Sometimes you would think there is nothing happening on SonyAlphaRumors but believe me, for weeks now I keep getting some very small pieces of Full Frame rumors. I am still not ready to give you new SR5 updates but I want to “warm you up” with some general impression:
1) I am getting more and more news about the Sony Full Frame camera from different sources
2) Sony is talking with many people about a new FF camera
3) There is “something” big we may see soon.
As I told you months ago the A99 was supposed to be launch in spring but Sony decided to delay the release to have enough time to evaluate the A77 success (and faults). The impression I am getting lately is that the recent Canon 5DmarkIII and Nikon D800 release forced Sony to “do something“.
I don’t want to give you too many hopes, maybe Sony is ready to show a prototype only to keep you away form the new Canon/Nikon cameras. But I highly recommend you to stay tuned on SAR as I think we don’t have to wait a long time to know what’s going on.
T0 all sources: If you can help me with the new FF rumors just send me your bits of info at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com or use the anonymous contact form on the right sidebar. Thanks!
P.S.:
The Sony sensor powered D800 rmains on top of the Amazon DSLR ranking (Click here).
Our new friend Frank posted a Canon/Nikon Sony NEX-7 review summary at CanonWatch (Click here).
166 Responses
umm what happened to the A37 and NEX-F3?
Oh, the two upcoming toy cameras?
Why denigrate the lower-end cameras just because you can afford a higher-end one? It doesn’t make you sound “big”.
It is also a perfectly valid question. Where are they?
Sound big? I leave that to you and your heavy ass A77.
I guess that’s the best you can do…
If you don’t have the muscle to handle the a77 perhaps you should spend less time trolling message boards and more time hitting the gym, Toothpicks.
Some of us like our heavy ass a77’s. I sure do. Especially since the 1.05 update.
Personally, I don’t think the price differences for these cameras and their higher-end counterparts is that big. Of course, this is without any consideration of rebates and such. The a65 vs a77 price is a bit larger, so it will take a little more thought.
I know. I want to pair the A37 with my A850 to have a light kit as well as a full frame workhorse. Now, if Sony made a lightweight SLT full frame, that would be nice!
Something BIG.
Like medium format big?
😛
On fstoppers.com someone wrote:
“OK, attention all Canon, Nikon users out there, you will be all making the switch to SONY very shortly , I cannot give you any details yet but come October those other Camera companies will be crying all over the D4’s, 1Dx’s and other such bodies, I have tested what SONY are bring out and after 20yrs shooting Canon that will be no longer VERY shortly…. WATCH THIS SPACE…”
http://fstoppers.com/editorial-can-sonys-digital-imaging-division-restore-profits?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fstoppersfeed+%28fstoppers%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Is it really that good? This is just like written on Hebrew 11:1 then, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
As you can see, I can wait like I always do. But you need to tell me Andrea, what is it that we hope for? 🙂
We heard the same thing from people testing the A77.
The biggest rumors about A77 is always the cheaper than 7D price and high megapixel count and amazing IQ which is delivered at some level considering it is the best APS-C DSLR on some reviewer’s site.
The hype is not even close to this “FF” anyway.
Problem with this hype is that it reaches back to 2010. Or 2009. Either way: Sony made waaaaaaaaay too long break in FF releases.
You have a short memory. The hype around the A77 was WAY more than this. Other than this site there is practically nothing being said elsewhere about a Sony full frame.
Hm… I recall some rumors on A900 successor and really cheap Full Frame reaching back all the way before A850 was released (which wasn’t the rumored camera as it later came out, even though it was very cheap back in the day), and than afterwards there was quite a bit of rumors in first year after the A850. And ofq: all the rumors ever since 2011.
But yea – if you count the amount of rumors A77 hardly can be beaten by any other released camera, ever (Pentax full frame should be close although it still doesn’t exist)
Still waiting for your ISO 6400 pics of your cat SonyA77, please grace us with your photography, bahahahahahaha.
The only thing that is funnier than watching these forums is watching Sony users waiting for Pro cameras, haha.
First you must create a meathead free user base than you can give them a FF pro camera.
Trip trap trip trap
Sony just announced worldwide retrenchment of 10,000 jobs.. Woot
yes, but all in televisions and chemicals; 10,000 out of 166,000 jobs. So far, indications are that Sony will focus on imaging, as well as gaming & mobile. I expect the investment in the Alpha division to increase, and the speed with which lenses, for example, are introduced to increase.
If sony gotta pay every staff double overtime, do it now just to push the fullframe release in time for the olympics. Imagine sonys reputation for failure if they didnt even have a single fullframe model for the olympics (discontinued models dont count for sheet). I guess sony can afford to wait 4 more years to do it right the next world olmpics with the extra overtime pay they saved?? And canikon will remain untouchable
If Sony doesn’t make the Olympics, its the end of them as a camera manufacturer. It’ll be like they never existed at all.
Nope, never mind the advantages of a crop-sensor when in reality people should be using expensive teleconverters. Why use an A77 and a 300mm f/2.8 when you can have a fullframe A900 and a 500mm f/4 G? Truly, a terrible shame.
“If Sony doesn’t make the Olympics, its the end of them as a camera manufacturer. It’ll be like they never existed at all.”
Yeah right, World will end in September.
I’m being sarcastic, parodying the poster my initial reply was to.
economy issues perhaps ? 😉
Mayan End Age will be 12-21-2012!!!
Consumers never get Sony FF… 🙁
er, or you could put the 500mm f4 on the A77 and you have 750mm equiv and that is WITHOUT cropping the output. You don’t *need* full frame for the Olympics, whatever gave you that idea?
huh, dont need? who is crazy enough to tout apsc as flagship??? if you really want reach, nikon 1.
You don’t understand what the word “need” means?
The Nikon 1 and A77 are petty close regarding “reach” through pixel density and crop factor. But the A77 (and A65 or Nex7 plus adapter) allows follow focus with long tele lenses, the Nikon 1 only with its native lenses and only in good light.
Nikon 1 doesn’t have the pixel density of a77. Their sensor is 116 mm2 vs 370 mm2 (86Kp/mm2 vs 145Kp/mm2). They also have ‘holes’ in the sensor surface to support the limited PDAF function.
Nikon 1 has a slightly higher density actually. 66k pixels/mm for the A77 vs 88k pixels/mm for the J1/V1. But no really long lenses (true focal lengths) that allow follow focus.
I’m trollin’ here. What I meant is that you can use less expensive equipment to get a similar photo. 300mm on an A77 should be similar to 500mm on the A900.
Actually what I really meant to say is this whole SONY HABE NO CAMURA AT DA OLYMPUKS is dumb and people need to get over it.
300mm on aps-c provides similar ‘angle of view’, or framing, as a 500mm on Full 35mm. But the difference between close and far objects in the frame will be different between 300mm on aps-c and 500mm on full frame.
huh? The Olympics will be meaningless and I am sure Sony will have some prototypes being used there.
Sony needs to wake up. They are always far behind!
There was some hope when the SLT-77 came out. But there was this firmware problem. Now they are somehow behind again… If they want to play in the same league, they need to come out with more highquality lenses and at least one or two Full Frame DSLRs (or SLTs).
They are only behind in terms of bodies on full frame. I’d put my A77 up against any APS-C camera from CaNikon.
In fact, I’d put it up against some of their full frames for many applications
Lets see your amazing work, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!
I want to see what your A77 can do, and how it handles taking pictures of your mailbox at ISO 3200
Trip trap, trip trap
The lenses are refreshed and fine for APS-C. The lenses for FF are not-as-refreshed, but the Zeiss (and Minolta) is fine.
Admin said:
The impression I am getting lately is that the recent Canon 5DmarkIII and Nikon D800 release forced Sony to “do something“.
And that’s why, ladies and gentlemen, Sony is always behind the big two, even if Sony is leading interesting ways to put the photography onto the next level. C’mon, I’m sure Sony can do better than that. They just need to invest a little bit more…or maybe a LOT more on R&D, production plants, customer professional service, and marketing.
And a prototype is not going to prevent people jumping ship. But it’s something and will help a bit to keep some users.. Waiting for your big rumours =) Thanks for the great job Admin and good sources!
I am pretty sure Sony is in hurry now. At leats so I am hearing from my sources. I think there is a good chance Sony will share some real major FF news within the coming weeks!
Andrea, can you try give us a hint if A99 will be accompanied by some new full frame lenses? Something with SSM? Something from Zeiss?
Makes me even more worried, better wait and get something outstanding, we want something that works and is on pair with D800/5DM3.
Or af fast sportsshooter like D4 (would make more sence since that is where the SLT will give advantage)
Against D800 what Sony have to do to impress?
With 60p 2k (even 4k) video?
May be FF 12fps and 15fps in cropped mode?
Random RGB pattern? Foveon type sensor?
3-axis IS giving 6 stop advantage?
IR laser AF system?
be cheaper with the same IQ
How about IBIS FF With focus peaking? Hand held + manual lens on FF?
Of course, it’s not unique to Sony. When Pentax release their FF camera.
Maybe Sony’s in a hurry to bring out at least a working fullframe prototype for the 2012 Olympics in London, England ? Nobody should be surprised at this development.
I’d guess the Nikon D800 success is probably nudging Sony to bring out something bigger (megapixel), faster (frames/sec), and better overall (IQ and useful to most pro photographers) than the D800.
Especially since the Nikon has a Sony sensor. Sony cannot feel good about getting component-level margins for sensors while Nikon gets retail-level margins.
🙂
I suspect that you are right. Sony seems to have seriously closed the gap on the tsunami / earthquake / meltdown / flood-related production problems that had gotten them behind the eight ball. And the new Sony CEO has signaled a shift toward focusing n imaging. I think the shift will happen rapidly.
What makes no sense to me is that Sony SOLD the 36MP sensors to Nikon under some sort of agreement… What did they think Nikon was going to do with the sensors???… They come out with the FF D800 and Sony seems surprised and are being “forced” to respond…
They must have sold the 36MP sensors to Nikon in 2010 or even 2011… You’d think they would KNOW that Nikon are going to put them in a camera and release it around 2012… Why wouldn’t Sony have already started their 36MP FF camera?… I know they are going for SLT which is different… but come on!
ahahahahahaha fail, its better if you put playstation and try to shot with it… i trow my a77 away, its somthing that you see and trash every moment in your life!! a piece of 100% crap
thank you for your input.
its quite possible that far from these Canikon bodies forcing Sonys hand, Sony merely waited for everyone else to lay their cards before showing theirs. It’ll be interesting to see what it adds over and above the A77 functionality. Come on Sony, tempt me!
What I think will be most interesting is how well Sony will handle it’s new full frame camera quality while knowing the results of D800 which are quite stunning.
I’m hoping they’ll remove the AA filter completely, with the very slight diffusion effect of the SLT mirror you shouldn’t really need one.
if that was true, sony would release their models a week later, not a year later. sony is scrambling!
I stay tuned…. till end of the year, and have a look at the A99. If this do not fulfil my request, after more than 20 years with Minolta and Sony, my next camera will be the D800!
Anyway as i understood from the last Rumors:
2012:
A99 24mpx: more D4 league
2013:
Axx 36mpx: more D800 league
From today info:
Is Sony revaluating A99 to 36mpx sensor?
I think that AA’ing something should be done in post…leave the RAW data……….well…………RAW
I believe the next launching of Sony FF will be another next year. Sony paying too much attention on fast moving n profitable family hobbyist APS-C camera rather than professional. Not that Sony cameras are bad but that is the reason why most professional photographer prefer Canon Nikon.
Microsoft does this quite often, late to the party. And I for one think it serves them well. They get to let other companies figure out what people want, then they produce exactly that. They did this with Xbox, and the Zune music service BOTH of which, imo, are the hallmarks of each market. p.s. if you haven’t used Zune on your WindowsPhone/PC/Xbox then you don’t know what your missing.
That’s the big problem with coming late to the party. People have made choices already and change is not made easily or willingly.
Exciting! Looking forward to this as Im going to buy something smaller then my heavy D3 next spring to replace it.. Hoping for Sony to give me just that, a small light FF camera.
I think all these “teasers”/rumors of FF translate to this ->
“No FF Camera will be released in 2012…. A wooden mockup? Maybe.
But, please… Oh please… do not buy the CaNikons. We know we are late…. But… pretty please!”
:p
😀
🙂
I totally agree. Sony made a splash with the A77 and was what we saw. Now, with the A99 is the same advertisement. Comes something better than Canikon!
Who are we kidding? The ourselves! I think that Sony tried to “revolutionize” the market for cameras with the SLT and realized that is just one option and that did not sit much. With the new Canikon, which are exceptional, Sony is at a crossroads … Will not get any better and will consolidate our disappointment (remember the party expects the A77?) With something that will not match with the Canikon.
I can see how the A77 didn’t live up to some people’s expectations. SLT might not replace a direct ‘through-the-glass’ view, but it does allow for larger viewfinders than typical entry level DSLR (Rebel,D3x00,D5x00,K-r).
I don’t know whether the new Sony FF cameras will be better than the Canikon models, but I do believe that at least one of them will be released in 2012. And this time it will not be a shot across the bow in the manner of the A900, to put Canikon shooters on notice that Sony is serious about FF. This time the cameras will be real competitors without being me-too cameras.
I believe that the A99 (not a prototype but a pre-production model) has been undergoing field testing for months, and is probably close to ready for introduction.
Not wooden mockup. They use high end ABS plastics.
The Nikon 800/800E should have come as no surprise to Sony- they are the one’s who furnished Nikon with the sensor. This shows how flat-footed Sony’s upper management is in it’s camera division. They obviously are tone-deaf to our calls for more lenses and an updating of the old lenses.
I queried my local Sony Store manager about the A99- if the camera would be the lowest priced full-framed camera, yet. He said ‘No’ it was going to be elevated in pricing. This came as a shock to me, I thought for sure Sony was going to be aggressive and give us a FF camera at MSRP around $1500. The A850 was $2K, surely getting rid of that expensive pentaprism would save on parts cost and bring the next FF model even lower in price. A multitude of Bionz processors is not going to give Sony the edge over Nikon and Canon’s new FF offerings.
Like the first poster, Joe, I keep asking you, Admin to tell us more about the NEX F3 . What are it’s specs ?
I wouldn’t thrust any Sony Store manager. Why?
Random example from last week:
I ask guy in Sony store when they’ll have A57 – he told me that they never heard of such camera. I ask for manager, manager comes, I ask him the same, he goes behind the doors, comes back 30 seconds later telling me that such camera doesn’t exist.
I make a facepalm and go out.
Sony Centre managers haven’t got a clue about Sony products. They are only retailers and have about as much knowledge on what’s coming from Sony as any other electrical shop.
Sony Centre managers aren’t involved in product development and you will know more from the Web than they do directly from Sony.
“electrical shop”, hmmm, you really aren’t bright are you?
“electronic shop” is what you meant.
You’re in here way too much.
Can we see some of your work?
I’d love to see ISO 3200 shots of a bookshelf or cat.
Bahahaha, meathead
Erational
I’d spend $2500 on a NEX-9.
This is really good news thanks for sharing admin!! I’m guessing they need more time to work on the probs with FF SLT so might we see an A900 refresh with the new 24MP sensor 6FPS and a host of new features?!!
The discontinued A850 is $2300. here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B002MPPRNG/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1334070023&sr=8-1&condition=new
You guys are right that the new A99 isn’t likely to come in at $1500. , especially with the current price of the A77. But $1999. seems like a realistic price point.
I hear what you guys are saying about the lack of product knowledge at the retail level. Just passing the info along, I find it hard to believe that Sony would throw away it’s advantage as a FF low-cost leader. Sure, the new camera will have better low-light/high ISO capabilities
A NEW full-frame camera for $1,500???? I don’t know what planet you’re living on, but even as a customer who would love to pay less, I know that’s 10000% unheard of and impossible, having a new full-frame camera with all-new technology for the price of a Canon 7D.
I’m hoping it’ll be between $2,000 and $2,500, but I’m more realistic and feel like they’re going to go at least $2,400 (especially after seeing the prices of the Nikon and Canon cameras)… I just hope that the wait is worth it in quality and somewhat in price – especially since they’re essentially making customers wait until AFTER releases from BOTH powerhouse companies and in all likelihood the Olympics.
Well… actually Sony could make FF twin of A77.
If they put FF sensor on it – it means may be slightly bigger body, bigger sensor, bigger mirror. That’s it. Same 24 MP, same processor, card slots, connectors, pretty the same SW, etc.
Quite low R&D cost, as most of stuff just reused.
Not a loads of money difference. Perfect low cost FF.
I think, it could be priced in about 1500 USD.
Ye… and something like 24-105 F4 could be nice as a kit lens.
Quit dreaming. Seriously.
Sony Camera Division is joke. Make only toys. More quotes from fstoppers.com article:
“… but we need to look at the hard facts: The second most losing area of Sony’s consumer products division (and their second most losing overall) behind Televisions, was their Digital Imaging division. They only sold 120,179 million yen worth of digital cameras, down from 188,477 million yen from the previous year. That’s a 36.2% drop, which is not far from their struggling televisions division. Oh, did I mention that for as many years as televisions have been struggling (four years), so to has the Digital Imaging division? Ouch.
To lose that much money, yet still claim success and growth in both Cyber Shots and video cameras leads me to believe their biggest losses were in mirrorless and DSLRs. If Sony is going to try and make a real run in this area, they’re going to have to do better. Obviously a 15% market share in mirrorless cameras isn’t enough to make up for their feeble DSLR share (which, I might add, remained conspicuously absent from their 2011 annual report).”
You try to it figure it out.
The biggest losses are in Compact camera market which shrinks all the time, from year to year – while the compacts are a huge majority of Sony Digital Imaging.
Yep. Compacts are disappearing due competition with camera-phones.
(even I, who wanted to buy a new compact, had that need diminished when I bought my smartphone, since its camera is good enough for typical P&S shots)
No wait, Seriously?? Sony vs canon? ahahahaha Sony is a crap image market!
If they try to go against canon they will sink like they fail with the a77, i buied 3 A77 for an important work and if i know that were so sluggy and crap i would have spent that money in 7d all the life!!
crap sony crap sony go and make television!
“Sony is a crap image market!” – he’s back again, our little troll has come back to fill our days with laughter…woohoo! missed ya little guy…its time to play 🙂
Stupid troll doesn’t know about fw 1.05 hahahaha!
Maybe he needs to “buied” another 3…
Urban Dictionary: Buied – The state of mind where one is mentaly retarted due to the use of illegal substances…
At least we know this troll is on his meds…
Yes of course you “buied 3 A77″…we believe you…
+100 sony is quite good, but cant compete with canon… i give my a77 to my 12 years old son.. and i go with 5d mk III all the way!
Its another world.. and im sorry you discovered it after 3 models bought
Seems like just a few months ago there were no trolls on this board.
I guess SAR was flying under CaNikon fanboy’s radar
😉
Thanks to some butthead on 4chan’s /p/ board, the Canikon fanboys are aware of this site – I saw it when it happened in a thread discussing the D800 sensor and knew the end days were near for this relatively peaceful site. They hate Sony cameras with a passion, and the mere mention of NEX or Alpha cameras will result in a 200 post shitfest from all sides. It’s only a matter of time until this place is completely overrun with trolls and is as useless as /p/. Sad.
Anon hates everything with a passion, so that’s hardly surprising.
@gol
“No wait, Seriously?? Sony vs canon? ahahahaha Sony is a crap image market!”
5D markIII
http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/04/canon-5d-mark-iii-light-leak/
http://vimeo.com/40042270
Light leak?
Seriously?
D800
http://nikonrumors.com/2012/03/27/nikon-d800-issues.aspx/
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1021&thread=41128645&page=1http://www.wynner.eu/photography/certain-cf-cards-may-not-work-with-nikon-d800/
http://fstoppers.com/news-discussion-does-your-nikon-d800-lock-up
LCD/AF/Lockup/CF card issues?
Looks like even the “SHINY NEW THINGS” from the big two are not perfect.
😉
http://images.wikia.com/potcoplayers/images/5/56/Please-dont-feed-the-trolls.jpg
I was about to write an article about the new FF camera faults! WIll include some of your links and a credit for you John 😉
I smell storm is coming!
hehe
Don’t forget the green cast on the D800 LCD as reported by users and more serious media sites.
I forgot the most dramatic issue better add this one as well.
d800 exploded……not really but…….lol
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=41145852
One guy actually wrote “That’s Sony sensors for you!”
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1021&thread=41170827
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1021&thread=41049725
They need to offer something like F700. Offer basic 1080p (60hz) video but let it capture 4K with expensive accessories that bring the price on par to canikon offering. Price the body only $1999 that has excellent still feature (ie, 24MP, 24fps for 3s etc, teethering,) and offer another $1999 accessories to make it excellent video dSLR like 4K with RAW video and manual sound control.) Also license eye-fi and make wifi modul+memory but with upgraded UHS-1 95Mbps and 450mbps wifi n.
BIG? Medium format?
Sony can’t make lenses for the 2 mounts they have now so I don’t think adopting a third would be too smart and seeing the market for medium format is so small what would be the point?
Bragging rights?
So Sony thinks they have to do something different to compete with CaNikon. Ok.
Wasn’t that the SAME (unofficial) story with the A700’s successor? When Sony decided to give everything they’ve got to SLT technollogy, thus delaying the A7xx for soooooo long?
(and then ended up releasing the half-baked A77)
Well, I trully hope that Sony doesn’t take another 3 years to release a FF camera and that it really delivers!
I’m not in a hurry to buy a new camera now (and won’t be for the next couple of years, probably) but DO wish that my next camera is FF and a Sony (or Pentax *c’mon, bash me now!* :)).
What’s “half-baked” about the A77? It is getting good to excellent reviews, even from CaNikon die-hard reviewers.
I really don’t understand peoples attitude here.
Half-baked as in “Some issues that needed to be addressed via firmware”. Not “half-baked” as in “a bad camera in itself”. I believe the A77 is a fantastic camera, even though it doesn’t fit my needs.
One thing that I DO praise Sony is that, until now, they had good quality control over their cameras. Besides tweaking here and there on the JPEG engine (mostly on the A700), the cameras never needed any MAJOR fix like Canon (mostly).
A understand that, probably, they’ve released the A77 in a rush. Hope that doesn’t happen with the next FF camera(s).
It is amazing how much time Sony takes to release a new pro camera. By the time they announce it, most people will swap to Canikons. A pro will not be able to wait forever, he needs a quality camera and lens now to be competitive. So Sony better announces something very very soon and lets hope it will blow our mind.
There are plenty of A850 and A900s around to replace a broken one.
Yet, that just keeps you on the technology level of 2008 and does not bring any improovement to the image quality, AF speed and accuracy etc. There are lots of Minolta 5D around, but that does not mean that photographers remain using that old workhorse. Nowadays it is in the pro segment a constant hunt for the newest and best equipment on the market. The D800E without the AA filter is such a camera for which photographers crave and if Sony does not bring out something soon, many of them will decide in their next upgrade to go to Nikon.
you can shoot with your pinhole … defending your shiny a77 is hopeless… face it: A77 is a pice of s..*
Go try a 5d .. I .. II or III is not important.. try it and blow your mind!
5Ds are obviously rubbish…if they were so excellent then you’d be out taking photos with yours….but you’re not, you’re here on a Sony board, hmmm…go figure.
With shadow banding on all 3 and slow focus on the first 2. And that from cameras positioned at double the price. Your mind must be easily blown. 😉
you have got to be kidding me. The 5dMkI and MkII are shit compared to my A850 and Zeiss, I cannot believe I used that thing for 6 months. The ergonomics and AF are TERRIBLE. terrible terrible terrible. My god if you had any ounce of professional experience you would know that most people who use this camera have much more to hate then like about it. The noise performance is great but at the expense of color and DR. Especially color. Fuck, you have no clue…
And we didn’t even get to the fact that you are comparing a $2700-$3500 full framer to the comparatively inexpensive A77… I bet you bash people who drive BMWs for not having the same performance as your friend’s ferrari? Oh yes I say friend, because clearly you don’t own an A77 or a 5d, I’m guessing a humble rebel and kitlens shooter?
Professional work shot with A850, 5dMkII, D70, now tell me what shot what, which jobs made the most money, etc, or piss off. http://www.wix.com/fw08504/fkwstudio
+1000 So well said mate! My A850 zeiss combo pisses on the 5D and 5D II and that’s in the pro wedding segment where most of my competitors use Canon. When the light get’s very low I have a D700 to fall back on. Canon fanboys are such a bunch of wankers, they fail to realise that some pros who actually did their homework chose the A8/9 Zeiss combo for a reason!!! Fucking amateurs!
Sony ergonomics are based on Minolta designs. I bought a900 and was taking pictures 2min later. Everything is so intuitive. Canon is known for its weird ergo and menus.
I was thinking of switching but the fear of learning a new system stopped me.
To be truly competitive one needs better skills not more frames per second or higher iso. Sony has loads of excellent glass and 2 remarkable cameras a900 a77 to deliver the best images, if you can’t do it now, a better camera won’t help you!!!
by that logic if you can do it now, then all you need to do it with is a lesser model, and lesser model, and lesser model…
why spend so much money if i can use my iphone for client’s facebook photos, and pocket thousands for my mercedes convertible? why not, i am pro
96MP with pixel binning, that would maybe be interesting.
NEX model 😉
I am waiting and waiting and waiting for the a37. I can’t buy an a35 anymore…but then why would I. Basically there is no sony camera for me to buy right now. The nikon d3100 is calling and sony isn’t filling me with confidence. The A57 I can’t actually buy now. I’d say Sony’s product release strategy is a joke.
This is the problem with the Fstoppers post about how Sony’s digital imaging division is lagging: They haven’t released a lot of cameras. They haven’t released a full-frame in HOW MANY YEARS???? Of course those numbers are down because our generation is a “buy the new”. So when the Canon and Nikon cameras were coming out (much more frequently), people decided to get the new over the a850 and a900. THAT is why their sales are down. Now if they start coming out with cameras more consistently, I’m sure the in-body IS alone will help increase sales, as well as the new technology that they have in the new models. Have to do a little more research than just taking articles at face value.
And I shoot Canon, but I’ve taken better photos with a previous a350 & kit lens than with my 7d with L-series lenses – partly due to the stabilization, which is better in the Sony body in my opinion than the Canon lenses. So just the thought of a new full-frame by Sony, with a few of their Zeiss lenses, and I’m ALL IN…
They way I see it, if Nikon and Canon’s offerings force Sony to come out with something “better” rather than merely “different” from their competition, then that works for me. Merely replacing my 900 with something with a few more megapixels, bumped high ISO and some extra autofocus sensors at the cost of a pentaprism doesn’t really make me want to rabidly break out my credit card.
Sad to say, but after reading between lines “recent Canon 5DmarkIII and Nikon D800 release forced Sony to “do something“…
I’d bet on “no FF in 2012”. Or actually ever…
Yet another reminder to go for the D800! 😉
but look at sales today (not future possible vaporware!)….pros, users are ‘rabidily’ breaking out credit cards for everything other than Sony….very telling. Not matter how many years they not release FF. So ok waits for 4 years for a700 replacement…ok makes new a77 waterproof, nice! why not spend same 4 years making all lenses waterproof while waiting?…is silly Sony jokers again…so much nonsense. look at facts, not joky rumors.
Sony certainly got your attention, otherwise you wouldn’t be here would you? Excellent work undermining your own argument there…doh!
Saying that a company that has only one FF (A900 – the A850 is just a variation) and it takes four years to launch a replacement for the A700 and has a camera full of problems and limitations (high iso, for example) is competing with Canon and Nikon is a joke …
Sony is having difficulty entering the market for real and keeps inventing new technologies (SLT) instead of creating real cameras as Canikon. Not to mention the lens holder …
please link me to your work. I’d love to see what you make with your real cameras compared to my bullshit fake ones with fake zeiss lenses. Equipment makes all the difference doesn’t it?
http://www.wix.com/fw08504/fkwstudio
Hot rumours…something big…
How big can it be? A36MP FF Camera? Is already there. From Nikon.
A high ISO Camera with less MP? Is already there. From Nikon.
So what shcould these “something Big” look like. Huh?
A camera, maybe as good as the existing ones. That’s it.
Something big would be a camera around 50 MP on FF. But i am convinced that Nikon had built it already if this would be “the way”.
So, the best expectations are that SONY is able to build a camera Nikon and/or Canon are already released, except an optical viewfinder.
All that “astonishing” new features are at the end worthless. You need a shutter button, something where you put the lens on and as luxury, metering and changing f-stops. That is a camera. the rest is Marketing.
The big question is still, for years now, is SONY taking this camera market seriously or they are only interested in producing toys for big boys….and girls of course. Or are they heading for serious photographic worker, because they need …exactly….shutter button, something where the lens…..in short … a work horse, like the a900. it is time for sony to realize that “wow, what a picture” builds far more bigger reputation than “wow, what a camera”. Photographers are interested in pictures not in cameras.
SONY – be honest. What do you want to be. A serious camera brand or just still SONY, the guys with the great ideas and the mediocre products.
It would be so easy. Build a D800. This would not be something BIG but nobody wants something BIG, except the guys who have “small”. Build something “Real”.
Hey Guys
What are you doing here ?
Are you scared about Sony to lleave such stupid comments ? I’m a a77 and not impressed by any canikon equivalent that are in my photoclub, nor canon with brown image or nikon with magenta skies.
Hey did you guys see one? Sony is using a Pippa look alike. Doesn’t really resemble her if you ask me…
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/pippa-look-alike-could-land-spider-man-in-trouble/story-fn7j19iv-1226322535298
I’m just sayin’ that if/when Sony goes with an slt then at least the AF will work probably better than the competition in movie mode. There’s some speculation that an AA filter won’t be needed too. Also, perhaps the wait is because 4k tvs will be released this fall, and perhaps the camera will be have that capability (which would leave Canikon owners sputtering). Finally, there were rumours of an improved slt technology and viewfinder – I’d look for something that takes less light out of the system for AF, and a better EV.
At any rate, I still think my 850 produces great images, and that I will need a LARGE increase in specifications to get me to part with my cash – and an improvement in iso alone won’t do the trick. Also, since the Nex 7 is so good, I would rather pick that up than pay the high cost of a getting a new ff body for marginal improvements. Sony can and needs to produce a game changer NOW, and should get on with it this summer.
I too am happy with the IQ of the A850 but the AF could really use some help, particularly in low light. I know its way better than the 5dMKii I came from but it still can’t touch the Nikon AF system. My partner always gets the shot quicker with his D700/D3/D3x then I do with my A850. This is mainly in reference to shooting in dim environments as I often do at corporate events, weddings, and bar/bat mitzvahs.
During the day as a walk around camera though? This thing is a dream. Any slight improvement is enough for me to buy another as a back up.
Hi mate, agree with you totally, as another working pro my solution was to run a d700 35mm combo alongside my A850, best of both worlds! Try it dude!
The something big is the coming announcement that they are going to focus and cancel their SLT line. Bank on it. You cannot lose $6.4 bill and not go into focus and reorg mode. If you guys think that they will go and double their efforts in a money losing area, you don’t understand basic business concept. The SLT line cannot gain marketshare from the big 2 and the P&S line is getting eaten alive by smartphones.
Focus, Sony, focus.
And there he sits all alone, in his little cubicle at the arse end of employment food chain. The “Custodian of staplers and pencil sharpeners” telling Sony and the rest of the world about “business concepts”….lol
FYI matey…a good chunk of the sensors in those smartphones come from Sony. According independent forecasts by 2015 over 30% of all smartphones and tablets will have Sony sensors in ’em. Not a bad little earner eh?
And there he sits, with days old news. Where have you been? $6.4 bill loss for this year. See the numbers for their digital imaging division! Dumb fucks like you probably still think like people in the dot-com days. Marketshare, while forsaking profits and earnings, is the road to bankruptcy.
Dump SLT. Dump P&S. Focus on sensors for smartphones and focus on NEX.
okay, get ready to see another albatross like the early A77’s. Due to Sony’s haste, the A99 will have to have five different firmware updates to make it functional, just like the A77.
+ 1
And no other product has ever been released that had less than perfect software? In fact I can’t think of one product that had perfect software out of the box, not one.
So…what’s your point? Sony realised they had issues with the a77 and dealt with them in a timely manner. I look at that as a positive not a negative. The a77 is an excellent piece of kit made even better by the most recent FW upgrade. Coupled with good glass that can resolve the a77 resolution it is proving to be worth the wait.
I would say Sony is moving in the right direction with their camera developments. I mean compare the A100 to the A77, or take the quality of A900 and add the advantages of the SLT system.
They are making huge steps towards a really great line of cameras.
And honestly, i think they know that they have to step it up a hole lot, if they want to compete with canikon.
What else would be the point of these camera investments?
Haste? There are reports on the A77’s development going back to 2009. The A700’s replacement had a long gestation, Sony just screwed-up.
Sony better announce something soon or I’ll have me a new 5Dmk3 in the bag.
Why do you like the Canon mk3 better than the Nikon d800?
body?
lenses?
history?
I’m thinking about a second FF different than my alpha.
Maybe, just for indoor,studio and attached to my laptop with Lightroom management.
I’ve been doing some product shots and been leaning to the Nikon d800e with a Zeiss 100mm micro as auto focus is not important just control and sharpness!
I’ve been using my a850 with the 135/f1.8 but the DOF is hard to work with sometimes and its a pain that I can’t hookup to my laptop and Lightroom live.
How big is BIG?
36mm x 36mm – NO
102 focus point – NO
EVF – NO
SLT – NO
Frame buffer = high FPS for 1-2 sec – NO WAY!!!
Foveon Type sensor with 13 stops DR and noise free at ISO6400 – YES
PDAF + 3D tracking on main sensor – YES
Global shutter with ultra high shutter speed say 1/16000, flash Sync at 1/2000 – YES
Intelligent Flash with variable color temp (2700K-9000k) to match artificial light to ambient light – YES
Control multiple cameras with LiveViews and all adjustments using an iPAD – YES
I often see these “noisefree” requests and claims. But nothig is noisefree, not even a D3S or 4 at ISO 100.
You’ll have to be more specific with atleast a display or prints size, preferrably a viewing distance too and if possible a preferred SNR.
Oh and low noise at high ISO + Foveon like sensor doesn’t mix well. Too much loss of light in the lower color layers to get a good overall quantum efficiency.
I can’t believe how retarded and how negative all these comments are getting, it really is astounding!
First up, comments about Sony being dead and buried if they don’t have a FF for the Olympics – how many years did Nikon refuse to have a full frame camera? How many Olympics caused Nikon to disappear during this time? Hmm? This is the biggest load of crap ever.
Secondly, going on and on about how many full frame cameras the competitors have released – how many have Canon released since the A900? Well let’s see the tally, 5D MkII just after the A900 and well just recently the Mk III and 1DX. That is 4+ years for Canon to bring out the camera that the MkII should have been at the start, deliberately hobbled to bring out an updated version 4 YEARS down the road. Yep that is some super progress!
Thirdly, yes Sony is slightly late to the party, but so was Canon – they only released the MkIII because Nikon showed their cards with the D800. These high end bodies have slow release cycles and the Sony is no different, if they are a few months after the others in a 4 year cycle, big deal! That is nothing in the scheme of things.
Fourth – what are all the whiners going to do once the Sony is out? Are you people really going to spend the next 4 years ragging on each other proclaiming your brand to be the best? F’n pick one and go take some pictures with it!
Fifth – to all the idiots comparing the A77 to the 5D series? Are you clinically retarded? That’s about as intelligent as saying ‘my dad is bigger than your dad’. Must make you feel pretty big eh?
I Doubt most of the people who bitch on here will end up buying any of them. F’n armchair experts, proclaiming they know more better because some imaging website said so. All I can say is that all of these cameras will be more capable than the majority of photographers that wield them. Your pathetic bitching isn’t going to make you a better photographer, isn’t going to get your work exhibited, printed, purchased or commissioned.
Sony will not be usurping the competition any time soon, what they will be doing is bringing out some innovative products that will push fthings forward in an otherwise incredibly stagnated market where people compare tiny microns of detail because there isn’t anything big enough to differentiate between brands. Sony aren’t a big player, but that gives them the opportunity to innovate where the big 2 cannot for fear of not being loyal to their customer base. I for one want to be on the brand that is pushing things forward, not the one that just wants to keep making money off me with underdone, incremental upgrades because that is what the majority want. They are like MacDonalds, make their food taste like cardboard because it has the least chance of offending anyone, that is how you stay at the top. That isn’t for me. Give me the unpopular choice, the ones that are making the world move forward, not the old crusties stuck in their old ways.
+++1
Well put
@Matt
Well said… couldn’t have put it better…
so gay!
Thanks for the comments.
How about ISO6400 SNR 18% at 30dB?
If below 30dB, I found that I’d need to apply some post processing noise reduction algorithm
A OVF DSLR replacement with ALL the current sensor, software and so on advancements for the a700 AND the a900 would be big news.
Nothing Sony can put out with SLT will be more than that they could not compete in DSLRs and brought out a substitute with it’s own problems. And which caused quite a few of their customers to leave. Not big news at all. Just more of the same out of Sony’s non competitive approach. And clear lack of understanding that ILC are systems, not just another throw away camera.
Sony keeps saying there will be no more OVF, sorry Walt.
yaaaaaawn
DJ!!! The record’s stuck again 🙁
Walt
Buy a Nikon
Sony doesnt need much to make a very good FF DSLR
all i need is an A77 on steroids:
Same body, 24 mpx FF sensor
more FPS, at least 15, 20 would be great (SLT has its advantages…)
bigger buffer and processing power, at least 3s in full burst mode
an even better EVF
tethering (for those that are always whining about it 🙂 )
under €2000 (A77 sells now for €1099)
and thats it!
for me Sony has made a wonderfull job with the A77, the image quality is very very good, and the body is superb!! and looking at the competition (7D and D7000) the A77 is the ultimate bang for the buck! i wouldnt trade it for any other APS-C camera in the market, even if i had to start from scracth!
Well, Hellven, Christmas will come early for you if that’s all that’s yer wantin’. Let me look into my crystal ball…. I see the A99, it has:
24MPx FF goodness
4K video
Muy macho focus points
3.0 USB
New supafast card compatibility
Translucent mirror that still doesn’t flip up
Same ole SSS
Uses A77 body, but no flash and maybe no flip LCD
What gets me about this thread is one the admin team allow the trolls a voice and secondly people get hooked up on the them verses us argument. The bottom line is are you happy with the camera you have, yes great, no change. I started out with a Sony a230, moved on to the a450 then a580. I am not the proud owner of an a850, a77, a65 and a700. When I combine them with my G and CZ lenses they get the results I want and they make photography for me a pleasant and enjoyable experience. I don’t look over my shoulder at what others have or have not.
If Sony kit full feels you needs great if not find another brand and forum. Trolls and non Sony peeps get a life and enjoy the kit you have, enjoy photography. if you have time to waste trolling this forum slagging off Sony you clearly are wasting time not taking photographs ;-}
Si
and yet you brag about having every single bottom of the line models
Is it just me but why do I have ZERO interest in going to Canikon rumor sites to critisize their products and users. I honestly cannot see how that is positive or productive for me. Perhaps I value my time more!!!…
I’m an amateur who works all over the world and I take photos of my travels. I have an a77 (1.05 FW) with the vertical grip paired with a Carl Zeiss 24-70 lens, B&W POL and UV filters and a fast memorycard. Sold my 70-400G on eBay because I don’t use it anymore. Might buy the 70-200G upgrade that Admin wrote about.
Not buying anymore lenses until I see what happens with the a99. I’d like the 16-35CZ but it doesn’t really have a lot of use on the a77… FF Yes!!!…
Point is, I am VERY HAPPY with the a77/2470CZ system I and can’t imagine that any Pro/Semi-Pro photographer wouldn’t be able to take good photos with it.
After I bought my a77 system I sold my NEX-5 and a55 systems. I’m thinking about the NEX-7/24f18CZ but I’ve decided to wait until the end of the year and see what Sony comes out with.
Until then… I’ll be happily taking good photos with my a77/2470CZ…
Could you show me some pictures? I have the A700 + CZ 24-70 and would like to compare the quality and iso with the A77. Thanks if you can help.
Just wish they would release something!! I have a77 on order but would rather have a full frame, What piss me off the most is that they delete items before a replacement is available. I shoot with sony professionally I need a full frame camera.
You are not alone
Looking for a FF with 36 megapixels and no AA. Also, it’s just gotta shoot 4k video, and come with a discount coupon ($1000 at least) for a Sony 4k tv (90 inches PLEASE). What I’m saying is to HELL with keeping up with the Joneses – time to lay down the gauntlet and kick some butt!
I’m currently shooting an A900 and have a lot of CZ and G glass. I wont be changing brands any time soon. I’m shooting a lot of indoor action, all low light and I shoot in RAW. Sometimes up to 10k images a weekend.
I can easly fill the buffer on the a900 and was hoping that the a77 would be better. (I really wanted the extra fps too…) I tried the a77 with the fastest sd cards I could find and would destroy the buffer in about a second and a half, I guess 38MB files will do that. Are there any work-arounds that people are aware of? Any chance that a larger buffer will be a possibility on a new FF body? I really don’t care if it is a $4k body if I can have low light performance and great fps speeds in RAW. Heres to hoping…
This is the great reality of Sony: We’re always waiting for them to do something big. Never we are evaluating what already exists. See the A77: it was a great expectation (iso hundreds of thousands …) and when he left, lost the excitement. Now is the wait for the A99 like the redemption from Sony! No A77 was? And the A99 will be at least equal to D800 or 5D Mark II? Of course not. Just see the Sony sensors are best used in Pentax and Nikon. It will come with a lot of electronic novelties, but photographically, will lose to Canikon. Look at the large number of people leaving Sony. And who does not have Sony equipment? Go look for Canikon because there already has equipment to buy. At Sony, have to wait to launch. The A57 has had delayed listing for firmware upgrade.
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