A very long time trusted sources shared some good news about the A99 sales and future. First of all Sony’s sales forecast not only has been matched but there were 5% more sales than expected. The same source also told me new A99 price drops (worldwide!) can be expected to be launched this summer. Along the new firmware that will be announced too.
Sounds great!
P.S: Yesterday’s A99 deals are just the start! 6ave has two A99 superkits: [shoplink 19386 ebay]One for $2,271 (Click here)[/shoplink] and another [shoplink 19387 ebay]one for $2,280 (Click here)[/shoplink].
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152 Responses
The sales goals were reached and exceeded, and yet they’re dropping the price. I would think that if they selling so well, why drop the price. Am I missing something here?
Marketing. They’re now aiming at a different market (second adopters).
And Sony now maybe has got paid for their huge development cost, which a camera like this needs? And by that now has a margin to lower the price…
Bosse all cameras get cheaper the longer they are out this shouldn’t be news to you.
A99 sales compared to the D600 and 6d are a tiny drop in the oceans.
Every A99 buyer is a potential lens buyer which drives future profits, that is why Sony’s price strategy was all wrong with this model.
Yes Simon T, and one part of that is that the manufacturer at that time has got the huge R&D costs paid for the camera and thereby could lower the price! It’s just plain business economics 😉
What huge R&D in your imagination.
It’s a FF sensor shoved into a slightly modified A77 body and not a lot else.
‘rumours of my being overpriced were somewhat exaggerated’
Sounds like they got the price dead right. Also means the mid-life price drops will be good, giving a fair sales uplift.
All you have to do is see flickr stats to see than Sony sold more A99 than they did A900 and A850 combined. Of course Canon and Nikon sell a lot more FF, but they sell FF cameras to already established huge base.
For Sony’s standard (A900& A850) A99 did very very well, regardless of what a couple of comment posters keep claiming here about “bad” sales.
Where do you check those flickr sales stats?
Sony didn’t do a whole lot to push/advertise the A900/850. The ads I saw were lame. You could barely see the bodies in the ads. Compare that to any ad Sony has run for the A99.
What ads for the A99? They have been few and far between, at least in print, particularly compared to what Canon and Nikon do. I have seen more Sony pop-up ads online, but those also are targeted based on data the websites obtain about buying and shopping preferences, who whenever I/we do a search for some Sony camera product it’s tracked and later used to target ads. Besides, studies show that online advertising tends to be less effective. In general, mainstream advertising, Sony is hard to find, at least in the U.S.
With lower prices (say somewhere between D600/6D and the present price) they would have sold alot more I believe… Anyways I’m glad they’ve met the goals, hopefully means they’re making good profit also now to keep the line going.
Admin:
1. do you know anything about when the new firmware is coming and what it has?
2. Do you know how the AF-compatibility of the new A-mount cameras will be with the present lenses? The launch of 70D and its incompatiblity with all lenses, along with the Sony manager prediction of increased lens sales worries me alot at the moment…
Maybe they would have sold more at a lower price, but that would be no use if they made a loss on each one. The initial price has to cover all the R&D costs with the projected sales figure, and show some profit.
Once the projected sales are met, then the development and introductory marketing costs have been covered, so the price can go down while still showing a profit.
It’s the “system” overall not this body. If quite a few A mount users jumped ship to Canikon because the price was so high on the A99, long term they’ve hurt their margins even more.
The initial £2500 launch price was frankly “absurd” and it took a long time to come down to £2000 odd. Problem is it can’t compete with the D800 (more pro build more resolution) and it’s priced above the £1500 mark which is a sales killer.
Overall Sony probably did more harm than good with the A99, they fooled very few people. It’s an A77 with a FF sensor and they can make that body for a profit at under £700 retail. A FF sensor does not cost £1300!
If Sony make the same mistake next year and overprice their cameras v rivals they’ll again harm their long term prospects.
It has already been rumoured that the full frame mirrorless is going to be MORE than the A99 hasn’t it? If so, it’s already doomed to failure.
Sony insist on seeing themselves as a aspirational brand thinking that they can charge a premium over CaNikon. That might work if CaNikon don’t have something to offer, but it’ll be near impossible to drag peoples attention away from the CHEAPER D800/5D type range.
Don’t forget by next year the 6d/D600 and other FF bodies 5dMkIII and D800 will “All be cheaper”
For A mount users “ebay is your friend” why pay high Sony prices for cut down models when you can bag A700’s and A850/900’s for much more appealing prices.
Anti-AlphaGuy: How much would Nikons be if they had to do R&D on their own sensors?
FF NEX may cost more than a99 and that will be fine. It will sell. The only other camera in that size/weight category on the market is a Leica M. If you buy a cheap 35mm lens for that camera, a Zeiss 35mm or a top of the line Voigtlander 35mm 1.2, you pay $8k at least for the kit. FF NEX with AF lens kit can cost $3.5k and it will sell. If Sony knows the market it should be aiming it to it should know that it needs good fast primes.
If the prices are not to your liking, think about it again. Sony is finally stepping up to be a professional stills equipment provider and it is charging likewise. How many here would actually buy a D4? or a 1Dx? or how many here actually went out and bought a D800 instead of a99? How about some stats for that?
Here it is, again, the hypocrisy of some SAR readers that want everything for nothing, just because it says “Sony” on the thing.
The RX1 was received here with mixed views and in a poll Admin did the vast majority said they would NOT buy the camera. That’s fine, you see? because SAR doesn’t really represent the world that is willing to pay for the most compact, best 35mm lens, FF camera there is. Even John Vink from Magnum Photos has one.
Sony has the balls to push the envelope further than many companies now. If you really want the raw edge of technology, this is it. If you don’t see the value in this and can only think of the price, this is not for you. Sorry.
+1 to Hendrick & The Lotus Eater
Maybe you should email Sony and demand to pay more for your A99. Maybe donate the $1000 extra to charity of something useful.
I don’t know what planet some folks are on, but wake up time Sony are the bit player in a 2 horse race, you don’t gain market share overpricing products.
Competition is there if you ignore it you are doomed. I bet if we compared the A99’s sale figures to the D600 or 6d they would be hilariously tiny.
@Simon, what are you waiting for? Go Nikon then. Or do you want Nikon to launch an even cheaper D400 with the D700 sensor?
Do it. Do it.
@simon. And I bet Sony made significantly more money on the A99 than Canikon on the 6D/D600.
It doesn’t matter to Nikon as the fundamental difference between Nikon and Sony is that Nikon know that they’ll make money from the SYSTEM a D600 user buys. Sony only care about selling a new body and fail to “get it”.
Yeah, and those who buy the A99 won’t buy lenses, right?
“Overall Sony probably did more harm than good with the A99, they fooled very few people”.
Well apparently they fooled 5% more people than they had anticipated, so go figure.
Of course it can compete with the D800. More resolution and more pro build? That’s it? Stabilization, articulating screen, focus peaking and zoom, faster AF, useful live view. Simply different cameras.
And the sensor is still the most expensive part of the camera, with FF costing several times more than APS-C.
+1. I bought the a99 and my friend he bought the D800. The only thing the D800 have over the a99 is the sensor side and battery life. The only one that impacts me is the battery life.
In the US, the A99 was always somewhat cheaper than the D800 and the 5DII. The camera has been extremely well-received by the imaging press, as well as the market. Now that Sony has somewhat more than paid for all costs relating to the A99, every camera that is sold in the future is gravy.
So it seems to me that Sony’s launch pricing was spot-on, at least in the US. Why in that case lower the price now? Do you not believe Andrea when he tells you that there are new Alpha FF cameras coming with breakthrough technology–on the market in early 2014, probably announced before the end of the year? Have you not seen the ongoing heavy Sony promotion of the A99 and Sony’s entire line of FF cameras? As Andrea has told us, we are in for exciting times.
Please direct me to Sony’s heavy promotion of its FF cameras. I have not seen it.
Don Cox: +1 on that!
They forecast low sales?
Define: “low”. If by “low” you mean “much lower than either 5D or D800” that the answer would definitely be yes. No reason to fool yourself with beating any of direct competitors in terms of pure sales number.
Well… they are about to end SLT era… don’t get surprised if you see prices below $1.800 within 6 months
+1
Lower prices would not work to Sony’s benefit. You don’t make a name for yourself by being the ‘thrifty’ brand. You end up sacrificing R&D and become Pentax. Win the market with tech, not price. Why would any Canon or Nikon users want to switch for a better value? I shoot with a bunch of Canon users who occasionally need to bite their tongues when I get a shot they can’t get with their low burst rate. Then they remind me that my ISO sucks in low light. I’m stoked to see what the new direction has to offer us! Can’t wait for more updates!
+1
When we say “lower prices”
We basically mean “competitive prices”
If Sony think they can charge a premium for products above the market leaders then they’re in for a shock next year. They just won’t sell well.
That’s why the A99 has been a flop (ignore this trusted sources stuff it’s not sold well in Europe at all that’s over 50% of the market)
DSLR sales are slowing, that is clear as are other camera sales. So times are tough all round. Sony are not “leica” they have no choice buy to be on a par with rivals. Anyone asking for higher prices is deluding themselves long term. Without a larger user base (ie more lens sales) Sony is damaging their long term presence in this market.
Yes, we have you as a trusted source instead since you have access to actual sales figures rather than local, not representative impressions. 😀 😀
Let’s see some sales figures from this mysterious source then. This is just propaganda to try to save face for the A99 pricing blunder. If it’s selling so well they why announce price cuts coming soon?
I don’t believe a word of it. If I set a target of finishing 9th in a 10 man race and then come in 8th place then I don’t really consider that much of a challenge. Same applies here.
+1
ebay: The a99 only sold 26 new units in US since April. Here’s the numbers for the other guys: (5dmiii: 256) (5dmII: 88) (d800: 81) (d600 77)
Klaus, the point is clear – your word against Sony. And I personally don’t see any reason for Sony “to try and save face”. In front of whom? Not to mention that if they did exaggerate, there will be consequences for them.
What Sony source? It’s a rumour. It is no more valid than anybody else here.
Yes, it is. Given the track record of SAR and that it comes from “very long time trusted sources”, it is certainly better than the opinion of one commenter.
seriously! why are you on this blog. Really! Admin do their best to provide us with info but some of you have no appreciation for it. just constant negativity day in day out. look if you don’t like what sony is doing don’t buy their product its that simple. go buy a canon or nikon and be content but remember the grass always looks better in the neighbor’s yard.
Seriously, what a load of rubbish.
If you want people to ignore Sony’s statement, you should provide something. Obviously, you can’t provide numbers, so at least an argument would be nice.
“Anyone asking for higher prices is deluding themselves long term.”
Yeah, right.
Europe is about 20-25% of the market.
Exactly. Sony already tried this when they started price dumping the excellent A5xx series and A900 (in the shape of the A850, selling them below $2k). Didn’t work at all. The A580 gained less interest than almost any other Sony DSLR/ SLT and the A850 was short lived too.
There are two good reasons why the A580 didn’t sell as well as other Sony models and neither are due to the lowering of price.
1. It wasn’t available in all markets.
2. The A55 got all the media attention.
Had the A580 been sold across the globe and not had to compete with the A55, it would have sold a lot better.
The A850 was too late to the party, it’s that simple for that one.
When the A200 was priced lower than the D40/1000D it sold by the boat-load.
A700 was priced $500 lower than D300, but despite that D300 was best seller and A700 lost money.
I hope, their “worldwide” includes Europe.
Sony does not care about Germany … It’s still annoying …
Erm isn’t a sister model being launched in 6 months? Yeah the A99 is going to plummet in price very very soon, which is good, might actually buy one.
A camera price is set based upon both the price of production and the research and development that prepared it. Usually they try to recoup the r&d cost within two years. A notable exception was the Canon AE-1, a revolutionary camera, where they spread out the cost of r&d over many more years. They believed their product was so revolutionary that it would take the world by storm. They were right, and they recouped their r&d in a very short time because of huge sales. That was a VERY risky move on Canon’s part, but it paid off. In today’s market, such risk-taking is rare.
Microsoft said the same thing, “good sales” with Windows 8, yet everyone hates it and it’s not sold as well as it should have.
As for Sony, I suspect their European sales are not very good. The camera is overpriced (significantly) worse I know of many A mount users who have left the mount looking for more affordable FF offerings.
Sony made a huge mistake with the A99, it’s a £1200 camera at best. They would not make a loss, manufacturing costs are lower than OVF DSLR’s. Nikon seem to be able to sell the D600 for around that and make a profit. Don’t believe everything you read, these cameras are not nearly as expensive to make as they want you to think.
+1!
I agree! That’s about the price point at which I would think of replacing my A55 – even if not ALL of the super-duper functionality will work with my secondhand Minolta primes.
Some of you nah sayers are so funny! Not!
You guys should stick to the 1 dollar store. where you belong.
The problem with your view is that without providing people with a cost effective upgrade path you lot who are willing to waste money on overpriced Sony A99s won’t have any cameras to buy as Sony will be out of the dSLR business.
People will simply swap systems as they have already done so. There is a huge gap between the A77 and the A99 and it’s filled by CaNikon.
So in future don’t be so dismissive about those looking for a Sony full frame at D600 prices.
The price of everything and the value of nothing.
Sony a99, as a stills only camera, not worth it.
Sony a99, as a video focused only camera, not worth it.
Sony a99, as a stills and video, with no mirror full live view AF speed plus silent dial for exposure or any other changes and CZ lenses…it’s worth it.
No other SLR offers that. Everyone else willing to do hand held work in bright sunlight with their D800, 5D2/3, in video where you only got the LCD on the back needs you to buy a loupe or an external monitor. With an a99, you don’t.
AF is also better in video mode in a99 than it is with any of the other SLRs and stills image quality is great too.
So, WTF? What are you lot doing here complaining about the price of a camera if it’s for a hobby? you can get your Zeiss fix with Canon and Nikon with their ZE and Zf lenses…for man and leave Sony push the envelope further.
@Hendrick
Most of us couldn’t give a toss about video.
@Alphaguy
Then there is no need to consider the a99 at its current price range. Like I said, not worth it. Read the whole thing. Go Nikon.
@Hendrick
Not everyone can afford to swap systems every now and then as they like. Or at least I don’t… I think most of us invested in a system for PHOTOGRAPHY. Not video making. Being enforced the other system is fine I guess, as long as the photo quality is not lost.
@Emir
I invested in photography too. The fact that video came in with the 5D2 meant that I had an extra tool to fulfill my needs. If it doesn’t for you, then that’s ok too.
I don’t have tons of money to switch systems around. I do, however, end up spending because I switch when someone really does offer me something I would need/want so I make the stretch.
Photography is my main income and even if I don’t switch systems, renewing gear budget is a must.
I went from Nikon to Canon because of the MP and one lens Canon had at the time that Nikon didn’t. I went from Canon to Sony because of the compact system, the MP at base ISO and the performance of the NEX 7.
I guess the problem is not that the a99 is overpriced, but rather there is no a88. had Sony foreseen the a600/6d at an earlier stage, I’m sure things would have looked different today. or maybe they think they already made a budget ff, the a850, and decided not to make that mistake again. the a99 might be a great camera, but market-wise, Sony seem a little out of touch.
That is your proof? That Microsoft messed up?
The A99 isn’t overpriced, looking at its features and given Sony’s claim, it is priced exactly where it should be (except in Europe). Unless you’d agree that D800/5D3 are overpriced too. As for the D600/6D, these are made to catch market and even if they are making some profit, which I doubt, then it isn’t much.
Good to see the A99 is selling so well. Somehow i am not surprised, such an awesome camera. Good job Sony
Good to see the A99 is selling so well. Somehow i am not surprised, such an awesome camera. Good job Sony
I live in the UK and it’s not sold well here it’s very expensive and few places actually stock the A99. Maybe it’s done ok in the USA with the bundle deals, I don’t think it’s done well in the EU.
Trusted sources never admit much anyway, you hardly expect them to admit a mistake. This looks like nothing more than a PR stunt and little to back it up.
Where did you get your UK sales figures from, Peter? Could you share them for all of us to see?
The A99 seems fairly easy to get hold of in the UK. All the main online retailers sell it, and even my local independent shop had it in stock.
Sony HAS to fix their EU pricing policies. It is just disproportionately more expensive than any currency exchange and VAT calculation you can ever dream of compare to their competitors. On that, yes, Sony has to get on the case and sort if out. Otherwise, I can keep on seeing gray imports in the future and a lot of conforming of 24p to 25p to fit EU standards.
The A99 is selling so well that they are dumping it in less than a year from now.
Exactly! If they were doing so well they wouldn’t dump SLT. I don’t buy this story at all sorry. It’s hype and spin. Maybe they had a sales target of 100 how do we know!
They’ll be dropping the price to dump inventory before the next big thing.
It costs a lot to employ people to clean the dust off all those unsold A99s and they’ll need the warehouse space to store mirrorless full frames that won’t sell either. 😀
When you make sales target the idea is to win money.
Hold your tongue, mate! In few years it may become a cult camera as the most affordable FF body mostly compatible with all the legacy glass.
That’s an interesting point about lens AF compatibility, especially third-party.
Could it be that A99 sales will be boosted due to people not wanting or be willing to pay for a slower mirrorless dSLR body.
Well, yeah, they are having something else coming, duh!
Idiot. The point is that when something is selling well you DON’T dump it. I’m glad that I am not in business with you!
What are they “dumping”? They will discontinue one model and sell another. Hardly difficult to understand.
That’s great news, drop the price and I might finally be able to get one!
Any NEX-7 news? Firmware? What’s in it? What’s in the upcomming NEX-7 model refresh? Would we see something new or just enhanced version of NEX-6?
There has been plenty of NEX news for MONTHS, in fact this site was in danger of becoming exclusively NEX.
Finally we are getting Alpha mount news and you NEX users insist on hijacking threads with NEX crap.
Just wait FFS.
A-mount, not Alpha mount. I do wish we could edit.
Oh Alphaguy, you must have creamed your pants at the headline – finally an on-topic discussion for you to disparage the price of the camera you want but refuse to pay more than an a77 amount for.
“Dumping it in less than a year from now?” You mean to say Sony is rumored to be releasing a successor two years after it’s release. If they don’t release another successor you won’t buy you’ll bitch about how outdated, old and behind the competition they are and Sony doesn’t care (see: a77). What a way with words you have.
Meanwhile a99 users continue to capture and create excellent images with their excellent camera.
+1 to C.
@AlphaGuy. Come on man. Stop bashing prices. Whether you can or cannot, or will or will not, pay for a camera at its price…it’s not up to the company to please you. There are other choices. Go Nikon if you want cheaper.
Yes all 3 A99 users continue to capture great images 😉
Is the A99 worth the price of 3x A77’s? Pretty much same body, build and spec with a FF sensor. Twice the price maybe, but 3x? No way
Not me specifically, but it would be beneficial to them to please “us” Alpha users. They are obviously failing to do so.
What lowest target price can we expect in Germany? Will the body only price fall below 2000€ this year?
Personally I don’t need cheap bundles with lenses, memory cards, flash etc.
Probably expensive, still. I am not sure about a mark around EUR2,000, but maybe slightly higher.
When it launched, it was cheaper to buy the cam in the US (at the time $2,800) allow for say $150 for postage and insurance and pay VAT at 19%. You would have come a hundred or a bit more on top of the In-Germany price.
Same for the UK.
That being said, if video is a must, you would have been stuck with 24p and 60p. Not much of a biggie because you can always conform to 25, but its an extra step and a pain in the neck.
It sound alot like their marketing department tries to explain why they need to lower their prices.
If your company is fighting for its life, why lower prices on a product that sells above expectations?
Hope we get more clarity on exactly when the price drop will be and for how much. I will be taking a vacation early Sept. and would consider a99 at a reasonable price.
That Sony met their goal probably means their goal was pretty small. And 5% is not much in a slow selling item.
Canon and Nikon have also experienced increasing sales. A whole lot more than Sony, and that on OVF DSLRs, which are far more popular than Sony’s experiments.
Wrong. Both Nikon and Canon lowered expectations. But we can always trust Walt to throw in a few fallacies. 😉
Yep – more of the usual FUD from Walt. He continues to claim that the evidence for OVFs being more popular than EVFs are the greater sales numbers of Canikon. D’uh – what a tool.
LOL
Walt, the broken record, supping away from his half-empty glass.
EVF is the future, Walt. Even the Canon 70D hints at such a future.
“their goal was pretty small”
Their goal was to make a specific amount of money with that camera and they made it.
Walt’s views represent a significant number of A mount users Lotus Eater. It’s not our fault Sony keep ignoring their customers and trying ill fated experiments. Walt is right people don’t care about SLT or EVF’s they just want decent products that are priced well. This is why Canon and Nikon have stomped all over Sony in the full frame market.
I seem to remember a poll here a while back where not many people were in favour of going back to OVF. Walt’s views may represent a number of users, but they are the minority I’m afraid, so not particularly significant at all.
Have you got those UK sales figures for us yet?
A poll of folks locked into Sonydom hardly represents all photographers, particularly at the DSLR end. Try polling all brand users.
Switching technologies, evolving and offering new products make for a change in customer dynamics and perception. Leica’s customers are not the same as anyone else’. By that token, Sony’s product evolution attracted new customers with SLT, NEX, RX. A99 represented an attraction of video oriented customers too. Whether you and Walt don’t care about that section of current customers, it doesn’t mean Sony has to bend to your perception of ‘their customers’.
I came to Sony from Canon and Nikon. NEX sold me to this and I am now in the NEX/RX customer base. I had 2 5D2s and use stills (a lot) and video (a lot) to understand where the a99 excels compared to a 5D3 and D800. Sony understands that too. If you don’t care about certain technology, that’s OK, there is plenty of ponds for you to swim in.
Let Sony do what its doing. Evolving and pushing boundaries. It needs it and, by the confidence invested in the RX and NEX line, it appears it is really on track to truly push the envelope like a boss.
+1
I’m with Walt.
And I am now most interested in seeing what Hasselblad does with an A-Mount camera… Not that a few rumours and leaked comments siting their next camera as being a DSLR (and not a DSLT) mean definitively that Hasselblad will build us die-hards an OVF camera. I’m not convinced of that (though I’d love it to be true).
Heck, SONY probably owns the patent on the acronym DSLT. And even more to the point… SONY themselves are afraid to put all their eggs in the proverbial basket and market with the acronym DSLT. Just look at http://sony.com and read what the menu heading underneath Electronics / Cameras & Camcorders says…
So… For the record, if SONY would have released an OVF camera with an A-Mount and a D800 sensor… I’d have bought it instead of another a900 off of BH Photo’s used department. And I know I can’t be alone in my thinking…
+1
It’s comical how Sony will force something like a noisy 24 MP crop body with an SLT.
Like other photographers, a half/whole stop is a big deal. Small technical gains are a big deal.
People don’t want to be forced to accept something, Sony should listen and respond to the market, not try to boss customers into things.
Lots of a-mount shooters would like a-mount cameras with Sony/Zeiss/Minolta continuation.
Again categorical opinions passed for facts. Where is that “significant number of A mount users”? Where are these people who “don’t care about SLT or EVF”? Do you have something more tangible than your own frustrations?
@Vlad: +1
“Where are these people who “don’t care about SLT or EVF”?”
erm, they are called CANON and NIKON users. You know, the people who buy VASTLY more cameras than from Sony.
Feel free to try and prove that this is related to the EVF and not to the simple fact of the enormous market share that Canikon have. This has nothing to do with the EVF or SLT.
Worldwide…
What a strange concept for most SAR readers. Sony is getting back to its roots, the departure of Sir Howard Stringer being the best sign. This is a Japanese corporation, dating centuries back as anyone familiar with its story should know by now. And in Japan, what is long term here is seen as short term there. Sir Stringer, that odd mix of English born American, did not fit that mold. Coming from the world of American broadcasting where the overnight rating prevails he was the oddest man to lead a Japan corporation.
The world developping markets are no longer US and EU based. As a Japanese company Sony knows that its future is not in China, the ‘love’ between both countries being well known.
But the rest is open. So Sony is a major sponsor of FIFA. What the hell is this? The International Football (as in soccer) organisation. So if you watch this summer rehersal games in Brazil, you have an idea of what you will see next summer when the world cup is played. Sony banners everywhere around the field, shot in 4K video with Sony cameras, going into Sony switchers to Sony television sets.
And, I predict, a lot of Sony ‘photo’ camera being used by ‘pro’ and ‘objective’ photographers who will bragg of the revolutionary aspect of the mirrorless, excellent AF and high burst mode of said camera.
Then formal announcement at Photokina and if no natural disaster strikes, the 2014 Xmas seasons is Sony
+1 for the forward thinking strategy of Sony.
You cannot imagine a blurred line between Sony and Canon and Nikon like those two had back in the day. Where the differences were about lenses and some bodies small features.
Today the line is more clear.
EVF and newer tech or OVF and same old design constraints.
Admin already mentioned this. The future is EVF mirrorless and the World Cup will put more Sony anything onto the hands of customers.
Well said.
Sony was founded “centuries back? US and Europe are not important and on top of that Sony should leave China? Are you joking?
+1 Insightful
Look around Lotus I see most of my friends offloading their A Mount gear to buy Canikon products. Not many in favour of the OVF? Are you serious?
Please explain why Canon and Nikon are selling tons of bodies (and a lot more than Sony can dream of) if people don’t want optical viewfinders.
By that same token people have moved to Sony from Canon and Nikon. Are they market leaders now? No, but that can’t happen overnight with the market lead Canikon have.
You’re making the assumption that everybody who goes over to Canikon is going purely because of OVF. Again, care to back that up? Would those people have not gone to Canikon if they had EVFs too?
I’ll ask AGAIN, have you got those UK sales figures? I’m beginning to think you make a hobby out of plucking assumptions out of thin air to suit your own tastes, desires and purposes.
Amazon.de reduced the price from 2608 EUR to 2598 today (which is about $ 3333), ROFL
Regardless, Sony is meet their sale target or not… A99 still @ $2800 not convinced a lot of shooters around the globe yet… 🙂
Most of the people who complain of A99’s pricing are quoting Euros, and that’s fine.
I don’t live there, and don’t really know how competitive the pricing was.
In the US however, the A99 debuted at $2800.
Now this was $200 less than the D800, and a whopping $700 less than the 5DIII.
I seem to remember D800’s prices dropped to around the A99’s not too long after, but 5DIII’s stayed up there for a while…
If Sony had introduced a more budget oriented full frame along A99 in the $1800-$2000 range, people would better realize where the A99 sits.
I’m not defending the pricing, only the pricing as related to the market.
A99 is not comparable to the 5dMkIII or D800 which are pro level products. A99 is consumer FF body, so quote the USA prices on the D600 and 6d.
Go with those brands them and quit the bit!”ng.
Attempting to moderate the forums is not useful, or do you always censor those that don’t agree with you?
Having used both the Canon 5d3 and 1dx extensively for professional shoots prior to purchasing an a99, I would say that the a99 is on par with the 5d3 in everything except the auto-focus system which does indeed suck. I see that there is promise in the focus system in the dual nature of it and the introduction of af-d but the coverage is minuscule in that only the center third is covered and it often searches too much. I pretty much stick with DMF mode to overcome these problems.
The a99 cannot compare with the 1dx at iso above 800, build quality, speed, af, etc, but then again few cameras can. The 1dx is nearly 3 times the price though. However I definitely believe it is in the 5d3 class. The in-body stabilization, the higher resolution, gps, the ergonomics, and more make it a great camera. I don’t know who the mythical pros are that all require ff weather-sealed bodies with clean iso 12,800 at 14 fps are, but I know I have used the a99 on professional shoots from weddings to IPOs for fortune 500 companies and my clients were pleased with the results. If I was a sports shooter or war zone photographer, the a99 would not be an option for me. For studio & event work – it is great.
For the $2700 or so I paid for it with grip & flash, I know that I got a good value whether or not the price continues to decline this summer. I expect the price to decline, as most electronics tend to do.
Now if Sony can do something about the problems with the flash, I’d be happy.
“A99 is not comparable to the 5dMkIII or D800 which are pro level products”
Weird, dpreview.com think it is, and they marked it higher than both those cameras in almost every category. But then they have actually used all three cameras, so what would they know?
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-alpha-slt-a99/22
And POPPhoto also put A99, D800 & 5dMkIII in the same category in their review. Maybe it’s fairer to say that Sony did not offer a budget fullframe like 6D & D600, but to compare A99 to these budget ff is really unreasonable.
Exactly.
So do you believe everything DPR say they’re SLT fanboys through and through.
They failed to mention the bad battery life (refused to as well) but marked a Pentax DSLR down for poor battery life. Go figure that one out
Failed to mention the mushy video again making excuses “we think it’s good enough”
Since when does a camera with SD slots and scene modes become “pro level” class it doesn’t. Oh and Sony forgot to put a built in flash there..typical lack of understanding of the target buyer.
“Let Sony do what its doing. Evolving and pushing boundaries”
Pushing what boundaries? Ignoring the market needs/demands, and not providing a firmware update in a timely manner for the A99’s horrible flash delay problem? Evidently this is a flagship model. The lack of urgency from Sony speaks volumes.
They can push whatever they want to, but it has failed. Sony cannot compete with Canon or Nikon in any meaningful way.
We’re still waiting for proper jpegs from Sony…and we keep waiting.
RX1, RX100, VG900, NEX 7?
You live under a rock?
They have nothing to do with meeting the needs of DSLR users.
NEX is not going to work for my type of shooting, RX-1R is just another overpriced Sony product that is far from mainstream appeal
In the DSLR market Sony are struggling, they need to LISTEN to users, not force their own flawed strategy and try to sell it
Maybe Sony’s strategy is not for you then. They are looking forwards, and forwards likely doesn’t include SLR designs anymore.
Test
+1!
I think the mainstream loves the Sony RX1. The problem is 85% of the mainstream cannot afford it.
RAWs from Sony are great overall.
I know, the Jpegs need to change.
Hopefully the Honami project will do something for us all.
You don’t break through by being higher priced that the top selling camras. 😀
Correct, when there is an entrenched establishment the way to break through is to, “Think different.”
Admin, Just by curiosity are there any figures for the sales and if yes do you have them per region ?
And they did find a way. By making something different, starting with the NEX and what is coming next year.
Removing the mirror from an SLT is different how exactly from an existing dSLR sized SLT? All you get is slower AF on most lenses and an increase in light putting you back on par with CaNikon dSLRs. Hardly innovative is it?
The rumours suggest something really different and that is what I meant. They certainly pulled off something impressive with the NEX and then RX series, might very well manage to do it again. We’ll see though, as they did screw up badly with their marketing of the A700/A900. As to the AF, no idea how fast it will be, but to have the confidence to completely remove the mirror, certainly means they have something up their sleeve.
I believe it we are nearing the end of the camera as we know it.
CMOS will be gone replaced by organic sensors.
Mirrors and slt will be gone as all sensors will have built in focus capabilities.
Ovf willl be gone because mirrors will be gone
Perhaps remote evf will the become popular and we can have flip up viewfinder glasdes.
Some people will miss the old way of doing things just as some people today still prefer film, but most will enjoy the improvements.
Typo….. that was remote flip up viewfinder glasses.
Actually even having a wired monocle with inbuilt monitor would be quite useful. You’d look like an idiot though.
It would allow positioning the camera st unusual angles much more easily and in places it is not practical to put your head.
Besides it would certainly not look any more foolish than walking around with gadjets in your ear and talking to yourself.(blue tooth)
The price of FF bodies is always what has been holding me back. In my mind, the last FF camera I bought was a Nikon FM followed by a replacement of the well used FM (defective shutter) by the more electronic Nikon (sorry, forgot number, the last one they made, non pro – hated it). I think that last one was under $400 as a refurb from Nikon repair out of desperation on death of the FM.
FF cameras OTHER than pro, should be under $1200 suggested retail, meaning; one could pick a body up for $800 or less at some point.
All cameras should be getting cheaper as the tech gets cheaper but, we are not seeing this as much as we should. In 10 years, a FF camera (something like my FM used to be in film days) should be $300 tops (in today’s dollars). Not fully loaded but produces superb images and takes add on accessories a pro might use.
I thank GOD every day for Apple iOS and the impact it will have and is having on the stagnant camera business. If you don’t have an iOS device or Android with a camera, go pick up a refurb iPod Touch cheap (16 or 32 GB are both fine) and load up the dozens (hundreds now?) of camera and photo apps. Your mind will be blown!
The revolution to come in photography was and is not the digital sensor, it is the software in and out of camera and connecting that camera to a network that is a game changer. Canon, Sony, Nikon, et al cannot make that connection fast enough.
Their RX100 sold well, and price stayed firm. During a RX100 II interview one of Sony executive said “we are making them (R100) as fast as we sell them, there is no reason we need to drop the price”. How come Sony start to drop price of A99 and claim the sales is good and exceeding their goal? It just doesn’t add up.
The rx100 series is a more mass market, consumer-centric product that has to sell in higher volume to be successful. For the most part, It is an upgrade for mobile phone shooters or an addition for dSLR owners.
The a99 isn’t so much a mass market camera. For canon, the rebel series brings in far more money than the 1d series, hence the annual updates and aggressive pricing of the former.
It is because they can’t make any money off of the RX100 once it is sold. They are keeping the RX100 for people who don’t need Wifi, NFC, and tilt screen. It is also there to make people pay more for a RX100 MK2. It’s like BMW where you go in for a (high end) 3 series but come out with a (base model) 5 series. The sale person will always tell you “For a $100 more you can get this with Wifi, NFC, title screen and an option later to add Flash and EVF”. So people walking into Sony wanting to spend $650 come out with a $750 camera. It is a legal bait and switch.
With the a99 they can make money off of lenses and flashes. This is why PS3 and Xbox has price drops also. The price jump is too high from a77 to a99. Since Sony has always had a sale on a58, a65, and a77, I think it is about time they throw in a sale for the a99 (which they already did with the battery grip and flash bundle). I didn’t needed all the bundle so waiting till I can buy the a99 body only when it goes on sale.
But it is also a camera without real equal. So, no threat, no need to drop the price.
Same goes for RX1.
I think Sony is betting the farm on the new technology.
I sure hope for their sake that it’s as good as it sounds. Imagine having an imaging machine with zero mirror and zero shutter, capable of focusing faster than or at least as fast as current top of the line DSLRs?
On top of that include and excellent 30MP sensor, IBIS, excellent EVF, swivel LCD, sealed, 50MBit video etc.
ALL one ONE machine.
How much would you be willing to pay for that?
All this talk about A99 this or A99 that is so much straw in the wind.
What counts is whether you’ll be willing to put your money where your mouth is.
I for one skipped the A99 because the price was too high given the limitations presented by the mirror, shutter and sensor not getting the full light it needs to produce at least comparable high ISO images – think D600/6D.
I’m quite willing to spend MORE than the current price – but the machine must deliver more. Give me the above wishlist and i’d be willing to pay a higher price.
Canon and Nikon don’t need to feed rumour sites about “sales goal reached” this is basically a stunt and not much else. We all know Sony missed the boat with this offering missing the chance to gain new users with an affordable FF body.
Sad thing is the pro SLT camp were saying about how much more affordable cameras would be with no moving mirror or glass prism. Now they tell us it’s “worth paying more”. That doesn’t make sense, I smell a rat here. Trusted sources my a$$
Btw, Sony don’t care about feeding rumors to this site or any site. People who come to rumor sites probably already knows a lot about cameras and can goolge reviews and look st samples. People leaking these rumors are the sales person at Sony stores who makes hourly wages. They do it as a hobby.
Sony cares about the Mom & Pops and the grand parents walking into the store not knowing anything about cameras. I say this because they don’t even advertise so anyone wanting a camera and walks into a Sony Store will probably buy one of the 21 cameras plus unknown number of color options (so confusing in the store). When I showed a friend my NEX and he said to me “oh wow! I didn’t even know Sony makes cameras”. He knows nothing about cameras and bought a Canon at Costco because he just associate the word camera as Canon like how we say “can you pass me a kleenex?” instead of tissues or “Can you Xerox this?”.
Considering its best “all-around” today FF, not suprising. I wont cry if it gets cheaper either. 😀
Anybody who wants to understand how marketeers work should see this Dilbert strip:
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2002-01-27/
By the way, if you set an arbitrary goal at 20 cameras sold in a quarter, it only takes selling 21 of them to be able to proudly report exceeding your goal by 5%.
Benchmarking only works if you compare yourself to your fiercest competionion.
Here is some interesting camera sales stats. Not broken by brand though.
http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/7424/camera-sales-history#Item_2