I really love SONY's approach for product line up, each one have their distinct purpose. A7 for general use, A7R for super high resolution still photo, A7s for video, A7c for travel, A9 for action like sport and wild life, A1 for.......everything above and more. Every potential custmer knows exactly which one is for him/her, no confusion. Another point I love is even when making the ultra "pro" camera SONY always have compactness in mind, I don't want to see a big black brick of a camera with vertical grip as "flagship" in 2021, it looks like that's what Canon and Nikon are going to do. If you really want a vertical grip, you can add one as an accessory. Someone being a pro doesn't mean he is immune to weight. I probably will never buy a 6500$ camera and I will never need 30FPS with 50MP, an A7c can serves me very well, but it's always enjoyable to watch you reviewing this technical masterpiece!
Dustin, the early comment stating that you placed the order for this A1 made the rest of the very interesting and informative review academic. Very impressive camera and review. Well done.
Your review of the Sony A1 camera accurately captures the things that are important and essential. Your final review of the Sony A1 is very pleasant thanks to your submission and shows all technical and visual aspects in a balanced form. I personally owned a Sony A7 RIV camera and after several months of considering the pros and cons and reviewing a few detailed reviews, I took the last final step, I sold the Sony A7R IV and bought this camera. Your beautiful review also helped me with this decision. Personally, I think that this camera opens up and reveals the path that photographic and video technology will take. Thank you personally for your professional and beneficial video reviews, your work that helps many people and me in making decisions. In your videos I see the truth, contribution and true love of work that you bring to us with such nobility. You are one of the best people I could see on youtube and be a part of it. Sincerely, Milos
I’ve grown to appreciate your reviews in a way that I can’t extend to many other camera reviewers. Clear, unbiased, and concise; all leading to a wonderfully informative and direct product review. Only other reviewer I watch is DP Review. Thank you good sir.
_Wife said: Looks much like the other camera's ..._ Dustin takes her to her wardrobe, opened the door , looks at her and says, sorry, again please .... I have to say, I not always agree to your choice of cameras but I support your logic why you choose them. Thanks for sharing, great video !!
Watched this first then the none definitive version and enjoyed both a lot. The day I saw this review in the very first minutes it was posted just brough a big shock to my face as I didn't expect to see it comes up soon like this! And after watching it I can't stop smiling, it was me who offered you for such a trade with your A9 and A7riii and I am so happy to see you are satisfied with the deal now! And I can't be satisfied more to see the very first and most comperehensive review by the one I do trust to. Oh just noted you not happy with AF results of the sigma 100-400mm, just watched the Mark Galer's A1 review and he mentioned Sony 70-350mm can keep up so well with this camera with great results. Yes you have to stick with 21MP in longer focal lengths but apparently this lens have almost a fullframe coverage at wide end and way more than apsc crop coverage in most focal length but the 350mm.
The sensor performance section of the video was terrific. The conclusion was "on the money" regarding who the A1 is for. Thanks for "taking (A)1 for the team" as it will be a great platform for so many reviews of lenses in a variety of uses. 👍
Thank you for this review. I should watch this video before switching from Fuji X-H1 system (was not impressed with X-H2s that I waited for four years to upgrade) to the A7IV just less than two months ago as I did not know that A1 or any camera is able to trigger flash at 1/200s with electronic shutter (did not know that is even a possible option for electronic shutter and no other reviews I watched mentioned it) and 1/400s (breaking the 1/250s barrier) with mechanical shutter. I shoot quite a bit of outdoor people events with flash and those features along would come in very handy for me without the need to increase the depth of field when shooting at ISO 50 or adding on an ND filter. Now, I will wait patiently for the A1-II with a 4-axis tilt screen, 8-stop IBIS and other enhancements. Camera Canada is amazing especially when it comes to Tamron lenses as they are the only store that I can consistently find lenses like the Tamron 35-150mm f/2.0-2.8 or the 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 in stock for purchase while all other camera retailers in Ontario were waiting over a month or longer to have them in stock
@@DustinAbbottTWI I think when I first saw A1's price, 50MP & 30FPS I just stopped myself looking further into the specs as none of them really make me want to spend the extra $5000.00. If the main advertisement was "Flash with Electronic Shutter at 1/200s Sync Speed, support HSS..." I think I would dived right into it as it has been my wish for the past ten years to have such camera. I am sure everything happened for a reason and A1 is just not meant for me at this moment... maybe A1 II would be.
Wow, I just watched one of the best, information-packed review. That new Stacked sensor is looking amazing. Job well done Sony and thanks for this amazing review. 👍👍
The noise comparison between the A1 and R5 was not equal. If you use shutter speed to equal exposure from the different sensitivity, it's effectively comparing the Sony at 2/3 stop lower ISO. A fair comparison would be to shoot at the same aperture and shutter speed and then use the ISO that gives equal exposure, which in this case would have been ISO 16,000 on the Canon vs 25,600 on the Sony. Otherwise,. excellent review. Thanks!
right... that being said, the Sony Cams still win on colour accuracy. I tested it myself and I can confirm these results. By the way, I'm a Canon R5 owner... it was plenty good enough for me to remain in the Canon sphere as I have tons of lenses that simply work much better with the R5 than any of the sony bodies I've tried. I hope Canon can finally go and catch up in sensor technology before Sony introduced something like dual ISO pixel patterns doubling the dynamic range or what not.
Hi Jordan, when ISO values are not standardized, there is essentially no way to scientifically compare cameras without biasing in favor of one or the other. I've done everything I can to accurately report here.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thanks for the reply. However, I disagree. I understand that ISO values are not standardized between brands (and sometimes different cameras in the same brand.) However, using the same lens, aperture and shutter speed, then setting ISO for equivalent exposure should get the cameras to use the same level of sensor sensitivity regardless of labeled ISO. I find this to be the most fair way to compare, as in real world shooting, if one camera is exposing 2/3 stop brighter for the same ISO, and you are light limited, you're going to end up using 2/3 stop lower marked ISO on one camera vs the higher marked ISO on the other, to obtain your desired shutter speed. I do understand the challenges of camera comparisons, as I do reviews as well, and have been doing so for 9 years, so I appreciate the hard work you put into a review like this.
@@DustinAbbottTWI, you surely meant there is no 'non-scientific' way to compare cameras? Of course there are several gradually more complex ways to determine the sensor's performance very technically without human bias, independent of how the actual ISO steps are defined in each camera. One technical term is the photon response curve. Then there is quantum efficiency and obviously signal to noise level which ultimately defines the dynamic range. Jordan Steele definitely has a point here. I wouldn't say that you necessarily have to go down that path of physically accurate measurements as I find your content very informative, but then again I already know this stuff. If you're interested I can elaborate on some relatively easy to implement methods to get a more quantitative result in the mix without having to do complex math. Let me know if you're interested. A simple method is to simulate a brightness sweep via a sweep in exposure time, as a x-times longer exposure time simply generates more electrons in the pixels via photo-effect just like x-times more brightness would at constant exposure time. This is neglecting dark-current and thermal noise, but that's negligible here. The pixel value curve over exposure-time will saturate at the brighter end towards 14bit (16384) and approach the noise level and black offset on the lower end. Plotting this for both cameras will show their "relative brightness". Doing this for ISO will yield the brightness offset. DXO Mark does something similar, but you could (and probably should) do it via just showing the images side by side. Sadly, I don't see anyone doing it. Gerald undone just gets out a ND array and use IMATEST software, which is fine too. Bill Claff calculates his DR and ISO invariance graphs similarly too on his quite famous photonstophotos side. But no reviewer bridges the gap between a true measurement and a visible example. I already know all this but explaining it to non-physicists/engineers is something I enjoy. Anyone not savvy enough for Bill's equations, let me know, as I said, the math result can also be conveyed easily by just making a montage of exposure-series for instance. regards from a german optics/laser physicist... hobby: photography with consumer cameras and supercooled high-end cameras (at work).
@@DustinAbbottTWI regarding ISO comparison. As mentioned in my other post, the same lenses should be used since the same f-stop could mean very different light transmission (T-Stop) (apologies if you did, then I must have overlooked this). Secondly: Changing the shutter speed never gives a fair sensor comparison. One should always change the ISO (which is more arbitrary) at the same shutter speed in order to achieve similar exposure, therefore I second Jordan's comment from a technical/engineering/physics standpoint. It's still be silly if the lenses didn't let the same amount of light through.
Dustin: I bought the Sony a1 less than a year ago. I use it for video and still. For the first time while filming, a message displayed on the screen that said to stop filming and let camera cool. Outside the temp was 73 degrees and I had been filming at the most 15 minutes outside and another 15 minutes inside. I was surprised for a camera this expensive to over heat that quickly. 73 degrees is not that hot. I had wondered if my settings of filming could have increased the probability of over heating. Have you been receiving responses of the same problems with a Sony a1?
I really haven’t had other similar complaints. If the camera was in direct sunlight (particularly with sun going into the lens barrel) it will cause faster overheating. If you can shade the camera with something it will probably help.
That's a simple question with a complicated answer. Both have unique strengths and weaknesses. I will say this - one big advantage on the Sony side is the HUGE selection of lenses, both first and third party. Having the Samyang "tiny series", for example, means that I can choose to go small and light with the Sony in a way I just can't with the Canon. So, if the edge goes to Sony, it is more about the whole eco-system rather than just the camera itself. I love the R5 as a camera, and it still fits my hands the best.
Great review, as always! And I think your wrap up was excellent, I own the A9 for bird photography and other than added the resolution which would be nice, this is probably more than I need (especially at that price point!)
Dustin, I used my A1 camera yesterday. Temp was 72 degrees, not terribly hot; yet, while running video, a message came up on the screen saying to stop video due to too hot. I maybe at the most was doing video outside 20 minutes. Is that in the realm of yours or other's experiences?
Hi Sally, I've definitely not had that problem. I have noted with some Sony cameras that having the camera in the direct sun can speed up overheating (black metal body and all that). Shading the camera somehow will really help eliminate that issue.
Very nice review Dustin, appreciated and also importantly quite enjoyable to watch, even though I've already upgraded to the R5 some weeks ago. I second some of the critique by others regarding the subjective comparison of cameras. While we're talking photography cameras and not scientific instruments, I do agree that you shouldn't compare what is not comparable. While I've already responded regarding Jordan Steele's ISO and exposure discussion, I would say that using the same lens would be of utmost importance. It might very well be, that the Sony and Canon lens while used at the same f-Number transmit very different amounts of light. Therefore I'd wholeheartedly recommend using a DSLR lens with their appropriate adapters when comparing cameras of different brands/mounts. My strong suspicion is, that the contrast difference of the A1 vs R5 comparison shot at 43:20 is mostly caused by lens issues. I am 95% certain this can't be due to the difference of sensors. The Canon Sensor would be broken in this case! regards Andreas
You’re definitely correct in your suspension of the lens being an issue. Here’s another reviewer doing a comparison. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xAeBJbLaeIo.html
@@DustinAbbottTWI oh right... I missed that information, didn't know it registeres as a DT 35 SAM on the Sony. Still, the Sony being darker, one should then compare noise, dynamic range etc. by adjusting the Canon's ISO setting at same f-stop and shutter speed in order to match the overall exposure. Therefore the should be less noise on the Canon. That being said, this won't help at dynamic range, shadow and highlight recovery, however, you seem to have overexposed the Canon shot more at 48:00 which is why I don't agree this comparison holds. regards
@@Davitor1 well if the lens was the same, which Dustin DID mention at 36:08, then that's a non-issue. However, as I mentioned in the response to Duston (before this one), the R5 seems to have higher gain meaning the image is brighter at the same f-stop and shutter speed. Therefore, in order to compare noise/dynamic range, shadow/highlight recovery, the exposure MUST be matched by adjusting ISO to achive the same image brightness, only then can one compare the sensor performance. it's tricky but that'd be the correct way to do it. Nobody is interested in setting a certain ISO and then comparing image quality, everybody wants a certain exposure while using a certain lens and if the A1 does that at ISO 25600 and the Canon achieves this at ISO 16000, then that is how one needs to compare it. damn... now I'm really curious too!
Dustin! When you shot the dogs with the 135 gm, did you use wide focus or a tracking box on their head? Or how did you focus that? :) /David from Sweden
I used the standard, multi-use case. I'll experiment more as I become more familiar with the camera, but I know from experience that the standard case works well for that kind of sequence.
Great Review!!! Dustin I mainly do portrait work and just now getting into video, I also like having a backup body with me as I travel. I have the Sony a7r3 and the A7s3, Do you see any benefits to upgrading to the A1 , from the combo I have already?
I would recommend the A1 if you want a one camera solution, but that doesn't seem to be the case for you. The Alpha 1 does give you most of the strengths of both of those cameras, but it would cost you losing a backup camera.
Thanks for the honest and straightforward review . Glad you mentioned that this is a beast of a camera thats not for everyone. Also thanks for the birds in flight shots i asked for 😉😉
Hello Mr. Abbott, great review. I do have a question for you - do you think it would be better to buy an A1 or buy an A7RIV AND an A7SIII? To my mind, the only thing you're really losing is the fast action stuff, but on the other hand, they're the same price as buying this one body. You gain a few things here (like the faster response and this excellent sensor) - do you feel like you would gain anything from having the two-body set up of the RIV and SIII?
Unfortunately you've got to answer that for yourself, but I think it comes down to whether you prefer having everything in one body, or if two bodies work better for your workflow. You don't have any serious action component, but it doesn't seem like that matters to you.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thank you so much, you're always great at replying to comments. I ended up buying the A1 rather than the two bodies - it seems like I wasn't gaining anything from having the two bodies that I wasn't getting in one body from the A1. Plus the additional action possibility (which you correctly identified as not being my primary goal) is a nice addition. Thank you so much for your thorough content, which is presented in a clear and concise way.
Noise in the newest cameras is basically better than any film grain unless you boost the ISO to crazy levels. Certainly, it's better than the grain of any film rated at the same ISO. At very high ISOs there's still nothing to complain about, because you're doing something that wasn't possible in film cameras. So embrace the suck because for the cost of some noise you can shoot photographs that were essentially impossible with film. But I guess photographers who didn't grow up with film don't have a proper appreciation of that it was like in the "olden days" of 36 exposures before you had to crack the camera open if you wanted to keep shooting. That many images is eaten up in a little more than a second today!
Thank you for the incredible review by the best on youtube. The dynamic range part was really impressive. I think this camera probably is going to be my next upgrade but not yet. My A7R3 does great for landscapes and portraits which is what I use it for mainly, zero video. Maybe next year :)
The a1 doesn't overheat, but after 15~20mins of intensive shooting, it becomes significantly warmer than the a9. Using the vertical grip helps a bit, but I find the VG-C4EM to be harder to hold than the VG-C3EM.
Hello, sir! What do you think about Sony a9III? For someone who needs an upgrade from a7III/a7RIII who want a silent camera, with good autofocus, a good grip and a good IQ, at least as good at a7III, a9III it's worth the price? Thank u!
Always appreciate your detailed reviews! Seems to me like Sony limited a few things on the a1, possibly to have an upgraded offering on the a1 mkii. The high resolution LCD and fully articulating screen are two must haves.
The dynamic range (recovery/ plasticity) is amazing. Canon should take notes. To be fair though it is pretty unlikely that a proficient user will be so many stops off the mark or use these obscene ISOs :-))
The dynamic range of thenew Canons is on par with the Sony's. Sonys are still slightly ahead in highlight recovery, but the shadow recovery is pretty much the same when actually working on photos, as I own both the A1and the R5. The R5 has better animal and bird eye autofocus currently but the Sony will probably improve with firmware I think.
@@markrigg6623 I have the R5 only and I thoroughly enjoy its AF and other aspects ; still it is not without difficulties eg when multiple individuals or animals are involved. As for dynamic range even at ISO 3600-6400 shadow recovery doesn’t look good/usable. I don’t dare shoot at higher ISO if I know I will need to recover the shadows. As for highlights indeed you cannot recover as much. Is there a way to have highlights blinking in your EVF before you take a shot/when pressing focus?
Just placed an order for the A1. I am after a higher MP version of my A9mkI. I did try for a few months the Nikon Z8 which I prefer over my A9 in every way apart from one. The AF is just not as good and I do not shoot difficult subjects just people. The 3D tracing is so frustrating how it jumps of the person you tell it to stay on, unlike my A9 or A7iv with active tracking. 95% of the photos with it were in focus after constantly changing focus modes but as I shoot for a living and have got use to the hit rate with my Sonys and despite loving the camera I have sold the Z8 and now have a A1 on order.
@@DustinAbbottTWI BTW.. how do you rank Nikon Z9 in Feb 2023 vs Sony A1, if you are requested to recommend one, especially in terms of IQ, and Autofocus.
The A1 still amazes me and I am pretty sure that once the Nikon Z9 and the new Canon R3 are released, the price of the A1 will not stand out that much anymore. To get the best of all the different camera models in just one body will always demand a little premium over getting several (and a little older) tools for the jobs. I just don't get the screen thing. Just a short while after the release of the A1, the updated versions of the A7R III and IV were presented with a screen that can compete on paper with the Canon and Nikon offerings (and Panasonic?). If they knew all along that the crappy old screen will be phased out, why ship the top of the line model with the old stuff? The even crappier screen on the A7 III is the only thing I do not like about my own camera.
I'm curious about the raw file size in megabytes ? I was surprised how small the files are on the Eos R5, especially in cRAW. Something to know when you realise how quickly these high megapixel cameras fill up your hard drive.
They are definitely not as small. Canon did amazing work on that front. The Sony Lossless compression gives you a roughly 64MB file size, or more than double Canon's size.
Yeah its been a "thing" for a while now how the file sizes differ so dramatically between Canon and Sony. I used to think the gross lack of dynamic range in the old Canon cameras was linked to this. But the new Canon CR3 files have good dynamic range now but the files have remained smaller. So Canon just have a more efficient mosaicing algorithm it appears.
Very nice review overall, although I wonder in your DR comparison of the outdoor scene between the A1 and R5 how much of the difference you describe is coming from the lens flare characteristics rather than the sensor itself.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Oh, interesting. By same lens I assume you mean the same 35 f/1.4Lii mounted with an adapter to the A1? If it's the same lens, then it shouldn't be from flare characteristics, but it's really odd that the difference looks exactly like a veiling flare. I can't recall ever seeing something like that purely from the sensor noise characteristics.
Hi, I am a new Sony Alpha 1 user and I have noticed that my new Sony Alpha 1 machine has been slightly hot for three minutes while I was adjusting the menus. As I continued to adjust the menu, I felt the Sony Alpha 1 inside my hand getting noticeably hot when I adjusted it for ten minutes.
Different behaviour between locking mechanisms - Exposure Compensation vs. the rest: the other functions you want to set and keep there, whereas the Exp.Comp. You want to unlock and fiddle with during operation, changing the setting from one picture to the next. I understand the difference and like it that way.
thanks for your help just got the alpha 1 somewhat overwhelmed but that is expected... learning curved sharp upwards any suggestions on courses or videos to help
Its a very well calibrated 3 in 1 camera and I do think the price and the cutting edge technology is worth it for those who want to combine hgh resolution speed in still and video. What I would have given for this camera when I was a young Table tennis professional many decades ago! And 4k in slow motion for intricate choreography. It raises the bar and finds the sweet spot for combining the 9+7+S series along with an improved evf - shutter etc and improved heat dissipation. Its very well thought out and not a jack of all trades. I think both the S3 & the R4 were not an increment but a huge sensor and other shift. The 61mp sensor is a huge jump from the 42 but its for a specialized usage - its for very detailed composition work & the ibis is great for hand movements (macro videos etc) not gimbal type work. The s3 speciality is lowlight. The a1 manages to really draw out from all these technologies - combine them with extra processing power and more AI to really enhance imaging and engineering design. Though I will not get it because I am not doing work that requires the speed and the r4 is a total match to where I am at this point - cameras such as these take imaging further and one can enjoy them also as spectators. Sony and Canon have now the rivalry that Nikon had with canon earlier. Meanwhile best wishes and congratuations for your new asset! Enjoy
Thank you for this review. It helped to further cement for me that having the A1 paired up with the A7Siii would be a good combo for my stills photography.
I always love your reviews, thank you so much for putting in the effort to continously deliver high quality objective reviews. Your conclusion on this one seems spot on as well. Depending on how you look at it and what your needs are, it's either a fairly priced crazy sports/action camera with tons of other nice features goodies coming with it for the same price and small package (compared to the likes of a D5 and 1dx iii), most however won't need that fancy all-in-one package and that camera is not just out of their reach but also completely unnecessary. Once Nikon and Canon have updated to their new sports cameras within the upcoming month it will be very interesting again and in terms of fps/resolution/video functionality etc the playing field will probably be way more even again (each with their own spicy features).
This is a fantastic review, but then again, I like all your reviews. You and Gerald Undone are the two most thorough reviewers, in my opinion when it comes to all things camera! With that said...would you ever consider doing a comparison video between the A1 and the Canon R5? There's a lot of comparable mentions between them and although they aren't priced or classified the same, I think there are enough comparisons to warrant a head to head. I still think the A1 is superior but I'd be curios to get a more thorough assessment between those two systems. What do you think?
There's some give and take between the two. I do think the Alpha 1 is probably the superior camera overall, but the R5 is very competitive in most all metrics at a much lower price point. I would argue that it is better value for money.
Dustin - thanks again for another great review; Your production values are magnificent and you are a class act; On a side note, I'm staying with my A7R4 for the foreseeable future; but .... I do have a Sony FE 35mm 1.4 and the new FE 50mm 1.2 on order as we speak ..... ( have you had the chance to play with either one yet ? )
I was just complaining to Sony about that yesterday. For some reason I've had a hard timing getting loaners of both of those lenses. I'm hoping sooner rather than later, but I've got a pile of other stuff to review in the meantime.
One thing I'm really wanting to know about this body is, did Sony improve their color profile again as they always did from body to body. And does it get closer to Canon/Nikon's level of life like/reminding colors. I currently have Nikon Z system, Canon RF system and both just produces way more neutral, life like/reminding and easy/manageable color raw files out of camera. Plus many of their new zoom lenses are just better and thus I moved on from my A7R4. With many new GM lenses out recently it is ever so tempting to pay a revisit and see if Sony's ever trying to catch up on that aspects. you know, at least a good sign that they might one day just be on level group to the other 2 brands known for neutral reproduction/accurate render of capture.
@@chrisjohnsonfilms It's hard for me to give a solid answer since I haven't used my 5D III or 1D MK IV in years, but going back and looking at sports and portraits I'd say the sony is where you want it to be and things look very natural/accurate. If you were concerned about the A9 and R series, which I would agree made skin tones challening, this will put your mind at ease. It's a marked improvement for sure, and the raws, even compressed give tremendous flexibility.
I was unaware of your current Nation of Operation, or NOOoooo. I was dealing with Vistek, but it seemed so.... cold. As it turns out, my a7r3 and a9 both came from CC, but all the little bits have been from everywhere else. Half my kit is Leica and Panasonic (the other half, as mentioned, Sony.) I'm really leaning on trading out my a7r3 and a9 and just getting the a1. Thank you for such a great review. I've made up my mind. Time to consolidate. One Body, under all that E-Glass!
Hi Dustin, great video thanks. You mention the sensor protection provided by the closing of the shutter on power off. Has this worked in real world experience? By the way, totally agree with your comments regarding the rear screen - it should fully articulate and, resolution isn’t in step with the rest of this camera’s incredible spec.
I have had to blow the sensor off once, so it doesn't work as well as the Canon system (I almost never have to mess with the R5's sensor). I do think it is better, though, than my past Sony bodies.
I kinda feel that calling it a sports camera is selling it a bit short. The name, “Alpha 1”, indicates to me that this is really moreso Sony’s ultimate showcase of all their best imaging technologies packed into one (very expensive) camera body that can be purchased by people with the means. In essence, it’s like of like the “all-in-one” Alpha body, with the resolution and dynamic range potential of an a7R, the sheer speed of an a9 and much of the filmmaking features of an a7Siii, packed into a body that feels just as home being whipped around on the streets with a 35mm prime as it is on a tripod with a battery grip and a 400mm f/2.8
A fabulous review Dustan, thank you, I have put over 30000 images thru mine in the last month, can not fault it or be happier for my purposes (wildlife / bird photography), if you need it for your style of shooting then it really is the One. be great if Sony was to put that new upgraded rear screen on it for us early buyers?
You are amazing bro i got the sony a1 but i can't get the sound like you did with the shutter do you have video about that baton oh how setting your camera ???
