Sony A9 for wedding photography

A video all about the Sony A9 for wedding photography. At the time of making this video I have had the A9, my first mirrorless full frame camera, for 3 months now during which time I have photographed 10 weddings and in this video I talk about what I really like about the camera and what I think are the downsides.
In this video I talk about how I have found silent shooting, the electronic viewfinder, off camera flash, the quality of the Sony A9 RAW files, the cost of the camera and the autofocus before giving my verdict on whether I would recommend the A9 to other wedding photographers.
For more details about me and my work please visit me at:
Website: www.neilredfer...
Instagram: / neilredfern
#weddingphotography #sonya9 #sonyalpha

[@sterlingphotography]

Great review. I'm a wedding photographer and was struggling to decide if I wanted to make the move from canon. You definitely sealed the deal for me.

[@rogergarrett5009]

Great video Neil, I to was a Nikon shooter for 20 years and changed to Sony a few weeks ago I agree with all you said. Your work is truly amazing well done and wish you continued success.

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Roger, I really appreciate that. I'm pleased you are enjoying the switch too - many thanks again!

[@APPLECROFT7500]

Great, clear info for people thinking to change over from DSLR to Mirrorless. Did the same myself Neil. Was a pro Nikon shooter for over 30 years and after buying the A6000 when it first came out i was smitten! Finally spent the big money on the A7Riii and four Sony G master lenses. Had to be done, no regrets..Thanks, a good watch!!

[@NeilRedfern]

Wow Stuart, that's brilliant! I'm really pleased that the switch is working so well for you too! Thank you for the comment 😊

[@Zico10101010]

DUUUUDE YOU DESERVE ALOT MORE SUBSCRIBERS THAN ALOT OF THIS YIBITY YAB TECH REPORTERS OUT THERE WITH 1M+ SUBS CALLING THEMSELVES REAL PHOTOGRAPHERS (life aint fair)

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you - very kind!

[@Zico10101010]

@@NeilRedfern You are welcome it's true though, I suggest you start making more videos about gear and gear news, and of course always put in the videos your amazing photos.

[@95Ldunc]

Neil: Thank you for the video. I too am a former Nikon wedding shooter and just made the switch 3 weeks ago. It was very costly trading in my D850, D5 and all of my lenses to invest in the Sony system. The image quality is incredible and there are many advantages over DSLR. Your video helped reassure me that I made the correct decision to switch to the A9 for wedding photography.

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you Alex and I'm really pleased to hear that you are enjoying the switch too! It's always scary to change but it sounds like you have no regrets either 😊

[@95Ldunc]

Neil Redfern-it was with a great degree of trepidation I changed over,(I lost about $6,000 USD) in my trade in. Your video helped me immensely in realizing I made the right decision. I love your work. It’s truly artistic and I learned a lot from just seeing your approach. Thank you again. Please put out more videos, we all want to get better at this art form. 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@NeilRedfern]

That is very kind Alex, thank you very much. Don't worry, there will be many more videos to come! :)

[@geribrn6453]

The Sony are neck and neck with Nikons with the Dynamic range. It's just that the A9 isn't one of the top performers, and you'll also lose more dynamic range if you shoot high+ which automatically switches to compressed. The way I shoot with the A9 is just get the normal exposure since Sony's are the best performing when it comes to high ISO, and the A9 is also one of the best. Now if you really want that DR goodness of your Nikon, then that's when you go with the A7Riii or A7iii.

[@NeilRedfern]

Great comment, thank you Geri 😊

[@rickybailliephotography5291]

Another great video Neil, very informative. I'm currently waiting on a delivery of an A9 and A7iii and a couple of lenses to make my switch from Nikon (D800 +D750) and have been really worried about the whole OCF thing. It's nice to see that you have gone through this already and that you've made it work for you! I'm not looking forward to the transition tbh, but I cant wait to get comfortable with the new system!

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Ricky! I am sure you will love your new cameras :-) Don't worry about the OCF, it's so much easier than I had originally realised. You just need to make sure that the shutter mode is set to "auto" and then when you attach a trigger, the camera will automatically turn off the EVF and go in to OCF mode. I'd even go as far as saying that it's easier than my old Nikon system now. I had just been making things far harder than they needed to be!

[@1rickybaillie]

Neil Redfern thanks so much for the tip there Neil. I’ve been switching back and forward between EVF and Mechanical! Another thing.. I was Taking some photos of my wife tonight as she was sat on the couch beside a stand-up lamp. I was under exposing the ambient so the lamp wasn’t blown out and lighting my wife with a double gridded Godox V1s. I also took the exact same shot with my Nikon D750 with the exact same settings and flash power and the colours and contrast just looks so much better than on my A9. Am I doing something wrong?

[@mpsinghphotography1]

Great Video, very informative and digs the gems which others have not touched upon.

[@mikehunt5626]

G'day Neil, I have to say right off the bat, your review was fantastic. Not very many reviews keep me here until the end but i really enjoyed your honesty and more so I felt you were genuine in your aproach and had no intention at all to make Nikon look inferior. Welcome to the Sony family mate. I started way back when the a100 came out (yes it was a crappy camera) Still have it. Now I just got the a7iii - an upgrade from my a7s which I just love for astro work. Thanks for the entertaining video.

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Mike, I really appreciate that. I definitely wasn't trying to put the Nikon down, I've been using them for years and have loved them, it's more that they just feel a bit old-fashioned now, but they've been incredible and never had a single issue. Love that you are into astro images - very cool!

[@ericroberson240]

Great video Neil on the Sony a9. I've owned the a9 since day one and it out performance the a7r3 and a73 when it comes to AF and much more. The Dynamic range is more than enough to get any job done. One thing that no one ever talks about is that the a9 is the only Sony camera that has no moving parts inside besides the main button to take photos. Yes, that means basically no maintenance. Believe me, I love the resolution on a7r3 but if you put the 90 macro on both cameras. You will not see that big of a difference straight out of camera unless you are a pixel peeper. A costumer will not see the difference at all. It's all about capturing that moment with gear that works.

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you Eric! And thank you for that information, I didn't know that but very interesting, thank you for sharing

[@DanielSeymourWellness]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with the A9, specially the no banding issue in silent shooting

[@NeilRedfern]

My pleasure, thank you very much Daniel

[@suikhuathang6480]

The best review ever............... 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Suikhua!

[@SE-oi5pb]

Absolutly agreed. On my A7III the banding issue is huge !

[@NeilRedfern]

I haven't tried the A7III myself but I have been told it's quite a big issue which is why I thought it best to mention it

[@heartweddingsphotography2490]

Hi Neil, great insight into the transition from Nikon ( Where I'm currently ) to the Sony system and because I have followed your work for quite a number of years now I feel very confident in your findings and yes the investment is a little eye-watering. It has confirmed what I have been wanting to do for a while introducing the Sony system alongside my Nikon to ease my transition, Great Video as always. Thank you. :-)

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you so much Jon, really pleased you enjoyed it! As I mentioned in the video if you did decide to have a play with an A9 I am sure you would love it. It is such a huge leap forward from a DSLR. Please let me know how you get on!

[@heartweddingsphotography2490]

Hi@@NeilRedfern today I managed to trial a Sony A7iii paired with a Sony 85m 1.8 which is owned by a good friend of mine ( David Causon photography) OMG, there is simply no effort required to achieve a tac sharp image from this camera, the auto focus is quite a revelation after shooting with Nikon for the past eight years combined with the eye tracking and IBIS it is simply amazing. I have large hands but was surprised how comfortable the body was and of course sooo light compared to my D4s and 70-200. I am now planning my transition to Sony so I can be ready for next years wedding season. feeling very excited :-)

[@NeilRedfern]

Yes Jon!!! That's awesome! That's the 85mm lens I have, love it. The difference really is incredible isn't it?!

[@mannhans703]

Great video Neil. Been doing second shooter gigs using a7riii but recently upgraded to A9. Keep up the good work

[@divyastudioharidwar1795]

I have sony A99ii and A77 camera please tell me which is the best lens.

[@colinjones7635]

A brilliant video and i am not into wedding photography lol,and those wedding shots look amazing.A video i really enjoyed watching,well done Neil - Thanks.

[@NeilRedfern]

That is very kind Colin, thank you very much!

[@tonymarsh9282]

Neil, fantastic video. Easy and very intuitive. Cant understand why I haven't seen this before. Nonetheless I have cashed in my chips and changed to SONY. New bodies arrive tomorrow. Santa has come very early this year. Don't tell Jane. :)

[@grosado]

Great points Neil. I was introduced to Sony and switched from Canon in 2015 with the A7R2 which I still own and when the A7 III came out I got it so those two are my cameras for weddings. The difference between them is night and day specially the AF system, on darker areas and during the reception I mostly use the 7III since the AF is way much better so mainly use the 7R2 for static shots or where there's good light. Lets see what Sony brings now this year, I was tempted to sell the 7R2 and get hte A9 II.

[@youuuuuuuuuuutube]

I've been doing a lot of research, and your arguments convinced me to get an a9, thanks!

[@NeilRedfern]

Wow, that's exciting! I am sure you will absolutely love the A9, I still get blown away by how good it is! Good luck

[@markfisher299]

Thanks for the video.I’m in the same boat I use D850 when shooting weddings or events.I also own the A9 with a good selection of lenses but scared to use it as I’ve always used a DSLR but this videos just gave me the confidence to use the A9.Scary 👍😬

[@curlyhairedadhdguy2514]

What a review...! Need to emulate when I start doing reviews... And your work's aesthetic @NeilRedfern is brilliant... Love it... Lots to learn for me...

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you so much Ayush, that is very kind of you :-)

[@ronlemelinphotography]

LOVE this video! I bought the Sony A73 6 months ago, to try to see if I would like to move from Nikon and WOW, game changer! I bought 4 lenses since, the 24-70mm 2.8 G master, the 70-200mm 2.8 G master, the 85MM 1.8.. A 90mm Macro and I just bought my second A73 body today to complete the change over from Nikon. I unfortunately had to buy ALL new OCF triggers and flashes/system thou, ouch! Bring on 2019 wedding season.

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you so much Ron and I am really pleased you have also had a great experience moving to Sony! Yep, it's not a cheap process at all so great to hear that don't regret it :)

[@theboogieknight8279]

Wow, absolutely stunning pictures.

[@kenwitherow6829]

Great review thanks. regarding the issue you mentioned when using flash triggers, you may already know now, but you can program a function button to "shot. result preview" and when activated will instantly show you the evf view to see your ambient when a trigger is fitted..

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Ken! Yes I believe so, I need to have a look at that as it sounds perfect! I really appreciate you letting me know :)

[@mathewcoulliette2233]

If you shoot in low light I recommend manual focus. It is really easy on a sony body because you have focus peaking & focus magnification assist.

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you Matthew, I will have to give that a go :)

[@ericwilson2632]

I will never give up my Nikon...but the 7R3 or Fuji Xt3 will be my next buy!!!

[@NeilRedfern]

I think you would really love either of those cameras!

[@ulrickteissier363]

I really agree with you great video. I have 3 mirorless cameras from sony, a6500, a7r2 and a73 and i can confirm that it's actualy the best camera that i have use coming from canon dslrs. I'm not a fan boy so if a other brand make better cameras i will go to this brand. What i can confirm it's that i also move to sony for the eye AF, live view, and evf. I wait a moment because the af was not as good as dlsr on the first series of a7. But now it's crazy how sony fill the gap! I see a real difference between the a7rii and the a7iii, and when i don't neal to crop or to have a lot mp i shot only with my a7iii specialy for wedding. I don't try the A9 but it seems also amazing for fast AF. I think one thing that sony have to make added to the one you already note it's that they have to make the camera waterproof and dustproof...It will be a good add for many type of photographer!

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Ulrick and great to hear that you have enjoyed moving to Sony too! Totally agree about wanting the camera to be waterproof and dustproof too as I do feel as though the build quality isn't as robust as my D810 - I should have mentioned that in the video.

[@badger0681UK]

Great video Neil ! Just the video I needed to see to make the decision between getting a D850 or the Sony A9.. the Sony is the better wedding camera. Silent shooting and eye AF are the killer features plus the file size is more sensible and no SQD cards ! Thank you

[@NeilRedfern]

My pleasure, I'm really pleased you found it useful and thank you for your comment. I have no doubts you will absolutely love the A9, I have had zero regrets since buying it 😊

[@SEPK09]

Interesting, needs to be a switch that your 100% comfortable with, some good points, I have only held off because of flash, I felt full size flash was quite bulky on a mirrorless, battery power you will need some extra batteries, and yes expensive switch, I guess you sell your old gear to make something back.

[@mrpaulbag9223]

Great video. You mentioned off camera flash and moving to mechanical shutter to allow to do this. If you have the flash on the camera, can you still use the w shutter? I just brought the a9 2

[@carlosazevedo7748]

Neil, what is your view on the electronic shutter / silent shooting and banding? Since you have been to numerous weddings and exposed to different lighting situations how do you find this banding issue when cameras are used in silent mode? Does the A9 suffers from this?

[@mjfotografiedeNeuried]

Hi Neil, perfect video, I am also using the A9 for weddings, sold all my Nikon gear

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much! I hope you are enjoying the switch too 😊

[@mjfotografiedeNeuried]

@@NeilRedfern I do, will never look back :-); I am curious, how do you set the brightness of you A9 monitor? Mine is on -2 to reflect my files processed with C1Pro on an EIZO screen

[@NeilRedfern]

Pleased to hear it! I don't think I have ever changed the brightness of the screen to be honest

[@sl3vin_]

Hey Neil still using a9? did you ever come across banding light issues? and how did you solve the problem? Personally, owing two a9, sometimes I get frustrated not having the anti-flickering option. My others shooters using the a7iii never had this problem. Apparently even in full mechanic with a9 there is no solution.

[@MrUffizzi]

Funnily enough, it was Davids article in petapixel that made me switch. Great review

[@kailherc]

Great review with real world reasons why you might want to switch from a DSLR to a Sony mirrorless.

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much :-)

[@A861967]

The A9 is very popular with the semi-pro enthusiast crowd. Yes, it has some great features and hope in next versions they find a way to improve the BANDING issue s that some images have. A better Menue system, please ... (I tried one for a weekend) For me, I like more physical access controls like Nikon Canon and Fuji have and the slow writing to the card when shooting fast shots was unacceptable, not sure if it was the card or camera. Also, some speedlight shots were not working very low light ..but did not have enough time to try it out at the end. so my 1st try was a disappointment, might try again for a week and see if I warm up to it. Good review cheers :)

[@obayedh]

Thanks for sharing your experience with a9 Neil. Enjoyed it much. One thing while talking to Dynamic-range: Nikon D810 is a 36.3 MP camera where Sony a9 is only 24.2 MP camera, therefore, dynamic range in a9 would be lower, no?

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Obayed, very kind. That is correct about the megapixels but I don't know how that translates to dynamic range to be honest.

[@chrisgorst-smith253]

Still a valid video Neil. Just bought a used one this long down the line. Can't wIt for the change.

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you Chris! Yes I am still loving my A9 and have never regretted buying them. I have 2 x A9 now and an A9II. Amazing cameras, you will love it

[@mathewcoulliette2233]

I recently sold my Nikon D600 and bought a Sony a7iii. I have a lot more dynamic range with the Sony raw files. Now I shoot landscapes 3 stops under exposed to get a great (real) sky and pull the shadows up 3 stops in post.

[@NeilRedfern]

Great to hear Matthew, really pleased you're enjoying the move!

[@drummingspain207]

Another option would be to exposure bracket (say -2, 0, +2) and then combine them in Lightroom.

[@enriquebaserga4519]

Hello Neil, do you work with Nikon and Sony on a wedding day or do you have 2 S9?.

[@NeilRedfern]

Hi Enrique, yes, I am still shooting with the Nikon and Sony at the same time on a wedding day at the moment. It's not ideal and I will be buying a second A9 in the next few weeks before I get really busy again :)

[@IdzwanMSelamat]

I am a nikon guy since D40. And always looking forward for mirrorless anytime soon to replace the DSLR. Btw you had a good point especially when we shoot with nikon we tend to shoot almost a stop under exposed. But just to share with you since you are still not buying the second sony camera. Why don't you try Sony A7r3 for your second camera.. It have better dynamic range than either sony A9 or d810 from the review and live testing.. =P I shall wait for your new video on A9 vs A7R3. haha

[@NeilRedfern]

That's a good suggestion Idzwan but the feature I love the most is silent shooting so that would mean the A7r3 wouldn't be great with me. It's a shame - none of them are quite perfect so it's a question of choosing the one which is best for you. But a good suggestion, thank you!

[@geribrn6453]

@@NeilRedfern I use the A9 and A7R3. A9 with the 70200 and just snipe away or put on a 35 and blend in for the candid stuff. The R3 till has a good silent shooting outdoors for as long as there's no artificial lights. Now you can still shoot silently with the R3 with a wide angle lens and just slow down that shutter speed to have less banding. I would not use it primarily for that purpose but at least you still have the option as a 2nd cam and have even more headroom for that dynamic range. I'm loving that combo and I can never see myself going back to Canons or DSLRs.

[@IdzwanMSelamat]

@@geribrn6453 thanks for your reply, great poison by the way.. Gonna need to learn some sony stuff.. haha

[@JSkinglePhoto]

Thanks for the effort in making this mate

[@NeilRedfern]

My pleasure Joel, thank you very much :)

[@seanconcannon7922]

Great review.....just a question about shooting flash with the A9....why do you need to change settings in camera.....my Sony A6300 changes the exposure in camera as soon as a speedlite is connected....it makes the EVF brighter but its a false reading.....turn your speedlite off, get your settings how you want and then connect to your flash.

[@NeilRedfern]

Hi Sean, thank you very much :) That's interesting, unless there is a setting which I'm not aware of, I think on the A9 you do have to manually change the setting of the live view display to turn it off and also turn off the electronic shutter. I would love it if I was wrong though!

[@PauBass]

@@NeilRedfern I recently bought an a9 too and on mine when I have a flash or flash trigger on the hotshoe when I turn them on the screen goes brighter and live view stops working. Turn flash or trigger off again and you are back on live view. It's done automatically, no need to change any settings manually so it works as Sean mentioned. By the way, really enjoying all your videos!

[@alvarob17]

Hello All, I have a A7III so not sure if it applies to the A9 but you can try. If I have a dark scene and I connect a trigger to the hotshoe, it will automatically brighten the viewfinder or LCD so I can compose. If I turn the trigger off then it goes back to dark or what the real view is. Then I found out I don't have to turn the trigger off to switch to real view. I can program a button in my case C3. When I press that button it's the same as turning the trigger off. Let it go and it goes back to bright viewfinder/LCD. The feature to assign to a button is called "Shot Result Preview". I read online that feature would give me those results. It wouldn't work at first when I tried it. Then somebody on the Internet suggested turning off Anti-Flicker Shoot. Once I did that it worked perfectly and have been using it for months now. Hope the A9 can be configured like that... Cheers and thanks for the vids!

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much! Yes I believe from talking to another photographer tonight that this is the case with Godox speedlights and triggers? If so that would be brilliant and solve my problem :) Are you using Godox speedlights?

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you so much Alvaro, I need to look in to this as that sounds great and would solve my problem! Thank you for taking the time to let me know, much appreciated :-)

[@yesukishore]

My gawd... Osmm one man 💖💖💖💖

[@kenwitherow6829]

I use it on my a7r2 programmed to the delete or focus hold. ( hope it’s on the a9)Makes life with flash so much easier. Hope it helps.

[@isabelladavis1363]

Amazing images as always Neil..your colors are so vibrant and rich...are you using a cloudy temperature setting to keep these consistent , or are you manually setting it depending on your conditions? Usually Sony is cooler in color renditions.Still easing into my Nikon to Sony transition...after so many years of using Nikon..and yess I believe I also did overshoot until I started using back button focus...a game changer for me used on Sony as well with the eye auto focus a win win! this weekend an intimate wedding also using Nikon and Sony...thanks for helping me out with this transition...a great and encouraging review...

[@smalltalk.productions9977]

thank you for the effort and sharing. have you ever thought of a mid-zoom for your wedding work? if so, which mid-zoom? thumbs up.

[@NeilRedfern]

For me the 35mm and 85mm are perfect for the way I work. Although I do have a 50mm too. The 35/85 are my favourites though

[@ajanderson3725]

This is by far one of the best reviews I’ve ever seen. I really appreciate the time you took to make this. Do you have a quick question if you don’t mind, you said that for your A9 You’re using a 35 mm and an 85? Is that correct. If so is it a 35 mm 1.8 GM and is it the 85mm 1.4 GM ?

[@mathewcoulliette2233]

You should try turning on zebra stripes in the evf. It really helped with the accuracy of my exposures.

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you Matthew - I actually do but didn't mention that, they do really help, I agree!

[@abhikaulavkar]

Thanks a lot....I found This video very guided

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Abhijeet :-)

[@AR-vf7vg]

Neil, I find Your exhaustive sharing to be kind and of exeptional quality. Thank You so much. I photographe since long with A7R II and III. Banding in silent shooting can here be a real issue (but I'm not prepared to lose half of resolution and pay more "for that" with an A9 mark I ). My question please: Wide open do the bokehs get softer (improove) when you switch to mechanical shutter (non-silent, including first shutter not electronic) ? Thank You !

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Alain, very kind 😊 that's a good question and I've not tested that, I assume that it would be exactly the same but it's not something which I have tested I'm afraid.

[@AR-vf7vg]

@@NeilRedfern oh ok. I think we should find out for the sake of knowing. In the "worst case scenario", if better bokeh in fully mechanical (audible shutter) mode, still might be rare -but worthwile- when that possible advantage (for sure on non-A9) would really prime over advantage of silent (bend-free) shooting. ( I'll try to convince a friend to search for these bokeh issues all the wile comparing his A9 vs my A7RIII wile alternating respective shutter modes -with the same wide open lens settings and view.

[@frankzayas3103]

On the issue of having to switch settings for using flash, Couldn't you use one of the three memory settings on the knob to set it up for flash use? Then it would just be a matter of turning the knob. I don't have the a9 (yet) but I am for now, looking at the a7III and doing quite a bit of research. OCF is a big part of my style so this is something I'm really interested in.

[@TanliLundgren]

I shoot with two D810's too and i just love this video of yours. Your top 3 points are my EXACT points for wanting to move. How are you finding the editing of the sony files and the Nikon files together? And how are you finding the 24mp of the Sony compared to the 36mp of the Nikon? Do you wish the A9 had more megapixels?

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Tanli, I am really pleased you enjoyed the video, especially as you are in the same position I was :-) Editing the files together so that they look the same has taken me a while due to the colour profile differences between the cameras but I think I have got there now and have started to like the Sony RAW files because I didn't at first. I would still say that they Nikon RAW files are better but it's a small price to pay. Must admit I do miss the extra megapixels but again it's not a big problem. Although I do prefer the Nikon files the advantages of silent shooting, EVF and autofocus are far more important to me.

[@davidtran-dinh1385]

Great video. I was wondering what your clients and guests think about the silent shooting, I guess it's something new for them? They like the discretion and they feel the resulting images are more natural?

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you David! Yes, it's definitely new to them too as we are all so accustomed to the sounds of a camera shutter, but the feedback I've had so far has all been really positive. Many have said that they don't have a clue I'm even taking photographs sometimes and that's good as my ultimate aim is for the day to happen as it would as if I wasn't even there

[@andrescastillo8192]

Good Day Neil! I hace Just saw your Last post in the magmod community and i could not resist to check your KZbin chanel. So far i subscribed and love it. Can i ask, which AF modes do you use for every part of a wedding? I also moved from nikon a couple of months ago and im still struggling a bit with that. Thanks! Cheers

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you so much Andres! I always use single point focus in AF-C

[@andrescastillo8192]

Neil Redfern dont you have problems moving it from one part of the screen to another? Ive found that as they are so many some times i miss the shot while moving them. Thanks so much Neil!

[@NeilRedfern]

Good question Andres! I find that I am ok moving the focus point around for the majority of the day but if things are happening fast I tend to focus and recompose. The great thing about the Sony is that all the focus points are tack sharp, not just the central ones like on my Nikon DSLRs :)

[@andrescastillo8192]

Neil Redfern thanks so much for the answer! Great to have kind people that share their knowledge with others. Have a happy New year Neil!

[@jamesshaw493]

Hi Neil. Very insightful video. Can I ask if all the images featured were taken using the a9? Thank you, James

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much James! Yes, all images were taken on the A9

[@photographybydavethompson9370]

Nearly 12months on from this review mate - Have any of their upgrades helped to solve the problems, like the dynamic range? Now the a9ii is out, I am having my head turned to the a9......again!!

[@anjanakkw]

Hi Neil, i love your videos, how do you ensure you get the focus on the person you want in the pic. Can you pls tell us more abt your camera settings on autofocus?

[@kevinkmhui]

Thanks so much Neil for your great video about A9, I enjoyed it a lot! I love photography as a hobby and I would like to buy an A9 for my niece's wedding day. May I know do you have issues with flash as it is only 5 fps? I seldom take flash photos, but I think I need to use flash for indoor situations on the wedding day. Your advices will be highly appreciated. Thank you.

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Kevin! There is no doubt that one of the downsides with the A9 is off camera flash, especially when coming from a DSLR. Having said that though I have got much more used to it now and although it's not as good as with a DSLR, it is perfectly fine to use. And the upsides of the camera, as I talk about it in this video, make the change more than worth it. I have no regrets whatsoever :) Good luck with the wedding!

[@kevinkmhui]

Thanks again Neil! I am getting very excited now to own the A9

[@drummingspain207]

@@kevinkmhui But how often do we use flash at 5 fps? Can the flashgun even recycle that quickly? It's really not even a talking point, let alone a reason to avoid the camera. The A9 is primarily for sports / action with it's sophisticated autofocus system so if that's not you bin, the A7 iii would perhaps suit you better.

[@drummingspain207]

I enjoyed the commentary - thanks. I'm not a professional but have taken about 15 weddings in the past few years (yep, lots of friends have benefited greatly!!). I've got an A9 on order mainly for other types of photography which I do but was interested to hear you went for the A9 for weddings (as opposed to the A7R iii or A7 iii which seem to be the more popular choice). I liked most of the photos you displayed in this video but what a humble guy you are - they are by no means your best! There are some shots on the website which are absolutely stellar. Thanks for sharing :) ps - you live near to my old stomping ground of Knutsford but now I live in Spain

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much! And I hope you enjoy using your A9 as much as I have, it's such an awesome camera!

[@butlerphotography9879]

Hi Neil, I’ve been thinking about the sony a9 for a while. Came across your video. I think you might have me sold. :-) one question I have is your lens choice. I usually shoot weddings with a 35 1.4, 70-200 2.8 and a 24-70 2.8. What lens did you start out with. I know S make a GM 24-70 & 70-200 but I couldn’t find a GM 35. Would like to hear your thoughts. :-)

[@GeorgeKalogeris]

I am an old Nikonian too. Really struggling with LR to get right skin colors. The latest update was a massive change in color profiles but still can't reproduce the ethereal flesh of my Nikon d4s. C1 seems to solve this but then I need to make new presents and workflow. What do you suggest/use?

[@NeilRedfern]

I was having exactly the same problems as you George. My suggestion would be to make sure that you import images in to LR using the same profile in LR as you use on the camera itself, then play with the HSL sliders to get the look which you like. Most of the time I spent creating my preset was taken up with playing with the HSL sliders.

[@soldsold1]

@@NeilRedfern I'd love to have a peek at your HSL slider settings! I'm currently using Capture One and its pretty great but did buy the Jose Villa DVLOP lightroom presets which fix a lot of the green/ yellow Sony colours so I'm still between the two programs. Always interested in what others are doing with their Sony raw files and your sample photos look pretty great. An editing video for Sony files would be a nice one for your youtube channel ;).

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Steve! I will post my HSL settings in the group :-) and yes, I need to get round to doing some editing videos, it's on the list!

[@benharrisonphotography]

Great video. Had a look at your website it looks amazing. What platform do you use as I use Wix and struggling with the seo features. Seen s few photographers with similar sites to yours. Head a few people say to use divi. Any advice would be amazing thankyou

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Ben! I use Wordpress with the Divi theme as well, it's a bit tricky to use at the beginning but once you've played with it for a while it's great - extremely customisable :)

[@benharrisonphotography]

@@NeilRedfern thankyou niel that's exactly wat I've been looking at so perfect. Currently I use Wix but sucks on seo Www.benharrisonphotography.co.uk

[@benharrisonphotography]

@@NeilRedfern just downloaded divi. It looks nothing at all like yours have you used a child theme of just custmised it

[@NeilRedfern]

I customised mine. As I said Divi can be a bit tricky at first but once you get used to it you can do so much. I'm sure you'll love it

[@NelsonMichael]

The Sony A7III is a great option for a second Sony body instead of getting another expensive A9

[@NeilRedfern]

It would be a great option, I just worry that I would have camera bias, that's why ideally I like to use two bodies which are the same. But you're right, the A7III is awesome

[@danielhunt6524]

Great insight Neil, i have thought about the switch but only being an amateur cannot justify the cost, certainly not of the A9 .... Did you not consider the new Nikon Z6 & Z7 ?

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much Daniel! I would have loved to have stayed with Nikon but being a wedding photographer I couldn't risk using a camera with only one card slot. I held back on the A9 until the day the Z6 & Z7 were announced as I didn't want to move, but one card slot made the choice for me.

[@davidtran-dinh1385]

Also the Z6 and Z7 don't cover his #1 (silent mode) and #3 (eye AF) advantages, only the #2 (EVF), so 1/3

[@Creativedogmedia]

We picked up the A9 after using Nikon for 20+ yrs. kept it for 2 months and sold in anticipation for the A9II. Glad we did as it’s even better. Can you share a preset or two that shows how you work with skin tones?

[@NeilRedfern]

Hi! I hope you are well - did you buy the A9II? I'm just going through comments made by those who asked about my preset - just to let you know as you asked about my preset, I now have a video on my channel all about my preset and how I use it to edit my photographs. The video is for channel members only so if you would like to join my channel (there is a 'join' button on my channel) then you can watch that video. There will be many more member only videos to come too!

[@Creativedogmedia]

Neil Redfern we did get the A9II and live it. Have the 24mm 1.4 GM, the 85mm 1.8 and the 135mm 1.8 GM. I’ll check the other video after joining the channel. Thanks.

[@NeilRedfern]

Creative Dog Media™ that's great! Really pleased you're enjoying it - great lenses too!

[@322Iceke]

Tip for settings, from nat light to flash shots: Setup the dial at the top: 1 , 2 or 3 for that.

[@NeilRedfern]

Good suggestion Cris :)

[@arjphotographyuk]

Nice one Neil!

[@NeilRedfern]

Thanks mate!

[@jamesaphotography1286]

Great review thanks.

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much James 😊

[@bwest6275]

Hi Neil, great review of the a9. I am actually looking into getting a used one. Curious if you are still using your a9? If so, any issues you've come across since? Cheers!

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much! Yes, I still love both my A9 cameras - I have this week bought an A9ii but that is only because the A9 appears to be discontinued now, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the A9 though

[@reynaldocasas8887]

What are the lens you using for the weddings?

[@NeilRedfern]

I mainly use 35mm and 85mm. I also have the 16-35mm, 50mm and 135mm

[@sl3vin_]

Hey Neil what’s your fav lenses for weddings?

[@NeilRedfern]

Definitely the 35mm and 85mm!

[@smalltalk.productions9977]

@@NeilRedfern thanks for a truly informative vid. 35/1.8+85/1.8 or 35/1.4+85/1.4?

[@joeblack4026]

same feelings here, using A7 III

[@NeilRedfern]

Great stuff :-)

[@saptak]

Awesome review!!! Which lens are you using?

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you! I currently have a Samyang 35mm, Sony FE 85mm and Sigma 135mm

[@saptak]

Sony 85mm 1.4 or 1.8?

[@NeilRedfern]

1.8

[@TeodorGroza]

Great Review!!! Off topic: the link to your Instagram account is incorrect

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you Teodor! And thank you for letting me know about the link, much appreciated!

[@TeodorGroza]

@@NeilRedfern you are welcome. By the way, I enjoy so much your tutorials about how you shoot an image. I'm glad I subscribed to your channel.

[@CrisostomoIbarra1989]

Thanks for this 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@phillyman2410]

What lens are u using for weddings ??

[@NeilRedfern]

I use a 35mm and 85mm for virtually the whole day

[@phillyman2410]

@@NeilRedfern Thank you

[@MrStevebenjamin]

What are your favourite focus settings for weddings on the A9?

[@NeilRedfern]

I use AFC with flexible spot - love the new real time tracking though, it's almost cheating!

[@Lokgurung1]

2:39 is that from Nepal?

[@NeilRedfern]

Hi Lok, no it was a wedding in the UK although many family members were from Nepal I believe 😊

[@Lokgurung1]

Neil Redfern That wedding dress is looks like from Nepal and I’m from Nepal as well.

[@creativeimagingworks]

👍🏼

[@robinsharma5196]

which lens you have using? For your sony a9?

[@NeilRedfern]

Hi Robin, I'm using the Samyang 35mm 1.4, Sony 85mm 1.8 and the Sigma 135mm 1.8. I'm going to buy the Sony 24mm 1.4 next then that will be it for lenses I think

[@soldsold1]

@@NeilRedfern Good choices. Are you finding the Samyang and Sigma lenses autofocus to be as good as the Sony's?

[@NeilRedfern]

Thanks Steve :) Yes, the Samyang is brilliant and in reviews seemed to come out almost identical to the Sony distagon 35mm, the Sigma is a little slower but it is good enough as I'm only really using it for bride and groom portraits. The downside of the Sigma 135mm is that it is huge and quite heavy.

[@joeblack4026]

sony A9 has lover DR than A7 III or nikon 810/850 due to the specific super fast sensor. A7 III files are on different level than A9 in terms of DR.

[@NeilRedfern]

Yes, so I believe. It's all about choosing the camera which is right for you. A Sony with stacked sensor and killer dynamic range would be a dream!

[@robinsharma5196]

👍

[@laceyangel9805]

Did you not consider Nikon Mirrorless? Did you not try using your Nikon lenses on the Sony? You never mentioned the Sony menu system...

[@NeilRedfern]

I actually ordered my A9 on the day that Nikon announced their mirrorless cameras. I wanted to stay with Nikon but the fact their mirrorless bodies only have one card slot was a deal breaker to me, so that made the decision for me to move to Sony. No, I haven't tried an adapter as I just feel that native lenses will always work better.

[@mosthakahmed465]

2nd

[@endlichbilder]

Great Review! Thank you very much. I also Switched to sony but i still have problems with the colours. Can i ask you,what did you do for this great kontrast Look with also real - non vsco- colours? My pictures www.endlichbilder.de

[@NeilRedfern]

Thank you very much! I really appreciate that. My top tip would be to ensure that when you are importing your images to Lightroom, ensure that the camera profile is set to the same as your camera, don't import using the default Adobe RGB profile as I don't feel that looks very good. I shoot in camera standard

[@MrKroesamaja]

He is talking 12:48 min about the silent shutter.

[@febrimanusiwa]

Best camera in the world is NIKON D850... best mirrorless in the world is NIKON Z7..

[@narinderpaltanejaphotograp7589]

WORLD`S 3RD CLASS BRAND SONY A9 BAD EXPERIENCE I WAS 1ST OWNER IN INDIA SONY A9 I HATE SONY DONT WAIST MONEY ON THIS PRODUCT