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Sony A9 making me rethink Leica Setup - any A9 owners?


dancook

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Anyone with the Sony A9? and what are you thoughts by comparison to the SL? and do you use them both still?

 

I have the SL with zooms, I also have the M10 35/50 and the Q - but lately I've come across a need for better AF and larger buffer in mixed event/sports photography, so I've considered the A9.

 

Now potentially I could get the A9 with zooms and then use it for all my event/sports/wedding needs - but where would that leave my Leica gear...

 

I like to have a plan for everything, but I just can't divvy up the workload... the M10 can be my travel camera, Q for street, but the SL? - I suspect IQ for portraiture would be better than the A9 - but if i want a portrait only camera, would you choose the SL in the first place? 

 

 

 

 

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I'm tempted to add an A9 next to my SL, but I'm in a different position than yours, to me the SL is going to become my main Leica-lenses platform for all those beautiful M and R lenses I own, as I haven't got any SL-AF zooms yet: so I'd rather sell off my M instead to buy an A9 and a couple of zooms... or just keep it and get a 24-90.

 

Btw, maybe not the nicest thing to say in a Leica forum, but did you noticed that for street and travel you can use an A9 too, with a compact prime such as Z35, Z55 etc.?

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I'm tempted to add an A9 next to my SL, but I'm in a different position than yours, to me the SL is going to become my main Leica-lenses platform for all those beautiful M and R lenses I own, as I haven't got any SL-AF zooms yet: so I'd rather sell off my M instead to buy an A9 and a couple of zooms... or just keep it and get a 24-90.

 

Btw, maybe not the nicest thing to say in a Leica forum, but did you noticed that for street and travel you can use an A9 too, with a compact prime such as Z35, Z55 etc.?

 

Don't let my Q hear you talk like that! But yes, and I quite like tilt screen street photography from when I used the A7S.

 

Holy crap though, maybe I do sell the Q..

 

Go for

 

M10 + 35/50

A9 + Working Lenses

Something special for portraiture... X1D/50S GFX if these actually turned out ok.

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I'm testing the A7R3 at the moment. It's a big step up on the mk2. Still hate the menus though. And the A9 AF is supposed to be better again.

 

Logically it makes sense. But I'm not always logical. I still prefer the way the SL lenses render so I'll stick with those. The Sony will almost certainly replace the SL for my real estate and architecture work though. Leica took away the main advantage for the SL (exposure preview on half shutter) for me for that use so I'll switch camps. For people shooting I'll stick with the Leica glass.

 

And the SL viewfinder is still better than the Sony, even though the specs say they're close.

 

Gordon

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All my work will be people shooting, but instead of just weddings - I'll be shooting for a school, including teenage sports days and fashion walks - both requiring more consistency in AF and buffer size than the SL can offer.

 

I'd hate to own an additional camera just use only for these events, and besides using it for all events will also allow me to become very familiar with it.

 

I considered the D5 and 1DXII but the shutter noise will not be welcomed in some of the events. The A9 edge AF and face detection performance is just so convincing..

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I recently bought a Sony A6500 instead of a CL so that I benefit from IBIS when using my M & R lenses on the camera.  Super little camera but coming from an M & a Q, in comparison the Sony menu size and structure is something to behold - a myriad of items to scroll through and so many options to try out.  The overused phrase 'steep learning curve' is very apt with regard to Sony menus.  So if you do buy an A9, set aside plenty of time in order to set it up to your way of working!

Edited by Keith (M)
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Don't let my Q hear you talk like that! But yes, and I quite like tilt screen street photography from when I used the A7S.

 

Holy crap though, maybe I do sell the Q..

 

Go for

 

M10 + 35/50

A9 + Working Lenses

Something special for portraiture... X1D/50S GFX if these actually turned out ok.

I thought I was insane... :) I think I have met someone worse than me...

 

FWIW... I thought the same thing. Spec wise the A9 is appealing for sure.

 

I am not a pro unlike you. My SL AF is good enough for what I shoot, so I will will keep the SL. The output from the SL lenses is mind blowing...

 

The Sony feels like a plastic toy to me.

 

With all that said... the A9 sounds like something you actually need... not just want.

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There's a key issue, that I keep trying to ignore - but one of the main reasons why I want the A9 was a fashion walk - I discovered you cannot fire flashes using electronic shutter mode. If you choose mechanical shutter mode you get choppy EVF and the AF doesn't track as well between shots (to be confirmed).

Edited by dancook
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There's a key issue, that I keep trying to ignore - but one of the main reasons why I want the A9 was a fashion walk - I discovered you cannot fire flashes using electronic shutter mode. If you choose mechanical shutter mode you get choppy EVF and the AF doesn't track as well between shots.

And electronic shutter is hit and miss under artificial light as well - a lot of it causes banding.

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And electronic shutter is hit and miss under artificial light as well - a lot of it causes banding.

 

The A9 has a higher read out than any other electronic shutter, so the effect should be minimalised with this camera.

 

But I guess, that is a bit of a risk :)

Edited by dancook
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nick didlick, one of the best sportsphotographers in the world, has switched from nikon to sony a9 - his pictures from the olympics in s. korea are breathtaking. just look him up on instagram. its the demise of nikon and canon...

Edited by harryzet
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The A9 has a higher read out than any other electronic shutter, so the effect should be minimalised with this camera.

 

But I guess, that is a bit of a risk :)

Jim Kasson has measured the A9 electronic shutter read-out time as about 1/160s, which is fast as electronic shutters go. I'm guessing you might be vulnerable to some banding, but so broad you might not notice it. I think the SL is about 1/20 - 1/30s.

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I wouldn’t discount the SL for this type of work. The SL isn’t the best AF, but I’ve shot tens of thousands of photos of school plays, dance performances, netball, tennis and soccer games and surfing with very, very few OOF images.

 

The 90-280 is a fantastic sports/event lens. It’s very fast to focus, has exceptional IQ and captures great detail even shooting towards the sun. Can you shoot JPEG if you’re filling the buffer sometimes?

 

I’m not saying the very expensive SL system would be my first choice if I was buying a system for sports/events, but given you already have it and the zooms, based on my own experience I have no doubt they are very capable of being used for sports and events.

 

There is always a bigger dog, and the A9 has an awesome spec sheet, but you’re heavily invested in the Leica system and those SL zooms are so good.

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The A9 is the best Sony camera I've experienced to date. The focusing system is not only brilliant in stills, but in video as well. The IBIS on the sensor also adds value to stills and especially video if you are hand holding. I recently took the camera to Japan and shot a hybrid of both and am very pleased with the output.

The only elements I felt it lacks in are build quality and user experience. When you hold the two cameras back to back, the difference in heft and quality is immediately apparent. The SL's interface from the menus, evf, shutter sound, to button layout gives me an overall better experience using it. Tho, once you get used to working a Sony, it's not really a problem either.

 

Oddly enough, I didn't see a huge difference in the output until I took both systems out to shoot cars on a race track, I've come away with more keepers on the A9, but there's an aesthetic to the files on the SL that I end up preferring. Reason could possibly be that the SL90-280 has more compression and reach versus the 70-200 on the Sony, but even in photos taken within the same focal length, there's something great about how the SL lens and body draws the light. I'm not sure I know for certainty and can describe this intangible difference I see in photos well enough. But I've a feeling it has to do with the amount of micro contrast that Leica cameras and lenses are known for.

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The A9 is the best Sony camera I've experienced to date. The focusing system is not only brilliant in stills, but in video as well. The IBIS on the sensor also adds value to stills and especially video if you are hand holding. I recently took the camera to Japan and shot a hybrid of both and am very pleased with the output.

The only elements I felt it lacks in are build quality and user experience. When you hold the two cameras back to back, the difference in heft and quality is immediately apparent. The SL's interface from the menus, evf, shutter sound, to button layout gives me an overall better experience using it. Tho, once you get used to working a Sony, it's not really a problem either.

 

Oddly enough, I didn't see a huge difference in the output until I took both systems out to shoot cars on a race track, I've come away with more keepers on the A9, but there's an aesthetic to the files on the SL that I end up preferring. Reason could possibly be that the SL90-280 has more compression and reach versus the 70-200 on the Sony, but even in photos taken within the same focal length, there's something great about how the SL lens and body draws the light. I'm not sure I know for certainty and can describe this intangible difference I see in photos well enough. But I've a feeling it has to do with the amount of micro contrast that Leica cameras and lenses are known for.

 

Lol, no shit, unlike the Sony 70-200, SL 90-280 is an APO lens. This is the best long zoom that I've shot with ever.

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Lol, no shit, unlike the Sony 70-200, SL 90-280 is an APO lens. This is the best long zoom that I've shot with ever.

 

Ah yes, I've been told it's an APO lens but I keep not remembering this fact because it's quite out of the ordinary that a zoom lens is made APO.

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Ah yes, I've been told it's an APO lens but I keep not remembering this fact because it's quite out of the ordinary that a zoom lens is made APO.

 

Yes, Leica is expensive, and it it keeps its prices up by doing things that nobody else does, not just by some lame name recognition :)

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Ok - I have just learnt how to use/trust my SL

 

I had been watching videos of the A9/D5 continually changing zoom, continuous-AF, continuous shutter 99% keeper rate....

 

So I tried to to continually zoom whilst firing off photos... didn't work very well.

 

I tried lots of settings to find the most effective AF target acquisition - in the end what helped most was to actually pause between zooming to take the photo.. :D i can relax now

 

- besides  I've just ordered the 75mm f2 - I'm not selling my SL!

Edited by dancook
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