Dominic Fraser shot that nice Aston Martin video clip with the new Sony A99: “for now lets say very good indeed image quality. This particular camera is one of only three in the country without a final firmware version so things can only get better.”
And here are some new A99 and NEX-6 tests:
New A99 review at SLRlounge: “The A99 is not only superb, but I can consider it to be avant-garde and full of technology. The sensor itself can go pound-for-pound against Canon’s and Nikon’s full-frame sensors in regards to dynamic range, color rendition, and resolving power.”
SLRclub posted a super long A99 review. As you know they post all the text as a jpg file so google translate tool will not help us to get some clue about their findings. But you can still watch their graphs and pictures.
Fengniao posted a new A99 ISO test.
A99 test by a famous Chinese blogger “Chunjuan” at PChome (translation here).
Fotopolis (translation here) posted a full NEX-6 review and earns 5 points out of 6.
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Sony preorder list:
A99 body Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Jessops, Wex UK, Wex Germany, Sonystore DE–UK–FR–IT–ES–NL–SE–FI–CH and more links at Alphacameradeals.
A99 with kit lens links Alphacameradeals.
NEX-6 body Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Wex UK, Wex Germany Sonystore DE–UK–FR–IT–ES–NL–SE–FI–CH and more links at Alphacameradeals.
NEX-6 with kit lens Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Jessops, Wex Uk ,Wex Germany and more links at Alphacameradeals.
19 Responses
Very NICE!
Apart from the framerate issue.
Shot the A99v for 6 hours the other day while assisting with a MeRa Koh event. I am overjoyed with the results and I had to shoot jpeg, for crying out loud. We only shot about 5 minutes of video, and this was a pre-production model, but it was butter.
I personally think Sony has hit a home run with this one. It is the better, faster, smarter 5DMkIII, a more accomplished camera by plenty than the D7000-with-a-full-frame-sensor D600 (which we keep reminding people at the store is NOT A PROFESSIONAL TOOL), and a rational alternative to the D800 for someone looking for a bit more versatility. The price is right where it should be. And the lenses are only getting better.
I’m currently system free, and that’s gone on a bit too long. I think it’s time I committed to Sony instead of just borrowing from the reps constantly.
Quick question here – are you saying that weather sealed body and video not considering D600 is better?
We’ve had the D600 for several weeks now and have put it through its paces. It has Nikon’s usual ultra-reliable metering (Canon’s never competed with this, IMO) and their excellent flash work, though I think Sony’s caught up with this for the most part.
Yeah the weather sealed body on the A99 is better… but so is its response time. It’s simply faster in every respect to focus, track, fire, get to the next shot. And it was pretty spot on. There were a few moments where manual focus was necessary due to lighting issues but overall the performance was well above par for stage work. I’m also a huge fan of the GPS. I wasn’t until recently… but now I actually use that feature on every camera I test that has it. I enjoy the mapping on my Mac or in Picasa… I get a real geeky kick out of it. Don’t make fun. 🙂
A little talked about feature, the custom limiter, came in incredibly handy. Setting the range in which you will allow the autofocus to hunt to your specifications was awesome. We could use manual focus with peaking to preset the distance, turn AF on, give the camera a limited range around that distance, and just shoot with comfort. Really a neat idea. I’m hoping they’ll allow for some sort of trap focusing eventually though I doubt it. That feature seems to have died with film cameras.
Image quality was top line, easily as good as the 5DMkIII (with better color, IMO) and certainly as good as the D600. I simply don’t believe the 1/5 to 1/3 stop loss due to the translucent mirror is anything other than something for haters to whine about. I’ll take expansion to ISO 50 any day, the ability to stack images in jpeg for times when I need the light but don’t need the poster, face registration (which works, people, and comes highly recommended for quick portrait shots and/or video in which a bride or groom may need to maintain priority in a scene you can’t control), etc, etc over that little loss. These days, with full frame tech at the level it is, this 1/3 stop people screech over is nothing.
it’s a fabulous design, ergonomic as hell, very comfortable. The new viewfinder magnification is superb. It makes the EVF look like a new model, even though it’s not… and there is no doubt that the EVF makes excellent use of all that extra info available to a full frame model. It just seems brighter and has more depth.
For me, I don’t believe there’s any question that the A99v is a better buy than the D600. I love the D600, and it’s little sister… but that camera isn’t suited to being shot hard daily, in possibly gross conditions, like the A99 is. The D600 is a fantastic hobbyist camera, and an excellent B cam for the Nikon pro… but not an A cam. And the A99 far and away exceeds the D600s video capabilities… because they are not competitors. And Nikon would say so.
The A99 is an excellent statement of Sony’s vision and philosophy in the field. We’re really starting to see what is up their sleeves. I am personally very happy it’s Sony leading the way. Canon and Nikon have been boring for far, far too long. If Sony has a couple things on this camera that they added just to pretty it up, so be it. I’ll take the pretty against a manufacturer that is afraid to try something new.
When Canon finally releases the 7DMkII or whatever, I know it’s going to be pretty amazing.. for now, though, their 4 year old architecture is being left further and further behind by people doing it better. And Nikon is taking advantage of their relationship with the global leader in sensor technology to produce their own cameras, definitely worth owning.
Still, pound for pound, I find the A99 a breath of fresh air. Won’t be for everyone… don’t care. It seems very much the camera for me.
i agree what u had said..many ppl look down on sony by not self trying out it..all the feature on sony especially this a99 is just a beast, creative and easily access to get different good result in both still and video. Did u try out the multi frame NR feature which combine 6 picture to create 1 single image. This feature is really awesome, iso12800 picture by using this feature produce a kick ass result, i like this seriously and the AF-D mode with range set up is jus awesome that wat i need in video. The only bad thing is i still can’t get this a99 yet before it release in my country!
Is this objective or subjective assessment? Let the independent and capable reviewers assess these cameras
So by your own words, it shows that there is greater interest for the Nikon D600 at your store. Why is that?
Probably because a badge on the camera body says “Nikon”???
Wow, Phiri the Nikon troll made its way to SAR. Are you that insecure about your investment? 😉
Some aliasing, oh well.
I’m still going to use it for my film-making needs.
That Chili-documentary done by a BBC-journalist and recently linked here took much better advantage from the full frame DOF than this Aston Martin clip, which could have been realised with APS-C/Super35 the same way.
I was going to translate the whole page, but most of it reads like a press release, and, for the image analysis data, the images speak for themselves. 🙂
They loved the video quality.
I found some “critiques” at the very end, the main thing being about the EVF delay being “unsatisfying” compared to SLRs. Also, the body’s build and “satisfyingness” is similar to the a77, which makes it feel not so much a “Sony Flagship”, but a “DSLT flagship.” (I’m not sure how to explain the connotation; this is a very Korean thing to say, a kind of a “I wonder, in my humble opinion, if you produced something totally mediocre, relative to your honorable heritage.”) The review also notes the now-well-known fact that the dual-sensor AF works only in AF-D mode, which is a “disappointment”. Battery life is a bit short, at 410 shots with viewfinder; the vertical grip allows for up to three batteries, which makes up for this shortcoming.
Nice grade on the Aston Martin clip, but the moire shows up again in the grille. That’s not going to make me cancel my pre-order of the A99 since its an issue with every other DSLR as well.
The Korean test has a lot of very impressive images and the 60p video clearly leaves CaNikon behind. Motion renders so much better with 60p and its creates beautiful slow-motion. I can’t read the text, but the images should make DPreview jealous, it really shows off the IQ and DR of the A99. Download the raw’s and tinker in LR4, there’s a lot of detail to be pulled out of the shadows and the noise isn’t objectionable in any way. The A99 is looking like a FF version of the EM5.
Love the different curves on the buttons so they can be located by feel, something the A77 lacks. Steadyshot looks great in the flower video too. Nice.
Can’t wait to get the A99 and test it against my FS100, Nex5n and even a EM5 in a Super Sony Shootout.
Nice to hear something positive over here ….
….. the trolls must be sleeping! 🙂
It would be a great camera, but the level of moire is unbeareble for a 2012 camera. Where is the aa filter?
A lot of people prefer not to have the AA filter at all, so looks like they turned it down. WIll this be a good compromise, or will they lose both møiré-haters and the AA-haters?
Good compromise. There are those like you say, who want to get as much resolution out their images and get rid of the AA filter. One does not usually encounter moire issues except for repeated patterns. I do not see this as being a big issue. I have more concern with high iso. It looks life the 99 is way better than any previous FF from Sony. I hope it can stand toe to toe with the likes of the 800 and the 5dm3. I like Sony and Nikon’s color and dynamic range over the Canon already. The focus system on the new Canon and Sony both seem to be fast and accurate. That leaves high iso as Canon’s only trump card. I cannot wait to put the 99 through a work out. This looks to be one fine camera.
Aliasing and moireè are sadly unacceptable.
I would not like to say it, as a Sony enthusiast, but people that say a 2012 flagship model around 3k$ with video-dedicated stuff and functions cannot have this kind of problems anymore.
This is epic fail for sony in the DSLR video market.
Just think of GH2: small sensor, high iso noise, poor dynamic range BUT it has been for the last two years the video killer (F.F.Coppola in Zacuto’s blind test preferred its look to Alexa..) and mainly for one reason: image is crisp, much more than everything else.
No moirè, no aliasing = huge it.
If I’m ready to spend 2.8k$ then I can spend 3.5k for a 5DIII, and why should I choose a cam with such kind of issues if I can have one free for almost same price?