Why One Photographer Is Sticking With the Sony a1 Instead of Moving to Canon or Nikon

The a1 is Sony’s flagship hybrid camera and certainly caused a stir when it was announced just over a year ago. Find out why one photographer is sticking with the a1 despite some strong competition from Canon and Sony.

Jared Polin has been using the a1 for 12 months, and it’s still his go-to stills camera of choice despite him having field-tested the Canon EOS R3 and the Nikon Z 9. The specifications from all three of these cameras still feel a bit ridiculous, and personally, shooting raw files that weigh in at more than 100 megabytes a piece would destroy my workflow, and that’s before the fact that you can shoot a hundred of them in a matter of seconds.

Polin suggests that Sony might want to be a little more adventurous with its faster primes, and this might be something that’s addressed in the next year or two. The 50mm f/1.2 GM went on sale last April, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Sony had similar glass on the way. There are rumors that an 85mm f/1.2 will appear in 2022, and given that the 85mm f/1.4 GM is now almost six years old, an upgrade is definitely due.

Does the a1 still trump the R3 and Z 9? And which glass would you like to see from Sony this year? Let us know in the comments below.

Andy Day's picture

Andy Day is a British photographer and writer living in France. He began photographing parkour in 2003 and has been doing weird things in the city and elsewhere ever since. He's addicted to climbing and owns a fairly useless dog. He has an MA in Sociology & Photography which often makes him ponder what all of this really means.

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26 Comments

There's a constant stream of clickbait that discusses why or why not someone switched from one perfectly fine system to another perfectly fine system. Such a waste of time and effort that has little to do with photography...

Some YouTubers present themselves as personalities and feel the need to share stuff like this. Their skill as a photographer seems secondary.

I would agree with your observations, as it relates to most YouTubers, but I have to say, I do respect what Jared Polin often shares on YouTube, as he does have a lot of experience, and if you review his portfolio, it's legit. He's got some quite nice work, which ads to his credibility.

I've never seen a single picture from Mr Fro No.

Actually he posts lots of his pictures and he allows you to download the actual RAW files when he does real world reviews of camera's and lenses. He also just finished shooting all of Bernie Sanders pictures when he was on the road. He just published the photography book on it. Not to mention all of his pictures you can look up of his concert pictures of musicians and bands.

From what I know, many people are annoyed and disappointed that a pumped ML like the A1 costs € 7,000 and has a hard time recognizing some cfexpress.
For 7000 € they could do better.
In addition to the difficulty of handling large files and a shaky screen.
Many continue to prefer the A9 and many others are switching to the R3 and Z9.
What Polin says is always worth the air.

I'd feel better if Sony would concentrate on filling orders already placed in the US; been waiting 2 months for a 400 f/2.8 and looks like I've still got 5 more to go. The A1 is a great camera, but I struggle with the staggering amount of files generated shot at the highest rate with just the push of the button. Like Doriano I was dismayed when so many of my cards were rendered unusable in the A1.

The parts shortage is not a joke. Mike's Camera had the 400/2.8 GM in stock recently. If not - try Excellent Photo Canada. They have it in stock as of today and will deliver to the US no prob. I got a 600/4 GM from them last month.

Concerning "the staggering amount of files generated shot at the highest rate" - just don't shoot at the highest frame rate ;) The 160GB ProGrade CFA cards work with no issues.

I completely agree with Jared's assessment. He's not knocking any of the other camera brands, at all. It's pretty clear that Sony, Canon and Nikon have all caught up with each other, and you can't go wrong choosing any of these options. It really comes down to your own personal preference and what works for you. My choice was sticking with Sony as well, mainly because Sony offers the prime lenses I'm interested in using and at different cost options. But if I were still using Canon or was a Nikon user, in DSLR, and wanted to make the migration to a pro body, both offer comparable and yet unique feature sets. It's good to have high end options! I only wish the camera brands would just slow down a bit. :)

Of course, all the technological and commercial push we are experiencing cannot fail to bring benefits to end users. I look forward to the future R1 and on this I hope that Polin calms down, who had already declared a lot of bullshit on the R3 at the beginning.

A photographer with a $6,500 camera is going to stick with it? Amazing!

I think he can afford to go either direction.

Really? I suspect that he's making a comfortable living off of YouTube, but switching systems costs more than just money. Unless there is a compelling reason to switch, it makes sense to stick with the camera/system that's working for you

Yes, really. He's done it before. He used to shoot Nikon. Back in the day, he used to hate Sony.

He owns a Z9 and a pile of Z mount glass but reaches for the A1

Yeah, if I had that kind of money to invest in a new camera, it would be medium format.

Why is this even a question here? Canon has nothing like it, the z9 is a gigantic awkward thing and no one else has a complete lens lineup right now.

Lol!!

Spot the Fanboy.

Interesting.

Of course a photographer who is working with a system that provides them what they need with the lenses they use would not switch. Here he says that the Sony and Canon are on par and the Nikon is a bit laggy. However, in his AF comparison video, he states that they are basically equal with each camera having advantages (the Nikon picks up eye AF at a greater distance than the other two, the Sony doesn't lose focus when the subject leaves and returns to the frame, and the Canon did a good job of framing his fro when he turned his back to the camera). In fact, in the AF comparison he praised the Nikon and Canon for doing a long action sequence and getting every shot in focus. So what changed between videos?

I'll go with his conclusion from the AF comparison: these cameras all perform on the same level in terms of speed and AF. For me--a user of the A7rIV and former Nikon user--the Nikon offered certain advantages that brought me back to Nikon instead of moving to the A1. They were:

•I prefer integrated battery grips over add-ons and the Sony added grip looks particularly klunky. Yes, I wish the Z9 was the size of the R3, but it's still smaller than my old D5, and the Z9 is ergonomically very comfortable.

•I love Nikon's lens roadmap. I already had the 500 pf, and as someone torn between getting a 400mm (I love a f/2.8 for wildlife) and a 600mm (you can never have enough reach!), the proposed 400mm with integrated TC was a near-perfect solution to my dilemma. I now can have both lenses--or at least, both focal lengths--at the flick of a switch.

•I really prefer Nikon colors, and their coatings on their newer high-end lenses really make images pop. I use to be in the "in raw, any image from any camera can look like another" camp, but it comes down to how much work it takes to get there, and will it really pop like native Nikon lenses?

• it really is the lens. I particularly despise Tamron E-mount zooms. Yes, my 70-180 is incredibly sharp, but there was always a strong yellow cast that would never go away no matter how much white-balance and tone adjusting I did. My favorite e-mount lens was the 135 GM, but the colors and pop produced by the Nikon Z 100-400 surpasses even that stellar lens. The zoom may not be as sharp as that magnificent prime, but the look of images produced is amazing.

Thus, the bodies themselves are very close in performance. The R3 trails the pack on resolution, but the Nikon is pulling away with stellar lens offerings (the forthcoming 800mm pf is awfully tempting, but I doubt that I can afford to own two exotic primes). Of course, the new Sony 70-200 GM II is amazing, but I'm not going to buy an A1 just to shoot one lens.

Everyone's calculus is different. If you prefer 85-100mm primes, Nikon isn't there yet, and Sony currently has the best 600mm prime offering (and the only 200-600mm for now). So, I can see going with any of these systems, but your choice needs to be based on much more than just a camera body.

Could you please post unprocessed examples of "colors and pop" produced by the 135GM and Z 100-400? Ideally it should be the same subject and same light.

Would you like to contract for this service? My hourly rates are $150-$200 depending on urgency and volume requested. Here's an example of the 100-400. Again,I'll provide a full-blown comparison if you agree to contract for my services,

This post is an early April fools joke, right? Why a photographer using the latest $6500 flagship camera didn't upgrade.

Kind of ridiculous. Like someone who bought a Lexus a year ago and states they are going to keep it. Shocking!

When a YouTuber isn’t switching every 5 seconds just because it’s the new shiny, that’s a YouTuber who actually uses their gear and someone who you should listen to before making major purchase decisions.

If you’re triggered by this comment, it means you’re a fanboy. Don’t be a fanboy, it’s just gear.

sony a1 is a generalist's super-camera
canon and nikon have monster cameras solely for the industrial pro who likes to carry a big camera to compensate for a small something else