Who’s buying the Sony a1MK2?

If you would like to post, you'll need to register. Note that if you have a BCG store account, you'll need a new, separate account here (we keep the two sites separate for security purposes).

Are you buying the Sony a1MK2

  • Total voters
    124
Whiskeyman said:
Still, cameras that were released five years ago are generally capable of producing images just as good as when it was introduced. In my opinion, as humble as it is, the big difference has been in the transition from DSLR to Mirrorless cameras, at least for most photographers.
Click to expand...
I can't speak for most photographers but for myself mirrorless by itself wasn't a big deal, but the features made possible by the switch to mirrorless have made a big difference, for example:

exposure and/or histogram preview or zebras in the viewfinder help reduce exposure errors

eye AF with tracking all over the image area for those critters that don't want to keep their face in a focus zone

silent electronic shutter doesn't startle my subjects

fast readout eliminating distorted flapping wings

faster frame rates that allow me to choose the wing position that best suits the composition and to avoid the nictitating mebrane covering the eye

lighter weight allowing me to carry the camera farther into the field

Agreed, a five-year-old camera will make the same photographs now as when it was introduced. That's the problem! The newer features enable photographs in conditions that were challenging or impossible with an older camera.
 
Member's gallery
Doug Herr said:
I can't speak for most photographers but for myself mirrorless by itself wasn't a big deal, but the features made possible by the switch to mirrorless have made a big difference, for example:

exposure and/or histogram preview or zebras in the viewfinder help reduce exposure errors

eye AF with tracking all over the image area for those critters that don't want to keep their face in a focus zone

silent electronic shutter doesn't startle my subjects

fast readout eliminating distorted flapping wings

faster frame rates that allow me to choose the wing position that best suits the composition and to avoid the nictitating mebrane covering the eye

lighter weight allowing me to carry the camera farther into the field

Agreed, a five-year-old camera will make the same photographs now as when it was introduced. That's the problem! The newer features enable photographs in conditions that were challenging or impossible with an older camera.
Click to expand...
Well Mirrorless is the only reason we have all these great benefits so it kind of is the reason it’s made such a big difference.
 
Member's gallery
DavidT said:
Well Mirrorless is the only reason we have all these great benefits so it kind of is the reason it’s made such a big difference.
Click to expand...
I think the flipside of the coin is, this is a good thing and a bad thing. It’s a good thing for the consumer, but I foresee it being a bad thing in the future for the camera manufacturers. The reason I say that is, the mirrorless bodies are so good now that lots of folks are willing to hold onto them twice or three times as long as they used to in the past. I think this is the reason Camera sales are continuing to dwindle because any camera sold in today’s current market could easily be kept 5-8 years if a person wanted to with no problems at all. This is one of the reasons I have said in the past, I think adding paid additions through firmware might be something these camera companies have to look into to keep revenue coming in. That’s just my two cents but that definitely seems like that’s the way it’s playing out now in today’s Camera market. I don’t really foresee any huge waiting issue getting a camera body in the future unless there’s some sort of supply chain issue like there was a few years ago.
 
Member's gallery
sh1209 said:
I think the flipside of the coin is, this is a good thing and a bad thing. It’s a good thing for the consumer, but I foresee it being a bad thing in the future for the camera manufacturers. The reason I say that is, the mirrorless bodies are so good now that lots of folks are willing to hold onto them twice or three times as long as they used to in the past. I think this is the reason Camera sales are continuing to dwindle because any camera sold in today’s current market could easily be kept 5-8 years if a person wanted to with no problems at all. This is one of the reasons I have said in the past, I think adding paid additions through firmware might be something these camera companies have to look into to keep revenue coming in. That’s just my two cents but that definitely seems like that’s the way it’s playing out now in today’s Camera market. I don’t really foresee any huge waiting issue getting a camera body in the future unless there’s some sort of supply chain issue like there was a few years ago.
Click to expand...


So, what you're saying is that I should tell my wife I HAVE to buy a Sony A1 II for the very future of the camera industry? Thanks for the suggestion! :ROFLMAO:
 
Member's gallery
sh1209 said:
I think the flipside of the coin is, this is a good thing and a bad thing. It’s a good thing for the consumer, but I foresee it being a bad thing in the future for the camera manufacturers. The reason I say that is, the mirrorless bodies are so good now that lots of folks are willing to hold onto them twice or three times as long as they used to in the past. I think this is the reason Camera sales are continuing to dwindle because any camera sold in today’s current market could easily be kept 5-8 years if a person wanted to with no problems at all. This is one of the reasons I have said in the past, I think adding paid additions through firmware might be something these camera companies have to look into to keep revenue coming in. That’s just my two cents but that definitely seems like that’s the way it’s playing out now in today’s Camera market. I don’t really foresee any huge waiting issue getting a camera body in the future unless there’s some sort of supply chain issue like there was a few years ago.
Click to expand...
I’d agree with you. They almost advanced to quickly.
 
Member's gallery
Steve said:
Update - I'm all in now. I have two on order with a grip :)

2025 is a Sony year for me :)
Click to expand...
Intriguing…
Nikon has the better the glass and I’m not sure the A1ii benefits alone would compensate.
Perhaps Sony are refreshing their own telephoto offerings next year?
Time will tell ;)
 
Member's gallery
Robjwilli said:
Intriguing…
Nikon has the better the glass and I’m not sure the A1ii benefits alone would compensate.
Perhaps Sony are refreshing their own telephoto offerings next year?
Time will tell ;)
Click to expand...
Everyone will value things differently.
Personally I've tried to make the move to Nikon for the glass 3 times now. Bought Z9 twice and then borrowed a Z8 to further test it once the latest Bird AF was updated.
So far the A1 (let alone the much improved A1II) has kept me shooting Sony.
For me the two main lenses I would love to shoot from Nikon are the 400TC (maybe 600TC) and the 600PF. When Sony brought out the 300GM, that squashed any need for the 600PF as the 300GM gets me the same size, weight, focal length and 1/3 stop better aperture than the 600PF AND I can also use it as a 300/2.8 and 420/4. The MFD alone at 600mm makes a big difference.
So then it just came down to the convenience of a built-in TC. Yes that is a huge draw. But other than the TC, the glass itself is no better than the Sony glass. The weight, length and balance in the hand are pretty much identical (contrast that to the Canon RF400/RF600 which are poorly balanced compared to the Nikon/Sony offerings).
The A1 is just that much of a better camera than the Z9/Z8 and it isn't really because of the usual headline specs like AF and FPS. It is down to how the camera can be worked and molded to ones' needs. Steve has touched on this in numerous posts. If you are primarily BIF shooter the A1 will be of more value than being able to flip in and out a TC. If you don't prioritize BIF then the Nikon kit with the TC lenses could be the better choice.

I'm hoping Sony does update the 400GM to a built-in TC version. When I bought my first Z9 at release I actually got a call from the head Sony rep in Canada who wanted to know what I was liking in the Z9. We discussed a bunch of things but one of the things we discussed was the built-in TC lenses. He gave me a shred of hope that Sony was listening and was looking into doing a lens with built-in TC. Years have passed but supertelephoto lenses don't get refreshed very often. So hopefully since the 400GM is the oldest lens it will be the one to get the replacement soonest and will have the TC.

For me it will probably a race between a much improved Z9II and a Sony 400TC.
 
Member's gallery
arbitrage said:
Everyone will value things differently.
Personally I've tried to make the move to Nikon for the glass 3 times now. Bought Z9 twice and then borrowed a Z8 to further test it once the latest Bird AF was updated.
So far the A1 (let alone the much improved A1II) has kept me shooting Sony.
For me the two main lenses I would love to shoot from Nikon are the 400TC (maybe 600TC) and the 600PF. When Sony brought out the 300GM, that squashed any need for the 600PF as the 300GM gets me the same size, weight, focal length and 1/3 stop better aperture than the 600PF AND I can also use it as a 300/2.8 and 420/4. The MFD alone at 600mm makes a big difference.
So then it just came down to the convenience of a built-in TC. Yes that is a huge draw. But other than the TC, the glass itself is no better than the Sony glass. The weight, length and balance in the hand are pretty much identical (contrast that to the Canon RF400/RF600 which are poorly balanced compared to the Nikon/Sony offerings).
The A1 is just that much of a better camera than the Z9/Z8 and it isn't really because of the usual headline specs like AF and FPS. It is down to how the camera can be worked and molded to ones' needs. Steve has touched on this in numerous posts. If you are primarily BIF shooter the A1 will be of more value than being able to flip in and out a TC. If you don't prioritize BIF then the Nikon kit with the TC lenses could be the better choice.

I'm hoping Sony does update the 400GM to a built-in TC version. When I bought my first Z9 at release I actually got a call from the head Sony rep in Canada who wanted to know what I was liking in the Z9. We discussed a bunch of things but one of the things we discussed was the built-in TC lenses. He gave me a shred of hope that Sony was listening and was looking into doing a lens with built-in TC. Years have passed but supertelephoto lenses don't get refreshed very often. So hopefully since the 400GM is the oldest lens it will be the one to get the replacement soonest and will have the TC.

For me it will probably a race between a much improved Z9II and a Sony 400TC.
Click to expand...
I couldn’t agree more. The only thing Nikon has going for it vs sony is the big prime with TC. I did see a rumor that in 2025 Sony is refreshing the 400GM. If a TC is coming that would be when. I suspect the 600 would follow the year after. I would absolutely buy the 600TC if they do it. Not sure I’d upgrade my 400 since I don’t use it as much but a 600 I’d trip over myself to give them money.
 
Member's gallery
Sorry guys, by "all in" I mean for my Sony kit I'm committing to the new camera, not going 100% Sony and ditching Nikon. I'm still shooting both. This year and a good part of last was mostly Nikon gear (since they had a lot of new releases), but it seems like they are cooling off a little on new stuff so 2025 will be a lot of Sony shooting I think. I want to spend time with the a1-2 and my 300 2.8 is still feeling' pretty new so I have to change that :)
 
Member's gallery
Robjwilli said:
Intriguing…
Nikon has the better the glass and I’m not sure the A1ii benefits alone would compensate.
Perhaps Sony are refreshing their own telephoto offerings next year?
Time will tell ;)
Click to expand...

I bought into the "Nikon has better glass" thing which is how I got here. But I think knowing what I would know now, I would say "Nikon has better mid tier glass". The 400 4.5, 600PF, and 800PF are budget marvels. If you're in the $5K - $10K range, I don't think a better system exists for wildlife photography.

However, if you have a 400TC or 600TC - you'll always get better quality images from those lenses, which means there often isn't a reason to have the 400 4.5, 600PF or 800PF unless you just want to save weight.

At the top end (think $15K+ budget) most people are going to have their 400 f2.8 or 600 f4 that all brands have, and while the built in TC is really nice - I value precapture raw, more FPS, better AF, etc. more than that built in TC. in most cases you're paying $3K USD+ for that built in TC as well, which can get you a lot of other glass, bodies, or accessories (CF cards).

My expectation (and I'll post more when I learn if I was right or wrong) is that the A1 II + 300GM + 600GM combo will outperform any of Nikon's current offerings for the majority of people.

Even adapting my 300GM to Nikon bodies (which means reduced image stabilization and AF), the 300GM with TC outperforms both the 400 4.5 and 600PF, meaning those don't provide much, if any value.
 
Member's gallery
nmerc_photos said:
I bought into the "Nikon has better glass" thing which is how I got here. But I think knowing what I would know now, I would say "Nikon has better mid tier glass". The 400 4.5, 600PF, and 800PF are budget marvels. If you're in the $5K - $10K range, I don't think a better system exists for wildlife photography.

However, if you have a 400TC or 600TC - you'll always get better quality images from those lenses, which means there often isn't a reason to have the 400 4.5, 600PF or 800PF unless you just want to save weight.

At the top end (think $15K+ budget) most people are going to have their 400 f2.8 or 600 f4 that all brands have, and while the built in TC is really nice - I value precapture raw, more FPS, better AF, etc. more than that built in TC. in most cases you're paying $3K USD+ for that built in TC as well, which can get you a lot of other glass, bodies, or accessories (CF cards).

My expectation (and I'll post more when I learn if I was right or wrong) is that the A1 II + 300GM + 600GM combo will outperform any of Nikon's current offerings for the majority of people.

Even adapting my 300GM to Nikon bodies (which means reduced image stabilization and AF), the 300GM with TC outperforms both the 400 4.5 and 600PF, meaning those don't provide much, if any value.
Click to expand...
I think the built in TC flexibility is just as important (fast) as pre-capture or any af difference. Pulling a lens off to add a TC is a pain and can't be done when you need it right now, you'll miss moments. It almost turns a prime into a zoom. The TC is not something I would compromise on for high end lenses.

Pre-Capture doesn't do anything a large buffer cannot if you don't mind scrolling through the shots, which is sort of like fast forwarding video. It's more a convenience, a nice one, but you'll still get the shot with Nikon's buffer. It's essentially unlimited with the right card and HE*/HE in use. The A-1ii is using its equivalent after all to shoot 30FPS instead of lossless. I know it's a bit strange holding the shutter down for a minute or more, but it's no different than just recording video clips. There's no shutter to wear out.

If I were you I'd do what Steve has and buy the A-1ii and use it with the 300GM and TC's and keep the Nikon gear. You'll have a Z9ii in a year and the 10 FPS and pre-capture difference will be gone, likely the AF difference as well.

That way you'll constantly have the best kit on the shelf any given year. If I had the money that's exactly what would be on my shelf.

Right now the best lenses on the market are those Nikon TC's and Sony's 300GM, just have the bodies to run both.

All you need is to add the A-1ii. Heck sell a Z9 and have one of each.
 
Member's gallery
nmerc_photos said:
I bought into the "Nikon has better glass" thing which is how I got here. But I think knowing what I would know now, I would say "Nikon has better mid tier glass". The 400 4.5, 600PF, and 800PF are budget marvels. If you're in the $5K - $10K range, I don't think a better system exists for wildlife photography.

However, if you have a 400TC or 600TC - you'll always get better quality images from those lenses, which means there often isn't a reason to have the 400 4.5, 600PF or 800PF unless you just want to save weight.

At the top end (think $15K+ budget) most people are going to have their 400 f2.8 or 600 f4 that all brands have, and while the built in TC is really nice - I value precapture raw, more FPS, better AF, etc. more than that built in TC. in most cases you're paying $3K USD+ for that built in TC as well, which can get you a lot of other glass, bodies, or accessories (CF cards).

My expectation (and I'll post more when I learn if I was right or wrong) is that the A1 II + 300GM + 600GM combo will outperform any of Nikon's current offerings for the majority of people.

Even adapting my 300GM to Nikon bodies (which means reduced image stabilization and AF), the 300GM with TC outperforms both the 400 4.5 and 600PF, meaning those don't provide much, if any value.
Click to expand...

the 300GM with TC outperforms both the 400 4.5 and 600PF, meaning those don't provide much, if any value.
Click to expand...

This is quite a statement, I would probably highlight YOU BELIEVE they do not provide any value TO YOU as the the concept of outperformance is very subjective.
 
Last edited:
Member's gallery
arbitrage said:
I'm hoping Sony does update the 400GM to a built-in TC version. When I bought my first Z9 at release I actually got a call from the head Sony rep in Canada who wanted to know what I was liking in the Z9. We discussed a bunch of things but one of the things we discussed was the built-in TC lenses. He gave me a shred of hope that Sony was listening and was looking into doing a lens with built-in TC. Years have passed but supertelephoto lenses don't get refreshed very often. So hopefully since the 400GM is the oldest lens it will be the one to get the replacement soonest and will have the TC.

For me it will probably a race between a much improved Z9II and a Sony 400TC.
Click to expand...
I really hope there is substance to any intention on Sony's part to refresh the 400GM with a 400GM mkII TC, using the new lens technologies that helped getting the 300GM's size and weight down.
I personally have no desire to replace the A1 with the A1II, and my main birding lens is still the 600GM for every scenario except for dedicated long distance trips.

I recently went to Costa Rica on a dedicated birding trip, and came back with the intention to revisit the country and also make a trip to Ecuador. It was a good way to actually experience what kind of lens would work and what the limitations where of the lens I brought. I re-purchased the 200-600G and left the 600GM at home.
I came back knowing I would not want to bring the 600GM because of the need for access to a shorter focal length, for the lack of a way of fast packing and unpacking the lens with camera attached in situations where there's lots of (sudden) rain, and in general I feel I was right that the size is impractical in the surroundings I met.

The 200-600G did allright, thanks to the A1, but I will be selling it again and would not bring it again. The iso was climbing so fast and I was not accumstomed to that after 2 yrs of 600GM use. Also, the lack of GM signature color and detail was something I will always miss in a lens like the 200-600G.
It is a very good lens, especially for the money, but there was also the auto focus that felt shockingly impaired coming from the 600GM, being slow to re-focus, and often refusing to re-focus when going from far to near, having to focus somewhere close where it would re-focus, before actually being able to focus on a bird. Lacking DMF manual override made it all a bit awkward.

So having this direct experience, would I want a 300GM with TC's? Not really, but what I would buy on the spot for future similar trips, is a 400GM mkII with built in 1.4TC. Somehow, such a lens is now much more desirable than an update to the still fantastic A1, so I will be saving up for the event that Sony brings such a lens, hopefully using 300GM design signature.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top