Gardner-Webb University Runnin’ Bulldogs football hosts North Carolina A&T on Saturday, September 2, 2017.

I am really enjoying this Sony pair for sports. The Sony A9 is a fabulous camera that has really made action shooting a dream. When you pair it with the Sony 100-400/4.5-5.6 GM lens, it’s a rocket, locking on focus of athletes moving at full speed. I am completely excited how quick it locks on focus and then stays with the subject as they move.

I’ve been using the pair for a couple of weeks and this past weekend shot women’s soccer and football at Gardner-Webb University.

I’ll admit the lens is not a nighttime lens due to the 4.5-5.6 aperture, but in the day, this duo rock. I’ve included some shots I took from the football game where I locked on a defender running back a fumble, and the focus tracked like a champ. I use Hoodman Steel SDHC UHS-II SD cards which are fast enough to keep up with the 20fps on the A9. I love my Hoodman Steel cards and have never had one fail.

These samples are straight out of the camera with no adjustments. Clouds rolled in just as the play started, so my exposure is a little dark, but nothing that can’t be corrected.

Gardner-Webb University Runnin’ Bulldogs football hosts North Carolina A&T on Saturday, September 2, 2017. (Sony A9, SEL100-400 GM; 400mm, 1/1600, 5.6, 640 ISO)

As you can see, the autofocus kept up and tracked throughout the play. Admittedly, if it were a night game, I would have had to go to a much higher ISO and the performance would probably have gone down. But, for an afternoon game, this pairing is a great option for shooting action sports.