The new Sony A9 - What are your thoughts

Actually, isn't that the guy who started the 47 minute video with, "I'm a Sony Artisan..."
Dont think so? Maybe because he played with the A9 back in January.

My point is that these bloggers are pros.

Not whether they are a Sony artisian whatever that means.
 
Yes, that guy does and I'm sure he will move over to Sony. My point was that one person, or even 100 people don't keep CaNikon afloat.

We still obviously need to see what happens moving forwards but I don't think a first generation 'sports' mirrorless camera from Sony will automatically signal the death of DSLRs and the numerous lenses, accessories and support with them.
I agree, it will need another couple generations of the Sony A9 and a established world-wide Pro support network for Sony to really kill of the tried and trusted DSLR for sports events.
Sony are planning to have a strong/big presence at the next World Olympics so this will speed up the adoption process.
 
I'm not saying he's wrong about the camera by the way. Until mere (rich) mortals get hold of them and use them in the real world, it's impossible to know for definite. My point was that you need to look past some of the fawning reviews sometimes and not fall for the hype until you've actually tried it yourself.

It may turn out to the be best camera ever that everyone should own. Equally, it could be full of holes and annoyances like many other systems are so rather than believe everything you see, look at it objectively first.
 
It may turn out to the be best camera ever that everyone should own. Equally, it could be full of holes and annoyances like many other systems are so rather than believe everything you see, look at it objectively first.
+100 on this ... and the "holes" matter different for everyone. Take (as a simple example) the battery life.

A Canonikon fanboy (and I'm using the term slightly in jest) points out that the battery life of the A7 is pitiful compared with their D750 or D810; the Sony fanboy's immediate response is "well carrying another battery is so simple". But the issue is more than that. In most circumstances the 30 seconds to a minute that it takes to change a battery is fine. But what when it dies in an inconvenient moment. At a wedding when the bride and groom think no one is watching and they do the unexpected; at a sports event when you look across at the break and a player does the irrational. The moment that the sun suddenly breaks through the cloud after half a day waiting while taking landscapes. The down time is an issue for some; for others its a distraction and the "competition" just picking holes.
 
+100 on this ... and the "holes" matter different for everyone. Take (as a simple example) the battery life.

A Canonikon fanboy (and I'm using the term slightly in jest) points out that the battery life of the A7 is pitiful compared with their D750 or D810; the Sony fanboy's immediate response is "well carrying another battery is so simple". But the issue is more than that. In most circumstances the 30 seconds to a minute that it takes to change a battery is fine. But what when it dies in an inconvenient moment. At a wedding when the bride and groom think no one is watching and they do the unexpected; at a sports event when you look across at the break and a player does the irrational. The moment that the sun suddenly breaks through the cloud after half a day waiting while taking landscapes. The down time is an issue for some; for others its a distraction and the "competition" just picking holes.

I agree with the idea but to be fair, I'm someone who has suggested carrying a second battery with you to mitigate the concerns about battery life.

I use an A6000 and actually used it alongside a D750 on the last wedding I shot. I used 2 batteries all day and, as with any camera, kept an eye on the battery indicator and swapped it when I got down to 1 bar. Even though they last longer, a battery will still run out on a DSLR so if you're not watching the level, you'll get caught out in the exact same way.

Unrelated to battery life, the final shots I delivered to the Clients were 70% Nikon and 30% Sony. I didn't get any complaints back and even when editing I sometimes couldn't see a difference.
 
I agree with the idea but to be fair, I'm someone who has suggested carrying a second battery with you to mitigate the concerns about battery life.
[...]
Unrelated to battery life, the final shots I delivered to the Clients were 70% Nikon and 30% Sony. I didn't get any complaints back and even when editing I sometimes couldn't see a difference.
To be honest I agree with you its not really much of an issue. It was just an example of the fanboy discussions and how headline features and responses can be limited once you actually start thinking about things more deeply.

And that (your final sentence) is the nub. Clients really don't care what you shoot; you shoot what you are comfortable with because thats what gets you the best images which is what the client is looking for.
 
Interesting maths on this video from The Camera Store;

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/thecamerastoretv-says-hell-yeah-dslr-are-dead/

Assuming someone machine guns at 20 fps, it takes 11 seconds to fill the buffer (200 imaages), the camera then takes 2 minutes to write those images off to the SD card. granted, 200 shots in 11 seconds is stupid so I'd expect a lot of people wouldn't hit that but it shows that even with the fastest internal BUS and SD cards, you're still going to be looking at the flashing red light for 2 minutes!
 
Interesting maths on this video from The Camera Store;

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/thecamerastoretv-says-hell-yeah-dslr-are-dead/

Assuming someone machine guns at 20 fps, it takes 11 seconds to fill the buffer (200 imaages), the camera then takes 2 minutes to write those images off to the SD card. granted, 200 shots in 11 seconds is stupid so I'd expect a lot of people wouldn't hit that but it shows that even with the fastest internal BUS and SD cards, you're still going to be looking at the flashing red light for 2 minutes!
And I'm only guessing here because I didn't watch the video ... but thats if you're only using a single card. If you're using 2 cards the write time will be increased because the second card is UHS-I only and that will slow writing to both! Why oh why no XQD Sony? Come on ... you helped INVENT the format!
 
Interesting maths on this video from The Camera Store;

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/thecamerastoretv-says-hell-yeah-dslr-are-dead/

Assuming someone machine guns at 20 fps, it takes 11 seconds to fill the buffer (200 imaages), the camera then takes 2 minutes to write those images off to the SD card. granted, 200 shots in 11 seconds is stupid so I'd expect a lot of people wouldn't hit that but it shows that even with the fastest internal BUS and SD cards, you're still going to be looking at the flashing red light for 2 minutes!
Yes, funny how Sony didn't put their own faster xQD memory card system into the A9..... I guess that'll be ready for A9II ;) :D

200 images in 11 seconds, who on gods earth is going to go trough all those images......... imagine how much you could easily save throughout the day.... your going to need some mammoth sized SD cards!
 
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11 seconds is a hell of a long time in sport, I can't think of many circumstances where there would be a need to shoot at full machine gun FPS for that long, unless you wanted to shoot the Women's 100m in its entirety with half a second to spare.

A Tesla Model S P100D will be over quarter of a mile down the road from a standing start in 11 seconds. At the Indy 500 your 11 second pan would have a dot of an Indycar over half a mile away by the end of it. I could go on...
 
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11 seconds is a hell of a long time in sport, I can't think of many circumstances where there would be a need to shoot at full machine gun FPS for that long.

A Tesla Model S P100D will be over quarter of a mile down the road from a standing start in 11 seconds. At the Indy 500 your 11 second pan would have a dot of an Indycar over half a mile away by the end of it. I could go on...

I agree, as per my post, that an 11 second continuous burst at 20fps is ridiculous. I was just sharing the stats which shows how even with the fastest infrastructure it can still take a while to clear a buffer.
 
if either of these companies get a CSC even half right it'll be a massive success and all those Canokon uses who've been slagging CSC's off for years will suddenly be evangelical.
All! :thinking: I won't be getting a CSC regardless of who makes it. For my high quality camera, I want an optical viewfinder. I've always wanted an OVF. I'm no luddite though, I recently got a Sony RX100III because it has a EVF, as my previous compact (Canon S95) doesn't. The EVF looked great in the shop, but out in the real world the experience isn't as good as I expected. I know there are better EVFs now, as this camera is a few years old, but the OVF is what I and, I expect, quite a few others still want. There may come a point where an OVF is not an option, but I think we are many years away from that yet. And anyway, I only got my new DSLR last year. It could be the last high quality camera I get. I don't need/want anything better atm. :)
 
I haven't kept up with things but understand this is in the hands of reviewers properly now. Has anyone stress tested the electronic shutter, i.e. shooting propellers, fans etc to see just how good it is compared to conventional electronic shutters?
 
I wonder if Sony has resolved the problem which studio shooters were suffering on the A7RII?
 
U mean if they didn't. I will probably not upgrade
I just think Sony should do more for the firmware side of things for current owners of the A7RII, after all its not a cheap body and some firmware upgrades would help brand loyalty imo.
I am keeping a close on Sony as always ;) :D

Sony A9 + Grip + 24-70mm GM mmmmmm c-ching :D
 
All! :thinking: I won't be getting a CSC regardless of who makes it. For my high quality camera, I want an optical viewfinder. I've always wanted an OVF. I'm no luddite though, I recently got a Sony RX100III because it has a EVF, as my previous compact (Canon S95) doesn't. The EVF looked great in the shop, but out in the real world the experience isn't as good as I expected. I know there are better EVFs now, as this camera is a few years old, but the OVF is what I and, I expect, quite a few others still want. There may come a point where an OVF is not an option, but I think we are many years away from that yet. And anyway, I only got my new DSLR last year. It could be the last high quality camera I get. I don't need/want anything better atm. :)

Maybe not all but level headed reasonable people don't generally slag kit off in multiple threads on multiple forums, it's the crazy fanboys that do that and they're the ones who will include those who will suddenly have an epiphany if Canikon bring out a CSC within touching distance of the pack leaders. It'll be fun to watch :D

On VF's, as I've said many times I'm a convert and I'll only go back to OVF's if it's the only way to carry on with my hobby as there are just too many advantages with EVF's and too many disadvantages with OVF's. Each to their own.
 
I agree there is a certain charm with OVF, I keep having scary thoughts of getting the Nikon 100th editions lol :D
There's a certain charm to dressing up in armour and prancing about on the village square and to many other things too which are slipping into history, I'm a fan of manual lenses :D There's room for nostalgia, metal cameras with knurled dials and lenses with end stops and aperture rings etc and we're free to pick and choose :D

An A7 with an old Minolta 50mm f1.2 is a wonderful thing and for the times when I can't faff on with MF the 35mm f2.8 and 55mm f1.8 are much faster to use and technically crushing if lacking in manual charm.
 
I just think Sony should do more for the firmware side of things for current owners of the A7RII, after all its not a cheap body and some firmware upgrades would help brand loyalty imo.
I am keeping a close on Sony as always ;) :D

Sony A9 + Grip + 24-70mm GM mmmmmm c-ching :D
Tempted by the G master 70-200. The problem is I have canon mount and feels a bit stupid having same lens lol.


Na I think I may go for the f4 as I want my Sony gear to be light.
 
Tempted by the G master 70-200. The problem is I have canon mount and feels a bit stupid having same lens lol.


Na I think I may go for the f4 as I want my Sony gear to be light.

I have owned both and to be honest I didn't find the G Master any sharper than the f4 G version which surprised me seen as Sony marketed the G Master lenses to give ultimate sharpness.
 
I just think Sony should do more for the firmware side of things for current owners of the A7RII, after all its not a cheap body and some firmware upgrades would help brand loyalty imo.
I am keeping a close on Sony as always

They left us Sony RX1 owners with bugs (easily fixable ones at that) that were never updated, and that wasn't a cheap camera. Fixed them for the RX1RII though :)
 
Thom Hogan's take on the A9 is as balanced and reasonable as you'd expect:
http://www.sansmirror.com/newsviews/sony-goes-further-upscale.html
I think it’s going to take some shooting with the A9 to really get a sense of its ability and how these small disclaimers [in the press announcement] impact actual shooting. ... Sony seems to be trying to say the A9 is a 1DxII or D5 equivalent but the proof is in the shooting.

And he's predictably sceptical about some of the rhetoric:
http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/the-rhetoric-upgrade.html
Let me say this right up front: the Sony A9 is probably a very good camera. ... But DSLR killer? No. Game changer? Not really. Most advanced camera in the world? A very arguable point given that the camera uses USB 2.0 in a USB 3.1 world. Some numbers are impressive on the A9, sure. But others aren’t.

Personally, I’m still agnostic about the A9. I don’t know if it does anything useful for me or not. ... I’ll withhold a real discussion of that until I’ve been able to use an A9 at an event I’m covering.
 
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For all that speed in shooting and write/transfer why is it USB 2.0?
And why only one UHS-II SD card slot! :rolleyes:

I guess because most people pull the card out of the camera to transfer the files using a fast card reader so there's less point in putting USB 3 inside the camera?
But on a camera over £4k, they are penny pinching!:thinking:
 
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