Examen du Sony a9 |
This is a real-world Sony a9 review by Tuscany-based international wedding photographer Roberto Panciatici. Roberto spent a few months filming with the Sony a9 to assess his p...
15/12/2021
This is a
real world review on sony a9
by Tuscany-based international wedding photographer Roberto Panciatici. Roberto spent a few months filming with the Sony a9 to assess its performance in various professional environments. Here is what he found:
My review of the Sony a9 is based on my use of the camera in the field for around 2 months. Initially I used it mainly with a Nikon D750 and a Nikon D810, but I can also compare it with the Nikon D5 and the Canon 1Dx Mk II, which I also used.
Eventually I started doing work entirely with the Sony a9, hence the creation of this Sony a9 review for my site and Shotkit.
I will not limit myself to giving an evaluation of the technical details, but I will try to share with you both the positive and negative feelings that I have had while using this camera for my daily work of
wedding photography
.
The Sony a9 is definitely a camera with a lot more to discover, and some pitfalls too – as any instrument obviously has, but some of which can be considered features, and not necessarily flaws. By reading my opinion on the Sony a9, you will understand what I am talking about.
[
UPDATE March 2019:
Sony a9 Firmware Version 5]
A significant software update that brings AI-driven autofocus capabilities, improves image quality and introduces a range of customer-requested workflow enhancements.
Sony a9 Review | Ergonomics & Design
At first glance, the Sony a9 looks small and certainly doesn't give the impression of a professional camera body.
Picking it up doesn't belie that feeling, and the case doesn't convey a feeling of solidity to the touch, unlike its direct competitors (Nikon D5, Canon 1dx MK II etc), even though the Sony a9 case is made of magnesium alloy.
The feeling when you first use a Sony, at least for me, is that it's just not very practical – in many ways. So it was in no way
love at first sight!
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The usual resistance to change that we all feel when thinking about switching brands is amplified by a truly
not friendly
p>, typical of a
sony mirrorless camera
– the menu is just a jungle, and a camera body that isn't sturdy and comfortable like I find Nikon, Canon and Leica bodies to be.
It's important to take the time to get to know the camera to overcome this initial indifference, because as I mentioned, many aspects of this camera may seem like annoying flaws, when in reality, this are features to understand and use. All the benefits are there, beyond the initial effort.
The lightweight Sony a9 is remarkable, especially if you're used to classic DSLRs like me, and that positive feeling grew exponentially when I realized that, of course, it doesn't have the strong initial impact of the flagship models. from Nikon and Canon, but it certainly has the heart of a flagship.
Getting started
The ergonomics of the p>
sony a9
are quite good, although the body is small. To give it better stability, or if you have big hands, you can buy the external grip with an extra battery case, or the Sony GPX1EM mini grip pictured below.
The Sony a9 grip is small and light but the design is somewhat questionable.
It's a really fantastic and well-made grip, but remember you can only use it with regular suspenders. Once attached to the camera, you will not be able to put on other types of camera straps
such as Holdfast MoneyMaker, etc., and you will not be able to set a
travel tripod
.
That's a real shame - it would be enough to correct the problem of a clip inserted into the lower part of the socket; there are several empty spaces where it would have been easy to add a small hole with screws, and everything would have been so practical. Shame!
Dials
The dials on the top of the Sony a9 allow the user to adjust a few basic functions, such as burst speed intensity (3 different settings: 5, 10 and 20fps) and shooting style , autofocus mode (AF-s, AF-c, DMF, and MF), exposure compensation, and various camera programs (Auto, P, A, S, and M, plus three various programs customizable settings) and video functions (Video and S&Q).
From the outset, these dials give me the impression of quick use and good practicality. The only dial that I would have preferred to have been a bit more prominent and more practical is the exposure compensation dial, but once you get used to it you can use it well enough.
The camera responds very well to commands and powers up quickly, although obviously not as super-fast as the DSLR (the Nikon D5 can be considered instant when switching from off to ready state to photograph).
During a long working day, for photographers like me who are in the habit of turning off the camera after shooting, it may cause some slight inconvenience, but it is also true that it takes just change your habit and not turn off the camera to completely avoid this little problem.
Tilt Screen/Live View
The Sony a9's tilting screen is great for photographers like me who primarily shoot using live view. Its only "limitation" is that it does not lie completely flat, as the
Nikon D750
.
The tilting screen of the Sony a9 offers multiple viewing angles.
AF speed in Live View mode is much better than any Nikon or Canon body (the best DSLR I've ever tried in terms of Live View shooting speed is the 1Dx MK II), and c is fun and super fast.
In addition, there is no screen blackout during the shooting phase, which is so liberating for me! Brightness and definition are excellent, even in bright light. However, I always prefer to use the internal viewfinder because it guarantees better control of the scene.
One suggestion: Since it's easy to accidentally scratch the live view screen, I recommend using a screen protector. I use this one from Expert Shield which is extremely easy to fit and can save you scratches and breakage.
Battery
If you think it might be a battery issue, I'm ahead of you: don't worry! The Sony a9 battery is really superb, given that the live view or the viewfinder are constantly active!
I'm not a Nikon D5 user so I'm not used to doing a full day wedding on just one battery, but that's exactly what I was able to do with this camera.
sony a9 | Sony 55mm f/1.8
On average, with the Nikon D750 and/or the Nikon D810, on which I use live view a lot, I consumed one and a half batteries per camera, but with the Sony a9, after 10 hours, I still had 26% left dump.
This makes me think that having two batteries (those Sony Z-series batteries) is the perfect solution to avoid all problems and ensure that you can work a full day of 2 or more shoots worry-free without needing to recharge, this which is important to me given all the travel I do.
Sustainability
This is obviously just a guess, since no one can say whether one camera will last an average time, or be worse than others in that sense, but I can mention a few considerations.
After only a few months of use, the Sony a9 is already showing the first signs of color loss, which is certainly not a good sign.
Surely I'm not an average user - I usually shoot between 40-60 weddings a year + engagement and portrait sessions (I usually use Leica for my personal work), nor someone who takes great care of their gear, but when the case has already started discoloring after such a short time, it alarms me a bit.
Although the body itself is well constructed and durable, it does start to show signs of wear after a few months of moderate use.
There's something else to consider here - having fewer mechanical parts than its competitors (since there's no mirror), it should have fewer parts subject to wear, and therefore breakage. We'll see !
Specifications
–
Sensor:
BSI-CMOS (35.6 x 23.8 mm), 24 megapixels–
Image size:
6000x4000–
ISO Sensitivity:
Auto, ISO 100-51200 (extends to 50-204800)–
Storage media:
2x SD •Continuous shooting speed: 20.0 fps–
Maximum shutter speed:
1/32000 sec to 30 sec–
Number of AF points:
693 AF points–
Wi-Fi functionality:
Integrated -
Weight (body only)
: 673g–
Dimensions
: 127 x 96 x 63mm
Sony a9 Review | Menus & Personalization
The menu of
sony a9
is a real labyrinth, but it is also full of buried treasures. If on the one hand it is complicated and tedious, on the other it offers many possibilities.
A suggestion for using the menu: create your own simplified menu, so you don't have to iterate through all the menu items each time.
sony a9 | Sony 28mm f/2
The Sony a9 is fully customizable in terms of buttons, not just individual functions, but also with multiple combinations of functions that can be turned on and off with the press of a button. This level of customization from Sony is amazing, in my opinion.
Once you find the right system to use the Sony a9's complex menu system to suit your needs, it would be really hard to live without the camera.
The camera has 3 fully customizable buttons: a C1 and C2 button on the top near the shutter button, and a C3 on the left side of the back and AF-ON on the right side. You can also have 3 different customizations, each selectable with the dial on top of the camera.
This gives you flexibility, and it is certainly another important point in favor of the
sony a9
, and the majority of Sony's pro-level cameras in general.
Sony a9 Review | AF system
Damn yeah!!! The Sony a9's AF system is
absolutely extraordinary
- anyone switching from a Nikon, like me, but who doesn't usually work with a Nikon D5, will be inundated with joy.
For those working with a Nikon D5, be aware that the Sony a9's autofocus is better than Nikon's flagship in some conditions, and worse in others (low light), you have to weigh the pros and cons cons based on your primary use and decide what works best for you.
In my own experience, the number of photos I take in low light is really miniscule compared to the number I take during the day, so that makes the question irrelevant to me. In any case, this drawback can be completely overcome if you use an AF assistant like the flash, or that of the camera, which the headlights do not even have (who knows why).
AF-Mode C
The Sony a9's AF system has many strong points, and I'd defy anyone not to stick to an AF with over 600 AF points across the entire frame. I know, some of you are used to just using the center focal point and then recomposing the shot.
That's what I thought the first time I used this camera - but I hadn't tried the Eye Focus yet, this camera's AF with face recognition and tracking from subject.
With the Sony a9, the AF-C era was officially ushered in, at least for me. The tracking is really accurate - better than any other camera I've tried in my career.
Subjects are captured quickly and the camera won't let them go, no matter how fast they move.
sony a9 | Sony 28mm f/2
For the first time in my life, I'm sure of what I'm shooting, a feeling that I don't remember having had mainly using the Nikon D750 and Nikon D810, and this feeling of security gives me increased confidence at work, because I don't have to worry about whether the photos are sharp or not. I just shot!
Considering that the only cameras comparable to this Sony a9 in terms of autofocus performance are actually the Nikon D5 and the Canon 1Dx MK II, which weigh in at 1,415 grams and 1,530 grams respectively compared to the 673 grams from the Sony a9, I'd say I definitely made a good choice here, given that I travel a lot and hate having heavy, bulky gear in my camera backpack (read this article on my quest for the perfect backpack for camera)!
Eye Focus Mode
The Eye Focus doesn't just deserve a "whoa!" but also a little discussion on its own. It is precise, fast and extremely functional. I'm crazy about this function whose only drawback is that it sometimes does not choose the closest eye.
Essentially, with Eye Focus mode active, the Sony a9 immediately locks onto your subject's eye and tracks them around the EVF as your subject moves…even if they're wearing sunglasses?!
The Eye Sensor mode on the Sony a9 is so good it has to be seen to be believed.
< p> Personally, I set it up to activate with the AF-ON button so I can quickly choose when to use it. For me, this feature is the umpteenth camera game changer. Obviously, and this also goes for face detection, you have to use it correctly, that is, not in the middle of a crowd of people.Sony a9 Review | Shutter & Buffer Performance
The Sony a9 has two different types of shutters: a mechanical and an electronic one. The electronic shutter reaches 1/32,000, and I would say this chapter already pretty much ends with a big whoa!
The benefits of such a fast shutter speed mean you can shoot wide open at any aperture, even in bright sunlight. In my work, I exclusively use fast prime lenses, and being able to shoot at maximum aperture even in strong light is a lot of fun, as well as a great practical benefit.
The camera is just a whole different animal to models like the Nikon D750 or Canon 6d, which only achieve a shutter speed of 1/4000, making it technically impossible to achieve the same results in performance terms. And the comparison also applies to cameras with shooting speeds of 1/8000!
In this regard, the Sony 9 is absolutely a game-changer!
The mechanical shutter, which only makes sense for flash sync and when shooting above ISO 25600, hits 1/8000 like those of many competitors, but I immediately disabled it as it bothered me. is useless 95% of the time.
sony a9 | Sony 28mm f/2
The electronic shutter can also be set to silent mode, and I can assure you that being able to shoot in absolute silence is a game-changer – once you've been able to work while preserving the mood and without creating the slightest discomfort, it's hard to back to something else!
I still customized a button to unmute the sound, because sometimes it's important for the people being photographed to hear the click so that they react in someone when a photo is taken.
When the electronic shutter is in silent mode, you can set the camera in 4 different ways to let you know you've taken a picture.
As for the Sony a9's buffer memory, it has a technical limit of 260 consecutive RAW files, all of which are fully downloaded in around 35-40 seconds! Translated into practical terms, this means that as long as you use a good memory card like Sony's, the buffer has no limits! What can I say ? Fantastic !
The only downside to this buffer, which I hope Sony will fix in their next firmware release, is that during the upload operation there is no way to access the camera menu . Frankly, I don't know why. However, it does not block the camera function, or so in my experience.
Another notable feature of the Sony a9 is that it has two slots for SD memory cards - a first for a full frame mirrorless camera. Other mirrorless camera makers will surely follow soon…
Sony a9 Review | Dynamic range
As for the dynamic range of the Sony a9, the files are excellent for my purposes. Sure, it's not the Nikon D810 (which can't be beat for low ISO dynamic range), but there are so many other great features of the Sony a9, other than "only" dynamic range. 3+ stops doesn't make Nikon D810 files miss me at all.
Here is an example of an underexposed image pushed 3 stops in
Lightroom
to recover lost shadow detail.
Lightroom
p>
My feeling is that shadows are easier to compensate for than strong, high light; I don't know if that's technically true, but that's my impression. The dynamic range is therefore not particularly surprising, but it fulfills its purpose.
Sony a9 Review | High ISO performance
Long story short, the Sony a9
is not
particularly exceptional at high ISO sensitivity. I can comfortably use it up to ISO 12800, but I make sure the exposure is correct when working in low light.
Sony a9 Review | Conclusion
The Sony a9 is the first full-frame mirrorless camera that can truly compete with the best dSRLs on the market.
Besides the usual
vs mirrorless DSLR
pros and cons, the Sony a9 offers several notable advantages over Nikon's flagship DSLR, the Nikon D5.
The Sony a9 mirrorless camera compared to the Nikon D5 DSLR p>
I've been looking for a camera like the Sony a9 for a long time, and I'm glad I had the chance to test it out as soon as it hit the market.
I am one of those who are convinced that practically all cameras on the market today are capable of guaranteeing excellent results - in fact, what I mainly evaluate are portability, weight, ease of handling, operational safety and, of course, fun… and the Sony a9 is great fun!
The Sony a9 is the firstborn of a new era, an era where we can finally look forward
best mirrorless cameras
p>
suitable for professional photography without reservations.
It's certainly not an immediately user-friendly camera - it takes time to get to know and understand - but that's not necessarily a negative thing. It's entirely possible to get to the point where you can use it without even looking at it, just like with more "accessible" device cases. Sure, it's not perfect, but hey, does the perfect camera even exist?
Products mentioned in this Sony a9 review:
Commentary by Tuscan wedding photographer Roberto Panciatici | www.robertopanciatici.com
Disclaimer: All recommendations are unbiased and based on user experience with no product or brand bias. Products in this article may contain affiliate links.
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