Is it possibly this kind of international model that is sold in Japan (intended for international tourists but usually priced higher than local models)?
Models for Japan have Japanese menu language only and models for other markets always lack Japanese menu option so if that camera has a number of others bit is missing Japanese, it's no Japan local model.
I don't know how the codes in the boxes map to these variants though.
Also, not sure if A1 II is actually available as an "Overseas model" that is sold in Japan.
Yeah, that’s a pretty common thing with Sony bodies. The country code on the box just shows which market it was shipped for, but the camera itself is basically the same as a USA model. Japanese units these days still come with the full language menu, so you’re not stuck in Japanese like some of the older generations. From a user standpoint, your friend wouldn’t really notice any difference in how it works or what features it has.
The main distinction really comes down to warranty and support. A camera with a Japanese country code won’t be covered under Sony USA’s warranty, even though it looks and functions exactly like the US version. So as long as they’re fine with that, they can treat it like any other A1 II
Fujicarus wrote:
Yeah, that’s a pretty common thing with Sony bodies. The country code on the box just shows which market it was shipped for, but the camera itself is basically the same as a USA model. Japanese units these days still come with the full language menu, so you’re not stuck in Japanese like some of the older generations. From a user standpoint, your friend wouldn’t really notice any difference in how it works or what features it has.
Which Sony Camera models intended for Japan market support full language menu in your understanding? I haven't encountered any such models yet. My locally (in Japan) purchased models up to A7CII (previously A7C, A9, A6300, A7II, A7R, NEX-6) have all had only Japanese UI option with no language selection menu present in the camera at all.
However, if Sony did support full language menu in some models for Japan market, I think the highest end professional models like A1II and A9III would be most likely candidates.
I just haven't seen any evidence that the language support policy would have changed for new models or for flagship models so I'd like to find out if that's indeed the case.
The Japanese version of Help Guide for A1II is missing the language selection menu similarly to other Japan market models like my A7CII: https://helpguide.sony.net/ilc/2440/v1/ja/
In the Setup tab / Area/Date menu there is only one setting (Area/Date) in Japanese Help Guide vs. 3 settings in the U.S. English Help Guide (Language, Area/Date, NTSC/PAL selector).
Juha Kannisto wrote:
Which Sony Camera models intended for Japan market support full language menu in your understanding? I haven't encountered any such models yet. My locally (in Japan) purchased models up to A7CII (previously A7C, A9, A6300, A7II, A7R, NEX-6) have all had only Japanese UI option with no language selection menu present in the camera at all.
However, if Sony did support full language menu in some models for Japan market, I think the highest end professional models like A1II and A9III would be most likely candidates.
I just haven't seen any evidence that the language support policy would have changed for new models or for flagship models so I'd like to find out if that's indeed the case.
The Japanese version of Help Guide for A1II is missing the language selection menu similarly to other Japan market models like my A7CII: https://helpguide.sony.net/ilc/2440/v1/ja/
In the Setup tab / Area/Date menu there is only one setting (Area/Date) in Japanese Help Guide vs. 3 settings in the U.S. English Help Guide (Language, Area/Date, NTSC/PAL selector)....Show more →
My friend inadvertently purchased an A1II with a J1 country code... and it had all the languages as choices.
I was surprised as well... which is why I posted.
Looks a bit shady too... partial white out of the counrty code.
Yes, the domestically sold Sony models in Japan are in Japanese only, however I did see what Juha posted when I was doing my camera store rounds. BIC Camera had "international" models that were sold in Japan with Japan code but offered English and other language menus. But these models were limited to older and not current lineup models from the small selection I saw. A9ii was one of the available models.
I double-checked the A1II (Japan model) demo camera at Sony showroom at Ginza and that one does not have any language setting options in Setup menu so it's definitely similar to other Sony Japan market models in this regard, i.e. Japanese UI only.
Also confirmed that the RX1RM3 demo unit at Showroom is same, Japanese only.
The showroom has a section for Sony Overseas models for tourists too but they don't seem to have any A1 models in that lineup and no RX1RM3 currently.
Yes, that J1 code on your friend's A1II box seems strange for a camera that doesn't seem like a normal Japan market model. I did check the boxes of my Japanese A7CII and A7C and both have J1 on them, and no language options (Japanese only).
There's an app to unlock all languages on Sony cameras, so it might have been originally bought and limited to japanese language and simply unlocked later.
