Sony A1 user Jamieson Dean (and other users) has reported an In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) issue in his Sony A1 full-frame mirrorless camera in a very specific situation: when taking stills using non-stabilized lenses. The issue does not rear up when taking videos or when taking stills using optically stabilized lenses. Also, the problem occurs only when the camera is moved from the rest (lowered) position to the eye.
In his video, he demonstrates that the Sony A1 (but not the A7 III) may take as long as 5 to 10 seconds for stabilization to kick in when bringing the camera up to his eyes from the rest (lowered) position using non-stabilized lenses. Though Sony has contacted him and acknowledged the issue is real and is being looked into, we have yet to see an official advisory from Sony. Not all owners of the A1 report the issue, but there are enough to warrant a careful investigation, especially as Sony is positioning itself as a provider of cameras to the professional photographer community.
This just shows how difficult it is to cram all those class-leading features into a full-frame camera which is incredibly the size of a Micro Four Thirds camera (or even smaller). Sony is obviously pushing the boundaries of what is possible technologically in their flagship full-frame mirrorless camera. (Canon and Nikon have chosen the easier route for their soon-to-be-released flagship mirrorless models and decided to use bodies as large and cumbersome as their full-frame DSLR bodies.)
Let this serve as a gentle reminder to camera manufacturers as they compete to outshine one another that rushing to put out class-leading features before they are fully field tested may backfire, viz. Canon’s 8K video over-heating, and now Sony A1’s IBIS.
