Sony a9 focus tracking not working when used with Canon lenses

Sony a9
Sony a9

Sony a9: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

At a glance:

  • 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked CMOS Sensor
  • BIONZ X Image Processor & Front-End LSI
  • 693-Point AF System & 20 fps Shooting
  • Blackout-Free Quad-VGA 3.7m-Dot OLED EVF
  • Internal UHD 4K Video Recording
  • 5-Axis SteadyShot INSIDE Stabilization
  • 3.0″ 1.44m-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
  • ISO 204,800, Silent Electronic Shutter
  • Built-In Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, Dual SD Slots
  • Integrated LAN and PC Sync Terminals

The Sony a9 is touted as the Jack of all Trades. Impressive specs, and a lot of hype coming from a devoted fan community.

However, all that glitters is not gold. The video below, shot with a Sony a9 using a $9000 Canon EF 500mm f/4 lens on a Sigma MC-11 adapter, isn’t so impressive after all. The Sony a9 is not able to track focus after the shutter has been fired. The Sony a9 just started shipping so we don’t know if this phenomenon is limited to adapted Canon lenses (guess it is).

If you are a professional photographer, stick with Canon and Nikon and stay safe with proven gear and great and reliable professional service. If you have money to waste for gadgets, get a Sony a9. The specs are truly impressive and once more show how much Sony is pushing technological innovation.

[Via Sony Alpha Rumors]

All that glitters is not gold: Sony A9 not ISO-invariant and sacrifices dynamic range for speed

Sony A9

Sony a9 at a glance:

  • 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked CMOS Sensor
  • BIONZ X Image Processor & Front-End LSI
  • 693-Point AF System & 20 fps Shooting
  • Blackout-Free Quad-VGA 3.7m-Dot OLED EVF
  • Internal UHD 4K Video Recording
  • 5-Axis SteadyShot INSIDE Stabilization
  • 3.0″ 1.44m-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
  • ISO 204,800, Silent Electronic Shutter
  • Built-In Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, Dual SD Slots
  • Integrated LAN and PC Sync Terminals

There is no free lunch and anything comes at a price. This appears to be true especially for Sony gear, always hyped and most of the time only because of the specifications sheets.

DPReview wanted to know better. They put the Sony a9 on their test bench, and found some interesting things. So, how does the powerhouse a9 perform when it comes to ISO-invariance (what is it?) and dynamic range.

DPReview found out that the Sony a9 is not ISO-invariant, and that “the camera is adding a fair amount of read noise that results in noisy shadows, limiting dynamic range at base ISO“. They also found that the Sony A9 sensor “was likely optimized for speed at the expense of low ISO dynamic range“.

What does all this mean? According to DPReview “this limits the exposure latitude of a9 Raws, so you’ll have some limited ability to expose high contrast scenes for the highlights, then tonemap (raise) shadows in post“.

All that glitters is not gold. Read DPReview’s in-depth analysis.

Off Brand: Sony a9 available for pre-order

Sony A9

Sony a9 at a glance:

  • 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked CMOS Sensor
  • BIONZ X Image Processor & Front-End LSI
  • 693-Point AF System & 20 fps Shooting
  • Blackout-Free Quad-VGA 3.7m-Dot OLED EVF
  • Internal UHD 4K Video Recording
  • 5-Axis SteadyShot INSIDE Stabilization
  • 3.0″ 1.44m-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
  • ISO 204,800, Silent Electronic Shutter
  • Built-In Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, Dual SD Slots
  • Integrated LAN and PC Sync Terminals

The brand-new and much hyped Sony a9 mirrorless camera can be pre-ordered: AmazonAdorama | B&H Photo

The Sony a9 is touted as Canon and Nikon killer over the Internet. Sony pushes the Sony a9 as a sports camera but as far as I know there are no serious sport lenses for the a9 yet.

What do you think, will professional sport photogs abandon their battle-proven gear for this camera? I can’t help but to me Sony cams still feel like toys.