Sony A1 New A1 firmware update

[Merlinator]

Windows: https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/e-mount-body-ilce-1-series/ilce-1/software/00260268
Mac: https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/e-mount-body-ilce-1-series/ilce-1/software/00260271

 

[GracieAllen]

I've checked all my settings for 1, 2, and 3, and saved everything, so I can do a reset and see.

As you said, there's a LOT of configuration, and the chances are really good that the problem is ME... Looking at the focus points on the vast majority of images that are farther away, eye focus isn't even working. At 20 fps, from shot to shot the focus point may go from a wingtip to middle of a body to a neck to nothing. The size of the focus box changes, but frequently the eye focus doesn't appear to lock on at all. I suppose that could be the birds are too far away for the camera to see the eye (?), or that the operator who THINKS he's getting the focus on the eye, or at least the head (or worst case at least the body) is NOT, and the problem is operator error.

I always have the tracking (if I recall) display on, so I can see where it's focusing, but I'm not always good at seeing exactly where I'm focused. And I checked the 200-600 to make sure I DIDN'T do something really dumb like tell it to focus only out to 10 meters!

A couple things HAVE struck me... I had the AF sensitivity at 3. Even though cranes are big and slow, I've noticed that between their movement and my fumbling around (even on the monopod), do I need to have more reactive (4 or 5) or less (1 or 2)?

The OTHER thing is I didn't change the 200-600 from mode 1 to either 2 or 3. I don't know if lens is fighting me as I'm following the birds. It doesn't LOOK like motion blur, but I probably should remember to change the setting when things are moving.

Either way, I'll try the factory reset and load everything back in.

I've continued looking a series of images - start in Lightroom, then look in Imaging Edge to see where the focus point is... In a LOT of cases, I THOUGHT the focus was on the head/eye, but in a lot of series there's not a single image where the focus is even on the head. Body, wing, tail, often nothing on the bird, but not the head. I THINK I was in Zone Focus, but I'm not seeing the specific focus in the information in Imaging edge. Either way, it looks like I need to do a better job of watching where the tracking is going.

Below is an example with a pair of birds (image, 100% crop, focus point in Imaging Edge) that are soft. Late in the day, light's still reasonable, 1/800, f7.1, ISO 1000, about .5 stop under, crop mode, manual, tracking on, face/eye on, SteadyShot on. Adjusted exposure, a little noise reduction, nothing else in post.

I used the online formula for calculating distance to subject. I've been told it's NOT accurate, but I figure it may be somewhat close. The front bird is very near 800 px long. An adult sandhill crane is supposed to be about 3.5-4 feet tall, so I figured length from tip of bill to toes would be close to that.

Using 800 px and 4 feet I got a distance of 1100 feet. If I use 3 feet for the bird it's 800 feet. Is it REASONABLE to expect a sharp subject with sharp eyes when it's 3 football fields away? Or am I just WAY beyond what any $2000 600mm lens is going to be able to do?

 

[AlphaWorld]

Yes, that last image shows that the eye AF couldn't pick out the eye (the bird is too small in frame), so it's trying to focus on the head.

You talked about mode 1, 2, 3 on the lens - I presume that's the IS setting. Yes, 1 will fight you - you'll want 3, probably, 2 if you were just panning with the birds.

Did you check the focus limiter on the lens? If it's set to the near limit, that might be another culprit. You'd think it unlikely, but worth a quick check.

 

[GracieAllen]

Yeah, the focus limiter, as far as I know, was on full range. I've, on occasion, set it to stop at 10 meters when birds are really close, but it turns out I never remember to set it back to full, so I stopped changing it and LEAVE it on full range all the time.

As far as the image, is this one of those times when having the wrong IS setting is causing a problem? It doesn't appear to be successfully focusing on the head or on the background - is there anything else in the settings that could cause a problem with distant subjects? This is one of about 8 shots in a series. The focus point moves VERY little, always on the head/neck through the series, and they're all equally unfocused. Whatever I'm doing wrong doesn't seem to get better in subsequent shots.

When one of you is in this situation, do you try to use the spot focus, or do you put it in Zone or Wide with Tracking and let the camera do what it can?

 

[Slug]

Hi David, I miss quite a few as well and I think you were testing the limits given the distance of the birds.
I can only tell you how I get better results and that's only from trial and error. For distant birds in flight I use either Zone tracking or expand spot tracking but at a much higher shutter speed than you at either 1/2500 or 1/3200. I use 1/800 for stationary birds. IS doesn't have much effect on the end result due to shutter speed being so high, but it does make it easier to hold onto the bird in the frame when taking the shot.
I've got a good supply of Aussie stamps if you decide to go that way!

 

[GracieAllen]

SEE! I'm right - STAMP COLLECTING... You don't have to go outside in the cold. You don't have to go outside in the pre-dawn dark!

As far as photography, my "normal" shutter speed, when there's enough light is 1/2500. In good light it'll be something like 1/2500, f8 or f9, ISO 500-800. If I'm shooting perching birds - backyard bird-type stuff, and I'm NOT trying to catch them taking off (can we PLEASE have a version of pro-capture), I'll use about 1/1000 or so. But that's close, as is shooting hummingbirds (back to at least 1/2500)...

I'm wandering a bit far from the A1 update, so I think I'll start a new topic to ask about focus techniques people are using.

 

[GracieAllen]

There was some noise in here(?) or maybe some other forum, claiming Sony was going to release another firmware update for the Alpha 1 in February. I'm going to be in Florida starting tomorrow to spend a month or so photographing birds and things. If this problem IS something to do with the firmware, it was sure be good to get an update that would fix it - is there ANY CHANCE it'll also significantly improve the inept nut BEHIND the camera?

 

[AlphaWorld]

I haven’t seen any rumours about a firmware update coming this month - may have been someone’s wishful thinking about the A1 getting A7RV AF in a firmware update (which somehow adds the functionality of a new chip to the camera - yeah, right!).

I don’t think you need an update - maybe a minor change in technique? In the shot you showed us, if you got down a little lower so you focussed on the bird against the sky? Just a thought. There were other suggestions above. You can do it!

Besides, it can be really tough to focus on those stamps - they get very boring very quickly!

 

[GracieAllen]

I"ll keep working on it. I think you may be right about the wishful thinking!