A1-II is a waste of time, should have made the A1C

[jhunna]

Sony would have been better off putting all those features into an A7C class body, adding the new tilty flippy screen, and the CFa port.

If I want an A1 level camera that can use my Sony glass I am going to get a Nikon Z8 for significantly less money.

Not sure what Sony is doing here, but I guess we find out on the 19th of November.

 

[meshal]

agree, they can just add some new features to A1 and revive it plus lower its price. no need a1 v2 for now..

 

[moficera]

Sony would have been better off putting all those features into an A7C class body, adding the new tilty flippy screen, and the CFa port.

If I want an A1 level camera that can use my Sony glass I am going to get a Nikon Z8 for significantly less money.

Not sure what Sony is doing here, but I guess we find out on the 19th of November.

How dare they making something you don't need.

 

[Suntan]

Is there a consensus that the actual specs of the a1ii are known? Legit question. If so please direct a guy to look at them as I would be interestedto see them.

If not, how can one make this claim without at least knowing what the new camera is?

 

[jhunna]

Is there a consensus that the actual specs of the a1ii are known? Legit question. If so please direct a guy to look at them as I would be interestedto see them.

Everything is rumor at this stage. BUT we are hearing that it will have the same sensor, be a bit faster, and have the a9iii body and CFa slots. So no legitimate information.

If not, how can one make this claim without at least knowing what the new camera is?

I can't. Just having fun with the rumor mill. When the final version is released to the public, I may or may not like it but for now, based on the rumor mill the A1mk2 seems like a waste of time. Time better spent making what I want...

 

[jhunna]

Sony would have been better off putting all those features into an A7C class body, adding the new tilty flippy screen, and the CFa port.

If I want an A1 level camera that can use my Sony glass I am going to get a Nikon Z8 for significantly less money.

Not sure what Sony is doing here, but I guess we find out on the 19th of November.

How dare they making something you don't need.

I was asking myself the same question... They listened when I said we needed the a7c, and they have profited from that advice.

 

[jhunna]

agree, they can just add some new features to A1 and revive it plus lower its price. no need a1 v2 for now..

This! I don't know what kind of spec bump they could give this camera that would make it more valuable than the current A1 or the Z8.

What would be ideal, if they don't want to make a C style body is to upgrade the body to the a7RV or a9III body, add the same processing as those cameras and call it the A1a (like they did with the A7RIV before the A7RV was ready).

 

[AlephNull]

Sony would have been better off putting all those features into an A7C class body, adding the new tilty flippy screen, and the CFa port.

If I want an A1 level camera that can use my Sony glass I am going to get a Nikon Z8 for significantly less money.

Not sure what Sony is doing here, but I guess we find out on the 19th of November.

So I am the kind of person who would be interested in buying an A1 II. You'll be unsurprised to hear that I'll be using it with longer lenses like the 300 GM, 70-200 2.8 GM II, the 200-600, and more.

You think I want a tiny body that's hard to hold onto with long lenses? With a single card slot (even if they do add CFeA support)? That won't handle heat as well as a larger body? And probably has a smaller lower res EVF because that's all there is room for?

Yeah, NO!

I want an A1 II in the A9 III body (and I have an A9 III, so I really know that I like it).

Enjoy the Z8!

 

[AlephNull]

Is there a consensus that the actual specs of the a1ii are known? Legit question. If so please direct a guy to look at them as I would be interestedto see them.

If not, how can one make this claim without at least knowing what the new camera is?

There is a rumour.

Some people treat the rumours as gospel, and get upset when Sony doesn't release what was rumoured.

We have 2 weeks to wait to discover the truth of what Sony is releasing. I'm hoping for a few surprises.

 

[AlephNull]

agree, they can just add some new features to A1 and revive it plus lower its price. no need a1 v2 for now..

This! I don't know what kind of spec bump they could give this camera that would make it more valuable than the current A1 or the Z8.
What would be ideal, if they don't want to make a C style body is to upgrade the body to the a7RV or a9III body, add the same processing as those cameras and call it the A1a (like they did with the A7RIV before the A7RV was ready).

How many times do people want to misunderstand what the A7RIVa was?

Sony could not get enough supply of the rear screens, so they sourced a screen with different specs and released a new model with just the new screen (firmware had to change because all the text and icons had to be re-done). That was all. No change in functionality at all. (The A7RIIIs had a different USB socket as well, but not the A7RIV).

What you are talking about nothing like that,. You are pretending it is so you can justify calling for a lower price, but it's ridiculous.

 

[jhunna]

Sony would have been better off putting all those features into an A7C class body, adding the new tilty flippy screen, and the CFa port.

If I want an A1 level camera that can use my Sony glass I am going to get a Nikon Z8 for significantly less money.

Not sure what Sony is doing here, but I guess we find out on the 19th of November.

So I am the kind of person who would be interested in buying an A1 II. You'll be unsurprised to hear that I'll be using it with longer lenses like the 300 GM, 70-200 2.8 GM II, the 200-600, and more.

What are you getting over the A1 and the A9iii with the new A1 mk2? You are the perfect use case to answer that question. It has to be more than the the ability to handle big lenses, as you have that now.

You think I want a tiny body that's hard to hold onto with long lenses? With a single card slot (even if they do add CFeA support)? That won't handle heat as well as a larger body? And probably has a smaller lower res EVF because that's all there is room for?

Nah that's what I want. Hence they should be making me an A1C.

Yeah, NO!

I want an A1 II in the A9 III body (and I have an A9 III, so I really know that I like it).

Enjoy the Z8!

I joke about the Z8, but if I was looking for an 8k camera it would be on the top of my list.

 

[jhunna]

agree, they can just add some new features to A1 and revive it plus lower its price. no need a1 v2 for now..

This! I don't know what kind of spec bump they could give this camera that would make it more valuable than the current A1 or the Z8.
What would be ideal, if they don't want to make a C style body is to upgrade the body to the a7RV or a9III body, add the same processing as those cameras and call it the A1a (like they did with the A7RIV before the A7RV was ready).

How many times do people want to misunderstand what the A7RIVa was?

Sony could not get enough supply of the rear screens, so they sourced a screen with different specs and released a new model with just the new screen (firmware had to change because all the text and icons had to be re-done). That was all. No change in functionality at all. (The A7RIIIs had a different USB socket as well, but not the A7RIV).

Well let's see how many upgrades actually come through. The A1 would need A7R4 level changes to get to the A7R5 to justify the change. The rumors don't give us that level of detail.

What you are talking about nothing like that,. You are pretending it is so you can justify calling for a lower price, but it's ridiculous.

I dont care what it costs, if I want it I will get it. To old to deny myself something because of cost.

 

[Robert Salton]

Sony would have been better off putting all those features into an A7C class body, adding the new tilty flippy screen, and the CFa port.

The C bodies are such severe compromises that they don't got together well with an A9III or A1 feature set. For example,

• One card slot, and that's SD only
• The 2.3MDot EVF isn't anywhere near the 9MDot unit
• A lot less physical controls
• Badly unbalanced on heavy lenses or a big flash on top
• Less heat dissipation which will become an issue when that A9III/A1 performance is put to good use for extended periods.

Can't imagine the market for a mini-A1, which certainly wouldn't come with a A7CII price tag, being much larger than the one for the rumored A1II.

If I want an A1 level camera that can use my Sony glass I am going to get a Nikon Z8 for significantly less money.

That I somewhat agree with.

The original A1 sold well despite its substantial price due to being so far ahead of the competition that it essentially had none. Nothing came close to 50MP@30fps with 1/200s readout at that time.

But times have changed and competition has caught up with cameras like the Z8 and R5II. The rumored A1II will bring a couple more fps but at about twice their price, likely still lack something better than h.265 internally or even simple video tools like waveforms. Except people with substantial investments in E-mount glass, I can't imagine who'd buy such an A1II?

There has to be something in that camera to justify its hefty price tag.

 

[AlephNull]

Sony would have been better off putting all those features into an A7C class body, adding the new tilty flippy screen, and the CFa port.

If I want an A1 level camera that can use my Sony glass I am going to get a Nikon Z8 for significantly less money.

Not sure what Sony is doing here, but I guess we find out on the 19th of November.

So I am the kind of person who would be interested in buying an A1 II. You'll be unsurprised to hear that I'll be using it with longer lenses like the 300 GM, 70-200 2.8 GM II, the 200-600, and more.

What are you getting over the A1 and the A9iii with the new A1 mk2? You are the perfect use case to answer that question. It has to be more than the the ability to handle big lenses, as you have that now.

We don't know what the upgrades are yet - remember, all we have is a rumour, and this from a source who has been spectacularly wrong in the past.

Let's look at what was in the A7RV over the A7RIV:

• new rear screen (which is on the A9 III as well, and I really want)
• new EVF (lifting it to the resolution of the A1)
• CFexpressA slots
• new AF (the first with the "AI" chip)
• focus bracketing
• the stills/video/S&Q switch under the mode dial (giving 9 custom modes instead of 3)

There was more, but those are the things that come immediately to mind. The A1 only has CFexpressA and the A1 EVF.

I expect the A1 II to bring all of the above, and more. It will probably get a bunch of enhancements to the wireless connections, as the A9 III did (I don't use any of it, but I can imagine it being useful to a news photographer). I am sure it will also get the "authenticity" features, too.

The rumour says that the CFexpressA slots will be V4. I already own a couple of V4 CFexpressA cards - they upload to the computer much more quickly (providing you have USB4 and a fast SSD in the computer). Having that in the camera will mean faster burst clearance (and having the A9 III, I can attest that I want that!)

Can they improve the EVF? I don't know if I need more resolution, but I would like to see it keep the resolution up during focussing and shooting, and ideally run at 120Hz. That would be a good improvement to see.

I want to see the camera shooting 30fps and faster in lossless compressed RAW. I refuse to use lossy RAW, so for me the current A1 has a top speed of 20fps. Going to 40, or even 60 fps would be a significant speed boost.

We see the C5 ("turbo") button on the front of the claimed photographs (or they are photoshopped images of the A9 III!) - the extra customisable button is welcome, and it the A1 II had the speed boost option, it would be welcome - I typically run the A9 III at 20 or 30 fps, but boost to 120 at important moments. That would be a welcome addition.

I would very much like to see the A1 II in the A9 III form factor - it is a little more comfortable to hold,

Is all of that enough to justify upgrading an A1 to an A1 II ? It is to me. Owning the A9 III has me wanting those features in an A1. Gee, just like owning an A7RIV and A9 II made me want the original A1 - I don't think that's accidental

You think I want a tiny body that's hard to hold onto with long lenses? With a single card slot (even if they do add CFeA support)? That won't handle heat as well as a larger body? And probably has a smaller lower res EVF because that's all there is room for?

Nah that's what I want. Hence they should be making me an A1C.

And maybe they will. But I get mine first!

I can see some justification for a higher speed C model - they have already catered for a higher resolution C model, after all.

Yeah, NO!

I want an A1 II in the A9 III body (and I have an A9 III, so I really know that I like it).

Enjoy the Z8!

I joke about the Z8, but if I was looking for an 8k camera it would be on the top of my list.

I have exactly zero interest in 8k anyway, and having picked up a Z8, I know that it's noticeably heavier than any of my Sonys. In my younger years I used Canon 1D and 1Ds bodies, but I simply would not consider buying a 1.5kg camera today. The Z8 is over 900g, and that's still heavier than I want.

That doesn't mean I think they are bad cameras - I'm impressed that Nikon's Z9 and Z8 are still competitive even now, considering they were launched not long after the A1.

Sony do cater for people who want lighter cameras and lenses. I appreciate that.

 

[Adam-T]

It's the perfect upgrade for its market which is the full time Professional sector ...

it`s basically an A9-III with a fast decent DR 50Mp Stacked sensor - sounds as good as it gets for an everyday work camera for those who need a cam that covers stuff which the A7R5 isn`t good at (high FPS Sports & Video) or the A9-III isn`t good at (high resolution prints, crops and anything where wide DR is needed at low ISOs) ...

LIke the orig A1 did with the 4th gen cams , it Does the middle ground thing between the two other hi-end work cams, the A9-III and A7R5 and for most will do enough of all to be all that's needed .... I never ever do High FPS or video so don`t need one (A7R5 is ideal) others will need the global sensor of the A9-III more than the rez but for most, an A1-II will be perfect - those who can afford it of course.....

Sticking A1 guts in a low end dysfunctional A7C series body would be the worst move they could make - it`ll need all the same expensive stuff the A1-II would need pushing the price way beyond what anyone would pay .

--
** Please ignore the Typos, I'm the world's worst Typist **

 

[jhunna]

It's the perfect upgrade for its market which is the full time Professional sector ...

it`s basically an A9-III with a fast decent DR 50Mp Stacked sensor - sounds as good as it gets for an everyday work camera for those who need a cam that covers stuff which the A7R5 isn`t good at (high FPS Sports & Video) or the A9-III isn`t good at (high resolution prints, crops and anything where wide DR is needed at low ISOs) ...

LIke the orig A1 did with the 4th gen cams , it Does the middle ground thing between the two other hi-end work cams, the A9-III and A7R5 and for most will do enough of all to be all that's needed .... I never ever do High FPS or video so don`t need one (A7R5 is ideal) others will need the global sensor of the A9-III more than the rez but for most, an A1-II will be perfect - those who can afford it of course.....

Sticking A1 guts in a low end dysfunctional A7C series body would be the worst move they could make - it`ll need all the same expensive stuff the A1-II would need pushing the price way beyond what anyone would pay .

That's what they said about the A7RV, but yet I am holding an A7CR, and I assure you it isn't "dysfunctional" I do sports photography and videography, along with flash, and I shoot scenes in real time (ie constantly moving), so I would love to have a faster sensor in an A7C body. And I don't attract "Pro Photographer" attention, even though I have gear that can generate pro results. The EVF is fine, but they could put a better cup around the evf and they could add that slick screen from the A7RV and a CFa slot, and it would be perfect for what I do.

I mean I am capturing great moments with just 8fps, and 4k60 video with xavc-si and proxies, but I would like a faster flash sync speed, and less rolling shutter.

 

[pollup]

Even though the A1C is the camera I've been waiting for for 5+ years and would be my absolute dream camera, the A1II is going to be a massive upgrade over the A1.

Remember the A7R2? Amazing brand new 42MP sensor, but the camera was meh, quite slow, poor battery etc. Then comes the A7R3 using the same sensor but finally the body was good enough.

Remember the A7R4? Brand new 61MP sensor. Then comes the A7R5 using the same sensor but everything else is on steroids, and that really transformed the camera into something amazing.

What I mean is that the A7R5 is the "true form" of that 61MP sensor camera, it's really what the sensor deserved.

For the A1II, it's going to be exactly the same. Finally a camera deserving of that sensor.

The A1III will use a new sensor, and the cycle will repeat (we will only see its true potential in the A1IV using the A1III sensor).

 

[jhunna]

Sony would have been better off putting all those features into an A7C class body, adding the new tilty flippy screen, and the CFa port.

If I want an A1 level camera that can use my Sony glass I am going to get a Nikon Z8 for significantly less money.

Not sure what Sony is doing here, but I guess we find out on the 19th of November.

So I am the kind of person who would be interested in buying an A1 II. You'll be unsurprised to hear that I'll be using it with longer lenses like the 300 GM, 70-200 2.8 GM II, the 200-600, and more.

What are you getting over the A1 and the A9iii with the new A1 mk2? You are the perfect use case to answer that question. It has to be more than the the ability to handle big lenses, as you have that now.

We don't know what the upgrades are yet - remember, all we have is a rumour, and this from a source who has been spectacularly wrong in the past.

Let's look at what was in the A7RV over the A7RIV:

• new rear screen (which is on the A9 III as well, and I really want)
• new EVF (lifting it to the resolution of the A1)
• CFexpressA slots
• new AF (the first with the "AI" chip)
• focus bracketing
• the stills/video/S&Q switch under the mode dial (giving 9 custom modes instead of 3)

There was more, but those are the things that come immediately to mind. The A1 only has CFexpressA and the A1 EVF.

I expect the A1 II to bring all of the above, and more. It will probably get a bunch of enhancements to the wireless connections, as the A9 III did (I don't use any of it, but I can imagine it being useful to a news photographer). I am sure it will also get the "authenticity" features, too.

The rumour says that the CFexpressA slots will be V4. I already own a couple of V4 CFexpressA cards - they upload to the computer much more quickly (providing you have USB4 and a fast SSD in the computer). Having that in the camera will mean faster burst clearance (and having the A9 III, I can attest that I want that!)

Can they improve the EVF? I don't know if I need more resolution, but I would like to see it keep the resolution up during focussing and shooting, and ideally run at 120Hz. That would be a good improvement to see.

I want to see the camera shooting 30fps and faster in lossless compressed RAW. I refuse to use lossy RAW, so for me the current A1 has a top speed of 20fps. Going to 40, or even 60 fps would be a significant speed boost.

We see the C5 ("turbo") button on the front of the claimed photographs (or they are photoshopped images of the A9 III!) - the extra customisable button is welcome, and it the A1 II had the speed boost option, it would be welcome - I typically run the A9 III at 20 or 30 fps, but boost to 120 at important moments. That would be a welcome addition.

I would very much like to see the A1 II in the A9 III form factor - it is a little more comfortable to hold,

Is all of that enough to justify upgrading an A1 to an A1 II ? It is to me. Owning the A9 III has me wanting those features in an A1. Gee, just like owning an A7RIV and A9 II made me want the original A1 - I don't think that's accidental

Thanks for that. Although I joke a lot, I was having a hard time seeing the justification. But we will know for sure in about two weeks.

You think I want a tiny body that's hard to hold onto with long lenses? With a single card slot (even if they do add CFeA support)? That won't handle heat as well as a larger body? And probably has a smaller lower res EVF because that's all there is room for?

Nah that's what I want. Hence they should be making me an A1C.

And maybe they will. But I get mine first!

I am good with that and look forward to your reporting out...

I can see some justification for a higher speed C model - they have already catered for a higher resolution C model, after all.

YES. I have resolution, now I want speed. I can make do with 8fps, but I can feel the difference when I go back to my a6700 and get 11fps. (I still don't know what I would do with 20fps or even 30fps...)

Yeah, NO!

I want an A1 II in the A9 III body (and I have an A9 III, so I really know that I like it).

Enjoy the Z8!

I joke about the Z8, but if I was looking for an 8k camera it would be on the top of my list.

I have exactly zero interest in 8k anyway, and having picked up a Z8, I know that it's noticeably heavier than any of my Sonys. In my younger years I used Canon 1D and 1Ds bodies, but I simply would not consider buying a 1.5kg camera today. The Z8 is over 900g, and that's still heavier than I want.

That doesn't mean I think they are bad cameras - I'm impressed that Nikon's Z9 and Z8 are still competitive even now, considering they were launched not long after the A1.

Sony do cater for people who want lighter cameras and lenses. I appreciate that.

Agreed it is why I ended up going with Sony.

 

[jhunna]

Even though the A1C is the camera I've been waiting for for 5+ years and would be my absolute dream camera, the A1II is going to be a massive upgrade over the A1.

Remember the A7R2? Amazing brand new 42MP sensor, but the camera was meh, quite slow, poor battery etc. Then comes the A7R3 using the same sensor but finally the body was good enough.

Remember the A7R4? Brand new 61MP sensor. Then comes the A7R5 using the same sensor but everything else is on steroids, and that really transformed the camera into something amazing.

What I mean is that the A7R5 is the "true form" of that 61MP sensor camera, it's really what the sensor deserved.

For the A1II, it's going to be exactly the same. Finally a camera deserving of that sensor.

Damn good point...

The A1III will use a new sensor, and the cycle will repeat (we will only see its true potential in the A1IV using the A1III sensor).

 

[Adam-T]

That's what they said about the A7RV, but yet I am holding an A7CR,

it didn`t include a hyper expensive 50Mp stacked sensor - ever wondered why the A1 and especially the old A9-II costs so much even now , Stacked sensors add a crazy amount of cost

and I assure you it isn't "dysfunctional" I

It lacks dials, buttons, fast card slots, a full shutter, fast enough flash sync, buffer and a decent EVF so given the cost (and heat) increase the A1 sensor would add, it`d bomb badly..

I would love to have a faster sensor in an A7C body.

Maybe they'll use a semi-stacker in the A7-V then later the A7C-III but you really don`t want the cost of an A1 sensor in there ..

--
** Please ignore the Typos, I'm the world's worst Typist **