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Verdict
The Sony Alpha A9 is a phenomenal camera. It's not without its faults – we'll be interested to see how the weather-sealing holds up when it's properly exposed to the elements for starters, while the absence of XQD card slots and very limited touchscreen control is disappointing.
Those issues aside, however, the Alpha A9 doesn't fail to impress. The autofocus system Sony has blessed the A9 with is not only incredibly quick, but the tracking performance has to be seen to be believed.
Partner that with a incredibly rapid 20fps burst shooting speed, and a large and bright EVF that doesn't black out when you're shooting, and you've got a camera that'll mix it with the best that Canon and Nikon has to offer when it comes to shooting sports and other fast-paced action.
Our only slight reservation about whether the Alpha A9 can succeed in this area is not the camera, but the lens support. While photographers shooting with Canon and Nikon DSLRs have a plethora of long lenses to choose from, the Alpha A9 is limited to a single (variable aperture) dedicated zoom lens with a reach beyond 200mm.
Just as Sony is rolling out a series of dedicated pro service centres to meet the demands of professionals, we hope to see similar efforts result in some new fast telephoto optics to support this fabulous camera.
Competition
