AGeoJO wrote:
So, Jan, when did you upgrade yours from 1.30 to 1.31 then?
Well, I don't remember exactly when I did the upgrade but I downloaded 1.31 on 14.09.2022 so probably not long after.
I'm only glad I had 1.30 during my summer vacation trips .
Please keep us updated , I’d be very interested to hear how well you find it now performs for fast BIF . I’m tempted to use my Sony 600mm F4 fund go get one , if there was a longer zoom available I’d probably have already ordered . I’ve tried friends Z9 but that was with mainly 500mm pf for BIF . I still found the A1 was grabbing better (BEAF priority AF off) but would like to try the Z9 more with z lenses
arbitrage wrote:
I bought a Z9 so I can play with something new as it seems increasingly likely that Sony isn't going to do anything to correct FW 1.31 for the A1.
multibit wrote:
Please keep us updated , I’d be very interested to hear how well you find it now performs for fast BIF . I’m tempted to use my Sony 600mm F4 fund go get one , if there was a longer zoom available I’d probably have already ordered . I’ve tried friends Z9 but that was with mainly 500mm pf for BIF . I still found the A1 was grabbing better (BEAF priority AF off) but would like to try the Z9 more with z lenses
I am not sure you would have the same AF performance issues with the 600GM though. I see erratic EyeAF behavior with firmware 1.31 (and after a reset), but it seems to be mainly about how Eye AF (and its detection square) behaves in the viewfinder. When actually taking shots with intent, they all come out pretty dead on. It grabs BIF instantly and I see no issues with missed shots.
I am not sure what is happening, if the EyeAF detection is overrided or is misrepresented in the viewfinder, but focus is generally spot-on.
I no longer have the 200-600G to compare or try out, but the fact that the results are generally very good with the A1+600GM has eased my concern over firmware 1.31 at least with the 600GM.
Perhaps others who have both lenses can help get a sense on how dodgy the A1 is with the 600GM compared to earlier firmware, but I believe Geoff still rates it above the Z9.
twodees wrote:
I think this is the key thing that needs to happen as from my correspondence with SCS (UK) it 'seemed' to be something they were unaware of.
From my dealings with Sony support years ago when I discovered and proved some focus issues with the first FE16-35 /f4 and something with the image stabilisation not working on the A7r2 they continued to say there was nothing wrong and no one else had any problems. Finally after escalating right up the support line they agreed and firmware updates came along (I can't remember the exact details as it's so long ago). I think as a matter of course they won't admit to issues but if enough do come in maybe something will be fixed behind the scenes. I have pro support but BIF is not my area and I don't have these lenses so I can't help by contacting them. I used to do beta testing for Leica on their firmware updates and twice found issues there which were fixed before release but I don't know if Sony have the same process where people the field test before a firmware is released.
ChrisMak wrote:
I am not sure you would have the same AF performance issues with the 600GM though. I see erratic EyeAF behavior with firmware 1.31 (and after a reset), but it seems to be mainly about how Eye AF (and its detection square) behaves in the viewfinder. When actually taking shots with intent, they all come out pretty dead on. It grabs BIF instantly and I see no issues with missed shots.
I am not sure what is happening, if the EyeAF detection is overrided or is misrepresented in the viewfinder, but focus is generally spot-on.
I no longer have the 200-600G to compare or try out, but the fact that the results are generally very good with the A1+600GM has eased my concern over firmware 1.31 at least with the 600GM.
Perhaps others who have both lenses can help get a sense on how dodgy the A1 is with the 600GM compared to earlier firmware, but I believe Geoff still rates it above the Z9....Show more →
A1 on FW 1.31 is still ahead of Z9 for initial AF acquisition at distance (subject small in frame), over complicated background and holding AF as the subject transitions onto a complicated background. However, I was getting the impression last weekend shooting swallows that when the Z9 managed to lock on and track for a short burst of shots, it was more consistent in the results.
The A1 through the VF looked like it was tracking perfectly but the actual results on the computer were less consistent. The Z9 sequences where it actually managed to work were amazingly accurate and consistent in that accuracy.
But the Z9 was super frustrating to shoot swallows with as I do shoot them in a location where IMO the best shots are when then come up off the water and over the reed/tree background as I get nice yellows and greens as my background (swallow snagging bug off of water not withstanding). The first outing I tried my best for a better part of an hour, was so frustrated that I pulled out the A1 and probably had more shots in 2mins with the A1 than I had in that hour with the Z9. But on day 2 for some reason I got the Z9 to perform better (not actually sure how) and I was able to shoot without getting as frustrated. But it was very difficult for the Z9 to acquire the swallow at any sort of distance and it will lose it to the background 90% of the time if the swallow moves from the water over the trees/reeds. It was basically impossible to acquire a swallow when it was already over the complicated background.
arbitrage wrote:
A1 on FW 1.31 is still ahead of Z9 for initial AF acquisition at distance (subject small in frame), over complicated background and holding AF as the subject transitions onto a complicated background. However, I was getting the impression last weekend shooting swallows that when the Z9 managed to lock on and track for a short burst of shots, it was more consistent in the results.
The A1 through the VF looked like it was tracking perfectly but the actual results on the computer were less consistent. The Z9 sequences where it actually managed to work were amazingly accurate and consistent in that accuracy.
But the Z9 was super frustrating to shoot swallows with as I do shoot them in a location where IMO the best shots are when then come up off the water and over the reed/tree background as I get nice yellows and greens as my background (swallow snagging bug off of water not withstanding). The first outing I tried my best for a better part of an hour, was so frustrated that I pulled out the A1 and probably had more shots in 2mins with the A1 than I had in that hour with the Z9. But on day 2 for some reason I got the Z9 to perform better (not actually sure how) and I was able to shoot without getting as frustrated. But it was very difficult for the Z9 to acquire the swallow at any sort of distance and it will lose it to the background 90% of the time if the swallow moves from the water over the trees/reeds. It was basically impossible to acquire a swallow when it was already over the complicated background....Show more →
Thanks for clearing that up. So as I understand it, AF aquisition is fast and accurate, in many scenarios (as is my experience), but in fast burst shooting it may drop frames regarding accuracy.
Is that lack of consistency connected to EyeAF, or does it also occur when EyeAF is off, or when an eye is not detected?
And is it particular to firmware 1.31? And lastly, does it also occur when panning, or only when a bird comes towards you? It is a strange issue, as the AF motors in the 600GM are so fast that they should have no issue sticking to the subject. I wonder if something else is going on.
I only recently transitioned from the 200-600G to the 600GM, and the AF performance of the 600GM is still sinking in, just damn fast and accurate compared to the 200-600G, so for me it is streets ahead no matter what. I only find the erratic dancing of the EyeAF square peculiar (it did this far less if at all with the 200-600G before the factory reset), but as it does not seem to affect AF accuracy much if at all, I have started ignoring it. When it positively grabs an eye, it will stop jumping around.
AGeoJO wrote:
Shirley, as I said, I couldn’t figure out why my FW is version 1.30 although clearly it was downloaded in October 2022. Not to add salt to the wound but I am truly impressed with the AF performance on the at FW. I have been going to my favorite falcon site 4 times already and last Saturday, I put that combo to the test. I set the camera to 30fps, shutter speed to 1/4000sec AND the AF mode to the entire screen. It didn’t have any issues picking up the eye of the falcon sitting on the cliff first and when it took off, I got 22 images until it flew behind some cliffs. Every single frame is in perfect focus, even the last one when it was about to disappear closer to the bottom of the screen.
I venture to say that the FW 1.30 is even better, sticker and tracking better, in other words than the FW 1.20. I took hundreds of in-flight shots and I noticed only a single frame where the AF drifted away very slightly but in the next frame, it went back to perfect focus. It is that impressive! It seems to me that I noticed the AF drifting away albeit slight more frequently back then on the 1.20.
Here is the deal. I still have the FW on my iMac. I can send that to you if you are on Mac. Who knows since it is labelled at 1.31, maybe it will let you override the existing FW. You may want to do the reset technique described above before installing the FW 1.30 or fake 1.31 that I have. I would say it won’t hurt to try… Please let me know.
BTW, this applies to anyone here that wants to try installing that particular FW. But mine is a Mac version though…...Show more →
Joshua, thank you. I no longer have FW 1.30 so I would love to try installing it over the 1.31 that doesn't live up to its predecessor. Shall I send you a PM?
Meanwhile, for all of us who are still experiencing focus issues with FW 1.31, I think we should all contact Sony, either through Pro Support or in email or by phone and ask that they issue a FW that will take us back to what 1.30 offered in the way of AF.
twodees wrote:
I think this is the key thing that needs to happen as from my correspondence with SCS (UK) it 'seemed' to be something they were unaware of.
I think that if Sony heard from more people about FW 1.31 and the problems that many of us have been seeing, they would respond in some way. I did contact Pro Support by phone back in November, and was told that "a few" people had experienced AF problems with 1.31. Their solution, which they claimed would restore the better AF in 1.30, was a complete reset of the camera to factory settings, then install 1.31. I did that. It didn't work.
Sony should also be aware of threads like this in which users having different photographic needs and techniques are experiencing worse AF with 1.31 than with prior FW.
Please call Sony or send an email if any of you are seeing these problems.
ChrisMak wrote:
I am not sure you would have the same AF performance issues with the 600GM though. I see erratic EyeAF behavior with firmware 1.31 (and after a reset), but it seems to be mainly about how Eye AF (and its detection square) behaves in the viewfinder. When actually taking shots with intent, they all come out pretty dead on. It grabs BIF instantly and I see no issues with missed shots.
I am not sure what is happening, if the EyeAF detection is overrided or is misrepresented in the viewfinder, but focus is generally spot-on.
I no longer have the 200-600G to compare or try out, but the fact that the results are generally very good with the A1+600GM has eased my concern over firmware 1.31 at least with the 600GM.
Perhaps others who have both lenses can help get a sense on how dodgy the A1 is with the 600GM compared to earlier firmware, but I believe Geoff still rates it above the Z9....Show more →
Problem is I use the 200-600 a lot and would still use it a lot if I got the 600mm f4 GM. I know the 200-600 is nowhere as fast or sharp as the 600mm f4 but it used to be a reliable combo for me and great for walking around with , it did get me the shots .I find it extremely frustrating now its no longer as reliable , I'm at a loss what else to try . Its not terrible just not up to what it used to be
^^^ this... if users experiencing these issues do not create cases with Sony, it's very likely nothing will be done. I highly doubt Sony combs these forums for issues with existing cameras.. they're more interested in selling you their next body! And you can bet they will do the same thing again with the next generation camera. It's Sonys style 😎
multibit wrote:
How many people with fw1.31 problems have contacted Sony ? If we all emailed them directly surely they would do something?
multibit wrote:
Problem is I use the 200-600 a lot and would still use it a lot if I got the 600mm f4 GM. I know the 200-600 is nowhere as fast or sharp as the 600mm f4 but it used to be a reliable combo for me and great for walking around with , it did get me the shots .I find it extremely frustrating now its no longer as reliable , I'm at a loss what else to try . Its not terrible just not up to what it used to be
I get your point, Sony should of course fix the AF issues with the 200-600G that are caused by the 1.31 firmware!!
I just meant to say that the A1 with firmware 1.31 should not be a reason not to get the 600GM. Switching systems is awefully expensive, and great as Nikon's lenses are, they don't have a 600/4 lens at the price of the Sony 600GM.
You would certainly be better of financially if you simply waited for the Z8 and added it with e.g. a Z400/4.5 with the 1.4TC, should Sony fail to bring new firmware for the A1, and choose to concentrate on the A1mkII.
All assuming you really want a 600/4 lens of course...
Yeah, I think the only way I can report an issue to Sony is through my luckily still valid warranty. I think I might do that but I'm not looking forward to sending my camera in and getting it back a month later with a note saying everything works as expected on 1.31 ... I will ask about firmware downgrade though.
Besides, I think there was this wildlife photographer who on his yt said the issue has been reported to Sony in November already.
Is there any other channel to report an issue to Sony in EU?
If there's any other reliable emails to use I'll send them another mail ASAP too . Animals seems ok , birds perched ok unless it jumps to the background but it's BIF that's causing me most issues . The green box shows but the viewed back shots are mostly soft/OOF
.