Terry in Indiana Loc: rural Indiana

I think I'm going to take the mirrorless plunge. I've kinda decided on Sony, just looking for model recommendations. Besides everyday photography, mostly shoot wildlife and sports. While price will be a final consideration, I don't want recommendations based on price, please. Ready, set, GO!

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Well, I don’t shoot Sony, (except for my “kayak camera”, the RX10MIV), but without considering price, the A1 would be the choice for wildlife.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

What camera body(s) do you shoot now, as that may be relevant to which camera you select. Which Sony lenses do you own already?

SalvageDiver Loc: Huntington Beach CA

Without regarding price, the Sony A1 is the best Sony camera for sports. It's their professional model, autofocus and face tracking is at the top of the industry and will record images at up to 30 frames per second. And it's built like a tank.

If you are considering price, and, for example, your shooting the school games, soccer, baseball, football, etc., then the a7m4 would probably meet most if not all your needs. There are several cameras in between these two models if your have other specific needs.

If price is a key consideration, then the crop sensor (APS-C) cameras, such as the a6600 may also meet your needs. They're all capable and feature rich camera's.

It will require that you evaluate the features of each model compared to your needs. It's always a good practice to rent the model and confirm it meets your needs before purchasing.

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

As said above, the A1 is the flagship, but with a flagship price. The A9 Mark ll is the go to body for fast precision, and saves quite a bit of cash, as would the older A9. I have yet to test my A7 iv in a sports type setting. The questions above are good, as well as your desire for video ability?

User ID

Obviously none and none, as per the opening post ... or at least none that affect the decision process.

(Shes probably currently using Canon which acoarst natcherly brings her to shopping for Sonys.)

gwilliams6

The A1 is the best sports and wildlife camera from Sony. The A9/A9II follow closely behind . All three have that super fast reading stacked BSI sensor with gives super fast autofocus and fast frames per second with full AF-C.

The A1 does 50mp shots at 30fps with 120 autofocus and 120 Exposure calculations per second and a 9.3million dot EVF with 240fps refresh rate. It is the favorite of pro wildlife and sports shooters worldwide.

The A9/A9II have the first-generation stacked BSI sensor, and will do 24mp shots at 20fps with 60 Autofocus and 60 Exposure calculations per second.

Next choice would be the Sony A74, its 33mp sensor can do 10fps.

All A1, A9/A9II, A7IV cameras have the best of Sony's top-rated autofocus, tracking and AI. And superb video shooting up to 8k (A1)

Most of the world's news services have switched to Sony mirrorless and are using A1, A9II, A7RIV (61mp), A7SIII , FX3, FX6 for all their staff still photographers and staff videographers Worldwide.

Associated Press : https://alphauniverse.com/stories/why-the-associated-press-just-switched-to-sony/

Gannet Media/USA Today : https://petapixel.com/2021/11/17/sony-is-now-the-exclusive-camera-provider-for-gannett-and-usa-today/

UK Press: https://www.dpreview.com/news/4545693607/the-uk-largest-news-agency-partners-with-sony

Canadian Press: https://petapixel.com/2022/01/31/canadas-largest-news-organization-moves-exclusively-to-sony-cameras/#:~:text=Canada's%20Largest%20News%20Agency%20Moves%20Exclusively%20to%20Sony%20Cameras,-Jan%2031%2C%202022&text=The%20Canadian%20Press%2C%20the%20largest,provider%20for%20the%20media%20company

I personally was a pro Nikon and Canon shooter for four decades (both brands), and moved to Sony mirrorless in 2017 and have never look back . I shoot all subjects around the world and Sony mirrorless is tops for my sports and wildlife shooting.

First an A9 shot, with the superb Sony 135mm f1.8 GM lens. A veteran skateboarder in Venice Beach, California. 135mm, ISO 400, f1.8, 1/2000 sec.

Second an A1 shot, with the excellent Sony 200-600mm lens. A Snowy Egret takes off from its watery perch on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin. 391mm, ISO 1600, f6.3, 1/4000 second.

Third and fourth , Sony A1 and Sony 200-600mm lens. Kids being pulled by fast speedboat on Brookings Lake, Manistee National Forest, Michigan. 600mm, ISO 1000, f9, 1/2000 sec. These are the first two shots of a short 30fps burst, cropped about 30%.

Note: Click on download to see the best quality here in UHH.

I have personally owned Sony A6500, A7RII, A7RIII, A7III, A9 and currently own Sony A7RIV, A1, A7SIII.

Sony A1: https://www.sony.com/ug/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-1

Sony A9II: https://www.sony.com/za/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-9m2

Sony A7IV: https://www.sony.com/en-ae/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-7m4

Another key point about going to Sony E-mount. The E-mount is the most produced and used mirrorless lens mount in the world, with nearly 200 E-mount lens choices from Sony, Sigma, Tamron, Samyang/Rokinon, Zeiss, Yonguo, Tokina, Viltrox, Meike and others.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sony_E-mount_lenses

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_third-party_Sony_E-mount_lenses


Cheers and best to you.

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jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Read comparisons by reviewers who have handled several of them. Decide what features are important to you. Basically, you can't go wrong with any modern camera. Your next decision will be where to buy it - equally important.

https://www.google.com/search?q=comparison+of+sony+cameras&oq=comparison+of+sony+cameras&aqs=edge..69i57j0i22i30l4j0i390l3j69i64.5951j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Above responses almost entirely focus upon full frame models. As best I can tell with a quick reading of the previous responses, the only time APS-C is mentioned is in relation to cost, to being more affordable. That may be true. However, what about size and weight? What about lenses?

Particularly for sports and wildlife, where telephoto lenses reign supreme, a full frame camera will mean bigger, heavier, more expensive lenses. The APS-C crop camera itself may be smaller, lighter, less expensive... but the majority of the savings in size weight and $ will be in the lenses.

I don't know enough about the Sony system to advise any particular camera model, but another key consideration for sports and wildlife is the AF system, which is a combination of camera and lens factors (plus user's skill). Do a lot of research which Sony cameras have the stickiest AF with moving subjects and what lenses best support that with focusing speed.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

While I, too, am not familiar with the Sony line, I am a firm believer in APS-C. If you expect to shoot a lot of subjects at a distance, the crop factor is your friend!

gwilliams6

To answer your questions:

With countless third-party E-mount lenses available at all price ranges , you do not necessarily have to spend more for fullframe E-mount lenses in general. The latest Sony and third-party E-mount lenses use the latest fast linear motors, or latest fast direct-drive motors to support up to 15/20/or 30fps with full AF-C.

The best industry-leading Autofocus, with the best tracking, AF-C and AI are in the following latest Sony models:
-APS-C: A6400, A6600;
-Fullframe: A1, A9/A9II, A7C, A7IV, A7SIII, A7RIV. With Eye-AF for people, animals and birds in most models.

Many APS-C Sony camera owners use fullframe E-mount lenses like the Sony 100-400mm and Sony 200-600mm for sports and fast wildlife, as well as using excellent third-party competitive lenses in fullframe, which are often smaller and lighter than OEM.

And Sony and third party makers have introduced many new, more compact , lighter and more affordable E-mount lenses to match Sony's new compact A7C which is a fullframe camera of the format and size of Sony's APS-C cameras .
Sony A7C: https://www.sony.com/gh/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-7c

Cheers and best to you.

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

On my Sony A7iv, I have a button dedicated to only using the APS-C part of the sensor. I have it set for 14mp. So with a push of a button, I go from 33MP full frame to 14MP APS-C. This is super convenient for events, and I'm sure sports.

gwilliams6

Yes all Sony fullframe cameras also can shoot in APS-C mode and take advantage of the added crop factor, as well as additionally using a Sony-Exclusive Clear Image Zoom feature that allows you to enlarge 2X the image with a resolution close to the original image quality when shooting still images.

How does it work, "It’s important to note that Sony’s Clear Image Zoom feature is digital zoom; the difference from the usual is how Sony’s engineers leverage the information from the sensor to punch into the image effectively without losing detail. Without getting technical, Sony’s engineers describe the Clear Image Zoom function as being “interpolation on steroids” involving “advanced algorithms” and a “unique pattern recognition database” using Sony’s exclusive By Pixel Super Resolution Technology. Call it what you may, Sony Clear Image Zoom works and it works extremely well." quote from B&H. "

The only downside is Clear Image Zoom is only for jpegs, but great to have in your arsenal.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/sony-clear-image-zoom-most-amazing-shooting-mode-you-never-heard

Here is a shot showing how small and compact the fullframe Sony A7C is and one of the many new compact fullframe E-mount lenses that both Sony and third-party lens makers are releasing.

Cheers

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Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

A-1

ronichas Loc: Long Island

I have 2 Sony lenses for sale.
I have the Sony 7-200 f4 and the Sony 24-105 F4.

PM me if interested in either or both.