Mirrorless reportage flagship: Sony Alpha 9 diagnostics

Sony Alpha 9 (ILCE-9, 2017) is the first professional mirrorless camera that really challenged the Canon 1D X II and Nikon D5 reportage DSLRs. The stacked 24.2-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor delivered 20 fps with an electronic shutter without rolling shutter and continuous-servo autofocus. It was a shock to the professional sports community. Agencies Reuters, Associated Press, Getty Images began to switch to Alpha 9 - and their exploitation is always as intensive as possible.

20 fps in the hands of a sports photographer is 1200 frames per minute. During the final of the World Athletics Championships, the counter can increase by 50,000 frames. These are the loads that are typical for an agent Alpha 9 that ends up on the secondary market. Checking the mileage before purchasing is critical.

Record resource 500,000 and split counter

Sony has set a record mechanical shutter lifespan of 500,000 operations for the Alpha 9. At 20 fps in electronic mode, the mechanical shutter is not used - it is only needed for photography with flash and in certain modes. This means that the actual mechanical mileage of the Alpha 9 may be significantly lower than the number of pictures actually taken. Our service correctly displays the mechanical meter.

Reading a mechanical counter from ARW files Alpha 9

Mechanical and electronic mileage data are stored separately in the MakerNotes ARW block. For diagnostics you need the original ARW from the memory card. Our service separates the mechanical and electronic actuations of the Alpha 9.