I bought the A9iii in May...and now...I'm still happy with it. I don't crop a lot that often and I do like the higher fps speed. I also like the ability to flash sync at any shutter speed. That said, I'm happy for the wildlife photographers who do crop a lot as they will now get all the advanced features the A9iii has such as precapture and AI recognition along with the much improved LCD screen.
Thanks, this is the most comprehensive review I have seen. My A1ii is now on order to replace my A1. The big new feature for me is the Pre-capture. I have found on the A9iii what a game changer that is for wildlife photographers.
Great Video! And as I've always said your reviews are extremely fair and impartial! Thank You! I'm an A1 owner and I'm probably buying the A1ii.. I'll then decide later if i sell the A1 or keep it. I'm a wildlife shooter and mostly bird in flight (Eagles & Osprey).. I love having two cameras with different focal lengths. Great Video!
Great and informative video as always mate. Looks like an amazing camera. And the photos you took with this camera was stunning. Wishing you and yours a great week. Cheers, Bjoern
Looks like a great camera, like the Dragon Fly shots. The controls look very nice and love the rear screen. Unfortunately out of my price range [sad] . Really like how you show show the before and after shots, for me this adds a lot of authenticity to your channel. [if that is the right word]
Thanks Mark, yes, a lovely camera and I had a lot of fun but yes, it is a lot of money for a camera. Thanks for the feedback re the showing the RAWS. Cheers, Duade
Great review! I'm a Canon R5 II shooter so I wouldn't be buying the A1 II but it's always nice to see what other competitors are coming up with. I woukd think that wildlife shooters who own the A1 would be pretty happy with the upgrades in the A1 II. Thanks, Duade!
I am so happy for you Duade! You had time to spend with this camera😊 This indicates your channel is getting noticed. I love your channel. Thanks for the review!
Thanks for the video, great job! I've never used pre-capture but continue to hear that it's a game changer. Maybe it's different in the real world, but a question for you. If a bird is sitting on a branch and you're trying to capture that moment of flight from the branch. If you were to take photos of the bird while sitting there in anticipation, isn't that essentially the same thing as pre-capture? Doesn't pre-capture require some luck in your timing too? I don't see the benefit other than how the picture capture process works. Am I missing something here?
G'day, it is all to do with the number of photos you take, if you have a bird and you are unsure when it will give you a post or take off you could take hundreds of pre take off shots for no result if the bird does not leave, with precapture in theory you only press the shutter when the bird actually leaves the perch. With things like dragonflys that move so fast you simply cannot guess when they will leave outside just holding down the shutter constantly for a minute etc. Granted if you have some birds its obvious they are about to fly and that is how we capture take off without precapture but sometimes you get poses etc you were not prepared for. Ducks flapping wings is another one, often they just rear up and flap quickly, with precapture you will always capture up to a second before that happens. Ultimately precapture is just a safety net for those times you were slightly slow or just missed a head turn or pose. It may not be that useful for some people who have amazing reflexes or anticipation skills but I am getting more shots than I would have previously. Cheers, Duade
As a Canon R5ii shooter the A1ii is just more refined in many ways but is more than half the price again. Great review the big 3 brands all have great offerings.
How? The r5ii has uncompressed 14bit 30fps. The A1II is still compressed 12bit. The video on the a1ii is still line skipped/subsampled. Just to name a couple.
@@robbie154 all true l sure but l don’t do video just more the precapture set up the rear screen mechanics set precapture to a custom button just little things like that a bit better implicated.
@@robbie154 G'day Robbie, you raise good points and each camera has strengths and weaknesses. Whilst the R52 is 14bit the actual in field performance of the A1 sensor appears to have better dynamic range, less high ISO noise, twice as fast read out speed and is 50mp vs 45mp. In fact the R5 sensor is better than the R52 and I believe that is not 14 bit in ES 20fps. I don't shoot video but understand that is a feature Sony shooters would have liked.
Awesome review !! Tuning in from Baltimore MD. Was thinking of upgrading my camera. Would you recommend A1II or R5 Mark II? Keep up the amazing work!!!
Great question and really depends on your budget and lenses and what system you are already invested in. I would argue the A1II has more features but comes at the higher cost. The R52 offers better value IMO. Cheers, Duade
You are absolutely correct about the autofocus zone or point options on Sony bodies. Jan Wegener had the same issue being a Canon user. As an A1 user I would not use wide in those circumstances especially as how easy it is to change focus areas. I tend to use one of the three size flexible boxes depending on the subject.
Thanks for this marvelously illustrated review Duade !! Especially the swallow family are 😍 After the "underwhelming" rumors (~SAR), it looks like a pretty decent upgrade over the original a1, certainly for our (hardware-demanding) genre. But I do feel the R5ii made a larger leap over its predecessor. Within some tolerances, the a1ii looks like an R5ii with a "flagship upgrade" regarding EVF, buffer and price tag.
Hi Duade - great video and answers a lot of bird related q's on the a1ii. I have a side question. i was recently up at winton wetlands to take some photos taking advantage of camping nearby but i struggled to see anything worthwhile due to the location i was in (near the visitor center). Are there areas accessible by car (not 4wd) that you can suggest? I tried going on the path near the dam wall but it was all locked up. Even using a 500f4 and a tele was a struggle due to distance.
G'day, Boggy Bridge is where I film most of my videos, small wetland next to the road. Ashemeads swamp which had water but is largely dry is another location and the Duck Pond is also worth a visit. Green Hill has the Antichinus, Woodswallows and other bush birds. The old boat ramp down by the visitors centre when water is also worth a look. Cheers, Duade
Great review - have the A1 and won’t be swapping for a while yet but the pre capture is something to look forward to later when they are available second hand. But happy for now and great to see the improvements in AF. Thanks for sharing.
RE: the tracking focus not picking up animals/birds. I get this myself with my A1m1. I have the smallest spot focus, put it on a small bird on the ground, back button focus, engage tracking, the focus box wonders off to the bottom left corner of the screen, Repeat and it does the same thing again. It's just not good when the subject is a small item in the frame.
Thanks for sharing, I need to get the camera again and try all the other modes like spot with tracking, zones etc. I had hoped wide would work but it seems to get confused in certain scenarios. Cheers, Duade
Thanks for the very good and practical oriented review and your sympathetic way of presenting.this camera. It´s a bit frustrating to see the prices and to recognize, that we in Europe have to pay much more for the same camera...
Excellent review and trustworthy! On the Sony comment about not being able to increase stills fps from 30 max…they could have considered 40 fps in jpg if file size was an issue. A lot of action shooters use jpg anyway.
'Ah yes, let me sell my A1, losing $3500+ just to buy an A1II for $3500 more...' LOSING $7000 effectively. You'd have to be insane to switch from an A1 to an A1II.
You are double counting there buddy! You know how I know? Let’s say you don’t sell your existing A1 and just bought the A1 mk11 it will cost you approx $6.5K… and you get to have 2 cameras! If you seek the old A1 you should get ~$4.2K - that’s roughly what they are going for - but let’s be conservative and say $4K. Now if you buy the A1 mkII the have your $4K… and you need to raise another approx $2.5K. So math states you need to decide whether the new features are worth $2.5K to you…
Can the speedboots be set in such a way that you choose say 20fps but in uncompressed/lossless RAWs so that you benefit from 14-bit files, and engage the speedboost at 30fps where it automatically jumps to lossy 12-bit RAWs?
Sounds amazing, but the best outcome is what it will do to the price of the A1😊. As a Canon wildlife shooter, I chose an R5 when the R5ii was introduced, for the same reason
Thanks for your review. It looks fantastic. I'd love it, but already deep into the Canon RF system so will hope Canon improve the R7 with an R7ii that similarly addresses pre-capture, rolling shutter and buffer. My R7 still has more effective "on the small bird at a distance" resolution than almost anything else money can buy so afraid I must stick with it for now!
Thanks Derek, looking at rumors the R7II could be everything we wildlife shooter want, fingers crossed. I agree the reach of the R7 is fantastic. Cheers, Duade
Most informative. I was wondering whether the new model would shift the prices, new and secondhand, a little. I was tempted by the A7r5 because it had the high resolution sensor and good autofocus modes. I thought the A1 was overpriced and did not offer enough over the A7r5 to be worthwhile. If the secondhand values of the old A1 come down significantly the choice becomes a bit more difficult for a wildlife photographer.
Thanks, yes, I am sure the price will come down of both those cameras with the introduction of the A12. The A1 for its time was really groundbreaking and the fact they are using the same sensor speakes volumes. Cheers, Duade
Hi Duade, for your first kangaroo shot at about 17:30, based on my experience with the A9 (no bird AF), the small spot + tracking AF mode would have easily tracked the roo across the frame - I would recommend that mode rather than a smaller zone AF area you suggested. Small spot focus + tracking was often my method on the A9 and generally does a great job. I don’t think eye AF is needed when the subject is that far away
Nice Dfly shots but I was getting tack sharp servo tracking with my classic 5D with a 300mmf2.8LIS over 15yrs ago. You can pick them up for £120 these days. I got excellent tracking results with the R7. I think for the likely UK price of the A1II I think I would go for a Nikon Z8 and a nice lens they really are worth the money. The A1II looks like an amazing camera now it's got the pre capture as well (could have been a firmware update for A1 users 😭). The ultimate kit for me would be that A1II with a 600mm F4 and a A9III as a backup😃
@@naturealbums Yeah I have no idea why that is the case, hopefully they can change that via firmware but I suspect they would have already. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade still thanks for the video btw! Forgot to mention. I really enjoy watching your reviews. Are you considering doing like a comparison between this camera and the Nikon Z8 and Canons' equivalent competitor camera?
Wonderful video and images, thank you for making the video. It would’ve been really awesome and I could sell my Sonya one for around $4000 US and just pay a few thousand more for the A1 to body that might work out. Thank you again for your time and effort. Wonderful video.
Great videos as always. I just want to get your opinion. Currently, I have Sony A7iv plus the 200 -600 mm and mostly do bird photography. Im thinking to upgrade but I cant upgrade both for lens and camera body at the same time. If you have the following options (1) Sony A7iv plus the 300 GM lens or (2) Sony A1 mk11 plus the 200-600 G lens - which option will you take? Im tending to lean on option2 but I just want to hear your thoughts. thanks.
G'day, very tough call as that is a beautiful lens and lenses hold their value so well. In saying that the A12 is nice step up from the A74 in terms of fps, rolling shutter, MP etc. So for actual improvement in the field I think the camera would be the way to go. It also works very well with that lens, Cheers, Duade
@@Noside1964 Its just a cross resolve in Divinci Resolve. I create two images, one with the raw and then I manually overlay the processed image in photoshop and save that as its own photo. Then just transition between the two. Cheers, Duade
That is a great question Stephen, if you shoot Sony you don't really have a choice outside the original A1 if you want a high megapixel body wildlife body. I think the R52 does offer a lot of value for its price. Cheers, Duade
G'day, always a tough question, if you can afford it the D500 is probably the best crop DSLR that was produced, so I would save for that. Or potentially look at saving for a Z50II. Cheers, Duade
Wonderful video and images, thank you for making the video. I could sell my Sony a1 for around $4000 US and just pay a few thousand more for the A1 ii body, that might work out. Thank you again for your time and effort. Wonderful video.
Finally an ergonomic improvement to a Sony body. All the tech in the world means nothing if your meat hooks don’t fit right, even less if actually using it hurts. Canon has this right, Nikon tripped on the first couple rounds the Z series but is getting better, and Sony has been awkwardly making the same mistakes for nearly 10 years. I shoot canon (with Nikon as a backup) because of the ergonomics, the colours, and the legacy glass; but I can’t help but look on in envy at the mountain of glass available to the E-mount.
It doesn't help Canon that Sigma makes a converter that allows you to put Canon EF lenses on the E Mount. You could probably keep your old Canon EF glass when switching to Sony much like you can do it on Canon's own mirrorless bodies. Canon really need to get it together and open up to 3rd party lens manufacturers or they could be in dire stairs pretty soon. Sigma just announced 3 RF lenses for Canon, but they only cover an APS-C sensor and proper, RF lenses for full frame allegedly won't be coming for another year, maybe two.
This was a problem in the early days but hasn’t been a problem at least since the A1 was introduced. I know some prefer Canon or Nikon bodies but I have used the A1 since it came out often holding it with long lenses all day with no issues but I do mostly use it with the battery grip. On my A7Riv I use an L bracket as it makes it easier to use in portrait orientation and again no issues. So although people are saying this A1ii is better in the hand as I don’t have a problem with the original it’s not the main thing I wanted in the upgrade. The things I wanted have been included so I will definitely be getting one.
G'day, the best way to describe how the A12 feels in your hand is that it now feels more like a Canon in a good way. The differences are obvious and I encourage you to visit a camera store and hold the camera as I think you will like what you feel. Cheers, Duade
It can be challenging for sure and really depends on how far away it is and if there are obstructions in the way. Overall the AF was great but I did have a few situations where the camera struggled. Cheers, Duade
@@tshev Precapture, 30fps, 50mps, stacked, better AF, lag free EVF etc are all big improvements. The A7IV is still a nice camera and is still more than capable, the A12 is just a much better all around camera for wildlife. Cheers, Duade
Thanks for the review. I will be upgrading to the A1 ii as soon as it's available since my A1 may be on the fritz. Been looking at getting a second new camera, but the 24MP of the A9 iii had me hesitant. I am just use to the 50MP quality of the A1 and use the crop-mode on it quite often in the field. I mainly need the better dust and water protection along with pre-capture. I take my gear kayaking in the bay and let's just say salt water is not kind to electronics. The improved AF is a great upgrade, albeit expected, though the A1 is quite capable. I will have my A1 serviced and use as a back-up once the new kit arrives.
I can't believe that 4K recording is still subsampled or line skipped and not 8K oversampled like in the Nikon Z8 (8.3K oversampled 4K60p) or in the R5 (4K Fine oversampled from 8K up to 30p). The only oversampled 4K mode in the a1 II is the cropped APS-C mode. A flagship should be able to record full-width 8K oversampled 4K60p or at the very least 30p!
Young swallows?! You have tested this camera 4 months ago? Sheesh, that's intensively hard to keep quiet that this camera will come up soooo much later.
This market is saturated. This camera is too expensive compared to competitors There is more money to be made in the point & shoot market (X100V), (Leica Q) or retro stile cameras (Nikon fix). I don’t understand why Sony isn’t updating their excellent point and shoot cameras and the successful A7iii. All the A1 needed is a firmware update and reduced price.
Thanks for the feedback, I think its only natural as technology improves. We have up to 120fps on the A9III, 40fps on the R1, 50-60fps on other bodies so users are coming to appreciate the options that gives them. I agree that 30 is more than enough for the majority of shooting but with wildlife you really want to capture that one pose or moment and higher FPS allows that. Cheers, Duade
I’m afraid as much as the photos were great the Sony colours are terrible as they’ve always been, not realistic greens and blues? no comparison to Canon I’m afraid Duade 🤷♂️👎
This is always a crazy point only mentioned by certain camera users, as unless you always shoot jpeg, RAW files, which most people shooting with a camera such as this would be using, have to be colour adjusted anyway, whatever brand of camera is used. All the top brands are now fantastic cameras and the images are fine and all can be adjusted to taste.
@@Terrytheartist I am quite good thank you very much. Of course you are entitled to your view, but not to be rude. To basically say all Sony users can’t judge colour is quite a position to take. Obviously in your opinion only Canon should be used. I wonder how on earth all those pros who use Sony make a living with such horrible colours.
@@johnharvey1786 I never said said all Sony users are wrong, also never said you’re not a good photographer, also I doubt whether all or even the majority pros are Sony users, probably split between Canon and Nikon if you’re happy spending more time in post editing all the colours that’s your choice, I’ve got better things to do 🤣
@ You did say Canon was so much better, and Sony colours are terrible as they’ve always been, so by default everyone using Sony can’t see the “crap” colours they have, basically insulting all Sony photographers. There are lots of pros using Sony but again your bias comes out. Everyone who uses RAW files has to adjust the colours, whatever top brand camera they use so the make of camera is not relevant. You were also very rude but if you can’t see that good bye.
Sony have informed me the Price is $6,498 USD not the $6,299 listed in the video. Sorry about any confusion. Cheers, Duade
It's incredible how much less and less barriers there is between experienced photographer and perfect wildlife shot with each new camera iteration
I bought the A9iii in May...and now...I'm still happy with it. I don't crop a lot that often and I do like the higher fps speed. I also like the ability to flash sync at any shutter speed. That said, I'm happy for the wildlife photographers who do crop a lot as they will now get all the advanced features the A9iii has such as precapture and AI recognition along with the much improved LCD screen.
Yeah, the FPS of the A9II and sync speed is amazing, the actual bodies are also so much nicer in the field. Cheers, Duade
Amazing shots you got Duade. Awesome selection.
Thanks for the feedback, it was a lot of fun, Cheers, Duade
Thanks, this is the most comprehensive review I have seen. My A1ii is now on order to replace my A1. The big new feature for me is the Pre-capture. I have found on the A9iii what a game changer that is for wildlife photographers.
Thanks Jonathan, congrats on the camera, I am sure you will have a lot of fun with it. Cheers, Duade
Hi Duade, love your detailed reviews, always engaging, but what I enjoy the most are your first class photographic captures, keep up the good work!
Thanks Adrian, I appreciate the feedback, Cheers, Duade
Great Video! And as I've always said your reviews are extremely fair and impartial! Thank You! I'm an A1 owner and I'm probably buying the A1ii.. I'll then decide later if i sell the A1 or keep it. I'm a wildlife shooter and mostly bird in flight (Eagles & Osprey).. I love having two cameras with different focal lengths. Great Video!
Thanks Billy, it is ultimately just a much more refined A1 with some great new features. For BIF it is fantastic. Cheers, Duade
Great and informative video as always mate. Looks like an amazing camera. And the photos you took with this camera was stunning.
Wishing you and yours a great week.
Cheers, Bjoern
Thanks mate, I apprecaite it, I had a lot of fun that is for sure. Cheers, Duade
Hey Duade, for better results with the autofocus you should go with tracking spot, my favorite is expandable tracking spot.
Thanks, I will have to try that for sure, Cheers, Duade
Just came here from the official announcement, looking good! Thanks for all the work you do with the reviews and everything, greetings from Finland!
Thansk for the feeback, Cheers, Duade
Looks like a great camera, like the Dragon Fly shots.
The controls look very nice and love the rear screen.
Unfortunately out of my price range [sad]
.
Really like how you show show the before and after shots, for me this adds a lot of authenticity to your channel. [if that is the right word]
Thanks Mark, yes, a lovely camera and I had a lot of fun but yes, it is a lot of money for a camera. Thanks for the feedback re the showing the RAWS. Cheers, Duade
Cropability of that sensor is ASTONISHING!
Yes, its incredible for sure. Cheers, Duade
Great review! I'm a Canon R5 II shooter so I wouldn't be buying the A1 II but it's always nice to see what other competitors are coming up with. I woukd think that wildlife shooters who own the A1 would be pretty happy with the upgrades in the A1 II. Thanks, Duade!
I am so happy for you Duade! You had time to spend with this camera😊 This indicates your channel is getting noticed. I love your channel. Thanks for the review!
Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate the support!
Hi Duade, excellent vid as always, it certainly looks a superb camera although a touch expensive, great pics you have taken with makes me envious.
Thanks mate, yes, makes the R52 look like a bargain ;-) Cheers, Duade
Thanks for the video, great job! I've never used pre-capture but continue to hear that it's a game changer. Maybe it's different in the real world, but a question for you. If a bird is sitting on a branch and you're trying to capture that moment of flight from the branch. If you were to take photos of the bird while sitting there in anticipation, isn't that essentially the same thing as pre-capture? Doesn't pre-capture require some luck in your timing too? I don't see the benefit other than how the picture capture process works. Am I missing something here?
G'day, it is all to do with the number of photos you take, if you have a bird and you are unsure when it will give you a post or take off you could take hundreds of pre take off shots for no result if the bird does not leave, with precapture in theory you only press the shutter when the bird actually leaves the perch. With things like dragonflys that move so fast you simply cannot guess when they will leave outside just holding down the shutter constantly for a minute etc.
Granted if you have some birds its obvious they are about to fly and that is how we capture take off without precapture but sometimes you get poses etc you were not prepared for.
Ducks flapping wings is another one, often they just rear up and flap quickly, with precapture you will always capture up to a second before that happens.
Ultimately precapture is just a safety net for those times you were slightly slow or just missed a head turn or pose. It may not be that useful for some people who have amazing reflexes or anticipation skills but I am getting more shots than I would have previously. Cheers, Duade
As a Canon R5ii shooter the A1ii is just more refined in many ways but is more than half the price again. Great review the big 3 brands all have great offerings.
Thanks, totally agree, the R52 is a great camera for its price. I agree we are very lucky to have all these amazing cameras available. Cheers, Duade
How? The r5ii has uncompressed 14bit 30fps. The A1II is still compressed 12bit. The video on the a1ii is still line skipped/subsampled. Just to name a couple.
@@robbie154 all true l sure but l don’t do video just more the precapture set up the rear screen mechanics set precapture to a custom button just little things like that a bit better implicated.
@@robbie154 G'day Robbie, you raise good points and each camera has strengths and weaknesses. Whilst the R52 is 14bit the actual in field performance of the A1 sensor appears to have better dynamic range, less high ISO noise, twice as fast read out speed and is 50mp vs 45mp. In fact the R5 sensor is better than the R52 and I believe that is not 14 bit in ES 20fps. I don't shoot video but understand that is a feature Sony shooters would have liked.
@ would love to see a side by side. Photons to photos has them more or less on par with each other
6:53 that shot should win awards!
Thanks for the feedback, I was happy to get that shot, Cheers, Duade
Something about the vegetation in the foreground makes it even better!
Awesome review !! Tuning in from Baltimore MD. Was thinking of upgrading my camera. Would you recommend A1II or R5 Mark II? Keep up the amazing work!!!
Great question and really depends on your budget and lenses and what system you are already invested in. I would argue the A1II has more features but comes at the higher cost. The R52 offers better value IMO. Cheers, Duade
Thanks for the in-depth review. Pre-capture and that insert mode is great news.
Thanks John, yes, they work well, Cheers, Duade
You are absolutely correct about the autofocus zone or point options on Sony bodies. Jan Wegener had the same issue being a Canon user. As an A1 user I would not use wide in those circumstances especially as how easy it is to change focus areas. I tend to use one of the three size flexible boxes depending on the subject.
Thanks for the feedback John, nice to hear from Sony users, I will try that next time I get the camera. Cheers, Duade
Great video as always. Cheers from Turkey.
Thanks for this marvelously illustrated review Duade !! Especially the swallow family are 😍
After the "underwhelming" rumors (~SAR), it looks like a pretty decent upgrade over the original a1, certainly for our (hardware-demanding) genre. But I do feel the R5ii made a larger leap over its predecessor.
Within some tolerances, the a1ii looks like an R5ii with a "flagship upgrade" regarding EVF, buffer and price tag.
Thanks Werner, I think your description is on the money. Cheers, Duade
On the A9III I use the very small spot tracking for those difficult to track subjects
Thanks, I will have to give that a go, Cheers, Duade
Hi Duade - great video and answers a lot of bird related q's on the a1ii. I have a side question. i was recently up at winton wetlands to take some photos taking advantage of camping nearby but i struggled to see anything worthwhile due to the location i was in (near the visitor center). Are there areas accessible by car (not 4wd) that you can suggest? I tried going on the path near the dam wall but it was all locked up. Even using a 500f4 and a tele was a struggle due to distance.
G'day, Boggy Bridge is where I film most of my videos, small wetland next to the road. Ashemeads swamp which had water but is largely dry is another location and the Duck Pond is also worth a visit. Green Hill has the Antichinus, Woodswallows and other bush birds. The old boat ramp down by the visitors centre when water is also worth a look. Cheers, Duade
@Duade thanks Duade! Appreciate the reply and tips!
Great review - have the A1 and won’t be swapping for a while yet but the pre capture is something to look forward to later when they are available second hand. But happy for now and great to see the improvements in AF. Thanks for sharing.
G'day my pleasure, yes, I suspect many A1 owners will share your views, Cheers, Duade
Fantastic review. You covered every question I had about it.
Great to hear Brian, I appreciate the feedback, Cheers, Duade
RE: the tracking focus not picking up animals/birds. I get this myself with my A1m1. I have the smallest spot focus, put it on a small bird on the ground, back button focus, engage tracking, the focus box wonders off to the bottom left corner of the screen, Repeat and it does the same thing again. It's just not good when the subject is a small item in the frame.
Thanks for sharing, I need to get the camera again and try all the other modes like spot with tracking, zones etc. I had hoped wide would work but it seems to get confused in certain scenarios. Cheers, Duade
What field watch do you wear and how helpful is it? Great review :)
G'day, just an old watch and I don't use it for anything but telling the time :-) Cheers, Duade
Thanks for the very good and practical oriented review and your sympathetic way of presenting.this camera. It´s a bit frustrating to see the prices and to recognize, that we in Europe have to pay much more for the same camera...
G'day, yes, the high taxes and exchange rate do make the cameras very expensive. We have 10% GST here so 10990 is a lot here also. Cheers, Duade
Excellent review and trustworthy! On the Sony comment about not being able to increase stills fps from 30 max…they could have considered 40 fps in jpg if file size was an issue. A lot of action shooters use jpg anyway.
Very true and good point, Cheers, Duade
Great video as always, thanks, Duade 👏👏👏
My pleasure, Cheers, Duade
@Duabe Paton, quick little hint when the camera is not finding the bird, I use expandable spot mode, I have more success in that mode.
'Ah yes, let me sell my A1, losing $3500+ just to buy an A1II for $3500 more...' LOSING $7000 effectively. You'd have to be insane to switch from an A1 to an A1II.
what kind of math is that, lol
@@frostybe3r wtf why selling for 3k?
Law of production scale. What else do you expect
@@petrub27 Older camera, new things are out, despite it still being perfectly viable, people don't offer much anymore.
You are double counting there buddy! You know how I know? Let’s say you don’t sell your existing A1 and just bought the A1 mk11 it will cost you approx $6.5K… and you get to have 2 cameras! If you seek the old A1 you should get ~$4.2K - that’s roughly what they are going for - but let’s be conservative and say $4K. Now if you buy the A1 mkII the have your $4K… and you need to raise another approx $2.5K. So math states you need to decide whether the new features are worth $2.5K to you…
another banger video Duade, thank you so much
Thanks for watching! I hope it was helpful.
Can the speedboots be set in such a way that you choose say 20fps but in uncompressed/lossless RAWs so that you benefit from 14-bit files, and engage the speedboost at 30fps where it automatically jumps to lossy 12-bit RAWs?
Sounds amazing, but the best outcome is what it will do to the price of the A1😊. As a Canon wildlife shooter, I chose an R5 when the R5ii was introduced, for the same reason
Thanks, yes, very true, the A1 is still an amazing camera with fantastic IQ. Cheers, Duade
Thanks for your review. It looks fantastic. I'd love it, but already deep into the Canon RF system so will hope Canon improve the R7 with an R7ii that similarly addresses pre-capture, rolling shutter and buffer. My R7 still has more effective "on the small bird at a distance" resolution than almost anything else money can buy so afraid I must stick with it for now!
Thanks Derek, looking at rumors the R7II could be everything we wildlife shooter want, fingers crossed. I agree the reach of the R7 is fantastic. Cheers, Duade
Most informative. I was wondering whether the new model would shift the prices, new and secondhand, a little. I was tempted by the A7r5 because it had the high resolution sensor and good autofocus modes. I thought the A1 was overpriced and did not offer enough over the A7r5 to be worthwhile. If the secondhand values of the old A1 come down significantly the choice becomes a bit more difficult for a wildlife photographer.
Thanks, yes, I am sure the price will come down of both those cameras with the introduction of the A12. The A1 for its time was really groundbreaking and the fact they are using the same sensor speakes volumes. Cheers, Duade
Hi Duade, for your first kangaroo shot at about 17:30, based on my experience with the A9 (no bird AF), the small spot + tracking AF mode would have easily tracked the roo across the frame - I would recommend that mode rather than a smaller zone AF area you suggested. Small spot focus + tracking was often my method on the A9 and generally does a great job. I don’t think eye AF is needed when the subject is that far away
Thanks for the feedback, I will have to try that mode, Cheers, Duade
I can't wait to get my hands on one so jealous . Awesome 👍
Yes you will, a refined version of the A1, basically just makes an amazing camera even better. Cheers, Duade
Thank you for your excellent video!!!
My pleasure Roland, Cheers, Duade
Nice Dfly shots but I was getting tack sharp servo tracking with my classic 5D with a 300mmf2.8LIS over 15yrs ago. You can pick them up for £120 these days. I got excellent tracking results with the R7. I think for the likely UK price of the A1II I think I would go for a Nikon Z8 and a nice lens they really are worth the money. The A1II looks like an amazing camera now it's got the pre capture as well (could have been a firmware update for A1 users 😭). The ultimate kit for me would be that A1II with a 600mm F4 and a A9III as a backup😃
Thanks, yes, all very true, the Z8 and R52 do offer a lot of features for their price. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade yeah my only negative with the Z8 is the pre capture is jpg not raw like everyone else 😒
@@naturealbums Yeah I have no idea why that is the case, hopefully they can change that via firmware but I suspect they would have already. Cheers, Duade
17:30 damn, seeing that makes me feel good about my Nikon Z9. Definitely would've worked like a charm there.
Thanks, could have been more to do with me selecting the wrong AF setting I think. I need more time with the camera. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade still thanks for the video btw! Forgot to mention. I really enjoy watching your reviews. Are you considering doing like a comparison between this camera and the Nikon Z8 and Canons' equivalent competitor camera?
For real world photography use, I look for Duade and Jan reviews.
Great to hear, I hope it was helpful, Cheers, Duade
Wonderful video and images, thank you for making the video. It would’ve been really awesome and I could sell my Sonya one for around $4000 US and just pay a few thousand more for the A1 to body that might work out. Thank you again for your time and effort. Wonderful video.
Great videos as always. I just want to get your opinion. Currently, I have Sony A7iv plus the 200 -600 mm and mostly do bird photography. Im thinking to upgrade but I cant upgrade both for lens and camera body at the same time. If you have the following options (1) Sony A7iv plus the 300 GM lens or (2) Sony A1 mk11 plus the 200-600 G lens - which option will you take? Im tending to lean on option2 but I just want to hear your thoughts. thanks.
G'day, very tough call as that is a beautiful lens and lenses hold their value so well. In saying that the A12 is nice step up from the A74 in terms of fps, rolling shutter, MP etc. So for actual improvement in the field I think the camera would be the way to go. It also works very well with that lens, Cheers, Duade
@ thanks mate
or maybe it upgrade to Sony a7RV..at least it has ai chip
@ one more question mate, what software do you use to transition smoothly from raw files to post processed photo? Thanks again
@@Noside1964 Its just a cross resolve in Divinci Resolve. I create two images, one with the raw and then I manually overlay the processed image in photoshop and save that as its own photo. Then just transition between the two. Cheers, Duade
Jan had the same issue with AF wide subject recognition. I've had it with my OM-1 also.
Thanks for the feedback, Cheers, Duade
But is it really with $4K more than the R5II?
That is a great question Stephen, if you shoot Sony you don't really have a choice outside the original A1 if you want a high megapixel body wildlife body. I think the R52 does offer a lot of value for its price. Cheers, Duade
Thr swallow image is fantastic.
Thanks Steve, I was happy to get that one, Cheers, Duade
Hi should I get a full frame or a crop sensor camera like nikon d7200 or d700? because I think I need more reach with the nikon 200-500mm.
G'day, always a tough question, if you can afford it the D500 is probably the best crop DSLR that was produced, so I would save for that. Or potentially look at saving for a Z50II. Cheers, Duade
@Duade Thanks a lot. love your work!!!
Improving on a fantastic camera
Wonderful video and images, thank you for making the video. I could sell my Sony a1 for around $4000 US and just pay a few thousand more for the A1 ii body, that might work out. Thank you again for your time and effort. Wonderful video.
G'day my pleasure, the new body and additional features just improve what is already a fantastic camera. Cheers ,Duade
❤❤❤❤
For A$11000, this camera should be pretty good at capturing everything.
Great video!
Finally an ergonomic improvement to a Sony body. All the tech in the world means nothing if your meat hooks don’t fit right, even less if actually using it hurts. Canon has this right, Nikon tripped on the first couple rounds the Z series but is getting better, and Sony has been awkwardly making the same mistakes for nearly 10 years.
I shoot canon (with Nikon as a backup) because of the ergonomics, the colours, and the legacy glass; but I can’t help but look on in envy at the mountain of glass available to the E-mount.
It doesn't help Canon that Sigma makes a converter that allows you to put Canon EF lenses on the E Mount. You could probably keep your old Canon EF glass when switching to Sony much like you can do it on Canon's own mirrorless bodies. Canon really need to get it together and open up to 3rd party lens manufacturers or they could be in dire stairs pretty soon. Sigma just announced 3 RF lenses for Canon, but they only cover an APS-C sensor and proper, RF lenses for full frame allegedly won't be coming for another year, maybe two.
This was a problem in the early days but hasn’t been a problem at least since the A1 was introduced. I know some prefer Canon or Nikon bodies but I have used the A1 since it came out often holding it with long lenses all day with no issues but I do mostly use it with the battery grip. On my A7Riv I use an L bracket as it makes it easier to use in portrait orientation and again no issues. So although people are saying this A1ii is better in the hand as I don’t have a problem with the original it’s not the main thing I wanted in the upgrade. The things I wanted have been included so I will definitely be getting one.
G'day, the best way to describe how the A12 feels in your hand is that it now feels more like a Canon in a good way. The differences are obvious and I encourage you to visit a camera store and hold the camera as I think you will like what you feel. Cheers, Duade
I should be asleep. It’s half midnight but… here I am. ❤
Thanks for stopping by, Cheers, Duade
What is your experience acquiring autofocus when you shoot a fast-moving subject that is already moving towards you?
It can be challenging for sure and really depends on how far away it is and if there are obstructions in the way. Overall the AF was great but I did have a few situations where the camera struggled. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade it's problematic with my Sony A7 IV. I know you have experience with Sony A7 IV. Does it feel much better with A1 II?
@@tshev Precapture, 30fps, 50mps, stacked, better AF, lag free EVF etc are all big improvements. The A7IV is still a nice camera and is still more than capable, the A12 is just a much better all around camera for wildlife. Cheers, Duade
A7V.. Where are youuuu?
G'day Andreas, yes, that has to be coming next you would think. Hopefully I get to try that one out as well. Cheers, Duade
@Duade Good day man🦩
Great review of a very nice camera, but the thing is way too expensive, so it's not for me.
Thanks Paul, yes, it is up there in cost that is for sure, Cheers, Duade
It's so weird that precapture is not a software update for Sony A1.
Yeah, that would be great for sure. It is such a good feature. Cheers, Duade
Memory cards :
Same as over at the A7R5 ?
Sorry - would make me save some time and stress wile consider this to replace my A7r5..
G'day, yes would be CF Express A cards. Chers, Duade
@Duade Thank You so much
Thanks for the review. I will be upgrading to the A1 ii as soon as it's available since my A1 may be on the fritz. Been looking at getting a second new camera, but the 24MP of the A9 iii had me hesitant. I am just use to the 50MP quality of the A1 and use the crop-mode on it quite often in the field. I mainly need the better dust and water protection along with pre-capture. I take my gear kayaking in the bay and let's just say salt water is not kind to electronics. The improved AF is a great upgrade, albeit expected, though the A1 is quite capable. I will have my A1 serviced and use as a back-up once the new kit arrives.
Thanks for sharing Ron, yes, it is just a more refined A1, so if you love that you will love this camera also. Cheers, Duade
I can't believe that 4K recording is still subsampled or line skipped and not 8K oversampled like in the Nikon Z8 (8.3K oversampled 4K60p) or in the R5 (4K Fine oversampled from 8K up to 30p).
The only oversampled 4K mode in the a1 II is the cropped APS-C mode. A flagship should be able to record full-width 8K oversampled 4K60p or at the very least 30p!
did you watch all these Videos, or did you just copy that comment under everything, that has "Sony A1 II" in the Title? 😂
Thanks for the feedback, I am not a video shooter so that does not impact me but sounds like it may for video shooters. Cheers, Duade
Alpha A1.02 😂😂😂
Yep, it is a refined A1 for sure.
Young swallows?! You have tested this camera 4 months ago? Sheesh, that's intensively hard to keep quiet that this camera will come up soooo much later.
G'day. I'm in Australia so spring here at the moment and lots of babies out and about. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Oh, forgot about this part of the world! 👊😂
Just for lols, try make a video with the title: "A dishonest review not in the real world" :)
Thats the price of 2x Z8s from Grandys,@ Only 8k 30fps, No thanks Sony😴😴
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Cheers, DUade
This market is saturated.
This camera is too expensive compared to competitors
There is more money to be made in the point & shoot market (X100V), (Leica Q) or retro stile cameras (Nikon fix).
I don’t understand why Sony isn’t updating their excellent point and shoot cameras and the successful A7iii.
All the A1 needed is a firmware update and reduced price.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, the A12 is a refined version of the A1 for sure. Cheers, Duade
Now they want 40 fps. 30 not enough. Just tired of this.
Thanks for the feedback, I think its only natural as technology improves. We have up to 120fps on the A9III, 40fps on the R1, 50-60fps on other bodies so users are coming to appreciate the options that gives them.
I agree that 30 is more than enough for the majority of shooting but with wildlife you really want to capture that one pose or moment and higher FPS allows that. Cheers, Duade
I’m afraid as much as the photos were great the Sony colours are terrible as they’ve always been, not realistic greens and blues? no comparison to Canon I’m afraid Duade 🤷♂️👎
This is always a crazy point only mentioned by certain camera users, as unless you always shoot jpeg, RAW files, which most people shooting with a camera such as this would be using, have to be colour adjusted anyway, whatever brand of camera is used. All the top brands are now fantastic cameras and the images are fine and all can be adjusted to taste.
@ wow aren’t you enlightening? obviously your a top photographer? It’s my opinion, you’re entitled to yours
@@Terrytheartist I am quite good thank you very much. Of course you are entitled to your view, but not to be rude. To basically say all Sony users can’t judge colour is quite a position to take. Obviously in your opinion only Canon should be used. I wonder how on earth all those pros who use Sony make a living with such horrible colours.
@@johnharvey1786 I never said said all Sony users are wrong, also never said you’re not a good photographer, also I doubt whether all or even the majority pros are Sony users, probably split between Canon and Nikon
if you’re happy spending more time in post editing all the colours that’s your choice, I’ve got better things to do 🤣
@ You did say Canon was so much better, and Sony colours are terrible as they’ve always been, so by default everyone using Sony can’t see the “crap” colours they have, basically insulting all Sony photographers. There are lots of pros using Sony but again your bias comes out. Everyone who uses RAW files has to adjust the colours, whatever top brand camera they use so the make of camera is not relevant. You were also very rude but if you can’t see that good bye.