Z9 vs A1 Processing power

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Spudnik510

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Hi does anybody know if the Nikon Z9 has more processing power than the Sony A1 or vice Versa?

Thanks
 
The reason why I ask is I’m wondering with future firmware updates is it possible for the auto focus system to be bought in line or better with regards to the Sony A1
 
Spudnik510 said:
The reason why I ask is I’m wondering with future firmware updates is it possible for the auto focus system to be bought in line or better with regards to the Sony A1
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With 'embedded' processing, such as found on cameras, processing power is just one of the limitations. Available memory, bus speeds, and other hardware features can all limit what a particular device can do, and mean that capabilities from newer models are not always possible to replicate in older models.
Firmware updates are usually nice to have, but you cannot rely upon them being possible.
 
Spudnik510 said:
The reason why I ask is I’m wondering with future firmware updates is it possible for the auto focus system to be bought in line or better with regards to the Sony A1
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It’s a good question, I’m not sure processing power is the only determining factor, sensor will likely play a big role too and marketing. I suspect pure processing tech upgrades don’t always trickle down to older models even if technically feasible to encourage sales of the newer models.
 
Spudnik510 said:
The reason why I ask is I’m wondering with future firmware updates is it possible for the auto focus system to be bought in line or better with regards to the Sony A1
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I'm not sure if its even possible to know. The processors are custom designs by each company so I am not sure they are exactly comparable.
Plus as mentioned above there could be any other number of limitations....

Also what makes you say Z9 is not as good as A1?
 
Spudnik510 said:
The reason why I ask is I’m wondering with future firmware updates is it possible for the auto focus system to be bought in line or better with regards to the Sony A1
Click to expand...
What makes you think that the A1's AF is better than the Z9? If from watching YouTube "reviews" then it is worth bearing in mind that very few people have had the Z9 long enough to do any exhaustive testing and tweaking of the settings. Reviews of the Z9 prior to launch tend to only have been over a couple of days so there's no way the reviewer would be getting the best results in that timeframe.

No-one outside of Nikon knows categorically (i.e. 100% guarantee) if there are plans or even the capability for future updates to improve the AF system. As experienced brand users we would expect that to be in a future update but it is only an expectation based on past experience.

TBH, if you think the A1 is better than the Z9 then buy it, move on and start taking pictures.
 
Icee said:
This and all the other questions you asked can be found on line with a little searching. Try google.
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I have searched it, I can’t find anything on it. This is a forum there’s nothing wrong with asking questions. I do search the questions I ask but it’s just nice to communicate with others on certain things.
 
nandbytes said:
I'm not sure if its even possible to know. The processors are custom designs by each company so I am not sure they are exactly comparable.
Plus as mentioned above there could be any other number of limitations....

Also what makes you say Z9 is not as good as A1?
Click to expand...

That’s a fair point I’m not actually sure to be honest with you which one is better. To be honest with you at this point with auto focus I think their all good enough. What made me question it is I watched Jared Polin’s video with the head to head between the R3, A1 & Z9. But I understand that could of been situational the Z9 may be totally better in other scenarios and their all very close. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see for other people’s reviews.
 
Bristolian said:
What makes you think that the A1's AF is better than the Z9? If from watching YouTube "reviews" then it is worth bearing in mind that very few people have had the Z9 long enough to do any exhaustive testing and tweaking of the settings. Reviews of the Z9 prior to launch tend to only have been over a couple of days so there's no way the reviewer would be getting the best results in that timeframe.

No-one outside of Nikon knows categorically (i.e. 100% guarantee) if there are plans or even the capability for future updates to improve the AF system. As experienced brand users we would expect that to be in a future update but it is only an expectation based on past experience.

TBH, if you think the A1 is better than the Z9 then buy it, move on and start taking pictures.
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I like the Nikon I don’t think I’ll move onto Sony, I think their all really good too close to make system swaps now, I’m just generally interested in the differences between the both.
 
Spudnik510 said:
That’s a fair point I’m not actually sure to be honest with you which one is better. To be honest with you at this point with auto focus I think their all good enough. What made me question it is I watched Jared Polin’s video with the head to head between the R3, A1 & Z9. But I understand that could of been situational the Z9 may be totally better in other scenarios and their all very close. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see for other people’s reviews.
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Spudnik510 said:
I like the Nikon I don’t think I’ll move onto Sony, I think their all really good too close to make system swaps now, I’m just generally interested in the differences between the both.
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Not a huge fan of that guy tbh....
but here are some differences I noticed:

Z9 has slightly less dynamic range:

Z9 seems to have fastest electronic shutter with ~1/280s clearance speed while Sony A1 has ~1/260s according to Dpreview anyway (most mechanical shutters are around 1/250s to give you a comparison). Having said that Z9 has no mechanical shutter so if you tend to shoot a lot in artificial/LED lights I'd stay clear of it since you will most likely hit banding issues.

Z9 EVF is maxed at 60Hz refresh rate, A1 can do 120Hz and 240Hz refresh rates (and also 60Hz)

Z9 can shoot 20fps RAW and 30fps jpg. A1 can shoot 20fps lossless RAW and 30fps lossy RAW (which is pretty close in quality to lossless RAW which jpgs aren't)

Z9 can choose between people and animal eye AF automatically which A1 cannot. On A1 you have to tell the camera if you are shooting animals, birds or people. Z9 of course gives you the option to choose also if necessary.

Z9 seems to be able to shoot 8K/60p while A1 will shoot 8K/30p

Z9 is a larger body while A1 is smaller body.

A1's mechanical shutter offers 1/400s flash sync speed and 1/500s flash sync speed in APS-C mode. No mechanical shutter on Z9.
 
Spudnik510 said:
I have searched it, I can’t find anything on it. This is a forum there’s nothing wrong with asking questions. I do search the questions I ask but it’s just nice to communicate with others on certain things.
Click to expand...
I searched it too and couldn't find anything either....
 
nandbytes said:
Not a huge fan of that guy tbh....
but here are some differences I noticed:

Z9 has slightly less dynamic range:

Z9 seems to have fastest electronic shutter with ~1/280s clearance speed while Sony A1 has ~1/260s according to Dpreview anyway (most mechanical shutters are around 1/250s to give you a comparison). Having said that Z9 has no mechanical shutter so if you tend to shoot a lot in artificial/LED lights I'd stay clear of it since you will most likely hit banding issues.

Z9 EVF is maxed at 60Hz refresh rate, A1 can do 120Hz and 240Hz refresh rates (and also 60Hz)

Z9 can shoot 20fps RAW and 30fps jpg. A1 can shoot 20fps lossless RAW and 30fps lossy RAW (which is pretty close in quality to lossless RAW which jpgs aren't)

Z9 can choose between people and animal eye AF automatically which A1 cannot. On A1 you have to tell the camera if you are shooting animals, birds or people. Z9 of course gives you the option to choose also if necessary.

Z9 seems to be able to shoot 8K/60p while A1 will shoot 8K/30p

Z9 is a larger body while A1 is smaller body.

A1's mechanical shutter offers 1/400s flash sync speed and 1/500s flash sync speed in APS-C mode. No mechanical shutter on Z9.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply it’s very helpful
 
nandbytes said:
Not a huge fan of that guy tbh....
but here are some differences I noticed:

Z9 has slightly less dynamic range:

Z9 seems to have fastest electronic shutter with ~1/280s clearance speed while Sony A1 has ~1/260s according to Dpreview anyway (most mechanical shutters are around 1/250s to give you a comparison). Having said that Z9 has no mechanical shutter so if you tend to shoot a lot in artificial/LED lights I'd stay clear of it since you will most likely hit banding issues.

Z9 EVF is maxed at 60Hz refresh rate, A1 can do 120Hz and 240Hz refresh rates (and also 60Hz)

Z9 can shoot 20fps RAW and 30fps jpg. A1 can shoot 20fps lossless RAW and 30fps lossy RAW (which is pretty close in quality to lossless RAW which jpgs aren't)

Z9 can choose between people and animal eye AF automatically which A1 cannot. On A1 you have to tell the camera if you are shooting animals, birds or people. Z9 of course gives you the option to choose also if necessary.

Z9 seems to be able to shoot 8K/60p while A1 will shoot 8K/30p

Z9 is a larger body while A1 is smaller body.

A1's mechanical shutter offers 1/400s flash sync speed and 1/500s flash sync speed in APS-C mode. No mechanical shutter on Z9.
Click to expand...

I really like the Z9 - the dynamic range takes a hit over the D850/645z but build, size and handling it looks a really great mirrorless camera. With the intergrated vertical grip and controls making portrait shooting a doddle.
 
SFTPhotography said:
I really like the Z9 - the dynamic range takes a hit over the D850/645z but build, size and handling it looks a really great mirrorless camera. With the intergrated vertical grip and controls making portrait shooting a doddle.
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Personally don't really like big unnecessarily bloated bodies. I'd probably never buy one of those for that reason.
 
nandbytes said:
Personally don't really like big unnecessarily bloated bodies. I'd probably never buy one of those for that reason.
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Z9 has really piqued my interest. Honestly had it been 50mp or 61mp I'd be ordering and going fully Z mount.

Big buttons and controls matter with cold hands in high places.

Features like the sensor guard, and no mechanical shutter would make it a very dependable thing.
 
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SFTPhotography said:
Z9 has really piqued my interest. Honestly had it been 50mp or 61mp I'd be ordering and going fully Z mount.

Big buttons and controls matter with cold hands in high places.

Features like the sensor guard, and no mechanical shutter would make it a very dependable thing.
Click to expand...
Lack of mechanical shutter and variable shutter option could cause a problem with artificial lighting. But otherwise all good (y)

And honestly if I was willing to go that big and shot landscapes gfx100s is what I'd pick up :D
 
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nandbytes said:
Lack of mechanical shutter and variable shutter option could cause a problem with artificial lighting. But otherwise all good (y)

And honestly if I was willing to go that big and shot landscapes gfx100s is what I'd pick up :D
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They are very tempting but google the shutter failure issues with them. It seems a weakness. I can see the 645z format is dead for sure - so I probably will in a few years time be in a GFXsomething - but the revised one with better EVF and better shutter mechanism. Lens wise - there is some short comings with the system - and that'll iron itself out with a wide zoom say 25-45 or 20-45 sorta thing.
 
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