The full A99 review is now up at Dpreview (Click here). The camera earned a Gold Award(!). DPR writes: “The SLT-A99 is a feature-rich camera that still provides a wealth of easily accessed manual user controls. It stands out as the only full frame camera to offer in-body stabilization, an EVF and articulated rear screen. Budding videographers will enjoy brisk AF performance as well as the option to output uncompressed video.”
It’s an overall very impressive performance! The A99 got a 84% score. For reference the Nikon D800 and the Canon 5D Mark III scored at 82% “only”.
Two low A99 prices in US and UK:
In US the cheapest place where you can get the A99 is on [shoplink 15978 ebay]BigValue (Click here)[/shoplink].
In Europe the A99 issold by [shoplink 15977 ebay]ukbnsuk on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink] for 2.200 Euro only! The feedback they get from buyers is very positive and there are some positive feedbacks form A99 buyers too. Question is how they make it to sell it for that price!
A99 store links: Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Jessops, Wex UK, Wex Germany, Sonystore DE–UK–FR–IT–ES–NL–SE–FI–CH and more links at Alphacameradeals.
85 Responses
It beated D800 and 5DmkIII!
Does anyone know what headphones are depicted on the above picture in the article?
its the sony MDR-1R headphone
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR1R-Premium-Headphone-Black/dp/B009A6CZ30/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355358970&sr=8-1&keywords=sony+mdr-1r
Mmm, they look nice. Dont know whether to buy these or Nokia Purity headphones…hmm decisions decision.
Thanks again Zed
I don’t wear headphones often, but when I do, they are Grado.
Sony MDR-1R. About $298.00 in the US.
Just lucky, in the a99 DPR did not use a low-end A-Mount 50mm f1.8 DT, otherwise, maybe it could be another result.
We do not understand, why DPR testing of the E-mount cameras did not use with the E-Mount 50mm f1.8 lens, but is a lowest-end A-Mount 50mm f1.8 DT? For other brand’s a camera in testing processes DPR has ever had replaced with another lens model and switched of the published photos.
Sony E-Mount 50mm f1.8 OSS, B&H price US $273(Official Warranty), Dec 2012.
for the testing cameras, in DPR used lenses are like below,
Nikkor AF-S 50mm f1.4G, B&H Price US $399(Seller Warranty), $439(Official Warranty), Dec 2012.
Sony A-Mount 50mm f1.8 DT, B&H price US $143(Official Warranty), Dec 2012. (a low-cost lens)
Fujifilm 35mm f1.4 XF R, B&H price US $599(Official Warranty), Dec 2012.
Pentax FA 50mm f2.8 Macro B&H Price US $449(Official Warranty), Dec 2012.
I would rather believe IR, IR’s testing shoot is more cautious. And, IR never have released mess scores, unlike DxOmark and DPR, DxOmark’s overall scores are very bad things.
In allowable cases, IR is often using the same model’s lens, like Sigma 70mm Macro.
Sigma 70mm f2.8 EX DG Macro, B&H Price US $499(Official Warranty), Dec 2012.
The score is 84%, which is 2 points higher than Nikon D800 & Canon 5D Mark III at 82%.
Quoted “….. the A99 meets or exceeds their suppression of chroma and luminance noise. And a look at the image samples here reveals an even more impressive story, as the A99 shows a more natural, less ‘processed’ look, avoiding the more obvious image artifacts seen in the Canon EOS 5D Mark III.”
Well done, Sony, but in the end, it won’t matter and doesn’t change the SLT’s future hopes. I’m pretty sure all the Sony SLT are very good or excellent. I had the a55 for a short time and was impressed. However, being up there with Canikon in performance isn’t enough. Performance and image quality are important, but they’re only part of the equation. I’d love to see this kind of performance in a compact NEX camera, preferably with the 36mp sensor. Now, that would be a game changer.
I think the review is excellent for the A99. I think the A99 was my second choice behind my RX1. But I also hadn’t fully explored lenses. The Canon has the 50/1.2 and that was going to be one of the 1st two lenses I purchased. The other would be a fast 35. Sony’s 50/1.4 doesn’t impress me, so the A99 had that working against it; though, I’ve heard the Sigma 50/1.4 is impressive. Hmmm. But lenses, lenses, lenses can overcome a slightly lower rating any day. I am not suggeting that Sony doesn’t have the lenses I need, but I suspect there are many photographers who would find gaps in the Sony selection.
Very good points. The lenses are what makes or breaks the whole system.
For a FF, 50mm is like ‘the lens’. Aside from not having f1.2, current f1.4 is a very old design and not too impressive.
A-mount has good coverage, but not complete.
Just wanted to repeat what you have already mentioned 🙂
Sigma can help out with the lenses. Their 50/1.4 is not too shabby and their 35/1.4, by all accounts, demolishes the feeble Sony 35/1.4 lens that is not nearly as sharp, dated mechanically and – most inexplicably – seriously more expensive.
Sure Canon and Nikon has more lenses, but the Zeiss and G series covers even most demanding photographers needs. We need few more quality lenses though, looking forward to 50 1.4 Zeiss which is suppose to be coming soon.
Doesn’t Sony produce the best lens for bokeh? The Sony 135 F2.8 [T4.5] STF SAL-135F28. That’s a good ‘feather to have in your cap’.
Perhaps, but I shoot almost exclusively at 35mm and 50mm.
Good point.
I have zeiss ZA 85 and 135. they are far more superior to canons or nikons. but sony lack good 35 1.4 distagon and announced 50 1.4 ZEISS. If they produce 35 and 50 from zeiss prime lenses line will be complete.
I’ve always heard of this claim, which makes me more curious. Does the Sony 135 f2.8 really present the best lens bokeh? Wow! That’s impressive, besting the Canikon 200 f2 is a feat especially since it is shorter and has a narrower aperture
i think after release RX1 with sonnar 35mm/2.0. sony will come up with sony carl zeiss 50mm/1.4 SSM and next year again launch sony carl zeiss 35mm/1.4 SSM 😀
the reason sony not yet update their 35mm/1.4 lens is because RX1 😀
but after RX1 release for a 1 or 2 year sony will update ther 35mm/1.4 with new one 😀
Lens is a problem for Sony. Sure, they have some unique lenses, but canikon have more of them. No one can touch canon’s supremacy in the tele range, except for the 200-400/4. No one can touch Nikon’s supremacy in the wide angles. On top of that, canikon has the full range of Zeiss lenses, wich Sony does’t. In addition, just watch the annual lens announcements. Canikon releases more new lens annually than Sony do in 2-3 years.
But it’s not all about lenses either. Canikon has full support from workflow software, full support from retailers from all over the world, full support from rental houses, full support from wireless flash triggers, and on and on.
Then there is confidence in knowing that canikon will keep coming out with improved bodies on a regular cadence. The reality is that life’s easier when you buy canikon. It takes a long time to get a system to ths point. A few good bodies are exciting but won’t get the system anywhere cose to competing.
Btw, a lot of poters are getting worked p over the dpreview score. A close examination shows than the D800 beat it in raw iq score and the D800E beat it in both raw and jpeg and matches the A99 n total score. Also, the D600 exceeds it. Still, the score eans very little to buyers. Those in canikon systems won’t switch. When you count those guys out, there aren’t that many potential buyers left.
I personally Don’t sir come to idea of the NEX system and the need for a high end NEX cam or the Need for a super High resolution one. I think Pro gear and NEX like cam of the world need a different look so pro’s will always have a clear choice. I’m sure most NEX Cam user are fine with the Pic they get from such a system.
The slt System of the A series that Sony is putting out are great, myself owning 2 of them, but I also see it as a possible mistake if they don’t get their act together. Plus not having a Glass View finder is step away from a Pro idea’s of a DSLR and what they are using and that’s the reason. I will not vote against Sony for this, but ever sense I went to Digital Photography I have had only enough money to buy a cam that had Electronic View and that was not a SLR, so I’ve never owned a Digital SLR with a mirror box. I owned, 2 35mm SLR film Cameras, but never a Digital one, so I do not know the Visual impact as others coming from a DSLR. I’m just glad that the experience in the SLT camera has been very pleasant some really life experience at times with the View finder. The brightness thing that goes on in the view finder is what makes the visual experience some what difficult for some users, having the instant feed back is very good. It’s in the marginal light that the experience is not as usual that one would experience, so this is where I think people don’t like the view finder. In bright light it can be very good almost life like. In the dark with it’s brightness it is great, way better than glass. It’s in the marginal light that electronic view finders lose the advantage. It distracts the mind and eyes making the view at times less than sharp so for me I sometime lose touch with the subject, because the realness is gone. If they can make this experience better, then it will become the new reality for all cam’s. This area is indoors under normal lighting. If you are close to your subject it’s sort of fine, but any distance from the cam with the electronic view finder, sometime you just don’t see the subject as you need to.
I’m talking about people subjects. I find that I need very clear sight to shoot nearly perfect reaction to the subject as related to timing of the shutter click. I know just take a picture and you’ll know when. I’d rather not. I need to see clearly the expression if I’m using a view finder. Outdoors with a scenic shot it’s not always clear with every detail, so there is another area to improved. Close up high magnification is great, life like.
The SLT A99 Doesn’t hit it out of the park from my point of view as a ProDSLR Cam, from one point slow capture in still mode. After Sony released the A77 everybody expects the same.
The great thing I’ve seen with this cam from video’s I’ve seen, is the video is great, and many more possibilities in Video than Photography in many ways. The crop factor lens will bring new Value to Shooting Video with the Sony A99 and should be know more widely, this not so much for the still factor. I’d just shoot with the 500mm if I need super high mag.
I’ll still look at one and wish I had one, so maybe some day that wish will come true or maybe I’ll get the next generation.
That´s interesting, cause the only sector that Sony really struggles is SLR, NEX completely destroys the competition in mirrorless, and cybershot´s well.. hx20 and rx100, (and rx1), think again
merry christmas
No surprise at all.
I can only hope that they give us the NEX-9 as a modular A99 (i.e. modular A-mount, modular A-mount with SLT, modular tilting EVF).
i shoot filmlike videos on my nex5n =) it is already as modular as you can imagine =)
Considering the features it has, I wouldn’t blame this. It’s overall a very versatile system, despite all the complaints people were making about it being made to be so compatible for video.
Is possible to shoot video at f/1.4 in the A99?
of course, but just with manual focus or a lens fixed to 1,4 with tape at the aperture stick.
Good job Sony, really fascinating result!
What a great, great camera. Best camera Sony ever made for sure.
The Nikon 600 gets a higher score with the same sensor, though…
That’s because all the dust gives the images a lovely air brushed effect.
😉
And probably because it’s made mainly of plastic too?
The D600 was considered in different class so the scores are apples to apples. However, the D600 is terrific for the class it is in and easily beats out the FF entry level Canon.
That should have said the scores between the D600 and the A99 on dpreview are not apples to apples. The NEX 5N also received a Gold award, but that doesn’t mean it’s in a class with the A99; it’s not. The D600 is in an entry level FF category and it scored very well in that category. It also has limitations that would lower its score considerably if you scored it on the same scale as the A99 or D800 (i.e., that’s why it costs so much less than it’s D800 brother).
Yeah but it beats the 800. Which camera would you prefer the 800 or the 600? Also what I found a little unusual between the 600 and 99 in the review was that the features and build quality were equal. Now out of everything I have read and heard these might be the two stronger areas for the 99 against the 600. I have never read anywhere that any one thought the 600 was of equal build quality compared to the 99 and the features would have to be in favor of the 99. That isn’t saying anything against the 600 because if Sony was to produce a lower cost FF, I would expect less features than the 99.
This difference is around 1/3 of a stop as it was to expected with the SLT-mirror, which gives great advantages in speed and AF-performance on the other hand. Sony counters with the IBIS, which is much more important as you win 3-4 stops on ANY lens, beating the competitors by far…
You guys need to read the text before judging. They compare N800, N600 and Canon to a99 ALL OVER THE ARTICLE. It isn’t some fancy inference-logic.
The N600 got an 87, the a99 got an 84, the N800 got an 82. They drew comparisons of results and like N600 better than a99 in some cases. They both use the same sensor, so some of the comparisons were very direct.
Their observations about a99 metering and autofocus were also directly compared with n600.
I know but that is what i find somewhat skeptical about the review if they are directly comparing. There is not one person that I have come across that even remotely suggests that the build quality is equal between the 600 and 99 or that the 600 has equal features compared to the 99. Yet on their review summary they grade both of these being equal. I may be crazy but you put the 800 and 600 on a table and tell me I can have one. I am not taking the 600 despite it better review score.
I’ve know for a long time that Sony makes great quality cameras that run with (even surpass in some aspects) Canon and Nikon.
Too bad we’re the only ones who follow quality over name brand.
🙁
+1
-1 :).
+1
Well said! +10 from me!
We have to hope people wake up and Sony sells a boatload of A99 🙂
+1
Well, that attractive ukbnsuk price and the good review on the same day really is tempting me. I almost bought it already.
Thanks for posting and Great Review…
The fact that the link you posted for “the cheapest place where you can get the A99 in the US” has None sold is not so good for Sony….
glad they got the award 🙂
Note that the following is just My personal opinion: DPREVIEW reviews have not been held in any sort of good opinion since a while before they (whomever ‘they’ are) moved to Seattle, WA, USA. One of the most obvious indicators to ‘their’ distractions or shift to monetary allegiances was the number of cut and paste reviews with out-of-focus sample pics.
“they” is Phil Askey, the founder of dpreview. Yes, he sold the site to Amazon and moved on. But I challenge anyone too prove that the reviews aren’t just as good now as they were before.
I find Sony’s offering a little baffling, given the technology they own (In their video dept) I’m surprised they didn’t add more functionality to the A99, given Sony wants to take on Canon and Nikon.
To the extent the A99 is better than the D600/6D it is only marginal. (Not obvious it’s better, anyway). I’m a sony user, however if I were a long term Canon / Nikpn user, nothing I have seen so far would make me brands. If I were an informed new user, would probably go Canon / Nikon
I have to guess Sony has given up on trying to compete. Which does seem very strange indeed(Or is it a matter of faulty/mistaken market research).
Things Sony could do to bring people over
1) Fast frame rates (Like FS700 120 fps), 60 fps @ HD isn’t fast enough to make the difference
2) Better codec on Video, higher bit rate etc (Sony are already experts here, so no brainer)
3)a good 50MM Lens for the alpha system (Canon has 50MM 1.2, Sony surely has to close the gap here)
4)Much better marketing like Canon’s videos with Vincent Laforet (this one should be a no brainer) Sony’s marketing videos dont’ show off enough of the cameras ability, check D800 (Joy Ride), C300 (Mobius) and C500 (Man and Beast), even the F5 /F55 videos leave a lot of room for improvement.
Check out the yearly Arri Alexa show reel
I’m a sony user, mostly due to their Zeiss autofocus lenses, I also use Nikon, from a corporate point of view it’s difficult to understand some of Sony’s choices. We know Sony has the technology, what is the delay???? Hope the Sony guys read this. Some have suggested Sony is attempting to protect it’s higher margin video business by dumbing down the Prostyle DSLRs, That doesn’t make much sense given others are about to take the market share if sony doesn’t act. Nikon have almost caught up in video, Black Magic are arguably ahead already….
Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 SSM is on the way 🙂 don’t worry!
Great result for the A99. Should be a good boost for Sony sales.
Looking forward to how DP rate the RX1.
And there you go! Although, this won’t stop the bitching about translucent mirrors and EVFs. Still, definitely the best camera for at least for my needs – landscape.
As an actual A99 owner and former Nikon user, I can safely say that this camera convinced me to jump ship. The low light capabilities far exceed those of my D700 and I have drunk the EVF kool-aid.
Welcome to the A-mount, Carlos. Looking forward to seeing your work.
Did anyone notice on Page 7 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-alpha-slt-a99/7) where they mention in Page 2 of the camera tab, there is a Power Ratio menu? Anyone managed to get that option? I tried turning my flash to manual and to wireless commander mode.. nothing seems to happen. Camera is in manual too.
You’re right. I don’t see that on the menu either. Even in their animated GIF showing the different menu’s it’s not there. I wonder if this is a cut and paste issue or they were reworking an existing template and forgot to delete it. If it is a feature on the A99 I’d love to know how to access it.
I believe the flash power ratio menu only shows up if you have the new HVL-F60M attached and set to manual flash.
Andrea,
So far I haven’t seen many (if any) bad reviews of the A99 from people that have it, or have used it (or websites that have reviewed it). It’s an awesome camera, but from reading SAR it seems like the biggest knock on the A99 is the price.
You’ve done a great job posting deals or rebates, but do you think you could create a poll to see at what price people think the A99 should have been when it released or what it would need to be in order for them to buy it?
I know this is tough because people will say ‘ I want it for $1500’ or ‘I’ll take it for Free’ but maybe you can find a way to make it work 😉
I’d be curious to know the answer for two reasons 1) it would give an idea of where people see the value of Sony’s FF SLT in the market and 2) it would be good to have a reference point so when we start talking more about the new products from their ‘roadmap’ we can see how much people would be willing to pay for that compared to the A99.
Not everyone is worried about dollars and cents. Some of us just want new cameras to be significantly better than their current one.
True – but I do believe a majority of people attach a price/value relationship to products. We might all want new cameras to be significantly better than our current camera, but people have different opinions on what ‘significant’ means and I was curious if people had a price in mind for the A99 that would make it more desirable to upgrade from their current camera, wether it be A900 owners or A35/A55/A77, etc…or even Canikon owners.
For instance, if you’re an A77 owner and don’t think the A99 is significantly better, then $2800 is probably gonna be too expensive to upgrade. But if the A99 was priced at let’s say $2200 then you might be more inclined to upgrade or add it to your camera collection.
Admittedly when I got my A99 I was worried I wouldn’t see any improvements compared to my A77 (and have buyers remorse), but after using my A99 for a while now, I’m very happy I upgraded. Now if the A99 was $3500 or greater, I’m not sure if I could have afforded that move. So again – I think we’re all playing that price-value game everytime we see these products.
You can’t blame a camera if it’s too good but you can’t afford it. There are cheaper models for that wallet, in case.
the nikon d600 costs exactly 1200€ less than the a99!
thats as much as a high quality lens or trip to an exotic land.
AND its much easier to sell your old camera when it only cost 1600€ than when it cost 2800€.
i really like the a99 but the d600 IS SO CHEAP! it only costs 400€ more than the d7000 did when it was new!!
i have an a55 with 1300€ worth of lenses and i would buy the d600!
Luckily i do not need to buy a new camera yet, but i will in the next 2 years.
im curious of the a77 successor but id rather buy a cheap FF from sony.
Nice review.
I was going to by an A99 anyway, I’m very happy with the A900 and the A700 (and the A100 and A300 before that as well), I was quite confident that the A99 would improve the on thing that was lacking on the A900: AF speed. GPS would be nice to have as well.
So, the DPReview review has not influenced my buying decision but it’s of course nice if Sony will sell more cameras.
I might add that lenses are the reason that I went into the Sony system. I love the legacy Minolta glass from mid 80’s and I’m looking forward to pairing them to a cutting edge full frame body, even if replacing the Min 50/1.4 with a Zeiss AF 50 wouldn’t hurt.
Fair price in Europe would be D800 – 200E like in USA where A99 is 200$ cheaper than D800. In Europe A99 is 500E more than D800.
Ok, I actually thought that the A99 was cheaper than the D800 in Europe as will. I was suprised to find out that the A99 was 270 EUR more expensive than the D800 in Sweden.
I don’t care much for Canon pricing as they are a marketing-based company reling on brand and loyal users rather than cutting edge development but the D800 needs to be a little bit more expensive than the Sony (or the Sony needs to be cheaper).
Of course, I’ll buy the A99 regardless but from a market point of view, I do agree.
I currently live in Russia, maybe I should buy the A99 here before returning to Sweden. Gotta check prices, availability and warranty terms…
Halfway between current street price of D600 and D800. Right in the middle!
Anyone know of a canon to Sony A mount?
It needs good high iso… the flash system is in a shambles with no HSS/TTL radio slave support… even with the iISO adapter. Can’t leave a900 until flash system is professional. We had it all with iISO, with no compatibility issues at all. The new shoe creates more problems than it solves.
2 points less than its direct competitor, the nikon 600d.. but lots of more interesting features on the A99
Minolta lovers have been waiting for that moment for years and it was worth waiting.. Sony supremacy will come soon!
BRAVO SONY!!!!!!!
Two points more than the D800.
You can’t compare scores like that. D600 was scored as an entry-level DSLR, while A99 was scored against D800 and 5Dmk3.
Another hint I can give you is that you can’t compare A99 scores against Pentax K5 or Sony A35.
None of these comparisons make any sense.
I think that Canon, Nikon, Leica, Panasonic, Sigma, Fuji and Sony pay Dpreview to write good reviews….
I have never read a so good review. The A99 seems to be perfect, then I’ll buy it.
I wouldn’t be so cynical! But, yes, I do believe in a bit of Christmas trolleri here.
of course we can compare the A99 and the 600d, coz they simply share the same sensor! I understand that they have different features, but in terms of image quality, their performances should be quite similar. I donno why Skywalker see a negative point in my post. u should maybe be more positive thinking..in the end I wrote “bravo Sony1” and I meant it. Take more pics and spend less time replying posts and this blog..u r waisting your time and I am not even sure u own any of these cameras or have ever tested any. Peace!
Of course *we* can compare the A99 to the D600 all we want. Skywalker is simply noting, as I have noted, that the dpreview scores are not comparable since the D600 was scored at an entry level full frame and the A99 was scored on the same plane as the D800 and 5D3 as more full featured FF cameras. For example, the NEX 7 received a score of 81. Does anyone really believe it’s just 1 point shy of equaling the Canon 5D Mark III? Of course not. But you and I can compare those 2 cameras all we want; the dpreview scores are meaningless in our comparison though.
Mr. Sean, do read more careful before replying. Sly said ofcourse he can compare a90 with d600 since both have the SAME SENSOR! Got it?
And you’re like ” For example, the NEX 7 received a score of 81. Does anyone really believe it’s just 1 point shy of equaling the Canon 5D Mark III? Of course not.”
Does nex7 have the same sensor with 5dmk3? Dont be too fanboys. I do love sony,but the fact d600 scores higher cant be ignored. Had d600 scored lower, you wouldnt hv said both cant be compared.
Remember, both hv same sensor,got it? Good.
I think so but you have ignored Hasselblad,Olympus,Pentax,Panasonic,Ricoh,Samsung,Rollei,Sanyo,Praktica and few others one who pay also Dpreview for good reviews……….!:)
The review was fair. I wonder if they create their own profiles for ACR or if they use the Adobe-provided profiles. I think the IQ comparisons would be quite a bit more accurate if they created the profiles at the same time. I am interested in seeing how the DXOMark results turn out.
Congratulations to Sony on a well deserved award, the A99 is an excellent camera and I am one very proud owner.
Si
Glad to see dpreview had the same focus issues that I have with my a99. It’s a major problem with the camera.
I’m surprised they called the a99’s image review and zooming fast. My copy takes about 2 seconds after shooting a photo to be able to review it — hardly instant. Maybe I have a bad copy. Maybe firmware will fix it.
Me? I’m ambivalent as to my purchase. I wouldn’t recommend the a99 to shooters with the a77, unless they need the full frame sensor. There just aren’t that many improvements to justify the increased cost.
Lets see if DXOmark will throw Sony a bone and rate it fairly.
Yeah man, the fact that d600 get 87% which share the same sensor as a99… Make a99 feel not so superior for the amount thay we pay for,