p.13 #1 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
I don't know if this was pointed out but the EVF drops to 5M res if you run at 240FPS. That is still pretty good...got to be better than the 80's TV feed in the A9 EVF during shooting at high refresh.
p.13 #2 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
johnvanr wrote:
It’s the other way around for me. This is an amazing camera but too expensive for what it offers for MY use over the R5, which I like better than the A9 or A7R IV I used to have. Some of the specs are impressive, but overkill, like 30fps. I dialed my A9 down to 10fps and use the R5 at 12fps. So, nothing for me to switch. At the same time, I doubt I’ll get Canon’s R1 until that model comes down to around $4,000. I’ve never paid more than that for any camera.
The more I think about this camera, the more I tend to agree with you. You are paying a lot more than the R5 and really the only main benefit I can see is that you get the true live feed into a nice EVF.
p.13 #3 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
lightskyland wrote:
Extraordinarily skeptical of that degree of improvement from Sony to Canon IBIS.
As an owner of an R5, and an A7sIII, I can comfortably say there is a noticeable difference. This has been noted by basically every reviewer as well, in addition to other forum members.
Whether it matters for your shooting, who can say? Only you. For most people I would speculate it won’t matter. It barely / doesn’t matter for me. I take a tripod with me when shooting landscapes, and for most portraiture the Sony IBIS will be perfectly good. For anything action related it literally does not matter.
For video, the R5 IBIS is worlds better specifically for locked off shots handheld. However for vlogging the Sony is better with Active Mode stabilization, which yields a pretty natural and pleasing amount of motion, at the penalty of a crop and slightly reduced pixel level quality (who cares).
I don’t think that the very real difference in IBIS capability will make much of a difference to anybody other than people in very specific niches, and that most people will be just fine with Sonys implementation.
p.13 #4 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
arbitrage wrote:
The more I think about this camera, the more I tend to agree with you. You are paying a lot more than the R5 and really the only main benefit I can see is that you get the true live feed into a nice EVF.
You won't know for sure unless you try it. I'm sticking to my prediction.
p.13 #5 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
I ordered a cfe-a card, couldn't help myself. When everything arrives I'll do a buffer runout test similar to what I did with the a9 and a7R IV testing the tough and tough-g cards.
arbitrage wrote:
I'm going to see how bad it is with SD first. Unless my dealer can get me a good discount on the CFE A card when I order the camera.
If I can manage with SD for a little while then hopefully the competition will get on board and drop prices to CFE B levels.
p.13 #6 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
Surfnsun wrote:
Sounds like an incredible camera! Total and complete overkill for my purposes. So timing this "essential purchase" for my photography will likely involve a much larger purchase for my better half to keep a happy household.
p.13 #7 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
arbitrage wrote:
The more I think about this camera, the more I tend to agree with you. You are paying a lot more than the R5 and really the only main benefit I can see is that you get the true live feed into a nice EVF.
Hmmm, that seems like a very generous statement on behalf of the R5. For one, you can shoot electronic shutter at many frame rates instead of 20 or 1. Second, rolling shutter IS still an issue on the R5. Third, you can use Sonys already available, and excellent, GM superteles. And fourth, you will almost certainly get a much higher keeper rate with the a1.
All that said, I’m obviously very excited about this camera, but I also love the R5 and I don’t think I’ll be selling it to switch right now. But honestly, I think anybody buying the a1 will not ever need to upgrade again.
What is there left to upgrade? For Canon, that answer is readout speed, heat issues, and battery life. For Sony it’s... what? Animal eye AF in video mode? What is there left to do? Longer bulb timer?
p.13 #8 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
I read the specs and actually wondered if it was just another rumor or even a joke about Sony releasing the "perfect camera". A 50MP stacked sensor with 15 stops of DR tied to a 9.44 million dot EVF is just insane! Between the Canon R5 and the Sony A1, camera tech just took two massive leaps forward. What's next? A Camera with a wireless neuralink?!
One thing that has occurred to me recently, as we cram ever more powerful processing into tiny mirrorless bodies, is what sort of longevity these bodies will have considering the amount of electronics-killing heat generated internally over their lifetime, especially when shooting video. In the past we've worried about mechanical shutter lifespan. Do we now need to start worrying more about circuit board lifespan or sensor lifespan?
p.13 #9 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
Jesse Evans wrote:
But honestly, I think anybody buying the a1 will not ever need to upgrade again.
What is there left to upgrade? For Canon, that answer is readout speed, heat issues, and battery life. For Sony it’s... what? Animal eye AF in video mode? What is there left to do? Longer bulb timer?
I've thought similar over the last decade with every new camera I bought. I once thought the Canon 5D3 was the last camera I'd ever need. Tech has a strange way of always coming up with new things we never knew we needed or wanted, but which quickly become the new baseline
And there will always be those folks who spend $$$ to buy the latest and greatest just for bragging rights and to take snapshots of their dog.
p.13 #10 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
Jesse Evans wrote:
Hmmm, that seems like a very generous statement on behalf of the R5. For one, you can shoot electronic shutter at many frame rates instead of 20 or 1. Second, rolling shutter IS still an issue on the R5. Third, you can use Sonys already available, and excellent, GM superteles. And fourth, you will almost certainly get a much higher keeper rate with the a1.
All that said, I’m obviously very excited about this camera, but I also love the R5 and I don’t think I’ll be selling it to switch right now. But honestly, I think anybody buying the a1 will not ever need to upgrade again.
What is there left to upgrade? For Canon, that answer is readout speed, heat issues, and battery life. For Sony it’s... what? Animal eye AF in video mode? What is there left to do? Longer bulb timer?...Show more →
To be honest, I am not that impressed by the 4K video mode on this camera even compared to an A7SIII which costs 3000$ less.
You either shoot in 8K 10-bit 4:2:0 which very few people will benefit from, or 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 and it becomes line-skipped (in APS-C mode it uses the 5.8K readout).
Crucially, the R5 has that 4K HQ mode up to 30p, which looks amazingly good.
I mean, it is easy to say the Sony does not overheat if it does not have a full sensor 4K recording mode like that. And there are other things which were already inferior on the Sony and they are still exactly same on this camera which is questionable regarding pricing, I mean the specs are head-turners for sure, but for this price it needs to be close to perfect, and it's not.
Also one spends this much on a camera, then lenses like f/1.2 primes or an 28-70mm f/2 would be nice to have like on the Canon.
This is really Sony showing how big they've gotten and proving that they can sell cameras like this for people who are already invested in their system. We will likely to see an updated A1 II pop up in two years' time already where they will address some of the issues that are still present.
p.13 #11 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
My smart watch has built in GPS, $6500 camera does not. Other than that it is superb camera but not for me. A7R4 is all I need for now. Price does not phase me out, I have 3 to 4 times that much in my lenses, it is an enormous amount of features that I will never use.
p.13 #12 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
httivals wrote:
First, you may want to ask JMAN13, who reports that there is a significant difference. Second, it's the combination of using the lens IS and the body IS that takes the image stabilization to a whole different level, like with the Olympus OMD em1 Mark III and certain lenses. . . . But I agree, you need to really try it yourself in your use scenarios to see whether it makes a difference. That's why I'm on a waiting list for a Canon R5. . . It also had the added benefit of occupying my energy/mind during the ongoing pandemic isolation.
p.13 #13 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
samosh wrote:
My smart watch has built in GPS, $6500 camera does not. Other than that it is superb camera but not for me. A7R4 is all I need for now. Price does not phase me out, I have 3 to 4 times that much in my lenses, it is an enormous amount of features that I will never use.
Lack of GPS and the same low-resolution rear screen are head scratchers. I assume Sony wanted to minimize power consumption and let tethering do the heavy lifting.
p.13 #14 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
padam19 wrote:
Also one spends this much on a camera, then lenses like f/1.2 primes or an 28-70mm f/2 would be nice to have like on the Canon.
Personally I have zero interest in a 28-70/2 and I own the Sigma 35/1.2 (would prefer the small Sony 35/1.4 today). I love having access to the best optics available on E-mount, such as the Voigtlander 50/2, Zeiss 25/2.4 as well as lots of Tamron and Sigma compact walkaround glass and APS-C bodies and lenses as well. Closing off the R and Z mounts was an epic mistake.
p.13 #15 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
padam19 wrote:
You either shoot in 8K 10-bit 4:2:0 which very few people will benefit from, or 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 and it becomes line-skipped (in APS-C mode it uses the 5.8K readout).
Crucially, the R5 has that 4K HQ mode up to 30p, which looks amazingly good.
Is it confirmed already? I mean sensor readout is faster in A1 so how would R5 achieve better IQ in FF 4K video?
p.13 #16 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
padam19 wrote:
To be honest, I am not that impressed by the 4K video mode on this camera even compared to an A7SIII which costs 3000$ less.
You either shoot in 8K 10-bit 4:2:0 which very few people will benefit from, or 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 and it becomes line-skipped (in APS-C mode it uses the 5.8K readout).
Crucially, the R5 has that 4K HQ mode up to 30p, which looks amazingly good.
I mean, it is easy to say the Sony does not overheat if it does not have a full sensor 4K recording mode like that. And there are other things which were already inferior on the Sony and they are still exactly same on this camera which is questionable regarding pricing, I mean the specs are head-turners for sure, but for this price it needs to be close to perfect, and it's not.
Also one spends this much on a camera, then lenses like f/1.2 primes or an 28-70mm f/2 would be nice to have like on the Canon.
This is really Sony showing how big they've gotten and proving that they can sell cameras like this for people who are already invested in their system. We will likely to see an updated A1 II pop up in two years' time already where they will address some of the issues that are still present....Show more →
The 4k HQ mode on the Canon overheats. You can get the same thing by shooting 8k on the Sony, which if it does not overheat will be a large benefit.
The non-HQ mode on the Canon is perfectly good. Do you want to know how I know this? Because it looks barely distinguishable from the a7sIII.
The probability of you ever being limited in video by this camera seems unlikely. But sure, I'm sure some people will still upgrade for such minor improvements.
p.13 #17 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
Fred Miranda wrote:
You won't know for sure unless you try it. I'm sticking to my prediction.
Oh don't worry, my order is already in and I don't think I'll be cancelling. I enjoy testing the gear and this camera is aimed directly at me. I don't really NEED this camera as I already have two amazing cameras but I sure WANT this camera
p.13 #19 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
Jesse Evans wrote:
Hmmm, that seems like a very generous statement on behalf of the R5. For one, you can shoot electronic shutter at many frame rates instead of 20 or 1. Second, rolling shutter IS still an issue on the R5. Third, you can use Sonys already available, and excellent, GM superteles. And fourth, you will almost certainly get a much higher keeper rate with the a1.
All that said, I’m obviously very excited about this camera, but I also love the R5 and I don’t think I’ll be selling it to switch right now. But honestly, I think anybody buying the a1 will not ever need to upgrade again.
What is there left to upgrade? For Canon, that answer is readout speed, heat issues, and battery life. For Sony it’s... what? Animal eye AF in video mode? What is there left to do? Longer bulb timer?...Show more →
All good points. I'm excited to have both in the stable. My much larger investment in Sony lenses (ie the 600GM) will keep me favouring the Sony system and more likely selling off the R5 if the A1 does everything it does and more.
I've said that my Canon vs Sony decision would be based on the horse race between an A9R(ie A1) and a Canon RF 600 f/4 DO. Looks like Sony has won....but I'm worried the 600DO may come too soon after and then I've got a difficult decision for sure.
p.13 #20 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
richpjr wrote:
The specs on it are spectacular but damn - $6500 is a lot of money. If I was a professional photographer I guess I'd jump all over it, but I have a hard time justifying a camera for half that price for my use case. I guess the best I can do is to wait for the tech to trickle down into the lower cameras in future generations.
$6500 is not all that much compared to all the higher priced pro DLSR bodies many of bought 12-18 years ago, not even counting inflation.
