Douglas L wrote:
I was at the same location shooting eagles yesterday, at 1/4000 shutter speed, there were plenty of less than sharp images that I discarded, the saving grace is the fast frame rate, I can always find some sharp ones.
Well, as you know, there are plenty of factors affecting AF speed and precision. On my last tour I had a black kite heading straight at me and they were all perfectly sharp (using a 600GM). You had to zoom into 100% to see any difference in sharpness at all and that wasn't due to AF but due to movement. So while I can't go back and compare with FW 1.30 either, I'll balk at the suggestion that AF for BIF has suffered unconditionally. I had BEAF on, but not sure it was doing anything, probably wasn't necessary for the head on images anyway. IS was off, shutter speed was 1/3200.
Daran wrote:
Well, as you know, there are plenty of factors affecting AF speed and precision. On my last tour I had a black kite heading straight at me and they were all perfectly sharp (using a 600GM). You had to zoom into 100% to see any difference in sharpness at all and that wasn't due to AF but due to movement. So while I can't go back and compare with FW 1.30 either, I'll balk at the suggestion that AF for BIF has suffered unconditionally. I had BEAF on, but not sure it was doing anything, probably wasn't necessary for the head on images anyway. IS was off, shutter speed was 1/3200....Show more →
The issue I described in my post is not even head-on approaching, the eagles caught fish and flew side way from me, there was no background distraction, except some times the water, but even the water was not sharp if one thinks the AF grabbed the water. Now this is not consistent, sometimes I got good shots. The shutter speed of 1/3200 or even 1/4000 is more than fast enough for eagles. I don't recall I got such % of less than sharp images in the past.
Douglas L wrote:
The issue I described in my post is not even head-on approaching, the eagles caught fish and flew side way from me, there was no background distraction, except some times the water, but even the water was not sharp if one thinks the AF grabbed the water. Now this is not consistent, sometimes I got good shots. The shutter speed of 1/3200 or even 1/4000 is more than fast enough for eagles. I don't recall I got such % of less than sharp images in the past.
That does not sound like AF. If it is AF, some part of the image is in focus, but not at the correct distance. So E.g. the wings are in focus but the head is not. If everything is soft, that is either movement, which will feature asymmetric softness, or atmospheric distortion (aka seeing), which will be blurry everywhere, but distinctly more the further away your subject is.
Darn, every time I see an update to this thread I'm expecting to read something new and/or positive about a fw update...so disappointing. I'm with that chap in the yt video.
chrislee wrote:
Darn, every time I see an update to this thread I'm expecting to read something new and/or positive about a fw update...so disappointing. I'm with that chap in the yt video.
Everytime I read this thread I am glad I was lazy and never updated my fw. But, I have to say, I will think twice before shelling out money on a Sony flagship camera again. Besides the fw issues, I am not happy to see a lot of features in new camera releases but little support for those of us who spent $6500 on an A1.
I’m typically not interested in buying new, but on the used market I think I would prefer A7RV instead of an A1. That might just be my ignorance in how nice a stacked sensor is. Seems like a marketing mistake by Sony, hopefully they will release firmware that takes full advantage of the hardware.
My biggest gripe is their lack of communication about the existence of a firmware update. I understand development may take longer than expected, or they can't commit to a specific feature until it has been beta tested. But this silly guessing game by users, if there will even be a firmware update, is silly.
Already moving to another brand, even Canon is doing better with firmware. Sony will never make another Dollar out of me. Now they have market share the company is no longer looking after the people that put them in that position. Goodbye Sony.
frustrated as I am with the 1.31 snafu it seems like this thread is going off the rails a bit. Since when do camera makers telegraph future firmware updates? Maybe it's a new thing but in the past I've just been pleasantly surprised when one appears, as I hopefully will be when a Sony A1 update finally does (Canon's R5 announcement seems designed to placate those anticipating a hardware update this year). And the 1.31 issues are, by all accounts, far from universal, so I understand it's hard for Sony to acknowledge any problem if they can't yet nail down what it is.
The only aspect that does continue to frustrate me is the lack of meaningful fw updates in the first place. We're still on v1.x with a 2-year old flagship camera, which seems a bit miserly on Sony's part based on history and comparisons with other manufacturers/models. It would indeed be nice if Sony confirmed an update is coming, even if there's no time frame, but for now we'll have to make do with kinda sorta confirmed rumors.
I think one of the issues is that Sony set a bit of a precedent back when they gave the A9 and A7RIII/7III big important FW updates. So much so that the A9 got most of the A9II features that arrived as a new camera shortly after the FW 5 and 6 updates.
Now we see all these simple little features show up on A7IV and A7RV which Sony could so easily add to the A1 that we all paid a lot of money for....more money than either the Nikon or Canon flagships which continue to get decent FW updates.
We all know we aren't expecting the A7RV's AI chip to magically appear in our A1s nor the A7RVs multi angle rear screen but I think it wouldn't be too much to ask to get some features like Animal Eye-AF in video, updates from memory cards and DMF for all lenses via in camera option. I'm sure there are some other little features I can't recall right now.
That said, if Sony just saves all this for the A1II and forces us to pay another $6500 ($9K CAD), I'll be a little bit frustrated. BUT having just spent 2 weeks with the Z9 and having used the R3, I'll have no choice but to shell out for the A1II as those other systems still aren't on par with even the A1 let alone what the A1II should be with AI chip etc.
arbitrage wrote:
I think one of the issues is that Sony set a bit of a precedent back when they gave the A9 and A7RIII/7III big important FW updates. So much so that the A9 got most of the A9II features that arrived as a new camera shortly after the FW 5 and 6 updates.
Now we see all these simple little features show up on A7IV and A7RV which Sony could so easily add to the A1 that we all paid a lot of money for....more money than either the Nikon or Canon flagships which continue to get decent FW updates.
We all know we aren't expecting the A7RV's AI chip to magically appear in our A1s nor the A7RVs multi angle rear screen but I think it wouldn't be too much to ask to get some features like Animal Eye-AF in video, updates from memory cards and DMF for all lenses via in camera option. I'm sure there are some other little features I can't recall right now.
That said, if Sony just saves all this for the A1II and forces us to pay another $6500 ($9K CAD), I'll be a little bit frustrated. BUT having just spent 2 weeks with the Z9 and having used the R3, I'll have no choice but to shell out for the A1II as those other systems still aren't on par with even the A1 let alone what the A1II should be with AI chip etc....Show more →
Not defending Sony but are they obligated to always add new features available in less “expensive” but more recent cameras via firmware updates since we paid a premium price for the flagship A1? Yes, it looks like they could be added by Sony in the form of a new firmware but what do I know, I am not a software engineer and I am looking from the outside. Of course, I am all for getting all new features whether I use them or not but I knew that the camera I bought didn’t have those.
Geoff, is yours now on 1.30 or 1.31 or another firmware? Regardless, your images are nothing short but amazing
k-h.a.w wrote:
Well Geoff, at a minimum Sony needs to address the current A1 issue through a firmware update me thinks.
K-H.
I see your point and actually, if Sony could allow the installation of a previous FW, it would be just fine to quiet down folks that encounter (dare I say, real or perceived) issues using cameras on 1.31 FW. Please note I understand the frustration of some folks and feel for them though…
My opinion is yes, they absolutely are obligated to.
AGeoJO wrote:
Not defending Sony but are they obligated to always add new features available in less “expensive” but more recent cameras via firmware updates since we paid a premium price for the flagship A1?
AGeoJO wrote:
Not defending Sony but are they obligated to always add new features available in less “expensive” but more recent cameras via firmware updates since we paid a premium price for the flagship A1?
No, they obviously have no obligation whatsoever. The A1 still does exactly what it was claimed to do when we bought it, and the "missing" features don't detract from it intended use - sports and action photography.
It's like crying about your Corvette not having cupholders big enough for a 96-ounce Big Gulp after GM decided to put them in the cheaper Chevy Tahoe...
molson wrote:
No, they obviously have no obligation whatsoever. The A1 still does exactly what it was claimed to do when we bought it, and the "missing" features don't detract from it intended use - sports and action photography.
It's like crying about your Corvette not having cupholders big enough for a 96-ounce Big Gulp after GM decided to put them in the cheaper Chevy Tahoe...
I agree there's no obligation on Sony's part. Historically, camera makers have never "refreshed" older models with every feature introduced on newer models. Upgrade-itis is the lifeblood of electronics companies like Sony, hence the wonderfully non-PC term "cripple hammer" that fanboys have always accused Sony, Canon, Nikon et al of using with every new body.
In the case of the Corvette with too-small cupholders, however, there would likely be an aftermarket company that would release a piece of trim that would replace the old cupholders with bigger ones. Imagine if third party company were able to design and release new firmware for cameras? We'd probably be able to get all sorts of fun new features!
wordfool wrote:
Imagine if third party company were able to design and release new firmware for cameras? We'd probably be able to get all sorts of fun new features!
Oh wait... we already had that via "apps" on pre-3rd gen bodies...
Being recently acquainted to the A1 (thanks Molson), I am very happy with the A1. might not offer the latest from the R5, but what I wanted from the A1 is exactly what I got. larger MP than A9, better color science, anti flicker in silent mode and an electronic shutter that is rolling shutter free (at lesst to my eye). If I add tho this that I can use a flash with the ecurtain, sync speed of 1/400th in mechanical and 1/500 in Apsc I think it covers all my bases.
I guess, Im blessed to not have had any issue so far with what other folks are experiencing.
wordfool wrote:
I agree there's no obligation on Sony's part. Historically, camera makers have never "refreshed" older models with every feature introduced on newer models. Upgrade-itis is the lifeblood of electronics companies like Sony, hence the wonderfully non-PC term "cripple hammer" that fanboys have always accused Sony, Canon, Nikon et al of using with every new body.
In the case of the Corvette with too-small cupholders, however, there would likely be an aftermarket company that would release a piece of trim that would replace the old cupholders with bigger ones. Imagine if third party company were able to design and release new firmware for cameras? We'd probably be able to get all sorts of fun new features! ...Show more →
I have to wonder, how would you feel if Sony released a newer firmware that actually fixed the focus issue yet broke something else you use? People keep saying 1.31 made things worse while, assuming, it fixed something else. The same thing could happen again. I have no clue how Sony (or any other brand) goes about FW updates and the testing that follows. But I have to believe that fixing a major issue is easy but even finding something like the keeper rate dropping wouldn't be.
AGeoJO wrote:
Not defending Sony but are they obligated to always add new features available in less “expensive” but more recent cameras via firmware updates since we paid a premium price for the flagship A1? Yes, it looks like they could be added by Sony in the form of a new firmware but what do I know, I am not a software engineer and I am looking from the outside. Of course, I am all for getting all new features whether I use them or not but I knew that the camera I bought didn’t have those.
Geoff, is yours now on 1.30 or 1.31 or another firmware? Regardless, your images are nothing short but amazing
I see your point and actually, if Sony could allow the installation of a previous FW, it would be just fine to quiet down folks that encounter (dare I say, real or perceived) issues using cameras on 1.31 FW. Please note I understand the frustration of some folks and feel for them though… ...Show more →
I'm on 1.31. I rarely wait to update things....just jump in the deep end
I agree, Sony isn't obligated to give us any FW updates. Especially FW just to add features. I think they have some obligation to provide FW to fix problems like the original EVF blackout issue.
I'd love to be able to shoot an A1 on 1.20FW back to back with the 1.31 to see if there really is an AF difference. But after shooting the Z9 for the past 2 weeks, I have a new appreciation for the A1 even on 1.31.
After all the hype and many claims it now matches the A1 I was really surprised after trying the Z9 , trying the various focus modes acquisition was hard for fast moving subjects compared to the A1 . I wish I could have spent a lot more time with it . You can obviously get the shots but just didn’t get that confidence you get with the A1 imo . Only thing I’ve tried that’s as quick or even maybe quicker is the OM-1 but that seems to have less nailed shots from a burst than the A1 , the OM-1 was similar to what I got with the fw1.31 update but worse if that makes sense .
I’ve not properly tried the canons yet although I do have friends that use them
arbitrage wrote:
I'm on 1.31. I rarely wait to update things....just jump in the deep end
I agree, Sony isn't obligated to give us any FW updates. Especially FW just to add features. I think they have some obligation to provide FW to fix problems like the original EVF blackout issue.
I'd love to be able to shoot an A1 on 1.20FW back to back with the 1.31 to see if there really is an AF difference. But after shooting the Z9 for the past 2 weeks, I have a new appreciation for the A1 even on 1.31.
