Ken Rockwell: un bastante completo análisis de la Sony Alfa 9

Por muy rápida que sea, ¿ por qué me parece a mi muy cara ?

Si, si, conoceréis a toda la familia de Ken Rockwell si le echáis un vistazo al interminable análisis de la Sony Alfa 9 que acaba de publicar. Eso si, esta vez no sale por ningún lado su famosa palmera que tantas satisfacciones nos ha dado en otros análisis. Sin embargo si que no falta es su secuencia a todos los ISO’s. Esta vez también es de un hogar (chimenea) pero no es la de siempre, y además de la imagen completa también pone un recortes al 100% y se atreve a llegar hasta los 204.800 ISO donde hasta se ve algo y todo, aunque sea «a todo color».

Os pongo aquí los habituales apartados de «lo nuevo, lo bueno, lo malo, y lo que se echa en falta»

New

• All-new sensor technology allows the camera to read the entire sensor almost at the same time, so the «rolling shutter» and blackout effects of earlier cameras are gone. We can shoot at 20 FPS and the finder never blinks. This is the first time anyone has done this in full-frame; the RX100 Mk V does this, but with a much smaller sensor.
• 693 phase-detection AF points cover the entire full-frame image. Your subjects can run, but they can’t hide in the sides of the image.
• Calculates exposure and autofocus at up to 60 frames per second.
• Two card slots.
• New thumb-nubbin controller on rear.
• Three memory recalls on the top mode dial, with four more presets almost as easy to recall.
• Drive mode dial.
• Focus mode dial.
• Two separate AEL and AF-ON buttons, instead of just one button with a selector lever as on A7RII, A7SII, A7II and A7.
• C3 button moved to left side of camera; it’s on the right on A7RII, A7SII, A7II and A7.
• New, bigger NP-FZ100 battery lasts about 1,500 shots with burst shooting (rated 480 single shots).
• In-camera 5-axis sensor-shift stabilization claims 5 stops improvement.
• Turns on 30% faster than the A7R II; turns on and ready to shoot as quickly as I can bring it to my eye.
• Shoots 4K video using the entire 36mm width of the image sensor.
• Uncompressed 4K HDMI output (but the A9’s LCD won’t work in this mode).
• XAVC S high-bitrate video formats for 50~100 MBPS video.
• Under- and over-crank video from 1 FPS to 120 FPS, MOS (without sound).

Good

• Hybrid AF system uses phase-detection for speed and contrast detection for ultimate precision and accurately
• Battery life seems almost unlimited running bursts at 20 FPS with the silent shutter.
• Can extract stills from video, in-camera after it’s shot. In other words, shoot 4K video and you can pull-out 8MP stills shot at 30 FPS.
• Excellent electronic finder: always big, bright, sharp and wonderful in any light.
• Solid mostly metal construction.
• Even the regular mechanical shutter only moves at the ends of exposures. There’s never any need for a special vibration-free mode; it always works this way. Suck on that, LEICA!
• Excellent high ISO performance.
• Facial recognition works well, but only after you find it and turn it on.
• In-finder 2-axis level works great for keeping horizons and vertical lines as they should be.
• In-camera, as-shot automatic lens vignetting, lateral chromatic aberration and distortion correction.
• Almost any lens of any brand or age can be adapted to work.
• Stereo microphone built-in.
• 3.5mm powered mic and headphone jacks.
• Bluetooth & NFC.

Bad

• There’s no auto brightness control so the LCD isn’t bright enough to see in direct sunlight unless you manually set it brighter. A Canon DSLR is usually much better, but this Sony’s electronic finder is marvelous in daylight, so don’t worry about it.
• If you set it to record to two cards for backup as I do, and then remove one card or it fills, the camera stops shooting. It should just shoot to either card that has space, not leave you dead in the water.
• Silent electronic shutter is a game-changer, but won’t work with flash. Flash sync speed is still only 1/250.

Missing

• No voice memo recorder, standard in every other pro DSLR — ironic as Sony was originally founded as a tape recorder company 70 years ago.
• No built-in flash.
• No auto brightness control for the rear LCD (but great auto brightness control for the electronic finder).
• No GPS.
• No shutter speed dial.
• No ISO dial.
• Not as weather sealed as the Canon 1DX Mk II or Nikon D5; the A9 has no gaskets on its card and connecter covers.
• No square, 4:5 or 4:3 crops; 16:9 only.
• No way to back up the complete camera state as Nikons can do.
• No more 0.5 second image auto review option, just 2, 5 or 10 seconds — but who cares since you are seeing everything live through the incredible real-time finder?
• Touch screen lets you select movie focus areas, but doesn’t work for setting the camera in the menu screens.
• No multi-frame noise reduction (just set a slower ISO and make a longer exposure for the same effect).
• No swept panoramas (an iPhone does this better anyway).

Hala, que lo disfrutéis con salud y alegría.

• Análisis completo en Ken Rockwell

Pregunta tonta: por casi 5.000 euros ¿ habrá puesto esta vez Sony el cargador de batería ? La respuesta es SI. Todo un detalle, si señor.