I Captured a Premier League Match with the New Sony A1 II Mirrorless Camera: Here Are 5 Lessons I Learned.

I recently had the opportunity to combine two of my passions: football and photography. I attended the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, UK, to witness a Premier League match between Manchester City and Nottingham Forest, all while using over $30,000 worth of Sony photographic equipment.

The night promised to be thrilling. Manchester City, one of the top teams in the world, was going through a slump, the worst since Pep Guardiola took charge in 2016. With an urgent need for victory, the atmosphere was charged with anticipation.

In my hands was Sony's new A1 II camera, the brand's flagship model, which costs $6,500 / £6,300 / AU$11,000 just for the body. This camera offers 50MP photos at speeds of up to 30fps and features Sony's best autofocus system. I also had a selection of lenses at my disposal, including the impressive FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS, which is valued higher than the camera body itself.

Despite my expectations of capturing spectacular images, not everything went as planned. While I managed to get several useful shots (I would have preferred a location closer to the field for more dynamic images), many of my photographs did not meet my expectations. Reflecting on the night, I identified several adjustments I could have made before the start of the match to achieve better results. Here are five lessons learned.

1. Take time to prepare your equipment and review test shots
   It is crucial to familiarize yourself with your gear before a sporting event. Professional cameras have multiple settings that require manual adjustments, especially if you are not an expert in the system. When shooting football, it is advisable to do tests during warm-ups to correct any errors before the match begins.

2. Make the most of the high resolution
   With 50MP available, it’s better to take wider shots and crop afterward to ensure that you capture the action. You cannot add what is outside the frame, but you can crop without losing quality, thus taking advantage of the camera's capabilities.

3. Properly adjust the shutter speed and ISO
   In a night match with constant lighting, it’s important to have the right shutter speed to freeze the action. Using a 400mm lens, a minimum of 1/500 seconds is advisable, but I decided to go further with 1/1000 seconds to ensure clarity in my photos, especially given the pace of the game.

4. Check the image stabilization modes
   Although I activated image stabilization, I experienced some blurry shots. This was due to not using the correct mode for panning. It is essential to choose the stabilization option that best suits the type of movement you are capturing.

5. Set up the memory correctly
   Every professional camera has options for storing images on two cards. However, the A1 II has a peculiarity: it stops when the first card is full and does not automatically switch to the second. This happened at a crucial moment, just when Manchester City scored their third goal, and I missed the chance to capture the action.

Despite my technical preparation, it became clear that I still have a long way to go to improve my skills in high-level sports photography.