Canon R7 II LEAK! Sony a1 II just FIRMWARE??

I agree for Sony A1 updates except for the menu layout. If they did it correctly they could have updated the layout on several bodies without a lot of cost...

Unbelievable people when it will be enough

Gfx perfect for anamorphic

That screen alone worth the upgrade imo. I got the A7Rv instead of the a1 because of the screen

Paid firmware updates means also we have to pay for firmware bug fix.

If not hardware limitations, free firmware update may extend the lifespan of products and sell more units with less development and marketing cost. Profit made can be paid to software engineers. Every one wins.

Fully agree with the idea offered payed updates for unlocking features that might not need everybody , and yeah… companies working so nowadays, release “goodies” by payment if you really need them!
Best wishes from Switzerland!

I have two A1s and 95% of my photography is action/wildlife, so I plan to upgrade one of them and go from there. In addition to getting all the new hardware and software of the A1 II, I get a fresh, new camera body that hasn't been covered in mud, banged around on rocky mountain trails, coated with salty ocean mist, etc., etc.

I have friends who shoot R5s and Z9s, and I watch them shoot and look at their results, and I am confident that I have the best camera for what I do. The A1 II will assure that further into the future. That's easily worth the upgrade cost for me.

5k 5.5k 6k $ ,then you want us to pay for firmware update? .

Well, I don't mind too much SONY don't do firmware major FW updates. I am little bit concerned about its A1 price. Whenever it is the best camera on the market is debatable but compare to other brands, especially Canon R5 II the price of A1 is way too much off the chart. I think it shall be on the same price level as A9III at maximum. It is the price of camera that makes the very high expectations. If you pay 6500 for a camera you don't want to see much cheaper cameras to outperform your camera with functionality that can be definitely back ported. Like focus stacking etc. I believe you can add functionality to older models without sacrifice selling of new models. Basically because some improvements cannot be implemented in software and also cameras tends to wear off. SONY could think of FW updates as investment in user loyalty that will pay off with users staying with brand and buying new gear. One reason why I switched from Canon to SONY was A9 got 6 major FW updates with functionality that was unseen and unheard before. I was shocked and pleased. I thought SONY will continue doing this in the future. I was wrong.

I think paid firmware updates is a fine if it add meaningful features and not just stability or AF improvements. I think about the Pentax Astrophotography firmware updates, these are very niche features so it doesn't makes sense to release them for free for everyone but to the people who want them they are definitely willing to pay.

I think we need to stop talking about "FIRMWARE" and start talking about "FIXWARE" and "FEATUREWARE".

Downloaded pixelmetre pro, before my Mac, it seems in a great very well with Apple photos and allows me to make more adjustments then I can do with Apple photos, it’s a little bit like Apple aperture back in the day, it’s very easy to use and best of all no monthly subscription, I’m hoping Apple will further improve the program.

After the waiting for the Canon R1 and the disappointment the i got, i don't care anymore

Majority of amateur photographers, advanced, or beginners, cannot afford or justify to pay for Adobe’s subscription Plan of $25.00 Canadian plus taxes every month for Lightroom & Photoshop, it’s OK if your business and you can write it off but for a hobbies, it’s very hard to justify hang out nine dollars a month, which is around $345.00 a year, if you did that for five years, we spent over $1700 Canadian in five years.

SONY can do better! The Mark II should blow everyone else out of the water like the a1 did or bring the cost down.

tbh if fuji could add new film simulations in my x-t3 with paid firmware, I wouldn't mind that
but AF fixes and such should be free

Is the A7R 6 coming next year?

The Canon R7 M2 will be probably my next camera for wildlife, I now use a R7, and there are some limitations, but if you know how to use the camera it can produce great picture's. Good thing for the R7 M2, there is enough room for improvement, rolling shutter, dynamic range, AF, pre-capture, buffer.

There are different approaches of companies to support their products. Once Sony PlayStation Network was free and thus attracted users taking them away from Microsoft Xbox. Later they decided to fix it. Now they release paid firmware updates for their cameras. In the telecom sphere there is the largest company Cisco, which has a similar approach. And there is a small Latvian company Mikrotik, whose products are in huge demand among enthusiasts and network engineers. Partly because they update the software absolutely free of charge, including major versions are updated and their equipment receives completely new functionality. For example, I categorically do not accept Adobe's approach with their paid subscription to Lightroom. That's why I bought CaptureOne and DXO Lab for noise reduction. I bought it and forgot about it. This is also one of the reasons why I chose Canon as my platform. I don't like Sony's current approach. It's like software manufacturers, each of whom tries to set their program to autorun and clutter up the system tray, as if their program is the only one. The same goes for monthly payments. There are too many of them to think about that. I'd rather pay a lot at once than less and then think about that. Especially since Sony flagships are not "pay less." They're "pay a lot at once, and then we'll charge you more." No. That's not my choice.

The manufacturers should get the firmware right in the first place. And if not, fix and improve the product with the updates.

the screen is the only reason to upgrade if you want the best. for me a fan would be the only reason to upgrade as the overheating makes the video specs useless if you do a lot of video.

My OM-1 Mark2 already has a stacked sensor 😂😂

Regarding the Eterna: There are pro cinematographers out there who want the “look” which comes with the wider sensor. Enough that at least one of the rental houses has prototyped their own rehoused GFX100 II to serve the market. Are there enough of these folks to make the Eterna worth producing? I have no idea but it is an interesting first try on Fuji’s part for the large crew projects. But for me? I see no particular use.

What would keep me happy with OG A1 through firmware update for now:

- 50% Pre-capture capability
- programable BOOST button
- Auto subject recognition

As an I.T. background photographer who felt for and sold the A7R V with A.I. for an used A1, I can live with the rest until an used A1 II becomes available in the far future . Yes, I can afford it, not I don't think this "TOOL" is worth it value for me at this moment but worth every penny as a "TOOL" for showing and getting revenue on social media and absolutely as a "TOY" to show off like a cool new car! First Sony A.I. was introduced the year before A1 was released and the word "Machine Learning" has been applied on every full frame camera since them including the newly introduced A1 II so is A.I. new or is it marketing move for selling more camera at the time when less people are purchasing dedicated camera? I wonder.

About the Fuji cinema camera...it has to support the PL mount. That will quickly open up lens choices specifically for cinema use. Perhaps with the cooling possibilities with the larger body they can probably "hot rod" the sensor for higher readout speed and give it better processing hardware to match. Hope it would actually work for them.

And for the Sony firmware updates. You paid a good chunk of cash for a camera...they better make it well worth the hardware, much as how expensive they are compared to the competition. This isn't like the broadcast, Cinema Line or CineAlta cameras where you pay for software licenses to unlock stuff - and are actually used in a professional business sense - unlike these cameras where anyone who can pay can buy and own.

Sony specifically "handicaps" video on the stills/hybrid cameras. People complaining about the video options on the "ILCE" cameras - look at the "ILME" cameras, lo and behold, video capabilites they want. I can understand why they do it (considering their place in the film-making sector) but the average person will be stumped.

I’d gladly pay a couple hundred to get precapture on my a6700

Not everything can be fixed with firmware. It’s like expecting an Intel 486 computer to magically run Windows 11. The hardware is the limitation no matter how advanced the software potentially is.

Imax maybe

Like.. For real... SONY A6800 WITH STACKED SENSOR, 15-20 FPS, AND PRE-CAPTURE.. all some of us need in wildlife.
I have no idea why Sony didn't put all of that into A6700.

Frankly, the a7III/RIII were the only reason to buy Sony cameras for me IMO. After that, newer bodies price cost raised faster than the implemented features for photography in them. Idk if the Bionz XR is slow of if they lack software engineers. Since they lack major firmware updates, I think it's the later
I'd like to pay for firmware updates for my a7R III, I know it's old but they could do it, instead of getting new bodies frankly, look at their body prices, their cameras are too much expensive and after 3 years they loses value due to not receiving firmware updates

I would like to know what are the predicted rates of SD card failures. Why do they fail? How long to they last as storage media? How often do I have to rewrite to preserve images? in the computer? on the card? in a solid state hard drive?

Sorry, but a camera that costs 7,499 Euros should have guaranteed firmware updates for a few years that keep it ahead of all the cheaper cameras that come later. If a new A7 camera comes out next year for less than a third of the price of the A1 II and it has some new software features, the A1 II should get them as well. iOS and Android updates also come for free. You paid for those updates when you purchased the phone.

Paying for software updates/upgrades is a good thing, as thing for free can't be good as there is no accountability for free stuff.
As long as camera manufactures don't go the "rent" software feature route, like what car manufacturers try to do - are doing.

That little "whoosh" when you take your glasses off 😆

I don't know why, but none of the reviews are mentioning the addition of in-built ND to the A1 II. Not only is this a bonus for video and landscape photography, it reduces the need for HSS in many cases.

I own a few Sony cameras so I'm not a hater but the A7 II was a bit of a cheek. Quite a small upgrade.

When SONY launched the A73 they claimed it was "a basic model", and it continuous to be the best camera of the decade doubtless till now. A true hybrid camera that can do anything and it was launched in 2018 six years ago. It is very easy for SONY to give its public and amazing true hybrid system because of the late lesson given. I think that a new A75 will show the true path from SONY and I am expecting this to happen. 2025 will bring a new king as the A73 did, and that will be the new A75. (the A74 is also rulling its niche)

Canon make free firmwares, not need pay like Sony.

I use canon 1d mk iv and gigapixel 8 ai. I can have pictures like canon R7 mk 2. And nobody knows the difference.😏

I want one! Could never afford one tho

I have the A7R4 and it would be easy to give us focus stacking as in the A7R5 but none seen. Their attitude is you want them then pay more and buy a new camera.

Subscription firmware updates? No thanks Sony!

Very interested in upgrading from A7Rv to A1 II but I need to figure out the cash flow. Is Northrup Bank & Trust a thing?

I plan on getting the ii and no all of it could have been a firmware update. I’m not happy they didn’t try but I get it.

Anyone who thinks the Sony A1 could be made into an A1 II with firmware should be saving their money and looking further down the product line for a camera they understand. Essentially the A1 II is the A1 sensor and processor chips in the much updated A9 III body. As Tony said, this adds the AI subject recognition chip, the excellent (and larger) 4-way tilt screen, a new stabiliser mechanism, the stills/video/S&Q switch, tripling the custom memory locations and a host of other ergonomic hardware features. To put it in perspective, take the time to watch Mark Galler's video on the A1 II and its comparison to other high end cameras. 

I have had the A1 since day one and it has been great, especially with the last firmware update. I will be spending the money to upgrade to an A1 II though, and I am sure I won't regret it.

Tony, how do you have a stain on your virtual slideshow? 😆 There's this random black dot on that white background that's been in every one of your news videos, it's been driving me crazy but I always forget to make a comment about it. 😅 Sorry, I have strong OCD, lol.

I don't agree on your statement that firmware updates have to be payed. The customer's investment in an Alpha camera is a substantial one and getting bug fixes and enhancement simply is part of the maintenance, that I pay for when I buy the camera. Or to say it differently: I'd rather pay a bit more upfront and have firmware updates included than pay less and be left with what I got when I bought it.
Software maintenance simply is a key part of customer care.