Sony A9 (nn) vs A1

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la551ve3

la551ve3

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While there are a number of YouTube videos that do this comparison, I could find little from a wildlife perspective. I personally have no experience with any mirrorless so I am starting with little or no knowledge on either. What I do know is that in Canada, the difference in price between the two is about $3K.
For those who have used or reviewed both, is/was the price difference worth it to you and if so, why?
 
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For me there were 2 big drivers.

Resolution - for wildlife, I do prefer resolution greater than 32mp and preferably greater than 45mp so that a DX crop lands around 20mp (ie have a fx and DX body in one)
Eye AF for birds, which the A9ii doesn’t have.

Also, it seems the processor in the A9 is maxed out (maybe not, Sony may have delayed eye AF to give the A1 a unique edge) But the processor in the A1 is the newest from Sony so assumption is that it has room for more complex firmware upgrades. This is just speculation on my part - maybe it is all offset by the smaller file size of the A9.

Flash sync speed is also a real differentiator for the A1 if you shoot a lot with flash (indoor sports) but for me it wasn’t a big deal.
 
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I hate to spend your money (LOL, J/K) but IMO the a1 is worth the difference. Up till the a1, I enjoyed the a9ii, but man, now when I go back to the a9ii from the a1 it seems very last gen. The a1 is simply faster and more capable and the EVF is so much better that it makes you forget you're shooting a mirrorless camera. I'm actually thinking about selling the a9ii and getting a second a1 (I'd do it now but I have to save for a Z9).
 
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Steve said:
I hate to spend your money (LOL, J/K) but IMO the a1 is worth the difference. Up till the a1, I enjoyed the a9ii, but man, now when I go back to the a9ii from the a1 it seems very last gen. The a1 is simply faster and more capable and the EVF is so much better that it makes you forget you're shooting a mirrorless camera. I'm actually thinking about selling the a9ii and getting a second a1 (I'd do it now but I have to save for a Z9).
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I am eagerly waiting to lay my hands on A1 on 26 Oct as promised by the Sony sales person in India
 
Steve said:
I hate to spend your money (LOL, J/K) but IMO the a1 is worth the difference. Up till the a1, I enjoyed the a9ii, but man, now when I go back to the a9ii from the a1 it seems very last gen. The a1 is simply faster and more capable and the EVF is so much better that it makes you forget you're shooting a mirrorless camera. I'm actually thinking about selling the a9ii and getting a second a1 (I'd do it now but I have to save for a Z9).
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Where would the A7Riv fit in this puzzle? Certainly middle ground price wise.
 
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la551ve3 said:
I kind of had the A! at the top of my list but was hoping someone would talk me out of it :D
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If you are committed to Sony then the best option is pretty clear for wildlife but if you are still looking at what system to buy into I don't think it is quite as clear-cut. Canon offers different but compelling advantages and Nikon offers the opportunity to fine tune your skills for a few more months before they have something available with the A1/A9ii/R5/R3 feature set.
 
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bleirer said:
Where would the A7Riv fit in this puzzle? Certainly middle ground price wise.
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We had one and I really didn't like it. High ISOs were problematic and it wasn't nearly as capable as the other two. It was still a good camera, but for me and what I do, the other two far and away a better choice.
 
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FB101 said:
If you are committed to Sony then the best option is pretty clear for wildlife but if you are still looking at what system to buy into I don't think it is quite as clear-cut. Canon offers different but compelling advantages and Nikon offers the opportunity to fine tune your skills for a few more months before they have something available with the A1/A9ii/R5/R3 feature set.
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Not committed to any brand yet but with all other options the A1 still makes the top of the list (based only on my reading and watching reviews).
I love my Nikon D850/D500 but only lukewarm about my Tamron 150-600 (bit soft at 600mm). Tomorrow I rent a Nikon 500pf for 2 days. If I like it and end up purchasing it I will be further committed to Nikon and I dont think any other options will be under consideration until I replenish my savings account :) I would really have to love this lens though.
The Canon R5 is a possibility as well but I didnt get a "warm and fuzzy" feeling reading/watching reviews when this camera was coupled with 100-500 zoom. I have yet to read/see a negative review of the Sony A1 with the 200-600 zoom.

Fortunately time is on my side. Soon the cold weather will here and I wont be going out much until March. Plenty of time for someone (my wife?) to talk me out of spending all that money on an A1 (or Z9):unsure:
 
Steve said:
We had one and I really didn't like it. High ISOs were problematic and it wasn't nearly as capable as the other two. It was still a good camera, but for me and what I do, the other two far and away a better choice.
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I must have my Sony models mixed up. What is the new A7 with 61mpx and 15 stops of dynamic range?
 
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Steve said:
I agree. I think that's going to fit the bill for a heck of a lot of shooters.
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I agree, Nikon z6ii and Canon R6 will have some very serious competition I suspect from this A7IV - there are still a few unknowns (like fps and high iso performance) but considering what sony has done so far, I believe they can deliver 20fps (with likely their usual caveat of lossy compression), and high ISO performance that may be pretty close to the R6 with 50% more pixels.
It certainly seem they don't intend to let Canon or Nikon catch their breath in any segment.
 
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FB101 said:
I agree, Nikon z6ii and Canon R6 will have some very serious competition I suspect from this A7IV - there are still a few unknowns (like fps and high iso performance) but considering what sony has done so far, I believe they can deliver 20fps (with likely their usual caveat of lossy compression), and high ISO performance that may be pretty close to the R6 with 50% more pixels.
It certainly seem they don't intend to let Canon or Nikon catch their breath in any segment.
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Remember, the R6 drops to 12 bit when using the electronic shutter, which is required for 20 FPS and it’s dynamic range and high iso performance in that mode is lower than the original a9.

The a7 IV will undoubtedly get the a7S III/a1 body, along with the new XR processor and menus. Despite not knowing how much of the kitchen sink Sony is gonna throw in, I believe it’ll be the camera to beat for general purpose, new and under 2,500 dollars.

It’d be a smart move on Sony’s part to announce it on the 21st, considering Nikon is rumored to announce the Z9 on the 28th. Of course, no one is cross shopping these models, but it’d certainly take away some of the spot light and excitement on the Z9. All those “influencers” will be hyping up the a7 IV to the max.
 
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The A7 is Sony's entry-level camera (and extraordinarily long in the tooth for Sony). It really needs an update, but I think Sony's going to try to price it @$2000. So the question isn't whether there will be compromises in features/performance, but which compromises Sony will accept to control costs and preserve product differentiation.
 
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la551ve3 said:
Not committed to any brand yet but with all other options the A1 still makes the top of the list (based only on my reading and watching reviews).
I love my Nikon D850/D500 but only lukewarm about my Tamron 150-600 (bit soft at 600mm). Tomorrow I rent a Nikon 500pf for 2 days. If I like it and end up purchasing it I will be further committed to Nikon and I dont think any other options will be under consideration until I replenish my savings account :) I would really have to love this lens though.
The Canon R5 is a possibility as well but I didnt get a "warm and fuzzy" feeling reading/watching reviews when this camera was coupled with 100-500 zoom. I have yet to read/see a negative review of the Sony A1 with the 200-600 zoom.

Fortunately time is on my side. Soon the cold weather will here and I wont be going out much until March. Plenty of time for someone (my wife?) to talk me out of spending all that money on an A1 (or Z9):unsure:
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I have D 500 ,D 850 with 500 PFs ( two of them) .Still I am buying A1 since Z 9 availability is very fuzzy at the moment & its capabilties on the ground compared to A1 will be known only much later.
I will certainly buy Z8 later if the price is right & it is feature rich for wild life
 
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la551ve3 said:
Not committed to any brand yet but with all other options the A1 still makes the top of the list (based only on my reading and watching reviews).
I love my Nikon D850/D500 but only lukewarm about my Tamron 150-600 (bit soft at 600mm). Tomorrow I rent a Nikon 500pf for 2 days. If I like it and end up purchasing it I will be further committed to Nikon and I dont think any other options will be under consideration until I replenish my savings account :) I would really have to love this lens though.
The Canon R5 is a possibility as well but I didnt get a "warm and fuzzy" feeling reading/watching reviews when this camera was coupled with 100-500 zoom. I have yet to read/see a negative review of the Sony A1 with the 200-600 zoom.

Fortunately time is on my side. Soon the cold weather will here and I wont be going out much until March. Plenty of time for someone (my wife?) to talk me out of spending all that money on an A1 (or Z9):unsure:
Click to expand...

As much as I love my D500/500PF combo the A1 and Sony 200-600 is what I use 100% of the time now.

Going back to your original question since I bought the A1 after having the A9II my answer is that it is worth the money. I loved the AF and silent shutter on the A9 II but still felt like I was missing "reach" because of the lower pixel density... then comes the A1 with Bird Eye AF and my D500/500PF have been collecting dust ever since.

My general thought however is that don't make the switch because of IQ, make it because there are things in a mirrorless system that will make you life easier or photography experience more enjoyable. For me silent shutter was the thing that won be over as soon as I started using the A9 II. Not scaring small birds when I'm in my blind is an obvious reason I love it so much but just being out in nature and not feeling like I'm disturbing it was something I didn't anticipate making such a big difference (to me).

If those things (plus the few other benefits of mirrorless) aren't important to you, you will probably fall in love with the D500/500PF and not let it go :)
 
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Palmor said:
As much as I love my D500/500PF combo the A1 and Sony 200-600 is what I use 100% of the time now.

Going back to your original question since I bought the A1 after having the A9II my answer is that it is worth the money. I loved the AF and silent shutter on the A9 II but still felt like I was missing "reach" because of the lower pixel density... then comes the A1 with Bird Eye AF and my D500/500PF have been collecting dust ever since.

My general thought however is that don't make the switch because of IQ, make it because there are things in a mirrorless system that will make you life easier or photography experience more enjoyable. For me silent shutter was the thing that won be over as soon as I started using the A9 II. Not scaring small birds when I'm in my blind is an obvious reason I love it so much but just being out in nature and not feeling like I'm disturbing it was something I didn't anticipate making such a big difference (to me).

If those things (plus the few other benefits of mirrorless) aren't important to you, you will probably fall in love with the D500/500PF and not let it go :)
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There a quite a few features of the A1 (or A9) that really peaked my interest. AF and silent shutter being just a few. Yesterday I was along side another photographer who was using a Sony A9 (???) equipped with the 200-600mm zoom. While my D500/850 sounded like a machine gun going off, his was totally quiet. I wasnt even sure he was shooting until I asked him. That said....

Yesterday, I was testing out the Nikon 500pf lens rental and it blew me away. While I have not used a lot of telephoto lens in the past, those I have come nowhere near to the sharpness of this prime. It will be very difficult to return this lens and go back to my own equipment. Likewise, with all the other great features of the A1 aside, I would not be totally happy if it, along with the 200-600mm zoom, did not deliver the same sharpness as the D500/D850 and 500pf combo did. Thoughts?
 
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Steve said:
We had one and I really didn't like it. High ISOs were problematic and it wasn't nearly as capable as the other two. It was still a good camera, but for me and what I do, the other two far and away a better choice.
Click to expand...
Yep. Over 400 ISO the resolution advantage of the A7R IV over the 42 mp A7R III is lost to noise.

I use the A9 which is plenty capable and the A7R III whose AF and EVF make me work harder but wow, the bird plumage detail is worth it.
 
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la551ve3 said:
There a quite a few features of the A1 (or A9) that really peaked my interest. AF and silent shutter being just a few. Yesterday I was along side another photographer who was using a Sony A9 (???) equipped with the 200-600mm zoom. While my D500/850 sounded like a machine gun going off, his was totally quiet. I wasnt even sure he was shooting until I asked him. That said....

Yesterday, I was testing out the Nikon 500pf lens rental and it blew me away. While I have not used a lot of telephoto lens in the past, those I have come nowhere near to the sharpness of this prime. It will be very difficult to return this lens and go back to my own equipment. Likewise, with all the other great features of the A1 aside, I would not be totally happy if it, along with the 200-600mm zoom, did not deliver the same sharpness as the D500/D850 and 500pf combo did. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I'll be a lot wiser about that question after I get a chance to take the A1 and 200-600 out for the first time this week-end :)
What I can absolutely tell you is that the 500pf is a bit lighter and you can feel the difference (but not a massive one), what is quite a change is the weight balance. With Sony you have a heavier lens, and a lighter body so you do feel a more front-heavy set-up. Not to the point of being objectionable but it is very notable when you first pick it up.

The other surprise for me is that the sony 200-600 doesn't have a visible focusing distance scale - so you don't know when you grab it if it is at infinity or close distance or in between. It doesn't seem to have a focus distance recall option either that I could find. I don't think any of this is a deal breaker but I am used to setting a focus distance recall to help when the AF gets lost especially when I settle next to a promising bush with branches that might come in the way - so I will need to find a work-around (or figure out where it is in the 5000 pages of options in the menus...)
 
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