(Click on image to enlarge).

Based on the Sony A9 RAW images we got so far Bill from Photonstophotos made this Dynamic Range comparison. The estimated Sony A9 Dynamic Range is right in between the A7rII and the Nikon D5. That’s a very good result if you consider the A7rII has nearly twice the amount of pixels (and that helps to increase DR).

I bet the future A7rIII or A9r will take the lead here :)

We have our own Facebook groups and pages you can join:
Sony A9 group and Sony A9 page
Sony A9r group and Sony A9r page
Sony A9s group and Sony A9s page
The difference between group and page: On The Group you are an active member that can post own stuff. On the page you will find our own A9r or A9s news only.

–

Sony A9:
Sony A9 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, BestBuy. FocusCamera. Calumet.de. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 with Grip Extension Kit at BHphoto, Adorama and Amazon.
Note: US readers preordering the A9 at BHphoto or Adorama using our links (and our affiliated links only!) have a chance to win a Sony A9.

100-400mm GM:
Sony 100-400mm GM at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, BestBuy. Calumet.de. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.

Sony A9 accessories:
Sony A9 battery grip at Adorama, Bhphoto, Amazon. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 Glass screen protector at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.
NP-FZ100 battery for the A9 at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Jessops.
GP-EX1 grip at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
FDA-EP18 eye cup at Adorama, BHphoto.
MQZ1 multi battery charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
BCQZ1 Z-series Battery Charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.

Win an AMEX card ($4,500) at BHphoto:
US readers preordering the A9 at BHphoto using our links (and our affiliated links only!) have a chance to win an AMEX card mathching the value of the Sony A9 ($4,500). The winner will be randomly selected by BHphoto by end of June after the preorders shipped out!
The conditions and legal notes of the sweepstake can be read here: sonyalpharumors.com/official-bh-sonyalpharumors-a9-launch-sweepstakes-rules/

Win an A9 at Adorama:
If you preoder the Sony A9 at Adorama through our affiliated links only (it doesn’t work on links of other sites!) they will refund one lucky customer their $4,498 price on the A9! This will be for pre-orders. Once the orders start shipping (some time the end of May) Adorama will filter all the orders that came from SAR, and randomly select one A9 order and refund the customer their money. This is for the camera only and not the new 100-400mm lens or accessories.
The conditions and legal notes of the sweepstake can be read here:  sonyalpharumors.com/official-adorama-sonyalpharumors-a9-launch-sweepstakes-rules/

Kai (video on top) tested the Sony A9 and is quite impressed by its performance. And we also got many more test and first impression reviews by other reviewers:

First Lok by Lok on Photogearnews
Hands-on by Fstoppers
Image samples at Fstoppers.
First look – Hands-on with the Sony A9 (Wex UK video)
The Sony A9 is much more than just a sports camera (Manny Ortiz Video)
Sony A9 vs Sony A7 II: What are the Key Differences? (CameraJabber).
I just sold my Nikon D5 and made the jump to Sony! (Dpreview Forum).
The Sony a9: A Wedding & Portrait Photographer’s Perspective (Movetomirrorless)
¿Sony A9, la cámara que lo cambia todo? Encuesta (Photolari).

Sony A9:
Sony A9 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, BestBuy. FocusCamera. Calumet.de. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 with Grip Extension Kit at BHphoto, Adorama and Amazon.
Note: US readers preordering the A9 at BHphoto using our links (and our affiliated links only!) have a chance to win a Sony A9.

100-400mm GM:
Sony 100-400mm GM at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, BestBuy. Calumet.de. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.

Sony A9 accessories:
Sony A9 battery grip at Adorama, Bhphoto, Amazon. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 Glass screen protector at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.
NP-FZ100 battery for the A9 at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Jessops.
GP-EX1 grip at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
FDA-EP18 eye cup at Adorama, BHphoto.
MQZ1 multi battery charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
BCQZ1 Z-series Battery Charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.

Please support SAR:
You know me, I work my ass off to get the best news and rumors on SAR :) And this is the right time to reward me by using these affiliated links for your purchase! I will get a small commission and you don’t have to pay a cent more for that. Thanks!

Win an AMEX card ($4,500) at BHphoto:
US readers preordering the A9 at BHphoto using our links (and our affiliated links only!) have a chance to win an AMEX card mathching the value of the Sony A9 ($4,500). The winner will be randomly selected by BHphoto by end of June after the preorders shipped out!
The conditions and legal notes of the sweepstake can be read here: sonyalpharumors.com/official-bh-sonyalpharumors-a9-launch-sweepstakes-rules/

Win an A9 at Adorama:
If you preoder the Sony A9 at Adorama through our affiliated links only (it doesn’t work on links of other sites!) they will refund one lucky customer their $4,498 price on the A9! This will be for pre-orders. Once the orders start shipping (some time the end of May) Adorama will filter all the orders that came from SAR, and randomly select one A9 order and refund the customer their money. This is for the camera only and not the new 100-400mm lens or accessories.
The conditions and legal notes of the sweepstake can be read here:  sonyalpharumors.com/official-adorama-sonyalpharumors-a9-launch-sweepstakes-rules/
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Join our new Sony A9 Facebook group!

You can download Sony A9 RAW images from Imaging Resource., Photographyblog., Focus Numerique. and Photolari. But how do you open those files? These are two messages I got right now:

Iliah:

“RawDigger w/ support for SONY a9:
RawDigger: https://www.rawdigger.com/news/rawdigger-1-2-20-beta
FastRawViewer 1.4 with Sony a9 support, extended trial key for 45 days, seriously reworked and extended file sorting and filtering, also touchscreen support and some other niceties, listed in “What’s new”
https://www.fastrawviewer.com/blog/FastRawViewer-1-4-beta
We do not expect any crashes, based on rather extensive tests of private beta.
I know time is not as elastic as we need it to be :) Still, your feedback, if you can squeeze it into your schedule, (and possibly feedback from your audience) is extremely important to us. No rush, we are planning to test this beta thoroughly before making a production release. “

San:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/sony-a9/sony-a9GALLERY.HTM
The raw files from A9 can be demosaic via Corel Camera RAW Lab in Paint Shop Pro X9
The noise structure looks good – crops here
https://images81.fotosik.pl/535/249402dd0b9d12bc.jpg
https://images83.fotosik.pl/535/a8e639bdf204c903.jpg
https://images81.fotosik.pl/535/a1fd8969c04564bf.jpg
https://images82.fotosik.pl/535/4ec4acdd7c286d75.jpg
https://images84.fotosik.pl/535/9e0e7ecd6eea88de.jpg

Sony A9:
Sony A9 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, BestBuy. FocusCamera. Calumet.de. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 with Grip Extension Kit at BHphoto, Adorama and Amazon.
Note: US readers preordering the A9 at BHphoto or Adorama using our links (and our affiliated links only!) have a chance to win a Sony A9.

100-400mm GM:
Sony 100-400mm GM at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, BestBuy. Calumet.de. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.

Sony A9 accessories:
Sony A9 battery grip at Adorama, Bhphoto, Amazon. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 Glass screen protector at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.
NP-FZ100 battery for the A9 at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Jessops.
GP-EX1 grip at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
FDA-EP18 eye cup at Adorama, BHphoto.
MQZ1 multi battery charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
BCQZ1 Z-series Battery Charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.

Sony A9 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, BestBuy. FocusCamera. Calumet.de. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.

At exactly 16:00 London time Sony lifted the embargo and reviewers are allowed to post their full reviews and image samples. So here is the constantly updated list of new A9 tests:

Full review by Max Yuryev:

Test by Tony/Chelsea Northrup:

First impression review by Jordan Drake:

First Look video review by Dan Watson:

Image Quality review by Dpreview:

Of interest is an analysis of Raw noise vs the a7R II – we took a look at Raw files at ISO 25.6k files of the same scene run through dcraw. They indicate only a slight advantage (possibly within the margin of our error) to the a9 compared to the a7R II when viewed at common output size (SNR of 3.4 vs 3.7 between the a7R II and a9, respectively, for a similar patch). Physics predicts this: for two sensors of similar technology, it’s sensor size that matters (especially with gapless microlenses). Don’t expect less noise in Raw on the a9 in normalized comparisons against the a7R II. Images to come.

Luminous Landscape writes:

The a9 is surely the beginning of a new line of cameras from Sony that will only grow from here and hopefully fast. I love good gear. I have owned and invested in a Sony system for some years now and look forward to adding the a9 to my inventory as well as the 100-400mm lens. Sony has proven many things in the last few weeks. They listen, they understand, and they deliver what is asked for. Now if they could only find someone to help them fix their menus. Hey, Sony, I’m volunteering!

Sony A9 review at PCmag:

The camera’s best attribute isn’t its burst speed alone. The complete lack of blackout when capturing images changes the way you can capture quick-moving subjects. If a basketball player makes a sudden juke in an unexpected direction, you’ll be able to better follow them with your lens. Likewise, if you’re trying to grab a shot of erratic fauna, like a swallow in flight, the camera can better keep up with their movements, even when using a lens long enough to keep them tightly framed. And because the autofocus system covers so much of the image sensor area, you won’t have to worry about your subject moving outside of the range of autofocus.

A Pro’s Take On The α9 For Wedding Photography (Alphauniverse).
Image samples at Dpreview.
Image samples at Imaging Resource.
Image samples at CameraJabber.
Image samples at PhotoGearNews.
Image samples at ThePhoBlographer.
Image samples at CameraLabs.
Image samples at Photolari.
Image samples at ePhotozine.
Image samples at Photographyblog.
Image samples at Huffingtonpost.
Image samples at Engadget.
Image samples at Focus Numerique.

Sony A9:
Sony A9 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, BestBuy. FocusCamera. Calumet.de. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 with Grip Extension Kit at BHphoto, Adorama and Amazon.
Note: US readers preordering the A9 at BHphoto or Adorama using our links (and our affiliated links only!) have a chance to win a Sony A9.

100-400mm GM:
Sony 100-400mm GM at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, BestBuy. Calumet.de. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.

Sony A9 accessories:
Sony A9 battery grip at Adorama, Bhphoto, Amazon. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 Glass screen protector at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.
NP-FZ100 battery for the A9 at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Jessops.
GP-EX1 grip at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
FDA-EP18 eye cup at Adorama, BHphoto.
MQZ1 multi battery charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
BCQZ1 Z-series Battery Charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.

Please support SAR:
You know me, I work my ass off to get the best news and rumors on SAR :) And this is the right time to reward me by using these affiliated links for your purchase! I will get a small commission and you don’t have to pay a cent more for that. Thanks!

Win an AMEX card ($4,500) at BHphoto:
US readers preordering the A9 at BHphoto using our links (and our affiliated links only!) have a chance to win an AMEX card mathching the value of the Sony A9 ($4,500). The winner will be randomly selected by BHphoto by end of June after the preorders shipped out!
The conditions and legal notes of the sweepstake can be read here: sonyalpharumors.com/official-bh-sonyalpharumors-a9-launch-sweepstakes-rules/

Win an A9 at Adorama:
If you preoder the Sony A9 at Adorama through our affiliated links only (it doesn’t work on links of other sites!) they will refund one lucky customer their $4,498 price on the A9! This will be for pre-orders. Once the orders start shipping (some time the end of May) Adorama will filter all the orders that came from SAR, and randomly select one A9 order and refund the customer their money. This is for the camera only and not the new 100-400mm lens or accessories.
The conditions and legal notes of the sweepstake can be read here:  sonyalpharumors.com/official-adorama-sonyalpharumors-a9-launch-sweepstakes-rules/
–
Join our new Sony A9 Facebook group!

Sony Alpha A9 viewfinder burst shooting at 20fps from Gordon Laing on Vimeo.

Gordon Laing from CameraLabs posted a very long review of the A9 autofocus system. At the end he writes:

The bottom line? The AF performance was tremendous, the burst speed impressive and the blackout-free viewfinder while slightly odd at first, quickly proved addictive. Here’s my experience.
I was also impressed by the speed at which the A9 locked-onto a subject and stuck with it. I shot over 8000 frames with the camera (on a single battery charge too, see photo below) and barely noticed it struggling at any point. But again this is the level of performance the camera needs if it’s going to compete with pro Canon and Nikon bodies.

Dpreview also posted a Sony A9 vs A7rII comparison:

Is there anything the a7R II can do that the a9 can’t? Not much, but the differences are important. Having almost 20 million more pixels means the a7R II can produce bigger prints, which might be a big deal for landscape and studio photographers.
Ultimately, for Sony shooters that really need speed, the a9 is clearly a better camera than the a7R II.

Sony A9:
Sony A9 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, BestBuy. Calumet.de. Fotomundus. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 with Grip Extension Kit at BHphoto.
Note: US readers preordering the A9 at BHphoto using our links (and our affiliated links only!) have a chance to win a Sony A9.

100-400mm GM:
Sony 100-400mm GM at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, BestBuy. Calumet.de. Fotomundus. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.

Sony A9 accessories:
Sony A9 battery grip at Adorama, Bhphoto, Amazon. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 Glass screen protector at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.
NP-FZ100 battery for the A9 at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Jessops.
GP-EX1 grip at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
FDA-EP18 eye cup at Adorama, BHphoto.
MQZ1 multi battery charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
BCQZ1 Z-series Battery Charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.

Eye detection in Sony a9 is the first I consider “reliable enough” for serious portraits. Faster, more accurate than DSLRs. Game changing! pic.twitter.com/FUsLiuDJJT

— Tony Northrup (@tonynorthrup) April 22, 2017

We read alot about the new Sony A9 specs and fast operations. But this is the first time we have gotten some clue about the Image Quality. And there seems to be good news too because apparently the electronic shutter does not come at cost of decreased dynamic range. Tony Northrup is tweeting out some info about that:

1. shutter & mechanical shutter on a9–DR, ISO 25,600 noise, rolling shutter. No e-shutter penalty except sync
2. Sony a7R II vs a9 raw: a7R II is sharper, more dynamic range, lower noise at high ISO. Still want a9 bc it works better & IQ is still great!
3. Checking results, Sony a9’s focusing equals 1DX, D5 & D500 (the best in the world) + higher framerate (10-20 FPS real world) + no blackout 👏
4. Our #SonyA9 review will be up 4/27 @ 11am ET because embargo. #SonyAlpha

Sony A9:
Sony A9 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, BestBuy. Calumet.de. Fotomundus. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 with Grip Extension Kit at BHphoto.
Note: US readers preordering the A9 at BHphoto using our links (and our affiliated links only!) have a chance to win a Sony A9.

100-400mm GM:
Sony 100-400mm GM at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, BestBuy. Calumet.de. Fotomundus. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.

Sony A9 accessories:
Sony A9 battery grip at Adorama, Bhphoto, Amazon. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 Glass screen protector at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.
NP-FZ100 battery for the A9 at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Jessops.
GP-EX1 grip at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
FDA-EP18 eye cup at Adorama, BHphoto.
MQZ1 multi battery charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
BCQZ1 Z-series Battery Charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.

DC.watch posted these pictures comparing the new A9 vs the A7rII. Click on the images to see the full size image:

Sony A9:
Sony A9 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, BestBuy. FocusCamera. Calumet.de. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 with Grip Extension Kit at BHphoto, Adorama and Amazon.
Note: US readers preordering the A9 at BHphoto using our links (and our affiliated links only!) have a chance to win a Sony A9.

100-400mm GM:
Sony 100-400mm GM at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, BestBuy. Calumet.de. Park UK. Wex UK. Jessops.

Sony A9 accessories:
Sony A9 battery grip at Adorama, Bhphoto, Amazon. Wex UK. Jessops.
Sony A9 Glass screen protector at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.
NP-FZ100 battery for the A9 at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Jessops.
GP-EX1 grip at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
FDA-EP18 eye cup at Adorama, BHphoto.
MQZ1 multi battery charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon. Wex UK.
BCQZ1 Z-series Battery Charger at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon.