Quick note: We got new A9 FULL Kits options at BHphoto, Adorama and Amazon.

Dpreview wrote a very unusual article about the cost for of switching to the Sony A9 system (with accessories and lenses). A Sports Photographer would end up paying $10,000+ to make a full switch from Canon and Nikon. But despite those costs they report:

The four photojournalists we spoke with all seemed intrigued by what it offers, though. Whether they’d actually considering switching is another story.

Sony is pushing deep into territory previously only inhabited by Canon and Nikon and it is only a matter of time before making the switch to mirrorless doesn’t seem so crazy – even for pro sports shooters. Then again, the camera is only one part of the equation. A 20 fps bursts with continuous AF and no black out seems nice, but if you don’t have the right glass for the job, that spec won’t get you far.

Seriously folks, I think it will take years for Sony to win over the Sports Photographers because :

1. They need a reliable system with 100% reliable support
2. They need long fast lenses
3. They will wait for Canon and Nikon response before to make any switch

And I do think Dpreview is missing the real bigger and easier to access Wedding and Event Photographer market. That market is way bigger and the current FE lens system already does cover their needs. I think those kind of photographers will not have a hard time making a switch. And that’s probably the biggest fear for Canon/Nikon right now…

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 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.

The Techart PRO Leica M to Sony E-mount autofocus adapter seems to work just fine on the Sony A9:

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 and Amazon.

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.

Dpreview posted their first impression review of the new Sony A9. And in short that’s what they write:

What changed compared with the A7:
The buttons and dials all come with better haptic feedback. The AF joystick replaces an eternity of clicks when moving the AF point. When you flip the screen out, the eye sensor is disabled, which resulted in fewer missed shots when working at odd angles. Boot-up time is shorter. Battery life is way better. The interface is more responsive. I don’t get lost in the menus at all anymore. All of these changes add up to a camera that is more transparent, in the sense that it just ‘gets out of the way’ more than any previous Sony camera I’ve used, and lets me get on with taking pictures.

No Blackout:
shooting anything you could want without any intrusive shutter noise (important for delicate moments during, say a wedding reception) without any blackout whatsoever is a revelation. And it has the best AF of all mirrorless systems.

The catch of the A9:
Weather sealing seems to be not as robust as the Canon 1DxII and Nikon D5.
Missing XQD slots for reduced buffer time and faster image download
cost of switching systems isn’t something to be sneezed at

Why to get the A9 vs the Canon and Nikon:
With the a9, you’ll save a ton of weight, have a higher frame rate (again, only relevant if you need it), and likely have an easier time following the action than with even the best DSLRs.

SAR note about what DPreview missed to recognize:
The Sony A9 will not be as big for Sports Photographers but more so for Wedding and Event shooters! In a new article DPreview said that current Nikon/Canon Sports Photographers face many hurdles to switching over to Sony (Missing Lenses, Accessories, and a yet to be proven PRO support). I do agree with that assestment. But what they do not report is that the bigger market of Wedding and Event Shooters will have a lot easier time to switching over to Sony. And if that happens Canon and Nikon will be in even more in trouble.

–

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 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/
–
Join our new Sony A9 Facebook group!

Here are two videos showing the real world autofocus performance of the new Sony A9.

Sony A9:
Sony A9 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, BestBuy. FocusCamera. 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.

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 α9 In The Field: Exclusive Interview With Patrick Murphy-Racey from AlphaUniverse on Vimeo.

Let me catch up with a list of A9 news and tests:
Sony’s new A9 camera is a full-frame mirrorless with ludicrous speed (TheVerge).
Sony A9 could trounce Canon and Nikon at their own game (Cnet).
Live Shooting With The Sony Alpha A9 (Dan Watson Video).
Sony a9: A Mirrorless Camera for Professionals (Park Cameras)
20 FPS, 693 AF Points, 5 Axis Stabilization, 4K Video | Watch Out Nikon and Canon (Jared Polin Video).
Sony Alpha A9 preview (Techradar).
Sony’s A9 camera: 5 big surprises (Slashgear).
Sony Rivals Canon’s Best Camera with the Badass A9 (Gizmodo).
Sony’s advanced a9 mirrorless camera is a speed demon in a race against pro DSLRs (Digitaltrends).
What Can We Expect From A Sony A7MarkIII Now That the A9 Has Been Announced? (ilovehatephoto).
Sony’s Stacked CMOS Sensors – Dawn of the Electronic Age (Marc Galer).
Sony A9 hands-on at Camerajabber.
Sony A9 – Toma de contacto (Albedomedia).
would i spend $4500 on a camera? (The Art of Photography).
Sony’s Mark Weir Explains the Full Frame Stacked CMOS Sensor in the Sony a9 (ThePhoBlographer).
I Pre-Ordered the Sony a9 (that1cameraguy)
Sleepless Over the Sony a9: What is it, really — and for whom? (Three Blind Men and An Elephant Productions)
Hands-on pictures by Techbang.

Sony A9:
Sony A9 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, BestBuy. FocusCamera. 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.

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!

100-400mm GM vs 70-200 GM vs 70-300

With all that Sony A9 news storm we didn’t report much about the new 100-400mm FE GM lens. You can play around with the lens size comparisons at Camerasize. And Jason Lanier posted his 100-400mm FE lens hands-on video.

From what I heard from the early Sony testers the Lens Image Quality is great and more importantly the autofocus with the A9 is super fast:

Re: Sony 100-400 GM with a9, focusing is basically perfect at 400mm even in dim light (1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 25,600) 👏

— Tony Northrup (@tonynorthrup) April 21, 2017

Sony A9:
Sony A9 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, BestBuy. Calumet.de. 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. 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!