GEAR TESTS: SONY Alpha A1 Underwater Camera Review

Hergen Spalink Nauticam Ambassador

TODD WINNER Nauticam Ambassador

The A1 is Sony's flagship mirrorless full-frame camera and checks every box one would expect from their top-tier system.  In addition to amazing still image quality from the 50MP sensor, the Sony A1 can also internally capture 8K video at 30fps or 4K at 60fps maintaining the full field-of-view.  The camera's larger electronic viewfinder sets the standard for what an EVF should be with an incredible 9.44M dot resolution.  The A1 also features one of the highest X-sync speeds of 1/400 sec allowing for wider open apertures when shooting sunballs or other strongly backlit scenes. All images shot with Nauticam NA-A1 Underwater Housing.

Jim Decker CEO: Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo

I've been shooting the Sony a1 for a little over 6 months now and it has become my favorite camera. It can do everything and does most of everything very well. 50mp resolution. Check. 4K120p video. Check. Crazy fast and accurate tracking autofocus. Check. The best flash sync speed at 1/400. Check. Outstanding image quality. Check. This camera is easy to shoot, super fast burst shooting, and it will even do a custom white balance past 80 feet.

A big complaint among shooters coming from optical viewfinders is the lack of dynamic range in the electronic viewfinder. The big test is a sunball shot. In the past, most mirrorless camera viewfinders had such bad dynamic range that any foreground subject in the viewfinder would be completely black and impossible to see to frame. With the Sony a1, while not having the same dynamic range as the human eye, I could easily see the foreground object in a sunball shot. While an optical viewfinder is a great thing to look through it looks like those days are numbered, which is a shame as it is such a nice experience. However, I'm fully onboard with the Sony a1 and it's very usable finder.

If you are in the market for a top notch camera that literally can do it all, the Sony a1 is the best tool for the job and my camera of choice when not testing other gear.

No one can accuse this camera of being inexpensive, but to have all the features it has in 1 camera is definitely justifying the price point.

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