Sony introduces the a9

[Akira]

Anyone can answer...

Isn't the brightness and contrast of a EVF user adjustable? I would think this would be a standard feature by now.v

Yes, it is.  I've always adjusted the brightness to the lowest setting which was still too bright for me.  I inserted a piece of 3-stop ND gel into the eyepiece to further reduce the brightness.

[Akira]

In my imagination, to gain acceptance in the pro PJ/Sports shooting community, the finder in the new Sony will have to:
1.Be bright enough to be seen/used easily when used in blazing bright sunlight (10.000lux+).
2.Have the motion delay down to the one frame (approx 1/30th of a second) that pro video cameras have.
3. Not suffer from blackout/freezout during sequence shooting.  On OVF can be used to manually follow focus at 10 or 12 FPS...will this camera/finder allow that?
I hope it's as good as the promo materials make it sound.

Fuji claims that the display time lag of X-T2 is 0.005sec.  So, the new A9 with the image sensor boasting very fast readout time should be able to satisfy your criterion #2 easily.

[Netr]

In a lot of ways this seems to me to be a full-frame and slightly upgraded version of the Nikon 1 V1, which could do 60 frames per second back in 2012. It will be interesting to see, when it is tested, how much better than a V3 it is, apart from the frame size.

[pluton]

Yes, it is.  I've always adjusted the brightness to the lowest setting which was still too bright for me.  I inserted a piece of 3-stop ND gel into the eyepiece to further reduce the brightness.

Akira, your eyes are an A7s with a f/1.2 lens, and my eyes are Kodachrome 25 with an f/4.5 lens.  The EVFs I've seen...which isn't all of them on the market...are way too dim in bright daylight.

[Akira]

Akira, your eyes are an A7s with a f/1.2 lens, and my eyes are Kodachrome 25 with an f/4.5 lens.  The EVFs I've seen...which isn't all of them on the market...are way too dim in bright daylight.

Keith, I can share the problem of EVF in bright daylight, and it only exacerbates my annoyance.  The EVF set to the lowest and added with the ND filter is all too dim under bright daylight.  That's the only time I would want to set the brightness at least to "neutral" or "zero" and remove the ND gel.  But, again, it is all too bright under mild lighting conditions or indoors.  To me, OVF can handle such a vast difference of lighting conditions way better.  I've enjoyed all the other benefits of EVF, but this single problem persists as main reason for me shying away from EVF.

The a9 without EVF (thus with a flat top) and with an articulating LCD would be my ideal mirrorless camera. 

[Mike G]

Its fair to say mirrorless is now on par with DSLR technology and even surpasses it on some fronts.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/1308959313/the-sony-a9-is-a-24mp-sports-shooting-powerhouse

Are you tempted Jan Anne?

[Jan Anne]

Are you tempted Jan Anne?

Yes but I'm not in a hurry

The a7RII does everything I want it to do besides fast autofocus with long lenses (400/5.6) and high fps, but for a 42MP camera its simply not set up to be a sport camera so that's OK. With shorter native AF lenses or with MF lenses the camera works very well and have no need for an upgrade.

In the coming years I plan to do some cool trips again which probably will contain some form of wildlife shooting so I would like to have a second dedicated speed demon for serious tele use like I had on the NG Safari in 2009 (D300 with 200-400VR).

The only serious candidates until now were the D500 or a single digit Nikon so I'm thrilled that Sony finally has a serious alternative fully compatible with my current lens lineup and priced somewhere in the middle.

The a9 is also a sign of whats coming for the cheaper a7 MKIII series and all mirrorless cameras in general so all in all a very exciting camera. And Nikon did mention they plan to enter the mirrorless market once the technology is mature enough, I guess that moment just arrived so bring it on Nikon!!!

[Mike G]

I had an inkling you might be, but quite expensive I thought, out of my league thankfully!

[Akira]

The a9 is also a sign of whats coming for the cheaper a7 MKIII series and all mirrorless cameras in general so all in all a very exciting camera. And Nikon did mention they plan to enter the mirrorless market once the technology is mature enough, I guess that moment just arrived so bring it on Nikon!!!

That's almost exactly what came up to my mind when I read the info on a9. 

[golunvolo]

Hi Paco, I have an a7S for sale with silent shutter and insane ISO performance

   I understand that it is possible to use my Nikon lenses with af?

[Jan Anne]

   I understand that it is possible to use my Nikon lenses with af?

Not really, the a7S is more suited for using manual focus lenses IMHO.

The S models lack PDAF needed for proper AF performance, they shine with insane ISO performance in both film and photography.

Combine it with a Nikkor 50/1.2 or Voigtlander 35/1.2 (also for sale) and one owns the night, covertly

[tommiejeep]

Paco there are two ways to get AF on the Sony bodies with Nikon lenses.  There is a Commlite adapter which will AF quite well on some Nikon G lenses.   I tested most of my lenses before I started selling.  It worked great with the 24-70 2.8G , pretty well on the 70-200 2.8 G vr II, works pretty well with the 58 1.4G, it worked very well with the 85 1.8G.  Did not work at all with 105 2.8G VR Macro and just about worked with 24-120 f4 vr and 70-200 f4 vr, lots of hunting on those two but eventually focus lock.   D lenses report exif but no AF, Ai, Ais nothing.  Maybe Exif if chipped. 

 I actually use the Techart Pro for Leica M to FE with stacked adapter (Kipon) for AF with my 28 f2s, 105 2.5s, the 75-150 3.5E  and 135 2.8 Ais (sold).  The Techart states for the a7ii,a7rii, a6300 and a6500.   I use quite a few Voigts, and Leica on my Sonys and if I get the135 f3.4 I will by a second Techat Pro.  All of my lenses are pretty easy to MF except the Voigt 40 1.4 (hate the focus ring).   Using the G lens in MF works but they obviously do not have the Aperture ring  .  The MF aids are pretty good.  Focus peaking is hit o miss but used in conjunction with the magnification all works well.

J. A. has the Techart but not sure if he has the Commlite.   He can tell you more about the a7s.
Tom

[Jan Anne]

I have the Commlite Canon EF to E adapter permanently attached to the Voigtlander 125/2.5 APO, works great with aperture control and full EXIF registration. Only nitpick is that the 2.5 aperture is registered as 2.8 but really don't bother.

A Metabones Canon EF to E adapter is on the Canon 100-400 and Techart Leica M to E is used for EXIF registration for the 50/1.2 and AF when needed.

Don't have the Commlite Nikon F to E as of now as I have no AF Nikon lenses and the 50/1.2 isn't chipped. Was planning on getting one for the NG trip in Scotland so I could test it with the plethora of Nikon lenses present at the event but the adapter wasn't available in time.

[JohnBrew]

I'm always interested when someone comes out with something new. Scrolling down the specifications I came on one which caught my eye: 30 sec. max shutter speed. If I was interested in a Sony (I'm not) that would be a deal killer for me, but then maybe they have something else in the pipeline for landscape buffs.

[Jan Anne]

Ehhh, all of the dozen or so DSLR or mirrorless cameras I owned in the last ten years had a 30s max exposure without the use of an additional remote...

I never understood this limitation and rather curious which Nikon body can do longer exposures without external help?