The new Sony A9 - What are your thoughts

The Sony mount system confuses me - sorry! So you can put an A mount longish lens (300 F2.8/500 F4) on an A7/A9? I thought an adapter would be needed for that? Also, having tried, the Sony 500 F4 I was not impressed. True it has no stabiliser, at least they got that right (!), but I found it slow responding and AF was far from great, images didn't blow my socks off either - then there is the price...........

Unfortunately I don't know of an owner/retailer that would let me manhandle £15k + worth of gear to see if it falls apart. If you do then let me know I would be interested to try and see, but not at my expense.;)

Let me know if the A mount lenses fit and work when directly connected to an A9/A7 etc - I thought the register distance would require an adapter.

What body were you using the 500 f/4 on?
If it was an e-mount body, which adaptor?

It's not a common lens (given the price), but the reports and images I've seen from experienced Sony A-mount users suggest it does perform well.
 
What body were you using the 500 f/4 on?
If it was an e-mount body, which adaptor?

It's not a common lens (given the price), but the reports and images I've seen from experienced Sony A-mount users suggest it does perform well.

A fellow TOG was tying one out on his Sony DSLR. It was an APSC sensor model with the SLT thingy rather than a flippy mirror like my Canons. I believe it was the best of their APSC DSLRs at the time and had a nice high frame rate - sorry I am not certain of the exact model.

This was not a "PRO" Dslr but seemed quite snappy with his other Sony lens But it didn't AF as fast as I would have liked on the Sony 500 F4. I was not expecting it to equal my 1 Series Canon - that would simply not be fair as his was a much more reasonably priced camera! However it seemed to perform quite well with his shorter Sony lenses so I can only think that the 500 was not as quick on the focus?

I believe the model was the A77 - but I am not certain!
 
A fellow TOG was tying one out on his Sony DSLR. It was an APSC sensor model with the SLT thingy rather than a flippy mirror like my Canons. I believe it was the best of their APSC DSLRs at the time and had a nice high frame rate - sorry I am not certain of the exact model.

This was not a "PRO" Dslr but seemed quite snappy with his other Sony lens But it didn't AF as fast as I would have liked on the Sony 500 F4. I was not expecting it to equal my 1 Series Canon - that would simply not be fair as his was a much more reasonably priced camera! However it seemed to perform quite well with his shorter Sony lenses so I can only think that the 500 was not as quick on the focus?

I believe the model was the A77 - but I am not certain!

The A77 was released in 2011, and was replaced by the A77II in 2014.
Looking at the specs, it had quite a modest (by today's standards) 19 point AF system (79 on the A77II), but it should have been OK with the 500 f/4

Over on Dyxum (a forum dedicated to Sony cameras, with a very extensive lens database giving stats and user reviews), the 500 f/4 scores highly - with Fast and Accurate AF as one of the things that several people note.
This included a user who compared A77 + 500 f/4 to 1D4 + 500 f/4 IS L, and thought the A77 combo had faster AF.

I wonder if this is a case of each being better in certain situations - AF on a BIF is different (and is more reliant on user skill) than AF on a static subject, for example?
 
So folks.... got my Sony A9 the other day and I can only echo what most of the reviews have said, its a real powerhouse of a camera and the battery life for me is very welcomed.
Not sure what else to say really, I am sure most have read the online reviews and watched plenty of videos, I know I did. :D
I will post some photo's up once I have got to grips with the body and GUI, it should be a quick learning curve as I have owned Sony in the past.

 
So folks.... got my Sony A9 the other day and I can only echo what most of the reviews have said, its a real powerhouse of a camera and the battery life for me is very welcomed.
Not sure what else to say really, I am sure most have read the online reviews and watched plenty of videos, I know I did. :D
I will post some photo's up once I have got to grips with the body and GUI, it should be a quick learning curve as I have owned Sony in the past.

Sexy beast!
 
The A77 was released in 2011, and was replaced by the A77II in 2014.
Looking at the specs, it had quite a modest (by today's standards) 19 point AF system (79 on the A77II), but it should have been OK with the 500 f/4

Over on Dyxum (a forum dedicated to Sony cameras, with a very extensive lens database giving stats and user reviews), the 500 f/4 scores highly - with Fast and Accurate AF as one of the things that several people note.
This included a user who compared A77 + 500 f/4 to 1D4 + 500 f/4 IS L, and thought the A77 combo had faster AF.

I wonder if this is a case of each being better in certain situations - AF on a BIF is different (and is more reliant on user skill) than AF on a static subject, for example?

Good points. As I said I am not certain of the exact model of camera - these were just my impressions - and his. He also tried the Sony 300 F2.8 and ended up going for Nikon for the better AF and lower price. Personally I have not been impressed with Nikon AF - but that was his choice!
 
So I assume as people are fed up with people talking about banding, that it's a non issue - and the camera is perfect for weddings?
 
Yea it's perfect for weddings and the glass is there for it unless you need super fast wide angle primes like a 20mm 1.4
Perfect wedding setup....

Sony A9
16-35mm f2.8 GM
24-70mm f2.8 GM
70-200mm f2.8 GM
85mm f1.4 GM

Did I miss anything?
 
Yea it's perfect for weddings and the glass is there for it unless you need super fast wide angle primes like a 20mm 1.4

I'd still end up picking up the likes of the 35mm 1.4 Zeiss Distagon - which is probably as slow to focus as my 50mm SL..
 
The zeiss distagon has a lovely rendering quality, microcontrast, DOF fall off and all that
Its a shame they don't have the AF-Hold buttons on them as I use this for Eye-AF, a killer feature for portraits and weddings.
 
I asked the question on the A7/A9 mega-thread but it soon went back off-topic without getting an answer.

What pro's are using the A9 for fast action/sports, especially with long lenses? I have been approached by Sony who are offing me a very good package to switch from Nikon. They understand that they can't compete on glass, so I would be able to keep my lenses and use them with an adaptor, but I worry how good my 200/2 or 600/4 would work, especially for Motorsport and action.

The Sony long lenses aren't an option. The 500mm is far too expensive for what it is and the amount of users the brand has (residuals would be shocking, and try to find one for sale), and the 100-400 isn't nearly fast enough for low light.
 
I asked the question on the A7/A9 mega-thread but it soon went back off-topic without getting an answer.

What pro's are using the A9 for fast action/sports, especially with long lenses? I have been approached by Sony who are offing me a very good package to switch from Nikon. They understand that they can't compete on glass, so I would be able to keep my lenses and use them with an adaptor, but I worry how good my 200/2 or 600/4 would work, especially for Motorsport and action.

The Sony long lenses aren't an option. The 500mm is far too expensive for what it is and the amount of users the brand has (residuals would be shocking, and try to find one for sale), and the 100-400 isn't nearly fast enough for low light.

I am not sure there are many pro's on this forum who use the Sony A9, are you not able to go back to Sony for them to put you in touch with existing Nikon professionals who have moved over to the Sony A9?
How about a loaner of them to try it out?
I know there is a few professionals who shoot Sony A9 - Artisans.
 
I asked the question on the A7/A9 mega-thread but it soon went back off-topic without getting an answer.

What pro's are using the A9 for fast action/sports, especially with long lenses? I have been approached by Sony who are offing me a very good package to switch from Nikon. They understand that they can't compete on glass, so I would be able to keep my lenses and use them with an adaptor, but I worry how good my 200/2 or 600/4 would work, especially for Motorsport and action.

The Sony long lenses aren't an option. The 500mm is far too expensive for what it is and the amount of users the brand has (residuals would be shocking, and try to find one for sale), and the 100-400 isn't nearly fast enough for low light.


Rent one first and see how u get on.
Also 100-400 too slow?

untitled-480.jpg by Jon Richy, on Flickr

1/4000 on the 5d4. perfect. ive printed similar at a3 size, can print bigger and no loss of IQ. sharp as hell.

100-400(sony or canon) is perfect for motosport.

They dont race in the dark unless u shooting le mans 24 hour races.

For sport during the day its also perfectly fine.

dont be afraid to bump up that ISO especially on an A9
 
I asked the question on the A7/A9 mega-thread but it soon went back off-topic without getting an answer.

What pro's are using the A9 for fast action/sports, especially with long lenses? I have been approached by Sony who are offing me a very good package to switch from Nikon. They understand that they can't compete on glass, so I would be able to keep my lenses and use them with an adaptor, but I worry how good my 200/2 or 600/4 would work, especially for Motorsport and action.

The Sony long lenses aren't an option. The 500mm is far too expensive for what it is and the amount of users the brand has (residuals would be shocking, and try to find one for sale), and the 100-400 isn't nearly fast enough for low light.

You aren't going to want to use af Nikon lenses with a Sony. If you want long fast lenses as you've found there's zero point in switching.

@jonneymendoza the Canon 100-400 is crap slow with the a9. You've already proven that.
 
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I am not sure there are many pro's on this forum who use the Sony A9, are you not able to go back to Sony for them to put you in touch with existing Nikon professionals who have moved over to the Sony A9?
How about a loaner of them to try it out?
I know there is a few professionals who shoot Sony A9 - Artisans.

It's Sony Middle East - they don't have a list of photographers who've switched as I've been invited to by them. Considering it, as my shooting has changed ever so slightly recently, but my telephoto's worry me. The Motorsport season here has finished so wouldn't be able to shoot anything until September/October to test, but they want a decision in the next two weeks.


Rent one first and see how u get on.
Also 100-400 too slow?

untitled-480.jpg by Jon Richy, on Flickr

1/4000 on the 5d4. perfect. ive printed similar at a3 size, can print bigger and no loss of IQ. sharp as hell.

100-400(sony or canon) is perfect for motosport.

They dont race in the dark unless u shooting le mans 24 hour races.

For sport during the day its also perfectly fine.

dont be afraid to bump up that ISO especially on an A9

5.6 at 400mm is too slow when I'm used to 2.8. It's not just about light - it's about seperation also. I've a lot of experience shooting with long lenses (have a 200/400/600) and the zoom lenses just don't cut it sometimes. A lot of Motorsport runs at night. The F1 here is a night race (albeit under spotlight), we have the WEC in Bahrain, Dubai 24h and Gulf 12h to name a few. With these slower aperture lenses, they always struggle to focus a bit more than the fast primes.

I shoot with a D4s and happy to push the ISO, when required, but always prefer a wider aperture first.
 
It's Sony Middle East - they don't have a list of photographers who've switched as I've been invited to by them. Considering it, as my shooting has changed ever so slightly recently, but my telephoto's worry me. The Motorsport season here has finished so wouldn't be able to shoot anything until September/October to test, but they want a decision in the next two weeks.




5.6 at 400mm is too slow when I'm used to 2.8. It's not just about light - it's about seperation also. I've a lot of experience shooting with long lenses (have a 200/400/600) and the zoom lenses just don't cut it sometimes. A lot of Motorsport runs at night. The F1 here is a night race (albeit under spotlight), we have the WEC in Bahrain, Dubai 24h and Gulf 12h to name a few. With these slower aperture lenses, they always struggle to focus a bit more than the fast primes.

I shoot with a D4s and happy to push the ISO, when required, but always prefer a wider aperture first.

Sony is due to release a FE 400mm f2.8/4 this Summer, would that work for you in the short-term until Sony bring out other prime lenses like 200/300/500/600mm etc?
I know it sounds like a good deal for you to move to Sony but if you can't get the lenses then I would wait it out..... if Sony really wants you to move over then you need to push for a better deal...... for example a A-mount adaptor and long-term loan lenses like the A-mount telephotos?
 
Stay tuned. i am going to use the A9 at silvestone adapted with tele canon glass for some proper real life shooting and will post u the results here.

Also i am going to sell some of my Canon Glass to fund the 100-400 G master! and later the 70-200 G Master.

i am going to stick with my primes on the normal end and begin saving up for the A9r which will replace my A7r2 and 5D4 wilth rest of the lenses :)

Thats the plan anyway hehe
 
Stay tuned. i am going to use the A9 at silvestone adapted with tele canon glass for some proper real life shooting and will post u the results here.

Also i am going to sell some of my Canon Glass to fund the 100-400 G master! and later the 70-200 G Master.

i am going to stick with my primes on the normal end and begin saving up for the A9r which will replace my A7r2 and 5D4 wilth rest of the lenses :)

Thats the plan anyway hehe

Why are you posting here? Keep all the a7/9 stuff in the master thread.
 
The Sony G Master f2.8 Trinity is complete :D

35377562023_dc7d64e809_c.jpg
 
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