According to Amateur Photographer the 500mm f/4 lens will be released at the same time of the A900 replacement. Sony is showing a lens prototype at CES which includes on-barrel control buttons. It’s very interesting to note that the lens prototype has a Direct Manual Focus (DMF) control which enables a 15x magnified view of the scene to help focusing. That feature works only for cameras that do use electronic viewfinders only! So I guess Sony will release a Full Frame camera with Translucent mirror!
The question now is…when is Sony going to announce the next FF camera? Not very soon…. 🙁
26 Responses
Nice catch! A full-frame translucent would be a wonderful thing to save money for.
For sure 15x magnification feature could work with any camera which supports Live View. Sure EVFs are Sony’s future for all non-Full Frame Sony Alphas.
which started with the A550!
I love a full-frame SLT!
The Sony 300/2.8 G has the same control panel.
The lens will be launched with the SONY alpha A 99 !
In 2012 then…
The AP author is an idiot who has confused DMF (a A900/A850/A700 feature) with focus check live view.
Move along people. Nothing to see here.
Or earlier.. at PMA 2011 😉
Should be released with A77 not A9XX/A99
Its been ready for 6 months now.
🙂
In 2012 then…LOL
DMF has nothing to do with maginification of the viewfinder.
Already the old Minolta 5D had DMF:
On a screwdrive mount, DMF worked as follows: Autofocus focuses the lens and then mechanically disengages the focusing motor – allowing you to directly correct the focusing result manually on the lens.
SSM lenses typically behave automatically like this, you don’t have to disengage anything, you just turn the focusing ring.
A switch for that? May be you can switch off the option to manually override.
Thank God that this works without the translucent system – we might have a chance to get another real full-frame camera with a real viewfinder!
Well done. DMF is an old Minolta technology(I love it) which has nothing to do with new mirror crap.
maybe 2012 !;)
Fuck, that would mean that they are not going to release the a77 in april. It was said that they were going to pair the 500mm f4 with the a77. that means we’ll have to wait until a release at PMA in sept and then three months more unil it hits shelves. Of course, this hinges on the idea that the 500mm f4 is built with a full frame camera in mind. I dont buy that, the lens would be used on a cropped sensor and that would fit into the EV of the a77 which Gustav over at Dyxum said would be released in four months!
plus shortage, prob early 2013
Don’t exaggerate! December 2012 😀
I am pretty sure that this lens will be launched with the A77. Gustave at Dyxum believes that will be in April.
Well, if Gustav and Dulaney both say April , I’ll take my chances and wait till then 🙂
This better not be an April Fools Joke! 😀
15x magnified focus check Live View (i.e., what the author incorrectly referred to as DMF)? I’ll be impressed if the shooter using 15x mag to check focus can keep everything stable enough to prevent the magnified image from jumping around so much on screen that they can actually achieve perfect focus.
Not theoretically impossible to engage Super Steady Shot while having a live view feed from the main sensor. On top of the fact that 500mm are meant to be used on a professional tripod. In fact if Sony did have active SSS in live view, it would completely make In Lens stabilization’s main “augment point” of why in-body stabilization is bad completely null.
no problem on a trypod
Yep, April would be OK for availability. No later please Sony – it’s been a long wait.
When my old Sony F707 Cyber-shot is switched to manual focus, as soon as you touch the focus ring the EVF automatically goes into a 2x zoom view. That’s probably what they’re talking about on the DMF… but only with a 15x view.
the current MLV Focus check feature since A550 might have been derived from that!