Angie

I realize that the update has been pulled back. But I’m confident a fix will be coming out soon. And Sony unquestionably did the right thing by pulling it back to be fixed. That said, I’m wondering what people think of the announced updates? To me, it’s a mixed bag. I am glad to see Sony actually issue any substantial firmware. I’m happy to see some of the video features come to the a1 from the a7iv. In particular, focus breathing comp and focus assist. I like the interface changes, particularly some options that have come over from the a7r5. But there are some real negatives. A big one is that animal eye AF remains nonfunctional in video mode. It’s still on the menus. So why not implement it? To me, the biggest problem is the lack of focus bracketing. Macro photography has become something I’ve done more and more of over the last couple of years. I ended up buying an a7r5 specifically because of its focus bracketing capabilities. And it’s the only camera I have with that capability. But I do need a backup. Unfortunately, it is the high season for macro for me right now. But it just isn’t economically smart to keep buying $3900 cameras. So a Fujifilm x-t5 is becoming the backup. I ordered it last night. It feels weird and a little sad to go outside the Sony universe. And I hate to put a downer on Sony’s new firmware. But I gotta do what I gotta do and this is the economically smarter option.

Sony could mitigate the situation by communicating its users. Is it coming? Is it impossible for some reason? Is Sony seeking to make sure the a1 II and the current a1 stop selling by not supporting them? Tell us. Get honest and transparent.

I’m one of Sony’s pro users. When I bought the a7 iv, I thought I was buying it to serve as a backup and handle a few discrete tasks where the fully articulated screen would be needed. But I expected my a1 to be my main camera body. I am now shocked to see that even more updates are coming for the a7iv. But not the a1. It’s utterly bizarre, but for an increasing number of scenarios my a7iv is becoming my main camera body. Focus breathing compensation, for example, means that the a7iv has replaced the a1 as my primary video camera. Now I see Sony is coming out with new cloud based services for the a7iv, the fx3, and a few others. But not the a1. As a business person, I have to weigh the dollars I spend against the return on investment. The more I spend, the more return in investment I need to justify it. Buying the most expensive camera in the lineup to have it sit on my desk while one of the least expensive models in the lineup gets used often because it’s only the lower level camera gets the firmware updates just doesn’t seem like a smart business decision. Why buy a $6500 a1 if, more and more often, it cannot do what I need it to do and so I must turn to a less expensive alternative? As a businessperson, it makes far more sense to just buy the less expensive camera and save $4000. I love the Sony system. I’ve evangelized about it to my photographer friends. I have even convinced some of them to switch over to Sony themselves. So it is really saddening that now I find myself cautioning people to think twice before buying Sony’s top of the line camera due to its outdated software and lack of ongoing support. And, for me, I cannot see myself buying the high end products again. Please, Sony. Don’t abandon your best customers. Angie