According to multiple trusted sources Sony will have a press announcement next week on Wednesday February 12 at 5-6am London time! The event is focused on the launch of new mirrorless products. New A-mount cameras and lenses are supposed to be unveiled in a separate announcement in Spring. This includes the A77 successor and 4K A-mount FF.
Next week we can expect Sony to certainly announce the NEX-6/7 successor. The price of the body will be around 800 Euro and the improvements are mainly made on the SPEED front. Which means, faster fps, faster AF, faster EVF (no lag) and Bionz X processor. It’s also likely that Sony will disclose a new lens roadmap and probably show some preproduction lens too.
There are also unconfirmed rumors I got about other new cameras but I don’t know yet if they will be announced next Wednesday:
– New RX camera
– New FF E-mount camera
As usual I ask the help of sources to get more specific and also more reliable rumor about these new cameras and lenses. Contact me anonymously by using the contact form you see on the very right of your browser. You can also contact me directly at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com (best is if you create a fake email on gmail so that it’s easier for me to chat with you).
And you readers should be ready to take some time off on Wednesday at 5-6am London time to follow the event live on SonyAlphaRumors!!!
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Message to sources: You can send me more info anonymously by using the contact form you see on the very right of your browser. You can also contact me directly at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com.
For readers: Subscribe the RSS feed (Click here) and Twitter (Click here) stream and the Facebook fan page (Click here) in order to not miss any news!
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Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!
0 Responses
Exciting times. Lots of (rumoured) new gear to debate.
For New FF E-mount camera : what about a b/w digital camera? it would be great!
Will have SR5 rumors about that in a couple of weeks 😉
Can’t wait for it Admin! Also RX1 mark II is interesting: will it have some “minor” changes like wifi, tropicalisation, or will it have also a different lens?
I wuld say MANY differences. And surprising too.
Integrated EVF perhaps?
You threw the stone, now we need rumors! 🙂
Probably built in zoomlens, much larger body, similar to RX10 concept (just less reach).
I would see a new RX1 with a 24-70mm zoom instead of a prime. With tropicalisation, wifi, etc…
I bought an RX1, but the AF speed for an available light shooter left me disappointed. Fix that one aspect of the RX1 and I’d be back on board. Too often the AF would fail to lock in lower light. The Fujifilm X-T1 is claiming “World’s fastest AF of 0.08 seconds.” I don’t know how that will play out in the real world on the kinds of shots I enjoy, but sure would like to see Sony start competing with Fujifilm and Olympus when it comes to mirrorless AF.
Sean, I tried it and could not find it a good tool for night street photography. A great camera but still I could not “feel” it. I’m looking forward to see the new version, and I’m also really interested in a b&w camera, if it is small and has a quiet shutter sound.
Make a RX2 with b&w sensor, without AA filter, better AF, and I’m in 😉
Don’t buy into Fuji’s hype. I didn’t find the XE-2 to focus any quicker than the A7 so I don’t think Sony is behind. Olympus is a different story but sensor size likely has something to do with their performance level.
Not only the AF in low light is very bad performer, but the manual Focus assist (Peaking) ONLY with zoom-in made it a no keeper for me.
My wishlist for the new (or upgraded) one:
– Integrated EVF
– MUCH Better AF in low light
– If Focus-by-Wire is a must, then make it have hard stops for Near and Far Focus!
– Maybe one or two more programmable buttons (Like A7)
– Please DON’T add a Grip (I’m looking at you A7, yeah I don’t like the “Form”, it looks simply attached to the Body)
– … I’m sure I forgot something :-/
– … and make it possible to “save” Focused distance when powered off!
Looking forward to it! Thanks! 🙂
Really surprised no Nex6/7 replacement specs – Sony must be being very careful this time about leaks.
Normally we would know everything by now.
Good that Admin doesn’t speculate unconfirmed rumors which could later dissapoint though 🙂
Don’t worry. I got rumors from new sources. I hope I will elanr whom of them was correct. And for the next announcement I will be more certain about what’s correcta nd what’s not.
That N7 top plate is so gorgeous. It’ll be heartbreaking to see the new model not keeping it…
A pity Andrea doesn’t mention IBIS anymore.
… hope dies last!
IBIS IBIS IBIS(and better video codec) 😛
YEAH !!!
I hope it still has the magnesium alloy body. And weather sealing would be fantastic
I’m afraid not, or else it would be a 7 successor, not 6/7 successor 🙁
Weather sealing would be great, but my personal feeling is they keep that for A7/R and upcoming A9(?).
FML why so long for a77 successer i guess amount users will just be in the dark for awhile longer..
It’s still nothing if you’ll think about how long we’ve waited for A700 successor.
Is there any info on the sensor available? Considering the Nikon-Sony partnership, could it be the same as in the new Nikon D3300/5300? Or maybe a completely new one which may find it´s way into the still to be announced Nikon D7200?
The Nikon x300-Sensor is from Toshiba, afaik
This issue is disputed, but with a very high likelihood it´s a Sony sensor. D5200/D7100 had the same Toshiba sensor, D3200 had a different (probably Nikon) sensor. Now D3300 and 5300 have the same sensor, and whomever this one is from, it is 99,99% not a Toshiba, not even a revamped version, since the characteristics re. image quality are just too different.
only nex, nex, nex, and again nex… when there will be something new about a mount?! Maybe you can make another page for amount only, tired of that FB spam about NEX… no need for that, all I want is news about A-mount, but SR keeps spaming about NEX… maybe call this page: Sony NEX rumours?!
Me spamming about NEX. Is it my fault if Sony doens’t announce a new A-mount camera???
+
+
Haha LOL. What a stupid comment. I am also waiting, but I guess I’ll get the A77. The prices are probably as low as they’ll ever be.
+1
Don’t get nervous. You’re doing GREAT job for us, users.
Regards
Jack
It’s just there’s a problem now because we subscribed to your (brilliant!) website to read about our system, the Sony Alpha;
we don’t own or use or interested in NEX, but 90% of the news are about NEX
is it possible to maybe divide these news somehow? like 2 different RSS streams
First the last month there where no Nex rumors anymorre. It was ALL Alpha rumors. Nex is ALPHA too!
When a new A-mount camera is on it’s way this site is full of A-mount news and there is less Nex news. But lets face it, E-mount is the main road for Sony now and A-mount is the side road. Sony is great in mirrorless and less big with their SLT cameras.
I think this site is a bit slow in comming with new rumors, I think it would be nice if more SR2 and 3 rumors came out along with the SR4 and 5 rumors… In that case there would be more to read about A- and E-mount…
>Sony is great in mirrorless and less big with their SLT cameras
All the more reason for Sony to put MORE effort into SLT / A-Mount, if they want to compete with Canikon and not get relegated to the Olympus/Fuji/Samsung’s league.
They tried hard to become big in DSLR, they invested a lot of mony in those cameras, but Canon and Nikon where on top to stay there. So now is the point for Sony, do I continue to come with a wide range of DSLT cameras, or do I only make the higher end cameras DSLT and the more basic models in E-mount. And yes the E-mount range develop at this moment the vastest, as it is the mosst profitable…
What are you talking about?
Sony is the number three interchangeable lens manufacturer in the world. 10.1% of the DSLR/SLT market is owned by Sony. Which is 2.5X larger than the NEX market. Sony share of DSLR/SLT market is growing.
Mirror-less is in the minority, and its market is being gobbled up by smart phones.
So again – NEX is part of Sony Alpha line!
No they’re weirdo that use little cameras.
Personally, I’m interested only in NEX/E-Mount news, I don’t care about Alpha/A-Mount and don’t ever plan to switch over to it. Now, that NEX brand is gone for good, Sony Alpha means both NEX/Alpha and both A/E-Mounts, so the site’s name becomes even more appropriate for both types of content. However, admin could split the content into 2 sections/streams for each type of mount based on tags and search with some posts falling into both categories.
Still it is two separate types of content, relevant to two separate groups of users.
So maybe 2 streams is not a bad idea?
Given the low number of real rumors from both SLT and E-mount I think it is better to keep them combined. It can be very interesting for both groups to see what is happening in the other group. I both own a A700 and a Nex 5, I find it interesting what is happening at both mounts…
When you don’t like the E-mount rumors, just skip them…
Some people are so narcissistic! This site doesn’t revolve around your personal needs.
EXACTLY!!
Maybe STFU.
Calling the page Sony NEX Rumours would be pretty stupid now that the NEX name has gone, don’t you think? Turns out Sony Alpha Rumors is now the perfect name for both A and E mount rumours.
Why would you want A mount?
Don’t see the point of Sony A mount – I would have Canon or Nikon anyday.
E mount is where Sony is at. I’d be quite happy for them to just shut A mount down and put all resources in to FE lenses…
I came to Sony for the SLT cameras. Now THAT’s something no other manufacturer has. Not least interested in DSLR or mirrorless
The ignore the posts about them rather than whining every single time there is a post about something that you don’t care about.
Funny. I was thinking the same thing about e-mounts. Who would want one? 🙂
I’d rather buy a iPhone 5s than a NEX camera it’d be more useful
Most consumers, when they think about buying a DSLR, they will go for either Canon or Nikon. Sony just doesn’t come into mind. But when they want a small size camera that gives IQ like a DSLR, they would think Sony Nex. So obviously they gonna make more stuff for the E mount. Somebody already says they gonna kill A mount but I think development for it will just be a little slower.
Whether you like it or not, Sony sells more Nex cameras and it makes them more recognizable as a camera manufacturer than their A mount. Anyway A Mount got plenty of lenses but few bodies and E mount got plenty of bodies and not enough lenses. You cant win them all 🙂
With adapter e-mount has all the lenses. Yes, we can have it all.
…with manual focus.
Or at best with CDAF.
No, you can’t.
In fact you can, with the LA-EA2 or 4 you get PDAF focus on all the A-mount lenses with Auto Focus! So you have it all, E-mount is the future for Sony, A-mount will be their high end range…
If you’re willing to sacrifice stabilisation and ergonomics…
hopefully some new glass for aps-c E mount too
A compact FE-mount (NEX-size) would be cool. Hopefully with fully customizable, mechanical controls.
Great job admin. When will you leak the specs ?
as soon as I have them with SR5 🙂
Damn. Can‘t wait!
Please don’t always wait until SR5 if it’s just 2 days before the press release! Why not an SR3 but state that its not 100% confirmed or some of the specs are conflicting with other rumors. This is a rumor site, not sonyalphapressrelease.com 😉
I totally agree. SR5 48 hrs prior to announcement is pretty moot… Give us SR3, SR4, but give us something 😉
Admin’s unconfirmed sources are as good as guesses until confirmed.
OK, here you go then here is a KEITH3 rumour
24 mp
PD AF on board (and faster)
Inbody IBIS
Viewfinder
Alpha menu
New MI hotshoe
£800/$800
Btw I have no inside info.
I can’t blame him for not publishing SR 3 or 4 rumors very often. When he does, and if they turn out wrong, he takes all kinds of grief. People seem to forget that a 3 or 4 is “rumor”, not fact.
Give us SR3 or SR4 rumors Andrea and point out what’s not confirmed yet. For 100% confirmed specs we don’t want to wait until 2 days before press release!
SR5 rumors coming. I am working yet on them.
jolly good.
“New A-mount cameras and lenses are supposed to be unveiled in a separate announcement in Spring.”
Dang. Can’t wait that long. Gonna be A77.
4K4K4K4K
wait for April 🙂
Andrea do YOU know the exact form factor yet (N7 design with flat top plate ?) ? Not asking you to disclose, just curious if you have the info.
Too early for 4k for most people. Widespread adoption years off and by then cheaper and better. Sony is putting 4k on a-mount because they promised support and don’t mind killing sales potential of one of their few new a-mount bodies with an overpriced feature.
4K is hardly interesting to anyone ATM.
Whether they include it or not, it should by no means boost price.
Sony is getting lost. Market now needs FF mirrorless. APS-C E-mount is no longer needed.
Thankfully Sony isn’t as clueless as you are.
(Though sometimes I have an impression that they are)
A lot of people just don’t want FF – why don’t you get it?
More like “a lot of people don’t want to pay for FF”, since it’s too expensive.
If FF prices continue to decrease, sooner or later they will kill off APS-C. But that’s maybe 7-10 years away.
No no, it’s not only the price. It makes the camera much chunkier (see NEX 7 vs. A7) and takes away depth of field.
More like “gives more control over the depth of field”. You can still stop down aperture and raise ISO
nsssa the fact that you don’t understand the path Sony is walking does not mean Sony is lost, they only go a different route then you expected.
APS will be an important sensor size for quite some time, as is m43 and 1″ The fact that FF is getting cheaper will make more people buy FF cameras, but APS has some important strong points over FF. The main things are price and size…
Sony is gettng lost? I thought sony is the one who brought us the world first FF mirrorless camera
I hope “SPEED” also means a new sensor with better ISO performance…
And maybe a r-version without AA-filter.
Any possibility of the 85mm f/1.8 lens rumored about a year ago appearing together with the new camera?
That’s what I’m hoping to get some news about. I almost feel that whomever comes out with some high quality telephoto primes, will have my business. I’ve been eyeing Fuji lately with their continued dedication to great prime lenses, and now their 2.8 zooms just around the corner, but even they don’t have anything beyond 60mm for a fast prime lens.
I’ll take an 85, but I’d really love a 135mm.
…and sport FF a-mount camera?
This!!!
Price of €800 is hard to believe, but if true, expect quite a few cut corners compared to the NEX 7. For example a plastic body.
Reminds me a bit of the A58 vs A57….
Then I’ll just cry… The N7’s metal body is the best feeling mirrorless in the industry
And the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. The A58 was really the A3x series replacement, while the existing 5 series level (price and features) of cameras was sort of discontinued.
The A-5000 is more of a NEX 3 series replacement in terms of price and features.
An expected A-7000 with a price level around the original NEX 6 or inbetween 5 and 6 series…. 1+1=2. It would again indicate a lowering of an existing range, probably again to cut the amount of models and save costs. With the reasoning that the higher demanding and more fortunate 7 users can move up or have already moved up to the A7(R) and the rest may or may not settle for 2 steps forward, 2 or 3 steps back for less money.
Not sure if it’s a wise strategy in terms of consumer trust. Just look at the backlash Canon received when they dumbed down the xxD range with the 60D.
I agree with your analysis, but if it turns out to be correct I’m adding an XT1 to my bag to complement my N7
For 800$ it is probably not going to be a direct replacement to the NEX7. I guess that Sony might have underestimate the mirrorless competition and aimed a bit lower for now, but I think they might have another higher end APS-C mirrorless waiting. Why else would sony leave so much room between an 800$ camera and the A7? If Sony didn’t plan to fill that high-end spot, they could just release the NEX-6/7 successor around 1000$ and be done with it.
I think that the lens roadmap will be very interesting because it will tell where Sony is headed with the now defunct Nex-line. If we see 2.8 zooms in the roadmap then we might just need to wait a little before seeing the APS-C flagship camera.
Yea you could be right.
A5000 replaces N3
A7000 is a new N6, which repaces N5 & N6
N7 has already been replaced by A7 and A7r…
So my guess is a 20 or 24mp N6 with faster AF, new hotshoe and vf…
I think this ^^^
Yep, that’s pretty much where I was heading.
and a3000 replaced what?
That would be a disgrace. In fact the A7r is half metal (front and top plate) and half plastic (back, card and connection doors). A pity this is not all metal, it gives the impression of shortcuts…
Why not a RX-FE !
Um, isn’t the RX already an FE size lens?
And isn’t the A7 an FE accepting RX1?
RX-FE is misnomer since RX assumes fixed lens. An ILCE in RX body would be nice indeed but that train’s been gone already, I’m afraid. Next AX should be more exciting, not less.
To be clear! I think Sony will show a RX-like camera with E-mount, ILCE, FF and no EVF. Simply a new FF with FE-lenses and really small and same style as RX1 today. Makes perfectly sense and fits in Sonys plans to promote E-mount.
Yea that is plausable.
A full frame nex shape.
Or an RX50 which is an RX1 but with aps sensor
Admin, anything about a RX1 replacement?
If speed is the name of the game then I’ll probably buy in when the first discounts appear.
Sony now has a decent e-mount lens collection, good menu system if it borrows from A7, good ergonomics and good sensors. The main things missing are:
– “pro” e-mount lens (like 12-40mm (24-80mm) 2.8 Oly lens)
– fast AF (OMD or Nikon 1 fast. Admittedly they have the small sensor adv.)
– accurate AF (did A7 fix this?)
– fast burst mode with AF (at least 5-7fps)
– weather sealing (I suppose future lenses and pro lenses would be sealed?)
– battery life (I have 5 and need 3-4 for a full day. Having to carry 3 is like having a bigger camera with parts of it in a bag you have to carry)
The lens will come in time and a couple of the others should be ticked off the list…
Will the update for the RX1 and the Nex 7 replacement both have IBIS???
Is there a possibility for an “RX20″…a higher model that is larger and with 4K?
This is the rerun of a bad movie. 🙁
As I predicted, Sony is dribbling a little bit of reliable leaks to SAR to peak interest in their CP+ show. The presser will be a Sony teaser the day before the show to get people interested in checking out stuff they’ll be highlighting at CP+.
I’m happy for e-mounts fans because once again Sony puts that system front and center. And, naturally, once again Sony stiff-arms a-mount system fans. Tells us we’re not important or even on their radar scope at all.
In America CES is the big show to highlight stuff like this. Once a year gadgets get exposure outside the enthusiast bubble and all major news networks give new product announcements exposure. IMHO, Sony completely botched CES. They demoed cameras attached to dogs, the already released a7/a7R, and a boring entry level a5000 that’s barely a blip on Amazon’s sales chart. The American press yawned and took a pass. Nothing to see here, move along.
CP+ won’t get nearly the mainstream attention here but it’s really the last gasp to pump up enthusiasm for 2014 camera releases. So what does Sony do? Completely blows off a-mounts – which is completely predictable considering their history of absolute incompetence marketing a-mounts.
Photokina isn’t until September and it’s really too late. And if Sony has yet to show any interest in a-mounts figure the odds they’ll be pushing them for Christmas sales.
So I expect Sony will post some late Friday afternoon press release on their web site as an afterthought a couple of days before they quietly release any new a-mount body to retailers. If we’re lucky, they might bother to have some low-level sales guy near the bottom of the food chain – maybe a spring break college intern – and mostly not in the know leak some fuzzy SR3 information to SAR to look out for the press release. 😉
If Sony offers a Twitter feed to ask their sales executive questions like they did at CES, I’ll ask again what the roadmap for the a-mount is. Not because I expect an answer. I clearly don’t. Just to see the comedy of the clown bob and weave dodging the question once again. 😉
I can’t emphasize it enough. Sony has a very talented engineering staff but the most incompetent marketing team in the electronics industry.
I think e-mount fans dislike a-mounts and wish for them to fail because they think cameras and lenses at Sony are a zero-sum game and if they kill off the a-mount somehow that’ll help the e-mount. Not really. Probably the opposite. Because Sony will no longer offer complete systems like Canikon which competently cover all the bases and people like me who don’t like the handling of tiny compacts will switch to another camera maker. Though I can’t really blame e-mounters because Sony’s incompetent marketing strategy gives credence to the notion Sony corporate thinks the same way.
CES is a consumer electronic show. That’s usually where lower end cameras get announced, not a place for higher end cameras. Electronic oriented website are FLOODED with news during the show, which would make the novelty of a high end camera announcement very short lived.
Don’t worry about the NEX users the iPhone 6, and iPhone 6s eliminate their little market once and for all.
I agree that by September it may be too late for Sony.
They need some A-Mount announcements fast, or at least a roadmap.
Else, Sony will be relegated to the 2nd division of camera manufacturers and will only play with Olympus and Fuji and Samsung, but never again with the big boys.
Didn’t you hear? A-mount has NEVER played with the big boys in terms of market penetration. The A7(R) has more chance of doing that, and it isn’t even DSLR form factor. More than any A-mount DSLR or DSLT, the A7 actually has a lot of Canikon users’ attention.
I see people shooting a37’s and a77’s in the street, I see A-Mount cameras in stores and last I heard Sony had about ~10% of the DSLR/SLT market. There’re also pro photographers who are switching from their 5D3’s to A99’s. So yes, Sony is currently playing with the big boys.
+1
I’ve seen all sorts of mirrorless in the wild, and I think one aXX camera (not sure if it was an a57 or 35 or what). Never seen the bigger a bodies in the wild.
Good luck with that.
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Two things I have trouble understanding: A-mount fans and 43 (DSLR) mount fans. I would not invest a dime in either. Unless you know that the one purchase you are about to make is all you’ll ever need. They are dead mounts walking, and are only now unnaturally being kept alive on life support, so that Sony and Oly can try and milk those high-margin (i.e. designs are fully depreciated) lenses.
This is quite simple to understand, actually.
SLT is the best camera tech availible at the moment. DSLRs are dinosaurs from the film era, and mirorrless cameras don’t have fast AF. So if you want a capable camera with EVF, video and all that stuff, A-Mount is the obvious choice.
It’s the only category where Sony doesn’t have any competition, since no other manufacturer produces SLT cameras.
Except that there are about 100 DSLRs sold for every single SLT sold – which one is the dead technology? And there may be a reason Sony doesn’t have any competition in the SLT marketplace. Maybe it’s because they are a failure in the market. Even if I concede that SLT is superior technology to SLRs (I don’t actually believe that), that doesn’t mean it will be a success in the market, no matter how loud and often you shout. Just look back at Betamax.
Like I said above, every time there is an E-mount or FE post by admin, you freak out. Just ignore those posts and let those of us that are interested in them read them without your constant whining! Please!!!
Even if SLT was a failure at the market (which it isn’t; ~10% of the market isn’t exactly failure), it’s not by any means ‘dead technology’. There’s very little awareness about the advantages of SLT, so this is a PR/marketing problem that Sony can very well rectify and grow their share.
RedTrumpet said he has trouble understanding where A-Mount fans come from; I explained that. Chill out, man 🙂
Actually your wrong and purposefully spreading mis-information. The truth is 10.1% of the DSLR market is A-Mount, and no amount of lying will change that.
Every event I goto normally has plenty of A-Mounts.
News on the 10% — in business terms, that is a failure. The most successful companies in the world do not shoot to have 10% of any market.
Bu!! $hit. 10.1% is a success. Its 2.5x larger than the entire NEX market.
So Honda, BMW, Nissan, FIAT are all failures because they represent less than 10% of their respective markets.
Apparently you need to go back to business school.
Profit = Success (nothing more)
Fiat owns almost all of the Italian car brands (Alpha Romeo, Lancia, Ferrari, Maserati), plus Chrysler. I’m not sure that’s only 10%, but maybe it is. It’s certainly more than 10% of the Italian car market.
BMW, likewise, holds a lot of other brands, including Rolls Royce and Mini; but, you’re right, they are more niche, while still pretty successful.
Nissan is a subset of Renault.
“Bu!! $hit. 10.1% is a success. Its 2.5x larger than the entire NEX market. ”
Ah, yeah, no. Not unless you are running a niche or premium product. a-mount is an also-ran. Man, you sound like a bitter a-mount product manager. Good luck with that.
Red Trumpet, you’re consistently overlooking the fact that Sony produces DSLT, not DSLR. It is a unique offering on the market ATM.
@daenur
“Red Trumpet, you’re consistently overlooking the fact that Sony produces DSLT, not DSLR. It is a unique offering on the market ATM.”
Agree, that SLT is unique. It has benefits too, like constant, live AF. It’s got the sweetest video AF around. Quick tracking AF, too. It does degrade IQ a tiny bit (please don’t deny that, it’d be so disingenuous!), but only a tiny bit, so it might not matter in most cases.
Hey, I’ve got no horse in the race. I’m parked on NEX with legacy glass for a few months having sold all my DSLR gear. Waiting to see what happens. Think I might go Fuji. If you are right, then great for the a mount users. But let’s check back early 2015, and see how alphas doing. I can always buy alpha then if it’s really the cat’s meow.
Looks like Old Red is “marching to the sound of his horn”
Honk, Honk, Honk
I am constantly amazed by the amount of hostility exhibited by a handfull of A-mount aficionados towards not only E-mount cameras but individuals that chose E-mount cameras. It’s actually a bit disturbing how emotional the attachment is for these people and how vitriolic they can be.
All I can say is that in 14 years of running photo workshops and thousands of clients, I have had exactly one person use an A-mount camera in them. Since NEX cameras came to market, I have had at least a dozen people that had an NEX camera as their secondary camera. Perhaps worldwide sales are 10% but if that’s the case, I would think that this number is heavily influenced by one country – Japan. Certainly in the Americas (North, Central, and South) as well as Western Europe the percentage is nowhere near 10%. It’s probably less than 1%.
+1
@cbanks
“I think e-mount fans dislike a-mounts and wish for them to fail … people like me who don’t like the handling of tiny compacts will switch to another camera maker”
The size of the camera has nothing to do with the mount on it. Sony could easily create a big size DSLR style camera with an e-mount. There is no need to switch to another camera maker if a-mount would ever cease to exist, providing Sony would release such a big body e-mount.
They would also have to provide an adapter with top-notch AF. LA-EA4 with A65’s AF module doesn’t cut it.
E-Mounter are not Alpha users they’re Canon, and Nikon users who are just beginning to realize they are outsiders in the Alpha community.
It hasn’t dawned on them that the A-Mount user base is a tough community, with strong advocators. In the end its the E-Mounters who will be buying the A-Mount cameras, and not the other way around.
In the end resistance is futile
I just started using NEX and only for a specific reason. You best step out of the Sony camp. A-mount is an evolutionary dinosaur. Sony either goes down, or succeeds with e-mount.
I’d rather buy an iPhone 6, its inherently more useful, and it will kill off the NEX.
A-mount fans are so sad. Most E-mount users will never go back to bigger cameras, and if we did, we’d pick up something professional like canikon. Supporting your mount on a rumor site won’t prevent its phase out plan. Seeing E-mount get flagship designation Ax should have been your clue to get out of your dinosaur gear. The asteroid has hit. You guys are simply waiting on the resulting firestorm to hit you and convert you into skeletons, ready for fossilization.
Here lies A-mount, who went up againt canikon and failed. RIP.
poor little baby @calxn
Your little toy is being out sold by Samsung, and Apple phones, and no matter what you do the writing is on the wall. Maybe you should have bought an iPhone 5(s), because in the end the little NEX cameras will be gone.
Mirror-less will fail like the Laser Discs, Mini Discs, DVD-Audio, Beta, Tandy Computers, Sega Dream Cast and all the other supposed great inventions that flopped because they were unable to achieve market success.
calxn , what about people who don’t care for either DSLRs or mirrorless cameras?
Sony’s the only company producing SLTs at the moment, so there.
Hmm…
MD was Sony by themselves, and, it was a bad idea. Period.
Beta was Sony with expensive licensing to Sanyo and a few others, but it was the cost of licensing that drove JVC, Hitachi, and a few others to create VHS as an alternative. Sony/Phillips learned their lesson from this and did things entirely right with Compact Disc.
Radio Shack sold a ton of Model I, II, and III computers back in the day – sure they’re dead now, but so are the Apple II’s, PC AT’s and everything else that was successful at the time… I don’t think Tandy/Radio Shack computers belong on your list. They were successful. Maybe swap in Amiga. Amiga was awesome, but Commondore mismarketed it and wasted a great opportunity.
Currently, there are mirrorless offerings from Sony, Samsung, Fuji, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Leica, and Olympus (plus re-branded Hasselblads). These cameras are not competing with iPhones. They are competing with low-end DSLRs, low-end DSLTs, and each other. Point and shoot cameras are the ones competing with iPhones (and losing, big time.)
Anyway, you may be right that, in the long run, Sony will decide that their market share in mirrorless is not worth the effort. However, I think you’re likely to be very wrong about mirrorless itself going away. As the tech continues to improve (better EVFs, better on-sensor PDAF and metering), the mirror box of DSLR/DSLT cameras gets more and more pointless. When a mirror is there more for nostalgia than for functionality, it’s mirrored cameras that will be the niche, and mirrorless that will be the mainstream of ILCs.
@”I’d rather buy an iPhone 6, its inherently more useful, and it will kill off the NEX.”
No, it won’t.
Also, if you do kill off mirrorless, in what universe does Sony a-mount kill of Canikon? Answer: it doesn’t. Sorry.
BRWAT said
“E-Mounter are not Alpha users they’re Canon, and Nikon users who are just beginning to realize they are outsiders in the Alpha community.
It hasn’t dawned on them that the A-Mount user base is a tough community, with strong advocators. In the end its the E-Mounters who will be buying the A-Mount cameras, and not the other way around.
In the end resistance is futile”
and
“I have a very low opinion of most of the E-Mounters. They continually spread mis-information, or lies about the SLT platform. The lengths they go to willfully lie about is amazing.”
Yes, and what a welcoming community those alpha users are! Really trying to convert people over to your POV, eh? Entertaining, though. Almost like that Amalric (sp?) character over on 43rumors.com.
Alpha IS a welcoming community, with an occasional fat green angry troll to keep you entertained 😀
daneur, Sony isn’t your average company. It wants to be #1 or #2 in whatever it does. In the DSLR market, the DSLT is #4 and dropping. Pentax is now #3. There is no way it can ever match canikon in that market. It doesn’t matter if there are customers. They aren’t in business to fullfill every niche. If they were, should they jump into 43 DSLRs now that that niche is no longer being served?
They realize that pros will always use canikon and the amateurs that gravitated to the DSLT for the gimmicky aspect of it can not be trusted to keep them profitable. There is no chance for Sony to stay toe to toe with Canikon and Pentax.
Look at any Sony fourm. ANY! 99% E-mount talk. No one is talking A-mount other than 3 people on SARs. The camera world knows this. Sony knows this. I wouldn’t doubt that in the camera division, 99% of the efforts and discussion is about E-mount. It’s the only mount that Sony can attain #1 or #2 position before the two big guys get serious about it.
@calxn
It real doesn’t matter where they sit in the market place. All of us who derive income pick and choose the tools that we feel the most comfortable with. To say a professional should choose a platform just because everyone else uses is utter nonsense (like the most of your posts).
Are you a leader or follower?
Pentax is stronger than Sony’s only in Japan’s market. It the rest of the world (The other 7.04billion humans) the SLT is number #3.
> There is no way it can ever match canikon in that market
Of course it can. Sony has a huge potential advantage in its SLT tech, they just need to realise it. Fill in the gaps in the lens range, improve customer service, make a new pro-grade AF module and such. Nothing crazy, just plausible refinements. And then, with proper marketing, the advantages of SLT will easily propel Sony cameras forward.
No you assume wrong. A-mount is fine but E-mount users has their cameras and only need A-mount lenses for long tele. I could buy one but I’v already got 3 tele lenses for Canon that I now use on A7r. Works fine. If I didn’t have these lenses I would absolutely have bought A-mont lenses 135, 200 or 400?
I understand that A-mount people are disappointed today. Only E-mount news. Can’t understand though why you complain. Buy A7r and use all your glass. I promise you will be happy. It’s not too small. AF is OK even with my Metabones III and Canon 400mm.
A7/A7R don’t have IBIS negating any ISO improvement. Adapters expensive add-on with poor balance and will never be as good as native SLT. Sony compact cameras have poor handling characteristics. A7A7R also have so-so AF and bugged light leak.
I’ve pretty much written off a Sony body purchase in 2014. If Sony sucks this bad in 2015 I’ll start looking elsewhere.
You believe everything you read- right! Try it. You are wrong on all except IBIS.
Luckily for me Canon got IS on their lenses and it works fine.
I have a very low opinion of most of the E-Mounters. They continually spread mis-information, or lies about the SLT platform. The lengths they go to willfully lie about is amazing.
Sony’s SLT owns 10.1% of the Global Market Share of DSLR cameras, which is growing, at a faster rate than the NEX. Its a very healthy platform.
Sony is preparing its next generation of SLT cameras which will expand on the success of the A65, A77, and A99, so I expect the SLTs global market share to once again grow like it did with the A65, A77 launch.
A-mount only survives if they remove the SLT, and go direct to the sensor, but then what’s the point? Just make better lenses for emount and get rid of the mirror box.
Maybe keep their much larger market share. They warm more from the A-Mount. They have fresh products that will make money this year. Maybe they should Kill off the NEX before the smart phones do.
Drop a set of compensation lenses where the light box is now in order to reduce the flange distance to 1/2 what it is today and then the e-mount is rendered pointless.
Plus you get to keep you much larger user base.
And your point was?
Why??
SLT is the reason to buy Sony over Canon/Nikon
@BRWAT, now you’re just cracking me up… you’re talking out of both sides of your mouth!
Side #1: Mirrorless cameras are doomed to lose to cell phones. E-mount & mirrorless cameras are toys for amateurs and liars.
Side #2: Lets remove the A-mount mirror (making it… mirrorless) and replace it with optics that reduce the flange distance… voila, A-mount that looks like E-mount!
Even if a solution could be found to optically reduce the flange distance with minimal impact to image quality, you’ve handily demonstrated that your issue with E-mount boils down to “it’s not A-mount.”
If your optical solution is feasible, Sony would be far better off building it into a slimmer “LA-EA” adapter and selling only E-mount cameras than it would be bolting it to the front of an exclusively A-mount camera.
Re: your market share arguments (by the way, where exactly are you getting the detailed sales figures you’re basing your rants on?) — it all boils down to this inescapable fact:
(A-mount market) < (A-mount market) + (E-mount market)
So if the future really is mirrorless, an idea you seem to be agreeing with when it suits you, then the writing is on the wall: the future is E-mount cameras (in various body styles) & LA-EA adapters.
On a tangential note, I suspect that if any segment of the ILC market is cooling, it’s due less to people switching to mobile phone cameras, and more to the law of diminishing marginal returns: ILC cameras have gotten *really* good, so it’s less painful to hold onto a body for longer stretches of time.
Unless & until someone figures out how to stuff a large sensor into a slim mobile phone AND bend the laws of physics so DSPs can reproduce the optical effects of a great lens, people will always gravitate toward ILCs as they get more serious about photography.
Small-sensor camera sales have been decimated precisely because, at least to the layman, there’s very little to distinguish the images they produce from the best mobile phone cameras, and the latter are much more convenient. On the other hand, nobody’s going to look at a large-aperture image captured with an ILC & good lens and NOT see a difference.
For some people, image quality will never matter enough that they’ll give up their phone camera (they’re often mangling their images with crappy Instagram filters anyway!), but it’s silly to assume ILCs (conventional OR mirrorless) will be obsoleted by mobile phones for a good, long time.
@Benji
i can be as clear as mud sometimes.
The mirror-less market will continue to shrink; they (mirror-less cameras) haven’t been widely accepted (outside of Asia) as a DSLR alternative. It’s a shame really nice idea, bad timing.
That’s really the point. If Sony thought it needed a mirror-less A-Mount they would have already designed, and launched one couple of years ago but they haven’t. They have the technology to build a fantastic mirror-less A-mount camera, but they won’t because they target different target-audiences with different needs
A-Mount and the SLT will continue to evolve with better translucent mirrors, and sensors. The SLT deserves the respect it has earned. Sony has increased its market share with the SLT technology, and it does have a place in the current camera market, which is a major accomplishment considering.
attached below is a copy of a recent email from Sony
Thank you for contacting Sony Support.
I understand that your concern is regarding the A-mount being replaced by the E-mount system. The A-mount units have always been the flagship ever since the release of the very first Sony Alpha camera. Much like the Single Lens Translucent (SLT) technology, the E-mount system is an innovation, introduced to further expand our interchangeable lens line, and in no way a replacement for the A-mount system.
Rest assured that we will further develop the A-mount system together with the E-mount, introducing new technology and upgrading features. We will continue to expand our lens and accessory selection, as well as better the functions of the cameras to adapt to our customers growing needs and wants.
We currently do not have advanced information on the release of cameras, lenses and accessories, as well as software and firmware updates. Sony Electronics only releases full product and support information at the same time it is officially released to the marketplace by our Marketing Department. However, some limited advanced information is often published in various magazine articles. You may also check the Sony Support and SonyStore website below for news and updates in the future.
Sony Support site
http://esupport.sony.com/CA/p/index.pl?region_id=3&TC=&session_id=86f24d2900ceeb8f4aaf5a44f0d35337
SonyStore
http://store.sony.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=100803&storeId=20153&langId=200&identifier=S_DSLR_Cameras
Thank you for choosing Sony.
The Sony Email Response Team
Your comments aren’t doing much to elevate the discussion… I suspect the majority of A-Mount fans on this site (who are able to enjoy their own gear/platform without making unfounded accusations about — or attacking the moral character of — those who choose differently) agree with me.
On a recent landscape photography workshop (4 days, 15 photographers, 2 pros), I had by far the smallest camera (NEX-5, legacy Minolta MD & Konica Hexanon glass). I got amused looks and condescension at first… it was only after we each shared an image for review and the instructor gave mine great feedback that people suddenly started asking what I was shooting with. FWIW, while I saw some terrific shots that week taken with DSLR/DSLTs, the worst photos were from the person shooting a D4 with high-end glass.
Ansel Adams was right: “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it.” Judging a photographer by the gear they choose is not only petty… it also doesn’t make any sense logically or historically.
Please, show me this %10.1 info source.
I prefer E mount but it is a personal choice due to the design of the NEX range of cameras which suits me better. Now I am happy for Sony to pursue with A mount too so all tastes are satisfied. Both systems can co-exist along one another. Why not ?
Blah
The new nex 7 will most likely look the same with minor changes like:
-standard hotshoe
-no more overheating
-WiFi + NFC
-better EVF, better display screen.
-better ISO performance
-hopefully a little thicker, better grip. (Most of the current nex 7 owners have the grip coming off)
-wireless flash trigger built in. MAYBE NOT.
Still wondering where is the long awaited SEL85F18G or F1.4G?
LENSES PLEASE!!! I have a NEX6, and it’s as much camera body as I’ll (likely ever) need. How about some nicer lenses. Sharper wide open. More interesting bokeh. Fill in some of the gaps (60mm macro is one, fast f/2 pancake is another).
I’m good with my current camera and OK with my legacy lenses. Only way Sony, you get more of my money is if you release some nice mid-range (not $1,000+) lenses. Sony, please see what Fuji is doing, if you are unsure on how to do this.
Actually i think zeiss is going to make the 85mm. Most likely for FF e mount.
Admin
Will new E mount C camera have IBIS
E-Mount won’t ever have IBIS, that’s why they make lenses with OSS
The E-Mount is nothing more than a modernized 110 Film Cameras designed to make people who photograph soccer games, and their pets feel like pros.
The mirror-less market is shrinking as camera phones gobble up their sales. Sonys push for new mirror-less cameras is a sign of a weakening market, but in the end the results as analyst predict.
They don’t refresh A-Mounts because they don’t have to, Alpha sales remain stable.
DSLR/SLT will continue to dominate the interchangeable lens market, and no amount of lying will change that.
well, that’s YOUR opinion… and good for the rest of us!
It not opinion its reality. NEX, and mirror-less are begin trounced by smart phones, and DSLR/SLT sales. So what’s the point in buying into a product that will soon be obsolete.
:-/ So, from your comments on this post… it seems I have a new name to remember to not to read… Sad, that there is not a blocking system!
@daenur
“E-Mount won’t ever have IBIS, that’s why they make lenses with OSS”
You can’t say never. Sony might realize it was a mistake, but they will have to forgo the “smallest mirrorless” race, to make room for IBIS. Clearly their intent from the beginning, though, was lens IS. Might have to change that, given what Oly has shown with the OM series.
No GreenTrumpet buying an E-mount is a mistake. It should be eliminated, and completely replaced with the FE Mount.
You do realise there is no difference between E-Mount and your “FE-Mount”, right? The mount is exactly the same, “FE” is just something to mark lenses that can fully cover the 35mm image circle…
no.
“No” to having IBIS or “No” to it is not going to have IBIS ?
IBIS and GPS are necessary, at least for me to buy in.
so… next to skip (for me)
Faster FPS? The NEX-7 does 10 FPS in burst mode. How much faster is needed?
Well, it looks like rumors saying a-mount is going to expensive and more pro customers is correct. No entry level FF a-mount in 2014. No sale to me. I’ll start following the SAR 2015 rumors but I don’t have much hope.
Hi Andrea,
May you please divulge the placement of the new FF E-mount to us? Is it placed below or above the A7/R?
Thanks!
Will we see any actual rumors about the specs before the actual release date?
The insistence of the admin to wait until all rumors are “SR5” has made this site a lot less attractive.
Rumors are, by their nature, sometimes false. Andrea, remember that you have called this site sonyalpharumors and not sonyalphafacts! Nobody will blame you if some rumors turn out to be wrong.
If you wait for SR5 to post specs, then almost by definition it is no longer a rumor site 😉
+1000 bring them on specs !
+1
If the new NEX-6/7 successor has IBIS -no doubt a marketing move to nullify Olympus and Lumix GX7 competition (though no GX7 IBIS in video) I would have concerns that sensor heat generated during video will cause problems with shut downs or noise, as it is much harder to dissipate heat with a free floating sensor rather than once bolted to a heatsink! The many E lenses with the excellent OSS is my favourite Nex selling point but legacy glass is also popular on Nex. So unlikely to have 4K video in my view, where as Nikon 1 V3 is rumoured 4k and also GH4K known to be going that route. Of course Sony has already a consumer 4k camcorder announced.
I will look forward to see this camera though.
Dear Sony;
I would like to see a 24mm F1.8 (35mm Eq) OSS lens -Zeiss to expensive and no OSS – OSS makes such a difference for video these are hybrid cameras so ..don’t just go with the old short focal lengths don’t need OSS please. We don’t all love tripods.
Then buy a 4K A-Mount Alpha
When you say Spring for a-mount announcements…exactly when? Inquiring alpha minds want to know.
I personally think Sony has to work on building not JUST more lenses, but quality that will make use of our sensors. Sony has only made 1 lens that is almost 1:1 quality with our cameras Sony FE 55F18ZA 29P-Mpix 7 below 36MP. Look at your NEX 7 it has 24.3 working MP. There is not one lens(aps-c) that is crystal sharp in IQ that supports 24.3MP. According to DXO Mark tests.
Sharpness/IQ:
SEL50F18 : only 13P-Mpix 11.3 below
SEL35F18 : only 11P-Mpix 13.3 below
SEL32F18Z: only 13P-Mpix 11.3 below
Disappointing? Think of it like this you have a smartphone that has 8 or 13MP camera, but the programs only allow you to take 3 or 5MP images now blow it up on a screen does it look good? No.
I guaranty everyone would buy a SEL… with a sharpness of 24.3Mpix.
I think you didn’t understand the rating system introduced by DxO… It’s not meant to be a comparision to actual sensor resolution, it’s merely something they invented to compare lenses to each other. Just look at their database, there are no such “sensor matching super high resolution” lenses available, for no system, no matter if Sony or Nikon or Canon.
I just feel that Sony CAN DO better but isn’t giving the APS-C e mount the best glass. If you look at the FE mount lens roadmap its mostly Sony G glass and Zeiss glass. I want that quality for my NEX 7. Sony please give us your best. Who is STILL WAITING for that 85mm G prime lens that was brought up in 2012?
Sony has created that razor sharp SAL300F2.8G II.
DXO Mark: Sharpness is a subjective quality attribute of an image or a lens. Sharpness indicates the visually perceived quality of details of an image or details reproduced by a lens. It is associated with both resolution and contrast of reproduced details (within an image or by a lens).
The DxOMark score for Sharpness is based on the Perceptual Megapixel (P-Mpix) concept that weights the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) of the lens with the human visual acuity.
like Apple is standardizing retina display in there tech, Sony should standardize G glass in there lenses. 😀
For those who feel it’s too early for 4K, may I suggest you see Dell’s new 28 inch 4K monitor. It’s a bargain at $699 – and several other companies will be releasing similar monitors soon. I think the detail will knock our socks off, and the price is astounding.
It’s a TN model. Not really a photographer’s tool. A 4K IPS, that’s something we have yet to see.
Waiting is HELL 🙂
After the awesome A7(r) & RX10 what more can Sony come up with to again take us by surprise ?????!!!!!
I waited for this A7000 to decide for this or the RX10.
Question re: the RSS feed for sonyalpharumors.com — My Android-based Asus Nexus 7-2013 is still mostly a new experience to me; and I’m having trouble linking up RSS from SOME sites to my “My Yahoo!” page… and this is one of them. HELP, anyone? Thanks to the community… Things are starting to get interesting here now!
Follow the Pana GX-7 Body Design with tiltable EVF, hotshoe and built-in flash.
Controls & buttons follow A7.
New 20MP APS-C sensor with improved DR & SNR.
Faster AF to match that of Fuji’s.
4K clean HDMI output.
Bundle with Zeiss 16-70 kit.