A1 Mk1 AF focus hunting in a good light
p.1 #1A1 Mk1 AF focus hunting in a good light
Hi, I got a used Sony A1 MK1 in a good condition for events shooting. I found it is hunting for a human eye AF waaaaay too much. I have two A9 cameras and I have never experienced anything like this even in a low light situation. It seems not normal to me... Yesterday, I shot a birthday party, used my "birthday lens", Samyang 35mm f1.8 and I had to switch to my A9 MK2 after 20min of shooting A1. Thank you.
Aug 09, 2026 at 02:43 PM
p.1 #2A1 Mk1 AF focus hunting in a good light
hmm.. I too have an A9 MK2 and was thinking of eventually picking up a used a1 MK1 so will follow this with interest….
Aug 09, 2026 at 03:52 PM
p.1 #3A1 Mk1 AF focus hunting in a good light
tester_V wrote:
Hi, I got a used Sony A1 MK1 in a good condition for events shooting. I found it is hunting for a human eye AF waaaaay too much. I have two A9 cameras and I have never experienced anything like this even in a low light situation. It seems not normal to me... Yesterday, I shot a birthday party, used my "birthday lens", Samyang 35mm f1.8 and I had to switch to my A9 MK2 after 20min of shooting A1. Thank you.
Does it work better with another lens? If not I don't think you got an A1 MK1 in good condition... What FW, btw and does all the different ways of communication between the camera and other devices work as outlined in the manual?
EDIT: Thinking about it... wasn't there a FW update needed for the Samyang lenses to make them work in AFC? (But it does seem to work with the A9 or?)
Hi, I got a used Sony A1 MK1 in a good condition for events shooting. I found it is hunting for a human eye AF waaaaay too much. I have two A9 cameras and I have never experienced anything like this even in a low light situation. It seems not normal to me... Yesterday, I shot a birthday party, used my "birthday lens", Samyang 35mm f1.8 and I had to switch to my A9 MK2 after 20min of shooting A1. Thank you.
Does it work better with another lens? If not I don't think you got an A1 MK1 in good condition... What FW, btw and does all the different ways of communication between the camera and other devices work as outlined in the manual?
EDIT: Thinking about it... wasn't there a FW update needed for the Samyang lenses to make them work in AFC? (But it does seem to work with the A9 or?)
Aug 10, 2026 at 10:01 AM
p.1 #4A1 Mk1 AF focus hunting in a good light
well, her is more info. I removed the battery and reattached the lens and it started working properly. But it was strange, I used this tiny and very light lens for a couple of years and shot a lot of events and never had any problems with it before. What was really strange how it was focusing, after pressing the back button focus and the shutter button, I took about 12 shuts continuously and every 4th(or 3d) shot was in focus. Anyway, it was really strange... If I'll encounter it again (hopefully not!), I'll update the post with a new Info.
By the way, I found A1 become hot all the time (any of my A9 ii were never even close to that kind of temperature) if I'm taking pictures, not video. Is this normal?
Thank everyone!
By the way, I found A1 become hot all the time (any of my A9 ii were never even close to that kind of temperature) if I'm taking pictures, not video. Is this normal?
Thank everyone!
Aug 10, 2026 at 07:52 PM
p.1 #5A1 Mk1 AF focus hunting in a good light
tester_V wrote:
well, her is more info. I removed the battery [...] If I'll encounter it again (hopefully not!), I'll update the post with a new Info.
By the way, I found A1 become hot all the time (any of my A9 ii were never even close to that kind of temperature) if I'm taking pictures, not video. Is this normal?
Thank everyone!
Some questions remain:
Does the A1 work properly with other lenses?
Is the Samy 3518 updated?
No, the A1 shouldn't get warm "all the time".
and
Are you saying you are going to do another important shoot and just hope the problems don't show?
well, her is more info. I removed the battery [...] If I'll encounter it again (hopefully not!), I'll update the post with a new Info.
By the way, I found A1 become hot all the time (any of my A9 ii were never even close to that kind of temperature) if I'm taking pictures, not video. Is this normal?
Thank everyone!
Some questions remain:
Does the A1 work properly with other lenses?
Is the Samy 3518 updated?
No, the A1 shouldn't get warm "all the time".
and
Are you saying you are going to do another important shoot and just hope the problems don't show?
Aug 11, 2026 at 01:49 AM
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p.1 #7A1 Mk1 AF focus hunting in a good light
I appreciate all the input, thank you. I think my Samyang35mm f/1.8 has an intermittent communication issue with the A1. When it failed to focus, I switched to a Sigma and the A1 focused without any issues. My second observation is about heat. I'm not sure what’s normal. I was shooting a fundraiser in Portland from 5 to 7 p.m., about 86 degrees, in the shade. With a Sigma 85mm f/1.4 on the A1, the body felt noticeably warm to the touch. No video, just stills—about 600 to 800 frames. Is that considered normal for the A1?
Aug 14, 2026 at 12:01 AM
p.1 #8A1 Mk1 AF focus hunting in a good light
tester_V wrote:
I appreciate all the input, thank you. I think my Samyang35mm f/1.8 has an intermittent communication issue with the A1. When it failed to focus, I switched to a Sigma and the A1 focused without any issues. My second observation is about heat. I'm not sure what’s normal. I was shooting a fundraiser in Portland from 5 to 7 p.m., about 86 degrees, in the shade. With a Sigma 85mm f/1.4 on the A1, the body felt noticeably warm to the touch. No video, just stills—about 600 to 800 frames. Is that considered normal for the A1?
In that sort of temperature it will get warm if left on - even taking no shots. The grip especially gets pretty warm.
In 40 degree centigrade it shuts down pretty quickly unless you turn it off between shots. I put one battery on ice and periodically swapped them out to keep the camera cool for longer.
I appreciate all the input, thank you. I think my Samyang35mm f/1.8 has an intermittent communication issue with the A1. When it failed to focus, I switched to a Sigma and the A1 focused without any issues. My second observation is about heat. I'm not sure what’s normal. I was shooting a fundraiser in Portland from 5 to 7 p.m., about 86 degrees, in the shade. With a Sigma 85mm f/1.4 on the A1, the body felt noticeably warm to the touch. No video, just stills—about 600 to 800 frames. Is that considered normal for the A1?
In that sort of temperature it will get warm if left on - even taking no shots. The grip especially gets pretty warm.
In 40 degree centigrade it shuts down pretty quickly unless you turn it off between shots. I put one battery on ice and periodically swapped them out to keep the camera cool for longer.
Aug 14, 2026 at 05:01 AM
p.1 #9A1 Mk1 AF focus hunting in a good light
"duncangr" you are DA MAN! thank you for the info, I thought it should be ok but I was not sure, I see I need to keep my A9 ii.... Thank you again!
Aug 14, 2026 at 01:56 PM