Good things come in small packages, and when we opened the Sony Alpha 9 (A9) box we were surprised at how compact the enclosed camera body was; being about two-thirds the size of other full frame cameras on the market. Indeed, this is a camera we know we won\u2019t have any issues with when we are balancing it with a long lens or small telescope. The body fits nicely in the hand, while the control wheels \u2013 for changing ISO, exposure time and f\/numbers \u2013 are very accessible and easy to locate by touch in the dark. While such a compact camera is always desirable for astrophotography, we did however note that the gap between the grip and lens mount was quite small, which may pose an issue for larger hands.<\/p>\n\n
We liked the Sony A9\u2019s four customisable \u2018C\u2019 buttons from the outset; these give the user a lot of flexibility when it comes to adapting the camera configuration. The LCD screen is moveable, but not fully articulated; while we could pull out and tilt the screen at an angle, we couldn\u2019t rotate it.<\/p>\n\n
As clear summer skies beckoned, we headed out to put the Sony A9\u2019s 24MP sensor through its paces with some Milky Way imaging. The first thing we noticed while setting up was that the Sony A9 has a touchscreen \u2013 up to a point. We found that we could tap to set the focus point of our image, but we could not change the settings or take images via the LCD monitor. This isn\u2019t an issue if using an intervalometer (interval timer), or if the shutter button is sensitive. <\/span>Luckily, the A9 is very responsive, and even when we weren\u2019t using a remote shutter release it didn\u2019t pose an issue. Indeed, in lighter summer night skies, high ISO test images appeared clean.<\/p>\n\nDeep-sky impact<\/strong><\/h4>\n\nThe Sony A9 really excelled when we used it to locate and focus on deep-sky objects. The \u2018Live View\u2019 was exceptional and sped up our setup time considerably. While stars showed up easily on screen, we found the camera\u2019s focusing was impressive. By switching on \u2018MF Assist\u2019 (manual focus assist) in settings, it allowed the \u2018Live View\u2019 to automatically zoom in on our set focus point whenever we moved the focus ring on our lenses. (This avoids the hassle of finding a \u2018Magnify\u2019 button to press, which risks nudging the setup). While we didn\u2019t think the Sony A9 was particularly sensitive to Hydrogen-alpha (Ha) wavelengths, this may have been due to the seasonably light skies and a rising full Moon.<\/p>\n\n
The Sony A9\u2019s \u2018Interval Shooting\u2019 function is a game changer; it allows astrophotography newcomers the chance to try multiple long exposure deep-sky shots without the need for an intervalometer. While the maximum exposure time is only 30 seconds in this mode, this is ample enough to do justice to many deep-sky objects and is certainly enough for Milky Way wide-field imaging.<\/span><\/p>\n\nFor those wishing to attach the Sony A9 to a telescope, it\u2019s worth noting that a Sony E-mount T-ring is required, which is different to the standard A-mount T-ring many Sony cameras use. An A- to E-mount adaptor is also available to purchase, which may come in handy for astrophotographers who are moving from cameras with crop sensors into Sony\u2019s full-frame line. While crop sensor lenses can be used \u2013 as long as the A9 is in crop sensor mode \u2013 there are full-frame variants available up to 600mm.<\/p>\n\n
A handheld picture of the Moon, taken with the Sony A9 mirrorless camera and a Sony 70\u2013350mm G lens set at 350mm \u2013 with a 1\/250 exposure at f\/6.3 and an ISO setting of 1600<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\nPart of a Milky Way panorama taken with the Sony A9, using a Sony FE16-35mm GM lens at 20mm, using 12 images stitched in Microsoft ICE. Each panorama frame was taken with 15\u201d exposures at ISO 3200<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\nShooting the Moon<\/strong><\/h4>\n\nWith the full Moon cutting our deep-sky object time short, we tested out the five-axis image-stabilisation by taking some handheld shots. We were impressed, as we were able to keep the Moon central over several images and recover good details on the lunar surface later in post-processing. The battery lasted across three nights of imaging before it needed charging, totalling about 4.5 hours. This is about the fastest, quietest \u2018mirrorless DSLR\u2019 we\u2019ve tried \u2013 every long exposure, high ISO frame we took was read and processed with no \u2018blackout\u2019, meaning we were able to minimise the interval between shots.<\/p>\n\n
Overall, the Sony A9 is an easy to navigate, enjoyable compact, full-frame camera with plenty of pleasing hidden extras. It also transitions seamlessly from daytime to night-time photography.<\/p>\n\n
Full-frame sensor flexibility<\/h4>\n\nFull-frame cameras generally offer greater ISO performance and sensitivity, meaning cleaner, noise-free images (with lower unwanted artefacts) in low light conditions. Even when we were shooting at ISO 3200 in light, summer night skies we yielded impressively clean images from the A9. The wider field of view that full-frame cameras provide makes them excellent nightscape and Milky Way devices. It also means we can use lenses at their true focal length.<\/p>\n\n
The full frame (35.6mm x 23.8mm) Exmor RS 24MP CMOS sensor is a standout feature. Designed to maximise the frame rate, the sensor is stacked onto a processor that optimises the sensor\u2019s read-out time, which means the camera won\u2019t lag between long exposure shots. What\u2019s more, the A9\u2019s \u2018Live View\u2019 setting is among the best we\u2019ve seen and it sped <\/span>up our deep-sky setup process in challenging conditions. The speedy processor also allows the A9 to show video at up to 100fps and makes the camera faster a nd more flexible for the user.<\/p>\n\nThe A9 will excel in daytime photography and hold its own for nightscapes and for those wishing to indulge in a little deep-sky imaging too.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div>
\n
KIT TO ADD<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n1. <\/strong>Sony 70\u2013 350mm G lens<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. <\/strong>Sony FE 16\u2013 35mm GM lens<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. <\/strong>Sony E-mount T-ring<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sony A9 mirrorless camera body<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":24915,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"86","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"86","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_86-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_86-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"October-2021","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"October-2021","purple_external_id":"October-2021-86-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"October-2021-86-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000086545||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000086545||","purple_android_product":"com.im.skyatnight.197","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.skyatnight.197","purple_ios_product":"com.im.skyatnight.197","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.skyatnight.197","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"075fab74-0a21-4201-866a-899d6c41c40c","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[14],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2021\/09\/LTF705X683EUF2EQ3525D445G1Q5.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"6"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2021\/09\/LTF705X683EUF2EQ3525D445G1Q5.jpg",618,618,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2021\/09\/LTF705X683EUF2EQ3525D445G1Q5-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2021\/09\/LTF705X683EUF2EQ3525D445G1Q5-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2021\/09\/LTF705X683EUF2EQ3525D445G1Q5.jpg",618,618,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2021\/09\/LTF705X683EUF2EQ3525D445G1Q5.jpg",618,618,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2021\/09\/LTF705X683EUF2EQ3525D445G1Q5.jpg",618,618,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2021\/09\/LTF705X683EUF2EQ3525D445G1Q5.jpg",618,618,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Sony A9 mirrorless camera body","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23526"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23526"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24965,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23526\/revisions\/24965"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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