Computer Shopper - UK (2020-01)

ISSUE383|COMPUTER SHOPPER|JANUARY2020

THETOPENDof the mirrorlesscamera mmmarket
is avery different place to the bottom: exoootic
sensortechnology is blended with immense
processingpower,producing incredible images
than can withstand aggressive reproduction.
TheSony A9 is aprime example.Ithas a
24.2-megapixel, full-framesensor,and is capable
of shooting up to 20fps.Impressively,this
number includes mid-burst autofocus and
auto-exposure adjustment, theoretically allowing
you to tracksubjects notonlyastheymove
through space,but also as they move through
differentlight. There’s also in-body image
stabilisation, all housed in aweather-sealed,
magnesium-alloybody designed to survive all
but themost wilful abuse.

ATYOUR FINGERTIPS
Despite allthispremium tech, theA9isfar from
bulky–it’spleasantlysmall, if anything–andit’s
also extraordinarily practical.The modedial,
drive mode,autofocus mode and exposure
compensation all get their own physical controls,
along withtwo variable-usedials withineasy
reach of your index fingerand thumb.
The3in touchscreen doesn’trotate, but can
be angledupand down, andit’smore than bright
andsharp enough to review shots. The electronic
viewfinder (EVF)isalso astellarexampleofits
type,beingindistinguishable in itsdisplayoffine
detail from an optical viewfinder,but with the
added benefit of live exposuresimulation.
Thesensor mightnot be the last wordin
resolution, but it’snot short on pixels, either,
andcan pulloffsomeimpressively fast tricks.
Theheadlinerisits maximum continuous raw
frame rate,which at 20fpsismostofthe wayto
cinematic frame rates and, amazingly,isfaster
thanthe CanonEOS-1DXMark II’s 14fps (16fps
in its electronic shutter mode)by6fps.
It helps that the sensor is thefirst full-frame
CMOS sensor with astackeddesign, in which
the pixel sitesare bonded to image processing
andDRAM layers, allowing thesensor to read
outdata extremelyquickly.Yet it doesn’t just
shovel raw data quickly: because autofocus
andexposureare performed on thesensor,
the A9 is continuously abletocalculateboth
up to 60 times persecond, even while
thecamera is shooting. Both in theory and in
practice,thatmakes theA9muchbetter at
stayingfocused on amoving subject.
The A9’stechnicalqualitiesare all fornaught
if it can’t take decentpictures,but Sony’s
sensationalsnapper doesn’t trip up hereeither.

SONYA9

★★★★★

£3,399•

From http://www.wexphotovideo.com

MIRRORLESS CAMERA

We tested withSony’s FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM

wide-angle lens, and were impressed by the

overallllllshhharpness, colllour rendddition andddcontrast,

straight off thecamera.

The results of our ISOtests were frankly

ridiculous.With the imagezoomedout, our test

shots wereindistinguishable fromeach other

between the A9’slowest ISO and –incredibly –

ISO 12,800. Even with our testszoomed in all

the way, between ISO100 andISO 3200 there

was no telling images apart.

This all means it’s possibletoshoot ahuge

range of shutter speedsoraperturesinless than

ideal light. Our test images remained broadly

acceptable until ISO 25,600, andwere just about

tolerable at ISO102,400.The absolute maximum

ISOof204,800 is apartypiecebestavoided, but

make no mistake: theA9isalow-light beast.

The A9’sversatile Sony E-mount also makes

it compatible with ahugerangeoflenses,

including Sigma’s professional-grade Art line.

The closest thing this camera has to a

weaknessisits set of video features, albeitonly

in the sense that theseare good rather than

great.Footage quality is excellent, andyou can

shoot in 4K,but unlike alot of other high-end

mirrorlesscameras,there’s no LOG mode,soyou

can’tshoot flatfootagetobegraded later.

LEAD IMAGE

As astillscamera,however,the A9 is remarkable.

Whereas lesser camerascan cost you shots with

limitationsinframe rates, autofocuspoints and

bodycontrols,the only thing acting as aceiling

hereisthe skillofthe user.It’sblazingly fast,

takes fantastic photos, has extremelytenacious

autofocus and is easy to use even with a

relatively lownumber of physical controls.

It’s expensive,ofcourse,but when it comes

to sheer photography power, it’s hardtothink

of anythingtechnically better.

DaveStevenson

VERDICT

Acombination of smart design and
technical trickery,the Sony A9 is the
pinnacle of stills cameras

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Battery life FollowUs!

0% -50 Reference + 50 + 100

See page 84 forperformancedetails

SENSOR RESOLUTION24.2 megapixels•SENSOR SIZE

35.6x23.8mm•FOCALLENGTH MULTIPLIER1x•VIEWFINDER

Electronic (3.68milliondots)•LCDSCREEN3in(1.44 million

dots)•VIEWFINDER MAGNIFICATION (35mm-EQUIVALENT,

COVERAGE0.77x(100%)•WEIGHT588g•DIMENSIONS

96x127x63mm•WARRANTYOne year RTB•DETAILS

http://www.sony.co.uk•PART CODEN_ILCE9.CEC

SPECIFICATIONS

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