The Sony Alpha 9 (or A9 for short) is a high-speed full-frame mirrorless camera that's designed to go head to head with Canon and Nikon's flagship professional DSLRs. It's capable of shooting 24MP images at 20 frames per second while keeping focus on moving subjects, and costs £4500.

Excellent handling and controls; Superb autofocus tracking; High-speed shooting with minimal distortion; Excellent electronic viewfinder with zero blackout; Impressive battery life

AF area not highlighted in viewfinder when moved via the joystick; Touchscreen woefully under-used

Though we as an organization avoid reporting on rumors and speculation of future camera products, we can't help but get just as excited as the next person speculating about upcoming new gear! One of the most hyped and most rumored cameras in recent years has been the Sony A9.

New sensor offers incredible performance; Excellent image quality at low & high ISOs; Very good dynamic range; Phenomenal 20fps burst speed & deep buffer; Very good battery life for a mirrorless; 4K video; Dual card slots

Slow buffer clearing; Only one UHS-II card slot; Touchscreen underutilized; No lossless RAW compression option; No 4K/60p option

We don't all need a camera as quick off the mark as the A9, but for photographers who demand speed in both autofocus and stills shooting, it's being pitched as something truly special.

Recent market statistics confirm that mirrorless cameras represent the only sector of the 'serious' camera market that is showing any real growth. The α9 is smaller and faster than either the Canon 1DX Mk II or Nikon D5 and its high ISO images are noticeably better and its video quality is superior.

Incredibly fast stills shooting; 5-axis image stabilisation; Solid, compact build; Good battery life; Cheaper than Canon and Nikon rivals; Slick 4x slo-mo video;

Screen won’t flip to the front; That price tag;

Sony’s high-end mirrorless cameras continue to impress, and the A9 represents a genuine challenge to Nikon and Canon’s top-of-the-range DSLRs. 20fps stills shooting, with continuously-updating autofocus and exposure, from a full-frame lens? That’s something none of this camera’s rivals can touch at the moment. Is this a camera for non-professionals, though? At £4,500, it’s a tough sell – the Sony A7 series offers fantastic (albeit slightly slower) models for £2,000 less, and I’d be inclined to recommend those above the A9 for the vast majority of people. For those five percenters who shoot sport, wildlife or photojournalism and need the speed, though? The A9 is the fastest camera in town.

Incredibly fast stills shooting; 5-axis image stabilisation; Solid, compact build; Good battery life; Cheaper than Canon and Nikon rivals; Slick 4x slo-mo video;

Screen won’t flip to the front; That price tag;

Excellent handling and controls; Superb autofocus tracking; High-speed shooting with minimal distortion; Excellent electronic viewfinder with zero blackout; Impressive battery life;

AF area not highlighted in viewfinder when moved via the joystick; Touchscreen woefully under-used;

In every field of technology, there are liminal moments when the new begins to outpace the old, and the bell begins to toll for the previous generation's greatest achievements. As I look past the Sony a9 across my collection of digital SLRs, I can hear a distinct ringing.

If you've ever wondered how a photographer managed to capture the exact moment of an incredible end zone reception or the instant a bird takes flight, the answer, in part, is that the photographer's camera also captured the garbage moments directly before and after that golden frame, with a very...

The fastest mirrorless camera Sony's made yet.

So fast you'll forget about Nikon and Canon

That price means this is a pro camera