Sony's new camera A9

[mazor]

Folks, I have put my money where my mouth is. Ordered the A9 last week. Sold my 1DX MkII yesterday. Now I am committed. Will see how this plays out. There will be a learning curve and lots of labor pains in this journey, but nothing is perfect in this world, just need to learn to live with it.

Will keep you all posted

Brave move indeed. I would have kept the 1dx mk ii, just to compare AF tracking....

Also how well does AF-C work with legacy Canon EF lenses via adapter?

 

[iiiNelson]

Well if you're a Capture One Pro 10 user then RAW and tethering support for the A9 was added today.

 

[Pradeep]

Brave move indeed. I would have kept the 1dx mk ii, just to compare AF tracking....

Also how well does AF-C work with legacy Canon EF lenses via adapter?

Yes, I thought about it, but then decided to throw my lot in with Sony.

I've been using just the A7RII for all my landscape work. Did a helicopter shoot over NYC yesterday with it. Bit slow in terms of frame rate but otherwise more than makes up in terms of resolution and quality.

Honestly, other than for wildlife, I have not used my Canon system at all, hard to justify keeping all those lenses and bodies for a few trips a year. The Sony will be a good 'all purpose' system. The next generation of the A7R will no doubt have added goodies thrown in too.

The big advantage Canon has always had is the great selection of lenses, but I think Sony is catching up fast. With the release of the 100-400, 90% of my needs are met already.

I haven't tried the Canon glass with the metabones adapter on my A7 series, but even on the A9 it cannot be anywhere as fast or good as the native FE mounts in terms of AF speed and accuracy. FWIW, my own testing of simple IQ also showed the Sony lenses to be superior.

In fact, the 24-70 GM lens is the best in that range I have ever used.

 

[seb]

Wow, I had the chance to play with the camera today for an hour. I'm really impressed.

20fps: You can document the closing of an eyelid now. You can't miss the right moment with this camera.
focustime: With the 24-70/2.8 GM there was no focustime. No matter if there was no contrast or I changed from far away to a very close subject. The light in the shop was not very good too.
AF: It's on track all the time, even if something block your sight for a short moment, it finds the original subject. people can turn around frast, change directions quickly, but the AF is spot on.
Eye-AF: I did 20fps with 1m distance of a face and zoomed in from 24-70 quickly at f2.8. Not every shot was perfectly sharp, but you can see it only when you pixel peep.
face-detection: It recognizes faces that are smaller than one focus point! Even if a part of the face is covered or be seen from the side. This is just night and day to the a7rII, which isn't that bad at all.
EVF: Reviewing feels very close to a display at home. brightness, contrast, sharpness and colors are very good. Under artificial light you may recognize a slight flickering while shooting 20fps. It's because the framerate drops from 120/s to 60/s.
lags: everything is much faster than with th a7RII: start up, writing, review,...
button-customization: you can customize everything! the setup-menu is very clever. You can skip through groups of functions instead of a long alphabetical list. there is even a customize function for all things in review-mode.
video-AF-AEL button: I'll switched the AEL button to eye-AF and was happy with these three buttons. Depending on the situation I can now choose between all three (video, AF or eye-AF) directly.
AF-Mode wheel: a good addition.
joystick: I had some issues to switch the AF point with it. But you can also just push it and then use the touch-screen to set the new point.
new G-X1EM grip. A great accessory for bigger hands. I putted it on my a7RII aswell. I will buy one, or a cheaper copy of another brand (I'm sure someone will do it because this peace of plastic is ridicously expensive).
size/weight: There was no difference to the a7RII unless I was concentrating on it. The slightly bigger grip is the only noticeable thing.

a7RII or a9? It's really depending on the image quality. If the a9 is on par with the a7rII it's only the MP and the s-log on the a7RII. On the other hand, if you don't need the AF-capabilities and fps the a7RII has it's MP and price advantage.
For people that like to shoot people/animals in action (esp. in low light) the a9 will be a big step forward.

 

[Vivek]

Seb, i almost always snap closing of the eyes. Can you catch opened eyes? That is more important, i think. :grin:

What about the 12 bit files?

Also, does it get warm under the LCD affer a few bursts?

 

[seb]

Seb, i almost always snap closing of the eyes. Can you catch opened eyes? That is more important, i think. :grin:

What about the 12 bit files?

Also, does it get warm under the LCD affer a few bursts?

Here's my tipp: When I try to catch closed, I'll get open one.

I did not save any pics on my card. the quality will be something others should anaylse.

I played with the display but I didn't had a look if it is warm there. The camera itself was never warm.

 

[Vivek]

The GX plastic grip- someone already has printed it for $40 (shapeways). I am waiting for even cheaper versions from China. :grin:

Looks like you just had fun (as most do) with the brand new sony cam, Seb. I will still have to find answers to the issues that concern me before i can decide.

Heck, i am still trying to decide if I should get the A7R II when the price drops to €1800.

 

[seb]

Yes, it was just for fun. I had the opportunity to test it, so I pulled the trigger. I was just curious about the AF, handling and the new EVF. Because longer tests are needed to check things like overheat or picture quality. When the camera is released, I'll rent it for a weekend. To be honest, the a9 shows AF performance without much issues. Something I would love to have for all the low light people stuff I'll do. But the a7RII is already in my hand and it is already a very good performer with a great quality and more MP on top.

 

[Pradeep]

Thanks Seb. Feeling a bit better about my decision now. For me the key is AF accuracy/speed and frame rate. Still have the A7RII for slow work (gosh, how spoilt can we get, 5fps is now 'slow') and landscapes where the need is for higher resolution.

I am actually even more excited about the new 100-400 lens and the others that must definitely be in the pipeline but not yet announced. I am hoping they can come up with a good 200-500 f4/5.6 zoom. That will knock the socks off CaNikon. Improvements in technology would mean the final products may even be somewhat lighter in weight (as the 100-400 is compared to Canon's excellent offering).

 

[k-hawinkler]

Wow, I had the chance to play with the camera today for an hour. I'm really impressed.

20fps: You can document the closing of an eyelid now. You can't miss the right moment with this camera.
focustime: With the 24-70/2.8 GM there was no focustime. No matter if there was no contrast or I changed from far away to a very close subject. The light in the shop was not very good too.
AF: It's on track all the time, even if something block your sight for a short moment, it finds the original subject. people can turn around frast, change directions quickly, but the AF is spot on.
Eye-AF: I did 20fps with 1m distance of a face and zoomed in from 24-70 quickly at f2.8. Not every shot was perfectly sharp, but you can see it only when you pixel peep.
face-detection: It recognizes faces that are smaller than one focus point! Even if a part of the face is covered or be seen from the side. This is just night and day to the a7rII, which isn't that bad at all.
EVF: Reviewing feels very close to a display at home. brightness, contrast, sharpness and colors are very good. Under artificial light you may recognize a slight flickering while shooting 20fps. It's because the framerate drops from 120/s to 60/s.
lags: everything is much faster than with th a7RII: start up, writing, review,...
button-customization: you can customize everything! the setup-menu is very clever. You can skip through groups of functions instead of a long alphabetical list. there is even a customize function for all things in review-mode.
video-AF-AEL button: I'll switched the AEL button to eye-AF and was happy with these three buttons. Depending on the situation I can now choose between all three (video, AF or eye-AF) directly.
AF-Mode wheel: a good addition.
joystick: I had some issues to switch the AF point with it. But you can also just push it and then use the touch-screen to set the new point.
new G-X1EM grip. A great accessory for bigger hands. I putted it on my a7RII aswell. I will buy one, or a cheaper copy of another brand (I'm sure someone will do it because this peace of plastic is ridicously expensive).
size/weight: There was no difference to the a7RII unless I was concentrating on it. The slightly bigger grip is the only noticeable thing.

a7RII or a9? It's really depending on the image quality. If the a9 is on par with the a7rII it's only the MP and the s-log on the a7RII. On the other hand, if you don't need the AF-capabilities and fps the a7RII has it's MP and price advantage.
For people that like to shoot people/animals in action (esp. in low light) the a9 will be a big step forward.

Of course I'll keep my A7r.2 when the A9 hopefully arrives later this month.
I have gotten spoiled by the silent shutter and high frame rate of the E-M1.2.
After that experience the A7r.2 feels like an old clunker, however with spectacular image quality! :thumbs:

 

[seb]

Thanks Seb. Feeling a bit better about my decision now. For me the key is AF accuracy/speed and frame rate. Still have the A7RII for slow work (gosh, how spoilt can we get, 5fps is now 'slow') and landscapes where the need is for higher resolution.

I am actually even more excited about the new 100-400 lens and the others that must definitely be in the pipeline but not yet announced. I am hoping they can come up with a good 200-500 f4/5.6 zoom. That will knock the socks off CaNikon. Improvements in technology would mean the final products may even be somewhat lighter in weight (as the 100-400 is compared to Canon's excellent offering).

even though it was just a play I had, I'm sure you will not be disappointed by the AF accuracy/speed here.

 

[gregkoz]

The GX plastic grip- someone already has printed it for $40 (shapeways). I am waiting for even cheaper versions from China. :grin:

Looks like you just had fun (as most do) with the brand new sony cam, Seb. I will still have to find answers to the issues that concern me before i can decide.

Heck, i am still trying to decide if I should get the A7R II when the price drops to €1800.

Hi Vivek,

As a solid street shooter, what do you think of the A9 on the street?

 

[Vivek]

Hi, The first and foremost is my attitude. Consider every day as a special day to go out to photograph. Gear, truly, is secondary.

That said, I do enjoy the fast/accurate AF offered by my RX1R II and the quiet shutter. The A9 will be excellent, no doubt and if bought with local warranty (there is nearly 1500 euros difference between HK prices and the local EU prices), Sony will honor replacing it if something goes wrong with it as they did with my RX1R II.

I do not think I need it for street for the price it is being offered here.

YMMV.

Hi Vivek,

As a solid street shooter, what do you think of the A9 on the street?

 

[Pradeep]

Hi, The first and foremost is my attitude. Consider every day as a special day to go out to photograph. Gear, truly, is secondary.

Agree completely.

That said, I do enjoy the fast/accurate AF offered by my RX1R II and the quiet shutter. The A9 will be excellent, no doubt and if bought with local warranty (there is nearly 1500 euros difference between HK prices and the local EU prices), Sony will honor replacing it if something goes wrong with it as they did with my RX1R II.

I do not think I need it for street for the price it is being offered here.

YMMV.

I think for purely street photography the A9 is probably overkill, the 35mm of the Rx1R2 is the perfect FL and it is fast enough and silent enough. The AF I've found wanting at times but that's about all. I don't do much candids or street but for my travel needs it is a light enough camera and works very well.

 

[seb]

SAR wrote something about a release of an a9 and a new RX-camera a few weeks ago. As the a9 came true, we may see a new RX1 soon?

 

[Vivek]

Agree, Pradeep. The diminutive size of the Sony cameras (in addition to the versatility) make them usable for many things.

Seb, Yes, that is one thing to watch for. If that is an APS-C cam with curved sensor (hence super compact), i would like one!

 

[iiiNelson]

Apparently the A9 showed up at the Kentucky Derby this past weekend. It's a corporate piece by a Sony sponsored photographer but it looks like the color is looking slightly better now that RAW and color profiles are supported.

https://alphauniverse.com/stories/sony-a9-goes-to-the-races/

 

[Vivek]

I suspect that he did not buy any of them with real cash. Sx cameras! Cams alone > €35,000. Who pays that much money for horse racing pics? It makes no sense at all!

 

[k-hawinkler]

Apparently the A9 showed up at the Kentucky Derby this past weekend. It's a corporate piece by a Sony sponsored photographer but it looks like the color is looking slightly better now that RAW and color profiles are supported.

https://alphauniverse.com/stories/sony-a9-goes-to-the-races/

Thanks Tre. That was a perfect opportunity for Sony to promote their new gear, weather and all.
Now, when will my A9 arrive? :facesmack: :grin:

 

[iiiNelson]

I suspect that he did not buy any of them with real cash. Sx cameras! Cams alone > €35,000. Who pays that much money for horse racing pics? It makes no sense at all!

Six A9 cameras in USA would run $27,000.

It's also possible, and realistic to presume, that maybe he rented or was loaned some of the bodies as apart of the Sony Pro Services based on his kit. I don't think the 100-500 is scheduled to ship until July. He's a pro sports photographer with press credentials as well so I doubt he's in a hobbyist's position.

In any case, the Kentucky Derby is a big money event though so $27,000 wouldn't be much to the people that can afford to attend as spectators. Tickets to watch the event usually start in the $3,000+ range for a race that lasts less than 2 minutes. It's as much about the social aspects and admiration of horses as it is about the race itself. I've gone to a few horse related events and museums in Kentucky and let's just say that it's clear that people aren't shy about infusing money into horses in Kentucky. Breeding rights to linage of Kentucky Derby winners often exceed $1 million dollars.