Back here now.

1) A shot that was chosen as the Worldwide Photo of the Week by Sony Alpha Photographers in 2020. Environmental Scientist Brooke H., in a slot canyon near Upper Antelope Canyon, Navajo lands, Page, Arizona, USA. Sony A9 camera, Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS lens. 24mm, ISO 400, f4, 1/30 sec. handheld, all natural light in the canyon.

2) Another award winning shot. A local swimmer dives off a pier into the Caribbean Sea on the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin. (that is a real sky) Sony A9, Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS lens. 24mm, ISO 400, f5.6, 1/2000 sec. all natural light .

3) Sunrise over Brookings Lake, Manistee National Forest, Michigan, USA. Sony A1, Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS lens, 73mm , ISO 100, f22, 1/40 sec. handheld, all natural light.

4) A Parrot in flight on the Caribbean Island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin. Sony A1, Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS lens, 105mm, ISO 1600, f4, 1/2000 sec. handheld, all natural light

Click on download to see better quality.

Love this lens, just get it and be happy.

Cheers and best to you.

I know him and what he uses very well, been here on UHH for years, but I also know him as a rabid Canon fanboy that will NOT let any thread promoting using Sony alone without interjecting his Canon-logic, LOL.

Stick around long enough and you will see him say only using Canon is what will make you a great photographer, LOL, LOL

I expect no less from him, it happens like reliable clockwork.

And FYI, I shot with Canon, Nikon and Leica for over 40 years and won National and International Photo Awards with all of them, so I was never a Canon-hater.

Cheers and best to you all, whatever your preferred brand.

I'm a long term Sony user, and maybe what I'm saying was already mentioned...

1) While systems is always a PITA and an expensive move, if you have the available funds for that, it is always fun to have new toys.

2) The A9 is was and still is an amazing camera for sports with ridiculously fast FPS and all imaginable bells and whistles.

3) It is significantly cheaper than the latest and greatest. I just checked and costs exactly one half of the A9 III at Amazon. Yes, It doesn't have global shutter, but that will cost you $ 3k more.

So for the question "is it still worth buying?", short answer is: look at your ride. If you drive a Lambo... then no, go for the A9III, else the A9 is an excellent camera for a reasonable cost.

I love my A9. There are more recent cameras with faster autofocus and higher frame rates. I have not used those cameras and don’t know your use case, but I can share my experience with the A9.

I debated between the A9 and the A7III for my first (and still only) 35mm-format digital camera when I bought mine because a used A9 was around the same price. Ultimately I decided on the A9 not because of the higher frame rate, although that’s occasionally useful, but because of the form factor. While the two cameras are about the same size, the A9 has an additional dial pair that allows changing the drive mode and focus settings entirely by feel without digging into menus. Since that was the primary annoyance with my A6500, it seemed like a good choice, and it has been.

The focus speed is great, image quality is great. In truth, it’s hard to go wrong with a camera these days.

I bought mine used from eBay, and while the cosmetic condition is a bit ugly, the camera has worked fine. In October of last year the mechanical shutter failed and I had to have it replaced, which was surprisingly early for me, especially since I mostly use it with the silent electronic shutter. But I don’t know how the previous owner used it.

So yes, in my opinion the A9 is still a great camera in 2024. If you’re caught in the trap of latest and greatest there may be cameras that are a little better for some use cases, but they’re almost certainly more expensive, usually much so. But I have run into very few situations where the A9 has been the limiting factor in my photography.

If you’re into video a more recent camera might be a step up. Otherwise a used A9 is a bargain.

The comments above, as well as CHG_Canon comments: "He mentioned already owning Canon's final and finest 5D-series DSLR, so EF lenses are assumed also.
No one trying to be helpful would see this situation and then suggest giving up on this pro-grade equipment to chase better results with another brand.
Being helpful is to be helpful, not foolishly encouraging a failed strategy."

Both comments are very practical, well thought out, and not based on blind and emotional "Fan-Boy" logic.
Years ago I committed to Canon equipment and I have not wavered. Because they presented equipment that met my needs and exceeded my abilities every step of my photographic journey.
I am not able to change hor$e$ in the middle of my photographic journey, so I will stick with Canon, which is sometimes a step ahead and sometimes a step behind.
Now, if you are a working Pro I could see changing hor$ie$ for some new Super Wammydyne Equipment that could catapult your images head and shoulders above your peers.
Remember a Pro will make use of a least 80% of their equipment's (tool's) capability while I doubt that a hobbyist will use more than 30% of their High Dollar equipment's capability while stuck in full "A" or "P".
Remember, Good and Pragmatic Discussion usually results in Good Advice, the rest is . . . . just Bench Racing.
Best Wishes,
JimmyT Sends

Sadly it happens around the world.

At Horseshoe Bend and the Colorado river, in Page Arizona, there now is a small section of the rim that has a guardrail, but most of the rim has no guardrails to ruin the view, and it is a straight 1000 foot drop down to the bottom that no one has survived.

There have been deaths here over the years. I saw so many , mostly young folks , at on the edges, taking riskier selfies with their backs to the rims, I guess for bragging rights. And others had unsupervised kids running around near the rim edge, just crazy.

From my tripod near the edge. Sony A7RIV, Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 lens. An HDR image of five exposure-bracketed shots merged in LR. 17mm, ISO 100, f8, bracketed shutter speeds on a tripod.

Cheers and please stay safe out there. No photo or selfie is worth your life.

Should you elect to go with the a9, I have one that I would be willing to sell. It is in good shape but has a very small "burn" on the monitor (off to the side) that was caused by leaving it in the sun in my car too long. It has no impact on image quality. Also has a battery pack which IMO results in better balance with longer lenses. Other than the burn, the camera is in great shape. Send me a private message if you are interested and we can talk price and I can send pics. I was using a 5DIV for birds (and other things) before making the switch to the a9. The a9 ran circles around the 5DIV and since (having upgraded to the a1 and a7Riv) have never looked back nor considered ANYTHING but Sony. Good luck in your quest.