Many have only been able to give their opinions about the Sony A1 since Sony kept the camera to themselves, but it looks like Sony built one camera to rule them all. No camera on the market currently comes too close to what the Sony A1 has to offer, but the camera also goes far beyond the needs of most photographers. At $6,500 most will not be able to afford one, but it is also easier to justify than other similarly priced cameras because this camera seems to be a master of all trades.
The Sony a9II is already an incredible camera, but it wasn’t a very large step up over the original Sony a9. We have long believed that Sony would release an a9R camera to provide users with a high speed professional camera that goes beyond what the a7 series of cameras has to offer, but it seems sony skipped that camera to create one camera to rule them all with the Sony Alpha 1. Time will tell if this was a good decision to make, but I think Sony is justified in its naming convention for now.
There aren’t many photo or video applications that the Sony A1 won’t dominate at, but the price point is eye-watering for many photographers. Before the A1 most cameras around $6k were amazing at one or two tasks at most. Some cameras above $6k are even considered to be like jewelry by some, but I digress. The fact that the Sony A1 can do almost anything other cameras can do helps support its price point for now, but what happens when the sensor technology in the A1/a9 series of cameras trickles down into the a7 line-up?
I think every camera company on the market today needs to be worried about the future because there is no one out there creating innovative sensor technology for them and Sony keeps the best stuff for themselves. It might be time for manufacturers to go back to Samsung and beg them to make innovative sensors for cameras again.
Sony A1: B&H Photo / Amazon / Moment / Adorama
Follow SonyAddict on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube
Plus our owners’ groups
Sony a1 Owners Group
Sony a9 Owners Group
Sony a7 Owners Group
