Sony a9 Firmware 5.0 Review by Tony Northrup: Lock-on AF is extremely Useful for Sports

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Tony Northrup has published his review for Sony a9 Firmware 5.0, including Eye AF, Lock-on AF, Group Delete and more.

We test Sony’s firmware update for the Sony a9. Eye AF was excellent before, and it’s a little better now – though it still fails in heavily backlit situations. Lock-on AF tracks a subject as it moves across the frame. Before the firmware update, Lock-on AF was almost useless. Now, Lock-on AF is extremely useful for sports and even still subjects where focus-recompose is easier than manually changing focusing points. Finally, I discuss the importance of being able to delete a group of photos all at once.

After this Firmware 5.0 update, Sony makes a real step forward. Some websites even said the Sony a9 has better autofocus performance than Nikon D5 – “Mirrorless finally did beat DSLR in their last bastion”. But I don’t think so: Nikon D5 still has better ergonomics, battery life, start up time/response etc. What do you think?

The Sony a9 body is now $500 off at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.

See also: Best Lenses for Sony a9 and Best Memory Cards for Sony a9.