Sony A1 or A9II

[DrJohn]

I sold my A7RIV and A9 on eBay. I rarely used the A7RIV and sold it with less than 500 shutter actuations. I loved the A9, but had problems with the exposure compensation dial. Shooting flying birds is often a matter of acrobatics. And, no matter what, I keep spinning the exposure compensation dial with my thumb. I was planning to buy the A9ii, which has a lock on the exposure compensation. However, B&H is closed for passover right now. So, I'm starting to think about the A1, which is better than the A9ii but $2000 more. I'm a hobbyist, not a pro photographer. Do I need the higher resolution? I have a 12 x 18 photo I had printed taken with the A6600 APS-C camera and you can see every detail in the birds feathers.

Puzzled,
John

========================================================================================================
FINAL DECISION - 4/26/22:

First, I want to thank everyone for their input. It was helpful and kind.

My head was saying get the A1. My gut was saying get the A9ii. When I had the A9 and A7RIV, I liked the A9 (except for the exposure control knob) better even though the A7RIV was a higher resolution camera. This may not be logical, which is highly unlike me. I almost never crop photos because they become something different and not what I experienced. Back in my college days, I was doing wedding photography on the weekends. I had to crop to give customers the photos they wanted. But, for myself, I prefer to keep the image I experienced. I do little to no post processing for the same reason. I teach a course and wrote a book "Self-Discovery and Healing Through Photography." It is all about the emotions that are uncovered through one's artwork. So, I ordered the A9ii today.

Thank you again for everyone's input.

John

P.S. For those who want to take a dip in the nostalgia pool, when I was doing weddings I used a Mamiya C33 camera with Kodacolor 220 film. This was a 2.25 x 2.25 negative which had to be cropped to give an 8x10 ratio.

 

[Brownie]

I have a 16 X 20 hanging on my office wall that was made with a 20MP M-4/3 camera. My grandson has another on his bedroom wall printed 24" x 30", no problem. Good lenses, technique, and post processing are important.

Having said that, more resolution allows you to crop more out of the photo and still end up with enough resolution to make larger prints.

 

[Sdawes]

It really depends on what the main focus of your photography is and the money you are prepared to spend . I have owned all the cameras you mention above and whilst I loved my A9ii for my wildlife photography the A1 is a big leap forward again and I have no regrets about the upgrade despite the price difference . I didnt think so at the time but the 50mp resolution is a real game changer for me , despite the best fieldcraft techniques available the reality is with wildlife all too often they can remain quite distant and this is where the A1 wins hands down . The ability to crop in is a big advantage as I can crop an image by 50% and still have more MP than the A9ii produces . This combined with bird eye AF and an overall better camera in every way tells me if you have the money then I wouldnt think twice . If you are not comfortable with the price point of the A1 then the A9ii is a fantastic camera and would serve you well .

 

[Clix Pix]

I am not a professional photographer, either, this is definitely a very consuming hobby for me as I enjoy my retirement. A sanity-saver, too, throughout the whole Pandemic thing, especially during the shutdown phase. My first FF Sony ILC was the A7R IV, which I love dearly, and for much of the kind of photography I like to do it has been just perfect. However, I did find it somewhat lacking in the OTHER kind of photography which I love, which is shooting birds on the water and in the air or other wildlife doing their own thing. I had just about decided to add a Sony A9 II to take care of that kind of shooting when the A1 was announced, and the minute I read the specs of the A1 I knew that was going to be my next camera body. It would tick off all of my boxes and then some.....

But wait! The price tag on that A1.....GULP!!!! I wanted that camera but knew that I couldn't bear to part with my beloved A7R IV who has served me so well...... Finally I made the decision to just take a little longer to collect the funds in order to buy the A1 without trading in my A7R IV, and that has worked out wonderfully for me. The A7R IV, teamed with her favorite lens, the 90mm f/2.8 macro, continues to take on the fun challenges in shooting macro or closeups around home and the A1 handles all the outdoors stuff, usually with her favorite lens mounted, the 100-400mm plus 1.4x TC, in order to capture the wonderful creatures who share my neighborhood and even a few flowers from time to time as well. She also capably handles the 200-600mm (the Bazooka) much more masterfully than the A7R IV did.

So, yes, obviously much depends upon one's shooting preferences and lens choices, plus of course finances, too, but for me even if I did not already have the A7R IV, that A1 really does tick all the boxes for people who shoot mostly wildlife and people who like to shoot landscapes, portraits, macros, closeups, and other subjects as well. That 50 mp resolution makes a difference, as does the ability to shoot quickly and rapidly in burst mode to capture a BIF or a squirrel running, scampering and leaping to get to the safety of a tree or a child happily running and playing with other kids in the back yard.....

I use my A7R IV to shoot macros and closeups in the house because, well, I can; I've still got that camera at hand. If I didn't, though, the A1 certainly does just as well and maybe even in some situations a bit better due to its excellent combination of features and functionality. These two camera bodies complement each other and also work individually on their own to pretty much cover any shooting situation that has come up for me and will come up in the future.

Don't hesitate to go for an A1; you won't be sorry!

 

[DrJohn]

I am not a professional photographer, either, this is definitely a very consuming hobby for me as I enjoy my retirement. A sanity-saver, too, throughout the whole Pandemic thing, especially during the shutdown phase. My first FF Sony ILC was the A7R IV, which I love dearly, and for much of the kind of photography I like to do it has been just perfect. However, I did find it somewhat lacking in the OTHER kind of photography which I love, which is shooting birds on the water and in the air or other wildlife doing their own thing. I had just about decided to add a Sony A9 II to take care of that kind of shooting when the A1 was announced, and the minute I read the specs of the A1 I knew that was going to be my next camera body. It would tick off all of my boxes and then some.....

But wait! The price tag on that A1.....GULP!!!! I wanted that camera but knew that I couldn't bear to part with my beloved A7R IV who has served me so well...... Finally I made the decision to just take a little longer to collect the funds in order to buy the A1 without trading in my A7R IV, and that has worked out wonderfully for me. The A7R IV, teamed with her favorite lens, the 90mm f/2.8 macro, continues to take on the fun challenges in shooting macro or closeups around home and the A1 handles all the outdoors stuff, usually with her favorite lens mounted, the 100-400mm plus 1.4x TC, in order to capture the wonderful creatures who share my neighborhood and even a few flowers from time to time as well. She also capably handles the 200-600mm (the Bazooka) much more masterfully than the A7R IV did.

So, yes, obviously much depends upon one's shooting preferences and lens choices, plus of course finances, too, but for me even if I did not already have the A7R IV, that A1 really does tick all the boxes for people who shoot mostly wildlife and people who like to shoot landscapes, portraits, macros, closeups, and other subjects as well. That 50 mp resolution makes a difference, as does the ability to shoot quickly and rapidly in burst mode to capture a BIF or a squirrel running, scampering and leaping to get to the safety of a tree or a child happily running and playing with other kids in the back yard.....

I use my A7R IV to shoot macros and closeups in the house because, well, I can; I've still got that camera at hand. If I didn't, though, the A1 certainly does just as well and maybe even in some situations a bit better due to its excellent combination of features and functionality. These two camera bodies complement each other and also work individually on their own to pretty much cover any shooting situation that has come up for me and will come up in the future.

Don't hesitate to go for an A1; you won't be sorry!

Do you shoot uncompressed raw, compressed raw, or lossy compressed raw? Do you notice any differences? What are the file sizes?
John

 

[Clix Pix]

Both cameras are set to shoot uncompressed RAW...... I want to get as much detail as is possible from my images.

 

[AlphaWorld]

I sold my A7RIV and A9 on eBay. I rarely used the A7RIV and sold it with less than 500 shutter actuations. I loved the A9, but had problems with the exposure compensation dial. Shooting flying birds is often a matter of acrobatics. And, no matter what, I keep spinning the exposure compensation dial with my thumb. I was planning to buy the A9ii, which has a lock on the exposure compensation. However, B&H is closed for passover right now. So, I'm starting to think about the A1, which is better than the A9ii but $2000 more. I'm a hobbyist, not a pro photographer. Do I need the higher resolution? I have a 12 x 18 photo I had printed taken with the A6600 APS-C camera and you can see every detail in the birds feathers.

Puzzled,
John

I think of the extra pixels as insurance - I can shoot a bit “loose”, and tighten up in post processing by cropping. I don’t feel obliged to use them all.

There are several other advantages to the A1 above the extra pixels:

• Higher speed
• faster CPU
• better menus
• better viewfinder
• responsive while draining the buffer
• smarter AF, including bird AF
• lossless compression
• faster cards (although pricy), but can still use dual UHS II
• did I mention higher speed?

I shot uncompressed for a short while, but I am using lossless compressed. The A9 II can only shoot 10fps with uncompressed (does not have lossless), but the A1 can shoot 20fps - twice as fast.

It, too, has a lock on the exposure compensation dial I also prefer its lock on the AF mode dial over the A9 II version (and much more than the one on the A9)

I think there are plenty of good reasons to get the A1 that do not relate to the pixel count.

Oh, and I happen to think the A1 is actually more suited to the hobbyist than the pro…

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

Like some of the other contributors to this thread i bought the A9II initially, followed shortly thereafter by the AR7 iv, the A9 as the speed(20 fps) monster and low light utility for birding , the AR7 for high resolution.

Subsequently long came the A1 and my perspective changed and i sold the AR7 iv, to use the A1 as my primary camera with my A9II as back up whilst out shooting.

The Ai has effectively replaced the overall functionality of the A9 and AR7, as it has high fps speed(30 Fps under certain settings), similar resolution at 50
Mps and as a further benefit significantly enhanced video capabilty over the A9/AR7. The much improved video capability has in fact opened up another facet of activity within my wildlife shooting focus.

The Ai is very expensive, but very worthwhile in my view, it is the ultimate mirrorless camera in my opinion ....the only cautionary tale i would add would be the potential additional cost of new lenses if the full 30fps speed is important to you as a number of the current Sony lens range still have sonic motors fitted and with these lens motors you will struggle to achieve the 30 fps of the A1 ( hence Sony's current lens upgrades to linear motors being fitted to all of its new lenses and retrofitting to prior key/flagship lenses...the current 24-70mm 2.8 GM upgrade is one example of this with the soon to be released 24-70 f2.8 GM II.

 

[DrJohn]

Like some of the other contributors to this thread i bought the A9II initially, followed shortly thereafter by the AR7 iv, the A9 as the speed(20 fps) monster and low light utility for birding , the AR7 for high resolution.

Subsequently long came the A1 and my perspective changed and i sold the AR7 iv, to use the A1 as my primary camera with my A9II as back up whilst out shooting.

The Ai has effectively replaced the overall functionality of the A9 and AR7, as it has high fps speed(30 Fps under certain settings), similar resolution at 50
Mps and as a further benefit significantly enhanced video capabilty over the A9/AR7. The much improved video capability has in fact opened up another facet of activity within my wildlife shooting focus.

The Ai is very expensive, but very worthwhile in my view, it is the ultimate mirrorless camera in my opinion ....the only cautionary tale i would add would be the potential additional cost of new lenses if the full 30fps speed is important to you as a number of the current Sony lens range still have sonic motors fitted and with these lens motors you will struggle to achieve the 30 fps of the A1 ( hence Sony's current lens upgrades to linear motors being fitted to all of its new lenses and retrofitting to prior key/flagship lenses...the current 24-70mm 2.8 GM upgrade is one example of this with the soon to be released 24-70 f2.8 GM II.

Hi Deleted Member 5003,
I purchased the A9ii instead of the A1 because of the cost of the A1. But, after having second thoughts I returned the A9ii for a full refund and got the A1. The A1 surpasses my expectations. Now, I think the A1 is worth every penny.
John

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

Hi Deleted Member 5003,
I purchased the A9ii instead of the A1 because of the cost of the A1. But, after having second thoughts I returned the A9ii for a full refund and got the A1. The A1 surpasses my expectations. Now, I think the A1 is worth every penny.
John

Hi DrJohn, I totally agree and for sure i believe the decision you have taken is the correct one under the circumstances and will also provide a degree of future proofing as photography equipment trends continue at an ever expanding technological rate.......

 

[AlphaWorld]

Hi Deleted Member 5003,
I purchased the A9ii instead of the A1 because of the cost of the A1. But, after having second thoughts I returned the A9ii for a full refund and got the A1. The A1 surpasses my expectations. Now, I think the A1 is worth every penny.
John

I had the A9II too long to return it for a full refund, unfortunately - I am jealous that you had that option! The A1 is a beast of a body, and I've not regretted buying it at all.

There are rumours of an A9III, and suggestions it may well be faster than the A1, but still a lot fewer pixels. I am happier with the higher pixel count of the A1, so I don't think I will be overly tempted by an A9 III.

 

[dataylor1958]

I am thinking about getting an A1 due to the Bird Eye Autofocus, however the cost is frightening. Will I get good BIF shots with the A9ii despite not having BEAF? Similarly, if a static bird is amongst branches, the A1 BEAF must really help avoid locking onto a twig/branch but would the A9ii cope just as well? I would prefer the A9ii due to budget but would love to have some advice.






REPLY

 

[Brownie]

I am thinking about getting an A1 due to the Bird Eye Autofocus, however the cost is frightening. Will I get good BIF shots with the A9ii despite not having BEAF? Similarly, if a static bird is amongst branches, the A1 BEAF must really help avoid locking onto a twig/branch but would the A9ii cope just as well? I would prefer the A9ii due to budget but would love to have some advice.






REPLY

The only other camera currently available with the bird eye feature is the A7IV. However, we are less than a week away from Sony introducing the new A7RV. The camera is supposed to have an entirely new AI deep learning AF system, a new processor, new sensor, etc etc. The rumored price is just a hair under $4k U.S.

I have only had one camera that would look beyond thick brush and capture the subject beyond. It had a near/far feature that worked very well. Neither of my Sonys will do that. What the A7IV can do is find a bird and give it preference, provided however that the camera can identify it as a bird. In other words, if the brush is so thick the bird isn't visible enough to look like a bird, then no. In that case you could use DMF, which is Demand Manual Focus. It allows you to use AF, but in a tough situation you can grab the focus ring for automatic swap to manual.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

Hi David,
The A9II focus system is good for birds flying, with no other or few artifacts in the viewfinder. For birds in brush or trees etc,
whether the A1 or A9 you invariably will need to have your camera set up to switch into "spot" or "center" fixed focus areas,
at your preference, and as long as you have the focus spot visible in your VF you should be able to achieve focus on birds in
trees as long as the branches are not too concentrated ...as sometimes will happen.

Compared to the A9II the A1 has superior bird focus performance and has a specific birdeye setting which the A9II does not.
Given the choice, as on date, i would recommend the A1, the last firmware update which improved the first release focus
functionality .... However before doing so I would probably wait to see the full release specs for the AR7 V...rumours are indicating it
could well have been substantially improved over its A7R iv predecessor in terms or autofocus and low light performance
and could be a cheaper alternative to the A1. The A1 which is also overdue for a technology update, as its market leader
perception, is slipping behind its main competitor in Canon.

 

[dataylor1958]

Thanks for your advice everyone, I will go with the A1.