Sony - Alpha a9 Mirrorless Camera (Body Only) - Black

-- SUMMARY -- While the Sony a9 is marketed hard towards sports photographers, I find that FPS aside, the added features, upgrades and improvements the Sony a9 offers over the a7 series makes it a workhorse of a camera to suit a variety of photographers needs. Workhorse is a term used mostly for robust DSLR's and something you never really associated with a mirrorless system. All that changes with the Sony a9. It's most definitely capable of handling almost any photography assignment. -- BUILD & CAMERA CONTROLS -- The build quality of the body of the a9 feels very much like the a7R II with an unnoticeable gain in weight and grip size. With that said, that’s pretty much where the similarity ends. Everything else feels more robust in the hands, I’m assuming that has a lot to do with upgrading the buttons and dials which feel much more substantial and tactile. The back dial is much more firm so you won’t be accidentally turning the wheel when shooting. I do wish the dial was a bit bigger because now that it’s more robust, it does take a tiny bit of effort to turn and when it’s that small, it isn’t necessarily the easiest. Of course, that’s a minor complaint because in use, it’s totally fine. The buttons themselves aren’t as recessed as they are on the a7R II making them feel more clickable. It’s funny how such small details can really elevate a product to a more premium level. I never thought the buttons on the a7R II felt toy like, but as I go back and forth, the difference is undeniable. -- UI & OPERATION SPEED -- The a9 takes on Sony’s new menu UI. Like I’ve said before, I never really had issues with the organization of the older menus. They’re ugly but that was about all I thought about them. That thought process has chanced now that I have a camera like the a9, where it is so feature-packed, a good menu really is key. Add to that the ability to pretty much custom assign all the buttons, the quick access menu and the customizable “My Menu” configuration, you are absolutely covered in terms of finding key functions quickly. One of the few things I hated about the a7R II is how slow and unresponsive the camera can sometimes be. I rely a lot on photo review and zoom to make sure people’s eyes are open. For large important group portraits during a wedding, I want to make sure all eyes are open and reviewing that on the a7R II is painfully slow. The a9 is now almost instant when reviewing and really fast when zooming in. The screen on the back LCD, while only gaining a little bump in resolution, looks more clear and crisp than it does on the a7R II. You notice it when looking at the menu. It could be also because the menu in the a7R II is the older style UI, but still, the a9 looks more crisp and clear overall. Where there is a big difference however is the EVF. It’s much more clear and crisp. It’s not even that the a7R II has a bad EVF, it’s just the a9 is better. -- DUAL CARD SLOTS, THE JOYSTICK and NEW DIALS -- Yes! Dual slots! I have never had a memory card go bad on me, but I have heard countless stories of other photographers loosing images or paying for a third party to recover them, some even with just no luck. Just because it hasn’t happened to me doesn’t mean I don’t often think about it during a shoot. Thankfully, my mind is more at easy and I’m able to have a backup card. I’ve also run into companies that wouldn’t hire me unless I was using a camera with dual slots. The only gripe I have with the dual slots is the set up. For something like shooting Raw to slot 1 (faster slot) and JPEG to slot 2, it’s a bit confusing as you have to set the record media to slot 2 in order for the JPEGs to be stored there. Yea it’s weird and seems backwards. One of the only times I’ve ever actually had to read a camera manual. The new dial on the top left is a nice addition. Allowing for quick access to drive modes and AF modes. I do wish the locking button for that dial had an on and off switch. It would be nice to change those on the fly without first pressing in a button. And finally! The joystick! Why it took them so long to add an AF joystick is besides me. I, along with many other photographers, find that a joystick is the fasted and most convenient way to change your AF point while composing your shots. -- IMAGE QUALITY -- “But it doesn’t have the resolution and dynamic range of the a7R II…” Is what I kept telling myself to keep me from investing in the a9. It’s also what a lot of people are saying in reviews and forum posts and probably for the same reason. But in all honestly, aside from the dimensions of the file itself, it’s pretty hard to distinguish an a7R II file vs an a9 file unless you zoom in at 100%. But honestly, I sometimes can’t even tell when I’m working with an a6500 file. So if you have those reservations, you can put them to rest. The resolution is just fine and the dynamic range is plentiful. You can also be assured that the a9’s high ISO is really good. Some of the wedding images below show how it tough lighting (backlit, combination of harsh light and shadows, mix lighting, etc.), the a9 is capable of producing fantastic results with a lot of room to push and pull shadows and highlights. -- VIDEO QUALITY -- I am a super amateur videographer so I won’t go in depth about the quality or lack of S-Log. What I have read is that apparently the a9 downsamples 6k footage to 4k which makes the quality really awesome. They’ve also heavily reduced rolling shutter during quick panning. Nice!… But like I said, I’m just barely starting to get into video so I definitely don’t have much knowledge about this. -- ALL THE OTHER AMAZING FEATURES -- Eye AF has been game changing for portraits and it just got better on the a9. It tracks your eye flawlessly. I mean, the ability to shoot at f/1.4 and be confident that your subjects eye will be in focus is just crazy. I also love the fact that your AF selection changes whether you’re shooting in landscape or portrait mode. This I something that is super useful when dealing with portraits. Then there’s the 20 FPS. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll use it much, maybe just key moments at a wedding or cool action shots while traveling. I’m sure some of you are wondering why I’d buy an a9 if I don’t need the 20 FPS, but that’s just part of why this camera is amazing. Besides, when I got the a7R II, I said I didn’t need the resolution but here I am, holding onto the camera specifically for resolution. 09/05/17 Update: Wow. 20 FPS is DOPE. Yea, didn’t think it would be of much use to me but being able to shoot away as the bride walks down, during a sparklers send off, or even just while they’re dancing the night away at the reception has been a much welcome addition. Having that speed allows you to get that perfect shot. Was I able to get the shot before? Yea, I think there was always at least one shot good enough. But now, it’s more like 10 shots to choose from which in my opinion really takes away that margin of error. Silent shooting and no black out with the electronic shutter. It’s kind of weird, but awesome! In the two weeks I’ve owned the a9, I’ve already gotten use to the no black out, it’s pretty epic. However, I still have yet to get use to silent shooting and don’t think I ever will get use to it. I am excited though that I can use it during ceremonies at quiet churches and even more excited I can be super discreet while I travel. Other than that, I need the sound. Also, rolling shutter has been greatly improved when using the electronic shutter. 09/05/17 Update: I am still not use to silent shooting and I don’t think I’ll ever get use to it. Personally, I feel like I either need the sound or the black out. At a few weddings, I had to make sure I was taking photos by pressing the play button haha. I’m sure this is great for sports and nature photographers who are in a more controlled space while shooting and need to be silent (think tennis match point!). But for weddings I’m finding people are actually listening for the click to go off. There were a few awkward moments when I’d put the camera to my face, they’d pose for a photo and not hear a sound and I’d put the camera down. They’d ask, “Did you take a photo?” This camera of course has pretty much all the features carried down from their other cameras. Stuff like IBIS (still one of the best things ever), touch screen (I have mine off because the joystick is more than capable to change focus), 4k, S&Q (slo motion capture and play) and everything else great about the latest Sony mirrorless cameras. -- BATTERY LIFE -- 09/05/17 Update: I shot my first wedding with the a9 in 100F weather and thankfully, there was no heat warnings of sorts even though my camera was hot. Regarding battery life, I fired off over 2k shots with about 15% remaining after 7 hours. The only thing I really made sure to do was turn off the camera when not in use during those waiting periods. Amazing! -- CONCLUSION -- So to conclude, the a9 is awesome. It’s not just an awesome sports camera, it’s an awesome everything camera. I am most excited about the AF system (with the better Eye AF and joystick) as well as the battery life. I know people say, “just bring extra batteries”, but looking back at traveling through a place like India, I stressed over making sure I had enough charged batteries and portable battery packs and converters to last a long day of adventure and shooting. It’s in those moments that I look back and it becomes annoying and cumbersome and something I’d rather not have to deal. The a9 brings back some of what DSLR’s were only capable of doing. Lightning fast AF and really good battery life. It’s an exciting time to be invested in mirrorless and it can only get better from here. And two months in shooting with the a9, I can confidently say this is indeed, a game changer.

I'm fairly new at photography and the A9 has left me speechless with the photos I've captured. It's everything I need. Video is amazing. Size is perfect since I'm always on the go. It was a great investment. One thing I would say that might bother me just a little bit every now and then is not having a full touch screen. But I have to give it to Sony... It pricey! but it's really an awesome product.

was very lucky to have this camera at a thousand dollars off otherwise it would not have been accessible for me... I must admit I'm still discovering all of these amazing functions on this camera and hope to explore more in-depth come fall and when work slows down...love the focus tracking ...amazing stills... captures with high percentage hits....hardly ever get a blurred image... can't wait to test it out further and combined with the Sony Zeiss 55mm insanely SHARP!

I was continplating on purchasing the a7rii...so happy I waited. The a9 is exactly what I need. Fast auto tracking, better handle, extended battery life and of course no blackout 20fps. Combine the a9 with the 24-70mm GM, and you'll have the best all around set up.

Love my a9! Have used it to photograph MMA compotitions, sports events, band performances and fashion shows. It performs as advertised. You can get fantastic images from it.

I’ve shot with an A7r2 & a6500 for the last two years or more. I primarily shoot sports and events through out the year with an occasional wedding. After having used the Sony a9 for a few weeks I have not been disappointed at all. It helps to allow me to capture the moment I’ve never realized that I was missing. Sony hit the mark. In my opinion with the a9.

I’m new to mirrorless cameras since shooting with a Nikon DSLR for 6 years. But I know mirrorless cameras seem to be the way of the future with the outstanding sensors, Eye AF which tracks the human eye still and in motion, plus Sony even has Animal AF tracking animals eyes. I am so excited to be learning the Sony A9 and in awe of its performance! There are great videos on the mirrorless cameras to watch and do your homework before buying but yes go mirrorless.

So glad I took the plunge and went mirrorless. The best camera on the market and I’m beyond happy with this purchase. Love taking action, landscape and portraiture with this beautiful machine.