Sony a1 Review for Bird Photography: My Hands-on Experience With Alpha 1

Рет қаралды 46,987

3 жыл бұрын

I got my hands on the new Sony Alpha 1 and went out to find some bird friends. I tested Bird Eye AF, the 30 fps continuous shooting, autofocus performance with both 1.4x and 2x teleconverters on my trusty 200-600mm, S-Cinetone for wildlife video, and more. ↓↓↓
► Sony Alpha 1
Adorama: adorama.rfvk.net/QREx9 | B&H: bhpho.to/3osNoAU | Amazon: amzn.to/3ag3QPU
►Sony VG-C4EM Vertical Grip for a1, a7S III, a7R IV, a9 II
Adorama: adorama.rfvk.net/BXE6bJ | B&H: bhpho.to/2OhfbHU | Amazon: amzn.to/2NVuO88
►Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS
Adorama: adorama.rfvk.net/Kkyka | B&H: bhpho.to/2pnPutc | Amazon: amzn.to/2ZAFf28
►LensCoat Lens Cover
B&H: bhpho.to/3205Wgh | Amazon: amzn.to/2xo3o2b
►Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter
Adorama: adorama.rfvk.net/QV0Oz | B&H: bhpho.to/3d322uc | Amazon: amzn.to/33wM0pt
►Sony FE 2x Teleconverter
Adorama: adorama.rfvk.net/Ao0b2a | B&H: bhpho.to/3babiNQ | Amazon: amzn.to/3q4Hhn2
► Shimoda Explore 40 Backpack
Shimoda: shimoda-designs.j8ujgp.net/kL0n3 | B&H: bhpho.to/383kbGq | Amazon: amzn.to/2KqZgom
► Shimoda Large DSLR Core Unit
Shimoda: shimoda-designs.j8ujgp.net/edKoX | B&H: bhpho.to/3qVs4q3 | Amazon: amzn.to/3qWSAPJ
►My full gear list: ryanmense.com/gear
Disclaimer: Sony loaned me the a1 for the purpose of this honest review and has been returned. I have not purchased it as of publication.
Website: www.ryanmense.com
Follow me on Instagram: / ryanmense
Links may contain affiliate code that make me a small commission for any purchases. The cost of the item is always the same to you whether it’s an affiliate link or not.

Пікірлер: 114

@longrider9551 3 жыл бұрын

I'm so happy you made that joke about the flip out screen, I hate them with long glass

@CluelessYoutuber 3 жыл бұрын

Great detailed review! Interesting to see such a comprehensive in-field perspective.

@stillinthestream 2 жыл бұрын

Wow, so much info in this video, loved the mallard in the snow example, when talking about aggressive auto focus, what a challenging situation that can be. Also, just as a side note, loved the footage of the golden eyes on the river chasing each other. Even with the sucky auto focus in video, that was great footage!

@davidburchettephotography6513 3 жыл бұрын

Good review. I wanted one when it was first announced and still do 😄. Those pan shots of the ducks landing were like butter. Awesome. Can’t wait to get mine. Also, happy to see you tested it with the 200-600 and, additionally, the 1.4x. That will pretty much be my setup.

@LisaSaffell 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for a real world review Ryan, nicely done.

@s45510325 3 жыл бұрын

It's definitely the best review of A1 so far! A lot of review just mention the bird auto-focus is not well as R5 without any real record of bird-eyes auto-focus. Finally, here's one! and you mention almost everything the bird photography part! nice review! thank you.

@gonzogorgonzola9153 3 жыл бұрын

Great video and indeed very helpful. I will get my A1 next week.

@mdavis5011 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent review. I especially like how you inter-mix video and stills. I have subscribed

@RyanMenseWildlife 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the sub!

@joet9451 2 жыл бұрын

As a new A1 user myself from a A6400 I have a massive learning curve. This video was a treat. My first outing for BIF was a train wreck had the lens steady shot on and on mode 1. Your other video on the lens settings helped me out. I’d love to see a detailed video on how you set up the a1 for birds and wildlife. Thanks again

@donaldkelley5785 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent Review... Thank You !!

@djencode 3 жыл бұрын

I could just watch you shoot birds all day. Great work!

@nyambe 3 жыл бұрын

Was waiting for your review for this camera! I imagine is the perfect camera for you. ( I have not watched yet). Going to watched now

@michaelcohen6177 3 жыл бұрын

Nice review. It was very apparent that you were honestly reporting your findings and impressions. I clicked "subscribe"! Thanks

@CamillaI 3 жыл бұрын

Well it certainly looks good, taking mine out tomorrow for its first outing, just finished programing ! Thought I had better test my settings in the real world before putting them out there ! You seemed to have most bases covered there ! Good job !👍😍

@froknowsphoto 3 жыл бұрын

Nice job with showing real world examples Ryan!!!

@RyanMenseWildlife 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, bud. Hope all is well.

@grassrootsphotographysean4474 2 жыл бұрын

better than you standing in your office sniffing and reading specs!!!

@k.o.t.o.n. Жыл бұрын

@@RyanMenseWildlife is the autoficus improved since? would you recommend the r5c now instead for video? i dont like the battery life

@MichaelKantormusic 3 жыл бұрын

You really touched all the bases with your video. Thank you

@jimmyqballs 3 жыл бұрын

Lucky to get it early! I thought my guy would have mine a week ago, still waiting with no confirmation for tomorrow lol! Pretty funny how you didnt have luck with the birdy eye af with the bald eagle, considering that was their promotional shot

@KenToney 2 жыл бұрын

Love my A1, got wife upgrade from a7r3 to a74 for birds and she loves it (but doesn’t quite track like my A1). Thanks for videos.

@chrisflight6436 3 жыл бұрын

Good review 👍

@nogroove3819 3 жыл бұрын

Very good review. Thx. We’re you happy with the 200 to 600 performance? Any suggestions on lens for wildlife? Thx. S

@youuuuuuuuuuutube 3 жыл бұрын

Nice first impressions. The only thing I want to point out is when you compare the ISO performance vs the A9 and the A7R4, you cannot compare them at 100%, you need to downscale the A1 or R4 image to the A9 24MP size and then compare, otherwise it's not a fair comparison. Basically what matters is the noise per squared inch, not the noise per pixel.

@duncangroenewald 3 жыл бұрын

Unless you are hoping to crop to a9 sized images

@Lucromick13 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I thought something was off about his iso comparison

@markrigg6623 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah the iso conclusions are almost certainly flawed.

@_Doom_20 3 жыл бұрын

But how does that explain him saying the image quality goes down and noise increases? I’m curious to know about how some of the images looked soft to him.

@jeremybroome-smith2580 3 жыл бұрын

Ryan thanks for the review, really enjoyed it. My A1is on pre order. Looking at your review of the write speed something seems wrong, I been looking at many reviews and the buffer is unloading with a cfxpress card in 5-10 seconds. Are you writing to 2 cards or something ?

@MuhammadKharismawan 3 жыл бұрын

man finally a review of actual meaning. been waiting for this.

@philipgowdy 3 жыл бұрын

As ever, you tell it as it is. Great Work.

@edwardrussell5413 3 жыл бұрын

Get one then I could have a go with it!

@Lucromick13 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. I've been waiting for a while for a review on this camera from a bird photographers perspective. By the way, what do you use to shoot video? Tripod? Gyro? Great videos Ryan

@The_Daliban 3 жыл бұрын

Really liked the video.you seem to be a nice guy

@daycreek 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ryan. Really bummed about the video side of the A1. I've been using the A7SIII for wildlife/birds and it's a PITA if you plan on using autofocus. Like all Sony cameras (inc. now the A1) you can only enable tracking by tapping on the real display/touchpad and of course, no animal/bird eye detect in video mode. When shooting footage of the Goldeneyes, I assume tracking was enabled? If so, those results look pretty bad. Are you planning on doing a separate review just on the video side of this camera? I would love to hear more about your video experiences with this camera.

@okd1000 3 жыл бұрын

Any hi re pics with the 200-600 and 2x? Nice review Ryan. 👍🏾

@mickeytornroth 2 жыл бұрын

Great review. Do you find TC worth using with the 200-600? I have seen claims that it is better to just crop without TC.

@MarcoValkvideos 3 жыл бұрын

Great real world review. Strange that the Bird Eye-AF doesn’t seem to work with particular birds. In those cases, does the camera even find the bird, or does the af just focus on a branch and stick to that like with the a9II? I was disappointed to hear that the af system failed so often with video. Didn’t expect that but it’s good to know.

@britishrose9417 2 жыл бұрын

As an A6400 user I can only dream of bird detection. Shooting wildlife in foliage is a nightmare

@kumardoctor3583 3 жыл бұрын

nice presentation

@nrocha2466 3 жыл бұрын

the perfect speed (30FPS without blackout), perfect resolution of 50mpx which is optimal to avoid diffraction issues with most lenses, and perfect video options (4k 60/120 for me, didn't need 8k but that's ok). Really as a prefect camera as you can expect. Noise handling is also excellent, superior to the A7RIV. Also the High speed sync with electronic shutter are class leading including anti flicker . and that EVF! wow!!!

@robertotarga 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Ryan, interesting video. Can you please share with us the type/brand of the camo banding covering of your zoom?

@RyanMenseWildlife 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Roberto. It’s the LensCoat LensCover in the Max5 pattern option.

@adiapte9575 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Ryan, how’s the high ISO noise performance of A1 compared to A7R4 for unprocessed raw files ?? Especially above 1600 ISO

@adiapte9575 2 жыл бұрын

Great Review Ryan !! Does Sony A1 has in camera multiple exposure shooting ??

@RyanMenseWildlife 2 жыл бұрын

I don't think any of the Sony cameras I've used do that.

@adiapte9575 2 жыл бұрын

@@RyanMenseWildlife Thanks Ryan 🙏🏻👍🏻

@joakimolsson1024 3 жыл бұрын

Nice real world review! Probably going to pick up the A1 once it is available... probably... $$$... or else im just going to go around craving it.. :D Regarding ISO, to be fair, you should compare cameras by using the same resolution/magnification ratio - so comparing cameras like A9 and A7R4 you should resize the A7R4 to 24MP (or the other way around). Of course higher MP (= higher magnification looking at 100%) will not only show more details but will also show more flaws, like noise. I mean looking at an A7R4 image at 100% is almost like looking at an A9 image at 200% in terms of magnification. By the way, tele converters do not change the DoF as it is basically just a crop/enlargement of the image circle :)

@ernreeders1487 3 жыл бұрын

The real question for me is whether the bird eye AF clearly does better than ordinary AF on the A9. The weakness there as with the R III and R IV is small static birds on which there's sometimes a flat failure to lock. The vids I've seen suggest the A1 does better. You found it as well I think though the vision doesn't show it. The other difference is a rear 3/4 view which isn't a standard scene. Where I would really want it is a fairly close panning shot so that the focus was on the eye and not the wingtip. Haven't seen any videos covering that.

@rubinaheptullamdmba4228 8 ай бұрын

I got this camera today and wanted to know what your thoughts were on shooting in a forest setting does the bird eye AF setting able to discern the sticks and get to the eye of the bird?

@LukaszHaluch 3 жыл бұрын

Do you use AF in tracking small point or just small point mode?

@marceloflores1511 3 жыл бұрын

I have the Sony 200-600mm paired with the sony A7III. I would like to buy extenders, but i am a bit worried about how it affects sharpness. Have you had any issue in that matter?

@allenfutrelle9090 3 жыл бұрын

I was looking to buy this camera. But after your review I too may keep my a7R IV and a9 II.

@raynaeyaert 3 жыл бұрын

How did it handle in low light? An how many FPS did you lose by shooting in complete silent mode?

@alphonsusdeodatus5522 3 жыл бұрын

Wow, if it’s that good with the 200-600, I can’t wait to use my 600mm (and be able to use a 200-600mm again)!

@Trigger-xw9gq 2 жыл бұрын

Ryan, did you ever own/use the a9? I'm presently trying to justify the expense upgrading to the A1. (Using the 200-600 and 600 f/4).

@KruiserIV 3 жыл бұрын

Great review! Btw, when the EVF is at 9.44million dots, the refresh is like 120hz. When it's at 240hz it drops to 5.56million dots (or w/e the next level is).

@RyanMenseWildlife 3 жыл бұрын

Good to know, thanks. So if that’s the case, I’d revise my statement to say that 240 fps refresh is more important for a lifelike viewfinder than the maxed resolution.

@KruiserIV 3 жыл бұрын

@@RyanMenseWildlife Yeah, I'd probably agree. Still, it's really good to have the option! Thanks again for a great review.

@EddiTaru 2 жыл бұрын

That A1 is such a badass camera. Probably the best camera on the market. It looks and feels so amazing. Is it also good video camera? Is it better than Sony A7 s3?

@deathcow 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. A bit bummed to hear the reality on the noise. Great review looking forward to one.

@Lucromick13 3 жыл бұрын

I'm not saying he's wrong or not but I've seen other reviewers show the ISO being comparable or better than the a9ii. Might be his methodology. Not sure

@markrigg6623 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah I wouldn't draw too many conclusions from the noise evaluations here. It's better than the A7r iv according to other comparisons I've seen.

@ernreeders5583 3 жыл бұрын

The big thing I learned from this is that 30 fps only works with Release Priority, not AF priority. The A9 and A7R III accept soft shots in Release Priority. When I set my A9 to AF Priority, the fps can be set to 10 but only 3 may be achieved when there's a BIF against a textured background for example. If the A1 is the same, 30 fps will produce a shitload of culling work and that makes that speed useless.

@nielshenke 3 жыл бұрын

How did u get those pictures on your PC because mine are not working. ARW and HIF both. Running latest update on Lightroom. Which software did u use?

@RyanMenseWildlife 3 жыл бұрын

I used a beta version of Capture One which supported the raws

@colintraveller 2 жыл бұрын

How good is it at capturing the Moon , Sun , High altitude Jets .

@ahmonon4352 3 жыл бұрын

How's the dust resistance of 200-600 ? Will it hold up nicely for a long time usage?

@RyanMenseWildlife 3 жыл бұрын

I’m probably not the best person to ask since I don’t live near a desert or anything like that. Against the elements like snow and rain though it’s been holding up, and I don’t baby it too much.

@laphotopix 3 жыл бұрын

Good review, expert video handling too, however the images are not good, and regardless the dark dank winter day, they should result better. The trade off is high ISO and noise, which is why that 200-600 sucks unless it's perfect morning or late day blue sky lighting. I wish it resulted in better images. My A1 arrives tomorrow. I ordered the 2-600 for those times the 600 rig on a tripod is just too much to hike with for more than a mile max. After having it a week, I just may return it and just stick to my F4 600 since detail detail detail is what floats my boat. Just getting the bird in focus, simply isn't enough for me. I'll give it another go on the new A1 tomorrow but from what this guy shows.. the juice may not be worth the squeeze! Sorry.. just my professional, a bit snarky, but honest opinion.

@radoslawgoscimski3083 3 жыл бұрын

Great review ! Re iso your comparison is based on JPGs or you use raw files ?;)

@RyanMenseWildlife 3 жыл бұрын

Raw

@ryandury 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Ryan, thanks for the video. Have you tried the 1.4x on the A7iii? Curious how it would perform on this body.

@georgereed1568 3 жыл бұрын

I will stick to A7Riv and A9ii and suffer the loss in Resolution in the A9ii and the loss of low light and speed in the A7riv. Unfortunately the A1 just doesn't seem to be able to do what I need it to do in low light I don't need a high speed high resolution camera, I also need a low light option. Still a fantastic looking camera and would like to test it myself first though. Nice review 👌 👏

@markrigg6623 3 жыл бұрын

Its not as ad as the A7R iv according to everyone else. Best to wait till all the raw converters are able to read the files to do a proper noise comparison. But I bet you he's made an error here.

@georgereed1568 3 жыл бұрын

@@markrigg6623 I am happy to be wrong who doesn't want a high resolution camera that can handle noise. But I doubt it will be as good as A9ii and a A7Riv in there respective strengths, but we will see, and I will be the first to get a A1 if it is lol. I hope you have a good Sunday 👍 and I hope your right ✅

@markrigg6623 3 жыл бұрын

@@georgereed1568 Yes the sensor tech is still improving and I think you'll be in for a pleasant surprise. The Canon R5 which I own is amazingly good at 45 mpx and its not even a back illuminated sensor. This new Sony sensor is roughly 2 years newer than the A9 ii sensor and honestly this is the only review that I've seen that's negative about the noise levels. Anyway we shall see. Thanks for the reply.

@ADNZ5442 2 жыл бұрын

I’m just stuck on if you get the Z9 or the A1 😂. How’s the weather sealing on the Sony

@RyanMenseWildlife 2 жыл бұрын

I used the Z 9 for a month and it was mostly a negative experience for wildlife photography.

@ADNZ5442 2 жыл бұрын

@@RyanMenseWildlife oh, how come?

@dclark92064 3 жыл бұрын

I'm amazed that you managed to get 240fps and 9Mdot display at 30fps. I didn't think that was possible.

@KruiserIV 3 жыл бұрын

It's not.

@KenCheng 3 жыл бұрын

I know this video is about the α1 but I'm curious how the 2x TC does with the 200-600mm + α9II... if it's decent performance (assuming I have the light), I may not need to upgrade to the α1 (for more megapixels = less cropping)

@Stevelarge1 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Ryan, I have watched this video a few times over the past months while deciding whether or not to get an A1. I presently shoot with the A92. A couple of quick questions please. How do you feel about the EVF screen getting smaller at 240FPS? Does it take away from your viewing experience or is it really that noticeable? The other thing I noticed was that you use the battery grip. Was the 2.5 hours of battery time with the two batteries in the grip or was it 2.5 hours per battery? Thanks for answering my questions and keep up the great videos. Steve Large - The Owl Man.

@lumenspaul 3 жыл бұрын

Looks like the a9 will not be totally replaced if low light is your choice.

@rmgwheelsspokeslab.7767 3 жыл бұрын

How many hard disk are needed for one day shooting at 30fps? And the key question: how many lives do you need to check the images taken? and a scary one: which ones you choose? It sounds like a dream for us, wildlife photographers (enthusiast), but reality is scaring.

@WildExposures 3 жыл бұрын

WELL, YOU WILL BUT THE FIRST TO SAY THE HI ISO IS THE SAME AS A7R4.....

@markrigg6623 3 жыл бұрын

Yes it's a bit odd. Everyone else see s impressed with the high iso abilities. Really, it should be better than the 61 mpx sensor.

@markrigg6623 3 жыл бұрын

@@njrtech Yeah that's right. Of course it's going to be better at the lower megapixels and nearly 2 years later. And its not like the noise in the R4 is that terrible either.

@elmegade3 2 жыл бұрын

If Sony priced this camera to compete with the Canon R5 they'd be in the game. So disappointing given that huge price tag.

@RyanMenseWildlife 2 жыл бұрын

You must mean in the game for your purchase? Otherwise it looks like Sony is having no trouble at all selling out of the camera.

@Stefan1968ful 3 жыл бұрын

Ah, I am waiting on the Canon EOS R1. Then I will decide.

@purplepashmina303 Жыл бұрын

Thumbnail Looks like zalensky on the front line taking pics for his instagram

@marleenvandam6931 3 жыл бұрын

So if I understand well the high ISO performance is worse with a 1 than a9ii!

@KruiserIV 3 жыл бұрын

It's not worse once normalized. The problem is there are physics you simply can't get around when it comes to megapixels.

@nikolastimac 3 жыл бұрын

You are a great photographer, with a lot of knowledge, but the camera is the best. Sony has shown that you can make a camera that has everything a photographer wants. What canon and nikon have not yet achieved such quality. Thanks for the beautiful pictures and video.

@fenraven 3 жыл бұрын

I'd buy this camera if I could afford it. Heh.

@ScottPrincePhotography 3 жыл бұрын

30 fps at 50 mp at almost $7000?? Good grief who is this camera built for? Certainly not the average bird photographer shooting images of birds on a tree branch. I'd rather spend the money on a nice lens. Anyway, for those owning and future owners it I hope you enjoy it and are able to capture some nice images. Happy shooting!!

2 жыл бұрын

Why not like 2.8 or f4 ?

@peterm1624 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for such a good review much better than these overexited 30picture/second which there are so many of. You are not impressed by the high iso performance. How is noicelevel compared to A9II and the A7r4 (I have the latter and is not impressed

@iambeautiful8190 3 жыл бұрын

so I am fucked as I paid for a1 already and it has a bad iso performance :/ :D

@j.kimmer1509 3 жыл бұрын

I'll get 15 fps on this $8,030.00 dollar camera with the E lens that i have, birds are not animal eye focus, poor video focus over water for the other animal, same cheap low res tiny tilt screen in the back, not as good bird eye focus compared to the R5, R6, ... I'll wait for the future firmware updates and price drop down to $5,000.00; then I'll get this awesome body.......for now ......NO thank you. Sticking with my A9

@godsinbox 2 жыл бұрын

No focus peaking in video auto focus? 12:45 Well Ryan, You programmed a custom button for it, so just press it!!!!!! custom button - AEL Button - AF/MF Control Hold

@RyanMenseWildlife 2 жыл бұрын

That disables autofocus, so it’s not a solution. Never going to get a better product when we excuse basic missing features.

@godsinbox 2 жыл бұрын

@@RyanMenseWildlife No, it stops the autofocus in ONLY its current position, allowing you to check and adjust with the peaking (which is what you asked for). and this happens ONLY while the button is depressed. Use a flexible spot AF in your videomaking and then you CAN thank me later. its the closest you will get to having a human focus puller (with normal/slow AF drive speed and touch focus). PS the Sony engineers are smarter than both of us so dont slam it for missing 'basic features' that are plainly in the menu.

@JonnyPink65 3 жыл бұрын

Great review.. still just an over priced, too digital looking Sony. They are good for video only in my opinion. Great video though.

@markrigg6623 3 жыл бұрын

Believe me matey, they're great photographic tools.

@JonnyPink65 3 жыл бұрын

@@markrigg6623 Mark, thank you for the reply! I love their EVF, their autofocus and speed.... just no the look of the files. I keep watching and hoping - and do have a couple of Sonys I use for astrophotography because I LOVE how the sensor handles black.. I watched your review (awesome) and like buying gear. This one is a little out of my budget to try, but I may rent one at some point so I look at the reviews. Again, thank you for the reply and awesome review. 😁