Sony Alpha a9 review: specs and price

Flip-out screens are useful for doing tricky shots.

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Device is protected with extra seals to prevent failures due to any kind of weather.

Dustproof/water resistant at depth equal to or greater than 1 meter.

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An optical viewfinder (or OVF) allows the photographer to compose a shot while seeing exactly what the lens sees. There is no time lag and they require no power - as opposed to electronic viewfinders which can drain battery life. They are also better in low light situations.

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With 100% coverage you can compose the image correctly when you capture the photo. With less than full coverage you may have to crop your photos afterwards to get them looking perfect.

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The focus motor moves the lens in order to autofocus. For system cameras, having a focus motor in the camera's body allows you to use a wide range of lenses, including lenses which do not have their own focus motor. For compact cameras, a focus motor is usually built-in.

The larger the sensor the more light the sensor captures yielding in better image quality.

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The more focus points the more flexibility in picking which part of the scene to focus on. They also give the image sensor a better probability in identifying the right area of the scene to focus on in more automatic modes.

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With AF tracking, once you choose the subject and press the shutter release part way down, as the subject moves, the autofocus will follow it. No more out of focus shots.

With a higher light sensitivity (ISO level), the sensor absorbs more light. This can be used to capture moving objects using a fast shutter speed, or to take images in low light without using a flash.

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Optical image stabilization uses gyroscopic sensors to detect the vibrations of the camera. The lens adjusts the optical path accordingly, ensuring that any type of motion blur is corrected before the sensor captures the image.

The maximum resolution available for videos shot with the main camera. Although it may be possible to choose among other frame rates, those recordings usually have lower resolutions.

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A phase detection autofocus system is faster than a contrast detection autofocus system. Even when recording scenes with a lot of fast movements, the videos are sharp and clear.

When recording movies they stay focussed and sharp.

AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) is a file-based format for the digital recording and playback of high-definition video. It's a standard popular among professional cameras and camcorders.

24p is a video format (24 frames per second) traditionally used in cinema. Nowadays, it is used to create film-like motion characteristics.

A stereo microphone allows to record audio files or movies in stereo without an external microphone.

A microphone port allows connecting external high-end or specialized microphones.

More microphones result in better sound quality and enable the device to filter out background noise.

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With a standard mini jack socket, you can use the device with most headphones.

Devices with stereo speakers deliver sound from independent channels on both left and right sides, creating a richer sound and a better experience.

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CIPA is an independent, standard measurement that determines how many shots a camera can take before the battery dies.

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The battery is removable and can be replaced by the user if broken.

The battery can be recharged and used over again.

An indicator shows you when the device has low battery.

The manufacturer offers a branded wireless charging kit. To charge the device, you simply put it down on its charging base.

A device's overall image quality score considers: color depth, dynamic range and low light performance. Source: DxOMark.

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The maximum ISO at which the device still captures excellent quality images. Source: DxOMark.

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The device can connect to WiFi.

The device has a standard memory slot (such as an SD or micro SD card slot) so that you can either extend the internal storage with affordable memory modules or you can retrieve data, such as photographs, easily from a memory card.

802.11n is a wireless standard released in 2009. It has faster transfer rates and improved security compared to its predecessors - a, b and g.

A remote control allows you to control the device remotely. The remote control can be included or optional.