLT? In short, you might think of it as a hybrid between a DSLR and a mirrorless camera.
At length, the "T" stands for translucent in reference to the mirror, because it uses "Translucent Mirror Technology," which, in plain terms, means the mirror is translucent and fixed. The mirror allows about 70% of the light your shutter lets in through to the sensor and the remaining 30% or so up to the phase detection autofocus sensor. On a DSLR camera, the "R" stands for reflex (also in reference to the mirror), and the mirror pops up to let light hit the sensor when you fire a shot.
The difference in practical terms? You've got one less moving part, so you can shoot more frames per second, and because the reflex mirror in DSLRs moves, it creates vibration, affecting image quality.
In its Sony A99 II review, Photography Blog points out the excellent image and video quality this camera can obtain. It offers a full-frame image sensor with an impressive 42.4 megapixels of resolution, allowing it to create amazing images. Because it’s a relatively new camera, Sony has included a maximum video resolution of 4K, which makes it a strong video camera, too.
As Digital Photography Review mentions, the A99 II is able to give advanced photographers all of the manual control options they could ever need. This means photographers can use a collection of camera settings that will yield the best results, even in tough shooting conditions such as low light. It’s a great all-around camera, in addition to offering a high-resolution count.
Burst mode performance is another area where the A99 II excels, as it can record up to 12 frames per second at a full 42.4 megapixels of resolution.
Because the Sony A99 II carries a really high price point, you’re going to want to make sure you have enough photographic experience to take full advantage of its feature set. If you feel like your skills are ready for a camera of the A99 II’s level, few cameras on the market can match its still image and video recording quality.
User reviews on Amazon are few, but largely positive, and The Huffington Post's review agreed that it's a great high-end DSLR. — Kyle Schurman and Owen Burke
Pros: Extremely high resolution, fast burst mode performance, good battery life, offers 4K video recording, image quality is outstanding, good ergonomic design and placement of buttons
Cons: High price, autofocus system is a little slow and difficult to use
Buy the Sony A99 II (camera body only) on Amazon for $3,198