The flagship Sony a1 stays on the high of many photographers’ wishlists. Its preliminary debut was met with pleasure and awe. It was obvious that Sony had returned to its quest for innovation. On paper, the tech specs have been a marvel. In real-world checks, the a1 carried out as everybody hoped it will. How ought to or not it’s improved?
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The current firmware replace from June goals to enhance eye AF, white stability stability, and the general stability of the digital camera. The V1.30 firmware additionally affords lossless compression for nonetheless pictures.
Further updates embrace:
- dds the 4:2:2 10bit choice when capturing XAVC HS 8K
- Permits proxy recording throughout a distant laptop connection
- Fixes a difficulty the place the distant capturing might not work with Imaging Edge Desktop (Distant)
Sony a1 Overview Replace
I added the next to our Sony a1 evaluation with just a few further pattern pictures:
I obtained an a1 with the replace already put in. This was nice information after the havoc of putting in new firmware on the a7 IV final month. Nevertheless, after perusing the producer’s web page the steps stay the identical. If you happen to personal a Mac with an M1 chip, I’d counsel restarting your laptop after every step.
Sony’s flagship digital camera is a powerful workhorse that many photographers dream of proudly owning. Its most up-to-date June 2022 firmware provides lossless uncooked compression for nonetheless pictures and marginally improves eye AF. I examined the attention AF, lossless compression, and auto white stability stability with a Sony a1 and Sony FE 85mm f1.4 GM lens from Lensrentals. The video capabilities of the firmware replace weren’t examined.
We encountered just a few cases of blended focus and delicate focus. The a1 excelled with a quick shutter velocity and superb gentle with human face detection when topics transfer at a reasonable tempo. It struggles when the topic exits the body after which re-enters it. The best choice is to cancel monitoring and begin over. Using single-shooting mode with a single focus and eye af proves to be the most effective.
The animal detection and animal eye af sufficiently monitor animals which have a reasonable cadence. It does wrestle with different animals than canines or cats. That is very true when using wide-area monitoring in AF-C modes and AF-S modes. Surprisingly, the chook settings labored finest when photographing mountain goats. It will be nice if Sony added a number of topic monitoring performance.
Lossless uncooked compression works finest for pictures that won’t be cropped. It’s not superb when you plan on f. Moreover, the auto white stability proves to be correct and constant. The general stability of the digital camera is spectacular.
Animal Eye AF Is Greatest For Cats And Canine
Sony’s animal eye AF has at all times been spectacular, and I used to be excited to mess around. I took the digital camera to the Beartooth Cross, hoping to come across some wildlife. My journey to the mountains was not in useless. I first met a bunch of horses resting on high of the go and switched my settings for photographing animals. With permission, I captured a picture of the horses in AF-C mode with huge monitoring. The Sony a1 picked one horse and did an honest job monitoring it. It will be cool in the event that they added the aptitude of monitoring a number of animals concurrently.
I then continued up the go till I encountered a herd of mountain goats in an open discipline. The Sony a1 struggled to trace and obtain focus in huge monitoring mode. It carried out higher when using a single focus in AF-S mode. The digital camera typically centered on the physique of the animal as an alternative of its eyes.
Mountain goats have eyes which can be very completely different from cats and canines. They aren’t as distinctive. Out of curiosity, I switched my settings as if I have been planning to {photograph} birds. The ends in AF-C and AF-S have been rather more correct when capturing constantly with monitoring enabled.
Once more, an preliminary single focus level produced fewer misses than huge monitoring.
The next day I referred to as on my frisky feline for his cooperation. Bubby is a wonderful topic when testing lenses. Much like the a7 IV, I encountered just a few misses in wide-area AF with AF-C and AF-S modes. The mix of AF-S mode and single-shooting with a single focusing level produces the most effective outcomes.
On the left is what the digital camera produced with wide-tracking in AF-C mode and animal eye AF. The correct is with a single focus level in AF-S mode.
Human Eye AF Isn’t At all times Correct
I referred to as on the ever-expressive Zak to place the most recent firmware to the take a look at. The a1 did mistake the distinction of Zak’s glasses along with his eyes like I skilled with the a7 IV. I’d typically watch the inexperienced sq. fluctuate between the 2 areas.
I then switched to high-speed steady mode at f1.4 with a shutter velocity of 1/200s. The a1 did a mediocre job monitoring Zak as he ate his ice cream and slowly twirled in his chair. The marginally delicate outcomes are completely usable, however they aren’t something particular. And the auto white stability is noticeably constant all through the set of pictures.
Zak stated that one of many issues he struggles with most as a marriage photographer is reaching focus with a highlight behind his topic. We turned on an Arri fixed gentle and positioned it immediately behind him. The Sony a1 had just a few misses in the entire numerous modes as he moved across the gentle supply. It produced the fewest misses in single-shooting mode with a single focus in AF-S mode.
The Sony a1 does a good looking job monitoring the topic in delicate, subtle gentle. That’s till they exit the body. It struggled to realize focus and monitor Zak when he re-entered the body. It occurred in AF-S and AF-C modes with a wide range of monitoring settings. I wound up canceling the monitoring and beginning over. The a1 did an excellent job monitoring Zak as he rapidly walked out and in of body in vivid daylight. It promptly centered on his eyes and tracked him when his face was in vivid gentle and darkish shadow.
Lossless Compression Uncooked
Larger isn’t at all times higher, particularly with at present’s inflation. The a1’s massive recordsdata eat valuable onerous drive area, which will get costly quick. Sony’s addition of lossless compression pictures is a good different.
Right here is a picture captured in medium uncooked with lossless compression.
That is the element when zoomed in at 100%. It’s greater than ample.
Improved Digicam Stability
I used to be impressed with the a1. It by no means as soon as froze or malfunctioned, and the digital shutter is beautiful. Make certain to have a quick SD card with loads of storage to maintain up with the tempo of Sony’s premier a1.
