p.21 #1 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
FJR1 wrote:
My sales tax in Illinois would have been $568 had I not gone through Payboo. Fortunately for me, I was able to get in and make the order at B&H (via the FM link) at 10:00 a.m. EST.
Thank you!
Yes, that's a big tax savings. I use Payboo for all my purchases as well.
p.21 #3 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
As awful as it is, when you set aside the human loss and suffering, those who have survived have experienced the economic effects of the pandemic in two very different ways. The most unfortunate, largely those without college degrees, and also those who work in retail, food service, travel/hospitality/and event-related work have been hit very hard. Knowledge workers, tech, e-commerce, those who got really creative/lucky, etc have actually increased their savings dramatically.
It's a tale of two countries (isn't it always!). While there are widespread and devastating stories of loss and hardship, there's actually more stories of a lot of money being saved and in some cases being spent (houses, luxury items like an a1).
GMPhotography wrote:
Im having a real hard time with this myself, we are in the middle of a Pandemic for God sake. And NO the next stimulus check is no where near this.
p.21 #6 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
arbitrage wrote:
My biggest outstanding question about the A1 is whether Sony has finally figured out how to embed a full size jpeg into the RAW and not a postage stamp sized one. If I get stuck having to continue to shoot RAW+Jpeg with this camera just to be able to cull using fast programs that either rely on embedded jpegs or side jpegs then I'm going to be grumpy.
FastRawViewer is where it's at for Sony camera files.
p.21 #9 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
buffalowolff wrote:
For anyone who currently has an a9(i/ii) and an a7R IV. When you get the α1 which will keep? I keep switching between having the RIV as a backup/beater situation, or the a9 as a low light, varied situation 2nd body.
For me facing this exact q I’ll keep the a9. Backup bodies for me are 1) in case of main body failure which is unlikely, but you must be prepared and 2) for quick lens change, in which case you just give the a9 a lens/shots where, usually, you won’t be cropping in hugely.
p.21 #10 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
Douglas Liu wrote:
Interesting. One would think Sony would point out the A1 doesn't have an AA filter if that's the case. I read the spec sheet on their website, couldn't find anything in that regard.
Sony have been the manufacturer most eager to do away with AA filters. Whilst other manufacturers sat on the fence and offered the same body with and without AA filter, Sony straight up did away with it on anything with 36MP or more.
I'd say there's a zero chance the α1 has an AA filter.
p.21 #11 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
I ordered one.
Why? It’s the a9r I wanted and it solves a ton of problems I have with the a7riv. (My only real problem with the a9 is megapickles, the riv has more issues but it’s my primary work camera because I need resolution.) It’s too expensive, but I expected to lose 2K on the next upgrade, instead I will lose 4K. Meanwhile the price allows Sony to position as a Canon pro killer, standing now on specs instead of price.
The rollout is very very strange. The Sony-supplied images that showed up on DPR are SUPER weird. It’s clear there was no prep (look at the model’s nails), the focus is off, etc. Is there a reason they couldn’t prepare some real images to show the camera’s strengths? I know this is more of a marketing question but, again, that’s weird. Probably anyone on this thread could do better.
I would think one reason this is not an a9r (and that eventually Sony will come out with another a9 series for sports) is because most sports shooters really do NOT need high res. We want to think we do, but we don’t. Most of us are wifi-ing our best shots during the game to the league and the team for social media. The rare killer game shot will end up as a stadium wrap or billboard or other OOH piece for the team or league, but many big images are shot in team media days, not in game. So day to day sports shooters will get another option, while the a1 is for the big players in sports, for the Olympics, etc.
p.21 #12 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
ketang wrote:
Were you able to order on the B&H website? I'm still locked out 20 minutes after hitting the pre-order button.
Feels like they are inviting this situation by delaying the pre-orders until the next day. In the UK pre-orders opened at the same time as the announcement (for both the 35 GM and α1), which spreads out demand a little as some people will at least wait to digest the specs. I on the other hand pre-ordered the GM immediately, on the basis that I could look at the specs and cancel if later.
p.21 #13 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
arbitrage wrote:
I'll have to try that again. I think I did try it at some point but can't remember how it went.
FYI, although I have also recommended this program, it does work better with raw+jpg. I found that raw alone just doesn't look good enough to make a quick decision on yay or nay as I go through my photos to discard losers.
p.21 #15 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
kimknapp wrote:
FYI, although I have also recommended this program, it does work better with raw+jpg. I found that raw alone just doesn't look good enough to make a quick decision on yay or nay as I go through my photos to discard losers.
That sort of rings a bell. I use a really fast culling program that my friend wrote. It basically works similar to PhotoMechanic and uses the embedded jpeg or alternatively the jpeg from RAW+Jpeg shooting. The issue with Sony is the embedded preview jpeg is tiny so in order to use any of these programs for fast culling at 100% you have to shoot RAW+Jpeg. On the A7RIV I only needed to shoot M jpeg and that was good enough. That will likely be the case with the A1. On my Canon and Nikon cameras there is a large embedded jpeg in every RAW file so these fast culling programs work way better.
I'll give FRV a try and see if it works okay. Otherwise I'll keep on with RAW+Jpeg shooting...unless Sony surprises us and there is a large jpeg in the RAW now.
p.21 #16 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
kimknapp wrote:
Now, how many bodies is BH getting in the first shipment?
I am doing an extended camping trip starting mid-April. Would be nice to have it by then.
Few stores I know they order 100. How many Sony sent to them on the first wave is another question.
p.21 #18 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
j4nu wrote:
Hmm do you guys really expect that a 6500$ camera will be backordered already?
I guess I was not aware how popular this kind of stuff is in the US, as I think the stock will not be that limited...
My thought as well, but one also has to consider that manufacturers might well drip-feed supply in order to keep demand high for as long as possible. Plus there's probably going to be strong demand from agencies for the Olympics that might well suck up a lot of supply before the summer.
I'm going to wait and see some reviews before deciding on whether to buy or not (it fixes a lot of my gripes about the A9, but that price is still eyewatering). I'm assuming that if I decide to pull the proverbial trigger this summer it will be backordered and I might have to wait for weeks or months to get one. Of course, I could wait until the end of the year when I expect the first discounts will appear, although even at $5999 it's still a tough decision.
p.21 #19 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
I have an A9 and A7R3. I got my order in at 10:00 and saved some tax using Payboo. Fred, I used your link 😇
I decided to sell the A9 because more of my work is product photography where the R3 is a better backup for me. Also, the A9 should sell for more than the R3, which will help me cover the cost of the A1.
Can’t wait for it to arrive. Christmas was subdued, so this feels like my real X-Mas gift (even if its to myself).
Faraday wrote:
For me facing this exact q I’ll keep the a9. Backup bodies for me are 1) in case of main body failure which is unlikely, but you must be prepared and 2) for quick lens change, in which case you just give the a9 a lens/shots where, usually, you won’t be cropping in hugely.
p.21 #20 · Pre-Order Sony Alpha A1 (50MP, 30fps, 8K)
I have to thank Sony for putting it out of reach. I was planning on upgrading my Blackmagic camera this year, waiting/hoping for a new Pocket camera. I have an A7RIV for stills. The tug to put all this into one camera body is strong especially with the video specs and more importantly, Cinetone. If it were $5K I would be planning my financial strategy now, but that would be looking ahead at some sale, edu or used later this year. But at $6500, there is no way any of those channels are going to bring the price down enough. Not complaining about the cost of such a massive increase in tech in that body. It's amazing.
So, I'll buy whatever Blackmagic offers this year. As for stills, I'm hoping that the new Fuji might drive down the cost of the 50R. A friend bought that at the same time I bought my Sony and we went on a travel trip together last June. For the work I do, I preferred the files he was getting. But at that time, the cost of the Fuji system where you have to factor in the lens along with the body was too high unlike the the Sony where I was able to adapt my Contax and Pentax glass. But I might investigate that avenue if my buddy goes for the GFX100S and sells his 50R.
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