As you can see from the image on top Sony has a press briefing scheduled for April 23 at the World Photography Awards. Trusted Sources confirmed Sony will have a product announcement on that day. But I am not sure yet we will get the A7rII on that event because I heard of another (E-mount related) announcement in May. It’s yet a complete mystery what kind of camera they will announce on April 23. I don’t wanna give false hopes to A-mount followers but last year they announced the Sony A77II on the Photography Award event. So maybe… 🙂
To sum up. We have three rumored announcement dates:
1) April 12: NAB show Sony press conference. No new E or A-mount photocamera coming (just camcorder stuff).
2) April 23: Worldphoto event: ???
3) May announcement: New E-mount cameras/lenses.
If you think that it makes no sense having three different product announcements within 30 days…note that last year Sony made three separate announcements too: Sony A7s on April 6. Sony A77II on May 1. RX100 on May 16.
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288 Responses
It’s a lunch not launch! 😛
(SR5) E-mount APS-C are coming soon.
Sorry your link in the World Photography Awards is not the correct link.
Fixed thanks!
Try http://worldphoto.org/about-the-sony-world-photography-awards/ instead. the link you are now using is to the main WPO website, but not the Sony sponsored event itself.
Thanks!
Going to just sit on my hands for the next two months and see what unfolds. I’m in for a A7r replacement. I will order the new 35 1.4 and I have my A7II on hand as well. Frankly if they could just drop the D810 sensor into a A7II body with all the right features, than I’ll jump on it. I need the higher sync, EFSC and the new features of the A7II but be nice if they could pull off the A6000 AF speeds.
My guess a A7000, A7RII and also put the A7s in the new style body. Frankly not a popular call here but drop the A series and not compete in the DSLR market purely for profit reasons. They are dominating the mirrorless niche and they should add the A9 50mpx cam as well. Canon is canon and Nikon is Nikon let’s be real here people buy DSLRs by the hundreds of thousands for Rebels and comparable Nikons, this market is unstoppable by Sony, don’t even play here. Look at Leica which has been very successful at avoiding the DSLR market. Don’t think about what you want here think about the market. This is all profit driven, don’t fool yourself. I have seen this for 40 years and if anything it has gotten even more profit driven. You may not like what I just wrote but its reality. Just look at the A77Ii which I had and it’s really a great cam but sales on it are crap. There discounting the heck out of it as they realize sales are just not there in that market.
Yeah, I love my Sony A mount cameras, but those who try to stay in the past get left behind. I am consumed by desire to update to the A7ii right now, but am trying to hold off a few months to see what will come. I think I will fail.
Honestly if you don’t need 36x or more jump on the A7II. It does everything very well. To me its a major upgrade from the A7. And it checks all the boxes. I shoot professionally and I highly recommend this cam . Vertical grip is much nicer too.
And yes I’m sitting on some A glass as well. They do need a far better Sony adapter. No one will disagree with that to go to the FE mount.
If it make you feel any better I had 7 Leica R lenses when Leica in there infinite wisdom dropped the complete R line. So don’t say it won’t happen by Sony. These are financial decisions and yes end users can get burned
Best thing you can do – I took a big hit when I sold my a-mount glass…
@Admin
If its an A-Mount camera then its proved, that rumor sites like SAR are facing very hard time and their credebility is/went on low level compared to 2-3 years ago.
Sony seems to do an extraordinary job on keeping secrets.
Hope your “announced” workaround works soon, otherwise SAR reputation crumbles more and more.
Looking forward to 23.4 and the “workaround”.
FE 85mm F1.8
FE 24-70mm F2.8
E18-50 F2.8 G OSS
E50-150 F2.8 G OSS
They can’t even design a proper 24-70/4 (compact with good IQ and not 1000€), what would a f/2.8 version look like…
It’ll be twice the size of the 24-240mm lol
I’d take an affordable 50-150 f4 or 70-210 f4-5.6
Wow, I’m dreaming to have them. However,I can’t imagine how much those lenses will cost by looking into available lenses right now.
FE24-70 f2.8 for me (without OSS)
I would like to see all lenses without OSS for focal ranges up to 200mm.
I hope IBIS gets the future for all coming bodies, making lens-OSS obsolete.
This would make all lenses lighter and cheaper and paired with (more heavy) IBIS bodies better balanced.
Cheaper? Sony’s A-mount lenses (w/o OSS) would seem to prove that theory wrong. Yeah, Sony could make them cheaper because of that, but they don’t.
It’s because this OSS-lenses are Zeiss-branded to justify the price-tag, and there are no competition on the market for native (FF) E-mount lenses.
I hope Sigma and Tamron are stepping in, soon. And I hope for new-designed glass for 18mm flange distance without OSS. Not just DSLR-glass adapted and the OSS disabled as Tamron does for Sony-mount lenses in general.
If a-mount isn’t dead, then it is due for at least 1-2 new cameras. So I’ll be hopeful that it actually is a-mount.
If there is no new a-mount very soon, then it really is basically dead.
Best case, we’ll get an a99ii. The a77ii isn’t due a replacement and Sony isn’t interested in the low end of a-mount (the a58 is massively out of date by their standards)
I’m definitively convinced, that A-mount is dead in a long term. But I’m also sure we will see A-mount camera updates for a few years at least.
I think it is better to have longer release cycles with the more serious cameras. So, don’t be anxious, sooner or later the next A-mount body will come.
It’s not due till another half of a year…
Not sure how you got that due date!!
Every other mature mount system introduces 3-5+ new bodies per year. (Nikon F-mount, Canon EOS, Sony E-mount, m4:3, even Pentax).
So in April, it will be exactly 1 year since the last A-mount body was introduced. By this standard, A-mount is due for 3-5 bodies now.
A-mount hasn’t introduced a new entry level body since early 2013 — 2 years.
A-mount hasn’t introduced mid level APS-C body since 2012- 3 years.
A-mount does have a current prosumer APS-C body (2014).
A-mount hasn’t introduced a “starter” full frame since the A850 in 2009 – 6 years.
A-mount is the ONLY full frame mount system that still does not any camera greater than 24 mp (personally, I don’t care, but some users do).
Among current full frame systems, A-mount is the only mount with only a single full frame camera (Though Pentax will join soon, as having only a single full frame camera, but it’s all new for them).
While Canon, Nikon and E-mount have all expanded their full frame offerings to introduce entry-level full frame cameras, A-mount has not introduced any full frame camera since 2012 (which is still priced higher than entry level full frames from the competitors).
So already overdue: New entry level A-mount (A58ii), new mid-level APS-C A-mount (A66), a high resolution full frame A-mount (A99r), an entry level full frame Amount (A88), a true sports professional full frame A-mount (A99X).
In other words, A-mount is sooooo overdue, that it would take a release of about 5 new bodies, just to catch up and become current.
There is no chance of that happening. I doubt A-mount will ever again be a complete full line of products. But to even have a few blips of life left, at least 1-2 new bodies are due now.
Looks to me like Sony is going for a 3 year cycle for the system. Look at canon… The 6d and 5dmk3 are both older than the a99… How long did it take to replace the 60d? More than 2 years… And yet there’s no replacement for the 70d
2011-2014 : a77ii
Late 2012 – late 2015 : a99 is perfect. No one needs to upgrade their camera every 2 years unless all you care about is tech specs
Oh and the high resolution 36mp A7r came out “only” 11 months after the a99 I believe? So it would be too early to release another a-mount replacement for the a99…even “only” a year after the a7r…for example.
I’d say Sony is doing great. If Sony can support me with a new high end camera for my business every 4-5 years then I’m happy. But it’s only been a little more than 2.25 years or so…
Btw: you must have a lot of time on your hands to type all that
Sure… late 2015 is fine for an A99ii. But what about an A99r? If you are comparing to Canon’s 5d system, they announced a high resolution version of the 5d. What about replacements for the A57/65? Canon just released new Rebels, which fit into that range. What about entry level full frame? Nothing from Sony for 6 years.
I’m not talking about upgrades. I’m talking about massive gaps in the lineup. No entry level full frame. No professional sports full frame. No high resolution full frame. No mid-level APS-C. All of these cameras are long overdue.
Remember. Sony “only” had a decade of D-SLR market experience. It takes time to catch up. Also, Canon/Nikon I’m sure didn’t have everything to satisfy everyone with only 10 years of knowledge in the SLR market. Sony may of bought Minolta but Sony was not a SLR company prior to 2005.
Most likely they’re going to drop the “entry level” camera. Their main focus seems like Pro and high-end enthusiast for the a-mount system and starting to get things together. Not fully, but starting to. If they just focus on the a77 and a99 series and refresh them every 3 years. I believe that would be good enough. And maybe add an a88 series into the mix “after” things settle down with FE.
#cheers
Nice rationalization….. but that’s simply twisting the facts to meet a presupposed theory. If they need to “catch up” — then they should be releasing MORE, not less. If they are catching up, then why did they go from 6 bodies down to 3? They are falling further behind, not “catching up.”
If they are indeed interested in PRO for A-mount, then they need a 1Dx/4Ds competitor, NOW. If they are indeed interested in PRO, then they need a 36mp+ camera, NOW.
Not to mention, they need far more full frame lenses, F4 zooms, long telephotos. They need to seriously upgrade their flash system.
As they stand now, they are a suitable choice for some pros and enthusiasts. But for many many pros and enthusiasts, A-mount is a totally inadequate choice.
Right now, A-mount is simply nothing. They have 1 current camera.. The A77ii. A very good enthusiast level camera. Not quite truly professional. The A99 can certainly meet the needs of some pros, but it has the worst ISO performance of any full frame on the market, It has a mediocre AF system. And while there are a few great lenses for it, it’s lens selection is very limited compared to CaNikon. (And even FE mount is very very quickly catching up).
Ehh.. I came from a Canon user last year and ISO is not bad comparing to my 6D.. I shoot weddings btw. You may say FE is catching up but its “just a hype” as of right now that’s why Sony is Marketing FE heavily. Once that calms down they can have a chance to bring things to a-mount. They’re not going to announce things for both mounts at the same time because it’ll confuse the heck out of your typical consumer.
A-mount is something incredible. It’s not nothing.
My mix of 50/1.4 Zeiss, 85/1.4 Zeiss, 24-70/2.8 Zeiss, and 16-35/2.8 Zeiss are incredible with my two a99s.
6 bodies down to 3 because…
Why the heck do they need an a3x and a5x series? There was also no place for the a65 series either, not sure where that came from. As for entry level FF…Sony decided to make a flagship FF in between the prices of competitors entry level and flagship instead of having to make two cameras…
People want now now now, just be patience….Let them finish their freaking roadmap on FE before continuing to a-mount…. A-mount is more mature than FE so that’s why they wanted to give it a short break…
A99 starting price $2,800
Nikon d800/canon 5dmk3 price: +$3200
When I said A-mount is “nothing” — I didn’t mean they are bad cameras. I meant they are not professional, they are not entry level, they are not enthusiast — They are simply 3 different bodies, of different ages, without any clear identity.
I know you shot Canon for a few months before switching back to Sony (and I wonder what you will switch to next)
As to high ISO performance, Canon 6d vs Sony A99: Looking at a real ISO of 12,800, the signal to noise ratio of the Canon 6D is about 24db, the A99 is 18db — Not even close. The A99 falls below 30db at about ISO 1800. The Canon 6D falls below 30db at about ISO 2400. The A99 falls below 24db at about ISO 7000. The 6d falls below 24db at ISO 10,000. Now, that’s just noise — Looking at dynamic range, the difference is even more dramatic. While the A99 has significantly more dynamic range at low ISO… At high ISO, it is totally reversed. At ISO 12800, the A99 has a pathetic 6 EVs of dynamic range. The 6D still has a usable dynamic range of over 8 EVs. The 6d falls below 10evs at about ISO 5000. The A99 falls below 10evs at ISO 1600!! By that sense, the 6D is a full 1 1/2 stops better than the A99 at mid-ISO!
(all scores from dxomark — By their regular scores, they give the 6d a 1/2 stop advantage in ISO, but their graphs tell a much fuller story, showing that the advantage is even bigger at high ISO).
Overall, I actually prefer the A99 over the 6D. The A99 has better build quality. Possibly better AF. Much better live view (obviously). The A99 has better base ISO performance. But at high ISO — It’s not even close. The 6d is better by a landslide at high ISO. Much lower noise, and much higher dynamic range, from ISO 1600 and higher.
when you consider what could of been done with a mount, and what sony actually has done…. they could have the 3 best/very compelling ff dslrs out there with minimal effort. and there apparent indifference and neglect to a mount is killing consumer confidence in the mount
The Killing of consumer confidence is all “internet talk” aka Internet BS. People have been talking about a-mount is dead pretty much since day 1… yet there is NO FACT about a dying mount. Just a break while they finish the “FE hype/roadmap”
Keep in mind. E-mount was never designed to replace Sony’s dslr line. It was target towards “someone who wants something small that can change lenses that is better than a P&S”. With unexpected popularity, they released FE and a roadmap. They took a break with a-mount to focus on the FE line/roadmap because “for now” a-mount covers enough for the general market. Macro, fisheye, 400mm, 500mm, 24, 35, 50, 85, 135, 16-35, 24-70, 70-200, 70-300. They all cover the basic needs for now until the FE hype calms down…
Facts:
The A57 was discontinued without a replacement — Thus, they did “kill” low-mid-level APS-C.
The A65 was discontinued without a replacement — Thus, they did “kill” mid-high level APS-C.
The A850 was discontinued without a replacement — Thus they did “kill” entry level full frame.
So fact, they went from maintaining a lineup of 5-7 bodies, to a lineup of only 3 bodies. So the fact is……. Half of the system is dead.
Man… You just seriously don’t know when to admit the truth…
Fact: discontinued does not mean kill or dead.
Fact: there was no point to have 5-7 systems. They tried releasing so many cameras between 2008-2011? Was not successful. They go towards another business plan. Smart move.
add: having 5-7 a-mount bodies then 4-6 e-mount bodies would confuse the heck out of people. They’re all called alpha, we have +11 ILC cameras. (Not a smart move)
Fact: people “assume” Sony is killing a-mount due to the hype of e-mount.
Fact: the e-mount received unexpected popularity. Therefore Sony satisfies consumer demand by maturing the e-mount lineup. (FE). So they put focus “temporary” on the e-mount system. Remember, they have a roadmap to FINISH before doing anything else major for a-mount.
Fact: there has been NO year where Sony did not release a single amount camera.
They also pre-announced a version two of the 16-35mm and 24-70mm Zeiss lenses. Which is most likely bring released with a new camera. About the a99r thing that people wanted after the a7r released… They didn’t need to make a new a-mount camera yet. When the cycle ends…yes. But makes no sense in the middle. Again, the internet talk is all killing a-mount. Sorry.
Discontinued without replacement doesn’t mean dead?? So the Minolta MD mount is still alive and well? Betaxmax videoplayers are still alive and well? If discontinued without replacement doesn’t mean dead… then what does???
Were they successful from 2008 to 2011?? Depends on how you measure success. A-mount was MUCH more successful from 2008 to 2011 than it is in 2015. A-mount was the #3 camera system.. it has now fallen even below Pentax. A-mount was a fairly full system, with cameras ranging from entry level to professional. It was attracting many new users.
So in fact, A-mount was much more successful from 2008 to 2011, than it is today.
Now, has there ever been a year where Sony didn’t release a single A-mount camera? A year is defined as 12 months, last I checked. And we are now at a point where Sony is waiting more than 12 months between A-mount camera releases. So yes, in fact… we are now at 11 months without an A-mount camera.
Which is why I’m actually hopeful that we will see an A-mount in April. Otherwise, it will indeed be a year.
Aiya! April is too early. That’s only 2.5 years.. Some people were already expecting an a99 successor only after one year of releasing. That’s crazy.. How many times do I have to tell you. They’re focusing on e-mount “for now” therefore a-mount slightly dropped a little because it’s in a temporary break until Sony finishes the roadmap with e-mount… Of course with strong marketing in e-mount “for now” the a-mount will go down a little. But not to the point of dead/killing. They have a roadmap to finish before releasing any new developments in a-mount… Makes no sense to release a camera “under the same alpha name” and say we have alpha a 36mp and alpha e 36mp. It will confuse the average consumer because Sony’s main focus is to finish the e-mount hype.
Five or eight years from now, and if I see a new a-mount camera in stores….I’m going to remember what you said above about a-mount is dying, etc.
hahaha. Okay… tell yourself that A-mount is on a “temporary” break. I certainly hope you’re right. But I do think that’s very very wishful thinking. (So why did they release the A77ii?? Doesn’t a 24mp APS-C A-mount under the alpha name cause confusion with the 24mp APS-C A6000? And why did they release 24mp A7 and A7ii, won’t that get confused with A99? lol).
No. Because the a77 hit its 3 year mark and still had the old minolta shoe. What I mean by break is “slowly”. Not rapidly. Like I said, not a single year of an a-mount camera being released.
But I’m going to wrap it up and say…
Yes, Sony is continuing a-mount
Yes, Sony “will” be supporting the professionals with a-mount
Most likely not low end and towards a select target market.
All of this will go by fast after the FE hype. (Roadmap of lenses to finish)
So to everyone out there who is worrying about a-mount. The cameras will still be developed
#cheers and #happyshooting
Nice kit, @balancedphoto.
Here’s mine:
Lenses:
Sony 300mm F2.8 G SSM II
Sony 70-200mm F2.8 G SSM II
Zeiss 135mm F1.8 ZA
Zeiss 85mm F1.4 ZA
Zeiss 50mm F1.4 ZA SSM
Zeiss 24mm F2 ZA SSM
Zeiss 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM
Zeiss 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM
Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro
Sony 20mm F2.8
Sony 16mm F2.8 Fisheye
Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art
Bodies:
A99
A77II
A900
Sure, I’d love a Zeiss 35mm F1.4 ZA SSM with weather sealing to replace my Sigma. I’d love the Zeiss 85mm and 135mm to be upgraded with weather sealing & SSM, but there’s not a single image I can’t create with my current kit.
If they only focus on A77 and A99, that’s fine for someone like me, as an established user that just buys the advanced cameras now. However, if they do that, they are effectively killing the system, as they’re chasing off new users. New photographers don’t typically buy a 5d3/D810/A99 type of camera right off. They start off with a Rebel, D5100, etc., and if they stick with it, later upgrade to those higher-end models, probably having invested in some glass along the way. Where’s the entry point for A-mount? There isn’t one if they (Sony) follow the path you laid out. So who exactly is going to be stepping up to these high-end Sony models? E-mounters? They’re gonna stick with their system, having already been buying into E-mount glass. Canikonians? Fat chance.
Entry point will be A66. 🙂
Maybe that’s not their target audience for the lineup. I believe it’s better for Sony to focus on a small group rather than all over. (In their a-mount)
Sony once said they want to primarily focus on high end. They could be referring to a-mount
Right, but if they discourage new users, which they do if they don’t have entry-level models, they still kill the system. You and I might keep buying A-mount stuff, already being enthusiasts/pros invested in the system, but as we stop buying more gear because we have everything we need, or we simply die off down the road, no one is taking our place to make those sales. So yeah, I think it is their target audience, but for an ulterior motive.
I can see your point. I believe e-mount will be driving sales, enough for a-mount’s r&d towards their targeted audience.
Ex: apple’s iPhone = e-mount (driving sales/revenue for Apple)
A-mount sales are enough to drive future A-mount development. I see future A-mount and E-mount like the way Sony handle’s Pro and Consumer video — while yearly updates happen on the Consumer side.
I know many people who shoot with the Canon 5diii and the Canon 6d. And they all started with a Rebel first, before eventually advancing.
If I had to guess, I’d say that 75% of current Canon 5diii, 6d, and 5dr buyers, have previously owned a Rebel.
Adam, the pro market is always really small vs the consumer market. The vast majority of people who buy a Rebel buy it because of the brand (thinking it “what the Pro’s use”) only to have it sit in their closet and collect dust.
Even if EVERY pro who shoots Canon started on a Rebel they would still be the minority. That’s why Sony dumped the low end A-mount stuff — no reason these users can’t start on E-mount which is smaller & lighter since most of these users do most of their photo taking on phones for Instagram.
Notice that there is currently no duplicity for zooms — all F2.8 zooms are A-mount. You can still buy into a low-end A7 at your starter body and get pro A-mount glass with adapters if needed, then buy a pro A-mount body in future. That appears to be Sony’s strategy right now.
Honestly, that’s absurd.
So instead of… entry user buys A37… adds a couple A-mount lenses.. moves up to A77.. adds a couple more lenses….. becomes professional/enthusiast.. invests in A99 and more lenses. Instead of that nice simple pathway… You think the new path will be:
Entry user buys A5100… Adds E-mount lenses, moves up to A6000.. Adds more E-mount lenses… Becomes enthusiast/professional and moves up to A7 cameras… adds FE lenses.. decide they need 2.8 zooms, buy A-mount 2.8 zooms with adapters… Then decide to backwards buy a high end A-mount body to match their adapted lenses? (And likely, in a few years, there will be FE 2.8 lenses anyway)
If THAT is the pathway that A-mount is relying on, then A-mount is in A LOT of trouble.
I’m not arguing the merits their logic, but trying to make sense of their apparent strategy. We will all have a lot more clarity after they release the new A-mount lens updates and bodies.
They’re still the minority. Consumers always outnumber Pros.
And A-mount has always been a consumer product. The idea that it is going to become a professional product, is simply conjecture. The A58 certainly isn’t professional. The A77ii is enthusiast, but I wouldn’t call it professional. The A33/35/37/55/57/65/77 were not professional. The A100/200/230/310/550, etc.. were not professional.
To have a COMPLETE system, you have a mix of consumer and professional products.
What you’re suggesting — Is that the A-mount, as we have known it from 1985-2015, is dead, but that a new professional-only A-mount will rise from its ashes.
A-mount has always had professional bodies since even the Minolta days, but never as large a system as Canon. A900, A850 and A99 are absolutely professional class products. I wish Sony had a 1D-class camera, but most pros shoot in the 5D class range, which is where Sony put it’s focus.
They had a MIX of professional and consumer products… Far more consumer level than professional. To say they are switching to professional only (I see no evidence of that, by the way.. just wishful thinking), even if that is true, then you’re saying they are killing the system as it has existed for 30 years, and completely changing its nature to be professional only. (And personally, I’d consider the A900/850/99 to be semi-pro.. certainly capable of some types of professional use)
Where did I say “professional only”? I just said they killed the bottom end. Sony is still releasing advanced amateur, prosumer bodies (A77II) and even suggested in interviews that another version of that is being worked on. I don’t know what else to tell you, Adam. You seem to be on here to argue for the sake of arguing and I don’t have time for it. I have nothing else to add here.
Oh yeah! +1
Who says Sony is only releasing one new A-mount body? I think it absolutely makes sense for them to release two bodies: a 50+ to compete with Canon and a fast & furious 24 MP built for speed.
That would make lots of sense. That’s what I hope to see released next month. I am hopeful that we see it happen. But I fear we won’t see either.
I would love it (and would buy both) if they’re announced next month, but I still think it might be fall.
Oh no lol don’t get me wrong. They are most likely. But I just used two models as an example of focusing on part of the market. Like a7x and up.
#cheers
You overlook the fact, that canon does not have a second system like Sony with E-Mount(yes, I don’t count M as a system).
Look at the pyramid the admin posted some weeks ago. Sony is not interested in competing with Rebels or entry level DSLR styled cameras. If you want entry APS-C, go E-Mount, entry FF, go FE (old A7 is a bargain).
Sports is obviously a weak point, but “pros” will stick to Nikon and Canon whatever Sony would offer just because of the brand recognition and the glass.
I’m not comparing brands. I’m comparing mounts. Canon does have a second system — The M system. It is totally neglected by Canon. It is in even worse shape than the A-mount system.
I don’t care what Sony is “interested in.” I am simply stating the fact — That the A-mount is no longer a complete system. Your rebuttal is that Sony isn’t interested in making the A-mount a complete system. So you are agreeing with me it seems.
In terms of healthy complete system robustness… I would rate the various systems like this:
1. Canon EOS — Robust line that includes entry level to professional level, APS-C to full frame. Lots of lens choices.
2. Nikon F-mount — Same as Canon. Entry level to professional level, APS-C to full frame. Lots of lens choices.
3. E-mount — Entry level to enthusiast level, APS-C to full frame, growing selection of lenses.
4. m4:3 — Only 1 sensor size, but large selection of bodies and large selection of lenses.
5. Pentax — Entry level to enthusiast level APS-C, roadmap of lens growth, expanding into full frame.
6. A-mount — Outdated entry level APS-C, current enthusiast level APS-C, a single aging full frame. A decent selection of glass, and good legacy glass.
7. Nikon 1 mount — Ony 1 sensor size. Regularly introducing new bodies. For a limited system, they have the basic lens needs filled out.
8. Canon EOS M — APS-C only. Only 1 current body, not even being sold in North America. Only a couple of lenses.
Now, there was a time — Only about 3 years ago, where A-mount would have been number 3 on this list, right below Canon and Nikon dSLR mounts. And maybe even catching up.
Imagine a different history… Imagine: Early 2013, Sony introduces the A38, A58. Late 2013, Sony introduces an entry level ff, the A88. 2014, Sony introduces 24-105/4, 70-200/4, and 300/4 lenses, as well as A77ii and A99r (high resolution A99). 2015, Sony releases A39, A59, and their first sports professional FF, the A99X. Now that is the type of path Sony was on… But then they changed course in 2013.
Adam, A77II isn’t even a year old — to suggest it’s not current is just internet trolling.
Look at how Sony handles pro & consumer video, and get a clue about their future A-mount / E-mount strategy.
There will be no more entry level A-mount cameras, but that doesn’t mean Sony is throwing away their high end system which took decades to develop.
I cannot wait for the new A-mount bodies, not just to buy them, but so everyone will shut up with the doom & gloom BS.
Suggest you read what I wrote. Where did I say that the A77ii wasn’t current??
My exact words:
“A-mount does have a current prosumer APS-C body (2014).”
I went through every level one expects for a full camera system — I said that the prosumer APS-C WAS CURRENT — The A77ii in 2014. But it is the ONLY current camera. No entry level body in over 2 years. No mid-level body in 3+ years, and none currently on the market. No entry-fullframe in 6 years and none on the market now. Now high resolution model. No complete professional full frame sports model. And their semi-pro full frame is nearly 3 years old, nearing the end of its life cycle.
I definitely have a clue about their strategy…. It is actually painfully obvious to anybody who is paying attention.
Now, very very very few users jump to high end cameras. Most users, start out with entry level cameras, and grow in their system. Even most of today’s professional Sony photographers, may have started with an A100 or A33. The future professional photographer, who is 17 years old and having their parents buy them their first dSLR.. they aren’t buying a high end system.
So it’s a simple fact…. unless you want to be a narrow niche product (like Leica.. and Sony is no Leica).. if you truly want to be a full vibrant system, then you need a full pathway.. you need to bring in entry level users, you need to provide a pathway for people to grow within the system.
I would imagine that the more ‘pro-level’ camera(s) would be announced on the Sony WPA since you are talking about pro + aspiring amateur photogs are more like to buy them up.
SAR,,, You heard of another (E-mount related) announcement in May..!!
Why don’t share that info
I shared it a while ago! And althaugh I have no confirmation yet it’s easy to guess the A7rII is coming in May.
Any news for A7sII at NAB?
No A7sII coming.
Enter the new digital Zeiss Ikon. A collaboration between Zeiss and Sony resulting in a Sony built, small rangefinder-style E-mount body with the Zeiss Ikon branding. FF of course and 24MP with silent shutter. Comes in kit with a Loxia lens. 🙂
Nice dream. Can I dream with you? 🙂
Yes, you may! 🙂
What do people actually mean when they say rangefinder style? Are we talking an a5100 body with an evf, or an mf only body with a viewfinder that supports rangefinder focusing?
Rangefinder style = A6000 body, having the EVF at the position of a classic rangefinder camera in the top left corner, like a Leica.
(D)SLR style = A7 body, having EVF as a dome over the lens mount.
For SLR the optical path of light does not allow any other viewfinder-position.
Leica M = rangefinder (the only digital rangefinder in production)
A6000, Fuji X100 = rangfinder style (it looks like a rangefinder, but isn’t one)
Update: Sorry, my comment is superflous, just saw, that LittleCam said the same thing before.
Does make you wonder why people don’t just ask for an a6000 style a7…
Some prefer a more generic term. Maybe there are also some, who want rather a Leica M or Fuji X100 style camera, but don’t want to use the F-word in a Sony forum. 😉
Or want to look like HCB I suppose…
If a digital Zeiss Ikon will ever become reality, I desperately hope it will not be a “rangefinder-style” E-mount body with Zeiss branding. It should be a real Zeiss Ikon rangefinder with Leica M-mount. It should be a Zeiss Ikon, not a Sony which looks like one.
As the Loxia and Otus shows, people want either real Zeiss products OR state-of-the-art consumer electronics (Sony), but not Zeiss (or Hasselblad) branded Sony tech for double the price only for the sake of design and a logo badge.
PS: Comes in a kit with a ZM lens. 😉
It will come with the 35mm 1.4 and a handcart, so you can use it while traveling!
A mount Camera or A mount lens huh?
Uncompressed RAW firmware and new AF algorithm for RX1 FW update also revealed?
I think there is a higher possibility, that we see 5 new A-mount cameras at the event, than a firmware update from Sony that fixes flaws in existing cameras.
Sony ain’t Fuji. 😉
I think you are shouting something people like to hear: Sony doesn’t do updates. But they do.
NEX 5, 5n, 7, 6, 5r received updates.
RX10 and RX100 received updates.
A77 , a99 and a77ii received updates
Let’s not forget that NEX wouldn’t have taken off if not because of the focus peaking update.
NEX 7 and 5n had improved AF performance update as well as more options for bracketing and turning the video button OFF (two of these were made by popular request)
Moreover, as far as I remember, only the update to a77 was one that corrected a serious shortcoming with the camera’s start up time. The rest have been improvements or expansion of current features.
Fuji updated their cameras to “include” features that, say, a comparable camera from the competition already had. Let’s say the X Pro 1, which at launch had appaling AF compared to NEX 7 and 5n.
1st update round: fixing shutter chattering noise, fixing inacurate parallax compensation on OVF and other fixes among other phenomena with its operability. (no other manufacturer had such a list of bugs)
2nd update: at V2.00, Fuji just began to offer focus peaking (already offered by at least two companies: Sony and Panasonic) and fix focus accuracy with one lens and under exposure with M mount adapter.
…and so on…
http://www.fujifilm.com/support/digital_cameras/software/firmware/x/xpro1/
So you can’t say that Sony doesn’t update and you can say that Fuji is the holy grail of updates. Most updates on that list (read it) are fixes and not additions.
RX1 doesn’t need a fix, per se, but an improvement would be welcome. As far as the ARW files is concerned, uncompressed would be welcome, again. The RX1 AF is not flawed, but we know (by the sample of the NEX 5n) that AF can be improved with improved algorithms. Steve Huff is the only guy that made a video of RX1 vs X-E2 for AF in the dark and they were both roughly the same os that’s a great start already.
How about remembering that RX10 now can shoot XAVCS when at beginning it could only do AVCHD? How killer of an update is that? That’s almost as good as NEX getting focus peaking in the first gen of mirrorless that no one else ever thought of having.
So, what flaws you want to fix?
So you can’t say that Sony doesn’t update and you can say that Fuji is
the holy grail of updates. Most updates on that list (read it) are fixes
and not additions.
Here it should read:
So you can’t say that Sony doesn’t update and you can’t say that Fuji is
the holy grail of updates. Most updates on that list (read it) are fixes
and not additions.
Yes sir, you are right. I apologize for accusing Sony for a crime they haven’t done.
I just tried to be funny. However, with your sarcasm reading glasses on, your response possibly wouldn’t have been that harsh and long.
I agree with the above, it is actually a stupid ‘meme’ of sorts to bash Sony for a lack of updates and Fuji are treated as the golden child, where in fact Sony are really quite good with updates and mostly quite consistent, where Fuji are rapidly falling off a cliff realising just how much doing such a thing costs.
Fuji HAD to as their camera firmware was an absolute joke, a lot of outsiders saw it as a ‘good’ thing but for users it really wasn’t, it was badly needed to make their product remotely usable. Often firmware updates broke things that actually worked!
Sorry, what you said is simply not true.
Your own words: …stupid ‘meme’ of sorts to bash Sony…
Also applies to Fuji.
I didnt have those glasses on. Apologies.
I do find it rather frustrating that Sony is a lower end of perception when it comes to updates.
That being said…I find it rather strange that the RX1, with the refinement it already left the factory, hasn’t been updated at least with a option to have peaking without magnification. At least…
Any RX news ?
There may be a chance to see new RX cameras on April 23. But I have no reliable info about it yet…
RX1 II? Finally???
Or did Sony cancel that project?
Do you have unreliable info (=rumors)?
Only the patent describing the cam (already posted last year).
Does anybody here live in Tokyo? For sure one of those SONY guys would sing like birds for a beer. We need some friends closer where the things happen.
Bollocks
SAR: Did you heard something from the Sony A7000? Thanks!
No. I hope it’s coming in May.
Thanks! i hope it too! people want a new cam for holiday(summer) not after it!
Ridiculous. Disapproved.
There is one thing I’m really curious about, hearing all these desperate A-mount calls: Is the A99 really that bad and outdated after 2 years, that I hear often “… if they don’t update A-mount soon, then I switch brands …”? Isn’t the A77ii still a great camera, even after the “eternity” of 9 month?
I understand the call for A-mount glass, but on the A-mount camera front there is no need to complain about Sonys release cycles.
Just asking, I dont have either of these cameras.
for the main part its excessive drama
The A99 is stille really nice. The problem is that we have quite a sum invested in a-mount glass, and it will be nice to be able to protect that investment by having new cameras
There will be new A-mount cameras for a few years, but I guess we have to accept, that A-mount is dead in a long term.
hmm…I hope you mean the very long term!
A and E mount are instances of a wider category distinction, that between SLR/T and mirrorless cams, so your position on this depends on what you think of the prospects of these two types respectively.
statistics indicate that mirrorless are indeed the future, as their sales increase daily even as SLR/Ts shrink almost proportionately.
logical conclusion: Sony will keep making A mount cams, but at an increasingly slowing rate, just as their R&D and manufacturing of mirrorless E mount cameras increases accordingly. maybe in 5,6, even 10 years they’ll stop making A mounts altogether, but they’d be idiots to stop right now, surely.
A99 is not a bad camera, even today. It has some flaws, like all AF points packed too tightly in the middle, bad EVF experience during burst shooting. A77ii is also a great camera.
But this is not about whether A99 and A77ii are good cameras, it is about future and focus. There is only one FF current A-mount camera – A99. There are no 36 or 12 megapixel varieties while A7 line gets it’s second iteration. Zeiss 135 and 85 have not got the SSM update. The 35/1.4 went to E-mount instead of replacing aging Minolta 35/1.4 in A-mount. The pre-announced 24-70/2.8 and 16-35/2.8 are not shipping and their release dates are still unknown.
Basically it is about the confidence in the future of the system… and of that there is very little remaining.
OK, I pretty much understand that.
There will be no A mount camera at this event that is for certain
How do you know that?
Of course he doesn’t….
How could you take seriously a Pokémon fan?
I think so, perhaps will they announce the Xperia Z4?
The A7 series is great, but A99 is better when it comes to ergonomics. So i am really hoping for a A99 mk II
Well lets hope you are right. I gave up on A mount and bought two E mount cameras but the battery life on them is atrocious ! If Sony doesn’t come out with a good A mount camera this year I will have to reluctantly switch to Nikon which I don’t want to do.
Sony said that A-mount cameras break even, and I think they’ll maintain them until they start losing money on them.
They also said that A99 had the majority of sales in A-mount and I think the first optimisation of A-mount if they have to cut costs will be to drop A77II. A99 and any subsequent FF models will likely be made for at least several years more.
Actually no one has any hard data to support the figures.
The only Sony DSLT camera in the top 100 camera rankings in amazon is the A58.
Sony certainly have the sales figures, and in an interview published here on SAR few months back, Sony insisted they will continue to support A-mount system. Also that at the moment they just break even in A-mount sales and that they were surprised that the majority of sales are A99’s
Yeah, that’s what short battery life does to people!
(?)
Battery sucks on E, that’s for sure, but how come people don’t complain about changing lenses or cards?
Are you comparing batteries to a lens or a card ? Surely you can’t be serious ?
The Sony battery takes 2 hours to charge. If I shoot a wedding I run through 4 – 5 batteries.
There is no fast charger so I need to use 2 regular slow chargers for a particularly long wedding and use the partially charged battery to keep shooting.
Honestly its a nightmare as Canon and Nikon have batteries which last 3 times as long as Sony and they charge twice as fast too.
I hate battery grips like plague so thats not an option at all. Sony needs to launch a quick charger for one and or upgrade their cameras to take a battery that lasts longer. My friends get 1500 shots per battery while I barely get 350 or even less if I use IBIS.
I compare the effort to change whatever removable part of the equipment.
So removing and mounting a lens including both caps is easier and less anoying than changing batteries?
The lenses don’t need charging ! Batteries do ! I use 6 batteries and its a PITA to have 5 – 6 batteries that need charging at the end of a shoot.
Ok. No offense intended.
Sorry if I came off a bit strong. I was used to lesser battery life on my Sony A55 and A37 but I could easily get 500 – 700 photos per wedding which I could live with as I could live with 3 batteries.
Now even with 5 batteries I am struggling and its pissing me off no end.
That Sony has not even bothered to launch a fast charger for these cameras is also eating me up. I am willing to pay for it but they don’t seem interested in supporting small time pros like me.
Yeah, I wish they’d make the grip on the E-mounts just bigger enough to accommodate the batteries used in A-mount. That alone would improve battery life a ton. That, and for models with EVFs, give us the ability to turn off the LCD screen.
Actually shooting with the LCD uses less battery than an EVF ! Yes its surprising but true. 🙁
The A7 II for instance gives 340 shots per charge with LCD and 270 shots per charge with EVF.
So you should use the LCD as much as possible if you want to maximize battery life. I use heavy A mount lenses so I need to use the EVF as much as possible to get stable shots so I have to use the EVF and I am lucky to be able to get 300 shots per battery.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/sony-a7-ii/sony-a7-iiA6.HTM
Seriously? Wow, seems counter-intuitive. Good to know, though – thanks.
Sony to announce A-mount products on April 23.
Nooo, E-mount is DEAD … 🙂
LOL
When 10th of May 2010, the NEX-5 came out, I already knew, DSLRs were dead.
I just cannot name a specific date, when this has been happened for all companies, but I am sure, Sony A-mount dies earlier than Canon-EF or Nikon-F mount.
I think they’ll introduce one final A mount, a full frame, within the next year. I don’t think the A77ii has done well at all- of course it’s hard for any camera to do well when it gets almost no promotion. But it should be clear to all but the most delusional A mount fans that Sony sees E mount as the future. They’re cheaper to make and more profitable. You could recently get the A77ii plus the 16-50 f2.8 plus a battery grip for a little more than $1,500. The camera has not even been out that long and it’s already getting big discounts.
Just to clarify that the actual cause is not company profitability, but that customers prefer modern mirror-less E-mount cameras for many reasons, and the fact that E-mount is more profitable for Sony is a result as well, not Sony killing off a nice old technology that is expensive to produce.
This is innovation, things get replaced sooner or later and this is how it should be.
How about a flagship A & E mount bodies which have the new 50MP sensor, but I think its unlikely until after the A7rII update
How about a RX camera with a fixed Zeiss lens and the 50MP medium format sensor, again unlikely until the current models are updated.
How about an A7 with a Monchrome sensor, again ulikely even though I want one 🙁
My final wish is the unvieling of a none Bayer sensor, but who knows when this will happen.
Monochrome would be a non-bayer sensor.
A mount roadmap or FAIL
Roadmap is 16-35mm and 24-70mm, then new ones after that.
Been down that road. Was thinking more “offroad map.”
Sounds good if they ship one A mount camera per year. Even one every other year seems fine. Given that the class of A mount cameras is such that traditionally gets updated once every 4 years. May be they can do A77II 2014, A99II 2015, A77III 2016 etc. which will be quite speedy
Yep, the pace of A-Mount development these days is better than it used to be pre-NEX (except for entry models that everyone sooked about anyway).
Does anybody remember that Canon folks crying, when FD-mount was replaced by EOS-EF mount some decades ago?
Or when Minolta’s MD mount was replaced by what is now called A-mount.
MD was still made into the 90’s though. They supported it for quite some time afterwards. I have a feeling Sony won’t be so kind if indeed they do drop it.
MD cannot be mounted on A-mount bodies, unlike a-mount lenses on e-mount bodies. Sony has been much kinder.
Lol! You need an adapter to mound a-mount lenses on e-mount bodies! And there are adapters for md to a-mount, too 😉
Not really, unless you’re wiling to sacrifice infinity focus or put a cheap piece of glass between the lens and the body. A top quality adapter with translucent mirror + a firmly attached grip would make any A7 series cam feel quite close to a pro dlsr. Just my opinion.
And E-Mount can also take MD (SR), so they have been MUCH kinder.
I expect A mount not to be dropped soon.
Every mount change had only technical advantages and no disadvantages (except the lack of lenses in the startup-time)
1. Currently SLT-AF is still faster than currently best mirrorless-AF systems, resulting in technical disadvantage.
2. There is still a big lack of E-mount lenses compared to A-mount lenses. And because Canon-EF, Nikon-F, Sony-A and Pentax-K needs the same lenses with just different mounts, 3rd-Party manufacturers like Sigma and Tamron develop lenses with 46mm flange distance and just adapt Canon/Nikon mounts, and maybe later on Sony and Pentax, too. And as long Canon and Nikon are selling tons of DSLRs there are many Sony-A lenses constucted for free. Sony would be stupid to give this away, because the lens selection makes people buying bodies.
Maybe Sony will “Half-drop” the A-mount-bodies by just developing improved LAEA-X adapters with fast SLT-AF. But because a body+adapter is never that sturdy than a standalone-body, I don’t think this will happen in the near future.
Its my thought all these years, I guess we are the few ones left to mourn/remember for that old mounts.. Haha
Thanks, now I feel really old!
Without internet, no one can hear you cry…
Sony, do whatever you are going to do- either way I win. I get cheap glass from folks dumping their precious A mount and cheap bodies. WIN WIN WIN!
Good for you…..
200mm 2.8 Minolta…I can smell it. Here comes the big daddy 300mm 2.8 Sony on the cheap! 400mm 4.5 Mino, 85 Zeiss….it’s like a free for all and only I was invited.
Yes, thats what i thought too. Thought i could buy ancient and great minolta 135 STF, but darn price just wont go down…
That Minolta STF stubbornly holds onto its high price, almost to the point that one might as well buy the Sony version brand new.
I think its not “almost”, these Minolta`s on Ebay are more expensive than brand new Sony. I dont know why, is Sony version inferior in some way? Or these sellers are delusional?
I think they’re delusional, as the Sony is basically the same lens.
Unfortunately, as long as there is a way to adapt the old glass to any system, the prices won’t go down. Look at the old contax g and other zeiss stuff.
Zeiss Contax stuff is manual focus only, so with adapter it works as intended. He is talking about AF lenses here, which should go cheaper if A mount really goes to Hades. There are not many people who are fans of LAEAs and other clumsy and expensive AF adapters.
Contax G is not manual focus only. Even on the A7s its fully AF capable with the Techart adapter.
Does face detect and all of that work with the Contax lenses?
I don’t know, guess not cause Sony states that Eye-Af for example needs native FE lenses to work.
Oh, I dream of that 300mm 2.8….
I hope they do 🙂 its time for an upgrade, and A77II with a 70-200 dirt cheap would be awesome 🙂
Very nice… But I don’t think you guys have to guess that it has to be A-Mount.
hope it’s A7000 with 4K record
I just want an A7000 or whatever they will call it update from the A6000 that has an addition of a 3.5mm mic jack input and the A5100 XVACS 50bits video recording codec at the least. If 4K cool then I can slow down video. But the first two features missing from the A6000 are essential for video makers who want a light and portable rangefinder type package.
I never thought about it this way, but is it possible that there was some symbology behind the naming of A99 from the very beginning.
What follows after 99, the counter gets reset! A new beginning.
The last of its kind 🙂
Why name the camera A99 and leave no room for subsequent model numbers?
It’s actually symbolic of “99 bottles of beer on the wall.” You have to be drunk to shoot A mount. Hard liquor drunk is more like it….:)
Then I must be wasted 🙂
Brilliant…..
“What follows after 99?”
100, 101, 102…∞ maybe? LOL
Are you one of those conspiracy nutters?
Of course there is no “symbology” whatsoever behind the naming of A99… only logic…
There were SLT A33, A55, A77… if you follow this logic, what comes next?
Brilliant….
“What follows after 99?”
100, 101, 102…∞ maybe? LOL
Are you one of those conspiracy nutters?
Of course there is no “symbology” whatsoever behind the naming of A99… only logic…
There were SLT A33, A55, A77… if you follow this logic, what comes next?
Brilliant….
“What follows after 99?”
100, 101, 102… maybe? LOL
Are you one of those conspiracy nutters?
Of course there is no “symbology” whatsoever behind the naming of A99… only logic…
There were SLT A33, A55, A77… if you follow this logic, what comes next?
A100 and the confusion is perfect.
Brilliant….
“What follows after 99?”
100, 101, 102… maybe? LOL
Of course there is no “symbology” whatsoever behind the naming of A99… only logic…
There were SLT A33, A55, A77… if you follow this logic, what comes next?
Brilliant… LOL
Of course there is no “symbology” whatsoever behind the naming of A99… only logic…
There were SLT A33, A55, A77… if you follow this logic, what comes next?
A99MKII The model number becomes a sub-band like 5D on Canon
How about A99ii, A99r, A99s? There seems to be a precedent.
Brilliant….
Of course there is no “symbology” whatsoever behind the naming of A99… There is only logic…
There were SLT A33, A55, (A65), A77… following this logic, what comes next?
Of course there is no “symbology” whatsoever behind the naming of A99… There is only logic…
There were SLT A33, A55, (A65), A77… following this logic, what comes next?
facepalm…
There is a logic:
A33 – A55 – A77 – A99…
Isent it obvious? It will be the A9 pro model. It will be a- mount and 50 mpixel.
Even stopped clocks are right twice a day
Unless you remove the hands.
Sony needs more pros to use Sony cameras to expand market share. a-mount hopefully. But keep expectations very low so won’t be disappointed yet again
A59 is coming@
Or better A57 II.
A39, A59, A66 or A69(my pref :)), A79(aka A77III) and A99II.
That’s what i’d call The A-Mount Revival 🙂
I think that’s A66…but not this time.
a59, a99II and a88
Yes, where is the roadmap for E-mount APS-C.
Sony if you want loyal customers, earn trust!
ROFLMA Now e-mount is worried. OMG! Where is the Canon Roadmap, Nikon Roadmap.. This is why releasing roadmaps to help new products gain traction is a problem.. soon everyone without a roadmap starts assuming they are abandoned.
Nikon’s APS-C offerings aren’t exactly great either. APS-C will always be the poor relation to FF, unless you go with a manufacturer who doesn’t do FF, like Fujifilm.
Remember Photokina 2014 rumors fiasco?
Remember the A7S came at NAB and we got about 24 hours notice on that rumor. A-mount 4K?
How about an A7000 with internally recording 4K for NAB?
New Alpha A-mount full frame system, where not only the lens can be changed, but also the sensor. And you get several sensors that can go with the camera, like high-resolution or high sensitivity sensors…
That’ll never happen, but it’d be awesome.
Not sure how that would work practically, unless you’re think something like MF?
Leica tried a similar idea during the early days of digital…. Complete flop…
Err… why would they do that? So they can sell less cameras?
Where are is the SMALL Sony E-mount APS-C:
10-14 mm 2.8 OSS? top quality (T.P)
20mm 2.8 OSS top T.P (20 mm 2.8 pancake is not good enough)
18-55 mm 2.8 OSS? T.P
Otherwise?
Sony earn loyal customers!
ahahaha
2.8 and small?
yea as he said 14, 20 or 55mm and not 150 ;)… even 50 1.8 is small 😉
Last I looked TP stood for toilet paper
A small 18-55 f2.8? How? Maybe Sony engineers can use magic? Don’t think so.
The a77M2 was the least hyped camera I can recall of its ilk. If Sony is going to replace its flagship, it needs to do so with another flagship. I doubt an a99 replacement would be so under underhyped. I’m not sure this event is a big enough platform for the buzz I am certain they would like to create for an a99M2 launch.
At the time, I had the feeling that I the lack of marketing was intended to drive new customers to the a6000. I’d be interested to see how many people switched to the a77ii from other brands.
I think it will be an rx medium format
Fixed lens like the RX1? Now that would be something.
yes please..
maybe a 50mm 2.8 fixed lens 645, although I think I’d prefer a smidge wider
Big laughs
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/the-photokina-rumors-so-far-light-field-camera-rx1s-curved-sensor-a99ii-fe-zeiss-ff-e-mount-a5100-and-more/
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr4-no-other-new-camera-from-sony-at-photokina-sr5-new-generation-sensor-and-cameras-release-in-january/
LOL
Funny stories…. The “storyteller” is very good…
it actually goes back to November 2013 when a99ii for february 2014 release rumor started
LOL I was actually thinking the same thing,, keep getting those clicks…… clicks for the hopes and speculation & clicks for the rants after it proves to be false (of course), why am I here again?
Get used to it already
SAR just throw out some random date and hope it come true.
If it didn’t come true, then they just make up some excuses,
like, Sony delay, Sony postpone, Sony change mind, Sony change plan, Sony change strategy, misunderstood between Sony, etc.
Its time fir a Sony Handycam VG900 replacement. Sony could use a nice new lower level video camera to help new FE lens sales.
NAB is perfect for this. Hmmm…will they use the A7s sensor? I suspect they will exclude SLOG2…that makes that Handycam a bit too dangerous to Sony Pro models.
a rumor a day keeps the CN away
Like most people I believe. Sony is eliminating A mount.
Even if they dont eliminate it thier actions have led to far too little faith in A mount for people to continue to invest in the numbers necessary to make it worthtwhile for Sony.
Sony could only continue A mount if they gave people a reason to have confidence in thier commitment to the system.
That can only happen if the new 50mp sensor appears on an A mount camera BEFORE an E mount….or at least at the same time.
This is extremely unlikely to happen.
I believe Sony has already decided to discontinue A mount, but they have also decided not to burn thier bridges in case competition forces them to go back to A mount.
I would expect we will see an updated version of the laea4.
IBIS on E mount has provided a necessary safety net for A mount users whlch is why I have been consistently asking for it since the first Nex camera came out.
I dont think Sony us eliminating A mount. I think they are just going to let it fly on auto pilot for now.
E mount has given Sony strong sales in their pro video group. Im sure sure Sony wants to keep their furtilizer on that market. Its scussfull and making them money.
Sony tried hard to push A mount and SLT for years. Sony one day decides to make an A7 and A7r and suddenly they hit a home run, Sony goes even futher with the A7s…a huge financial home run.
I think the success of A7 series was a supprise and that is what caused Sony to throw all of its attention to E Mount.
If E mount is bringing in all the cash, Sony wants to throw all if its efforts into is best selling mount.
A mount will probably never bring in the profit that E mount is doing and Sony knows this full well. (Can you imagine the profit margine on a $8,000 Sony FS7)
You just got me thinking on something. Full compatibility. Don’t go all crazy here Barry, just listen. Sony may just be looking for full compatibility among their still and video cameras. E mount could easily be that solution for them. Not compatible with other brands but compatible with all Sony video and still products.
I have talked about full A mount compatability..specifically finding a way to utilize a simple extension tube like adapter rather than SLT adapter.
If they can solve the necessary problems and make that happen that would automatically make a similar adapter for full Canikon compatability easier to desighn….possibly by someone other than Sony.
RE: Canikon compatible adapter -> NOT possible by Sony EVER. Don’t get me started. Sigma or Tamron maybe because they have all the specs but if you think Sony is ever going to build this you are delusional. More likely Sony’s partial ownership in Tamron would help them block this move if Tamron wanted to build it.
Thats what I just said..” possibly by someone other than Sony”
As for NOT possible..anything is possible…it is even possible that we might agree on something.
If Sony can come up with some way to make A mount lenses act just like E mounts do…than yeah, they’d seriously be on to something.
Yep…The market simply was not interested in SLT. It is a dead end technology. In the medium to long term on sensor AF has much more potential and popularity in the market (as we see with the A7 series). So that will be the direction Sony will go.
canon fd -> eos
minolta md -> alpha
alpha -> E
Nothing new here. Just the progression of technology
They are not ditching A-mount. Just the bodies. They will continue to support A mount adapters for FE mount. No doubt the next generator of adapter will be a lot slicker. Probably released along side the A9 with better integration between the mount systems.
That is a possibility..consistent with the don’t burn your bridges stratagy.
In your scenario Sony would only update existing lens desighns with changes like new motors or coatings, but they would be unlikely to make new desighns for A mount.
I think they would support the existing A-mount range with little or no new lens releases.
Another possibility could be that A mount will eventually be mirrorless. That will be when sensor AF is as good as the DSLR systems. The empty space could be used for a number of things. On FF or Apsc there could be an nd filter of some sort. On APSC only they could have a built in speed booster. This is assuming they keep the A mount at all. I think they will, otherwise why bother with the updated lenses at all?
I agree..in fact I have on several occasions made comments similar to what you are saying.
no point doing that because they have the better mirrorless E-mount. They simply will sell a lot more lenses if the lens is in E-mount.
Then you like most people are easily swayed by internet BS:
1) Sony at key management levels has clearly stated they are not doing this and has state both bodies and lenses will continue
2) Sony has in the last 3 years released nine new/updated a-mount lenses and pre announced 2 more No company that is planning to end a line would put this kind of effort into it.
3) For those of us that took the time to dig though all the investor updates slides Sony dumped. A-mount is still a significant part of the their camera revenue. They have a small piece of a large market that is not growing. The “not growing” is key to why they are not flooding the market with bodies.. its brand locked to Canon and Nikon because it is mainly made up of existing users. New users are moving to mirrorless unless they need the higher features. So ending a-mount would screw their cashflow seriously.
4) The e-mount move is more strategic than revenue based, for all the money spent on bodies and lens build out and marketing.. Its revenue is still much closer to a-mount then one would expect. They are now almost 18 months into the FF mirrorless era.. and NO ONE has even launched a competitor. This is an iPhone / iPad moment. Just because Apple created two markets and dominates them because they pushed hard at the beginning.doesn’t mean Apple still doesn’t release new Macs. They just rarely advertise them.
You have fallen for the, “If there isn’t a new camera every 90- days and an Ad I can see every month.. it must not be real.” I am 15 years in product management 10 of those in a very large company.. that is global. a-mount is being optimized for the advanced market as Sony is looking to use e-mount to do to DSLR business what ipad did to laptop business, cannibalized it. But every player in the tablet market that has done Notebooks is still doing notebooks along with tablet offerings. A-mount is not the bell of the ball for people who buy based on advertising. It will continue as the advanced workhorse for people who prefer the size or need the feature like control sets you can’t easily cram into e-mount.
So give up the rumors .. look at the A77M2 as the best value APS camera ever released and the best a-mount ever released.. a-mount will likely die when DSLRs do.. not much before.
You make a good logical argument…and your position is consistent with the not burning bridges portion of my comment.
But A mount lacks the latest technolgy…36mp…so I stand by the other portion of my comment where I state that if Sony plans to seriosly continue with A mount they need to put thier latest sensor in a new A mount csmera either before or simultaneously to the E mount version.
If not than current A mount users will be reluctant to continue to invest in what is PERCIEVED AS a dying system…and of course it will not attract new users.
What new user or other brand user would want to switch to A mount otherwise?
Barry, the A99 sensor is newer than the A7R sensor — have you forgotten the A7R sensor was in the Nikon D800 which was available months before A99?
Sony opted to continue at 24 MP for the A99 in order to maximize dynamic range and offer a decent shooting speed at a relatively low price point (sub $3000). In many ways, I hope they continue at 24 MP because for most pros shooting with full size bodies, speed is more important than resolution. I’d like to see an A99 replacement with a new 24 MP sensor with ISO range into the 100,000s, shooting speed of 8 FPS/12-13 FPS burst, with greatly extended buffer, an a refined version of the AF-D from A99 utilizing a refined 4D AF module from A77II (more if not all cross PDAF) and on-sensor PDAF implemented similar to A6000 with 90% coverage. I’d also like a shutter rated for 300,000 clicks. It would be nice to have the 50 MP option as well, but if I could only have one body, I’d pick speed over res every time. If Sony releases both options, however, I’ll buy both.
I’d rather see more improvements than the current a77II spec to be in a99 replacement.
Those improvements ARE more than the A77II spec. Again, ISO range into the 100,000s and AF-D are not on the A77II and a substantial upgrade over the current A99.
Products have release cycles.. The A99 was designed to be sold for a certain amount of time on a certain pricing schedule to pay for the development and create an overall profit for the project. BTW 36 MP is not the end all of “most advanced” the A99 had PD sensors on the imaging sensor to offer extended focusing outside of what was a small focus set. Its sensor had newer tech then the A7r did. There are some that would like an A99s with advanced low light shooting. This is not a “Sony Should” issue its a “User should have patience” issue you don’t need everything new thing out there every year to take good images. One of the leading car makers on the planet is Subaru. One of their lead offerings is the Forrester.. (local dealers keep stock in this 3 times that of the Outback) A few years ago the Forester got the new tech, this year I had to think about both and still leased the Forrester because of its price and design, even though this year the Outback got the better Dash tech and the improved Eyesight collision protection and has blind spot alerts that I don’t have. The idea that every model needs to get the same tech every year is impatience and would sink Sony.. The lower costs of the A7 line and the strategic value to owning the FF compact mirrorless market before Canon even starts makes it worth doing faster refreshed right now. but 5D etc are also on 3 years cycles the new A99MKII will have lots of new tech.. and the longer they wait to release it the more it has. If the A77M2 had been delayed 8 months I might have had 5 axis IBIS.. but Sony did get.. you have to release at least one body a year even with a 2-3 body strategy for a-mount.
Well said, and I agree with you 100%!
Sony(like most companies) will say whatever it takes to avoid the premature loss of profits for a particular product line.
That said, I get the sneaky suspicion that Sony has no interest or intention in developing or adding any new SLT camera’s given the immense developments put toward mirrorless tech.
And why should they? SLT was a transient solution used to bridge the gap between the now antiquated mirror box system and the new mirrorless solutions. And so the question becomes whether or not it would be advantageous for Sony to continue to invest in the a sacrificial cow.
My guess is: No
New articles at SONYVNIKON http://tinyurl.com/obvhshm
Yesterday on OVF vs EVF and results –
Today on Post Purchase Rationalization
Ah…yeah so I am still waiting for any actual examples of this so called compression issue….Still waiting…….waiting……..still waiting….anything…..anyone…..no???
I’ve posted examples here – https://plus.google.com/u/0/108086133375344739535/posts
and in the SAR forums
I can compare images a tell which one has better quality to another one, where other people do not recognize. But in your picture I don’t see magenta pixels, I don’t see banding and I don’t know what you mean with posterization…
Put another image to google+ with circles around your artifacts.
That is not an example! You need to show the original file. As far as anyone is aware that image could be 4 stops under exposed and lifted in post…. Raw file upload….Not really too much to ask in this modern day and age…As it obviously mean a lot to you…
Get a better monitor.
Still waiting…
Anton, this posterization and banding examples have NOTHING to do with color bit depth, but with dynamic range of sensor. Sensor fails to differentiate tonal gradations when ISO pushed to high.
You are laughing – just ordered Dell U2713H
Got Dell U2713H – and still seeing neither posterization, nor aritfacts, nor magenta pixels.
But Anton – I see dust on your sensor ^^ – (on the left side of the tree, there is a big dark window – just below that window)
Posterization is visible, you see those patches of uniform color, without the natural gradient? BUT, this is normal for high ISO, Nikon and Sony alike.
That is not an example! You need to show the original file. As far as anyone is aware that image could be 4 stops under exposed and lifted in post…. Raw file upload….Not really too much to ask in this modern day and age…As it obviously mean a lot to you….
Hey, those are nice pictures, man. Finally you show some of your photos. This picture of Hagia Sophia is faaaaaar from ISO 100. It is around ISO3200 it seems, or highly pushed in PP. I dont get that amount of posterisation on NEX7 NEVER below iso 800. So it cant be iso100 on A7r.
No, its higher than ISO3200. That would be ISO3200 on nex7. This has to be minimum 6400 on a7r.
Still waiting for that file……..
thank you for defining the word fanboy
I would really like to see your actual comparison shots so that I can be convinced that I need to switch. Sony doesn’t owe me anything, I’m open to switching. I need to see your proof please.
Read the blog starting at the bottom. Photos are subjective. Most of my testing is quantitative.
PS – you’re not a fanboy if the equipment is definitely better.
I just started and in the first piece I have found a flaw that negates any conclusions you make in testing. You talk about sharpening settings and being too lazy to turn them off. 2 problems here. First is that are no longer working with raw as soon as you start to modify the image. You should be comparing 14bit nikon to 11+7 sony with nothing done to either image. No exceptions. Second problem is that if you are too lazy to turn off the sharpening then you are not meticulous to be considered a reliable tester.
You’re in denial. It doesn’t matter if both images go through the same process (such as import sharpening). Each of the files then go through exposure adjustments to match their histograms (this is a benefit to Sony more than Nikon because Nikon files are properly exposed and this can be known by using RAWDigger to analyze the RAW files taken with the same settings and using the same lens. The Nikon would further trounce the Sony in resolution testing without this. Even more so the Nikon isn’t held hostage by Sony’s shutter shock which I go through great pains to also level the playing field for Sony. Where are these great 24 x 36 photos you’re selling?
You ask him to show you his portfolio, yet you were asked the same 50 times over and you denied it to everyone. I really dont understand your “crusade”. You spend so much effort to prove some differences that are not visible in real world. And even if you could prove some microscopic difference, it would only be degrading for Nikon, because its 5 times bigger and 2 times more expensive camera. And those 2 differences are not microscopic.
I don’t sell photo’s of charts. I sell photos. If you can’t show me the difference in a photo you can’t convince me. All you need to do is show a pair of comparison photos with no adjustments that you feel subjectively illustrate your point. If I can see it you are on the way to convincing me. I sell prints up to 24×36 regularly so I know how an image can degrade.
You’re not a fanboy for using whatever works best for you and your style. You’re a fanboy for arguing every day how whatever it is you prefer is better and how everything else is crap.
You need that Nikon demon cast out of you is what.
The Nikon demon took hold when I saw my Otus 85mm put this Imatest score down. I don’t mind possessing a lens that can do this at f2.0
Keep taking pictures of charts. The rest of us will enjoy photography with the gear we’ve got. Just the way we like it.
It’s a good job manufacturers don’t do it your way, otherwise we’d be stuck on a horseback still
Manufacturers do what market asks for, and in this case, the market is plenty satisfied. Except for a few trolls of course….
Is this you?
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152214611659408set=a.497445719407.302679.754029407&type=1&theater
Middle Finger to Sony!!!!
After February, then April, now May!!!! I m sure they have nothing extraordinary to show that s why they postpon 😉 …. maybe they wanna rebuild their last gear after the Canon releases :p when they noticed their product could look crappy in comparison 😉
did sony make any official announcement about those dates? these are just rumors, live with that.
Oh you poor little sausage…..
postpone??
It is the excuse from SAR
Sony didn’t schedule any camera anouncements.
Too many mis-leading hints here. SAR is scheduling and postponing, not Sony.
Personally I prefer less, but more reliable info.
They made announcements about lenses and later retracted those statements
You seem to have some trouble comprehending the meaning of the word rumor, as well as dissociating fact from fantasy (with regards to postponing things that have never been announced).
Give me an A99 mk II. Get rid of the mirror. Better autofocus than the A6000, 150 focus points, 10 pictures a second, State of the art Iso 25-104.000, battery life that last about 2000 pictures, build in HDR in RAW format.
“Get rid of the mirror” ?
Sony will call it A9. not A99II
Maybe not. because the A9 is about 50MP in a A7 body. Keep the A99 body as it is now
There is no mirror in the A99, it’s a beam splitter, and we will loose AF tracking accuracy without it. Just put A77II against A6000 if you doubt me. Sony should keep SLT until they truly can trump traditional PDAF with on-sensor PDAF.
“Just put A77II against A6000 if you doubt me.”
Dpreview did, and they suggested that the A6000 is better at tracking.
After reading that review, in which the reviewer shot a non-moving target in AF-C with Lock-on AF: Expand Flexible Spot, I’m not surprised. This combined with other missteps clearly show he doesn’t know how to use the A77II AF system properly.
I don’t have both cameras, but everyone I know who has both from Gary Fong, down to even photographers I know at Sony, recommend the A77II over A6000 for sports because of A6000 falling behind on tracking, not to mention how awkward A6000 is ergonomically with a 300mm F2.8 or 500mm F4 or even a 70-200 F2.8.
In addition to my A99, I shoot with the A77II with Sony 70-200mm F2.8 G SSM II and 300mm F2.8 G SSM II and when used with the correct AF mode for the subject, my hit rate is north of 80%.
However, if you want to use an A6000 as a primary sports body, do it.
Who’s stopping you?
“Scenes with confusing backgrounds, or fast moving subjects, proved to be too much for the a77 II’s lock-on AF. This one was instead shot using AF-C with a flexible spot. After failing for a quarter to get nearly anything usable with lock-on AF, I switched to good old fashion continuous AF with a single point. Shot at ISO 3200, f/4, 1/500 sec.”
They are referring to a basketball game. Basketball players move, as far as I’m aware.
If he’s having an issue with “confusing backgrounds” it means he made a several mistakes in his settings:
1. He needs to lower his AF Tracking Duration — most likely to a 2 or 1 so it will stick on a single player w/out tracking.
2. He needs to set his focus limiter appropriately
3. He needs to turn Smile/Face Detection “OFF”
4. He should have set AF Priority from “Balanced” or “Shutter” to “AF”
why would they introduce a proper a-mount camera? users have a lot of a-mount lenses. So it is much more attractive for sony to have people buy e-mount fullframe, so they will also buy new lenses and accessories. but then, maybe now is a good time, because many already bought the e-mount stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n473T16nYmc&list=PLDr_SmukCKgWvLfhFx7O5ul5diYltSe6N
What the hellll did I just watch?
It’s not rocket science — there are already hundreds of thousands of users invested in A-mount which means long term customers to buy bodies & lenses.