ok A1 users and A1 potential owners, I and others on here need to know the good and the bad about the current A1

[spudhead]

As title I and others need to know the good and bad about the current A1, are you thinking the A1 is for you? what do you want to know, what concerns do you have? post up all welcome

 

[twamers68]

I love my A1's, the speed of focus and fps with the 50mp is more than enough for everyone under 99% of circumstances (A9iii is aimed at a very specific crowd, ie professional sports photographers mainly but also photo journalist with dodgy lighting and specialist flash photography which is amazing but I don't think comes into most normal peoples shooting) If the firmware upgrade added the Pre (pro) capture or whatever different manufacturers wish to call it then I think the A1 would be my "Perfect" camera.

What could the A1ii bring to the table for me ? Pre (pro) capture if firmware doesn't add it on A1 then maybe, anything else ? better stabilisation would always be welcome but tbh is the A1 that bad not sure it is ? after that ? probably nothing for me.........

 

[spudhead]

I love my A1's, the speed of focus and fps with the 50mp is more than enough for everyone under 99% of circumstances (A9iii is aimed at a very specific crowd, ie professional sports photographers mainly but also photo journalist with dodgy lighting and specialist flash photography which is amazing but I don't think comes into most normal peoples shooting) If the firmware upgrade added the Pre (pro) capture or whatever different manufacturers wish to call it then I think the A1 would be my "Perfect" camera.

What could the A1ii bring to the table for me ? Pre (pro) capture if firmware doesn't add it on A1 then maybe, anything else ? better stabilisation would always be welcome but tbh is the A1 that bad not sure it is ? after that ? probably nothing for me.........

Thanks for input Peter, you might have assumed the a9iii for me is not what I was waiting for

 

[RogerSmith]

spud basically I just love my A1. It works really well with the 200-600, the 50MP is great for me, lets me crop a bit. I rarely use the full 30 FPS but its gotten me a few images that I might have missed. The AF is fantastic, with the caveat that I believe the A7RV is a tad better, I find the RV does go to "secondary" mode like head / body on a subject more smoothly with quicker return to eye AF. But, the A1 is still just fantastic. Really no down side, but I had upgraded my laptop to a new MacBook Pro with 32GB RAM and plenty of storage. It handles the files just fine. An older machine might struggle a bit.

 

[RogerSmith]

one other point, I bought mine used at KEH, arrived better than I had even hoped, basically felt brand new.

 

[twamers68]

Thanks for input Peter, you might have assumed the a9iii for me is not what I was waiting for

I honestly think that after 2.5 years the A1 is still the best camera available for almost all (96%) of photographers bar none..... Unless people have very very specific requirements (which the A9iii may fit) . Currently the A1 is available (Grey) for £4000, I think its the bargain of the century personally

 

[spudhead]

spud basically I just love my A1. It works really well with the 200-600, the 50MP is great for me, lets me crop a bit. I rarely use the full 30 FPS but its gotten me a few images that I might have missed. The AF is fantastic, with the caveat that I believe the A7RV is a tad better, I find the RV does go to "secondary" mode like head / body on a subject more smoothly with quicker return to eye AF. But, the A1 is still just fantastic. Really no down side, but I had upgraded my laptop to a new MacBook Pro with 32GB RAM and plenty of storage. It handles the files just fine. An older machine might struggle a bit.

cheers Roger for thoughts and replying

 

[twamers68]

spud basically I just love my A1. It works really well with the 200-600, the 50MP is great for me, lets me crop a bit. I rarely use the full 30 FPS but its gotten me a few images that I might have missed. The AF is fantastic, with the caveat that I believe the A7RV is a tad better, I find the RV does go to "secondary" mode like head / body on a subject more smoothly with quicker return to eye AF. But, the A1 is still just fantastic. Really no down side, but I had upgraded my laptop to a new MacBook Pro with 32GB RAM and plenty of storage. It handles the files just fine. An older machine might struggle a bit.

Good point about the Mac, I had to upgrade mine but it was 7 years old when I got the A1

 

[iamdlewis]

What everybody else has said. Basically if you have an A7 or A9 series this is that but only more (except for the mp on the last 2 Rs) and faster.

The bad is mostly annoyances (photo only don't do video). I hate the frame rate dial, not needed and only slows changes down. I greatly dislike the focus mode dial, 99.5% of the time this is in AF-C so it isn't that big of a deal but if you do change it annoying to change back. So I can switch faster between Landscape settings and Wildlife (or between 2 different versions of Wildlife) settings with an A7Riv than I can with an A1. The strap points on the body are much stiffer than in previous cameras I used (A9, A7Riv) and if the right side one is down it gets in the way of the card slot hinge.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

A1...it has no Bad, and is a reflection of the best of current photographic technology.

Longevity aside, it is rapidly falling behind its competitors in the absence of a release
upgrade and/or software update.......

 

[liggy]

The only downside to the A1 is that it makes my other cameras kind of sad.

Picked one up shortly after release and it is still a crazy good tool for nearly any job. 30 fps gives you shots that would be more difficult to get with lesser shutter speeds.

• ILCE-1
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/3200 sec
• ISO 500

I'd like pre-capture in the next iteration if I can't get it by a software update. I'd also really like to have the AI trained subject recognition of the RV. I've been toying with the notion of selling my A9II and picking up either an RV or 7CR as the 2nd body but I'd miss the speed of that stacked sensors bring to the party.

Historically Fuji used to get a great deal of goodwill resulting from their "Kaizen" firmware improvements but that isn't really happening at the same pace as it used to.

Nikon has been busy with updates to the Z9/Z8 bodies but honestly they seem more like efforts at keeping their initial promises rather than adding new capabilities.

I'm not disappointed by the lack of firmware updates to the A1 because I am still getting what I paid for reliably. Anything more would be certainly welcomed but a bonus.

Not tempted by the A9III as I don't need the benefits a global shutter deliver at that price point.

 

[iain clyne]

Like you I was on A9, the jump to A1 was well worth it. It works well for wildlife and sports but in honesty it’s the best all round camera I’ve had and I have had pro spec cameras for years.
I have used friends Nikon z8/9 and to me the Sony is still the best, but that’s my opinion others might not agree.
if your thinking about it and can afford i, just get it you won’t be disappointed.

 

[spudhead]

My mind was made up at 9:15 a.m. EST, October 7, 2023. A1 it is, regardless of what they do/don't do with the firmware in March.

I knew that Tim, but what would be on the list in firmware update for you?

 

[AlphaWorld]

As title I and others need to know the good and bad about the current A1, are you thinking the A1 is for you? what do you want to know, what concerns do you have? post up all welcome

BAD

The current A1 has limited eye AF, recognising just human, animal, bird, all separately, and it's just eye AF, not the new subject recognition. If you aren't a fan of eye AF, or if you are a master of shooting with tracking small spot, that won't bother you.

The CFexpress cards are type A, which are more expensive that type B (they are coming down in price, but not quickly).

The rear screen is tilt-only and fairly low res.

The top-left dials cannot be overridden, so you have to set AF-C on the bottom one and Hi or Hi+ on the top one

The Ec dial is always Exposure Compensation - it's not a general purpose dial.

Only 3 custom modes (not 3 each for stills / video / S&Q) - won't matter if you shoot only stills


GOOD

Has the 9 million dot EVF - makes a big difference

Can shoot flash with e-shutter - can shoot anything with e-shutter (although it does show dark bands under some lighting, and I have trouble getting rid of them)

all the other things you've heard. It has enough pixels and enough speed for most of us.

- - - - -

It's a good camera, and I wouldn't replace it with an A9 III (I might get an A9 III as an additional camera, but not as a replacement).

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

I knew that Tim, but what would be on the list in firmware update for you?

In camera focus stacking capability and improved eye focus in line with A9iii menu range as a minimum...

 

[spudhead]

Honestly, I don't know what it needs? More than likely it's already so advanced it'd take a bit of use to start thinking about what else I'd want. The one thing I'd love to see, and I'm betting they can do it by firmware, is pre-capture.

I reckon I'd also want it to recognize a train, just in case...

Well pre capture sounds ok but it is cheating no skill left in this hobby anymore if you missed it you just do better next time, that is how you learn

 

[liggy]

Well pre capture sounds ok but it is cheating no skill left in this hobby anymore if you missed it you just do better next time, that is how you learn

In that case - not seeing any point in going for the A1. It is about as capable a camera as can be.
Shooting BIF with a Leica might be a great learning kit.

 

[spudhead]

In that case - not seeing any point in going for the A1. It is about as capable a camera as can be.
Shooting BIF with a Leica might be a great learning kit.

I guess I can choose not to use it, but I thought it was just a possible A1 firmware update at the moment, and my remark was off the cuff and designed to get a reaction, the camera is for more than just one style of shooter surely

 

[liggy]

I guess I can choose not to use it, but I thought it was just a possible A1 firmware update at the moment, and my remark was off the cuff and designed to get a reaction, the camera is for more than just one style of shooter surely

I'll take all the help I can get.

Funny - with cars I like everything manual. No traction control, manual transmission etc. I'm not doing it for money but on the track I like maximum involvement.

With cameras - I'm not as experienced as I am with cars.

 

[spudhead]

I'll take all the help I can get.

yep may be I will

 

[spudhead]

For someone like me who doesn't normally shoot birds, it may mean the difference between a complete miss and a fun shot.

And think of the train implications!

Trains are easy in the UK they are mostly on strike so not moving, like shooting fish in a barrel

 

[AlphaWorld]

In camera focus stacking capability and improved eye focus in line with A9iii menu range as a minimum...

None of Sony's bodies do in-camera focus stacking. The A7RV and later do focus bracketing and it may be possible that it will get included in the firmware updates. They go up to 299 frames (although most of the examples I have seen use far fewer frames).

I doubt you'll see in-camera focus stacking. Yeah, I know, XYZ brand does it. Sony doesn't seem to do in-camera processing in their ILCs - I think they do some of these in their all-in-one cameras. It seems like a policy. Even the A9 III's new feature (the composite RAW thing) requires processing on a computer.

The improved eye AF depends on the AI chip. Impossible to get that as a firmware update, but I would be astonished if any hardware update (like an A1 mark II) misses out on the AI chip.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

Yes Tony agree, sony dont historically provide focus stacking and even though they provide bracketing it is limited for macro whilst ok for landscaape in my experience.

In my view and for my needs just the programmable/auto focus advance and shoot is enough to create an image stack for export out to photoshop or other such software for stack clipping and blending. in camera auto focus advance and shoot also eliminates the need for a mechanical or automated rail .

I don't know of a camera that does the stack clipping and blending internally but as above the auto focus advance and shoot are enouugh and no more than what Nikon had on its D850 some years ago and its subsequent mirrorless range as i undersand it .

On another point saw a review of the A9III and it was confirmed that it will not accomodate third party lenses at rhe higher frame rates and will only operate at 15 fps with third party lenses......maybe obvious to experienced Sony users but i haven't seen this well publicised and could catch out any Newbie's to the Sony environment....

 

[pointreyes]

I don't know of a camera that does the stack clipping and blending internally but as above the auto focus advance and shoot are enouugh and no more than what Nikon had on its D850 some years ago and its subsequent mirrorless range as i undersand it .

OM Digital System does it. I have mostly switched to using the OM-1 for macro. The focus stacked image is in jpeg but all the raw files are there so I can use the jpeg to determine if it was a good stack and decide to then post process the raws or just go with what the camera did. Handheld macro with in-camera focus stacking, I thought was going be a gimmick but now I prefer using it if I can get by with 15 images (the limit for in-camera focus stacking) for the stack.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

OM Digital System does it. I have mostly switched to using the OM-1 for macro. The focus stacked image is in jpeg but all the raw files are there so I can use the jpeg to determine if it was a good stack and decide to then post process the raws or just go with what the camera did. Handheld macro with in-camera focus stacking, I thought was going be a gimmick but now I prefer using it if I can get by with 15 images (the limit for in-camera focus stacking) for the stack.

Thanks, sounds good Pointreyes...I haven't come across this before and agree in the past it was regarded as something of a gimmick. I live and hope for a similar system within the sony environment but somehow can't imagine it without a mucho dollars cost label......!

 

[AlphaWorld]

Yes Tony agree, sony dont historically provide focus stacking and even though they provide bracketing it is limited for macro whilst ok for landscaape in my experience.

In my view and for my needs just the programmable/auto focus advance and shoot is enough to create an image stack for export out to photoshop or other such software for stack clipping and blending. in camera auto focus advance and shoot also eliminates the need for a mechanical or automated rail .

I don't know of a camera that does the stack clipping and blending internally but as above the auto focus advance and shoot are enouugh and no more than what Nikon had on its D850 some years ago and its subsequent mirrorless range as i undersand it .

On another point saw a review of the A9III and it was confirmed that it will not accomodate third party lenses at rhe higher frame rates and will only operate at 15 fps with third party lenses......maybe obvious to experienced Sony users but i haven't seen this well publicised and could catch out any Newbie's to the Sony environment....

On the limiting of third party lenses to 15fps - Sony has been doing that on the A9 and A1 series since the first A9. On the A9 it meant 15 instead of 20 - not a big issue; on the A1 it meant 15 instead of 30, which is more of an issue; but now 15 vs 120? Yeah, that could really upset someone who pays for an A9 III and has nothing but Tamron and Sigma lenses.

Sony do put it in footnotes and I suspect their support lines would be all "we told you", but I'd think there'd still be outrage online.

I wonder if Sony's spin on this would be "We cannot run third party lenses at outrageous speeds because we are afraid we'd break them - we have no certainty that they are certified to receive and process AF instructions at the rates necessary to support these speeds".

I have never looked into it, but I wonder if it's only a subset of Sony lenses which are capable of full-blown speed? I would not be surprised in non-GM / G lenses are also limited for that kind of reason.

Can you imagine someone putting a cheap lens (perhaps one with plastic focus drive) onto an A9 III and damaging it? Actually, it is probably unlikely to be damaged because the lens's chip probably wouldn't be able to process AF instructions that fast - it would just be out of focus.

Maybe that's the reason? Sony limits the frame rate to the rate at which the base E mount can handle AF instructions?

I think that Sony's G and GM lenses tell the camera that they can handle higher speed AF instructions (it would not be a list of lenses in the camera, because then new lenses wouldn't be included - it would be the camera asking the lens "what's your top AF rate?", or something like that). Maybe Tamron and Sigma need to lobby Sony for access to that ability?

As for me, I have just two third party lenses at the moment, and the idea that they are unable to AF at A9 III rates really doesn't bother me: they are Voigtlander APO Lanthar lenses, so AF is most emphatically not a problem (no AF motors!). Come to think of it, I gave away my last two non-G / GM lenses earlier this year.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

I believe , as i experience on my A1, that the issue is about some GM/G lenses having linear motors and third party or G lenses without, will not
provide for the maximum rated FPS.....there is a listing on this forum(

The Best Lenses for Your Sony A1 in 2024 - Alpha Shooters

A comprehensive guide to the best lenses for the Sony A1 mirrorless camera in 2024, including which lenses support 30 fps.

www.alphashooters.com

) which seems to provide which sony lenses provide for max FPS.

I'm not sure Sony's moral vision reaches out so far as to limit third party lens functionality for purely technical difference aspects versus the more engaging sales capture benefit such a limitation provides....

 

[AlphaWorld]

I believe , as i experience on my A1, that the issue is about some GM/G lenses having linear motors and third party or G lenses without, will not
provide for the maximum rated FPS.....there is a listing on this forum(

The Best Lenses for Your Sony A1 in 2024 - Alpha Shooters

A comprehensive guide to the best lenses for the Sony A1 mirrorless camera in 2024, including which lenses support 30 fps.

www.alphashooters.com

) which seems to provide which sony lenses provide for max FPS.

I'm not sure Sony's moral vision reaches out so far as to limit third party lens functionality for purely technical difference aspects versus the more engaging sales capture benefit such a limitation provides....

Yeah, I know the obvious explanation is "Use our lenses or don't get maximum speed" (which may well be part of it), but I was trying to suggest alternative explanations.

You could think of it as Sony not wanting to be liable if their camera drove a third party lens to destruction.

Or Sony not wanting a slew of complaints when a lens produced out of focus results when asked to run at maximum speed - I'm imagining the outcry: "Sony is sabotaging third party lens makers - they deliberately make them produce out of focus images at high speed!!!" - even if Sony explained that it's the lenses not keeping up with the camera, the conspiracy theorists would be loud and vocal (especially in the USA, land of lawsuits!).

I don't think either of those scenarios require a high moral standard of Sony - more like a bunch of lawyers wanting to avoid liability and bad publicity :-D

I do think it's going to be a much bigger issue with this camera - I'm running my A1 at 20fps because I use lossless RAW - 15fps is almost as fast. 120fps vs 15fps is a much bigger difference.

 

[Paul stuart]

The good super camera well built ,controls very good ,super quick at obtaining focus ,very good focus accuarcy and tracking ,30fps /20fps depending if you want 14 bit or 13 bit very similar ,4k 120 and 8k ,very nice evf ,nice 50mp files large buffers low rolling shutter in e/s ,very good mechanical shutter ,great flash sync almost leaf shutter territory ,

The bad ibis is now a step behind competion and newer sonys ,rear screen is terrible most sonys are ,the a7r5 showed the way forward,subject detection is lacking compared to newer sonys and competition ,video tracking for non human subjects is painful to use in fact video focus is not the best on the A1 per se ,newer menus offer more ie more set options home page new ,later cameras offer features that the A1 should of had focus stacking,focus breathing comp ,subject detection in video (non human),maybe evf res should of stayed at 9 mil dot in continous shooting .more subject detection plane cars ,insects etc option to assign button for changing between 20fps lossless comp and 30 fps compressed,should have a choice of longer than 30 sec exposure with out using bulb mode ,there is probably more would lve longer battery life with out resulting to using battery grip,lacking firmware support for 3 years of any decent implementations ,if they add pre capture all is forgiven,

oh by the way the A7r5 is sonys bargain camera at moment £400/500 cash back at moment starting to be my main camera for the moment ,i also loved my a7r3