Sony A1 (Post FW 2.0) Battery Drain

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TonyF

TonyF

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A question just for those of you who have updated to FW 2.0 before it was suspended.....

How fast is your battery power draining after the update?

Mine is draining somewhere between 1.5 - 2x faster than it did before the update. I have done the battery out and initialise process and it makes no difference. I have double checked that all of my settings are the same.... and they are.
I have one friend who is experiencing exactly the same issue, same subjects, same location.

Before update, a morning 3/4 hour session shooting birds in flight would usually drain my battery by 40-60%

I am now seeing up to 100% drain in the same session, same subjects, same location and even having to change to a fresh battery :mad:

After jumping through all of the hoops and checks; Sony UK customer service simply refuse to discuss the possibility that it could be as a result of updating to fw2.0 so I would really appreciate feedback from anyone/everyone else with the same issue.
 
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I noticed the same _ I don't know that I can quantify it but batteries are draining faster, even after I turned off all communication protocoled and put the camera on airplane mode.
 
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Cameron T said:
Back up settings, factory reset, try again? Not sure if lt would help, but worth a shot imo
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Its always worth doing. Yes I'd already done all of that. I did the procedure recommended by Sony UK customer service which is to remove the battery for more than one minute, re-insert and then initialize the camera. (Saving and re-loading all settings of course)
 
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Doug Herr said:
Turn bluetooth off.
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Thanks. Yes Bluetooth was alreay turned off. I always have it in Airplane mode (before and after update to fw2.0) When Airplane mode is on all bluetooth and wifi should be off but I checked anyway and my blutooth settings are off and greyed out. (presumably turning Airplane mode on gereys out the menu items blutooth settings)
 
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Wrogu said:
It is on after FW update by default. But I guess most of us did turn it off :) I have not had a chance to try it out longer to test battery drain. But compared to A9 mk I the A1 drains a lot quicker.
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Yes I checked it was turned off as soon as I'd done the update. As part of reloading all of my settings manually. Good job I had it all saved in a spreadsheet.
 
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Sony UK have finally accepted my reports and tests and agreed to send for investigation.

As is often the case, its a question of hammering away at it email after email until one service agent will suddenly appear and actually read what you've written. They're hard work. Before the one sensible agent popped up, I must have put about 10 hours into email dialogue with the majority bunch of avoidant clowns that perport to be service agents.
 
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I've been out with Tony at the same place a few times and have also noticed the increased battery drain since FW2.0 , I'm getting through almost double to what it was with Fw1.32 . I use 200-600 , aeroplane mode on, EVF brightness from manual +2 to auto, refresh rate from Hi+ to Hi , LCD always off , sleep mod 1minute. I always do full Initialise after FW update
 
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I don't have any scientific data as I don't often pay lots of attention, but at first I was getting pretty quick drain, but after I cut off wifi (leaving only Bluetooth on), mine seems similar to before.
 
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Ltgk20 said:
I don't have any scientific data as I don't often pay lots of attention, but at first I was getting pretty quick drain, but after I cut off wifi (leaving only Bluetooth on), mine seems similar to before.
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Its looking so far that the people who will really notice the difference are those who shoot long sessions (2-4 hours) and rely heavily upon the (vital) auto power off setting.
Since it was pulled there has been a remarkable silence about fw2.0 from the Sony World, Ambassadors, Affiliates etc. Perhaps they are on 'Radio Silence' ;)
 
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Yes, given that it was such a fantastic groundbreaking firmware upgrade, with an endless array of super useful new features, there will be no issues calling in the favors to ensure this little wifi connectivity mistake will be kept low profile.

My A1 has literally been given a second, new, life, and I can spare a few weeks waiting for Sony to correct their little mistake. After all, I was able to wait 3,5 years for this fantastic v2.0 firmware :sneaky::giggle:
 
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I won't comment much based on this forum's anti-bashing policy, but suffice to say I am two updates behind on my A7 IV and one behind on my A1. And unless Sony releases something that's worth the risk, that's where they'll stay. The ubiquitous 'Improves Camera Stability' is a load of hogwash, none of mine (including some older models) were ever unstable to begin with. The chance of bricking your camera is too high. I'll stand pat.
 
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ChrisM said:
Yes, given that it was such a fantastic groundbreaking firmware upgrade, with an endless array of super useful new features, there will be no issues calling in the favors to ensure this little wifi connectivity mistake will be kept low profile.

My A1 has literally been given a second, new, life, and I can spare a few weeks waiting for Sony to correct their little mistake. After all, I was able to wait 3,5 years for this fantastic v2.0 firmware :sneaky::giggle:
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Keep in mind that we are not Sony’s primary audience for the A1. Pros shooting sports are. Losing connectivity is a big deal to their workflow. The fact that Sony still hasn’t made a new version available yet says it’s not a simple fix, and that the issue hasn’t made a ripple on youtube tells me there is active crisis manament engaged. Brands depend on the talking head reviews, and the talking heads depend on having pre-launch access - they are codependent, so yes, favors can be called if needed. I am not suggesting anything unsavory or unethical, but both parties know that they depend on the other and hence will make accommodations when necessary.

And the connectivity issue is not the only one reported; as mentioned here battery drain is also a concern and some past functions have disappeared while new ones are only partially implemented. It was a bit more than a little mistake, it wasn’t to Sony’s usual standard and to be honest, that’s likely what they are the most worried about.
 
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FB101 said:
Keep in mind that we are not Sony’s primary audience for the A1. Pros shooting sports are. Losing connectivity is a big deal to their workflow. The fact that Sony still hasn’t made a new version available yet says it’s not a simple fix, and that the issue hasn’t made a ripple on youtube tells me there is active crisis manament engaged. Brands depend on the talking head reviews, and the talking heads depend on having pre-launch access - they are codependent, so yes, favors can be called if needed. I am not suggesting anything unsavory or unethical, but both parties know that they depend on the other and hence will make accommodations when necessary.

And the connectivity issue is not the only one reported; as mentioned here battery drain is also a concern and some past functions have disappeared while new ones are only partially implemented. It was a bit more than a little mistake, it wasn’t to Sony’s usual standard and to be honest, that’s likely what they are the most worried about.
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I assumed that the smilies would be enough to show that I meant it tongue in cheek.
Sony has made an art of avoiding putting anything of real use in their firmware upgrades, and behind that is no doubt the attitude that only professional photographers buy the A1.
By definition they wear their cameras down, and are better served with a new model upgrade with new hardware. Moreover, they will want their shooting routine to change as little as possible.
Only hobbyists and amateurs have their cameras lasting long enough to be served by firmware upgrades.

I do wonder though, what will the real sale numbers be regarding professionals and amateurs on the A1? Could Sony afford to make an A1 on exclusively professional sales?
Or are they in part free riding on the sales to us ambitious amateurs that have no real business buying a professional grade camera?
It's just meant to try and shed a bit different light on the argument that Sony doesn't have the slightest obligation to offer decent firmware support for the A1, because it is a camera for the pro's.

It's not meant as a lament though, I know full well that Sony will be Sony, and if I want serious firmware support, I should move to Nikon.
 
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I’ve just finished upgrading my A1 and my A9III :
  • A9III : from 1.00 to 2.00. Using a CF Express A card. Very fast, around 5 minutes. The configuration is kept.
  • A1 : from 2.00 to 2.01. Using the UBS-C port. About 25 minutes. The configuration is kept.
    Note : if you didn’t upgrade to 2.00, you still have to update to 1.35 first and then to 2.01. In this case the configuration is lost and you have to re-enter it manually.
 
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