Sony a9 Mirrorless Camera Now Available for Preorder

[ricky_005]

I think what we are seeing vis a vis Canon vs. Sony is a huge effort by a newcomer to steal market share from an established player.

In any mature market, the newcomer has the advantage that every sale comes out of the hide of the established players. IOW every A6xxx or A7x means one less sale of a comparable camera for Nikon or Canon.
What Sony's challenge becomes is presenting a camera that seems dramatically better to entice switchers to absorb the costs of switching or to be a credible alternative to the new photographer getting their first serious camera.
Canon and Nikon's job is to not screw it up.

New photographers are a cautious bunch and many will opt for the Canikon camp for safety's sake. To paraphrase the old saw "Nobody ever got fired for choosing a Canon". Conversely, Sony does have an advantage of a good CE reputation which, these days, means something in the camera world.

IMO the Sony is a very good effort at a serious pro machine. I am sure they have learned enormous lessons since the first A7. This doesn't leave the Canikon world for dead though.
They DO have to show that they are also capable of introducing breathtaking advances to maintain the confidence of their base.
I currently use 5Dmk3s. They do superb work for me in my business. I do covet the mkIV but the current bodies are doing the job so the business argument is not there.
What WOULD be useful for me in some of my event and PJ work would be an M5 type camera with a blend of Sony sensors and EVF and Canon polish.
Oh yeah, a few compact zooms of excellent quality in the M mount.

Sony is living proof and evidence that Canon has been, and still giving there loyal followers the shaft for many years now! Soon Sony will be releasing the third gen A7's it should put another nail or two in Canons coffin.

Its time for photographers that don't need extreme long telephoto lenses to abandon Canon! If Canon lost enough sales to Sony, Canon will deliver the goods on there next generation ....if not, they will continue ramming it deeper down your throats.

 

[Orangutan]

I think what we are seeing vis a vis Canon vs. Sony is a huge effort by a newcomer to steal market share from an established player.

Sony is living proof and evidence that Canon has been, and still giving there loyal followers the shaft for many years now!

This (falsely) presumes that Canon "loyal followers" don't know how to assess their own needs, nor how to evaluate equipment to meet those needs. There have been several posters who have explicitly written that they had tried, even owned, multiple Sony products, but had dumped them because they didn't meet the need.

I seriously hope the new Sony offerings become legitimate challengers to Canon -- vigorous competition is good for us customers. But their previous efforts are not encouraging.

 

[Dylan777]

Looks like he/she has located the Sony missing truck ... ;D

Funny I'm wondering if they can really push those 2 bodies for $5.5k. If yes, then maybe Sony underestimated the new camera value?

I'm not sure who would pay $5K on a non-release product from unauthorized dealer(seller). But then again, it's crazzzy world we live in

 

[gregory4000]

The main problem I have with Sony bodies is, you have to have tiny hands like Donald Trump.

Sony bodies need to be larger for us normal Americans.

Really! Sometimes it takes time to get use to a camera ergonomics, like a cell phone. Their small but we all accept and work within its small, slim design. Sony cameras are small for one major reason that Canon and Nikon are missing.

Those of us who are older like the larger camera size. However, the 20 something group....these future buyers will feel at home with a small camera body as opposed to a large 5d body.The new generation of photographers are accustomed to small devices. Don't you think?
I think Sony hit a home run with the A9.
Wedding and small event photographers will be hoping Canon releases something similar.
Just my thoughts, Most of the time i'm wrong.

 

[tcmatthews]

The main problem I have with Sony bodies is, you have to have tiny hands like Donald Trump.

Sony bodies need to be larger for us normal Americans.

Really! Sometimes it takes time to get use to a camera ergonomics, like a cell phone. Their small but we all accept and work within its small, slim design. Sony cameras are small for one major reason that Canon and Nikon are missing.

Those of us who are older like the larger camera size. However, the 20 something group....these future buyers will feel at home with a small camera body as opposed to a large 5d body.The new generation of photographers are accustomed to small devices. Don't you think?
I think Sony hit a home run with the A9.
Wedding and small event photographers will be hoping Canon releases something similar.
Just my thoughts, Most of the time i'm wrong.

I have not a chance to checkout the A 9 but I can add a little to the argument. For me the Canon 5D bodies are hideously large. I can not even imaging how bad the ergonomics are on a 1D body. Note as much as ergonomics gets thrown around you need to keep in mind they are a function of your own hand size. Even if I was in the market for a camera with their capabilities I would likely never buy a 1D style body unless it was my only option.

I am not going to say the Ergonomics of my A7 II are perfect. There is limited height on the grip so my ring ringer has a tendency to fall of the bottom of the grip. If the A9 addresses the grip issue it would be a great improvement when handling larger lenses. I would have also like to see the over all camera width slightly increased and a larger screen added. That way the hand spacing is slightly further apart. I notice that when I had a 6D I was slightly steadier holding that camera. Because the grips were effectively the same (apart from the hand height ring finger could fit on 6D) I realized it was how far apart my hands were while taking a shot. With slightly wider being slightly more stable.

All and all I wish that Canon would come out with compact models for their pro models. Throw all the features of the 1D cameras into a 5D body. All the features of the 5D bodies in 6D bodies. They could even charge a premium for them. I love Canon lenses but they do not make camera I want. Hoping the 6D II hits it out of the park. But I am expecting disappointment.

It looks like the A9 addresses one of Sony's issues. Sony is addressing the support issue. I guess the only thing left is the Sony flash situation. Maybe the will the emphasis on flash when they release a A9r or A7rIII.

 

[Mikehit]

Throw all the features of the 1D cameras into a 5D body. All the features of the 5D bodies in 6D bodies.

If it were feasible, it begs the question why they have not done it already.
The 1Dx's are bigger than the 5DIV for very good reasons - landscape/portrait orientation with a built-in grip: put a grip on the 5DIV and the two are the same size. The 1Dx has a bigger battery to power big lenses and give longer time between cycles. The 1Dx has dual processors to split metering/AF and other functions, including managing the buffer to the extent in reality it is not a problem on the 1Dx's.
I think for most shooting the 5DIV is already the 1Dx2 in a 5D body - but for extreme jobs (tracking very fast subjects etc) the 1Dx2 adds another layer rather than being a completely different beast.

In addition, your comment about size explain pretty much why the 5D series are the size they are and justifies Canon's decision. It is also probably part of the reason why pro's are slow to take them up.

Could they make a 6DII the same size as the 6D? Probably. The 5DIV is smaller and lighter than I expected so maybe the 6DII will follow suit.

 

[ricky_005]

Throw all the features of the 1D cameras into a 5D body. All the features of the 5D bodies in 6D bodies.

If it were feasible, it begs the question why they have not done it already.
The 1Dx's are bigger than the 5DIV for very good reasons - landscape/portrait orientation with a built-in grip: put a grip on the 5DIV and the two are the same size. The 1Dx has a bigger battery to power big lenses and give longer time between cycles. The 1Dx has dual processors to split metering/AF and other functions, including managing the buffer to the extent in reality it is not a problem on the 1Dx's.
I think for most shooting the 5DIV is already the 1Dx2 in a 5D body - but for extreme jobs (tracking very fast subjects etc) the 1Dx2 adds another layer rather than being a completely different beast.

In addition, your comment about size explain pretty much why the 5D series are the size they are and justifies Canon's decision. It is also probably part of the reason why pro's are slow to take them up.

Could they make a 6DII the same size as the 6D? Probably. The 5DIV is smaller and lighter than I expected so maybe the 6DII will follow suit.

Well said Mike ......Sony camera are to small and anyone that thinks its no problem, must have Tiny Hands like Donald Trump.

I'm sure Donald would say its a Great, Fantastic Terrific camera size .... See look how it fits my tiny hands.

 

[Hflm]

Imagine resource: http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/sony-a9/sony-a9A.HTM#gallery

Very mixed regarding AF, with very good results but also (in my opinion too often) missed shots or front-focussed shots losing them the "money shot". More reviews are necessary.

 

[Jopa]

Imagine resource: http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/sony-a9/sony-a9A.HTM#gallery

Very mixed regarding AF, with very good results but also (in my opinion too often) missed shots or front-focussed shots losing them the "money shot". More reviews are necessary.

Pretty good results imho. I'm really curious to see how it will work with adapted Canon lenses.

 

[Mikehit]

That will be interesting - I understand with adapted lenses the frame rate drops significantly so this will include the sort of lenses (f4, f2.8 telephoto primes) that action-shooting pros use regularly

 

[Jopa]

According to the specs it drops to 10fps, which is ok as long as the tracking is good. It's even better than 20fps if 50% is out of focus I guess we'll have to wait until someone tries it out. Dylan777?

 

[Hflm]

According to the specs it drops to 10fps, which is ok as long as the tracking is good. It's even better than 20fps if 50% is out of focus I guess we'll have to wait until someone tries it out. Dylan777?

https://www.cameralabs.com/sony-alpha-a9-review/
Gordon Laing is someone I usually read regarding camera reviews. This test looks pretty good. I still cannot understand why they don't have cross-type PD detectors build in. The banding is something I don't know, too, whether it is fully resolved in silent shooting. Otherwise a really nice camera.

 

[Jopa]

Gordon says "Note if you’re using adapted A-mount lenses with the LA-EA3 adapter, the fastest burst speed with autofocus on the electronic shutter falls to 10fps, and when using adapted lenses you also lose Eye AF and Lock-on AF options", so it means the tracking will suffer. Seems like the camera only makes sense if you have all E-mount lenses...

I still cannot understand why they don't have cross-type PD detectors build in.

As far as I understand those sensors are not much bigger than regular photo sites. Assuming the sensor is gapless, there is not much space to fit anything bigger? It works in a combination with CDAF and relies mostly on the processing power, so I think it should be quite enough.

 

[Jopa]

Throw all the features of the 1D cameras into a 5D body. All the features of the 5D bodies in 6D bodies.

If it were feasible, it begs the question why they have not done it already.
The 1Dx's are bigger than the 5DIV for very good reasons - landscape/portrait orientation with a built-in grip: put a grip on the 5DIV and the two are the same size. The 1Dx has a bigger battery to power big lenses and give longer time between cycles. The 1Dx has dual processors to split metering/AF and other functions, including managing the buffer to the extent in reality it is not a problem on the 1Dx's.
I think for most shooting the 5DIV is already the 1Dx2 in a 5D body - but for extreme jobs (tracking very fast subjects etc) the 1Dx2 adds another layer rather than being a completely different beast.

In addition, your comment about size explain pretty much why the 5D series are the size they are and justifies Canon's decision. It is also probably part of the reason why pro's are slow to take them up.

Could they make a 6DII the same size as the 6D? Probably. The 5DIV is smaller and lighter than I expected so maybe the 6DII will follow suit.

I would appreciate if they put a 5dsr-II into a 1dx body, it could be a fine studio camera.

 

[privatebydesign]

I would appreciate if they put a 5dsr-II into a 1dx body, it could be a fine studio camera.

I've said for a long time that would be my wish too. A true upgrade to my 1DS MkIII's

 

[ahsanford]

I would appreciate if they put a 5dsr-II into a 1dx body, it could be a fine studio camera.

I've said for a long time that would be my wish too. A true upgrade to my 1DS MkIII's

+1

I still don't get Canon's reluctance to replace the 1Ds3 here. If someone has $6k burning a hole in their pocket, they shouldn't have to choose between high resolution OR the 1D feature set.

- A

 

[xps]

Maybe this body is an well placed system, and it might be better in some specs.
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/william-j-claff-claims-a9-two-stops-advantage-nikon-d5-low-iso/
s o n y a l p h a r u m o r s posted an review that it is 1 stop DR advantage over the Nikon D5.

 

[Dylan777]

Maybe this body is an well placed system, and it might be better in some specs.
http://www.++++++++rumors.com/william-j-claff-claims-a9-two-stops-advantage-nikon-d5-low-iso/
s o n y a l p h a r u m o r s posted an review that it is 1 stop DR advantage over the Nikon D5.

Also, early reviews indicated high iso is not greater compared to a7rii (42mp). I thought sports cam should be good at high iso???

 

[LonelyBoy]

When sales don't take off, watch for the firmware update that unlocks the adapted lens features.

Think that'd make the Sony fans scream about "crippling"? Somehow I doubt it, but it should.

 

[3kramd5]

Maybe this body is an well placed system, and it might be better in some specs.
http://www.++++++++rumors.com/william-j-claff-claims-a9-two-stops-advantage-nikon-d5-low-iso/
s o n y a l p h a r u m o r s posted an review that it is 1 stop DR advantage over the Nikon D5.

Also, early reviews indicated high iso is not greater compared to a7rii (42mp). I thought sports cam should be good at high iso???

AF looks pretty respectable however:

https://youtu.be/8eQH_praFbk