I got some more tidbits about a possible Sony Full Frame 45-46 Megapixel camera. I am yet not 100% sure but the camera could be released very early 2015. Don’t know if Sony will eventually show a prototype version at Photokina already. And from what I heard it’s an A-mount camera. But I would not exclude Sony will also use such a sensor on an RX…
…I am digging…be patient 🙂
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Foveon sensor?
3 x 15 = 45
Would be a 15MP camera.
Animalsbarry is that your cam?
Now im squirrelly!
If this is the case it would be very similar to the Foveon …possibly..just a pure guess..this could be a C size foveon like sensor…to first introduce the new technology…and a FF higher megapixel version may follow at a later time.
Except the rumour is for a FF, not APS-C sensor… :-/
Barry, don’t leave us! Look what might be coming!
Don’t you read SAR?
The commentariat says A-Mount is dead.
I’m here since around 2.5 years now. Can only remember around 3 cameras and around 3 Sony lenses in A-mount. Meanwhile around 20 cameras with E-mount and 25 lenses. I don’t know why some people still don’t get the message…
I don’t understand it. A mount has a huge lens collection, E mount has not. Of course there are more new E mount lenses, since Sony needed to start from scratch there. There are only few holes in the A-mount lens lineup, but there are in E-mount.
All E-mount news, probably A-mount users are deep in sleep now, you’ve to wake them up…
is Sony going to invent a new lens-mount and lens series for it? just to keep us guessing.
A Mount, E Mount, FE Mount, how about a SEE MOUNT?
There is no FE mount. Only FE lenses. The mount is E-mount.
Just like there are full-frame and DT (=APS-C) lenses for A-mount (or DX/FX on Nikon or EF/EF-S on Canon) there is APS-C and FE (=35mm) lenses for E-mount.
Excuse me for erring the FE is the lens that works with the A7 series. I think you get my point that Sony is confusing the offerings by offering A, E, FE lenses that all don’t play well together.
I would love to own an A7s but I don’t want to buy another $1000 50mm lens or 20 semi-working adapters (metabones) to make a streamlined instrument into a rig. You dig?
I don’t get it. E and FE is just like A and A-DT lenses (or DX/FX for Nikon or EF/EF-S for Canon). E/A-mount DT/DX/EF-S lenses only cover APS-C. FE/A-mount non-DT/FX/EF lenses cover full frame.
Of course there are only few lenses for now that cover full-frame on E-mount. But this is normal for every new camera. Fuji X started with three prime lenses. This needs time.
In the meantime you *can* use adapters, or you can even use non-FE E-mount lenses (in APS-C mode or with vignetting), or just wait with your investment until all lenses are there you need or want :). That is true for every new system.
Sony has 4 types of lenses for 2 mounts and 2 sensor sizes for ILCs. It is not much more confusing than Canikon, for example, who each have 3 types of lenses for two mounts and each have 3 sensor sizes for ILCs. You can try m43 or Fuji, there it is straightforward.
As to the available lenses, it has been less than a year since the inauguration of the a7 series.
This is Sony, of course they will create a new mount… its what they do best… every chance they have to dump a new mount on the market they jump on.
Really? How many new mounts have they created then???
Huh? Except for professionell Hollywood film equipment there are only two mounts. Just like Nikon and Canon also have two mounts: one for mirrorless with short focal distance, one for DSLR/SLT distance. What are you talking about!?
And what you do best is talking out of your a$$ troll.
Desperate trolls.
The increased MP will only amplify how crap the pictures are from Sony cameras. Boy are they stupid…or is it the people buying these crap cameras!
I think dxomark would disagree.
Strange. Sony sensors lead in nearly every aspect in both Sony and Nikon cameras. Could it be that you are a pure troll not knowing anything 😀 ?
Oh and by the way, lots of people love the 24MP APS-C cameras by S+N. Which have an even higher pixel density.
A mount is dead. Sony must be trying to sell off remaining A mount parts.
It would be nothing more than a full frame cut of the current sony 24mp dx sensor. It would be a great idea to layer it like Sigma’s foveon sensor.
silly kids its 45×3 sensor
but cant be used with any lens
what about last year saying this year will release a professional camera for sport/wildlife? like nikon d4s.
I would rather pay for a 12Mpx a-mount camera capable of 12fps and ISO409600 than a +36Mpx camera.I’m quite sure 45Mpx will show every imperfection of A-mount lenses so no need for this type of camera… Give me a proper camera capable of competing against the 1DX/D4S…. Are they afraid of developing such a camera?
Probably Sony thinks that sports photography is too niche and the market for it is too small compare to landscape photography.
Yes, landscape, macro, other studio photography, astronomy, forensic, etc
A mount lenses have no inherent imperfections, but i agree an extreme mp body demands a better selections of top tier ff lenses. That has to do with sony and 3rd parties though, not the way a lens locks up.
Why not just buy a 1DX/4DS if that’s what you want?
Because I have invested too much in A-mount lenses and the local Sony store from time to time give us interesting discounts on equipments and accesories.
But why jump ship if they can create such a camera?
too expensive…
You can see the imperfection on pixel-level by looking at a 24MP APS-C picture. It is really good. Of course this is not for everybody. Some people (incl. me) love less MP and better low-light capability better, but we should never speak for everyone :). In studio use 45MP is definitely great.
This could be the A99II or shall we call it A99R?
Nope this is definitely being called the barrycam
I’d buy the limited edition version with his signature on it.
It’ll be a shaky signature, as his hand doesn’t have IBIS.
Designed by Barry = priceless. Now all we need is a time machine to jump ahead 100 years to get the parts he’s going to need.
My immediate thought was that there is a plan for the a99ii, a mini medium format at 45-50mp, and a super speed 12.6mp with an incredible burst rate, ultra low light performance, and in body 4k video.
Sony have an excellent 1″ 21MP sensor with a crop factor of 2.7, which means they should be technically capable to go all the way up to 21*2.7 = 56 MP for full frame!
It would be interesting if they add a high res sensor and complete their insane FF sensor portfolio:
12MP, 24MP, 36MP and 48-56MP
No ! it’s not 21*2.7, it’s 21*2.7*2.7 = 153.09 !
the crop factor not only applies on one but both (x and y) axes.
and it is more difficult to make a full frame sensor than it is to make a 1″ sensor (with both having the same resolution) …
no it’s not. 21 is the number of pixels so the multiplication of vertical lines by horizontal lines have already been made.
This is what I thought at first, but he may be actually right, unless I am missing something. Apparently the 1″ sensor has amazing density:
1″ sensor 13.2 x 8.8 mm = 116.2 sq mm,
Pixel density 21 MP / 116.2 = 0.1807 MP/sq mm,
FF sensor 35.8 x 23.9 mm = 855.6 sq mm,
FF calculated MP at same density:
885.6 sq mm * 0.1807 MP/sq mm = 154.6 MP !!!
yeah he is right, apologies to Tim.
It’s MP count (Horizontal lines x Vertical lines) x crop factor².
Yes, its such an unreal pixel count that it got us,
I’ve always roughly calculated the FF equivalent of the 1″ sensor to just over 50MP that I never thought about it in detail
Squared is right. Do the math.
wait! a-what? no way… 🙂
Kiss our assess, naysayers. A mount will live. The future has a place for SLTs.
good luck 🙂
Is this the A99 replacement with 4k video ? doing a 4->1 pixel binning for 4k video would require 7680×4320 sensor area. add in the top and bottom pixels for 4×3 still frames and you have 7680×5760 or 44.2mp. Still a lower pixel density than the 24mp APS-c Sensor. hopefully there are a few new tricks to keep the SNR, ISO and DR at least equal to the current D810 36mp sensor.
I doubt sony will make an expensive ff camera that engages in jack of all trade-ism. That’s not very “pro”. This sounds more like a version of an a99 family, like they’ve done for a7
I’m going to be first in line if this the case. 46mp is a enough good reason for me to purchase one.
Why would it need to be “jack of all”. If they put it in a FF weather sealed body with built in grip there should be plenty of room for the heat-sinks necessary to accommodate 60p 4k video, dual UHS-3 SD card slots, dual bionz x processors. 4k is no longer a parlor trick but will be seen a year form now as an expected feature. If we get the per pixel quality of the current sensor used for the D810 in a 45mp version that adds that type of video and speed of probably 8-10fps+ you could get with dual Bionz-x processors and the fixed mirror of a Sony SLT It would be “Master of all” except high ISO performance and – oh wait the A7s will keep that crown for the folks who really need it. Would love to see this paired with the more light permissive mirror tech we have been hearing about for a while to help keep the upper ISO sensitivity within the acceptable range. Gain 10% light from the new mirror and keep High ISO performance at least equal to the current A99 or D810 with 44mp and all the other tricks that seem feasible. Evan at $3999 this thing would sell.
Crazy thought now that the idea of 4->1 4k is running through my head. What if they are using the RGBW format from exmor-RS
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201208/12-107E/
kind of like a side by side foveon but without infringing on patents. The resulting picture would be a super colorful and sharp 15mp type file. This is basically waht they are already doing to get “HDR 1080P” video out of the existing Exmore-RS 8mp ie 4K sensors. Supersizing this tech to FF would blow the competition out of the water in both video and still image quality.
Two years ago there were rumors about camera with square 36×36 mm sensor. Anyone knows what happened to it?
A 36×36 sensor with the same pixel size as the medium format sensor would be about 44.5 megapixel
A serious issue with the square sensor is lens compatability.
While there is probably sufficient coverage on 35mm lenses for all except the corners of the image…many lenses, including many Sony lenses, have a rectangular baffle plate in the rear to reduce flair by eliminating light that is unnecessary for current rectangular sensors.
Such lenses would therefor lack coverage on the top and bottom of the square format.
I therefor believe it unlikely we will see such a camera.
IF there is any truth to this, it’s nice to see attention on the A-mount, but I fear this is way too much of a specialty camera, that will be both extraordinarily expensive, and extremely impractical for everyone except a narrow niche of users. The mexapixel war should be deemed over. 16mp was truly enough for the demands of 90% of regular consumers…. and 24mp is plenty for another 9%. It’s a very very narrow subset of users — those who would be drawn to medium format — who really have any true use for 36+ mp.
Even if price was totally equal, I’d take a 24mp camera over 36mp, just because the files are easier to manage. Add in to the equation — that the 24mp camera would be cheaper, likely more responsive, faster burst rate, etc — I’d absolutely take the lower MP camera.
Give me the full frame A-mount with “world’s faster AF” and with 8+ fps and a deep buffer, I could care less about 4 trillion megapixels.
I agree but then again i don’t.. Because i can see myself not having the ability to choose a faster camera or a pixel peeper if given only one choice. I shoot birds, i need speed.. But the ability to crop for 50mp is extremely useful and forgiving. Imagine a line of birds on a fence, with 50 mp, you can get them all in one frame and crop out a portrait for each.
hope you have very high quality lenses then… because if you are planning on cropping down from a 50mp to say the equivalent of a 10mp shot, then you are going to need some very good glass, otherwise you might as well have used a point and shoot.
Im not lugging around Minolta kit lenses if that’s what you’re wondering
So let’s think about capturing those birds….
Which camera would be more useful:
1. 50mp camera, that costs $3500… That focuses slowly with a long shutter lag.. That shoots at 4fps, and the buffer locks up and freezes the camera for 30 seconds, after capturing just 6 or 7 frames. And then when you upload the images to your fairly fast computer, it takes about 30-60 seconds every time you apply an edit to the image.
OR
2. A 24mp camera, that costs $2000. That locks focus immediately with a fast responsive shutter. That shoots at 8fps, that lets you capture 15-20 frames, before slowing down.. but the buffer clears within 10 seconds. And the images can be quickly sorted and edited in post processing.
Oh.. and in terms of resolution…. with 90% of lenses, let’s also say that you end up getting about the same real resolution at the end of the day. (the 50mp won’t resolve enough detail to use at 100% on most lenses…. so let’s assume at the end of the day, you really don’t even get too much extra cropping ability on the 50mp with most lenses.. not even with many premium lenses).
That’s a lot of assumptions about the price and performance of a rumoured camera…
Of course it’s speculation, but not like I suggested anything ridiculous. Lower MP cameras are capable of being more responsive.. That’s why professional sports dSLRs tend to be low MP.
The 36mp cameras currently on the market are less responsive than similar 24mp and 16mp cameras. For example, the Nikon D800/810 shoots at a slower burst rate than the much cheaper and otherwise inferior D600/610. (Imagine if you had the processor, buffer and AF system of the D800/810 but reduce the megapixels.. you’d have an amazingly fast camera).
You built a straw-man and expect serious replies?
I don’t understand why 50MP would have a slower AutoFocus, especially in A-mount?
Slower shutter response, not necessarily slower AF. But in terms of building off the current A99 — I’d much rather they focused their energy on improving the AF, instead of worrying about increasing the MP.
Definitely #1
No contest
I shoot birds and use the pix for refferrence.
Current cameras allow us to shoo a bird or a feather but do not provide enough detail for both.
I shoot at 3 fps and totally go for higher res.
I have no need for 12 fps even though my camera can do it.
I much prefer speed for birds. I can’t spend all afternoon at a roost, i got to snag them when i see them. But i agree that big mp has a use for birds.
Its a trade off because a very large portion of the photo quality depends on how the photo was taken rather than technique. ..especially with animals.
The fast focus on the a77II proved very usefull for BIF on my last shoot but burned out the screw drive af gears on my Sigma 50-500 after 4 days use.
Your A77ii killed your Bigma? Wow! I have been seriously looking at the A77ii as an upgrade from my A57, but that would be a deal-breaker for me.
Do you own a Somy 70-400mm?
No, but I am leaning more towards Tamron 150-600.
Still waiting for it to be available in Sony mount but cancelled my preorder because if Sigma comes out with a 300-600 I might want that instead.
Also if Canon comes out with a really good camera and A mount doesnt I have the option of getting the Canon camera and Canon mount version of the lens.
A lot depends on the new stuff coming out…since my new camera and new long lens will be permanantly attached to eaxh other…at least untill a better new camera comes out…I am not locked into my existing Sony system.
Sony is my easiest choice but not my only choice and I am waiting to see what will be my best choice.
Whatever I do the balence of my system will be sony because none of that needs to be replaced, just my long lens.
High MP is needed in publishing for editorial cropping.
Consumers don’t need it, wedding, sports and news photographers don’t use it, but everyone else who sells their work to any sort of editorial does. Its not niche.
Consumers do use it, in form of digital zoom
I have to ask….why is your picture sideways:)
it was upside-down shot, the camera wasn’t able to decide what is horizontal, some noncomformism…
You just defined it as a niche:
– Not consumers
– Not wedding photographers
– Not sports and news photographers
You’ve taken out 99% of photographers. That’s the very definition of a niche.
haha 🙂 Ok. Thats every product, fine art and fashion photographer angry now!
Why would they be angry??? I’m sure they know they are a niche. They don’t expect to walk in to Walmart and buy their cameras.
Mostly correct, as I would also very much welcome a much better AF system than currently on the A900 (although the central point is drop dead accurate) that has a much wider spread across the frame. The files in the A7r are the same size as the A900 files and equally easy to manage.
There is a huge lack of confidence in the future of A mount.
If Sony does actually plan a future for the System then it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT for sony to introduce the latest technolgy sensor to A mount BEFORE E mount in order to restore that confidence.
Assuming that this sensor represents new technolgy an A mount version first will make a big statement by Sony.
As to the sensor itself…I know very little about it yet and am rather limited in what I can say yet
This can either be 3 layers or one…exmor or exmor R…c size or ff size….each of which change the picture a lot.
If ff then 46mp is not a big increase from 36mp…but it may be a new technology sensor
If C size then 46mp is a huge increase from 24..but if 3 layers and C then its actually 16mp x 3 layers and therefor the actual sizeof the pixels would be larger.
Clearly it is impossible to make the most relevent comment until I learn more about this sensor but I am excited about it and will definitelly have more to say when I learn more.
Barry go somewhere’s else. You’re annoying us with crazy talk.
Your sn A$$ ther is nothing crazy about this statement and it is simply an automatic comment because it is my comment.
So if you dont like it YOU can go somehere else..or even just look somewhere else ..or continue to be an A$$
LU CID, you are not much better TBFH.
“Pot this is the Kettle over”
So A-mount first, because you’re using it? Oh Barry…
Sony made huge statement. High resolution sensors, high sensitive sensors and all video cameras are E-mount! Yet some people still think mirrorless is just those company’s hobby or just a hipster trend. But it’s the future, times are changing…
Maybe its the future of slr.. But slts have a place in the world that makes them immune to the progress mirrorless has gained
that one is?
Any slt. The point of having a reflection mirror is made moot by technology present in high end mirrorless. The point of having a pellicle mirror is fundamentally different and mirrorless gains don’t apply. Thus, it makes perfect sense that mirrorless can be “the future” and a mount can be too.
There are two possibilites.
Sony may…as thier actions seem to indicate…be moving towds a single E mount sytem….gradually letting A mount fade away.
Or Sony may as their words alone indicate actually intend to keep and develope multiple systems.
The lack of certainty hurts A mount sales and makes 3rd party manufacturers reluctant to commit to producing products for Sony cameras.
Introducing new tech to A mount first eill make a clear statement that Sony is commited to maintaining both systems by thier actions..not just thier words
E mount first would maintain the current uncertainty and increase the perception that A mount has a limted life.
Clearly whichever choice Sony makes will make an important statement.
there is a third possibility that look like a lot to your second choice.
Putting on hold A-mount to push forward E-mount developpement to a point were the advance they make is an gap large enough that Canon or Nikon (or anyone else to that matter) won’t be able to close.
When they reach that goal Sony will cruise to it’s normal pace for A& E-mount developpement.
Sony know that the gap in DSLR market it too large to catch the big ones and A-mount system is a relatively complete system that still has the ability to attract new costumers so they can take the risk to froze it.
The downside of this strategy is that actual customers could be pissed but if you think of it Sony doesn’t really put on hold A-mount, they just adapt the developement pace to Canon & Nikon’s one. After all Alpha99 is only 2.5years old wich is quit young for a high end DSLR.
I guess if Sony uptdate their firmware more often it would put at ease A-mount customer.
E-mount rapid developpement doesn’t mean that Sony is gonna ditch A-mount.
It still makes sense to introduce yhe latest technology sensor to A mount first even if E mount gets it the next week.
This would send the message to A mount users that they are not forgetton…give E mount 20 new camerasand A mount 2 if you want but put the latest tech in A mount first.
Or announce A and E mount cameras using the same sensor at the same / similar time like NEX-7 & A77 was.
Assuming your right, then a 50MP sensor makes sense in the A99II. Even if they phase out the A mount line, it would bulster sales for a last go around. The market still leans towards DSLR’s and at the present moment Sony could gain some credibility amongst professionals- that is, in terms of their sensor technology. At least a modest buzz- that helps shed light on e-mount and all of Sony benefits. WE NEED A D810 KILLER.
I agree…skip the 36mp
48.8 MP for better downsampling / readout for 4K video.
I still don’t understand the need for cameras over 24MP. Is there a good website where it shows you how the added pixels translate to work in real life? Presumably people printed high quality prints and billboards on 10MP cameras.
Crop power. It’s about forgiveness and versatility with your images. Needed? Not at all.
I agree it gives a lot of flexibility that you wouldn’t normally have with a low mp sensor.
It’s not just about crop power. You can “bury” the noise in prints of a larger size much easier the more resolution you have. Micro contrast as well benefits- but you need to be printing to see most of these advantages. That’s the problem, most people don’t and yet make there decisions based on pixel peeping. That’s not photography and it’s not the way most people- if anyone- will be viewing your pictures.
Also, 36MP is only about 20% increase over 24MP in terms of resolution. It’s a drop in the bucket when you consider what large format film has to offer. My point is, the advantage in terms of cropping power is overstated. When we double the standard 24MP and get to 96MP then call me. Until then, I’ll use LF for my high resolution needs. I don’t do wildlife so no problems there.
“I still don’t understand the need for cameras over…..”
People say the same EVERY time there is an increase!
I love the self argument, lol. Right on both accounts of course.
On E-Mount FF cameras it gives me the resolution for FE and E lenses. I switched from the NEX to A7r only for that single reason. Meanwhile I love cropping my 36MP pictures so much that I don’t want to give it up. A super sharp 35mm can replace a 50 and 85 for my uses just by cropping the image
Go shoot some 8×10 and have it drummed scanned. It’ll all make sense.
Canon hasn’t increased their MP count on the 5D since 2008. Nikon D4S and Canon 1D pro bodies are still below 20MP. And top-of-the-line Olympus and Panasonic m4/3 bodies are 16MP. People are making beautiful prints with all of these sub 20MP machines (A7s included), so presumably there is a real limit to the utility of added megapixels.
Also, cropping an image taken with a 35mm lens and saying it looks like a 100mm shot is not true, unless they were landscapes shot at f5.6 or higher. Bokeh and rendering if more than just cropping images.
I see a difference in processing. When you start applying either local or global adjustments, the added resolution helps in terms of micro contrast. Applied affects seem more natural and the end result more appealing. It depends on how intense your work flow is and what applications your using- what’s the end result for? Facebook, flickr- practically anything online? I think it’s mostly inconsequential. But start working in the extremes and more resolution quickly becomes an asset.
There is a thread about it here:
http://www.dyxum.com/DFORUM/the-joy-of-154m-pixels_topic108753.html
For as long as we are working with interpolation through a Bayer filter alone, there is benefit to be found. If you’ve ever stitched a couple shots and downsampled the results to a lower resolution, you probably have noticed the reduction in artifacts, possibly even extra detail still and added color information resulting in much more forgiving and natural looking files, compared to a Bayer camera shooting natively in that lower resolution.
This is a tried old argument that has been disproved many times.
How did you arrive at the arbitrary number of 24MP? Why not 6, or 8, or 12 and applying the same flawed logic. This same argument was posed at almost every point along the sensor development scale, and in all cases proven to be wrong.
A-mount camera with 12mp sensor like a A7s (high iso and wide dynamic range)
is much better to me than 36, or 45-50mp.
I hope they make that for you. Lot’s of folk will want that to serve a specific purpose.
I want the big mp camera. Lot’s of folk will want that to serve a specific purpose.
Let’s hope good things for everyone!
Apply the same successful philosophy as the a7 family? Yes, Sony will not ignore how well that has worked out. They’d be fools to think otherwise.
+1. Would prefer 16mp though, but agree that noise control must be improved. Please add 5 axis OS
In some cases 12MP is great. In some cases high-megapixel count. E.g. in the studio you have perfect light and F8. Greater resulotion is good there. There is nothing that is perfect for EVERYTHING. To have a CHOICE is the good thing.
Couldn’t agree more. Different user group wants different features. I personally shoot only studio and well lit environment, and I don’t need to track fast action, so for me high MP is welcome.
that’s what i want. super fast 12mp, hi ISO, high DR with in camera stabilization. i hope the rumor of the built in versicle grip is not true though since i would like a smaller body…
It’s baffling to me that people would trust the current selection of e mount lenses to high mp (a7r) and say a mount doesn’t have what it takes to make use of high mp.
Based on recent history, you can already tell this isn’t true. They haven’t put that technology in an E-mount camera yet
Do people think this will be the a99II? Has anyone received any news about the “a88”?
Just wondering.
A88 is likely just a in-house name for a lower price point a99ii, which according to recent rumors constantly hammering about a 50mp, we can speculate to come in multiple versions much like the a7 has.
Another day, another BS…
Another day, another BS posting ;)…
Dreams are my reality, the only kind of real fantasy. Illusions are a common thing… *lalala*
That is a 100% accurate statement.
Would be thoughtful if they allowed multiple RAW resolutions along with square and classic print format options. Shooting directly for 11×14 (instead of 11×17) would make post editing a lot easier for many jobs.
Leverage the full EVF advantage please, with extra effort put towards exquisite viewfinder optics and magnification eye relief. EVF has the potential to relieve our noses smashing against the camera back.
A99II is now to be released early next year. Now we have a “possible” 50MP camera early next year? Sounds like the A99II and an A88. 2015- “Year of the A Mount”
In 2013 the rumors were for FF mirrorless a-mount early this year as well.
Personally I would like to see some form of a-mount news, preferably a-mount FF cameras but again everything is SR3 or below & nothing has been confirmed for Photokina. I think all of the Sony pre-Photokina announcements have been done – SAR Admin am I wrong?
It’s the waiting & hoping game again.
Looks like Admin is keeping the A-mount news to the last – in line with what Sony is doing, hope the rumors are well worth the wait.
+1
Hopefully info will come out at Photokina.
I think his sources are drying up. He used to have the drop on this stuff months before it launched.
The impression I have got from the comments you have made in the past is that you seem to know about the a88 and a99II. Do you have anymore news?
I know that everyone involved in the project once it transitioned over to Sony’s professional imaging division were ordered to sign NDA, and Sony is enforcing them.
Their projects are compartmentalized, and the cross pollination between teams has ceased due to security issues.
If Andrea gets any hard info on the cameras before Photokina I’ll be amazed.
The only opportunity will be when info is given to the marketing teams 96 hours before the announcement, Sony will keep us in the dark until then until the.
I do know one is 36mp with a A89 PDAF, and if this rumour above is correct the 36mp 12 fps may actually be the A88.
Thanks for the info, no choice have to endure another 11 days till photokina to see what Sony have for A-mount.
I doubt there will be an a88 moniker. The a7 has shown its more useful to keep a single moniker and have different versions. Even at different price points, that has worked out very well for Sony. Expect instead the a99ii, a99r and a99x kind of labels.
Considering the 2.5 to 3 year cycle of a-mout bodies, it makes sense that next year will see new releases. The entire line-up was replaced between 2011 and 2012.
With a such high Mp count, would it be possible to eliminate noise by post processing,
even at ISO 100k ?
I spoke to a photograf, who had the chance to test an prototype and mentioned that statement above. (He didnt share much because of NDA) :-/
He mentioned the camera is likely to be released early 2015 and he is most related to Sony / Samsung.
Thee pixelpeepers will for sure see a lot more noise and less punsch and contrast.
Short answer, no. There is no real fix for noise because noise is random. The only work around is to make the pixels more sensitive to light or to have a bigger sensor like Leica does. High pixel counts means tiny pixels, and tiny pixels struggle to catch light because they have so little surface area. This is Physics, and there is not much you can do to change that. In post eliminating noise always means sacrificing detail, contrast, vividness and saturation. You smooth everything out into mush.
If I bought this one, I’d keep my A7S for lowlight.
But with IBIS, I think I could probably get down to 1/10s second even for 80mm or so, and I hardly ever shoot beyond that.
Great news for A mount hard core users
I hope for LA-EA6 with vastly improved AF.
News? Where?
The anti-alpha crowd are probably gonna wimp and whine over this one. I think it’s only dawning on them now that the A-Mount is probably launching with two full frames that are better equipped than all of the FF mirror-less cameras.
If this is the case maybe its the A88 which has a 36mp sensor and is12fps capable.
46megapixel + translucent = 36megapixel in traditional dslr (?)
No.
Were you born stupid or did you take lessons?
James Leseke
” Sony cameras have issues with noise happening sooner and nastier than Canons and Nikons”
Short answer: no. Longer answer: 1/3 stop penalty for the translucent. This means, eventually, a quicker degradation of the image due to noise because you have to kick up the ISO ever so slightly. And more bad news, because of the 46 meg you are going to bring on the noise a lot sooner than you think. Them tiny little pixels are really struggling to catch the light, so you got to really got to goose them to work. That causes noise. This is why the A7s is a low light champ with its 12meg chip. Each of those pixels has a lot of space to catch every stray photon wondering in its direction. At 46 meg the camera will work like gangbusters in strong light, giving wonderful detailed images. But when the light fails, it gets all kinds of ugly, fast. The image will degrade very quickly in low light, unless you slap the camera on a tripod and go with long shutter speeds, pumping up the ISO will only go so far. RAW images will die first with JPEGs giving up a little latter. It will be a 46meg image, but the noise will make it fuzz out to utter hash. For whatever reason Sony cameras have issues with noise happening sooner and nastier than Canons and Nikons, the exception being the utterly awesome A7s.
Hey that’s the best description of ISO noise I’ve ever read. You should start a blog writing about cameras like that.
This may be A99IIR
Hope they also make the A99IIS with the 12Mp sensor
Would make perfect sense
I think that in the near future (maximum 5-6 years from now) the A mount will have the same fate as Canon’s FD mount…The A7 – E mount is the future in full-frame terms for Sony and anyone can see that. Also the A99 sales compared to its Canon and Nikon peers were poor all the time. Being geared towards pros the A99 failed as a stills camera. The situation at the World Cup this year was critical: Sony was the big sponsor and yet no big photo journalistic agency was using Sony…
I really doubt that a high mp camera will rejuvenate the A mount system…
http://photobyandrei.wordpress.com/
You are ill-informed, and simply wrong
The A99’s sales have been perfectly fine, and are double what the A850/900 were. The A99 user base is much larger than the A7 user base.
The A-Mount’s user base has been expanding, it represents 31% of Sony’s imaging divisions revenue stream.
Sony generates more profit from it’s imaging sales than Nikon does.
The A-Mount is growing as fast or faster than the E-Mount, and it has been a non-reflex design for close to five years.
Actually the A99 has a huge organization backing it, National Geographic, and other major players are switching to it.
http://provideocoalition.com/dcarr/story/david_mclain_jerome_thelia_interview_about_the_calling_and_sonys_a99
If we’re all ill informed please educate us with a link that’s more recent than 2 years ago.
Look it up yourself.
The Canon FD mount has been obsolete since 1987, don’t you mean EF mount. Eventually even Canon will transition to mirror-less as their mainstream technology but I suspect the EF and Sony A mount will be in use for special applications for some time. All the manufacturers are in the same boat here, to point this out as a Sony only issue is just trolling.
It’s a Sony only issue because Canon and Nikon don’t have yet mirrorless full-frame cameras. Also the other mirrorless producers are using mft and aps-c sensors (except Pentax with the Q system). So it’s a reality and it’s not trolling 🙂
Cannon and Nikon are behind the mirror-less technology curve at this time but will have to transition eventually and when they do (and they will certainly have to) their current mounts will be obsoleted except for special applications. This technological evolution will effect all camera manufacturers, Sony will likely complete the transition first. But this will be a good thing for Sony and a bad omen for Cannon and Nikon.
There will certainly be a transition in some kind but I doubt DSLR will ever disappear. DSLRs have potential to shrink much and the EVF advantage of the CLCs is on paper only. Smaller DSLRs will take away the main argument for mirrorless cams, the size, and keep all the advantages CLCs are behind like comfort, handling, batterylife, relaxing finder.
A “relaxing finder”, you look through it when you want to fall asleep.
I think the current crop of smaller DSLR’s are about as small as they can get and still keep the mirror-box. EVF’s will continue to improve and offer real advantages in the real world. After using optical finders for 20+ years I now prefer a good EVF and will never go back.
And I meant the FD mount that Canon dropped by releasing cameras with the actual EF mount, even Canon users back then were using the FD mount. What I really mean is that users and fans do not count very much when corporate decisions are taken…And that was a good decision from Canon because in 27 years they sold more than 100 million EF/EF-S lenses.
I see the same thing happening in the future for both Canon and Nikon when they will release the full-frame mirrorless cameras because large DSLR lenses will be redundant then.
Not a chance!!! Canon invented the technology Sony’s SLT cameras are using in 1968 (Canon Pellix). I’m amazed they (Sony) aren’t paying Canon royalties, for such blatant rip-off. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_Pellix)
However, Canon is developing a new pellicle mirror camera to counter the A-Mount (http://www.canonrumors.com/2013/10/patent-a-pellicle-mirror-by-canon/)
So the A99 might actually be seeing competition from another SLT very soon.
A patent is only in effect for 14 to 20 years, so this 46 year old patent would not be in force now. It would be interesting to see a Canon pellical mirror camera, hopefully it will be more successful than their first attempt at this technology.
This is the future. Large cameras using pellicle technology, and 100% compatibility with existing SLR lenses, and tiny CSC for those who favour mobility over sheer performance.
Canon is the next to launch a pellicle mirror camera, and those A7 users with huge numbers of Canon lens will probably drop the A7 once it launches.
Yeah the Canon users only use the A7 because Canon doesn’t offer mirror-less type tech. They’re going to forget Sony completely when the new EOS RT arrives.
I had one in ’94 and it was crazy fast.
Not if it relies on eos m mount.. E mount is vastly more popular. You have the nex to thank for that.
No. They’re gonna use their current mount, and replace the old fashion mirror with a “Pellix”, and all of us with Canon glass will get all the features of mirror-less we want but with MKIII performance.
Win win for Canon, and it’s users, serious loss for A7.
Wrong on the “loss for A7”
Any EF mount “mirrorless” would still be a fairly big unit – due to the longish flange distance and throat.
Any SLT type design by Canon would basically be a competitor to the A99.
And by “MKIII” performance – you mean that 2008 architecture, mushy AA filter, noisy banded shadows kind of thing?
But where will this leave all the SLT light loss trolls? Cannon owners will have one less thing to troll about. So sad….. 🙁
They change their tune when Canon changes its tune.
Reminds me of Apple fans…
I’m sure it could be found at the thrift store now for 5 bucks.
I found your mama in a thrift store.
The future is mirrorless cameras without a redundant mirror box. Once OSPDAF is perfected, existing DSLR mounts become pointless.
I think you assume that mirrorless mounts are only for CSCs, when it is their flexibility in terms of camera size that will make them more useful for the future. E-mount is geared for the future, A-mount much less so.
You are wrong. Mirror-less aren’t going be anything more than a niche platform, and full frame mirror-less isn’t being as widely adopted as the trolls believe.
Its already flatlined. They’ll get nothing more than a third of the interchangeable lens market, if there lucky, However a new wave of DSLRs are all ready pushing mirror-less out, the cheaper Full Frame DSLRs.
Cause the next wave of DSLRs are likely to be sub-1K FF, as opposed to mainly APS-C sized mirror-less. This is what enthusiasts want, and prices for Full Frames have been steadily dropping.
A FF Canon for less than an A6000. Which would you buy at staples.
Yeah I thought so too
When is Cannon releasing this SLT model?
Man this is awesome. If Canon launches this I’m pawning my A7, and getting back to a real camera. Mirror-less sucks!!!
My guess is it’s never going to happen, don’t get your hopes up. If Cannon were serious about SLT technology it would be here now.
Why would you buy something that sucks? Sounds kind of stupid.
He didn’t.
No idea why they would pay royalties when the only thing in common is that the mirror does not move. The reflective ratio’s are different, the material used is fully different and most importantly, the function of that fixed mirror is completely different too. Not to mention the age of the patent shown…
It’s like asking all car makers to pay royalties to the inventor of the round wheels…
Or closer to home, Canon paying Sony royalties for commercially selling an electronic still camera with digital sensor (Sony Mavica was the first commercially sold electronic still camera with a digital sensor).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Mavica
It’s just sour grapes because Sony took a Cannon idea, improved it and made it work.
This won’t happen, but canon put it out there it hedge it’s bets. If mirrorless steamrolls slr, canon will need to move on to survive. Slt is the next best choice if you don’t want to develop your own system.. And the eos m story is one i imagine canon could undo.
Mirror-less isn’t steamrolling anything. The DSLR performance is clearly increasing at a faster pace. Sub-1K FF DSLR are going to be the next thing.
That can work for a while.. But if a mirrorless ff and a dslr ff are the same price, but one is smaller and lighter… I think you can see where I’m going with this. All mirrorless needs is a better lens library and the canon/Nikon business model begins to make less and less sense.
Agreed. It’s a matter of time before young people won’t even know what an OVF is to miss it. SLRs may still be doing well, but they’re approaching obsolescence. (And this is from someone who does miss an OVF.)
1968, Patent in Japan probably expired. Or Sony fudged the design enough to work around the patent. Sony uses plastic, Canon used glass, placement of electronics different, etc, etc, etc,
I think that in the not so near future (but close enough) we’ll all be using lytro cameras and software instead of lenses. I’m sure by the time mirrorless dominates we’ll have something else to challenge that platform. If you want stability in terms of prices of equipment- shoot film. For everything else consider uncertainty the cost of doing business.
Sony does not have a proper sports, action body with robust networking options to disseminate images from camera to news outlets within seconds. That’s why you won’t see sports guys using it at marquee sporting events.
I agree, but also the AF points of the A99 are arranged more like a prosumer camera (like D610 or 6D) rather than a pro camera ( like 5D mk III, D810, 1DX or D4s). This is also a factor. But you have to take into account that most landscape, portrait or weddings photographers are using also Canon and Nikon and this has nothing to do with AF points, speed or transfer possibilities…The A99 is a great camera but it’s not a commercial succes.
The A7 series is a commercial succes and I think this is the future for Sony in the full-frame segment. It’s a pitty that some lenses like the Sony Zeiss 24-70 f4 OSS are mediocre in terms of IQ and that QC is still an issue for most Sony cameras and lenses…
Sony has done a relatively poor job of marketing the SLT cameras and a-mount system, in general. They have a clearer direction in marketing the the a7 series and are improving. One would hope they would improve their marketing all around – although I haven’t seen much in regards to the a77-2. Marketing must go beyond a product announcement.
And yes – the AF system of the a99 is poor. Sony cheaped out and recycled an aps-c AF module rather than develop a full frame AF system despite the premium price of the camera.
46mp isn’t going to convince people to jump back onto the DSLR-like bandwagon. Those who are already on that bandwagon will simply wait for th 46mp Nikon D900e. Sony is wasting R&D money on a dwindling market that is impenetrable by anyone not named Canon or Nikon.
Current A-Mount users are going to buy this by the millions. All of us who have tens of thousands of dollars in Zeiss, and G-Series lenses are going to buy this. All of those who want a non-DSLR camera, but want the capability to use native f/2.8 zooms, and f/1.4 primes are going to buy this. DSLR users who want a camera that is large and has excellent ergonomics, and a EFV are going to buy this.
Mirror-less users that want to use Sony/Zeiss lenses with full stabilization are going to buy this.
The A99 was really well specced, had very unique features, and the buying public kind of yawned. Upping the MP count to 45 isn’t going to make everyone flock to the Sony camp. I’m sure it’ll be an awesome camera – Sony is good at this. But just wont move the needle.
It Sony’s current user base that will buy this. I really don’t think there looking for converts. The younger generation get the A-Mount, and mirror-less, it’s the old fuc*s that don’t
THAT is the problem – if you look at the Alpha base… let’s say that it’s mature.
If they don’t win new photographers, or aim to win market share, they will be pushed into a “milking the cow” type position. And that’s just not a great place to be in if you are an A-mount fan.
If milking means I get a 46mp FF camera out of the deal I ain’t gonna complain.
Plus the younger photographers are the ones who tend to buy SLT, and mirror-less, the dinosaurs don’t
Fundamentally I don’t understand why you guys care. I’m not being sarcastic, I am agnostic about brands. I’ve liked Sony a lot in the past few years, but I’m not invested (financially or otherwise) in its success, much less the success of a particular line of their products. What I do feel connected to are my Leica and Zeiss lenses, and I just choose the best system to use them on. With the internet economy so accessible these days, one can always switch systems without a huge penalty in time and money.
If you guys see the A mount representing a certain style or philosophy of cameras, then I can see more of what’s at stakes. For me the main thing that’d be lost with it is IBIS, by far. But I’ve got along with my A7R and S extremely well. If I had to carry that much weight, I’d rather have an A1000 with an OVF than another SLT, honestly.
BTW, I think the real dinosaurs (the ones with $ anyway) buy Leicas. I’d be more worried about Leica than Sony.
Funny, my recent experience where I work is a pair of just out of college hires bought Canon DSLRs.
Sony’s marketing problems are extensive. What’s hilarious is the hipster e-mount crowd here who think it’s merely a technology issue. The history of building a better mousetrap failing in the face of incompetent marketing is the stuff of legend. The classic VHS vs. Betamax (probably before your time; look it up on Wikipedia, dude) should be an epic fail close to Sony’s heart since they choked down hard on that one.
A lot of mistakes Sony made which crippled the a-mount they’re making with the e-mount.
I don’t understand why it needs to move the needle any more than it has. Sony is a successful business and their imaging department is a successful department. They’re running behind canon and Nikon for installed user base, sure.. But third place is great in most people’s eyes. They’re bigger than Pentax and sigma and Ricoh and even leica. Is anyone going to bust leicas balls for not shifting more units than canon or nex? This is such blind idiocy.
They’re trolls if they were real photographers they’d be at work. The anti-alpha community circles SAR like vultures taking pot shots at the alpha community.
The Alpha is close to thirty years old and still has the world’s third largest installed base.
Most of the griping is because they can’t believe a company fairly new to the business can produce more innovative products and much better sensors. Simple fan boy jealousy is all it is.
That’s the kicker though.. Alpha is decades old and the sony/Minolta group go back to imperial era. They’ve got absolutely nothing left to prove.
This is where you’re very wrong. This complacency position that you’re describing is suicide. If you really believe that the current installed A-mount base is that large and vibrant that they don’t need to attract new customers, you’re mistaken.
The imaging unit is barely profitable, and they throw all kinds of stuff in it for the financials to make it look that way. So, this is not a fair representation of the success of the line either.
“Keep making better cameras until all the A mount users are dead” is not a strategy.
So, rather than play ostrich, perhaps it’s productive to consider what Sony CAN fix outside of making good cameras. 1. Awful distribution and trade relations. 2. Fairly poor customer service and repair process. 3. Fix the flash system 4. Find a winnable position for A-mount other than “we are here, too”
Imperial era of Japan?
The a99 had a 24mp sensor.
A mediocre 24mp when the a77 had 24m poo and Nikon had 36mp…im surprised anyone bought one.
“Millions” LOL
You are truly, truly deluded.
You mama was deluded
Here’s the heart of the matter. Lets say Sony delayed the a99II because the wishful thinking is correct and they plan to shock the world with a high spec’d flagship a-mount. Make the AF top-notch with segment leading FPS and buffer size. Add in maturity in features to match a Nikon D810 but price it all a few hundred dollars cheaper. Nirvana?
Will a sports or nature shooter switch? Sony’s lens choice for this use case is a mediocre selection and 3rd party support by, say, Sigma doesn’t offer everything in a Sony mount. Where’s a native shift lens for product and architectural work? Others mention other lens gaps. Sony’s flagship flash is a buggy p.o.s. they won’t support and fix. Which opens a whole pro support can of worms Canikon trounce them on.
Sony has big marketing issues and the guys claiming the a-mount won’t be saved by a better mousetrap need to realize it cuts both ways with the even more immature and piecemeal e-mount system.
As an a-mount shooter who also shoots interiors, the a7r is the best camera for interiors & architecture in my opinion. It’s high res, the built-in wifi lets me stream preview images to an iPad to show to clients on-site, great digital level and best of all – I can use Canon tilt-shift lenses on it with a small, glassless adapter.
You’re saying this as though being third behind canon and Nikon spells certain doom/bankruptcy… Someone go tell leica they’ve been out of business for the last 30 years, lol.
No, actually I wasn’t saying that at all. Simply they aren’t going to beat Canikon with their current marketing strategy.
Sony does have a small install user base compared to the other two, but it’s asinine to think the point of the a mount is to draw users for mirrorless. The reason Sony actively supports both is because the mirrorless and slt lines serve different crowds. If you need a mirrorless, you’ll not get an slt and if you need a pellicle, the a7 won’t fix your problems.
I find this topic fascinating because I’m a frustrated a-mount devotee who takes delivery today of a used Nikon D800. I crossed over to the dark side sick of Sony’s abuse and neglect. ;^)
Sony’s electronics gadget marketing mentality will never take over the photographic market. The notion is absurd. So you are correct pumping out first a huge mp camera assuming it’s a solid design won’t alone beat Canikon. They’ll get crossovers certainly. I’ll probably return to the fold if the price is right because I’m setting up my Nikon migration to minimize losses to next to nothing should I decide to flush this experiment on eBay. But Sony’s lack of systems support, strong pro support network, poor firmware upgrade policies, etc. will always leave them choking on a trail of dust.
All that said, hats off to Andrea for an interesting rumor for all us to chew on but I’ll believe it when I see it. Every action thus far is FEs get new sensor tech then it’s transferred to DSLRs with Nikon getting exclusives on it 1st. Can the leopard change its spots?
Cool story bro.
Wow, EarlFukass buys a new used camera and the world stops turning.
Earl please convince barely more than a animal to do the same.
“abuse and neglect.”
It’s a f**king camera brand! Grow a pair.
When the a77II came out a major review site started out their review by saying gee maybe the Sony SLT isn’t dead after all. I’ll assume you know nothing about marketing so I’ll point out if you’re running a marketing department and that’s the widespread perception of a line you’re introducing a new product for that’s not a good thing.
When a high-level Sony sales executive comes off the stage from doing a keynote on new products and dodges a direct question on the future of the a-mount to perpetuate this belief well then don’t blame reporters and fan rumor sites going rogue.
When many, many customers collected here on SAR either are members of the ‘death of the a-mount’ chorus or lamenting the lack of news, products, updates, getting skipped-over for the best tech (e.g., a99) or get it long after everyone else (e.g., a77II) well, that, IMHO, is the result of marketing that sux. If you don’t get it then you’re a f**king moron. And if you don’t like that, hey, grow a pair because that’s how it feels to be an a-mount owner. ;^)
I assume by grow a pair you mean an A99 and a A7R- a perfect pair.
Earl, here’s a tiny violin to go with you whine and cheeze
So you’re going to tell me (and the other bunch of fellow SAR regulars who’ve b*thced about the same thing) with a straight face Sony’s treatment of a-mount customers is stellar and not deserving of criticism? If I wasn’t on my smartphone I’d send you a picture of a clown!
You’re funny …. Open A7 line cams and see your self how they are made compare to Canon ( no further comment needed here ) …
Also, why you need in digital era DSLR when mirror less camera systems is way to go. ( In mirror less ” what you see is what you get” ) This naked reality makes Nikon and Canon obsolete already.
Someone needs to tell Canikon which is outselling Sony by a large margin you’ve written them off as bankrupt today. I guess they can shutter their doors. ;^)
Some people like an optical viewfinder or cameras that are more mechanical and seem to just work. That’s a fine preference, choice is good.
Sony should do a better job at both marketing to those on the fence about an EVF as well as improving the interface to make it easier for an SLR photographer to approach.
Sad to hear. Then maybe we wont se you here anymore?
I was going to leave and never come back but now that you’ve asked so nice, I’ll hang around. Just for you, dude.
>>no strong pro support network<<
Have you ever asked for any pro support from Sony? I've found they're actually extremely responsive, way, way better than anything I ever experienced from Nikon. If you're talking proper pro support then it'd be Canon over Nikon every time.
Who cares, there are 100x more semi-pros willing to buy this.
“Those who are already on that bandwagon will simply wait for the 46mp Nikon D900e.”
Where do you think Nikon will get the sensor for the high res “d900e?”
46 won’t but 50 will!
Sony doesn’t make DSLR’s, however their SLT cameras represent 31% of Sony Imaging Division Stream, and growing.
And 31% of 714 Billion Yen is a massive amount of cash.
I think if Sony were able to provide a way for the user to lift the pellicle mirror for tripod mounted shots, a lot of people would jump at such a high MP count camera. Some people would of course simply use the camera without a tripod to squeeze the max. ISO performance out of it.
Sony should also, PLEASE fix that terrible delay in the flash system.
This is very simple to me: there is no other manufacturer out there which will be able to make a camera which has:
1) great ergonomics;
2) weather sealing;
3) fantastic live view implementation (not even the D810 can see “in the dark”, with 10 stop ND filters, like the a77 can…)
4) fully articulated LCD (a godsend for landscape photography with tripod in difficult positions)
We already have this on APS-C, and it’s called a77 and a77 II. Now we just need this on a full frame, with an improved sensor. If Sony doesn’t deliver it, no one will….
Any new technology is good for Sony users in general. But talks about how the A99 was a success is just silly. It’s a good camera that just didn’t gain much traction. Just look at flickr’s camera usage stats. The A99 pretty much was a dud. You can make the argument only soccer moms post on flickr…but there are over 2500 canon 5D mark 3, 1400 D800 daily users vs 141 A99 users. Even within Sony camera users, the A99 is ranked well below the A7 and A77. This isn’t meant to be an insult to A99 users, it really is a good camera. But the posts below about how well it did and using that as an indicator of how a new 46 mp version is going to tear it up has no basis
I think that’s a good synopsis. I have own the a99 and a900, and both were good cameras, but both hamstrung by Sony slightly (a99 was considered overpriced by man, AF spread poor, SLT) and the a900 struggled with low light and no LV/video. I loved them both, but they aren’t for everyone. Also, if you the a99 was released in Canon or Nikon mount, it would do much better–all those lenses….
What did you do with the a99?
So you finally see why the A77II was launched first. Sony sells more semi-pro cameras than economy cameras for some strange reason.
The current A99 should have never of been their flag ship. A 36mp, LiveView, video capable camera DSLR should have been their flag ship.
That’s like saying Toyota’s flagship should be the carolla. It’s more appealing to more people, sure.. But that’s not why/how you name a flagship product.
It should come as no surprise. It was a pellicle mirror full frame digital. First of its kind. Pellicle mirror, which hadn’t been tried on ff in thirty years or more. And it cost aLOT of money. Is it really so surprising it? This market moves SLOW. It’s consumers are a picky and stubborn group (we should know). The climate was never good. But Sony wanted to break into this thing, and like Microsoft with the original Xbox, giving up because you are entering an entrenched market and getting hammered isn’t an option.
SLT has only recently caught on. It took five years, and the A-Mount’s recent growth is a reflection of this.
When you consider the history of the slr, DIGITAL only just caught on! 10 years isn’t a long time in this field (look at 10 year old lenses. No worse than today’s) and 10 years ago digital SLRs were extremely luxurious.
I couldn’t afford one in 04. I bought the 7D just after Sony took over Minolta Dec 06. I still use plenty of film.
Agreed.
A99 was a half-hearted effort at best. It was made this way by Sony, and predictably perceived this way by the community.
Why else would they fit an APS-C AF sensor in there, instead of developing a proper Full Frame AF? That clearly says “Making this camera as good as possible is not worth the effort”. So they just took A77 (the great APS-C camera) and made it FF, producing a mediocre Full Frame.
A99 would be great if it was priced to compete with 6D / D600, but it was priced to compete with mature cameras like D800 and 5D3… so the figures on Flickr are completely understandable.
Luckily I haven’t place order on 70-300 and 50 f1.4 za lenses,I almost did, I will just wait first and if that’s the only thing Sony can give me as a FF A-mount camera then I will jump to D800.
Huh? You don’t even know the full specs of the camera. The Mark II is still vaporware, you have no idea how the sensor works, how the BIONZ will process the image, what new lenses may be unleashed, what other things Sony may have up it sleeve. What we do know is that Sony has been doing some crazy things, throwing spaghetti against the wall. It just doubled down on the camera that latches to a cellphone, it is now a APSC E mount ILC sensor/ camera that uses a cellphone as the view screen. Why are you assuming that new top-of-the-line DSLR will be snooze fest?
I’m not really into the whole megapixel thing, but I think this could be really exciting paired with a curved sensor in an RX1 II. Having that much room to crop would make it even more versatile.
Sigh, Sony is the number three camera manufacture out there, not bad considering what it took over from Minolta only a few years ago. The translucent mirror design has been tried before, but it took Sony to make it work. Sony saw an advantage in the system and ran with it. No other system follow focuses like a Sony during exposure. Sony also really caught both Nikon and Cannon asleep at the switch in the ILC field. There is noting that Nikon or Cannon makes that can touch the A7 series and APSC land Sony and Fuji still rule the roost with Olympus and Samsung being the terriers nipping at leader’s heals.
Minolta always made worthy cameras, even way back in the day. The SRT 201, God I am dating myself or what?, was a good, solid tool for film photography. The Minolta franchise never had the cache of Nikon or Canon, nor the glitz of Leica, but it hung in there doggedly, cranking out some very nice SLRs in the Maxxum series. Sony took that DNA and kicked up the game several notches. The A99, when it first came out, was a very worthy camera. It is built to last and the electronics were cutting edge for the day. If there is any real complaint with the camera, is that Sony let it languish. It got old. It got stale. Sony seems to have gotten distracted with other things, perhaps the VIAO division that was taking on water like the Titanic?
But this year Sony has been on a tear. Three new point and shoots utilizing the one inch sensor, the whole A7 work up, the NEX ILC overhaul, and it kicked the A77 II out the door. Something is brewing at the top heap. A new work up of the A99 is coming. This is a good thing as the DSLR / translucent mirror A mounts do have a fan base and there a just some things that the A7s can’t handle, like anything requiring quick reaction.
As for the spec on the new camera, I’m not going to even bother to argue specs on vaporware. I would rather the 16meg from the A7s show up for the party than 54meg, but then I could be persuaded if the 54 slices, dices and makes julienne fries. But if the 54, is just a bunch of literal noise on the image, I’m not going to be a happy camper. Some things are going to be nailed down, a super new, super spiffy BIONZ processor, more focus points, OLED screens in the viewfinder and on the back. The back will articulate like the A77, which is super spiffy. It will have the new ISO flash connector, it will have WiFi, and most likely the menu screen will be the same fun and games we have all come to love or hate.
I personally have never had too much problems with the menus on Sony cameras, but I last SLR I had to deal with was an dinosaur Cannon Film unit, turn the aperture here, or set the shutter speed there, focus yourself, have a nice day. The learning curve was going to be steep no matter what system I dived into. I now look at Cannons and Nikons and their top decks and shake my head, not being able to make heads or tales of them. I now like the clean top deck of the Sony with the info on the LCD. I find the Cannon and Nikon alternative fiddly. But for someone else I’m quite sure the question becomes, “what is it with all this button mashing?” Sony cameras will punish you if you put your greasy mitts in the “wrong” places. Read the manual is all I can say. Don’t expect Sony to do business the way Cannon does business, or Nikon does business, or Pentax does business, or need I go on?
As for Sony bench of lenses, meh, what can I say?, it is not going to be as deep as the big two. And sometimes, sigh, you really do need to walk away and buy a Sigma. The Sony super-wide is an oxymoron, it’s not very wide, it’s not very super, it’s overpriced, get the Sigma, Kay? But if you got the geld, step up my friend and let me introduce you to Herr Ziess. Karl now lives in Japan, but the lenses are still cooked to German QA specs. Each and every Carl Ziess lens offered in the Alfa series is gem of old school optics and is built to last. The primes are especially praise worthy. And if you are a portrait photographer the 85 1.4 Planar is still the ne plus ultra of portrait lenses, brutally sharp, with buttery bokeh, no distortion worth mentioning, built like a tank. If you stick to the Sony G’s and the Ziess lenses you can build a good system. Do your research, I will be the first to admit that some Sony lenses are just not worth the price, a Tamron or Sigma Macro will match the Sony effort and save you major coin. But the primes are worth a look especially when they wear the Carl Ziess label. I’m quite sure that some professionals can not work with the Sony offerings, they need that very specific , very oddball lens that only the big two can offer, or maybe some other guy does, but for most professionals and almost every pro-sumer out there Sony’s offerings are worthy or if not, Sigma will step into the breach, and sometimes Tamron.
so… it will exactly an a77II with a ff sensor (even same pixel size) ???
And the same noise.
You know, if you have actually used the camera, you’d be singing its praises, instead of zinging it. In other words, the noise is controllable.
Coincidence or totally related ….. that the just announced QX1 has a 20mp aps-c sensor that would equate to a 48mp FF sensor – just a different cut job with the same sensor tech ? Which I think is the same sensor as the A58. would need to wrap a pretty crazy body and Af system around that sensor to make it interesting.
I don’t really care how many MP’s it has. I just hope it sounds like a machine gun when it goes off.
I want it to be big and heavy so that everyone sees that I´m a pro.
Bring it on…
RX2 with this sensor and put Leica out of business once and for all!!!