ChrisMak wrote:
Definitely the easiest way for a Sony A1 user to get timely firmware updates, is switching to a Nikon Z9
All jokes aside, Nikon is really knocking post-launch support out of the park on the Z9. Almost every update has included some improvement to AF as well to user requests. It's often the companies playing from behind who are the best at customer service, while the dogs *cough cough* rest on their laurels.
I also fully expect the Z 200-600 to play well with most of if not all of the Z cameras, if that lens ever sees the light of day
AND...you can downgrade a Z9 to whatever FW you like best for your uses.
ChrisMak wrote:
Definitely the easiest way for a Sony A1 user to get timely firmware updates, is switching to a Nikon Z9
The form factor of the Z9 is just not for me. I think the A1's processor can do a lot more if Sony wanted to. I do like Nikon's 800mm PF and the 600mm TC though. I have around $40K in Sony gear so doing a whole sale switch is not practical. I also like a lot of the glasses Sony, Voigtlander, and Sigma make for E mount. If I were only shooting wildlife and starting new, Nikon would be a serious option right now with their long glasses. And if their 200-600 is even better than Sony's, I may dip my toe in Nikon once again. The way I look at it, Sony doesn't owe me sh*t and I don't owe Sony sh*t. I shoot whatever that's better for me.
RoamingScott wrote:
All jokes aside, Nikon is really knocking post-launch support out of the park on the Z9. Almost every update has included some improvement to AF as well to user requests. It's often the companies playing from behind who are the best at customer service, while the dogs *cough cough* rest on their laurels.
I also fully expect the Z 200-600 to play well with most of if not all of the Z cameras, if that lens ever sees the light of day
AND...you can downgrade a Z9 to whatever FW you like best for your uses.
To be fair Sony did similar with the original A9, adding features via firmware right up to v6.0 just before the release of the A92, so I think perhaps it's more a feature of the "newness" of the tech rather than the company. Stacked sensors are new to Nikon in the Z9, but are relatively mature tech for Sony now.
Downgrading the firmware, however, is something that every camera manufacturer should enable because bugs happen.
RoamingScott wrote:
All jokes aside, Nikon is really knocking post-launch support out of the park on the Z9. Almost every update has included some improvement to AF as well to user requests.
much of those firmware "updates" that nikon did was functionality that should have been there when the z9 was first released.
for instance, there wasn't any hi-frequency led flicker reduction on the z9 until the third update? and there still isn't any 30fps raw capability; the 30fps jpgs are low-p.q. heavily compressed files, will that ever get fixed? the big problems aren't getting touched by any firmware update, because it's beyond what the hardware is capable of.
wordfool wrote:
To be fair Sony did similar with the original A9, adding features via firmware right up to v6.0 just before the release of the A92, so I think perhaps it's more a feature of the "newness" of the tech rather than the company. Stacked sensors are new to Nikon in the Z9, but are relatively mature tech for Sony now.
Downgrading the firmware, however, is something that every camera manufacturer should enable because bugs happen.
Honest question, has Sony produced a meaningful firmware update for any camera after the A7R3 EyeAF update? My A7R4 certainly never got one. The A1 hasn't seemed to have gotten one (and in fact it seems every A1 update make the camera worse somehow). The A92 hasn't seemed to have gotten one. I honestly don't know.
Douglas L wrote:
The form factor of the Z9 is just not for me. I think the A1's processor can do a lot more if Sony wanted to. I do like Nikon's 800mm PF and the 600mm TC though. I have around $40K in Sony gear so doing a whole sale switch is not practical. I also like a lot of the glasses Sony, Voigtlander, and Sigma make for E mount. If I were only shooting wildlife and starting new, Nikon would be a serious option right now with their long glasses. And if their 200-600 is even better than Sony's, I may dip my toe in Nikon once again. The way I look at it, Sony doesn't owe me sh*t and I don't owe Sony sh*t. I shoot whatever that's better for me....Show more →
+1
When I added Sony to the kit it was for the AF of the A9II and the 200-600. Went deep into the rabbit hole after that with lenses and an A1.
Nikon was way too late to the game and still doesn’t have a 200-600. The form factor of the A1 makes a great travel / casual camera and if I need a grip, voila - battery grip goes on.
As incredible as the Z9 may be the form factor *for me* is a deal breaker.
It seems I may have dodged a bullet on the firmware since the Mac M1 upgrade procedure is so annoying that I didn’t even bother with 1.31
For those out of the Nikon loop, and I can't blame you, there is a major Z body announcement in March. Most of us are hoping it's a Z9 in a Z6 body, and there seems to be some smoke above that fire. If so, hope to see a few of you vote with your wallets and punish Sony for this bad behavior
RoamingScott wrote:
For those out of the Nikon loop, and I can't blame you, there is a major Z body announcement in March. Most of us are hoping it's a Z9 in a Z6 body, and there seems to be some smoke above that fire. If so, hope to see a few of you vote with your wallets and punish Sony for this bad behavior
Good, that seems to be the only thing that can make Sony release firmware 2.0 for A1 ...
When I added Sony to the kit it was for the AF of the A9II and the 200-600. Went deep into the rabbit hole after that with lenses and an A1.
Nikon was way too late to the game and still doesn’t have a 200-600. The form factor of the A1 makes a great travel / casual camera and if I need a grip, voila - battery grip goes on.
As incredible as the Z9 may be the form factor *for me* is a deal breaker.
It seems I may have dodged a bullet on the firmware since the Mac M1 upgrade procedure is so annoying that I didn’t even bother with 1.31 ...Show more →
Like you, I shoot a variety of stuff for fun. I really appreciate that Sony didn't build an integrated grip in the A1. Very often I carry two cameras with me with different lenses, so I have two A1s. I can't imagine lugging two Z9s with me to take landscape pictures.
Douglas L wrote:
The form factor of the Z9 is just not for me. I think the A1's processor can do a lot more if Sony wanted to. I do like Nikon's 800mm PF and the 600mm TC though. I have around $40K in Sony gear so doing a whole sale switch is not practical. I also like a lot of the glasses Sony, Voigtlander, and Sigma make for E mount. If I were only shooting wildlife and starting new, Nikon would be a serious option right now with their long glasses. And if their 200-600 is even better than Sony's, I may dip my toe in Nikon once again. The way I look at it, Sony doesn't owe me sh*t and I don't owe Sony sh*t. I shoot whatever that's better for me....Show more →
The Z9 weight and bulk was never for me either, it is the main reason why I decided on an A1 eventually and recently got a Sony 600GM instead of a Nikon Z800PF.
Now I know that the A1 was quite a bit ahead of the Z9 at launch, and that firmware 1.31 messed a perfectly fine camera up a bit for quite a few users (mainly birders I believe), but still, Sony is not making much at all of the A1 regarding firmware support.
Even if AF were top notch and ok, then there is e.g. pro capture in raw to implement, and the processor should be up to it.
Nikon is currently a nicer company regarding flagship support. Some people may disagree, arguing that Sony does not "owe A1 buyers anything at all" other than the little box they bought as they bought it, but I don't see 7K in raw materials when I hold the A1, so I would expect better firmware support for such an astronomical price..
ChrisMak wrote:
Definitely the easiest way for a Sony A1 user to get timely firmware updates, is switching to a Nikon Z9
I only owned one for a year and got 4 FW updates in that time before I sold it. Maybe I should have sold my Alpha 1. Used Z9 are now less than a $1000 more than an A7R V.
wordfool wrote:
Do you think Nikon will release firmware that knocks 2-inches off the height and a pound off the weight of the Z9?! If so I'm in!
That boat has sailed for me, I just got a 600GM a month ago. But had the mythical Z8 come a year earlier, things might have been different.
Still, I am not sure we will ever see flagship performance in a body other than the Z9, even if the Z8 will appear to be very good. The Sony A1 remains the only truly allround flagship body to date. I only own one single camera since getting it.
RoamingScott wrote:
Honest question, has Sony produced a meaningful firmware update for any camera after the A7R3 EyeAF update? My A7R4 certainly never got one. The A1 hasn't seemed to have gotten one (and in fact it seems every A1 update make the camera worse somehow). The A92 hasn't seemed to have gotten one. I honestly don't know.
Good question, and I don't know either since I don't own (or plan to own) any other Sony cameras. The total lack of meaningful A1 firmware updates in almost two years (beyond "minor enhancements" BS) is a bit mind blowing, though, but perhaps I was spoiled by owning the A9 before it. Then again, I've really not really been wanting any new features since the A1 is a pretty solid camera already and I'm not sure the hardware will support things I'd like to have like RAW pre-shot buffer and a better overall EVF experience.
Right now I just want BEAF that works like it used to or the ability to downgrade the firmware.
RoamingScott wrote:
For those out of the Nikon loop, and I can't blame you, there is a major Z body announcement in March. Most of us are hoping it's a Z9 in a Z6 body, and there seems to be some smoke above that fire. If so, hope to see a few of you vote with your wallets and punish Sony for this bad behavior
Every rumor I've seen suggests the Z8 will basically be an A7R5 competitor -- highest Nikon resolution (60+ MP) with all the bells and whistles of a flagship body, but no stacked sensor.
I hit "Initialize" on my A1, then manually restored the settings (I could recall the settings from the card, but decide to do this manually). It has been a gloomy day outside. I opened the window and spent 10 min looking at the birds visiting my two birdfeeders in the backyard. The camera did not hesitate to grab the eye (Zone focus area with tracking). Basically, I have not experienced anything abnormal with bird eye AF. Here are three examples where the focus was on the eye.
Both camera and the lens have the latest FW.
ILCE-1FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS + 2X Teleconverter lens1200mmf/13.01/1250s4000 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-1FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS + 2X Teleconverter lens1200mmf/13.01/1250s4000 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-1FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS + 2X Teleconverter lens1200mmf/13.01/1250s8000 ISO0.0 EV
wordfool wrote:
Good question, and I don't know either since I don't own (or plan to own) any other Sony cameras. The total lack of meaningful A1 firmware updates in almost two years (beyond "minor enhancements" BS) is a bit mind blowing, though, but perhaps I was spoiled by owning the A9 before it. Then again, I've really not really been wanting any new features since the A1 is a pretty solid camera already and I'm not sure the hardware will support things I'd like to have like RAW pre-shot buffer and a better overall EVF experience.
Right now I just want BEAF that works like it used to or the ability to downgrade the firmware.
For me it's not really about new features, but about porting existing ones that have already been developed for other bodies. How come A7IV (which is basically on the same platform time-wise) has for example focus breathing compensation support or A7RV has fulltime DMF, but Sony didn't even mention adding those features to A1...
ruthenium wrote:
I hit "Initialize" on my A1, then manually restored the settings (I could recall the settings from the card, but decide to do this manually). It has been a gloomy day outside. I opened the window and spent 10 min looking at the birds visiting my two birdfeeders in the backyard. The camera did not hesitate to grab the eye (Zone focus area with tracking). Basically, I have not experienced anything abnormal with bird eye AF. Here are three examples where the focus was on the eye.
Both camera and the lens have the latest FW.
Interesting that you're using tracking. When the weather improves here I might go out again with the 200-600 and try tracking focus modes to see if that makes a difference compared to my last, non-tracking outing.
j4nu wrote:
For me it's not really about new features, but about porting existing ones that have already been developed for other bodies. How come A7IV (which is basically on the same platform time-wise) has for example focus breathing compensation support or A7RV has fulltime DMF, but Sony didn't even mention adding those features to A1...
That's where I have no idea whether the hardware implementation is the hindrance rather than the firmware. I've always assumed camera processors are highly specialized, unlike computer processors, so they literally might not have the capabilities to do things we assume they can. Others with more knowledge of processor design might have better insight.
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