
The Sony A9II is Sony’s flagship camera and seen by many as a DSLR killer. The spec’s on this camera are pretty impressive for any camera mirrorless or DSLR. But how does this camera work in the field and how does it handle for birders and wildlife photographers?
I recently had the opportunity (the day after release) to try out the Sony A9II and the Sony A7RIV in a controlled setting to shoot birds and owls. Now this was less than ideal and not a real world field test but nonetheless it was enough time to get a feeling for how these cameras could work when shooting birds or any wildlife.
I’ve put together two lists of the best birding camera’s and the best birding lenses that I could find.
Bird photography with the Sony A9II
So what make a camera like the Sony A9II the best bird photography camera or is it more the photographers skill. I’ve often wondered this as I test out new gear and restrain from jumping right in to purchase a new camera or lens. There is no doubt that the Sony A9 II is a great camera but when it comes to bird photography what things should you look at in order to say any camera is ideal for birding.
The Sony A9II had no issue focusing on the birds (owls) during my test and although not an ideal situation, the results were impressive. Below are some sample photos from the Sony A9II and show just how amazing this camera is. For me the real test is out in the wild where things are unpredictable and never ideal. I’ve always had an issue with mirrorless cameras and their ability to keep up with the demands of fast moving subjects like birds or even horses. So time will tell if this camera is really a DSLR killer as so many say it is.
Sony wildlife and bird photography lenses
During my short time with the SonyA9II I was fortunate to test out the Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS Lens and the Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens. Both lenses are amazing and honestly not for everyone. I also tested out the Sony A7R IV with these lenses and the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens. More on that test later.
One thing I did notice about the Sony A9II and lens combo was just how close you can get. Now that seems obvious but when you’re shooting close ups of wild animals at 600mm slight movements are amplified and can quickly cause you to miss the shot. I can’t imagine how easy it would be to track a bird flying toward you with one of these lenses. Again a field test is needed for this. So here are some Sony A9II sample images.

Sony a9 (or Sony A9II) for wildlife photography
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Sony A9 setup for bird photography
I wasn’t too successful in using the Sony A9ii for birds in flight. Now I’ll be honest this has more to do with my limited time using this camera than the camera itself. So I’ll leave this as a question mark at this point until I get some more time with this camera in the field. In the meantime here are some common settings for the Sony A9 bird settings and I’m sure they’ll equally apply to the Sony A9II.
Camera settings for bird photography with the Sony A9 and Sony A9ii
Shutter speed – Most common shutter speed settings are between 1/1000 – 1/3000. You can obviously go faster or slower just keep in mind this will change the overall exposure and sharpness of the image. I recommend for beginners to shoot at 1/1000 and get a feel for how your camera performs.
Aperture – Often people shoot at the widest aperture say f/2.8. This works for many photos however keep in mind the depth of field at f/2.8. You may only have a portion of the bird in focus because of this. If you shoot at f-stops around f/4 for example you will most likely have to change the ISO and or the shutter speed to expose correctly.
ISO – Like with so many other types of photos the lower the ISO the better. ISO ranges between 100-800 generally work well for all cameras and some can push upwards of ISO 12,000
Frame rate – Burst mode or high frame rate is generally perfect for birding. Keep in mind that many cameras will slow down as you shoot large burst rates of images. The internal camera image buffer simply can’t keep up. So plan your shot a little and start snapping when you feel you’ll get the image you want. This will also reduce post review of hundreds of images.Image stabilization – This is always a tricky one. I often turn lens stabilization off when shooting about 1/1250. Many cameras will actually end up blurring the shot if you’re shooting that high with image stabilization on.

If you’re looking for general tips for taking better bird photos check out my blog for ongoing tips and techniques for capturing birds and wildlife.
How does Sony a9II compare to other cameras?
Well that’s a tough question really. I know the spec nerds out there will say this brand over that and this sensor over that. But when you boil it all down it comes to field testing. Take for example the Olympus OM-D E-M1X for bird photography. In my test(s) I found that this micro for thirds camera had some serious advantages. The small sensor wasn’t something to ignore and dismiss. Same as the Canon 1DX a workhorse camera. So, when it comes down to what is the best camera for birding or any other fast moving subject (like sports) it’s a very difficult question to answer. All the top brands including Sony now have great cameras to offer. Sony does have a limited lens offering however they are starting to make a serious push in this area.
Sony A9II Specifications
Imaging |
|
Lens Mount |
Sony E |
Camera Format |
Full-Frame (1x Crop Factor) |
Pixels |
Actual: 28.3 Megapixel |
Effective: 24.2 Megapixel |
|
Maximum Resolution |
6000 x 4000 |
Aspect Ratio |
1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9 |
Sensor Type |
CMOS |
Sensor Size |
35.6 x 23.8 mm |
Image File Format |
JPEG, RAW |
Bit Depth |
14-Bit |
Image Stabilization |
Sensor-Shift, 5-Axis |
Exposure Control |
|
ISO Sensitivity |
Auto, 100 to 51200 (Extended: 50 to 204800) |
Shutter Speed |
Mechanical Shutter |
1/8000 to 30 Seconds |
|
Bulb Mode |
|
Electronic Shutter |
|
1/32000 to 30 Seconds |
|
Bulb Mode |
|
Metering Method |
Center-Weighted Average, Highlight Weighted, Multi-Zone, Spot |
Exposure Modes |
Aperture Priority, Manual, Program, Shutter Priority |
Exposure Compensation |
-5 to +5 EV (1/3, 1/2 EV Steps) |
Metering Range |
-3 to 20 EV |
White Balance |
Auto, Cloudy, Color Temperature, Custom, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent (Cool White), Fluorescent (Day White), Fluorescent (Daylight), Fluorescent (Warm White), Incandescent, Shade, Underwater |
Continuous Shooting |
Up to 20 fps at 24.2 MP for up to 239 Exposures (Raw) |
Up to 20 fps at 24.2 MP for up to 361 Exposures (JPEG) |
|
Up to 10 fps at 24.2 MP for up to 239 Exposures (Raw) |
|
Up to 10 fps at 24.2 MP for up to 361 Exposures (JPEG) |
|
Interval Recording |
Yes |
Self-Timer |
2/5/10-Second Delay |
Focus |
|
Focus Type |
Auto and Manual Focus |
Focus Mode |
Continuous-Servo AF (C), Direct Manual Focus (DMF), Manual Focus (M), Single-Servo AF (S) |
Autofocus Points |
Phase Detection: 693 |
Contrast Detection: 425 |
|
Autofocus Sensitivity |
-3 to +20 EV |
Viewfinder and Monitor |
|
Viewfinder Type |
Electronic (OLED) |
Viewfinder Size |
0.5" |
Viewfinder Resolution |
3,686,400 Dot |
Viewfinder Eye Point |
23 mm |
Viewfinder Coverage |
100% |
Viewfinder Magnification |
Approx. 0.78x |
Diopter Adjustment |
-4 to +3 |
Monitor Size |
3" |
Monitor Resolution |
1,440,000 Dot |
Monitor Type |
Tilting Touchscreen LCD |
Weight |
1.49 lb / 678 g (Body with Battery and Memory) |
Questions about the Sony a9ii mirrorless camera?
Do you have any questions about this camera? Would you use it for sports or wildlife photography?
I’d like to hear from you about your experience with Sony cameras for birding. Please leave a comment below!
I have just been shooting with A9ii
In Sri Lanka for leopards and birds. Bigger birds stationary ok leopard sitting in light ok but low light not so good and iso over 3200 started to get grainy. Battery was exhausted changed and took too long to reboot its self. I switched from Canon. I will say it is lighter which is great but at this point I am very disappointed. The problem I am a no one so borrowing a camera before to test doesn’t happen for me. I am hoping there might be a problem. I had done a trade in with Adriana, who I will never deal with again, and this was an “ open box” camera.
WOW sorry to hear that. I’d say the SONY A9II is not as good as the SONY A7 RIV in terms of grain and high ISO. Focusing tracking and shutter speed I hear the A9II is better. I also found that it takes a long time to get a SONY camera to work the way you want and when you do it’s worth the wait.
Hi Peggy, Sounds like readjustment blues to me. Like David commented , it takes a bit of getting used to. I switched from a Canon 1DX2 and now I am used to the Sony and will never look back. On par with the quality of Canon but it is the tracking that is really impressive. I also no longer have to pack around a big tripod and Canon 600 F/4. Great for BIF photography when using the Sony 200-600mm zoom. Get a MC-11 converter and you can use all of your old Canon glass anyway. It’s a win-win for me.
Steve Large – http://www.larges.ca
Spot on Steve! A9II really is impressive and easily tracks the fastest, most erratic action. Superb camera
Fast forward almost a year and I have sold all of my Canon gear to invest in the Sony A1. One thing that needs to be said is that with the Sony mirrorless cameras in general they need to be massaged when it comes to the RAW output. The quality is there but you need to know your post-production to get the most out of an image. Smaller pixels, especially on a body like the A1 or A7RIV Make it harder to get a sharp image at a lower shutter setting. It’s just physics and the even the best IS or steady shot can’t always save you from jitter with such tiny pixels. So, crank up the shutter speed and stop down one stop on your Sony lens to get the most out of it. That’s what I have to do. It makes you more skilled in a sense because you don’t become complacent about light. You realize what your limitations are and how to overcome them the best that you can. Sure the shots are noisy in high ISO but I have figured that into my workflow. I pre-filter with DXO Pure RAW and if it needs more tweaking I use Denoise AI. Works well but takes more time and skill. Welcome to the world of MILC