Review: Sony A1 for Aviation and Wildlife Photography

With its 30–frames-per-second burst rate, 8K video and a 50-megapixel full-frame sensor, surely the Sony A1 is the do-it-all mirrorless camera. One of the biggest challenges for any camera is capturing sharp images of fast-moving and far-away subjects. So, we asked aviation and wildlife photographer Marc Read, from MPB Brighton, to head to the world-famous Airbourne airshow in Eastbourne and the surrounding Sussex countryside. 

Has Sony spread its wings with the A1? Or does this camera fly too close to the sun? The verdict’s up in the air. Over to you, Marc. 

My love for photography started as a side hobby to my main hobby of birdwatching. In 2004, I got my first camera setup, a Nikon D70 and a 500mm f/4.5 APO—and then the rest is history. Over the years, I’ve continued my photography of birds, wildlife and aviation. I’ve been a true Canon fan for the past decade, with my Canon EOS 1DX series body and a large white telephoto lens. 

Background

For longtime DSLR users, the leap from DSLR to mirrorless isn’t always plain sailing. In the past few years, the two biggest issues with mirrorless have been autofocus and the electronic viewfinder—both of which are important factors when you’re photographing fast-moving objects. There's nothing worse than the screen blackout when panning and tracking a subject. I’ve been lucky to use a number of mirrorless cameras from all of the major manufacturers. Although some were very good, I always ended up gravitating back to a DSLR.

There's no denying Sony’s domination and innovation in mirrorless cameras have been game-changing in the photography world. For landscapes, portraiture and travel, Sony cameras have been top-class. With their impressive specs, the Sony A9 and the A9 II were Sony’s first dedicated sports and action cameras. They caused a ripple with Canon shooters. The announcement of the 50-megapixel Sony A1, a mere three weeks after Canon released the specs of the Canon EOS 1DX Mark III, certainly sent further ripples. For many pros, Canon opting to retain their excellent—yet small—20-megapixel sensor was a disappointment.

Location

The seaside town of Eastbourne in Sussex hosts a free annual airshow, Airbourne. It’s a three-day show, with a similar lineup on each of the days. To ensure I didn’t end up with lots of the same shots, I split my locations.

The first location was atop Beachy Head, a chalk headland to the west of Eastbourne. While Beachy Head is a fair distance from the display line, the location can offer some incredible photographic opportunities. My second visit was on the beach near the display line. This allows much closer viewing, but with much tamer photographic opportunities.

First impressions

One of the great challenges of using various different cameras is that a setup on one camera rarely translates to another. However, the A1 is—by far—the most ‘photographer-friendly’ Sony camera I’ve ever used.

Layout and settings

The button layout is intuitive, and I love the addition of a dedicated top dial specifically for the drive and autofocus systems. In terms of settings, I locked in my preferences and just shot away. 

There were a few scenarios that required a bit of exposure compensation or a slower shutter speed. But these changes were easy and therefore fast to action. Some might say that’s years of practice. But, in all honesty, sometimes you get it right the first time!

Autofocus

I’ve used Sony cameras in the past, so I’m aware of how well the image sensors handle noise and colour. But I was not expecting the autofocus to be quite that good. I’ve used Canon and Olympus’ bird-eye autofocus and have been impressed, but the Sony was next level. Even with very small birds, it would consistently pick out and lock onto an eye.

With SLR cameras, I’ve traditionally used centre-point autofocus—moving it with the joystick—to pinpoint the subject's eye. I’d get sharp images perhaps 60% of the time. But Sony’s bird-eye autofocus was pretty much 90% accurate—and that was handheld! 

I was so impressed with the Sony bird-eye autofocus that I decided to see if the algorithm would work with planes. Now, obviously, planes don’t have eyes. But the autofocus still locked on and held focus far better than any camera I'd previously used.

Handling and speed 

For ease of travel, I opted for the excellent 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS. I’ve used this lens in the past and therefore was aware of its sharpness. While I’d previously been underwhelmed when I used it on the A7 III, I was rather surprised by its autofocus speed of the FE 200-600mm. But in combination with the Sony A1, the setup was lightweight enough to throw around as planes appeared at speed—and rapid enough to lock onto them in time.

While I’m not a fan of rules per se, I do tend to look for a certain shot. I’m a big fan of getting clouds in the background—the more dramatic, the better. With jets, getting shots with vapour condensing from the wings is also a big winner in my book.

Cameras for bird photography normally have a large sensor with slow frames-per-second or a small sensor with fast frames-per-second. As the Sony A1 has both, combined with an excellent autofocus system, it fairs very well.

Resolution

The files are amazing. Excellent dynamic range and noise control. For birds, the ability to crop in is a game changer. As the majority of birds are small and don’t allow close approach, having 50 megapixels at your disposal really opens up so many options. As you can see from the uncropped photo of the Wagtail, I have a lot of room to re-compose in the post. On a 20-megapixel sensor, this would only allow a crop with the bird still quite small in the frame. But, with 50 megapixels, I can export a nice close landscape crop.

Verdict

Overall, the Sony A1 was impressive. I’d argue that the A1 has largely gone under the radar in both the wildlife and sports photography worlds. Would I consider getting one? Honestly, probably not. And the main reason is the lack of affordable telephoto lenses. 

The majority of my photography is birds. Although the Sony FE 200-600mm performed well, the wider range of Sony lenses still can’t compete with Canon’s back catalogue of fast telephoto lenses—available at excellent prices when you buy them used.

While the 500mm f/4 L IS USM will set you back a few grand, the only equivalent Sony option—one of the latest super telephoto lenses—costs double. 

But Sony is really up there now. It’s only a matter of time before they’re number one.

Read Marc’s tips and tricks for high-speed aircraft images, check out more Sony A1 images in Jason Fenton’s Sony A1 review for bird photography or see more of Marc’s work on Instagram @115quidcamera.