Description
The most technologically advanced, innovative camera that Sony has ever released, the Alpha 1 combines high-resolution and high-speed performance at a level never previously reached. A 50.1-megapixel full-frame stacked Exmor RS™ image sensor capable of up to 30 fps continuous shooting with up to 120 AF/AE calculations per second, 8k 30p 10-bit 4:2:0 video and much more, the Alpha 1 will allow creators to capture what they’ve never been able to before. 50.1MP full-frame stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor w/ integral memory
8x more powerful, next generation BIONZ XR image processing engine
Blackout-free shooting up to 30fps from fast sensor readout speed
World’s first 240 fps refresh rate, 9.44M dot 0.64” QXGA OLED EVF
World’s first anti-flicker mechanical and electronic shutter
Andrew –
The camera delivers everything as the paper says. No overheating issues up to a recording time the paper specified, no system reliability issues, and the image is really sharp and beautiful. They did a good job with Creative Styles that for many pictures, I dont need to process the raw files because the jpegheif straight out of camera is good enough for use. The only thing Id complain is its display not being a swivelstyle, but since I dont work with video a lot, its not much of a problem.It is a very expensive camera, but its worth every dollar. But if I was getting this for a personal use, I would still have waited for a few more months so I can get used one cheaper, and sony would have released firmwares to add more features. But it deserves my 5star rating without hesitation.
Darrell –
I have used a Canon 1Dx and have compared it to my Sony cameras a7RIII, a7RIV, a9 and now a1 and the overall performance of all of them is much better than the Canon and I am sure better than the big Nikon I played with it a bit. Overall handling is superior, weight even with grip is much easier to handle, overall performance is better, and the resulting pictures are much better. I also use the Sigma MC11 and a multitude of Sigma lenses as well as native emount lenses on all bodies without downgraded performance. I am only waiting for Sigma to upgrade the firmware on the MC11 to support AFC and the eye tracking.The a1 stands out as the best allpurpose camera I have ever used. I started photography as a hobby in 1965 so I have used many film as well as digital cameras and this is by far the best. I do recommend the Sony grip as it provides not only more continuous use but better stability.
travis –
Love this camera. Went from the A7RIII to the A1 and the improvements are drastic. The only things I dislike is the bigger grip that makes my middle finger rub on the lens, and the drive mode dial that makes me have to let go of the lens to adjust it with my left hand. I bought it to shoot birds in flight and it far surpasses the D500 which was the best camera I had used for that before. The faster card slots are nice, and I still have yet to hit the buffer when using the CFEA cards. the image files are so close to the A7RIII that I cant tell which is better and thats great. The auto focus tracking is crazy good. I really wont use any of the video, so I know I spent way more than I should have just to get a high res camera with great AF. But thats the thing, you cant get that in any other camera, so I guess I have to be ok with the price.
Erik –
I came from a Sony 7R IV, but wanted the autofocuses and faster burst speeds of the A9 II, so the A1 was the logical conclusion.The autofocusing and especially Bird Eye AF is excellent.I didnt spend the money on the CF Express cards. I have V90 UHSII cards. I can shoot about 4 seconds of continuous burst at 30 shots per second before the buffer fills up.Ive attached a couple of inflight photos taken with the Sony 135mm GM lens, for an example of how well the AF works.
Eli –
IMAGE QUALITY As you would expect. Amazing in every way. The lowlight is great for being 50MP.AUTOFOCUS This surprised me. I didnt think it would be a huge stepup from the a7siii and older A7IIIA7RIII. But it is. Nailing nearly 100 of photos in fast action scenarios with humananimal eye AF. The zeroblackout also helps when tracking subjects in the viewfinder. The best way to describe it is that it just works every time. Allows you to focus on other aspects of shooting and you can count on it nailing AF.EVFLCD The EVF is incredible and much better than any other camera on the market other than the A7SIII. The A1 has the optional 240fps mode which is a good bonus, but it does lower the resolutionzoom out in the EVF. So probably better to keep this feature off most of the time. The LCD is plenty bright and highres for what I use it for. Checking focus and exposure should always be done in the EVF anyway. I am very happy they stuck with the tilt screen on this camera. It is faster to use and most importantly it always keeps the sensor in line with the screen which I disliked with the A7SIII.ERGONOMICS The grip feels great and buttons also finally match what the big DSLRs have had for ages. I still like using the battery grip most of the time but it is definitely not needed. One feature I wish Sony implemented is haptic feedback in the grip or shutter button. Without the mechanical shutter, you get no physical sensation that you are shooting. So adding haptic feedback would have been a cool new feature.SPEED The biggest upgrade I wasnt expecting was just how fast the camera feels. You can change menu settings as soon as you finish a big burst of shooting. The CF Express typea cards are definitely a mustbuy. Sure you can get by with SD cards until third parties have options out there, but they are worth every penny. The buffer is almost impossible to fill up and it still shoots around 10fps raw with a full buffer. Having 2 of the same cards is also a great decision by Sony. No bottlenecking issues like the Canon R5 and older Sonys. Overall the camera keeps up with you.VIDEO Amazing. Similar to the A7SIII. The 8K looks insanely good. I havent experienced any overheating issues.Overall the camera is amazing. I havent experienced any of the issues reported in some other reviews such as the EVF blackout. It is expensive, but it combines the best of the A9IIA7RIVA7SIII plus some more features in one body. Highly recommend.
Dennis –
After testing this in the fog with a Killdeer in brown grass, Id have to say its by far the best Autofocus Ive ever encountered or heard of. While it didnt lock on every time, given the circumstances, it was outstanding. My only negative on the camera is Sonys usual abysmal documentation. They really need to look at one of the old time camera companies to see how to write a manual.
Stephan –
Get past the menu With such brilliance in the engineering, why cant Sony come up with a clean and simple menu, and you have an incredible camera. Im a wildlife photographer and the new bird eye focusing significantly increased the sharp images Im getting. Camera is solid and I just added a grip to balance the weight and extend battery life. Shooting with the 600 and a doubler. Check out the first four images in the BIRDS gallery at httpwww.UnSeenImages.Com
Greg –
I am primarily a landscape shooter but enjoy photographing wildlife when given the opportunity. I tend to crop heavily in post so I did not feel the A9 was a good fit because of the significantly lower pixel count. I do not like changing lenses in the field so I make gear decisions before heading out. The 50 megapixel sensor and the faster frame rate complement my A7R iv landscape body. I believe most of my Sony lenses will take advantage of the A1s capabilities.
Anonymous –
Sony Cameras have been, has been and will continue to do something awesome for its Users that I know for sure. Hope to have my hands on this camera as soon as It gets out, also be one of the First Users as well. Theres nothing without a Fault of some fine it the best some others will find it Faulty so be Prepared to be Adjusted.
Eric –
The Sony A1 is extraordinary. Ive been incredibly impressed with its capabilities so far. Resolution of a R series, speed of the A9, best autofocus system Ive seen, and video quality that rivals the A7sIII and exceeds it if 8k is your thing. This is the hybrid camera Ive been waiting for. No compromises.
Koel –
Hands down the best hybrid camera to date by any brand. High megapixel stills and insane resolution video. If youre a professional, this is a workhorse.
Jeffrey –
After all the hype, after all the wait, after forking over the 7k, it was all worth it. We just completed our semiannual trip to Yellowstone Park with the A1 in tow. Theres simply nothing like it for wildlife photography on this planet. On Day 1 we caught a pair of osprey in the process of building the nest. We thought the autofocus on the A9 was exceptional. This camera beats it making an amazing 120 autofocus calculations per second. A few shots may have blurred but the chances are that this was more operator error than the cameras fault.We found grizzlies on most days. Whether they were 100 yards out or by the side of the road, this camera nailed them. Photographers who have been in bear jams know how difficult it can be to find a decent spot and angle to take pictures. When bears or other animals are on the move, the autofocus locks on instantaneously. The 30 frames per second provides the quantity and quality of shots only other photographers shooting the A1 are going to get. Neither Canon nor Nikon make anything comparable to the combination of autofocus speed and frames per second offered by the A1.When the animals are at a distance, the 50.1 MP allows for cropping where the images still appear incredibly detailed and sharp.There is only one problem that we hope will be fixed with the next firmware update. On occasion, when the light is very bright, the electronic viewfinder blacks out. The quickest fix we found was to turn the camera off, aim it to the ground or another dark background and turn it back on.In the final analysis this camera is so good, Im afraid Ill be forking out another 7K for my wifes birthday….And, it might, really, truly and for sure be the last camera Ill ever own. It has every feature a wildlife photographer should ever want or will ever need.
Marsha L –
I wrestled long and hard over this purchase. I am only a hobbyist. Ive been at it all my life and enjoy any opportunity to spend time with a camera. Retirement has given me more time to learn more and to develop my abilities. I spent the first four months after Sony announced this amazing technology reading reviews and wondering how guilty I would feel if I actually bought one. Would it really be that much better than a very good camera at a much lower price I finally could not wait any longer and I ordered mine. Ive had it for a couple of weeks. I knew when I pulled it out of the box that I loved its compact form factor. I am physically challenged and had been concerned that it would be too large and heavy. That is no problem at all. It is solid but not cumbersome in weight. The shutter sound is muted, so not very noticeable to anyone but me. The photos are spectacular The EVF is unbelievable. The new menu system is easier than previous editions. I cannot wait to learn everything that this camera has to offer. Buyers remorse Not me This is the last camera that I will ever need.
Jan –
Mostly I shoot wildlife, birds, with an occasional foray into the dark sky for an astrolandscape. I traded up from the A7R4, not looking back. AF is awesome, no blackout between highspeed actiontracking, lots of megapixels JUST in case I need to crop a lot, getting used to the new menu structure. Kept my A9ii for my 2nd body. Now I have two awesome cameras.
Shirley –
This is truly a flagship camera, it does action photography, landscape and video at the highest level. It does take some getting used to new menu items and the reorganized menus compared to earlier alpha cameras. My goto source for working through these features is Mark Galers detailed videos on YouTube.
Eli –
All of the issues discussed in the bad reviews have been fixed with firmware updates. Amazing camera in every aspect.
harsha –
As we say , Pictures does not need best cameras.But If we have one, then we can try the best to create.30fs is a beast, where we can captur the best moments.
Allan –
My inital review is based off a week of use. Ill update as I learn more. 7 days 2000 pictures.What Im shootinghave recently shot. D800, A7 II, A7R IV, Z6, XT20, R6limited useBuild You likely know this already but it matches the latest iteration of the A7R IV. I have this camera as well and it is ever so slightly bigger and the grip just a little deeper. I love it. I still think my Nikon Z6 has the best grip.Shooting experience In one week Ive shot over 2000 photos. 1400 were burst between 20FPS and 30FPS. 700 were portraits both outside with flash and inside with flash TTL outside Manual inside. The burst is great but make sure you have space and cards. 30 FPS is a lot, it feels like more than 3x 10 FPS on the 7R IV, but know youll need to cull photos.Silent shutter with flash is need but not necessary in my workflow because anything the shutter would disturb the flash would disturb. I still like that its one less moving part. No banding, no stripes all great photos. Sorry I cant share it was a private event. Ill try and update with some of my own.Face detect was faultless and even found eyes with masks and props.It works fast. I dont mean FPS but the camera is just fast. The downside is it chewed batteries faster than my 7R IV or Z6 used in a similar way. Its a downside but something Im going to live with.Indoor event tethered shooting over LAN has drasticallly increased the speed of my workflow. I shot 400 photos at an indoor event with the camera on a tripod, powered by a usb c PD power bank, teathered with a Cat 6 cable and had lightroom auto import from a watch folder. Imaging edge desktop was running as the connection. I shot for 3 hours straight with no hiccups and all images were saved in this manner Raw to CFexpress 1, Jpeg to SD card 2 and both Jpeg straight to computer. In this setup I couldnt outrun the connection.I do wish the screen has been updated to a higher resolution, the EVF is amazing, but theres a noticable difference betweeen other cameras and this ones rear screen.I havent had the IBIS or EVF blackout promblem yet. Ive shot outside on bright days facing multiple directions. This doesnt mean it isnt happening, I just havent seen it.Cons I guess you can list cost but I dont as this is what youll have to pay to play for this feature set. I think you can get most of the features at a lower price with the 7R IV.Its been great on every lens Ive shot.
ADAM –
Phenomenal autofocus incredible resolution. Fantastic for wildlife photography and portraiture. Hard to imagine what more Sony could squeeze out of todays technology.
Kun –
its such a good cameraExpensive but well worth the camera features are what you knowIm going to sort out all the nikons and other sony and buy one moreIf you like it, I would recommend buying it today.
Stephen –
When they sat that this camera is the 1, they meant it. Im floored by the speed, the quality, the accuracy, and the features. Lets be honest, pretty much every high end camera you buy these days is going to deliver on quality. Its the features that we pay for. There is no camera made that has as many features and does as good a job as the 1 does.Im now making time to shoot for the joy of shooting. Its so pleasant. 30 fps makes a huge difference. Autofocus tracking makes a huge difference. No overheating makes a huge difference. Im telling you what I know. On the video end, it doesnt have all the bells and whistles as a cinema camera but what it does has competes quite nicely. And as far as stills, its simply the best or at least a very close contender.Im very happy.
Andrew –
Pros Super easy to use, buttons layout etcFast accurate autofocusCons The price is too high
Raphael –
Definitely the best camera I have ever used. Worth every penny for the working professional.
Dustin –
As I pushed my Wildlife Photography I have gone from Canon Rebel T6 to the Sony a6400 and then from there went to the Sony A9II and thought they wouldnt top this for a while. Behold the A1. I decided to trade my A9II for the A1 because of the promised capabilities and they did not disappoint. This truly is the new Flagship of Sony Cameras. The Compressed RAW Burst is so fast 30fps, 50 Megapixels that allows room to crop if needed which I do a lot of and lastly, being a bird photographer, the fact it has a dedicated EyeTracking AF specific for Birds has been a major game changer for me and it works great The Bird Eye AF has even caught the Eye of Birds that I never thought it would be able to get. Among all the other great features in the A1, this is definitely my new favorite Camera thus far and definitely sticking with this for a long time.
Thy –
I shoot wildlife every week around 10,000 shots per week. I used to carry 3 cameras in my bag a9ii, A7s3 and a7RM4. Because I did video and still. I dont have to carry 3 bodies cameras no more.Sony did it again for wildlife camera still and video I highly recommend it for you if you mainly shoot wildlife.
Dennis –
I am a birding photographer. I have used every Sony digitalSLR since the A100 in 2006. Switched from the A99II Amount to Mirrorless in January 2020 with the purchase of the A7R4. Chose the A7R4 because of the resolution. It produced awesome pictures with amazing detail but had trouble with birds in flight. Bought the A9II but it seemed like a step backward in resolution but the tracking focus was incredible. The A1 has nearly the resolution of the A7R4 with the tracking focus of the A9II. When it was announced in January, I thought it had to be a dream. I do not use video so Iwill not comment on those features.The A1 feel and layout are nearly identical to the A7R4 and the A9II so switching from either of these cameras to the A1 is nearly seamless.The startup time of the A1 is much faster than previous Sony cameras.Response to controls is instantaneous. Previous Sony cameras have lag.Like all other Sony cameras, this new camera is very customizable. You can easily set it up to suit your style of photography.I did not have an issue with the menu layout of previous Sony cameras but the new menu layout of the A1 is much more intuitive. It is much easier to locate a specific feature.Continuous shooting rates are even faster than the A9II.Bird eye autofocus is truly a game changer. It has forced me to rethink how I focus on birds. No longer do I need to hold a tiny focus point on the eye of the bird. Now I can use a much larger frame. If the bird is in that frame, the camera focuses on the eye nearly everytime.The electronic shutter is great and I love being able to use it with or without a shutter sound. It can even be used with flash.The mechanical shutter is dampened much better than any previous Sony camera and it offers a flash sync of 1400 sec.Though not actually a feature of the A1 camera, I have found the Emount Sony lenses to be the best quality lenses Ive ever used. They can all be used at max aperture with no loss of image clarity or quality. This includes the 2470mm f2.8, 100400mm f4.55.6,200600mm f5.66.3 and 400mm f2.8. And I love the fact that the 200600mm lens does not extend when you zoom from 200 to 600mm.
Jeff –
I have been a photojournalist for nearly 40 years and have shot with many pro bodies from Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Minolta, Leica, and Pentax over those years. Of all the topoftheline cameras that has passed through my hands, this is truly the all round best.Its a solidly built, wonderfully, capable, and versatile fountain of youth. It should serve me well for years to come with its amazing EVF that works really well, for manual focusing, its uncanny autofocus, its speed though I seldom need 30 fps…still nice to have, its small size and weight, and that remarkable shutter…mechanical and electronic…that is beautifully smooth, low vibration and should really last a lifetime.Well, um, as long as the full throttle of 30 fps can be resisted.The ability to tailorcustomize frame rate, viewfinder size, and qualityresolution in the EVF to satisfy a particular shooting need is fabulous.It just performs.On a very high level.I should note that battery life isnt as high as other, newer Sony bodies.A Lamborghini doesnt get as good of gas mileage as a Prius though. Some things are to be expected.Also, it warms up in the hand quite easily with prolonged autofocus and continuous shooting at a high and constant use event such as a soccer match or when shooting over 45 minutes of 8K video. Easily the hottest body in many ways Ive ever owned Yet it seldom…EVER…overheats to the point of shutting down mine set to the high heat warning option.Recovery is very quick when this happens.Sony has done a remarkable job with their heat sink and heat dissipation technology.With yesterdays Firmware update, the sunlight and eye sensor issue appears fixed as does the Stabilization problem.The camera is now rock solid.Autofocus seems even quicker and more confident…but thats really hard to quantify considering the high level of speed and accuracy it was already performing at.Not stated in the update but the EVF resolution doesnt appear to drop as much as it used to when autofocusing. It just looks better.Simply amazing that Sony is continuing to improve on the A1 in thoughtful, functional ways to make an awesome camera even better.Five Stars…easy.And…easily…the One
Gordon M –
This is probably not the right time to do a review because my A1 has an issue with rejecting memory cards and has to be sent to a Sony service centre. So Im not happy about it after waiting two months to get it now who know how long this will take. Its brand new camera that cost a fortune and it needs to be repaired. Sony send me another A1 and take this one back.
Josh –
The old phrase jack of all traits, master of none has to be rethought. The a1 is a beast of a camera that combines the best capabilities for action, landscape and video in one body. You absolutely get what you pay for and then some.The ability to take high resolution action photos at 30fps is a true game changer and ensures you never miss the moment. My first time out with the camera was a revelation as I was able to capture amazing photos on the first take of action sequences that typically require multiple takes to nail the right shot.I continue to be amazed by the speed of autofocus, dead on tracking and instantaneous image processing. My workflow has gotten faster and not slower even though the output is 10x what it was previously. Just make sure you have a good process for culling images as this camera captures everything and I mean everything.There is still room for improvement with the bird eye tracking but this is honestly being very nit picky. The algorithms will improve with future updates and it is certainly the best tracking I have seen in a camera up to this point.The image quality for landscape shooters is simply breathtaking and this camera gives you all the tools to master the composition not to mention the elements.Im continuing to explore all of its capabilities but for professionals and amateurs who want and can afford nothing but the very best, this is the camera for you
Kenneth –
Coming from an a9ii, my expectations were basically a doubling of the sensor but I didnt really think that much else would change other than video but I dont shoot video, mainly sports action.Uh, I was wrong. Sony has magically improved the AF, general speed and the EVF is wonderful including shutter lag. The AF locks on eyes and wont let go. It is crisp and very accurate. The high ISO noise for a 50mp sensor is great The colors that come out of the camera have improved. The new menu is a joy to use. The only minor negative is that with all this new horsepower, the battery life has suffered. Not to the point where it worries me but I would always have at least an extra battery with you or the grip with two batteries in place. I think the new EVF has something to do with decreased battery life but you can certainly change the frame rate. Overall an almost perfect camera and I plan on buying a second. You get what you pay for and with this, no regrets
Thy –
I think, it replaced all my other bodies cameras A9, A9ii, A7S3, A7R4 for wildlife photography. I shoot mostly birds in flight shots. I got more keeper than other Sony Bodies. The one thing I like the most is Bird Eye AF and the thing I dont like is the EVF sensor black out if you shooting in the bright day light. Over all, I love the A1 for wildlife photography if you need a half of a second to react the birds fly by or take off from perch.
Rick –
Coming from my Sony A7rIV, this is a great step up in terms of wildlife photography capabilities. After using it for a couple of weeks Ive left my A7rIV at home on each outing and not regretted it one bit.
PHYLLIS –
I bought it for my son who says it is awesome. The technology of the device is totally above any other camera on the market.Ill purchase another when they become available.
William –
Its insane. I upgraded from a7riii…. and this cameras abilities are light years ahead. I didnt know if that would be possible honestly,Sony has really done an amazing job pushing the industry of mirrorless forward.
Bradleyeugene –
What a beast Sold my a9 and a7R IV to help pay for this and no regrets. Yes its a lot of money. Yes its worth it. If youre a serious photographer or videographer, this is the camera to own. Simply amazing.
Gareth –
Pros Hands down the best camera I have owned. Coming from a Nikon professional, and previously Canon, this camera changes everything.Cons Heating up during 10bit 4k filming after 30mins compared to my a7siii
Zachry –
If you think this camera will perform as advertised, you are wrong. It may take great photos, but if you run it through a wedding or graduation alongside a7siii cameras, youll miss the bride or the graduate or some other important moment because it will OVERHEAT every time. Indoors and outdoors… and Im talking with realtime and 4k, not the exotic 8k stuff. DO NOT BUY THIS. Its not what Sony advertised.
Dhyogo –
Got mine today from adorama.. 1 month later Very happy with my new baby Thank you adorama thank youHappy with my new baby I made a payment plan for this camera with Adorama credit card
Pasquale –
With limited time spent with this camera and coming from the A7RIV, this camera focuses faster, shoots significantly more frames per second and in combination with the CFExpress Type A card, empties the buffer very quickly. It also has better low light capabilities, as I am able to bump up my ISO more and still get good quality pictures.I cant speak to the video capabilities yet as I typical dont shoot video, but plan on doing so in the near future.
Grant –
This meets and exceeds the hype. I am using for birding with the Sony 200600, with or without the 1.4 converter.It is fast. I havent tried the Hi 30fps setting yet, my lens nominally doesnt support it. I have the other three set to deliver 20, 15, or 10 FPS. With the CF type A card, it is essentially impossible to overrun the buffer while staying on the bird. I have used it with v90 UHSII SD cards, and that is functional as well, will fill up the buffer slower than on the A7r4, which is to say, rarely.Image quality is spectacular. Dynamic range is way better than A7r4.High ISO performance is also way better than A7r4, noise is a tiny fraction of the A7r4.Autofocus is magical, especially when set for bird eye. Got my first extended chance to use it on warblers yesterday, even with those nonstationary tiny birds, and the converter on 840 mm, hand held, almost every frame is spot on. And if you link the metering spot to autofocus, so is the exposure. Im trying to remember to shoot shorter bursts.Birds in flight are practically automatic.The viewfinder is like watching a high resolution movie of the subject. In silent mode, only indicator you are shooting is a black frame that flickers. I have found myself shooting, when in my head I was watching the bird.This is a paradigm shift. For bird photography, a new world.
Channel70 –
Weve been a Sony house since the day of hauling around Betacam recorders and, with few exceptions, have enjoyed using Sony products. But. When sunlight directly hits the rear sensor of the A1, the EVF temporarily goes black, the shutter button doesnt function and the display button doesnt function. Are you kidding me Try telling a producer or director or client or model or actor, Please wait a minute while we try to fix our brand new, Sony flagship camera. One can almost see the smirk on the faces of Canon and Nikon shooters as they say, Told you so. A call to Sony Professional Support resulted in, Its first weve heard about it. Really A 6500 camera should work with no exceptions. Period. Perhaps the Sony factory shooters at the Tokyo Olympics will only shoot facing the sun. Oh, make the display like the articulating one on the S3. The new menu laying is most welcome and Sonys best effort to date. For shooting birds, objects, etc partially concealed by brush, leaves, fences, cars, etc, the camera could use a pinpoint focus function in addition to the small option. On the other hand, when the camera is working, its like having a magic wand. The birdeye AF is very fast and is near perfect on big, slow moving birds and pretty good on small, fast movers like warblers finches. Tracking is like having digital superglue. The layout of the controls is good, but the lens release button could be a little longer. Although impossible to quantify, our R4 only liked the 200600mm lens, but the A1 seems to love it. BH offered to take the camera back and replace it with another, but we have faith Sony will someday fix the EVF problem and the camera is good enough, when working, to keep it for now. Besides, who wants to wait for who knows how long for more inventory to arrive
Scot –
Pros The all in one professional photographers camera. No compromiseCons Rear screen isnt as good as it could be
David –
Pros A comprehensive camera which seems to satisfy the most demanding applications.Cons Firmware upgrades can be a bit tricky.
James –
Pros Speed and accuracy of focus.Ergonomics and feel of the camera.
David –
This is my first Sony and coming from Nikon. Im pretty impressed with the camera. The bird eye af works great Its fast and so far been reliable.
STEPHEN –
I have Hasselblads, and Canons. I am fortunate, and humbled by some of those cameras. I like the Canon R5, I love the Canon R6. When I picked up this camera, I did not know what to expect. Wow. That is not only the nicest feeling camera, with a 24mm sony G Master. That may be the most beautiful camera I own, and definitely, the most flexible. That camera is astounding, silent, and fast It catches light.
Grant –
I am using this mostly for birding. I got this to replace my A7r4, which started its life as best possible bird camera 18 months ago. I am using it with my 200600, and much of the time , the 1.4x converter.A1 is as if Sony asked for a list of everything I wished the A7r4 did better, and delivered on all of it and more.Burst speed is amazing, even more amazing is the blackout free evf. You are basically watching a movie of what you are shooting, it is easy to forget that you even are shooting.Havent tried the 30fps as my lens technically isnt rated to do it. But 20 seems like enough.Autofocus is pure magic. Im mostly using it with expanding spot, tracking, and birdeye focus. It is flat out amazing grabs the bird eye, doesnt let go. Almost every frame is in focus.Stabilization seems better than A7r4Low lighthigh iso performance is way better. Way less noisy.50mp vs 61mp doesnt make much difference. Detail and crop ability are there.Dynamic range is way better on A1.So best current choice for birding, a generational shift in capability.
Linda –
The last firmware update really stabilized my camera and made the eye focus stick on its target like glue I also can shoot very low shutter speeds on my tripod Know Im ordering a second body for my 400mm f2.8 lens The first review I gave was 4 stars with the updates I gave it 5 stars I feel it could be better however its the best camera on the market know
Fred –
I survived covid,at 73yrs old,but I survived 9days on a vent with all that entails.This new A1 represents hope for my recovery.I had to learn how to walk all over again,and slowly some of my functions are returning.Good thing this camera is smarter than I am at this point,but we shall learn to function as one,as before.I have a former F16 superstar coming to fly from his home in Wa. state to get me fully recovered,part of his help is to get me to Death valley area where he once trained to help me photograph low flying aircraft.I plan to go to Isle of Mann to photograph the IOM TT,which is the fastes moving motocycles on a road course ever,that would be my friends wifes dream as well.I say,I got the camera,I plan to get transportation to my favorite candy storeBand H. since I am unable to drive yet to visit Fred in used and trade up to what I need for both trips.I am in the process of selling my old legendary Contax G1 and G2 plus those legendary Zeiss lenses to afford maybe 1 CF express card,and accessories for my trips.I survived USMC 1966,two severe car accidents.I together with BandH will realize my dream with the A1.Ps I will remember to get bubble wrapped when I ride with my wife.
Jonathan –
Ever since I started taking film classes around 2015, Ive desperately longed for a camera that can shoot 10bit 422, 4K 60fps, with good autofocus and really, is that too much to ask. Then I started working as a filmmaker and photographer for a medical school and added one other requirement for my dream camera the ability to take highres photos too again, nothing unreasonable.Well, Sony finally got around to giving me exactly what I wanted, and even more. After shooting for the past two and a half years with the Sony A7R III, which checked most of my boxes, Sony unleashed the A1.I cant begin to tell you how big of a difference there are between these two cameras. It feels like going from a Toyota Camry to a Tesla X. The Camry will get you where you need to go, but the Tesla makes you feel like youre in the future.Shooting with the A1 makes me feel like Im in the future. Filming in SLOG3 at 10bit 422 and then using the Leeming LUTS to covert to Rec. 709 creates a gorgeous image with seemingly perfect color. And unlike the 8bit signal out of the R III, I can push the A1s image around in post without it falling apart. Not content to give me 4K 60fps, Sony gave me 4K 120fps in 10bit 422 and it looks amazing.The autofocus also deserves fanfare. In video its extremely responsive and the tracking AF just locks on and wont let go. Being able to tap the screen and set the lockon AF and do smooth focus pulls is such a welcome update. The autofocus is incredible for photography as well. It just works. It just tracks. It just nails almost every single shot. I must look like a raving lunatic while using this camera, because I keep grinning as the camera just works.The ergonomics have also improved in every respect. The buttons are much more exciting to press, the deeper grip feels decent in my oversized caveman hands, and the extra dial on the left side of the camera is a welcome addition.People whine about the LCD screen being only one million some dots, and really, Sony, youre being ridiculous putting upgraded screens on the A7RIV and A7RIII and not this camera that I took a massive and tedious freelance job to even be able to afford, but people are just being ridiculous. The screen is perfectly fine. And speaking of screens, the viewfinder actually is all its cracked up to be.Another thing that I cant get over is the mechanical shutter sound. Yes, this thing has a worldclass silent shutter with anti distortion this and anti flicker that. But the sound the mechanical shutter makes will literally make you laugh out loud. Its unbelievably quiet. You almost dont need the silent shutter to shoot silently.I tested 8K footage and it looks great. I am planning to use it for one camera talking head shots so I can do a 4K punch in in post. The 8K footage kind of plays back smooth in Premiere Pro on the 2017 iMac Pro with 64 gigs of ram, but as soon as you add LUTS and whatnot, it starts to struggle, so I plan to start rendering proxies on ingest or figure out how to quickly link proxy files generated by the camera. On that note, 4K 120fps footage in 10bit 422 does not play back smooth at all. Plan to use proxies or transcode your footage. The 4K HS footage shot at 24fps in 10bit 422 does play back smooth on the iMac Pro.I could go on and in, but in short, I am so glad I did that tedious freelance job to be able to afford this camera. Life in the future is great.
Joe –
This camera has lives up to and exceeded my expectations. Its incredibly fast and clear. Bh came through big with mine. Couldnt be happier with it and im real high maintenance when it comes to my tech. Worth every penny
Michael –
I bough the A1 a month ago and all i can say is im 100 happy with this camera. Not 99 but 100 happy with the out come and ability of this camera. Yes the price is up there but this cameras absolutely can preform as its advertised. The best ive ever had. coming from the A9 and the R4.
MICHAEL –
The new sensor is the key to the revolutionary Sony Alpha 1. The new sensor is capable extremely fast reads that finally allows for nocompromise silent shooting. The Alpha 1 no long relies on a shutter for most shots.
Richard –
I finally got to spend most of a day with this A1 and the Sony 200600mm lens. I mainly was shooting two yellow labs playing in the back yard. Shooting at 20 frames per second I essentially got a near 100 hit rate for perfect focus, even when the dogs were running fast straight at me. The colors are better, the dynamic range is better, the menus are better, and the electronic shutter sound is very quiet although you can always turn the sound totally off if you want.B H did their usual great job in shipping the camera very quickly.
Kevin –
This may be the best camera in the history of mankind, and there is no one for the time being. It will garner all industry awards. Lets wait and see…mark 42521
Rob –
Ive had several Sony bodies and this model really combines the best of both worlds from the stacked sensor of the A9 series and the image quality of the higher resolution bodies. Why only 3 stars The software has bugs right now which range from lock ups and viewfinder blackouts to IBIS engagement issues. Im sure a firmware update from Sony will fix these bugs eventually but given the premium price tag this is not acceptable.
Marla –
With deep disappointment, I ended up returning my dream camera, the A1. In most aspects it was a pretty amazing camera. The color science was great, autofocus was nice and sticky, and the frames per second was next level. But, I will address the elephant in the room, the fatal flaw that made this camera for sure a no go, which is the random EVF blackout. When out shooting in daylight, especially with the sun to my back, when I would lift the camera to my eye to take a picture, the EVF would refuse to turn on, as in all I saw was pure blackness. During the wildlife sessions I took it out on, I lost many opportune shots as it would just randomly not work. At all. Super frustrating The problem lies in Sonys terrible decision to move the Evf sensor to the bottom of the eyepiece rather than leaving it on the top. Why, Sony, why The light leak at the bottom of the eyepiece sensor makes the EVF completely unreliable, making this a camera I cannot trust. This is a widespread problem, and not user error or a defective camera. As a pro photographer, I need my gear to work seamlessly, especially with a 6500 price tag, and cannot afford to lose images and moments due to strange quirks like this. Had I kept the camera, it would have given me extreme anxiety on my shoots knowing the randomness of the Evf blackout. If Sony had left the sensor on top of the eyepiece where it should be, I would be a very happy A1 shooter, and for sure would have kept it, but this was a complete deal breaker for me. I couldnt pack it up and return it fast enough.
David –
Unfortunately the alpha 1 I received has a defective shutter release button and will only fire about 70 of the time, even in shutter release priority mode. And when the shutter button is partially depressed, it will randomly trigger even with no movement of the button. The same problem occurs with the mechanical or electronic shutter, and with singleshot, highspeed continuous, lowsped continuous, or other shutter modes. The button itself clearly has a defective electrical connection. On the plus side, BHs RMA process was easy, and the defective alpha 1 is on its way back to BH.
Jeffrey –
I will start by saying I am an excellent Photograph who has been using the best Canon equipment available for years. I purchased the Sony A1 and 200600mm lens for a light weight set up with the pixel reach of a 1500mm lens when compared to a 20 meg sensor in my Canon Cameras. I would rate the Sony A1 as unacceptable due to the graininess of the images and the inability to lighten shadows without increasing the graininess. In addition, it takes 3 time as long to process raw images with the Sony software as it does to proces raw images with Canons software. I also used Lightroom to process a few Sony A1 images and saw no decrease in graininess.I have taken 500,000 plus photos of flying birds, and edited about 1,000,000 slides, negatives, and digital images. On a two week photo trip to Florida I typically take at least 25,000 images. I took the A1 to a local Knoxville lake on a less than perfect day and shot over a 1000 photos of an opsrey diving for fish. I was side lighted and it was partially cloudy. I got not one usable photo. Even on photos just above the water with tree background and perfectly exposed oprey feathers the eye sockets were a pool of grey shadows that could not be lightened to bring out any eye detail, and when I tried to lighten the shadows the images got grany fast. I have shot 10s of thousand of osprey photos over the last 30 years and have never had this happen to me before. 95 of those 30 years of photos have very good eye detail.With no dependable local location to shoot flying birds in Knoxville, I took a trip to Charleston, NC. I took images of a redheaded woodpecker at the top of a dead pine tree with a beautiful blue sky background with both the Canon 1DX Mark iii and the Sony A1. The first 2 day I just ook pictures with the A1, and when I processed them I noticed the sky looked grainy like a combination of different colored dots like what used to happen with negatives. On the third day I set up my Canon 1DX3 with my 600 mm F4 lens and a 2x teleconverter giving me a focal length of 1200MM. The Sony A1 with a 600mm lens and a 50 mpx lens should have an effective focal length of 1500mm. I was closer to the woodpecker on day 3 since I had learned where he looked for food in the late afternoon. What was amazing to me was that the Canon image was a smooth even and grainless image even enlarged many time beyond normal and the Sony image fell apart almost immediately. I could see white gaps between the colored pixels. I will post those images for you to see.I also took pictures of a yellow crowned night heron in a swamp with dappled light with both cameras 1500 with the A1 and 300 with the 1DX3. One of the supposed advantages of a mirrorless camera is that you can see what you get, and can adjust the exposure to get better images. My A1 photos came out bright and shiny where as my Canon photos came out a little dark. Here is the problem with the Sony images. The white parts of the bird were many times blown out with no recoverable feather detail where as almost every Canon image I was able to adjust the shadow and white feather detail to get a very high quality image. A note here is that when you are shooting the Sony A1 against a detailed nonsky back ground, you dont see much grain and can get very good images.In addition the Sony menu system is extremely complicated and the manual is almost useless. I had to go on line to learn the basics of how to set up the camera.Now for the A1s good points1. The bird eye focus work most of the time on most birds that were stationary. Some times it amazed me picking up an eastern blue bird siting on leafless branches from 30 feet away the majority of the frames. I could barely see the birds outline. On flying birds it tended to focus on the whole bird.2. The lens and camera combo are light and easy to cary.In summary, I rate this camera unacceptable due to picture quality.I read a lot of internet influencer reviews of the A1, and bought the cameras based on those glowing reviews. All of those reviews were written about cameras they got to use for free from Sony and most of them only had them a few days. In retrospect I dont thing that if those influencers wrote a bad review about a new camera, that they would get the next camera off the production line from that manufacturer for them to review.When viewing the attached images hit Control several times to see the difference. A good judgement of a photos quality to to scale it up to 2 0r 3 times its normal size to see if the quality holds up.
Peter –
This was bought for bird photography, particularly birds in flight. With the unexcelled autofocus and the high resolution it is far ahead of any competition. Expensive to be sure, but worth every penny.
Michael –
One word. Magic.2 cameras in one.You have this beast that has absolute color correct profiles.Can we give a shout out to 8kOh wait 4K at 120p yup you heard it folks.
Ross –
Simply put, this is the only camera Ive ever bought and Ive been buying em since the 70s where I didnt think while unboxing Its so so so great, but I still wish it did .Yes, this search for gear perfection is exacerbated by being a hybrid stillsvideo shooter. But even if the A1 fulfilled one or the other of those functions it would still be extraordinary.So, doing both so well AND concurrently Its like scifi.Carrying an A7rIV and an A7sIII got old fast so I traded them both in for this bad boy, and even gained valuable functionality beyond both prior bodies.Re stills, the A1s 50 megapixels is IMO the sweetspot for full frame. The slight DOF decrease plus an increase in diffraction and noise going from 42MP in the A7RIII to the 61MP in the IV made the latter noticeably more challenging to use than the former. The A1s new sensor negates all those issues, and the entire interface is much more responsive.Re video, the A1 shoots 8k and 4k fullframe and APSC mode. So I can use my Super35 cine lenses again. SCinetone is a lusciouslooking profile. The 10bit SLog 3 grades beautifully with lots of flexibility in Resolve. And I havent even gotten into external raw recording or HLG yet.The autofocus is markedly better than in the other bodies, the color science is improved goodbye slight greenish cast in video hello lovely skin tones and the Auto White Balance is far more accurate than before. Although I still shoot like there are only 36 exposures in the camera, the 30fps shooting is insanely useful when you need it.Yes, the price is firmly in Leica Land, but if you think of it as getting two vastly improved cameras in one body, the sticker shock isnt that bad.
Gonzalo –
I havent got any issues…. is fast, accurate, and all good. amazing camera.
Mark –
The Sony Alpha a1 puts mirrorless into a class of product maturity like a Nikon D850 DSLR or F6 film camera. Sonys new sensor architecture enables electronic shutter readout speeds similar to a traditional mechanical shutter. There is lots of buzz about this enabling 30 frames per second stills bursts, and 8k video, but for me the big deal here is eliminating artifacts from artificial lighting and motion distortion. This means I am not loosing shots because I didnt or couldnt switch to mechanical shutter before the shot got away This fundamental improvement was the last thing I have been waiting for A9 and A9ii have been close, but they were partial solutions, compromising resolution for readout speed. The a1 resolution is at a sweet point for me high enough for big enlargements and cropping of wildlife photos, yet retaining excellent noise performance and dynamic range. The a1 is also refined in its gorgeous EVF, autofocus enhancements, overall responsiveness, and flash compatibility so that it feels like a matured product. I feel like this is the first mature Mirrorless Digital camera on the market and I am really satisfied with it. Now I am looking forward to the similarly matured lenses that have been showing up recently
Linda –
I like the camera however I wish Sony would work on the Bird eye Focus get it working Properly And give a Bird eye focus update to the a7riv Cameras I own two and always thought I would get it As you go up on the fstop you loose bird eye focus on my Sony 600mm f4 lens Canon is way ahead on Bird focus Im keeping my A1 thinking Sony is going to keep improving on it I really dont think this camera is worth 6500.00 without a few updates
Scott –
As a long time A9 user this feels just like the upgrade it should be, smooth fast and the upgraded menu is nice which I already knew well from my A7S3s. I wish they had stuck with the viewscreen from the A7S3 as it is so versatile but again after using the A9 since it came out I am very familiar. The price was shocking and a big increase but I do plan to have this as my main body for some time.
Tony –
Upgraded to this recent from a Sony A9 and A7R III. Expensive but well worth it autofocus is improved from the A9 and image quality is on par with the A7R III and significantly better than the A9.I find better acuity, more dynamic range in postprocessing, and somewhat better colors vs. the Sony A9.Very expensive but really been the camera Ive been looking for since I moved over to Sony many many years ago.
Yevgeniy –
I came from an A6500 for VideoFilm and some photo, and I am super happy that I have saved for this instead of other ones. Build is very nice and image quality is amazing Accessories are expensive though
Paul –
Dont tell my wife, but this may be the last camera I ever need to buy Everything about is best in class the AF, the resolution, the speed.
KarlHeinz –
With Firmware Version 1.10 I finally have the camera I always wanted to have. The A1 is second to none. Such a wonderful photographic tool for literally all kinds of scenarios and shooting. In short its A1.
Joav –
powerful, customizable switches instantly from landscapes to wildlife, at 30fps, i only have myself to blame for missing moments….feels like all my glass got an instant upgrade.and dang caught the hair off the deers back
Jon –
Dream come true, been using A7s since 2014, the A1 is actually easier to use than the a7r4. Im a stills person but even the video menu was pretty straight forward
Jerry –
Its all about the focus tracking. Im using this for birdphotography, and trying to catch birds in flight. I previously owned the SonyA7Riv. The A1 has the focus tracking I had hoped the A7Riv would have, but didnot. Ive been using the A1 mostly with the Sony 200600FE. It locks onto andholds eye focus on birds. Its not magic. If the bird is behind bushes I haveto resort to manual focus. But it works well under what I consider reasonable conditions.The high frame rate is nice, though I rarely go above 20 fps. Its all aboutthe focus tracking. And oh yes, of course the files are high quality with lotsof dynamic range. Coupled with the Lightroom plugin AI denoise I can getgood photos at ISO 12800.
Harald –
Having shot Sony A7RM2, M3 M4, along with Olympus and Nikon gear, the Sony A1 has by far the best BIF tracking system I have used to date. It consistently latches on to the birds eye. TShooting without blackout is also a tremendous help.
Jeffrey –
I previously revewed this camera as unaceptable because of grainyness in many situations. One of the test I have completed on the cameras output since that review needs to be made public. As I stated in my previous review, I am 2530 year user of the best through the lens DSLRs Canon has to offer. I was looking for a lighter camera lens alternative. There were a lot of internet influencer great reviews I read. I now realize that the influencers cant really tell the whole truth if they ever want to get another new camera to review for free. I bought my camera from B H. I would have loved it to turn out ot be a fantastic camera, but it wasnt.The test I determined after my last review was to use control in photoshop until I got to the pixel level and could view each pixel. Both photos were taken at the same time of day in the same full sun light. The sky in the Canon image was an even consistent blue from pixel to pixel. The Sony aplpha 1 or A1 image looked like a bunch of tangled worms of slightly lighter to darker colored blue worms which ultimately made the sky look grainy. Even at normal viewing resolution, I could tell that the sky was made up of different colored dots like happen back in the days of film.This is my test for you to use in judging any camera. I am hopeing to get images from a Canon R5 to test. I will be purchasingg an d testing the new Caon R3 as soon as I can ourchase one.
Zachary –
My life has changed. I know I know. Some of you reading this might scoff at the idea that a new camera could make that much of a difference, but the Sony A1 does. I was a long long long time Nikon shooter. D7100, D850, Z7, Z7ii. And yes, those cameras are amazingwell, maybe not the D7100 LOL. But out in the field, 10FPS only get you so far. That warbler is perched on that tiny little branch in the perfect light for just a moment, and in that moment, your equipment lets you down. Not anymore. With the Sony A1s 30FPS, you can out bird the bird. The birdeye auto focus is amazing. Locking on to Tree sparrows from 20 feet away in the lowest of light Not the pictures in the gallery. Id say it recognizes and delivers in 98 of the situations you will find yourself in, and Id attribute the 2 where it doesnt to poor lighting and distance from the subject. The electronic shutter is truly something to behold as well. I was landing crisp bird in flight shots at 1250 insane. Dont even get me started on how good 11600 looks. With two CFExpress type A cards, the buffer never runs out. Go ahead, hold that shutter down and capture every little detail. Listen, if you do wildlife photography, bird photography, sports, you need this camera. Your images will never look better. Your work flow will never be faster. Just drop it in the cart and thank me later.
Derek –
The autofocus, physical and digital interface, and image quality of this camera is an absolute dream.I shoot weddings and moved up to this from the A7iii and can say that this camera makes it difficult for me to pick up my once beloved 7iii.I just hope that the 30fps shooting mode will be enabled more freely for lenses other than G Master lenses.
Bryan –
This is Sony at its finest after years of perfecting everything from the insane viewfinder to the improved ergonomics, the sensor in this camera produces some of the best images Ive ever been able to capture. The amount of detail and resolution that this camera captures is only matched by its ability to do so at 30 frames per second. Now, I thought that was just a gimmick and that 30 fps would be lacking in autofocus accuracy, but Sony has proven their ability to deliver the specs that they advertise. Im especially happy with the flash sync speed roof at 1400 this has proven to be absolutely gamechanging for me in my workflow. I just cannot believe the controls and customizability of this camera the creative look options have now made straight out of camera JPEGs and HEIF files to be ready instantly, and the improved speed when transferring to my phone in the imaging mobile app has also made the previous models completely obsolete.While Canon will always have their laurels to rest on in the DSLR world, Sony has been innovating for years in mirrorless, and this is their magnum opus. You cant catch up to them at this point theyre so far ahead of the competition, and this camera is an absolute reflection of that dominance. Ive used the Canon EOS R5, and it doesnt even come close to delivering what the A1 can. Sure, Canon has amazing glass. But pair this camera with the Sony 135GM and youll find that Sonys got some legacy glass of their own now. The new 35 GM paired with this camera is an absolute dream in sharpness, and the 50mm GM has become my new favorite walkaround combination. Canon cannot deliver what Sony has offered us in this camera a flagship not only for us loyal Sony users, but for the camera world in general. Yes, its expensive, but you absolutely get what you pay for.In terms of video, forget the R5 and forget the A7SIIIthis is your camera. Ive never seen such clean footage with amazing stabilization. I was able to handhold the 135GM on APScrop in 4K and the footage was smooth as butter with no postprocessing work necessary. 8K is overkill to be sure, but I absolutely love the 4k that this camera has to offer.You can do anything and everything with this camera. The endless customization options for not only the controls which I love having in the form of dialsI know, personal preference, but for image options. Try shooting stills with SCinetone, by the wayitll shock you. I of course like to customize my own creative look for black and white as well as for color, but again this is your camera, your show you pick how the images should look to your eye.Do not rent this camerayoull end up wanting to sell everything you own to buy one and make it yours. I dont know how Sony is going to top this camera in the future, but Im confident that this will be my camera for many years to come.
David –
Love the Sony a1. The images are fantastic and the AF is great. It is amazing to see how good the AFBirds Eye Mode functions with birds in flight. Im looking forward to learning more about the functionality of the extensive setting possibilities for my photography, but am already feeling comfortable with the camera with the custom key settings I have made. Its the most expensive camera Ive ever purchased but I am thrilled that I did.
Fred –
I struggled to decide between dedicated body for stil and another for video. In the end I realized that the Alpha 1 provides all that I need with the next generation of technology not available in the other Sony bodies. Very importantly, the improvements to the menu system and touch functionality are a game changer for on the go shooting.
WEI –
I have to say. It is the first mirrorless camera that can shoot real 8k.without heating problem there are more things i can control with wheel not in camera which i think its good to me. Also a lot of details changed to more professional and trustable. It will make u feel every penny is worth for this monster. Great job Sony.
Yohan –
I would have given it a 5 star its almost perfect but I noticed that it over heats with the Sony grip in video mode 8k in darkness and when the flip screen is closed overall its a great camera I need more testing
Hoon L. –
Im sure you know the specs and features and of course this is just one persons opinion. Ill highlight standouts for me Silent shutter without penalty is amazing, even for everyday use. New menus and responsiveness of camera answered niggles I always had with prior cameras in the A7 lineup. Switching on the camera and bringing to my eye, Im no longer waiting. Once you switch off antiflicker, the viewfinder is incredible both for its refresh or its resolution depending on which you prioritize. The extra mode dial is great. Between the manual controls, Fn button and custom settings, you can pretty much avoid the menus entirely once set up. Image quality is great in my opinion. High iso noise is slightly greater than, say, the A7rIII in my opinion, but not as distracting as high iso noise in A7rIV. When downsampled to match the smaller resolution the difference effectively vanishes. I dont mind it at all and the higher resolution when paired to sharp lenses means a bit more flexibility in using noise reduction. Further, this sensor has very pleasing colors which isnt something I normally attribute to Sony bodies. General ergonomics feel great buttons, dials, etc. are solid and pleasing. Very much appreciate this overall trend in the Sony bodies. A few neutrals The screen is fine and for photos I prefer tilt to fully articulating some people have slammed it for the older, lower resolution screen but Ive been fine with it though menus are a bit small. I dont mind the different toggle mechanisms but agree standardizing them makes more sense. A few negatives Battery drain seems higher than other bodies. This is purely anecdotal and may be down to the experimentation phase of early ownership but its something Im monitoring. The effect of antiflicker on the viewfinder decreased resolution while focusing is, in my opinion, a significant mistake on a camera of this cost and with its presumed intended purposes. My understanding is this has been an issue for Sony bodies for a long time. When in silent shutter, a flashing grey box tells you when the shots been fired. On some backgrounds this gets lost, particularly when it is a small box as opposed to the larger frame in some modes. I wish there was a setting to alter this color as you can with the focus square. So far its an incredible highresolution, highperformance camera that is exciting to use and has more versatility than anything Ive touched to date. Ive not even started to explore the video features in earnest yet. Enjoy
Randy –
Has done everything Ive asked. Focus has been fast and spot on, bird Focus has been good. The closer the bird, the more reliable it is. Even focused on the eye of a soaring eagle and osprey from a decent distance. It isnt magical, depends on decent lighting, a little contrast between the eye and the feathers, size and distance from the bird, etc. But lets face it, if youre farther from the bird, theres Really no difference between focusing on the eye or the head. Bird eye Focus has been better than I expected after reading other reviews.
John –
Nothing to be said. Its the best DSLR mirrorless camera for both Video and stills in existence today.
James –
The speed of eye focus from above NBA floors is quite something. My useable grab and go shots have doubled in number when the action shift and I need a quick focus. Image quality is of course, superb.
Gary –
Ive had the camera for a week now. In my agency I own the A7iii, A7riii, A7riv, the A9ii and the FX9. This camera surpasses them all in an unique combination of the best features of them all. I loved the A7iii and the A7riii for their relative low light capability. The A9ii was great for its incredibly fast and sticky autofocus. Always wanted a bit more resolution from it, though. The A7riv is fine, but it has always left me a bit disappointed with its color science and the relative higher noise above 4000 ISO than the a7riii smaller pixel size on the same size 35mm sensor has saturation limits. So I wanted the A1 to solve much of these issues and combine the best features of all. Spoiler alert IT DOES Autofocus is like nothing that I have ever used. Low light performance is outstanding. Focus tracking and speed rock. 2030 FPS is real Video equals a A7Siii. The EVF is bright and unbelievable. If you are a working pro that already shoots Sony, buy this camera Dont believe me Rent it for a few days and see for yourself. You will be totally impressed
Billy –
Great camera get shots I never could with iany other camera
Robert –
Received camera a couple of days ago and have done some initial outdoor shooting. Though menus are somewhat different, pretty much like shooting with A7R, but better. The electronic shutter is a pleasure and focusing is very fast and precise. This Sony feels as professional to me as my Nikon Ds used to.
Larry –
Ive shot Sony for many years, including the a100, a700, a99, a99ii, a9ii and now the a1. Each one of those cameras did several things very, very well. Most recently I got to experience the a9ii including very high framerates, blackout free shooting and amazing AF. The AF in particular on the camera changed how I shot, particularly with subjects in motion. Id initiate tracking on what I wanted to be in focus and then move that anywhere in the frame I wanted. What I did miss was the resolution from the a99ii. The a1 takes everything the a99ii and a9ii did and upped the game. The resolution is a little better than the a99ii, and twice the a9ii, the AF is far better than the a99ii and a little better than the a9ii. The frame rate is mind boggling. The response of the controls is significantly better than both of those cameras. The EVF is beautiful. Ive thoroughly enjoyed shooting with this camera as it does everything well and many things better than any other.
Derrick –
Ive owned this camera for three months. Its not perfect, surprise, but it is amazing. Unfortunately I have to question Sonys quality control. My first A1 was sent back for exchange. It was front and back focusing and loaded with magenta chromatic noise at ISOs as low as 400. It was also freezing on me in the middle of shooting. Yes, freezing. I had to turn the camera off to unfreeze it but even then it would stay stuck sometimes as long as 15 seconds or more. I also returned the 70200 GM Sony lens for atrocious auto focusing and got the 200600 G lens. Im happy to say both the new lens and second copy of the A1 are performing flawlessly. Albeit there was one occurrence of IBIS going bonkers while taking video. Aside from that it has blown me away. This copy has no focusing issues, is quicker to find the face and eye, sharper and has significantly less of the magenta noise. I can literally point it at birds in flight and fire off shots like a rookie and most of the shots will be tack sharp. It truly is incredible. The menu system took me a couple weeks to master but thats because its so deep and there are so many customizable options. I prefer it that way. I use custom mode 1 for portraits two additional custom recall buttons, CM2 for action and CM3 for 30p video. I use video mode for 60p and 120p. Video focus area takes time to learn whats best. Wide and Zone have failed me at times when using a wide angle lens. It can focus on a nearby object even if that object is barely in the frame. I think tracking should be improved. If filming just the face youre good to go but its far from perfect when filming someone walking away. Best off using center fixed or tracking and hope it stays locked on. Video IQ is fantastic. Another great part of this camera is the punchins. Very impressive. High ISO, not so much. Maybe Sony can raise the second native ISO in a future firmware release Not sure if thats possible or if it would help. Overall an honest 5 stars.
Julius –
I was looking for a camera that could do both photography and videography really well and researched the Sony Alpha 1. While its price is quite high, you do have to remember that it is meant to be two cameras in one. Since I have been using it, I have been very satisfied with the 50 Megapixel pictures and video it is able to capture. I definitely recommend this camera if you are looking to have just one camera to do both incredible pictures and video.I originally ordered this camera from Amazon and it was in backorder for 12 months. After waiting for about 2 months it finally was available but Amazon messed up my order and somehow suppressedcanceled my order so that it was no longer in the system. I was very frustrated having waited so long already and even more frustrated when they told me to just reorder the camera, but it was now unavailablesold out. I decided to check BH as I had already purchased background stands and lights from them before. The Sony Alpha 1 camera was still on backorder for 24 weeks, but I was so happy that I could at least order the camera from them. To my surprise, the camera was available and shipped in 12 weeks. I couldnt be happier with my purchase and the service I received from BH. I will definitely order camera related gear from BH in the future now.
Steve –
The speed, resolution, and ergonomics of a camera are all very important to me on a wedding day. If you are a serious, full time wedding photographer and hybrid videographer who has the storage capacity for 50mp files and the budget for this piece of equipment, look no further. I hate to seem like a fan boy but Sony knocked it out of the park with the Alpha 1. Unfortunately, the only way for me to show how great it is in the real world is for me to put it in your hands and let you shoot with it for a few hours.Pros Superb image quality and dynamic range Improved handling of colors, especially in skin tones, for photos and video files Insane viewfinder clarity and frame rate Ultra fast write speeds make for quick previewing Quiet shutter Much improved ergonomics over previous Sony camera bodies Full suite of high bit rate video options and 8K rarely used but great for cropping for a wedding ceremony or interview Better menus than past models Focus and capture rate dials are easily accessibleCons Expensive, but if youre a working professional charging what you are worth, the price is manageable CF expressSD card door does stick a bit when opening like on my a7S iii Lack of a fully articulating screen, would be nice to have although probably more prone to damage It does get pretty hot to the touch during extended video recording, but on a full wedding day of constant shooting, it did not overheat
Karen –
Imagine waiting hours to get that perfect shot of an osprey diving into a shallow bay to snatch an alewife from the water… you are ready, it happens, you focus and the screen goes black… again and again and again… and always when you want the shot most. This is my experience of the Sony Alpha 1. It is a pricy camera with some excellent features but this EVF Black Out issue is a real show stopper. I wish I had never bought it. I suggest waiting until Sony publically acknowledges the problem and fixes it.
Philip –
Everything I loved about my A7R3 but with higher resolution, a better menu system but most importantly much improved noise at high ISOs. It also has better depth of field for macro work which i mainly do. The priciest camera I have ever bought and honestly thought I would regret it. I dont and I cant go back to my A7R3 now.
Israel G. –
I have been using my new Sony a1 for 3 weeks. I own the a7r4 and have experience with Sony for comparison, and have also owned Nikon DSLR bodies plus older Nikon and Minolta manual film bodies in the past. My new a1 from Pictureline is absolutely awesome even though the a7r4 has a higher resolution. I admit the a1 is expensive, but compared to the a7r4 you can absolutely feel the difference in quality, plus all the extra features the a1 has over my a7r4. Compared to my previously owned fullbody SLR bodies it feels just as sturdy and solid in your hands, only much lighter and slightly smaller. The a1 price is a factor for most buyers, however, especially if you are not a professional photographer. Unreservedly recommend the Sony a1 I also had a great experience with Priceline, added my name to their waitlist and they called me within 2 weeks, and shipped it next day. Happy
Jeffrey –
DISCLAIMER Ive only shot this on a limited basis over the past three days but, following is my preliminary assessment1 AutofocusBest on the market. Even blows away the A9 and A9II.2 Download speed using USBC cable. Incredible 1 min. 45 seconds to download 500 RAW images.3 Need for more memory cards and external storage space apparent. Eats storage like the old Pac Man game. But, what would you expect at 30 fps4 Goes through batteries faster than the A9. Again, with the shutter firing at 30 fps, thats probably to be expected.5 Low light performancegraininess not as good as the A9A9II.Final preliminary analysis If you kept your A9A9II for shooting wildlife on the dark days, I think youll have all bases covered. The A1 is a great camera but, I was slightly disappointed with its low light performance.
Gordon –
Its much more expensive than the entry level full frame cameras, but the experience and results are much different from the A7III I used before.
Dan –
The colors and tones along with the blazing fast focus is the best I have experienced yet with a Sony FF camera. I have owned both A9 models as well as the 7rs from ii to iv, and this camera is by far the best I have used. I am using camera, for both BIF, and landscapes, but would also use it for events and streetscapes. No issues, since I have been using it for the past two weeks. Not sure if the menu is that much improved, but I really did not have an issue with the old menus. You must use the CFa cards to fully unlock the cameras features.
Theron –
This camera takes photography to a new level. For bird photography it is unequaled. I do own the Sony 7RIV as well and its great, but the extra features on the A1 are amazing. Just one example, the bird eye focus. You focus on a bird and it finds the eye and just uses that for the focal point. Whether you move with the bird or let it move in a stationary frame the focus stays on the birds eye.