Sony A9 review: The professional’s E-mount camera puts the 1D X II and D5 on notice
posted Friday, October 6, 2017 at 12:45 PM EDT
Click here to read our Sony A9 review
For most of us, the phrase "professional sports photographer" conjures up images of big, long, heavy lenses paired with bulky, gripped DSLRs. And monopods to help support all that weight. Wouldn't it be great if you could shoot the same subjects, at the same level of speed and performance, but with a smaller, lighter camera? While mirrorless cameras promise smaller sizes, they still don't match the performance and precision that pro-level cameras like the Canon 1D X II and Nikon D5. That is until the Sony A9 came along.
The A9 is Sony's top-tier, flagship mirrorless camera and is designed to cater to professional photographers, especially those covering sports and action. With an all-new, performance-focused, 24MP stacked CMOS sensor, beefy processor, and versatile phase-detect AF system, the A9 is designed for speed. We just wrapped up our extensive Sony A9 review, and the camera does indeed deliver on its performance claims. 20fps burst? Check. Deep buffer? Check. Excellent tracking AF? Check. There are also numerous improvements to ergonomics and build quality as well as workflow. It's not all amazing, however, as there are a few noteworthy drawbacks and disappointments we encountered. Nonetheless, we think the pros heavily outweigh the cons.
Ready to check for yourself? Does the A9 beat the 1D X II or D5? Jump over to our Sony A9 review for all the details, or simply skip to the verdict with our A9 Review Conclusion.