Action-packed sports are not easy to keep up with, especially when you’re taking photos at a high-stakes sporting event. You’ll need to keep up with every record-breaking action and you can’t compromise a split second. If you’re a professional sports photographer or photojournalist in possession of an Alpha 9 II, you’re in luck. Built with a robust system to keep up with the demands of the industry, the Alpha 9 II will help you to acquire previously elusive moments that make sporting history. Here are some features that will help you to capture the next athletic feat without breaking a sweat. 

1. Tenacious and accurate subject tracking

Never lose sight of the athlete you’re taking pictures of again, no matter how quickly they’re moving. With 693 phase detection and 425 contrast detection AF points, the Alpha 9 II processes a large volume of image data in real-time to track your subject’s movements with high accuracy through AI-based Real-time Tracking and Real-time Eye/Face AF. Furthermore, the Alpha 9 II’s electronic shutter eliminates blackout during shooting with 20fps Blackout-free shooting, so that you can shoot away fearlessly. 

2. Dual media slots

High-stakes sports events require you to shoot continuously so that you’ll never lose track of crucial moments that make sporting history. To help with that, the Alpha 9 II is fitted with dual media slots that are compatible with UHS-I and UHS-II SD cards, providing you with greater shooting capacity and faster data writing speeds. Relay record and take multiple burst shots with peace of mind, as your images will be safely stored away in both of your memory cards. You can also copy data between cards and sort out your data according to RAW/JPEG formats and stills/movies for a more streamlined workflow. 

3. Built-in connectivity

The Alpha 9 II comes with a built-in 1000BASE-T Ethernet terminal, enabling gigabit communication for high-speed, stable data transfers. For an extra layer of security, you can transfer your files over SSL or TLS encryption (FTPS). In addition, the Remote Camera Tool desktop application allows you to take photos safely from a distance in situations where photographer access is limited. With connectivity improvements made to decrease release time lag and reduce live view screen delay when using the application, simply leave your camera on the tripod in the middle of the field while shooting remotely. 

4. Voice memos

When you’re taking pictures at a major sporting event, you’ll want to take notes on all the action simultaneously for coverage purposes. The Alpha 9 II’s Voice Memo function allows spoken information, such as image descriptions to be attached to images. Record for up to 60 seconds while on the go and attach these descriptions to your images via .wav files that can be replayed on your computer at a later time. Voice memos can be transferred via FTP along with corresponding image data. You can also convert voice memos to text automatically and manually with the Transfer & Tagging add-on mobile app.

With these features, consider yourself all set for the next tournament or sporting event. Worry less about lags, delays, blackouts or blurred images and focus more on capturing the next sporting breakthrough in full glory. The Alpha 9 II’s performance is bound to ease your workflow tremendously and take your photos to the next level.