Back up body choice for A1?

[BrianSmall]

I'm a full-time professional bird photographer............I really don't shoot much else. I'd like to buy a second body as a back up to my A1. In all likelihood this body will be for "emergency use only". In other words, it will sit in my camera bag (hopefully) 99% of the time and would only get used if the A1 were stolen/destroyed/non-functioning on a trip. It would basically be nothing more than insurance. So I'm considering the A7IV vs a used A9II. Price will probably be in the same neighborhood $2500 vs $3000 or so. I like the higher MP sensor, new menu system (same as A1) and newest AF system of the A7IV. But my understanding is that the AF of the A9II actually tracks better, it has a stacked sensor and faster frame rate...........but less MP and older menu system. There are other differences too of course but these are some of the major differences.

I know the A7IV isn't on the market yet so it's a little hard to compare the two. But if anyone has considered the same choice or has other thoughts I'd love to get some opinions.

 

[FB101]

I am considering the A7iv for my second body but my reasons are pretty unique. My second photographic hobby is street photography, so the A7iv is the best option in the Sony lineup for that.
‘In your situation? I’d probably still pick up the A7iv but use it for video until (if) it is needed as a stills backup.

 

[DavidT]

I bought a second a1. If you don't want to spend that much money I would either buy the A7R4 or A9II. Rumor has it by end of February Sony is launching an a9III so if you aren't in a hurry this might be a great second camera.

 

[BrianSmall]

I bought a second a1. If you don't want to spend that much money I would either buy the A7R4 or A9II. Rumor has it by end of February Sony is launching an a9III so if you aren't in a hurry this might be a great second camera.

Yeah, I really didn't want to put that much money (cost of an A1) into a body that's not likely to see much use. I'm not in a big hurry until April or so. Could wait a few months to see what an A9III offers and A9II prices will certainly drop when the III version comes out. Can you give me your thinking/reasons for suggesting the A7RIV or A9II rather than A7IV?

 

[Nimi]

FWIW, my backup body is the same as my main body (D6) and actually has a shorter zoom attached to it. I shoot in harsh environments and I hate to open up the camera to switch lenses.

 

[geoawelch]

If you are a bird photographer and if it’s true that there is significant rolling shutter, that would make it a no-go for me.

Cheers,

George

 

[arbitrage]

I was trying to decide this same thing for awhile. It would be for the exact same use as you...ie only emergency and likely only if I start travelling for photo trips again. Lets' face it, not having a camera one week shooting ducks at the local lagoon won't be an emergency

My decision was between A7IV and A9 (original). I sold my A9II a few months after getting the A1. The A7IV ticks a lot of boxes except for the sensor scan speed. I great MP number, 10FPS (low but sufficient), and all the operational benefits of the XR processor. However, if I really was travelling and had my A1 go down, I think I'd value having my stacked sensor and slideshow free EVF. As an emergency backup I don't see the need to have the few benefits of the A9II over the A9 as actual AF performance is identical (having owned both).

I still haven't made a decision and likely won't until I do travel again. And I have a Z9 on order so that will suffice for now

 

[DavidT]

Yeah, I really didn't want to put that much money (cost of an A1) into a body that's not likely to see much use. I'm not in a big hurry until April or so. Could wait a few months to see what an A9III offers and A9II prices will certainly drop when the III version comes out. Can you give me your thinking/reasons for suggesting the A7RIV or A9II rather than A7IV?

It comes down to speed. The a9II gives you the speed, no rolling shutter and the a7R4 gives you MP but not as fast. Prior to the a1 Sony wildlife photographers seemed to rely on the a9 and a7R4 the most. I don’t know enough about the new body to say for sure but from what I’ve heard the frame rate is rather slow.

 

[Whiskeyman]

I bought a second a1. If you don't want to spend that much money I would either buy the A7R4 or A9II. Rumor has it by end of February Sony is launching an a9III so if you aren't in a hurry this might be a great second camera.

- I agree with the choice of the A1. Unless the OP wants to wait for the A1 replacement and use that with the A1 as their B/U camera body.

This for birds!

- Yes, but also for a full time professional...

 

[geoawelch]

I was trying to decide this same thing for awhile. It would be for the exact same use as you...ie only emergency and likely only if I start travelling for photo trips again. Lets' face it, not having a camera one week shooting ducks at the local lagoon won't be an emergency

My decision was between A7IV and A9 (original). I sold my A9II a few months after getting the A1. The A7IV ticks a lot of boxes except for the sensor scan speed. I great MP number, 10FPS (low but sufficient), and all the operational benefits of the XR processor. However, if I really was travelling and had my A1 go down, I think I'd value having my stacked sensor and slideshow free EVF. As an emergency backup I don't see the need to have the few benefits of the A9II over the A9 as actual AF performance is identical (having owned both).

I still haven't made a decision and likely won't until I do travel again. And I have a Z9 on order so that will suffice for now

That, of course, means taking an extra lens or two along for the Z9.

Cheers,

George

 

[BrianSmall]

I was trying to decide this same thing for awhile. It would be for the exact same use as you...ie only emergency and likely only if I start travelling for photo trips again. Lets' face it, not having a camera one week shooting ducks at the local lagoon won't be an emergency

My decision was between A7IV and A9 (original). I sold my A9II a few months after getting the A1. The A7IV ticks a lot of boxes except for the sensor scan speed. I great MP number, 10FPS (low but sufficient), and all the operational benefits of the XR processor. However, if I really was travelling and had my A1 go down, I think I'd value having my stacked sensor and slideshow free EVF. As an emergency backup I don't see the need to have the few benefits of the A9II over the A9 as actual AF performance is identical (having owned both).

I still haven't made a decision and likely won't until I do travel again. And I have a Z9 on order so that will suffice for now

Thanks for the answer........................what are the main differences between A9 and A9II?

 

[Palmor]

Thanks for the answer........................what are the main differences between A9 and A9II?

Sony a9 vs a9II - Key Spec Comparison - AlphaShooters.com

I take a look at the key differences between the Sony a9 and the new a9 II. Is the a9II a worthwhile upgrade or should you perhaps consider the a7R IV instead?

www.alphashooters.com

Personally if it's just going to collect dust I'd get an a9. I don't think I could live without electronic shutter and blackout free shooting , but would want to spend as little as possible since it won't be used.

Saying that, I did pick up an A7c because I didn't want a body that was just going to sit in the bag, I wanted something I'd use for other things. I figure when (if) I start traveling again if I feel like I need a backup wildlife camera I'll deal with it then.

 

[arbitrage]

Thanks for the answer........................what are the main differences between A9 and A9II?

Two UHS-II slots instead of only one UHS-II and one UHS-I
Larger AF-ON button, wheels are nicer to turn
Slightly larger grip
Slightly less delay in activating a Recall Custom Hold button
Nicer mechanical shutter (not really important on the A9 though).
Some networking improvements that I don't recall.

 

[ruley74]

No dog in the fight but i would be leaning toward the A9II as my subject and requirements are very similar.

Reasoning... still fast, blackout free, good tracking etc. so with all that it's not likely to be annoying... Also and what would be my main driver, it would compliment in the sense of a lower MP body which may be slightly better in lower light. Also, if you know you don't need the 50MP you can resort to it to reduce you workload/file size. All in all, it would plausibly be a complimentary camera to the kit i feel.

Moving forward that is my plan, Z9 (currently D850) and a D5 pair.

 

[Doug Herr]

I'll probably end up with a second a1 so that I'd have identical bodies on the two most-used lenses (100-400, 600 GM). My current backup camera is my old a7rIII and the differences between them is jarring.

 

[Venkatesh VT]

After shooting A1 for a month I am floored by it & want a matching back up body either from the Sony platform or Nikon platform .
I do miss shooting with my 500 PF & would love to have a lighter body with matching performance of Z9 .
I will be taking the call after one year since D 850 & 500 PF are there in my bag already

 

[abc123brian]

You should probably ask yourself what is the most important aspect for you in the camera, the resolution or the speed and Blackout free shooting. This might answer the question for you.

As mentioned by others, it might be worthwhile to consider if one of these cameras or a different Sony camera would be of interest for other genres or personal usage where you wouldn’t use the A1. If so, maybe that would be the best route as it could be more than a backup camera living in a camera bag. Or maybe you have a shorter lens for One body and longer lens for the other to prevent from changing lenses.

If none of this applies to you, for me personally, I’d prefer the cameras to have similarly placed controls and be as close to identical as possible to ensure when I did use the camera I wouldn’t be missing opportunities because of muscle memory or not being familiar with wear a certain button/setting was.

 

[BrianSmall]

You should probably ask yourself what is the most important aspect for you in the camera, the resolution or the speed and Blackout free shooting. This might answer the question for you.

As mentioned by others, it might be worthwhile to consider if one of these cameras or a different Sony camera would be of interest for other genres or personal usage where you wouldn’t use the A1. If so, maybe that would be the best route as it could be more than a backup camera living in a camera bag. Or maybe you have a shorter lens for One body and longer lens for the other to prevent from changing lenses.

If none of this applies to you, for me personally, I’d prefer the cameras to have similarly placed controls and be as close to identical as possible to ensure when I did use the camera I wouldn’t be missing opportunities because of muscle memory or not being familiar with wear a certain button/setting was.

Those are good points and things I'm considering. One "problem" I have is that the first mirrorless camera I've ever owned is the A1...........I switched from Nikon DSLR to Sony mirrorless about 8 months ago. So I have no experience with a mirrorless camera that has blackout. I know I had that with my DSLR's over the years of course but I'm not really sure how I'd react to going back to a camera with blackout like the A7IV. So that's another consideration I'm weighing and of course I'm really hoping to never really have to use this body very much if at all. I know...................weird right? I'm torturing myself over a camera I never hope to use ;-)

 

[KimM]

I'll probably end up with a second a1 so that I'd have identical bodies on the two most-used lenses (100-400, 600 GM). My current backup camera is my old a7rIII and the differences between them is jarring.

I just moved to Sony. The pain of trying to learn 2 different menu systems (and customize same) is another issue and a vote for a second A1, money aside. It would also be nice to carry one card with the settings for both cards just in case you need to download the settings. I have a A7r4 as backup to the A1. I do some landscape work so that is what the A7's primary job. With only one shoot under my belt that was mostly landscape with a few bird opportunities, I long for a 2nd A1 body. However, the 600mm f4 is a bigger priority. Wish I had an unlimited budget.

 

[DavidT]

Those are good points and things I'm considering. One "problem" I have is that the first mirrorless camera I've ever owned is the A1...........I switched from Nikon DSLR to Sony mirrorless about 8 months ago. So I have no experience with a mirrorless camera that has blackout. I know I had that with my DSLR's over the years of course but I'm not really sure how I'd react to going back to a camera with blackout like the A7IV. So that's another consideration I'm weighing and of course I'm really hoping to never really have to use this body very much if at all. I know...................weird right? I'm torturing myself over a camera I never hope to use ;-)

I also moved to Sony from Nikon DSLR to the a1. The only mirrorless I had prior was the Z6 and frankly the blackout sucks. I personally for wildlife wouldn't buy a camera with blackout which is why when I wanted a second body I bought another a1.

 

[BrianSmall]

I also moved to Sony from Nikon DSLR to the a1. The only mirrorless I had prior was the Z6 and frankly the blackout sucks. I personally for wildlife wouldn't buy a camera with blackout which is why when I wanted a second body I bought another a1.

This is the kind of info I'm looking for.........................another strong reason to push me towards an A9II. I'm not too worried about the menu system. I've watched a few YouTube videos and it's really not that big a deal...............even though it's much different than the A1. And once I have the body set up I wouldn't expect to be doing to much in the menus anyway.

 

[Surge45]

I’m also currently trying to select my backup body to my A1 and to have a second slung body with a 70-200 for sports photography. I’m definitely not spending another $6500 on another A1, lol. I’m going with the A9ii because I think it is the “second” best in photo quality (after all, it was their “flagship” camera until the A1 came out) and the body and buttons are essentially the same as the A1. Unfortunately the menu is the old style on thr A9 but maybe a firmware upgrade will change that.

 

[SMB]

Just from an ergonomic standpoint the a9ii has dials and buttons closer to the a1 (vs the a7Riv).

 

[Barbara]

A9 (not ii). With the latest firmware it has about the same AF capability as the A9ii, and I bought a new one though Greentoe for under $3000, as opposed to $4500 for a new A9ii.