Sony has been pretty boring in 2024 outside of the Alpha A9 III that we didn’t find all that exciting for photographers. If you’re a videographer, it seems like a great tool, if you’re a photographer? $6500 was a tough pill to swallow for a lower IQ global shutter sensor and the same mid tier build quality.
After the EOS R5 Mark II and EOS R1 were announced, there was a lot of “The A1 II will be an EOS R1 killer”, pretty much based on pixel count and nothing more. Which generally means the person doesn’t understand the target market or how these cameras are used in the real world. I also live by the adage…. “If you have to crop, you weren’t close enough”. That can bug some people, but I’ll die on that hill.
But I digress.
We now have some Sony Alpha A1 II rumored specifications that come from a reliable source over at Sony Alpha Rumors. On the surface? It seems like Sony has succumbed to evolutionary updates for their camera line. It was a good ride for the brand while it lasted.
Rumored Sony A1 II Specifications
- 50MP (Same sensor as Sony A1)
- New AI chip
- Improved frame rate
- Best in class autofocus (What class is this camera?)
- C2PA authentication
- SD+ CFexpress Type A 4.0 generation dual hybrid slot
- Same A1 body style
- Announcement between November 2024 and January 2025
Obviously rumors and specification breakdowns like this don’t always tell the whole story when it comes to complex professional targeted cameras. Sometimes the updates are a sum of their parts to make a great product. That said, I will never get around the build and ergonomics of Sony “professional” cameras. Nikon, Canon and even OM Systems (build quality) are still light years ahead.
Souce: Sony Alpha Rumors
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but I digress....
Maybe the A1ii will record 8k raw without codecs now that the memory cards can handle the bandwidth :cool:
It seems to be targeting the R5ii but 50% more expensive. It will probably have a better battery life than the R5ii though.
I don't think we're on the same page. However, since I will die on the hill... no point in really going down that rabbit hole. :p
Craig means using the right telephoto instead of relying on cropping ie: if you have a 400mm lens, but absolutely need to crop to get your photos and composition, either you need to move closer or get a 600mm lens.
That's the hill he dies on. he and I have talked about it, and I've slowly backed away from those conversations :p
\"mid-tier build quality\"? tell me more, Regardless of how I really want an R3, the A9-series is a tempting next step for me as a minolta A-mount user/fan... Would that be a step down from the A900 and A99?
A lot of people not realising that the respective older models are already amazing and most innovation and performance gains come through optimisation and software.
I mean, why would they need a new sensor, if the old one has far more potential if paired with new and faster processors.
I am very much looking forward to seeing a lot of crying fanboys in pretty much any direction talking about why their respective camera brand has the biggest numbers and videos of people taking photos of a blow-up doll and measuring how fast each camera has been finding the plastic eye.
And to the R1 killer thing... Well no...
Canon has done pretty much what Nintendo did with their switch console. They didn't care about the other brands as much as they took their own customers regards into consideration and built their device to those needs and wishes. So trying to "kill" their product with totally different specs will really not make a difference in that case.
All reasonable points. Fanboys and YouTube though....... :p
Sony releases a 50 MP A1 II to follow the 50 MP A1. Sony ROCKS. Another AMAZING CAMERA with an AMAZING SENSOR.
I'm not one to crop... but when I do, I want
Dos Equis, oh sorry, 50MPs. You can crawl up that hill and kill over if you want, doesn't change the fact that resolution is an asset in some forms of photography. However, I do recognize its a liability in others. For example, on a sideline where everything is perfectly spaced out and the action is effectively brought to you, 24MPs is more than enough (dare I say, even luxurious). But for most other things... I'll take 50MPs, thank you.If I'm completely honest, I think the A9 III is already a fair step above the R1. Nothing is faster on the professional market (both read out and framerate), its more adjustable, cheaper, and just may still match the R1 in IQ (or it may be closer than many think). I do expect the R1 to feel better in hand, have superior AF (by some margin), have better displays (by some margin), and be more rugged. But based on the niche market needs, I can see many saying the A9 III is already a R1 killer. I'll rent an R1 and decide for myself, but I won't be buying one because 24MPs is a deal breaker for me.
Canon R1 + RF 400mm f/2.8 = 1115g + 2890g = 4005g
Canon R5II + Grip + RF 100-300mm f/2.8 = 670g + 340g + 100g (add'l LP-E6P) + 2650g = 3760g
Cropping the R5II + 300mm down to 400mm nets me 25MP, about as much as the R1. In this case, I would probably take the R5II + 100-300 for both the lighter weight and more flexibility with a zoom and forgo the R1's build quality (probably not necessary in a stadium) and the 10 additional fps.
The R3 was intended to be the R3, because Canon didn’t believe mirrorless tech met their criteria for a 1-series body at that time. I posited at the time that it could be as simple as lacking cross-type AF, and gee…now we have an R1 with cross-type AF.
Having said that, Canon recognized that some of their customers wanted a pro-level body able to take advantage of the high-end RF lenses available, e.g., the 28-70/2 and sharp 50mm and 85mm f/1.2 primes. So they released the R3 just a year after the 1D X III, and followed it up with the R1 right on the 4-year 1-series cycle.
The R1 is aimed at 1-series DSLR users, just as the R3 was, so strong similarity is expected. Not sure why this causes confusion…perhaps because people think they know the market better than Canon, or because people think Canon should do what they want just because they want it, or some other ridiculous reason.
If I had to speculate a sequence of events, what became the r3 was intended to be released as an r1, but just wasn’t ready for 2020. So they took the planned r6 sensor and processor, added a trick AA filter, and stuffed it in a 1dx body. Then olympics getting postponed gave them a good reason to release the pro R body as an R3
Worth noting that Canon counts a lens when it ships, not when it’s announced.
The RF-S 7.8mm Dual lens had a development announcement and is expected to ship ‘later this fall’.
Yeah no. If they intended it to be an R1 it would have been named an R1. The R1 was well into development when the R3 was released. They knew what they were doing.
There were some stuff (cross-type AF) that were missing on the R3 that were brought back on the R1, but other stuff that were available on the 1DX3 (AF-point linked spot meter, 16 fps mech shutter) never made it back.