Sony introduces the a9

[Jan Anne]

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

[Bjørn Rørslett]

The specifications seem great, except for the strange lack of GPS support. However, a camera isn't better than its optical companions. Thus not only need the camera to handle well, support fast AF,  and deliver quality files, the lens system must be up to the challenge as well.

This kind of top level entry requires native lenses. Adapting third-party lenses will always incur compromises and missing features.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Well, one would have to test the camera in practical use to be able to say what it is and isn't.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

That goes without saying. But agree, many might shoot specifications not the real thing.

I'm curious about the battery performance. The Sonys I have personal acquaintance with have had very poor performance compared to modern DSLRs.

[Fons Baerken]

Suggested retail €5300

[Ilkka Nissilä]

I guess the number of shots you get on a charge is greatly dependent on how much live viewing and focusing you do between shots. If one shoots at 20fps, likely one can get many more shots per charge than shooting individual frames. But then the time between battery changes may still be quite short.

[tommiejeep]

J.A., on paper it sounds great but so did the a7rii.   Sony always makes claims , some turn out to be fact , others not so.   Let's wait and see.  Something that got no play on any Sony Forum was that after Dpr giving the a7rii the number 1 spot last year, when it came time for their recommendations as top camera in each category, the a7rii was second to the Nikon D750.  https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/2016-roundup-semi-pro-interchangeable-lens-cameras/11
I agree with B.R. , particularly about lenses,  the 100-400 is not a Pro action lens so Sony is bowing to their well heeled fan base.  Where was the 200 f2 or 300 f2.8?

The a9 seems to have addressed many of my complaints with the a7rii,  Read, write speeds, buffer, start-up and lags but will have to see .  The a6500 fell short of their claims.  We also do not know about tracking and metering.   If it does 90% of the claims then it is going to be very interesting to watch.  If they are aiming for Tokyo 2020 then we can expect a version 2 before then and Sony may throw some perks, and lenses, to the Pro sports shooters.

I'll just wait and see but would not bother me to go lighter for sports 
Hope all is good with you
Tom

[MFloyd]

Sounds all very well on paper.  If this camera achieves 90% of what Sony claims, it should be the best camera in the world....

[Pistnbroke]

If I read the specs right no sound recorded with the video ....thats useless

MISLEADING PRESS RELEASE ..IT HAS MIC AND SOCKET ....

[Akira]

Nikon Rumors reacted a bit too overly.   

https://nikonrumors.com/2017/04/19/the-day-the-sony-a9-was-announced.aspx/#more-111775

[bjornthun]

If I read the specs right no sound recorded with the video ....thats useless

This is wrong!

The camera has a stero microphone built in as well as a microphone jack.

[bjornthun]

Nikon Rumors reacted a bit too overly.   

https://nikonrumors.com/2017/04/19/the-day-the-sony-a9-was-announced.aspx/#more-111775

They are really dramatic, making it sound like an obituary. 

Hopefully Nikon has some fighting spirit left in them. I certainly hope that Sony and Fujifilm can challenge Nikon and Canon and gain a substantial market share, so we could get a more competitive market and move away from the de facto duoploly that has existed between Canon and Nikon. It would be nice if all four of Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon and Sony had double digit market shares for a more healthy camera market, long term.

In retrospect I think Olympus and Panasonic should have made an APS-C system.

[bjornthun]

The A9 has a shutter lag of 30 miliseconds compared to 35 miliseconds for the Canon 1DX mkII. The EVF is fast enough to follow action rather than relying on bursts of shots.

[Akira]

This all adds up to a luminance that is 2x higher than the XGA OLED Tru-Finder from the α7R II, creating a viewfinder image with a brightness level that is nearly identical to the actual scene being framed, ensuring the most natural shooting experience.

I'm not sure if it is a good news.  More luminance, more eye strain...

[dibyendumajumdar]

Sony is trying hard to dethrone Nikon as the number two in photo equipment and it does look like they are making steady progress.

What worries me is that Nikon has been trying to keep its D-series sensor manufacturing out of Sony since the D3 - first Renesas then Toshiba manufacturing the sensors. But both of these companies sensor divisions now belong to Sony. The biggest innovation in the A9 seems to be in its sensor technology ... it will be interesting to see what Nikon does about its sensor strategy.

Anyway, with regards to the Sony A9 announcement:

1) Will AF be as good as claimed with fast lenses such as 300mm f2.8 or 600mm f4? It is curious that Sony is only showing a relatively slow lens with the A9.
2) In 14-bit Uncompressed RAW mode the max fps is 12 I believe?

Wish there was someone like Rob Galbraith who could do a serious test of the AF capabilities of the Sony, and compare with Canon and Nikon.

Regards
Dibyendu