The first small price drops in Germany: Source: Idealo.
USA:
We have a first deal on the A99. You save $150 on [shoplink 15768 ebay]BigValue (Click here)[/shoplink]. Or A99 superkits offer for the same price as the body at [shoplink 15770 ebay]Buydig (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 15769 ebay]Adorama (Click here)[/shoplink].
Login our little new Slidoo eBay site and save this A99 search to get notified on eBay deals.
Europe:
There have been an official 40 Euro price drop in Germany at Wexphotographic. If you like to take risks than there is a Luxemburg’s store selling the A99 for 2650 Euro on [shoplink 15767 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink] and for 2450 Euro at [shoplink 15766 ebay]UKbnsuk (Click here)[/shoplink]. Both write that there are no import taxes to pay.
Check out Slidoo Europe to find and/or get notified on eBay A99 deals.
53 Responses
Wow, 150.00.. Totally Affordable now….
Still only 1,000.00 more than the 1800.00 Nikon D600 with the same sensor.
The Canon 7D has the same sensor as the 600D – does that mean they should cost the same?
Saying that, you do get a free oil slick on your sensor every time you take a photo with the D600.
lol
Yep, you know what is really a rip off.
According to DXO the D600 outresolves the D4 in color depth, dynamic range, and ISO. It costs $3900 USD more than the D600.
http://alturl.com/3upkt
Just using your logic here…
Don’t trust the DXOmarkUP. Their testing is so horribly flawed. It’s so convoluted and outdated that they even have a multi-format section (literally an apology) that substantiates how limited it is.
As a SonyFan, I’d like to spend $5000 to buy A99, even though it is worth $1800 indeed.
Then buy the D600 if you love it so much. The D3200 has a 24mpix sensor, I think I’ll throw my A77 away and use that instead. Idiot.
well dell screwed me up on my order, guess everything happens for a reason, still want the a99, but will wait for a bit of a price drop before buying now.
Regardless of the price difference, is there any advantage to the A99 over the Nikon D600? After all, Sony should be pleased that their sensor is wonderful and sells well. 🙂
If you have to ask the question, it means you need neither.
Sorry, wrong argument from you.
Lol. The price was 200$ below D800. In Europe it is 500E over D800, more than 5d3. Now USA gets 150$ price drop and Europe 40E. Good job Sony Europe you will kill this company.
Looks like Sony’s having problems moving the a99. Too bad they can’t translate the awesome mirrorless sales over to the Alpha. Shame.
it surely is. Take me for example,was more than ready to buy one,but then cancelled it after seeing pic samples of it.
I may still get it,if they lower the price sub $2k
Don’t. If you want mirrorless, go NEX, for sure. If you want the DSLR form factor, go Canon.
Canon? You can not be serious. Go Canon if you want horrible Dynamic Range.
You must only shoot in JPEG.
I think he does because I dont see what canon or nikon can do that sony can’t. I really dont get it. I am constantly asked the same questions. ” you take good pics, which canon or nikon do you have” Mind you this was with my a700 and the cameras that most of the people that asked me these questions had were more advanced than my old a700. As long as you have good glass it hardly matters now a days what system you use.
I think there are a lot of folks out there in a similar bind:
A bit over two years ago I started investing on the Sony ecosystem – started with an A55, then began buying lenses (currently I own the Sony 18-250mm, a Zeiss 24mm f/2.0 and the Zeiss 24-70mm f/2.8); both Zeiss, though overkill for my current camera, were bought eagerly anticipating moving up to a full frame camera – now, however, I have some serious doubts about the cost/benefit of an Alpha A99, in view of the excellent value (and stellar reviews) of the Nikon D600, especially in regard to low light/night shooting, which I am very fond off.
I can sell my Sony stuff here in Brazil at a profit (a new 24-70 here retails for a bit under US$ 3,300.00) and have enough money to buy the D600 with the kit lens, a fast Nikon prime (I am particularly impressed with the 24mm f/1.4), and still have some change left.
Do you believe that Sony will be forced to lower the price of the A99, to a level that makes it more competitive with the D600 (and the soon-to-be-released Canon 6D)?
there are a lot of people complaining about the dust and oil problem that the nikon has so I suggest you wait a bit more or get something else. I always wait about 6 months to a year before I get electronics depending on what it is because its sad to say but companies have a bad habit of using us as beta testers.
You are petty much correct. I am hearing a lot of rumblings out of the Nikon community regarding the 600 with this dust and oil issue on the sensor. Nikon does not acknowlege the problem which means they do not have a fix. The 800 by all accounts a great camera had a focus issue that Nikon eventually fixed, correct? I have not heard any problems with the MK3. Was there any issues? Sony seemed to be ready with the 99. I have one and love this thing. Images are great. Low iso, this thing is magic. Good iso up through 8000. Will not hesitate setting at 6400 for night and inside spoting events. I love this EVF so much that many times I forget to use the meter. Focus peaking is beautiful thing. I always thought that if I ever got another companies camera it would be a Nikon but with what appears to be a quality control issue, I am not so sure. I was thinking about the MK3 as a third body but I may forget that craziness and splurge on a 300/2.8.
Mark my words, FF alpha are not long for this world. They’re probably losing more money on each FF alpha than do they on an LCD TV and PS3 combo. APSC Alphas are 2 years from getting extinguished from the face of the Earth. Nex if the future of Sony cameras. We need more and better Nex lenses. We need a solution to the magenta cast from wides on the Nex 7. Sony will keep dropping prices on the dslrs that nobody wants till the losses are too unbearable to ignore.
Thanks for the laugh!
I guess “We need …” means that you own one?
Please come back in, let’s say 2 years, and tell us just how much you excelled here!
/E
What? Clarifiation, please. Are you a fanboy or troll? Not sure if you even know the answer to that one.
You’re welcome to a good laugh, but Sony isn’t laughing when they see the sales numbers for Alpha slt. Better go sell that Alpha for 40% of what you paid while you still can. Go pick up a Nikon dslr and Nex mirrorless. Also, don’t make the same mistake you made when you chose Alpha by chosing Canon when you switch. Their future has a low dynamic range ring to it.
I think you are getting the cart before the horse as well. Emount is ok but not for everyone. Nikon is good but Sony makes money off them due to sensor sells.
They aren’t loosing any money on the Alpha series. The entire photography division is profitable. Developing DSLR sensors is a lucrative part of their business. They sell sensors to most of the camera makers at the moment. At some point I would assume they will merge.
The A99 is an excellent camera and it’s sensor out resolves or matches all the other new makes (D4, D800, D600, 5d3, 6D). It also is built in the class of the D800 and 5d3 not with plastic like the 6D and D600. It shoots a higher frame rate than all the camera’s in it’s class. Only the D4 and 1dx shoot more and they have to lock the AF and exposure to do so. It has video functionality that none of the other competitors have being able to shoot 60fps in 1080p. It’s AF is also on par with other models in it’s class.
Those are just the areas where it matches features of the 5d3 and D800 or better camera. Then you have to look at all the extra functionality you get that they don’t have. Articulating LCD, GPS, AF-range limiter, Full time live view, etc…
I think some of you would be happier with a lower end A99 for 2k with these specs…
24MP
Half plastic body (like D600)
5.5fps (like D600)
1/4000 (like D600)
Non articulating screen (like D600)
No GPS (like D600)
Max 30fps in video (like D600)
I wouldn’t…
A77 has all features that you have descibed and even more (fps), build in flash. It only lack one extra knob for flash price. A77 is 3x cheaper than a99 in Europe. Does it mean that Sony buys A99 sensor from Sony for 2x A77 full body price? That would mean Nikon buys D600 sensor for more than it gets for camera in shops here 🙂 LOL.
I see so you are placing the value of the A99 in relation to the recently price dropped A77. A great price BTW. But up until a week ago the A77 was exactly half the price of the A99. I think that is about right. The price of the A77 at only $1100 is a still compared to camera’s in it’s class.
But I’ll play, here is what you get for the extra money.
– Fullframe at 24MP with ability to shot any lens or APS-C lenses cropped 100% in VF.
– 2-3 stops better in higher ISO’s.
– 6fps Raw FF and 8fps RAW APS-C (10MP)
– Higher resolution screen (1,229k dots vs 921k dots)
– Uncompressed Full 1080 HDMI output
– Updated dual AF system with up to 102 AF points.
– Focus Range Limiter
– Programmable dual SD/MSDUO memory cards. (You can even record video on two cards at the same time. Nothing else does that.)
– A better build
How about we compare the…
– 7d ($1599) to the 5d3 ($3499) = 2 times the price
– 7d ($1599) to the 1dx ($6800) = 4.25 times the price
– 5d3 ($3499) to the 1dx ($6800) = 2 times the price
– D7000 ($1200) to the D4 ($6000) = 5 times the price
– D600 ($2000) to the D4 ($6000) = 3 times the price
– D800 ($3000) to the D4 ($600) = 2 times the price
Spec-wise you might be surprised how little separates these models. In some cases But please pick any of these comparisons and tell me how you think the price difference is justified using the same logic when you compare the A77 to the A99.
You need some corrections. Sensor and camera are two different division. Camera division is profitable as a whole, but corporation must justify every product within individual divisions. I would bet return on investment in Alpha is extremely low compared to NEX. I would also bet FF Alpha is losing money based on how much resource they spent on developing it and the resulting low sales.
For some people, the specs of the A99 is for them. If it does have built-in GPS, then I am jealous, but have no intentions to switch. The lens I use are just not there in the Sony lineup. The framerate, while nice, is not something I need. I used to own a D3 and never had a need for the high framerate. If you’re happy with the A99’s bullet item specs, that’s fine. For me, I don’t need every spec. D800E has nice enough image quality and enough dynamic range for me to leave my Hasselblad at home. Nikon also has the lenses I want. The sony dslt lineup reminds me of PCs. Lots of specs. Everyone must have the highest specs… so they can browse the web faster. Not saying those are your reasons. Just noticed Sony likes to put out a lot of specs. The one spec that they don’t have is a complete lens lineup… the most important spec of all. It takes Sony 3 years to design as many lens as Canon and Nikon design in one year. That’s a huge shame. They will never catch up. Look at Nikon primes in the 24 – 85 range, f1.4 and f1.8. 14-24/2.8. On the longer focal ranges, Canon can’t be touched. Sony doesn’t have a single tilt and shift. They can’t even use the premium Zeiss lenses. Now, when I think they’re dividing up their lens design resources to both Alpha and NEX, I just shake my head.
I’ll add I almost switched to Sony Alpha a few years back when I got sick and tired of Canon’s conservatism and high iso banding. I thought Zeiss and Sony were going to churn out those lenses. I now look back and am thankful I switched to Nikon instead. Not only has Nikon turned up the volume on lens development, but Zeiss has also done the same for F mount. I did buy the A55 for a whim and was impressed but sold it because I was willing to give up some impressive specs for a more complete system.
If Sony picked up the pace of NEX lens development, then leaving behind Canikon may be a possibility in few years.
How could Sony spend “much resource on developing it” when A99 is basicaly A77 with sensor that Sony sells to Nikon too? And Nikon is able to sell this camera for almost half the price with flash, OVF, moving mirror, and they have to buy Sensor and LCD. Sony doesn’t have. Sorry I see no single excuse for this price. I am sure A99 won’t sell with those prices and sooner or later it will drop to D600 range or not. Then you will be able to buy it new from shop shelf as a last SONY SLT A99 even 6 years from now 🙂
A850 was more expensive camera to make with big OVF and pentaprism – It starter at 1999$ level IIRC two years ago. With technology progress and obvious cost cuts thanks to EVF you could expect drop in prices not such insane increase.
In the US the D600 is $2000 and the A99 is $2800. For that $800 you get more camera for your money, it’s easy to compare the specs.
The D600 costs $2000 because it has….
– A cheap body compared to the A99, 5d3, D800, D700, D300s, and D7000 (I’m sure you’ve heard of the dust problem)
– Only 1/4000th sec shutter while D800, A99, 5d3 all do 1/8000th
– Fixed lower resolution LCD (compared to A99)
– Low flash sync of only 1/250th
– Dual cards but not programmable (you can’t dedicate a card to video, jpgs, copy, etc…)
Maybe these don’t matter to you and maybe you wish Sony would have omitted a bunch of features to get the price down but I don’t. If the A99 had the same specs of the D600 for $2K it would have been a total disappointment. I would just keep the A850 or A900 rather than trade to a camera spec’d like the D600.
If you are saying that Sony should give specs inline with or betters the 5d3 for only $1500, that’s just silly. If the grass is greener why not sell the Sony gear you have and get the D600 you covet so much. Sony lenses are selling for higher than they ever have and the resell for used A850/A900’s is pretty good.
I am with you Marlon. First off, the Sony A99 does not compete against the Nikon D600, it competes against the D800 and Canon 5D MKIII. The build quality and additional features are what you rightfully pay for. In this case, that also means that the D800 and 5D MKIII are both overpriced since they cost more than the A99 and D600. Heck if that’s the case, add in the new Canon full frame as well. I am also getting a bit tired of the lackluster reviews and images that are being posted by less than reputable sites. I own both cameras (5D MKIII) and yes the A99 matches it in raw low light performance. I never shoot jpeg so I can’t comment on that performance. What Sony has done is created a great stills camera with the added benefit of video for those that want it. Dynamic range is excellent as is color. The electronic viewfinder is exceptional and great for me. I don’t like using my A900 and A850 that much anymore because of it. If there is something people don’t like, then don’t buy the camera and switch. The next best thing is here so if it’s not good enough find something you think that is. If the A99’s price needs to drop then the D800, 5DMKIII, D4 and 1DX damn sure need to drop.
Idiots have been saying for SIX YEARS that Sony will pull out for Alpha. Welcome to the club.
Just wait guys for saving some $ or €… they are going to drops more in the later days… 🙂
I can not understand why Zeiss is lagging in the lens dept. Either they will step it up or not and if not let us all know. I have the 850 and really like, except when shooting inside a Church. I have played with the A99 for 5 minutes and love the feel and the shooting rate. I don’t care so much for Video at the moment. What I care most is more lens choices. I can’t sell, because I have 2 zeiss lens so I have to hold out. I would agree that the prices should come down to around $2200.00
That might happen if Sony decides to make a version of the A99 that matches the D600 and 6D. As is the A99 is too loaded and competes with the more expensive D800 and 5d3. I’m sure most Nikon and Canon user wish the D800 and 5d3 where $2200 as well….
Zeiss is NOT lagging in the lens dept. Like any corporation, they must justify all product development. They cannot justify the expense to invest in the Alpha system when the market is so small. Zeiss has been churning out a LOT of new lenses lately, all for cinema or for Canikon mounts. I believe that a lot of Alpha users misinterpreted Zeiss’ intent on desiging for Alpha given the small number of oddball “Zeiss” that were produced early on. I might be wrong, but out of the half dozen lenses they announced over the last 2 years, none are available for Alpha. I don’t think Zeiss ever intended to support Alpha fully. I think Sony had to cajole Zeiss into providing a few designs for Alpha.
Just checked BH Photo. Zeiss has TWELVE ZF.2 lenses out. Most were announced in just the last 4-5 years. Many of these are replacement for the original ZF lenses that were announced before. I also did a search for Zeiss Alpha. The only new lens I see is the 24/2. On top of that, Zeiss has been quite busy with the cinema lens announcement.
Not many Alpha owners will pay $3k for the new Zeiss ZF.2 15/2.8. I’d also say that even if Zeiss made their entire lineup available for Alpha, it’s not enough. Both Canon and Nikon have very good and unique lenses. Even without Zeiss, each of those two’s lineup probably dwarfs Sony’s by 3-5x. In the last 2 years, Nikon updated their 24/1.4, 35/1.4, 85/1.4, 35/1.8, 85/1.8 and added 28/1.8, in addition to the f/4 zooms.
Sony’s problem is not just marketing. They just don’t have the lens design capacity. As fancy as their electronic gets, it doesn’t make up for lack of lenses.
@Marlon Richardson
I Europe prices are more like that after conversion to $:
D600 ~ 2000$
D800 ~ 2800$
a99 ~ 3700$
LOL
I can agree that D600 body is not the best and it has dust issues that Nikon will solve sooner or later. Keep in mind that D800 is ~ 900$ cheaper than A99. How can you explain that?
Flash sync in A99 is same 1/250 and it doesn’t sync to this speed in all circumstances even. Shutter speed of D600 sounds like obvious crippling to keep d800 sells. D800 and 5d3 do not have APSC AF modules, do not have buffers from ASPC cameras and do not have APSC EVF. All those cameras have expensive OVF and moving glass mirror instead of stedy plastic sheet. Moving mirror means plenty of small parts to assemble and align.
No matter how fanboys try to explain Sony A99 is damn expensive compared to other camers even in USA. In Europe this price is joke.
Don’t forget that A99 shouldn’t be compared to Nikon and Canon but also to very similar A77. It shares so many parts with it, the main differences are sensor size and 3x higer price in Europe. Lol.
I don’t know why it’s so expensive in your area but in US and Japan, the bigger markets, it’s way less than the D800 and 5D3. Maybe you should just buy it here.
Also you should compare it to the D800 and 5D3 because most people upgrading to the A99 are already full frame shooters and wouldn’t have considered the A77. The tech in the A77 and A99 are similar but that isn’t a new thing. That’s always been the case. A700 and A900 had almost the same specs other than full frame sensor and the price difference is similar. 7d and 5d3 is the same. It’s not new. If you want a high end full frame it’s going to cost you.
Also I get 1/250 flash sync on everything. I’ve tried studio strobes, portable flashes, etc… It all works. At $2800 the A99 is a great deal.
Not so much at $3500.
I had the chance to buy the A99 for CHF 2698, including the vertical grip and 4 years Sony professional warranty. The official list price was CHF 3350 plus about CHF 450 for the grip. That was a bargain by end of October. And I like the A99, also because of the EVF that is an enabler for me, not an obstacle. With the new flash, what a combo!
And I am sure Sony and retailer were profitable with this price. So they at least rip off 500-600E with today prices in EU. Why are they doing this?
For those who keep mentioning that the NEX series outsell the Alpha…
That is because you CANT FIND an alpha body anywhere to purchase… ‘Best Buy’ is full of Nex Camera, 3,5,7’s, You name it they have it. but NOT ONE Alpha. EVEN at the ‘Sony Style’ stores most of the time… I had to wait 5 months before I could buy an a77 from the Sony style store, But when A nex product comes out it right there for sale immediately. So Just because you own a Nex, Stop saying its better or its sells more… If it does sell more its only because you cant find an alpha to buy anywhere… Plus 80% of Sony’s camera ads are for the Nex. Not alpha.. This is obviously Sony making this the case, not the Consumer’s choice of Nex over Alpha….
Best Buy has an idea what sells and what doesn’t. They tried to sell Alphas years ago. Alphas just didn’t sell. You can’t find Alphas anywhere because it’s an uphill sell for retailers. A better measure is Amazon best seller list. Even there, NEX outsells Alphas. A smaller, lighter camera that takes as good or better photos selling better than a bigger, heavier one? Doesn’t really take a genius to figure this one out.
Mr. Lee is dumb. He just proved it to the world.
Really? You seem to have confused Apple’s new product release availability with Sony’s abandonment of the Alpha line.
Very good point. Almost impossible to buy an Alpha aside from a Sony store. To me that seems foolish! If you need to promote something bug why have it in limited stores? WAKE UP SONY. Make a special brand and bring back the name Minolta vintage
Just a forewarning for those who are interested in purchasing anything from eBAY from the seller, ‘bigvalueinc’.
They do offer very good prices, but know that you may NOT receive warranty!
I purchased a D600 from them a month ago. Shipping speed was average (5-7 business days) given that it was free. HOWEVER, the camera that they sold is a GREY MARKET import. It did not come with any nikonUSA warranty card, and didn’t even come with a USA plug (received a European 3 prong). I looked up the serial and even contacted them to confirm it was grey market.
A second purchase was made from them a 2 weeks ago, for a friend. A Canon 5d mk3.. They still haven’t shipped the camera out. The listing specified that the camera DOES in fact come with USA warranty. However I have been reading other recent buyers’ feedbacks stating that ‘bigvalueinc’ sent them a camera w/o the warranty card; complete misrepresentation of what they are selling.
BE CAREFUL WHEN DEALING WITH THEM. If you want to avoid any sort of headache, please please please…Spend the extra 100 bucks elsewhere.
I’ll eventually pick one up when they will drop at around 2400/2500, if in themean time nothing new or better will pop out from sony hat.
this a99 is a very nice camera, image quality is outstanding and the AF seems as good as it can get, yet a part for video capability, there is not much of improvement from the a900 image quality, af speed and reliability. 4 years ago dslr technology and image quality got to a point where there is room ony for marginal improvements, which are not a deal breaker anymore.
i think we are at a stage where you can update your cameras very second generation whitout missing anything tangible.
The mentionned Luxemburg store on eBay, is actually a Jersey based store!
I think ‘Marlon Richardson’ works for Sony….
I wish the sell’s reps at the Sony Style Stores even knew what an a99 is, lol
Much less him going on and on about what a great price the ‘overpriced’ a99 is… Funny Stuff.