GEAR LONGTERMTESTS
How some of the cameras, lenses and accessories we’ve been using have stood the test of time
WORDS ADAM DUCKWORTH
THE SPEEDY SONY Sony A9 £4500/$4498 Time tested: 18months www.sony.com
While the filmmaker who focuses entirely on moving images might be tempted to go for Sony’s A7S II or newer A7 III, the flagship A9 is the fastest, most expensive and most high-tech of all the current Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras. It’s also the most capable – in terms of stills photography, where it’s 20fps frame rate, speedy and accurate autofocus and viewfinder with zero blackout is a real winner. It’s the first mirrorless camera to take on the DSLR giants like Nikon’s D5 and Canon’s EOS 1DX Mark II at their own game, and outperforms them in many areas. But as a filmmaking tool it’s not set the world alight, as many say it has been crippled by Sony’s boffins not equipping it with any Log profiles at all. And like the other Sony mirrorless cameras, it’s only eight-bit. It has a 24-megapixel stacked full-frame BSI CMOS sensor, a totally silent electronic shutter and an impressive autofocus with 693 on-sensor phase detection points, covering 93% of the frame, as well as 25 phase detect points. In stills mode, there’s nothing to match it. For video, the autofocus is not as advanced but still tracks very well. It shoots 120fps in HD as well as full 4K recording across the whole width of the sensor. And that fast stacked processor technology means rolling shutter is very well controlled – better than any other full frame mirrorless camera. The five-axis image stabilisation offers five stops of correction, too, although it’s not as good as the stunning system in cameras such as the Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mark II or Panasonic GH5.
ABOVE An impressive piece of kit, but the Sony A9 is hampered by lack of Log profiles.
“It has been used to shoot magazine covers and features, as well as lots of movies”
These sensors are a quarter the size, however, so are easier to stabilise. The A9 was the first Sony to use the new pro-style body configuration, now adopted by the A7R II and A7 III. There’s an AF joystick on the rear panel to quickly change AF points, and an AF-ON button on the rear panel. Thankfully, compared to the older A7 Mark II series of cameras, the new battery is much bigger and lasts far longer. During 18months with the camera it’s always performed flawlessly – especially as it’s been used in everything from freezing temperatures to soaring desert heat, and in rain, snow and huge dust clouds kicked up by off-road motorbike racing. It only ever failed once, and that was in the desert near San Bernardino, California, where the 46C/115F temperature made the camera shut down for 20minutes (it was so hot evenmy iPhone gave up).
It has been used to shoot magazine covers and features, as well as lots of movies, including one three-minute short that has had 1.3 million views on YouTube. As a do-all camera for shooting action in terms of both stills and video, there is little to touch it. There is no Log, of course, but the colours straight out of the camera are bold and punchy, but not too saturated. Skin tones are a little bit too strong, but nothing you can’t knock back in post. If you want to shoot films with a real cinematic look it’s probably not the best option as you are largely stuck with the standard non-Log output. But for action, sports and bold, bright films, it’s a winner. AD PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 8/10 Pros: For speedmerchants, it’s the ultimate Cons: No Log profiles or 10-bit; on the pricey side
122 PRO MOVIEMAKER AUTUMN 2018
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