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.

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.

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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/
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Join our new Sony A9 Facebook group!