Sony A9

A unique fusion of speed, high image quality, and a compact mirrorless design.

- Ron Leach

IT’S ALWAYS NICE TO ESCAPE the heat and humidity of New Orleans this time of year, especially when the trip involves a prelaunch introduction to the advanced Sony Alpha A9 mirrorless camera with two days of shooting in California’s beautiful Santa Barbara mountains. Sony’s goal with the full-frame A9 (model ILCE-9) was to create their most technologically advanced camera ever, and I was eager to experience everything this new powerhouse had to offer.

A quick glance at the specs made it clear that speed and image quality top the list of the camera’s impressive capabilities. The A9 is the world’s first camera to feature a full-frame stacked CMOS sensor with 24.2MP resolution. As for speed, let’s just say that continuous shooting at 20 frames per second (fps) with no viewfinder blackout and dead-on auto focus is something you have to experience to believe.

Of course, the new A9 boasts a long list of other innovative features, so let’s take a closer look at this fast and compact fullframe mirrorless camera from Sony.

WHO’S IT FOR? 

After just a few minutes with the A9 I had very few doubts that Sony designed this model with the professional photographer in mind, and its hefty price of $4,500 immediately settled things. This is a serious camera for serious shooters that makes no apologies to high-end DSLRs like the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II and the Nikon D5.

Given the Sony A9’s high-speed capabilities, I expected that our two-day itinerary in Santa Barbara would focus exclusively on sports/action photography, and there was plenty of that. We photographed skateboarders and BMX cyclists on a hilltop halfpipe with a view of the Pacific Ocean in the distance, as well as some fast-paced equestrian events. But our hosts also provided a number of opportunities to shoot landscape and nature photographs as well.