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Holger wrote:
Many expect wonders. I think many will be disappointed with the A1, as there is not the wow moment I had when first using the A9 with E-shutter. The A1 feels and behaves like the A9ii when shooting most of the time, so it depends on the features one needs to make it worth it or not. The whole package of course is class-leading in my opinion.
After using it over the week-end with my wife:
-The A1 is a better camera and if you want the 50MP and approx. 30 fps option there is currently no other camera around.
-I tried my flashes and the flash sync + flash in e-shutter or flicker detection (+adjustment) is a game changer for us.
-Although we did a lot of shooting against the sun and we didn't check all images made, we couldn't see any striping effects due to PD pixels. This phenomenon is a very annoying on the A9, better on the A9ii and not an issue on the A7riv. Seems not to be a thing with the A1, too.
- It is faster to operate, that is definitely a plus at weddings, where this can be critical. We worked around that issue with our bodies so far and try to anticipate what happens constantly, there is less need to do so with the A1. About 1/2s - 0.6s time to wake up from sleep and 0.9-1s after switching it on until I can fire the first shot are welcome (Ariplane mode, no DRO, NR etc. on). An issue for amateurs? Don't think so.
-Operating it during buffering is less of an issue for us, but for BIF/Sports a big improvement. Occasionally we need to use it and it is nice to have. Issue for soccer dads/moms? Likely not.
-There are many small but nice improvements. The dial on top left to change shooting mode is now cylindrical, so you better see the modes. I like it.
Important for us is the eye sensor change, which moved to the bottom of the VF. Less prone to get dirty or when changing from warm to cold or when exhaling with masks, moisture can be easily swiped away. Very cool. The EVF cap seems to be locked in better, too.
-EVF is fantastic, I like the 0.9x magnification. Judging sharpness in EVF (what I do all the time to be not affected by surrounding light) is clearly improved. Colors pop more, too.
-RGB sensor. Under artificial lights colors out of the camera are much more natural. Very nice for weddings.
-eye AF for humans, animals (cats) is clearly improved, no idea about BIF, but seems so (;-)).
-iso performance is very good and close to A9ii, after downsizing I like the files due to the finer grain even better. DR at base iso is clearly better compared to A9ii and close to A7riv. A73 and A7r3 are still better. I don't see any reservation for landscape use at all.
-Lossless compressed means much larger files. About 1950 images fit on a 128 GB SD card (on the A9ii 2490 compressed raw fit on a 64 GB card for comparison).
So there are many improvements and some absolutely vital or welcome for certain professions. For amateurs I don't see a reason to upgrade from A9ii/A7riv if funds are limited. Otherwise don't hesitate ;-) . It is definitely more fun to use.
For us it is clear that we buy one as intended. My wife is convinced as well. We have still time left, due to Covid most weddings in the first half of the year were postponed and for standard couple or portrait sessions the A7riv/A9ii do the job as well. So time to sell off the A9. I will buy the 35GM however, soon. Absolutely fantastic lens.
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Well said!
I'll add my impressions:
* startup time is closer to 2s if you wait for all indicators to appear (I find it harder to measure the time when I can take the first picture...)
* I didn't really notice siginificant IBIS improvement, probably because it's offset by moving from 24 to 50 mpix (tried my Bigma and I barely got a tack sharp shot with 1/4s).
* battery usage is higher, maybe not exactly by the process of taking pictures, but general usage of the camera. So keeping it on, walking with it, checking EVF, checking LCD, etc... I'd say when I previously would expect 60-70% left, with A1 it's 50-something (I do have high quality EVF on though, which increases power consumption).
* colors are different and since I don't have a working RAW converter yet, I find it a bit hard to match my previous jpeg settings under artificial lighting
* mechanical shutter (though with EFCS only) is indeed nicer but I've already forgotten how it sounds  .
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