- When I first heard about Sony's newest addition
of the Alpha lineup,
the A1, there was one spec
that really caught my eye
50 megapixel photos
at 30 frames per second burst
with continuous auto focus and auto exposure.
In this body?
What?
Man, I live in a very, very fast city.
So I was quite excited to put that spec to the test.
(indie music)
(click-click)
If 50.1 megapixel stacked CMOs sensor, AK filming
at 30 frames per second, 120 auto focus calculations
per second, and all that viewfinder capable of 240 frames
per second refresh rate, a mechanical shutter flash sync up
to one, 4000th of a second, all in a body that doesn't feel
that much bigger than my A7C.
To say that I've been excited to
get my hands on this $6,400 Sony A1 is completely
an understatement, but now that it's here, man, oh man
have I been putting that burst mode to the test?
I've shot birds, fountains fireworks.
You name it.
I pointed this camera at it, but there is one really
fast thing I knew I had to pair this camera
with,
(click-click-click)
This is Terry Berenson.
He runs a YouTube channel
all about biking and more specifically,
biking very quickly.
(video audio)
- For well, over three hours,
I made him bombed down all sorts
of Hills in Midtown Manhattan, and I am very
happy to report the A1 had no trouble keeping.
(camera flash)
I shot Terry with the A1 paired
with the hundred to 400 millimeter Sony G master lens
with auto focus continuous sensitivity set
to the most responsive settings.
In order to reach
that 30 frames per second, with continuous auto focus
you have to have your camera above
1250th shutter speed using the electronic shutter mode
and only shooting any of the raw compressed or JPEG format.
I shot Terry in rock compressed.
And honestly, I was pretty impressed
with how much dynamic range that still offered me.
But back to that in a minute, let's talk
about this auto-focus.
(upbeat music)
This burst mode performs best when paired
with the latest XD linear motored lenses that can very
quickly move the focusing elements within the lens.
Now Sony claims the A1 can perform
up to 120 auto focus calculations per second.
And I had no problem finding Terry,
well over a block away and holding tight to him
despite my shaking hands, moving cars and Terry's fast pace.
It really felt like cheating when my only job was to stomp
down on the shutter and just keep tearing frame.
There were very few auto focus shots
even when Terry was coming directly at the camera
and I was able to take over a hundred consecutive shots
before buffering slowed down.
And because the old led EVF can perform at up to
240 frames per second,
my view was never interrupted or lagged.
And when using the electronic shutter, a white box comes
up on the frame and flashes every time a shot is captured
in lieu of the sound of the shutter.
Also, I had to come clean.
I've never shot a cyclist before.
So I felt really out
of my element kneeling in the middle of 42nd street
trying to catch a biker who was racing straight at me yet
the A1 made my job pretty easy and it kind of made it look
like I knew what I was doing.
(click-click)
Now, back in the edit
the image quality is sharp.
It's full of contrast and true to life.
I do wish I had shot a bit wider though.
Now, knowing just how much I could punch
in before losing quality.
What surprised me the most though
was the range I still had even with compressed raw files.
The A1 claims to have 15 stops of dynamic range.
And when attempting to bring a shadowed figure back, even
in the compressor off files I was able to do so with ease
but outside of action photography, the A1 still shines,
that 50.1 megapixel sensor captures an incredible amount
of detail.
I had a blast pairing it with that really long
a hundred to 400 millimeter lens
and taking photos of the city.
But I had just as much fun popping on the 85
stopping down to like a one, four, maybe a two
and taking portraits where that eye focus is super accurate
and it just captures loads and loads of detail.
All right but physically the A1 is nothing new
and that's a good thing.
(click-click-click)
It's compact.
Slight weight feels great in my hands.
If you've used any of Sony's alpha cameras
it will feel very familiar in your hands.
And it also gives me enough physical buttons
and dials to lessen the need for jumping into the menu,
which although better is still a behemoth.
It also uses the same Sony NPF C 100 batteries
that much of the latter half
of the alpha line uses.
With my A7C I can get well through a day of shooting
both photo and video with one of these batteries.
But with the A1 I was really only averaging
about half a day of use.
And that's with mostly just photo use.
There are a plethora of ports
on the left side of the camera, including an ethernet port
and a full-size HTMI, they're all covered by solid feeling
plastic doors that close with a very nice click.
(click-click)
And on the right side
is a dual SD card slot that both supports
either SD or CF express type A cards.
All right Sony,
I like totally see the monopoly that you have
over CF express type a cards, but it would have
been really nice to get those type B cards here.
I mean, not only is there way more buying options for those
but they're twice as fast.
(instrument playing)
I was also disappointed
by the articulating screen that doesn't flip
out to face the front of the camera.
Well, great for blogging.
It's also very helpful for tight angles or setting
up self portraiture or even flying this camera on a gimbal.
Instead I wound up using Sony's image edge mobile app
that while basic and design does work well
for remote shooting, an image transfer.
This app could use a refresh though.
The design hasn't changed in years, and every time you close
out of the app or open another app, you gonna
have to repair your camera when you want to use it again.
It's a pain in the ass.
Video on the A1 tops
out at the very impressive eight K 30 frames
per second at 10 bit
4, 2 0 8, 2 6 5
and well Canons are five beat the A1 to that spec.
The A1 does a better job at not overheating.
Hey Alex, camera's getting a little, a little toast due
to the touch, 82 degrees in New York city
direct sunlight toasty to the touch.
Well the camera certainly got warm to the touch.
Especially during these hot days
New York city has been experiencing it never
stopped recording due to overheating.
Gerald and Dunn did wonderful testing
of those long run eight K video recording sessions.
And in short
it just doesn't have those overheating problems
that the Canon R5 had.
Instead it has quick recovery times
and with a dummy battery
you can record for seemingly ever, or at least many hours.
Sony has also made some improvements
to the rolling shutter problem of mirror less cameras
past cars no longer appear as jello cars though.
At high speeds
I did still see this unwanted effect on trains.
Sony has also added a variable shutter option for
fine tuning your shutter speed to avoid flickering lights
or in my case, flickering phone screens
and flash photography users will be very happy with this
camera's mechanical shutters ability to sync
with flashes at one 400th of a second.
Now I am not a big flashy user, but industry standard
for sync speeds is around 1250th and a second.
And this is a whole two third stop faster than that.
And that's a big deal.
Other reviewers have been pointing
out the EVF blackout problems that occur with the A1.
And it definitely happened to me, but just once
I was in direct sunlight, as most reviewers have noted
and I went to put my eyes to the sensor
and nothing came up and I brought the camera down
there was nothing to see there either.
I ended up having to turn the camera on and off
and then it seemed the problem was resolved.
Also I've noticed that the menu sometimes chugs
along or is just a little bit slow.
For $6,500,
this is unexcusable
and Sony really should be addressing this problem more
seriously.
The A1 is $6,500, and that is certainly
not inexpensive
especially when you compare it
to the $4,000 Canon R5 rival.
But I don't think it's unfairly priced.
It has a massive sensor, high-spec video,
all the dials and buttons
one could need, an outstanding auto focus system and
it is truly a speed demon when photographing action sports
or animals, it can work across in many disciplines with all
of these features from professional video work to studio
strobe work and even action photography.
And if you're able to get that much use out of this camera
then that price is more than justified.
Although I think most people will buy a cheaper body
in the alpha line
and maybe buy two lenses with that extra money instead.
Sony took everything it is learned
from the mirrorless world and made an incredibly
capable yet compact 50.1 megapixel camera.
The A1 has something new for everyone.
In a body that won't feel foreign.
Sony didn't reinvent the wheel with the A1.
It simply took all of the features we've come to love
and a bit more
and put it
into one.
But thank you so much for joining me on another full frame.
I know it's been a minute.
I haven't seen you on well, I hope that you're well
and I hope that everyone you love is well.
What camera are you reviewing next?
Drop it down below.
Talk soon.
That's a wrap!