Sony A1 A1 After First 10,000 Frames

[Spiderx1]

So after a few weeks with the A1 I am loving it. Menus are easier, albeit still a deep dive. DO NOT throw away your UHS I cards. They still work just slow. But if your shooting allows for some time in between burst the buffer keeps you in business, the buffer does not have to empty to allow shooting while clearing. I am shooting Slot 1 CF Express A 160 GB and Slot 2 with either a UHS II or UHS I card. Using it as an overflow when Slot 1 fills up. UHS Cards used so far are SD Extreme Pro UHS II ( still 200$ but cheaper on sale) or SD Extreme Plus 128 GB SDXC UHS I. You still get 100 frames in Compressed Raw. I bring this up because I always see CF Express or UHS II cards as the compatible cards. I do mainly sports or action shots. The 30 FPS allows me to go from a good shot to a great shot. But post process is a little bit longer, you always get caught up in the back and forth of which do I like the best. I tend to keep to many. I do use Photo Mechanic to cull. Previously I was shooting an A7RIV. So big change in FPS. I consistently get 30 FPS if in Release, and with a Sony Compatible Lens on the list of those able to do 30FPS. Timed on my iPhone stopwatch 1/1000th of sec. My Sigma DG DN Art lens does 16 FPS, My Tamron Di III VXD is also 16 FPS. I spoke with Sigma Tech they said it was not a lens limitation. I have not tried manual focus on these in a speed test. I am also shooting AF-C Spot or Expanded Spot. So this could be firmware limitation imposed by Sony on non-Sony Lenses. Guess we will see in near future as others make inputs . The electronic shutter takes some getting used to. As very little feed back if in a noisy environment. The small blue squares in each corner of the EVF flash but I really don't see them when concentrating on the action. Another member suggested ear phone plugged in, haven't tried that. Better if I could BT Airpods or similar. The Publicist for a very major film production company was standing next to me and ask what the buzzing sound was, I guess they could hear the electronic shutter better than I. To much jet engine noise in my past life. So for me a great camera, I don't miss the RIV 61MP, 51 is fine, so far, a little more post processing time, better shots in action photos, I have paid less for a car but this is my birthday, xmas, easter, fathers day present....for a couple years! One last thing the colors, to me, are better pre post in compressed RAW. I have just touched the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Jeff A]

So after a few weeks with the A1 I am loving it. Menus are easier, albeit still a deep dive. DO NOT throw away your UHS I cards. They still work just slow. But if your shooting allows for some time in between burst the buffer keeps you in business, the buffer does not have to empty to allow shooting while clearing. I am shooting Slot 1 CF Express A 160 GB and Slot 2 with either a UHS II or UHS I card. Using it as an overflow when Slot 1 fills up. UHS Cards used so far are SD Extreme Pro UHS II ( still 200$ but cheaper on sale) or SD Extreme Plus 128 GB SDXC UHS I. You still get 100 frames in Compressed Raw. I bring this up because I always see CF Express or UHS II cards as the compatible cards. I do mainly sports or action shots. The 30 FPS allows me to go from a good shot to a great shot. But post process is a little bit longer, you always get caught up in the back and forth of which do I like the best. I tend to keep to many. I do use Photo Mechanic to cull. Previously I was shooting an A7RIV. So big change in FPS. I consistently get 30 FPS if in Release, and with a Sony Compatible Lens on the list of those able to do 30FPS. Timed on my iPhone stopwatch 1/1000th of sec. My Sigma DG DN Art lens does 16 FPS, My Tamron Di III VXD is also 16 FPS. I spoke with Sigma Tech they said it was not a lens limitation. I have not tried manual focus on these in a speed test. I am also shooting AF-C Spot or Expanded Spot. So this could be firmware limitation imposed by Sony on non-Sony Lenses. Guess we will see in near future as others make inputs . The electronic shutter takes some getting used to. As very little feed back if in a noisy environment. The small blue squares in each corner of the EVF flash but I really don't see them when concentrating on the action. Another member suggested ear phone plugged in, haven't tried that. Better if I could BT Airpods or similar. The Publicist for a very major film production company was standing next to me and ask what the buzzing sound was, I guess they could hear the electronic shutter better than I. To much jet engine noise in my past life. So for me a great camera, I don't miss the RIV 61MP, 51 is fine, so far, a little more post processing time, better shots in action photos, I have paid less for a car but this is my birthday, xmas, easter, fathers day present....for a couple years! One last thing the colors, to me, are better pre post in compressed RAW. I have just touched the tip of the iceberg.

Randy, nice review. I'm afraid I will never be in a position to own an A1, but I enjoy your experiences. I can't afford a new High Performance car either, but I still read and dream about them.

 

[AlphaWorld]

Agreed, SD cards work fine in the A1. If you are not shooting hugely long bursts, the whole burst fits into the buffer, and then drains to the card. Yes, the SD card takes a bit longer to drain the buffer, but the A1 lets you change settings or focus on something new while it’s draining. Nonetheless, I’d recommend getting at least one CFexpress A card when buying an A1.

As I found with the A9, it can be hard to spot that it has taken the shot when running silent; I often take a second (or third, or fourth...) to be sure Even so, shooting silently is very handy when photographing wildlife.