Picking up Sony A1, but a couple questions on Memory Cards

[bushwacked]

Lucky enough to be able to pick up the A1 here in about a month. However the SD cards are where I am getting a lot of confusion...

1) What is the max size the A1 SD slot will handle (GB wise)? I swear I looked all over the Sony A1 page and nothing mentions a max card size. I want to run dual cards to limit the amount of changing out during events, but wanted to buy the max accepted as well.

2) I would say 90% of the use of this camera would be sports photography and architecture, not necessarily recording just yet. Although, I do have plans for that later... With that, I was debating on getting the CF Express cards, but all I see in reviews are they overheat and ruined this or overheated and ruined that etc etc.

         2A) Are CF Express cards truly needed for still and bust photography

         2B) What brands of cards are you using whether CF or regular? I was looking at the Sony and Angelbird CF Express cards ... For SD I was looking at Sony, Sandisk and Angelbird

 

 

Thanks for your thoughts on this ... 

[FunWithCameras]

As far as I know there isn't a maximum size. The slots in the A1 take full size SD cards. I typically use 128GB cards because I already have several, and that was the largest capacity available at the highest speed (299 read 300 write) Sony Tough G cards when I bought them (256GB is available now).

You don't NEED CFexpress type A cards, although the A1 is the camera which can best use them. Using CFeA cards will let you:

1. shoot at full speed for longer
2. clear the buffer faster.

But the only thing you can't shoot with an SD card is one of the video modes (not 8k - I think it's 4k 120fps, or something like that).

SD cards are a lot cheaper, and if you are not shooting long bursts of stills at 20 or 30 fps, you'll be fine with SDs. I have no qualms using SD cards in my A1.

I am mostly using Sony Tough cards (they really ARE tough) for both CFeA and SD. For SD I go for Tough G (the Tough M are slower). I only have 160GB CFeA cards, I have both 128GB and one 256GB SDs

I have used Lexar Gold CFeA cards - they are quite a bit cheaper than the Sonys when Lexar is on special, but they don't feel quire as solid.

I have Sandisk and Angelbird for SD, but again, they don't seem quite as tough. Prices are fairly similar.

Beware - it's way too easy to shoot long bursts with the A1 - I know, I did when I first got mine! It's actually fun, but a pain in the neck when it comes to going through the images you have shot later. I think the craziest thing was shooting over half a terabyte of images in four hours.

I'd recommend running your A1 in single frame mode unless you really want to shoot bursts.

I'd also recommend following a setup guide (Mark Galer's is good) to learn how to set up the camera. It's one of the most flexible cameras around, and that can be a bit of a trap - it CAN do so much, but you have to have a good idea of how to tell it to do it!

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by FunWithCameras

[bushwacked]

1 hour ago, FunWithCameras said:

As far as I know there isn't a maximum size. The slots in the A1 take full size SD cards. I typically use 128GB cards because I already have several, and that was the largest capacity available at the highest speed (299 read 300 write) Sony Tough G cards when I bought them (256GB is available now).

You don't NEED CFexpress type A cards, although the A1 is the camera which can best use them. Using CFeA cards will let you:

1. shoot at full speed for longer
2. clear the buffer faster.

But the only thing you can't shoot with an SD card is one of the video modes (not 8k - I think it's 4k 120fps, or something like that).

SD cards are a lot cheaper, and if you are not shooting long bursts of stills at 20 or 30 fps, you'll be fine with SDs. I have no qualms using SD cards in my A1.

I am mostly using Sony Tough cards (they really ARE tough) for both CFeA and SD. For SD I go for Tough G (the Tough M are slower). I only have 160GB CFeA cards, I have both 128GB and one 256GB SDs

I have used Lexar Gold CFeA cards - they are quite a bit cheaper than the Sonys when Lexar is on special, but they don't feel quire as solid.

I have Sandisk and Angelbird for SD, but again, they don't seem quite as tough. Prices are fairly similar.

Beware - it's way too easy to shoot long bursts with the A1 - I know, I did when I first got mine! It's actually fun, but a pain in the neck when it comes to going through the images you have shot later. I think the craziest thing was shooting over half a terabyte of images in four hours.

I'd recommend running your A1 in single frame mode unless you really want to shoot bursts.

I'd also recommend following a setup guide (Mark Galer's is good) to learn how to set up the camera. It's one of the most flexible cameras around, and that can be a bit of a trap - it CAN do so much, but you have to have a good idea of how to tell it to do it!

 

perfect, thank you for this!! I guess I can always start with SD for the first couple games and see if they are doing everything I am expecting, if so then I am good ... if not, I can look into a CF card.

My burst shooting will most likely only be like a close play at one of the bases or something like that .. for the rest it would be the kids standing around or getting ready for the next pitch type of thing. 500GB in 4 hours seems crazy haha! I bet going through all them was a chore! 

Thanks for the setup guide recommendation, I was starting to look around at those as well, but wasnt really sure where the good ones were.

[VTC]

For better value try these:

https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/why-angelbird-type-a-card-finally-brings-justice-and-why-sony-might-have-to-use-cfexpress-type-b-cards-in-the-near-future/#disqus_thread

 

[bushwacked]

7 hours ago, VTC said:

For better value try these:

https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/why-angelbird-type-a-card-finally-brings-justice-and-why-sony-might-have-to-use-cfexpress-type-b-cards-in-the-near-future/#disqus_thread

 

I see a lot of noise around how these get really hot in the camera and cause issues and inside readers as well ... Has time proven that its ok and the cards have gotten better and then the readers have gotten better too?

[bushwacked]

also those angelbirds seem to be sold out on every site I have looked at ... guess I will wait until they get some stock back

[Touko]

This is a bad time to buy an A1:

- Sony has discontinued adding functions to the camera by  firmware updates for at least a Year now.
- Sony's A1 II is coming soon.

- no AI functionality in the old A1
- many other functions missing that came out since the A1 was introduced.
- why bother buying a flagship priced camera that isn't the flagship anymore?  Get the new one about to be released...

[FunWithCameras]

If you get a good price, and you are not looking for more than what the A1 delivers, it's a perfectly reasonable time to get an A1. It is still one of the best cameras on the market, capable of taking excellent images very quickly, and you can get it for rather less money now than when it was announced 😝

Best guesses are that an A1 mark II won't appear this year, and even when it does you are likely to be waiting a while to get one. Buy an A1 today and you can be using it today. 

I buy a camera based on its real specs, not speculation on what it might receive in firmware updates in the future. I bought an A1 based on what it could do, and I've been delighted with it. I got an unexpected bonus when they added the "reduced resolution RAW" files (not that I use that feature) as a firmware update. In fact, I appreciate that Sony don't realise a "half-finished" camera, promising to add the bits that weren't complete in a later firmware update (like some other manufacturers!) - they release the whole thing, fully tested. They issue firmware updates to fix things that aren't working - that's what I expect to see in the way of firmware updates.

Admittedly, I've been using my A1 for over 2 years now, but I expect to be using it as a backup to an A1 mark II some time next year 🙂

[Enochdhu]

The choice of CFExpress or SD cards will ultimately be driven by the burst sequences you are trying to capture.  SD cards will “work” but will not enable the fastest performance that the A1 is capable of.   I shoot downhill mountain biking races (https://www.maclennanphotography.uk/Libraries/Downhill-MTB/Events/Local-and-national-races/NDS-Fort-William-2023/) where the action is fast and erratic, and there is frequently the need to run back to back sequences of multiple riders.  While SD cards will not slow down the shooting rate until the buffer fills up, they are very significantly slower to clear the buffer which might mean you have to keep an eye on buffer clearance.  With CFExpress I can forget the buffer and just concentrate on the subject.  (I do however keep a bunch of V90 SD cards in the bag for emergencies in case I run out of CFExpress).

 The other card choice factor to be considered is maybe even more important than buffer clearance.   Downloading 10K images for review at the end of an event is a frustratingly slow process with SD cards that is transformed by the use of CFEXpress. 

 I have never had any overheating issues with Sony’s Tough CFExpress cards, although I only shoot bursts of stills not video, and I usually don’t shoot more than about 3500 images per day.

 If you need the highest performance the camera is capable of for stills then CFExpress is the obvious choice but you will also need to pair the camera with the fastest focusing lenses, which means you will need to use the latest lenses with multiple XD linear motors.  Older lenses may disappoint!  I use the 20mm f/1.8 G, 135mm f/1.8 GM, and 70-200 f/2.8 GM II and confirm that they all perform flawlessly wide open at 30fps.  

 Lastly it has been suggested you might want to wait for the inevitable A1 MKII.  I can’t speak to the A1’s video performance but for action stills I can’t imagine anything more than a minor facelift in stills functionality in a MKII because the A1’s performance is close to perfection.  It is simply the highest performing action camera I’ve ever used and it is difficult to see how it can be given any substantive improvements.  Let me quantify that statement : at a recent national downhill race I shot nearly 10K images and a subsequent analysis showed that I had only 6 shots where the focus missed, and they were almost certainly down to me rather than the camera.  Panning close up with the 20mm lens at f/1.8 I found shots where I had failed to pan fast enough yet the camera had still tracked the rider’s head right out to the edge of frame.  I was the weak link! 

 Whether an A1 MKII will appear next year is a moot point anyway because even two years after its release neither Canon nor Nikon have fully caught up so there is hardly a pressing need for Sony to launch a MKII.  The A9/A9II dedicated sports camera does however need an upgrade because the A1 beats it hands down so I am sure that will come first.  If the A1 meets your need now than go buy it now!