Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
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p.2 #1 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
Jonas B wrote:
Well, yes, that's the official specification, or sell pitch. Please note Sony doesn't describe the details of the mechanical shutter. Two things doesn't make sense: First the fact that a full mech. shutter is omitted. Then we have the fact you can't really figure this out from the specifications.
(The Nikon stacked sensor cameras are full electronic shutter only. That makes kind of sense.)
I also don't understand how the flash sync can be faster for the mechanical shutter if it is only EFCS. The flash sync is faster for the mechanical shutter than for the electronic shutter. Where did you and others get the information that the shutter is only EFCS? I haven't been able to find that anywhere and that is not my memory from when I had the camera, but it has been awhile. When I got divorced a few years ago my ex got that camera so I can't check any more, so is there something in the camera settings that indicates you can't select a full manual shutter?
p.2 #2 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
BigBabyMoses06 wrote:
Think I just need Sony to release an A9iiiR (and win the lotto)
They have. It's called the A1ii. Not a global shutter, sure, but I doubt we'll see one of those in a 50+ MP camera any time soon.
Feb 18, 2026 at 02:52 PM
Steve Spencer Online • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.2 #3 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
Here is an amusing cautionary tale about AI.
If I ask Google AI, "Does the Sony A1 have a full mechanical shutter?" It responds:
Yes, the Sony A1 features a full mechanical shutter, specifically a new dual-drive shutter unit capable of speeds up to 1/8000s and a 1/400s flash sync speed. It supports mechanical, electronic, or curtain-hybrid modes and can shoot at 10 fps with the mechanical shutter.
But, if I ask Google AI, "Is the Sony A1's mechanical shutter Electronic First Curtain only?" It responds:
Yes, the Sony A1's mechanical shutter functionality is effectively locked to using an Electronic First Curtain (EFC) at all times, with no option to turn it off for a "pure" full mechanical shutter.
Two very different answers. Since when I used the camera I almost always shot in electronic shutter mode, I now suspect that I never noticed you couldn't shut EFCS off if you select mechanical shutter. If someone who has the camera could check on that and report back. It would be much appreciated.
p.2 #8 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
j4nu wrote:
Yeah, I only mention it because OP specifically talks about flash photography...
Yes, I get that.
So, back to the OP and his question. I bought the A1 (second hand, like new, good price thanks to somebody who obviously had to upgrade as soon as the mark ii became available. Thnk you.) as I got tired of the slow sensors.
I like to be able to take images in environments with mixed light and not having to think about banding problems, I use silent shutter (fully electronic shutter mode) all the time as I dislike causing noise when shooting, I like to have a lot of pixels, I like it when cars, trains and so on doesn't get deformed, I love the 1/32000 shutter speed as I sometimes spend a day or two at the races, For many this doesn't make sense.
I dislike that the drive mode and AF mode can't be set using either the wheel or by presets. I dislike the lack of a complete mechanical shutter, I dislike that Sony went for CF Express Type A cards instead of Type B, the locking button on the mode drives buttons are too small and idiotic in the winter, the grip is too close to the lens, the screen can't be hidden against the body (I normally don't use the screen) and some more.
The sensor is somewhat sensitive to UV light and the sensor stack is too thick. Those problems are common to all (?) Sony models I think and Sony are also very slow to pick up good ideas from their users (or the competition).
The size of the camera is great and its the best camera for me and my habits I have used.
p.2 #9 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
Jonas B wrote:
Yes, I get that.
So, back to the OP and his question. I bought the A1 (second hand, like new, good price thanks to somebody who obviously had to upgrade as soon as the mark ii became available. Thnk you.) as I got tired of the slow sensors.
I like to be able to take images in environments with mixed light and not having to think about banding problems, I use silent shutter (fully electronic shutter mode) all the time as I dislike causing noise when shooting, I like to have a lot of pixels, I like it when cars, trains and so on doesn't get deformed, I love the 1/32000 shutter speed as I sometimes spend a day or two at the races, For many this doesn't make sense.
I dislike that the drive mode and AF mode can't be set using either the wheel or by presets. I dislike the lack of a complete mechanical shutter, I dislike that Sony went for CF Express Type A cards instead of Type B, the locking button on the mode drives buttons are too small and idiotic in the winter, the grip is too close to the lens, the screen can't be hidden against the body (I normally don't use the screen) and some more.
The sensor is somewhat sensitive to UV light and the sensor stack is too thick. Those problems are common to all (?) Sony models I think and Sony are also very slow to pick up good ideas from their users (or the competition).
The size of the camera is great and its the best camera for me and my habits I have used....Show more →
Good points!
For me, it's enough that I don't have to switch between electronic and EFCS/mechanical to have a good reason to own A1 .
On the other hand, I'm seriously tempted to try out the new A7V due to its fully articulated screen (I know I'd use it a lot) and amazing DR in mechanical.
I also have to say that after 5 years of owning an A1, I'm a bit disappointed with its build quality. I think I had to get a bad copy, as with the light amateur use it gets in my hands, the defects are worrying:
1) LCD stopped working completely
2) joystick, when pressed left or down, often registers center press (the same thing started to happen on my 3y old A7III)
3) the grip on the right and bottom side of the camera started coming off quite significantly.
p.2 #10 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
Eek! Going to scare me away from one soon lol. That sounds, rough.
j4nu wrote:
...
I also have to say that after 5 years of owning an A1, I'm a bit disappointed with its build quality. I think I had to get a bad copy, as with the light amateur use it gets in my hands, the defects are worrying:
1) LCD stopped working completely
2) joystick, when pressed left or down, often registers center press (the same thing started to happen on my 3y old A7III)
3) the grip on the right and bottom side of the camera started coming off quite significantly.
p.2 #12 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
old-gregg wrote:
As an owner of the A7RV, A1 II, and Nikon Z8
How do you find the a7rV and a1II compared to the Z8?
Currently trying to hold out for the Z9II to pair with my Z8, but if the Z9II is not announced in the next few months, I may give the a1II a serious look.
p.2 #13 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
j4nu wrote:
Good points!
For me, it's enough that I don't have to switch between electronic and EFCS/mechanical to have a good reason to own A1 .
On the other hand, I'm seriously tempted to try out the new A7V due to its fully articulated screen (I know I'd use it a lot) and amazing DR in mechanical.
I also have to say that after 5 years of owning an A1, I'm a bit disappointed with its build quality. I think I had to get a bad copy, as with the light amateur use it gets in my hands, the defects are worrying:
1) LCD stopped working completely
2) joystick, when pressed left or down, often registers center press (the same thing started to happen on my 3y old A7III)
3) the grip on the right and bottom side of the camera started coming off quite significantly.
I did luck out on the wifi/bt lottery though ......Show more →
p.2 #14 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
BigBabyMoses06 wrote:
I mostly shoot off camera flash senior portraits, and sport portraits / media days for schools & colleges.
EDIT:::
One thing I overlooked, spurred on by conversation here, is the A1 uses full time EFCS, which is a problem for HSS and off camera flash. That may change things for me. Last year I used a 3 - 7 stop ND filter to get more power out of my light and stayed in sync speed, but I missed using HSS over the vnd. Ugh, nothing is simple . More thinking to do.
Your senior portraits are shot at what f-stops? Are we talking f/8-11 or f/1.2-2?
Whats the flash situation for the sport portraits / media days?
p.2 #15 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
Steve Spencer wrote:
Here is an amusing cautionary tale about AI.
If I ask Google AI, "Does the Sony A1 have a full mechanical shutter?" It responds:
Yes, the Sony A1 features a full mechanical shutter, specifically a new dual-drive shutter unit capable of speeds up to 1/8000s and a 1/400s flash sync speed. It supports mechanical, electronic, or curtain-hybrid modes and can shoot at 10 fps with the mechanical shutter.
But, if I ask Google AI, "Is the Sony A1's mechanical shutter Electronic First Curtain only?" It responds:
Yes, the Sony A1's mechanical shutter functionality is effectively locked to using an Electronic First Curtain (EFC) at all times, with no option to turn it off for a "pure" full mechanical shutter.
Two very different answers. Since when I used the camera I almost always shot in electronic shutter mode, I now suspect that I never noticed you couldn't shut EFCS off if you select mechanical shutter. If someone who has the camera could check on that and report back. It would be much appreciated....Show more →
Yes if you use mechanical shutter it’s always going to use efcs
p.2 #16 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
aCuria wrote:
Your senior portraits are shot at what f-stops? Are we talking f/8-11 or f/1.2-2?
Whats the flash situation for the sport portraits / media days?
Senior portraits are usually wide open at 1.2 - 1.8, but occasionally f8 - f13 if they want something different.
Indoor media days are f8 - f13, 2 - 8 strobes, rarely HSS but I would like to use get into using it more, plenty of situations where I can't control the house lights and need to cut ambient with a nd or hss.
p.2 #17 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
DWOfPaul wrote:
How do you find the a7rV and a1II compared to the Z8? Currently trying to hold out for the Z9II to pair with my Z8, but if the Z9II is not announced in the next few months, I may give the a1II a serious look.
I can only offer a deeply personal answer, which probably means it won't be useful to others :-) I develop relationships with my cameras and my primes, they have personalities that I appreciate far more than specs. There is something about all 3 of these cameras that make me want to pick them up and shoot. And looking at my images, I honestly cannot say that any of them offers any practical advantages vs others. For example, despite what Youtube reviewers say about their AF performance, I see the same AF hit rate when shooting my crazy kids running around with all three cameras.
The Z8 is my personal tragedy. It is such an engaging camera, and I've always been a Nikon fanboy going back to the F-mount film SLRs. I also appreciate Z8's default colors and often shoot RAW+JPEG, frequently keeping the latter. Sonys always require post-processing. But right now Nikon is not competitive with Sony when it comes to prime lenses. The 24-35-50-85 f/1.4 GMs have no rivals and there are no Sigmas in Z-mount. Nikkors are too big and fat for what they are, ergonomically awful without aperture rings, and feel like a PVC pipe in hand. I started with 3 S-lenses for the Z, but gradually sold them all and have been shooting exclusively with Sony glass adapted via the Megadap. Another major issue I have with the Z8 is its power management. I don't need spare batteries for the Sonys. I never measured this, but it feels like they last twice as long on a single charge.
The A1 II is simply not worth it for me. It is basically A7RV with some minor things removed and other minor things added at twice the price. I bought it only because I had sold half of my film camera collection at a decent profit, and was wondering what a money-is-no-object camera feels like in 2026. I couldn't care less about stacked sensors and electronic shutters, but I will say that its mechanical shutter is the most refined I've ever experienced. The noise and vibration are impressively low.
The A7RV is my favorite. It is a no-compromise IQ monster which effortlessly keeps up with the speedier Z8 and A1 while being relatively affordable, especially right now. @ysultan sells them new for $2,750 here.
Another consideration which may not be important for you is software. Sony is better at software than Nikon, for example their tethered shooting solution is more robust in a studio, if that's your thing.
p.2 #18 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
old-gregg wrote:
I also appreciate Z8's default colors and often shoot RAW+JPEG, frequently keeping the latter. Sonys always require post-processing.
Ah yes, totally forgot about that inferior Sony's color science .
old-gregg wrote:
I couldn't care less about stacked sensors and electronic shutters, but I will say that its mechanical shutter is the most refined I've ever experienced. The noise and vibration are impressively low.
I think it's also very peculiar that you find mechanical shutter the best feature of Sony A1 II (as most will barely use it), while you don't care for 30 fps blackout-free shooting. As you said, it's personal though and I think it makes sense in your case that you prefer A7R V.
p.2 #19 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
old-gregg wrote:
The 24-35-50-85 f/1.4 GMs have no rivals and there are no Sigmas in Z-mount. Nikkors are too big and fat for what they are, ergonomically awful without aperture rings, and feel like a PVC pipe in hand.
Your 'personal tragedy' somewhat mirrors mine as I went back to Sony from Nikon to the A7RV + GM and Sigma Primes for these exact reasons. Z mount weakness is definitely compact 1.4 primes with high quality optics. That doesn't matter to some, but it does to me! Lugging the 50/1.2 S just wasn't it for me.
Feb 19, 2026 at 12:42 PM
Steve Spencer Online • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.2 #20 · Help convince me I should move from my A7RV to an A1?
bassderek wrote:
Your 'personal tragedy' somewhat mirrors mine as I went back to Sony from Nikon to the A7RV + GM and Sigma Primes for these exact reasons. Z mount weakness is definitely compact 1.4 primes with high quality optics. That doesn't matter to some, but it does to me! Lugging the 50/1.2 S just wasn't it for me.
All the major players have their prime strategies.
Nikon has its ultra premium Z mount lenses:
35 f/1.2S, 50 f/1.2S, 58 f/.095S, 85 f/1.2S, and 135 f/1.8S Plena and
That is pretty complete coverage of a lot of focal lengths, but they don't have f/1.4 primes except for the 35 f/1.4 and 50 f/1.4 that are not on the professional level at all.
In contrast Canon and Sony have pretty complete L and GM f/1.4 lines with Canon having these VCM f/1.4L primes:
and just the 50 f/1.2L USM and the 85 f/1.2L USM (in two flavors) at f/1.2
And Sony having these GM primes:
24 f/1.4GM, 35 f/1.4 GM, 50 f/1.4 GM, 85 f/1.4 GM, and the 135 f/1.8 GM and at the wide end the 14 f/1.8 GM
and only the 50 f/1.2 GM at f/1.2.
All three lineups are strong, in my view, but are a bit different but not so different that at this point I could say any of them has a clear advantage. If you find smaller but not small f/1.4 pro lenses as your sweet spot, however, then Nikon is a poor fit as you either have to jump up to the big and super premium lenses or settle for the very nice but a little slower f/1.8S lenses.
(and win the lotto)
...
.
. More thinking to do.