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Thread: Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera with Canon lenses

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    Default Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera with Canon lenses

    I currently use the Canon 1DX with the Canon 400 f/4 DO II lens. Because I shoot birds, I don't use a tripod and this setup is getting a bit heavy to hand hold steadily for more than a few minutes at a time. I am interested to know if anyone has successfully used the Sony a9 with Canon lenses successfully (super sharp photos).

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    It wil not work well, the AF is slow and won't be able to focus on anything that moves. A mirror-less camera is not ideal for birds, especially birds in flight if you are after the kind of quality you see on this web site, the main issues are the AF and the EVF and various lags that can't really keep up with BIF action.

    BTW, most of the fatigue is coming from the lens (because of lever action), not the camera body.

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    Thanks Arash. That's the info I needed. I'm going to go ahead and get the 1DX Mark II. This is the camera that Tin Man Lee is urging me to get, so I'll just learn to deal with the weight.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Melissa Usrey View Post
    I currently use the Canon 1DX with the Canon 400 f/4 DO II lens. Because I shoot birds, I don't use a tripod and this setup is getting a bit heavy to hand hold steadily for more than a few minutes at a time. I am interested to know if anyone has successfully used the Sony a9 with Canon lenses successfully (super sharp photos).
    I'm working with an a9/Canon500/Metabones combination right now. It's actually more awkward to hold than with the 5D MkIV body, because the balance is more forward. It's doable, but you won't experience significant relief.

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    The question of the a9 driving an EF 500mm f/4L IS II is still out, but I'm pessimistic. The Metabones E-to-EF adapter does not take advantage of the 25 Contrast Detection AF Points on the a9. With the native Sony 100-400mm G-Master lens, AF is mind blowing.

    I'll be testing more this weekend, but I think that the a9's AF, with the current Metabones hardware and firmware, will NOT be as good as driving the same lens with any 1D body, or the 7D MkII, 5D MkIII, 5DS-R or 5D MkIV. I'll follow up in a day or two, after more testing. Does the AF work with the Sony/Canon/Metabones combination? The answer is definitely "yes" and for many applications, it's good enough. In another day or two, I'll answer the questions; is it as good or better as Canon for BIF, or, is it even "good enough." We'll see...

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    Thank you Dave!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Melissa Usrey View Post
    Thank you Dave!
    Melissa Usery, good news. The Metabones EF-to-E T Adapter, MkV, does the job. See my review elsewhere in this forum.

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    Thank you Dave. I'm going to keep my eye on this set-up!

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