Some of you still think SAR is a place for fanboys but it isn’t. It old you two days ago that the new Sony announced stuff didn’t get any sensible amount of preorders at Amazon US. None of the newly announced cameras or lens made it into the top 100 of the Amazon mirrorless (Click here), DSRL (Click here) and Lens (Click here) rankings. SO let’s take a look at two critics I found on the web that may explain what may be the problem:
ThePhoBlographer tested the new Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 SSM lens and writes: “So far, I was pretty impressed with that the lens had to offer, but not for the $1,498.00 asking price. Then again, I have yet to test it out on a camera. I absolutely loved the A99 when we reviewed it, and this 50mm should be able to take full advantage of its 24MP sensor.”
Carl Garrard shared his thoughts about the A58 at Alphamountworld: “Sure the A58 is a perfectly decent camera, and I’m sure for its price it’s quite a bargain. There’s no denying that. However I think Sony should have called the A58 a different name, because it is not a true upgrade overall for the A57. Sony had a really good thing going with that camera at that level. And instead of capitalizing on it by improving it, they let another fish go back to the sea gambling on a lower cost cut down model to supersede it. Unless there’s an A60 coming this year (doubtful) as a real successor and overall improvement to the A57 at that price point, I think Sony have made a grave error here which begs the question: Who is making these decisions at Sony?”
I want to hear your opinion in that. Is the Zeiss overpriced? Is the A58 wrongfully placed within the SLT range?
Something else: One of our readers spotted the new Pink(!) NEX-3n in Hong Kong. As you know pink camera sell pretty well in Asia.
US preorders:
Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 SSM A-mount lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and SonyStore USA (via AlphaCameraDeals).
Sony SLT-A58 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and SonyStore USA (via ACDeals).
Black Sony NEX-3n at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and SonyStore USA (via ACDeals).
Silver Sony NEX-3n at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and SonyStore USA (via ACDeals).
DT 18-55mm at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).
Sony 70-400mm at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and SonyStore USA (via ACDeals).
Sony HVL-F20 Flash at BHphoto (Click here).
Sony HX300 at Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
Sony TX30 Black at BHphoto (Click here).
Sony TX30 Orange at Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
Sony TX30 Pink at BHphoto (Click here).
Sony WX300 Black at Adorama (White!), BHphoto (Click here).
Sony WX300 RED at BHphoto (Click here).
Sony WX300 White at BHphoto (Click here).
And here are the European preorder links:
The Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 SSM can now be preordered at Wex UK.
The NEX-3n can now be preordered at Sony DE, Amazon DE, Sony UK, Wex DE, Wex UK, Sony FR, Sony IT, Sony ES, Sony NL, Sony SE.
The A58 can now be preordered at Amazon DE, Wex DE, Wex UK.
278 Responses
100 % agree re a57 upgrade !!
is the zeiss that much better than S35 1.4 for $899. the market will tell. Is Sony/Zeiss overpriced? take a look at the e-mount 24 1.8 (apsc only) and ask yourself.
“is the zeiss that much better than S35 1.4 for $899?”
If the 50mm Zeiss IQ is similar+ to the s35’s, it will be a better lens for FF users (like me); however, that still won’t justify such a hefty price! I guess the s35 is also overpriced.
How about Zeiss 24mm f/1.8? How about Zeiss 55mm f/1.4 ?
Is it too much for renewed design? No, it isn’t. Sony has no fast, ssm, weather sealed top tier prime. Respect your self, respect your work, receive adequate payment and please you clients with top tier hardware.
I use the Zeiss 24mm 1.8 for over a year now, and I can only say I’m happy I paid the money. Show me one other 24mm f/1.8 lens with a maximum magnification of 1:4 that can rival this lens for less money — I’m pretty sure such a lens doesn’t exist.
+1
Zeiss is priced along the prices of all the other Zeisses in Sony range, so it’s OK.
A58 could be called an A38, maybe?
Real big mistake lies elsewhere – prioritizing mirrorless and crop over building a professional line-up of FF weather-sealed lenses and bodies…
The other Zeiss lenses are priced similarly to Canon and Nikon lenses of the same grade:
85L, 85G, 85CZ all similar.
24-70s all similar (Nikon, Canon, Sony)
70-200 2.8s, al similar (though Sony’s is dated)
Nikon 24 1.4, Canon 24 1.4 both cost more than CZ 24 f2, which is right (f2 to f1.4 is a big deal)
135CZ is a special lens with no direct equal, expensive but not exorbitant.
Now, the CZ 50 1.4 is grossly overpriced. Sigma, Canon, Nikon all make 50 1.4s for under $500. The CZ is nearly as much as the 50L, and 1.2 to 1.4 is a larger difference than people admit. This would have been overpriced for $800/900, but $1500 is a total rip. Also, this is especially poor as a-mount FF has received so little care these last couple years, and the 50 is a staple lens in a system. And sony offers no 50 1.8 as do others. I think Sony really got desperate/greedy on this one. This isn’t the way to treat A-mount FF or make it profitable.
I bought helios 44 for 1 usd! Why similar (made of metal, fast) zeiss lens costs too much?
Poor people thoughts.
The A58 *should* have been designated the A38 AFAIAC.
Pretty much. It’s actually a pretty nice sounding consumer camera, except perhaps for the plastic mount.
The problem arises if you’re in the market for a more meaty camera, but don’t want to pay A77/78 money. While the A57 remains a good camera, I think someone starting out would just buy a D5200 or a 650D instead.
Yes, Sony is overpricing itself.
Yes, Sony is also delivering downgraded gear.
And finally, Sony is losing to the competition.
My thoughts are similar to Carl G. “Who is making these decisions at Sony?”
It’s like they’re intent on stealing defeat from the jaws of victory.
Indeed, the A55 was a smash-hit for Sony, it was innovative. Shame they squandered what little momentum they had by taking forever with the A77 and A99.
They should have taken even longer. The poor quality of the initial firmware on the A77 gave it a reputation it was never able to shake, not to mention the omission of basic functionality like tethering. The A99 shipping with an APS camera’s AF module strikes me as coming from the same issue, designing a new module would have taken too long.
The issue is not that the a99 shipped with an APS-C camera’s focus module. Many full frame cameras have AF modules similar to versions in APS-C cameras. The problem here is that the Sony 19 point module doesn’t have good coverage to begin with. It’s adequate on the crop sensor a77, but that weakness really, really shows on full frame.
IMO, a focus module needs to have pretty spectacular coverage on APS-C to be considered for use on a full frame camera. The Nikon 51 point module is an example – it offers excellent coverage in APS-C, and ok coverage on full frame. The Nikon 39 point module is really pushing it – it offers good coverage on APS-C, and almost unacceptable coverage on full frame. The Sony 19 point module pushes down even further, with even less area coverage than the Nikon 39 point module.
And they could have mitigated this by making the 102 on sensor points work with all lenses and actually be selectable/work to acquire focus. That would have given the a99 better coverage. But they didn’t.
The on-sensor AF points are bunched in the centre, too, so I really don’t know what they were thinking. I find it hard to believe the real photographers they sent the prototypes to wouldn’t have noticed the problem almost immediately, as I did when I went to the Sony store to try the A99 out. Maybe they were told, but simply didn’t care? Either way, they pretty much flushed the entire purpose of the SLT mirror down the toilet when they made that decision, if I’m going to have to manually focus I’ll take that 1/3rd stop of light back, thanks.
Sony has a Canon Mole in there Camera Division making the decisions on the new camera gear!
Sony have a camera division? I thought the redundant bravia guys were producing their cameras!
I think the a55 was selling good because of it’s size
If sony could make a55 size weather sealed and improve AF area they can sell quite good again
Who shall buy it? Folks who have bought an a37 or a58? This lens is PHOTOGRAPHY pro-grade stuff — but Sony doesn’t have any pro-grade body. They won’t sell the lens, until they sell a real successor of the a900/a850.
But the recent show with Joe Asai let little hope that there will be a successor to the a900, that Sony is interested in PHOTOGRAPHY on a professional level, rather in P&S video cams for soccer mums which can take still images.
just to point out to you and to all those whiners that say Sony should have made a “real” pro body, the A99 is a real pro body. It easily compares to the 5dmrkIII and D800 all the professionals say so, all the aspiring professionals from the limited time with those cameras feel such as myself feel that way, out of all the reviews it came out just as good, so why all the whining?
Are you saying the 850 and 900 are not pro grade?
They aren’t current. So no pro grade.
You really think that Pros always use the latest and greatest?
and that alters the fact that the A850/900 aren’t current how exactly? *sigh*
No, but you can sleep better if you know that if your camera body falls apart, you can buy a new one.
Since when A900 falls apart?!
You have no idea what you are talking about.
My bad Frank. I was trying to make the point that the 50mm would look great on an 850 or 900 . The person above seemed to think that there was no professional grade camera available to warrant the use of the zeiss 50mm. Not only would it be great on these two cameras but also on the 77 and the 99 which I consider very worthy cameras for the 50 mm and my 99 is definitely a great upgrade to my 850. If the 850 was considered worthy of the term “pro-grade” then so is the 99.
Who will buy it? A850, A900, A99 owners + A77 and A700 owners with more budget who might consider moving to FF in future (or even if they don’t – 50mm is still very attractive focal length on APS-C and if this lens delivers – it might be worth it in the end).
But a900/a850 owners are reluctant to invest more in the system before the future of the system is clear. I really regret that I had to invest another 800 Euros in the a900 system.
I agree. But convincing people about that is a very difficult task, and to be honest – I’m not even sure if Sony realizes that there’s a need for this. Most likely they’ll just keep on doing their own thing.
Exactly. And their thing is video, not photography.
and their thing is NEX and video.
Frank, STFU with your NEX trolling.
a99 not a pro grade body?????? Have shot with it? Granted it’s not a Lieca S2 body or a Mamiya 645 afdIII but its just as good if not better than any thing from nikon or cannon.
At that level, it’s more about its usefulness as a tool, rather than just being well constructed and high-tech. If, say, the flash delay or AF coverage impedes on one’s ability to take photographs, then it won’t be thought of as a pro tool by that person.
It’s not a Nikon D3X. (There is another FF level above the D800/MK3/A99)
I think Sony failed to realize that when a company like Gillette introduces a new razor blade, they also introduce the new handle that it connects to at the same time…. For some reason I often feel that Sony is either making blade that don’t have a handle or handles that lack blades…. They would be better served to stop trying to have so many different systems and price points and focus on one specific target. Dominate it and THEN expand to others… I have to wonder if they are just some crazy inventors throwing as many darts at a wall as possible hoping that one will actually hit the target.
Zeiss Planar 50mm f/1.4 costs $725 for Canon and Nikon mounts and $669 for M42 mount (B&H). I don’t think, that $1498 for Sony Zeiss is overpriced. I think, that it’s grossly overpriced.
At least some Sony stuff is cheaper, but this one should have been 1200$ it would seem better.
They are all manual focus though, right? (not that the focusing is worth anywhere near that much, but some smaller premium I guess I would expect).
The planar 50/1.4 is regarded as a fairly bad lens comparatively and priced accordingly to compete with the Canon’s and Nikons.
Agree completely. All reports of the Plannar 50mm lenses I have seen aren’t great performers at all. So paying so much more than the Sony 50mm f1.4 seems like suicide to me.
MF CZ (ZF.2/ZE) ‘s optical performance is worse than ZA, or much worse. You can check out each MTF as resolution reference.
mm well from a marketing point of view I agree Sony should have called it the A47 or something, and just say we are merging 57 with 37 for the future, and just keep producing the A57 and say that the A66 for about 900-1000$ will replace it. Instead though they left A57 users up in the air with what to expect for the future, which for me is a mistake, should have also announced the A66. For the Ziess lens, from a marketing point of view, they should have made it 1300$ not 1500$ that seems a lot less, and that is because it is a bit less, but it would seem less bad of a price. In a dream World Sony would have released this as Sony A47, and made the A58 for 850$ to differentiate it from the 47, and than made the A66 like the canon 60D and 1200$ and the new A78 line the upcoming 7Dmrk II and a 1700$ camera, but oh well I am not their marketing guy.
To be fair, the A58 is a great and relatively cheap upgrade for current older model Sony dSLR users. Jumping from the A2xx to A58 is a big leap.
If I was a new user I’d still buy the A58 over a Nikon D5200/Canon 650D simply for the EVF, fast LV, IBIS, peaking and video.
It’s just a shame that Sony don’t tell new users about their SLT range AT ALL, never mind the advantages of SLT and EVF over the CaNikon lot.
Piss poor marketing is killing Sony.
Why doesnt someone TELL Sony what terrible marketing they have, tonight during the inverview.
No one knows Sony makes cameras…so how the hell do they expect to sell them?
Who’s steering the Sony ship? The wind?
SONY choose to spend their money on innovation rather than marketing. They are like Pentax or Leica in this regard and rely on the commuity to spread awareness and add value.
Which is fine if you actually deliver what the community is asking for!
As if Pentax would EVER deliver what community been asking for. lol
I been there. They are even worse than Sony. I know that “grass is greener” but the reality might surprise.
HELL YEAH! the Zeiss 50mm f1.4 is overpriced!!! It’s priced as the Ferrari of prime lens!!!
I think people should understand that the a58 is NOT an UPGRADE!!! It’s an UPDATED new camera, a replacement model for the a57. If you want an upgrades to the a57, they already have them…a65, a77 and the a99!!!
A58 is as close to being an update to A57 as A99 is to A900.
They are completely 2 different cameras. A58 would have been better with A48 or A38 name than it is with A58. If they would have just changed the sensor and EVF, while keeping LCD and a metal lens mount, Lots of people would have jumped on it. I’m sure the lens mount will be a critical turn off to a lot of people…
Better:
Sensor, EVF
Worse:
LCD, FPS, Plastic Lens Mount(WTF?!)
Different:
Hot shoe.
The A99 is actually a pretty nice upgrade, this one is nice upgrade over the A37, the 57 should be upgraded via 66.
Even before reading this thread, I was thinking this new A58 really should have been called the “A48”, like Stan proposes here. (and I agree with his assessment of the model)
I had originally been interested in it as an upgrade to my current A57 (which would get demoted to second body status), but they downgraded enough of it that I have little interest in it now. I’d rather get one of those $325 ebay A37s and have *that* has a backup body and continuing with my A57 than getting the A58 at all.
Maybe if the A65 or A77 replacements are compelling I’ll look at them, but right now I am unwilling to invest *any* money in Sony cameras given how thin they appear to be spreading themselves:
– Tons of Cybershot models churning along
– constant NEX updates
– the new pricy RX1/RX100 big lens models
– various NEX and non NEX camcorders
– and the sporadic updates to the Alpha line
To me this feels alarmingly scattered and I wonder if maybe my continued devotion to the Alpha line (as a long time Minolta SLR and DSLR shooter) is unwarranted and ultimately risky.
Two different cameras, I know that!!! But obviously Sony is replacing the a57 with this new a58. Naming it the a48 or a38 would make little to no sense when they obviously are trying to continue the a5X series. Hey, I don’t work for Sony, someone in Sony came up with this new naming scheme and they seem to be sticking with it. Remember the a57 was a replacement of the very successful a55 and the overshadowed a580.
I guess the bottom line is, that if you already own an a57, getting the a58 for an “UPGRADE” makes no sense, they should be looking elsewhere…at the a65, a77 or going FF with the a99 when they are ready. I think Sony is just trying to capitalize on the success of the a5X series and market an affordable, competitive entry level camera for new folks looking for a new DSLR.
What are you talking about?????? Priced like a ferrari of prime lenses??? have you looked at the price of newly released Lieca or medium format glass? $1500 is CHEAP!
That’s like a Bugatti or Maybach 😉
“$1500 is CHEAP!” LOL. Why don’t you make a poll and ask how many Sony Alpha owners think $1500 is cheap for a 50mm prime lens.
$1500 is cheap for the Ferrari but not the 50mm lens.
then I’m sure you haven’t seen the prices of M-mount or new Zeiss 55mm.
1500$ is too much for half-ass 50mm f/1.4 that takes pictures like through a soft focus filter at f/1.4. That’s pretty much everything that competition offers. What we have here isn’t one of these.
And keep in mind that Sony’s 50mm f/1.4 will be still available so you could get your cheap 50.
The new 50/1.4 certainly doesn’t have 90+% MTF wide open, either. Will it be better than all other cheap 50s on the market? It’ll have to be if they want to justify their pricing. But at the same time, I’d be very surprised if it gave the Distagon 55 and APO-Summicron serious competition.
Zeiss 55/1.4 is going to be around twice as expensive though at $3000. And the APO summicron is $7000 and a stop slower if you can find one. People here, have unrealistic expectations. If $1500 is too expensive (almost guaranteed for any non-professionals) then buy the SONY.
Sky,
I could not respond to your post directly. I didn’t say I wasn’t buying it, I am. I just said it wasn’t cheap and probably higher than it should be. I own 5 lenses and they are either G or Zeiss. I always find 6 months after the purchase I cannot remember what I paid for it but have not been disappointed with the quality. I would rather pay too much for really good than save a buck for OK. For $1500 a 50mm prime better be kick ass. Zeiss has yet to let me down.
But Zeiss is like Ferrari (or insert whatever high priced Car Company you feel is appropriate) in the Sony Lens Lineup. But I don’t care what you say and how much money you make…for the MAJORITY of Sony Alpha owners, $1500 is still not “CHEAP” for a prime lens. There may be more expensive prime lens out there but a hell of a lot of Sony Alpha owners are not going to jump on that $1500 price. But I get that, at this price, it is aimed for the professional photographers…not the majority of all us other Sony Alpha users.
Correct on both points.
The Zeiss lens may be good but is it really THAT good? It’s a lot of money for a 50mm prime and there is no shortage of decent 50mm prime lenses is there?
The A58 looks like camera designed by a committee and driven by the accountants. It may turn out to be a decent camera but for every step forward there is a step back. Whatever the thinking it has left everyone confused. A38 would have been a better name.
Maybe the A57 was just too good?
I can’t help but wonder if there is really a need to the uber-highend lenses anymore. It might be just a wee bit sharper, or provide a wee bit more contrast than a simply decent lens…. But with photoshop a photographer can easily get a wee bit sharper image or wee bit more contrast with a couple of mouse clicks. Rarely does anyone outside of a research lab need the types of sharpness of some of these lenses.
You can get more contrast through photoshop – yes, at the expense of the dynamic range of the whole image.
You can get more sharpness in photoshop – no, you cam make the details more exaggerated, but if something doesn’t exist due to original problems with the image, like for example three pixels being gray, instead of one black, one gray, one white, those pixels will not magically pick up their intended colors. So if something doesn’t exist on the image, because lens smudged it, it cannot be created by simply turning up sharpness.
For a working professional it’s easily justifiable.
@ Ian- You can never make a camera too good ( I think you are thinking that’s what Sony was thinking). @ Sony then- Canon weren’t shy to make the rebel series really really good for years on end and continue too. And they are the best selling camera company in the world.
Doesn’t take a marketing degree to figure that one out.
🙂
-Carl G.
Sony will have to lower the price in a couple of months, the 50 is the most basic lens of every camera’s lineup!
Wish it was 1.2. It’s only half a stop, but it would justify the four digits better.
I don’t. Look at the MTFs of the 50L/1.2 and you will see it’s a dog.
So is somebody going to summarise the cameradiner video for those of us who couldn’t watch it? 😉
Read the press releases of the new cameras and lenses and you have ALL the infos they have provided…
Ah, and the lens hood of the Zeiss 50mm 1.4 is plastic.
Well worth it then. 😉
Well its the same price as the Canon 50/1.2, its a tad slower @1.4 but Its plrobably lightyears better than the Canon
A bit, around 1000 USD would be about right.
Truth is its not far behind Leica 50/1.4 ASPH, which costs quite a bit more. So price really isnt that “much” as one would think. If MTF is right (and considering how it looks, it apparently is) then its best 50mm dSLR/SLT lens … ever.
Sony needs to stop releasing new cameras for awhile and focus on bringing us more e-mount lenses!
Not over priced! Sony is just under marketed. People still don’t associate them with high end camera equipment. If they drop their prices then they drop the quality along with it, they both go hand in hand. I can tell you I’ll buy the 50mm because i’m sure it will rock, just like all the other Sony Zeiss lenses i’ve tried. Yes they are better than the rest!
If I spend the time to always use a tripod and cable release to minimize any possible loss sharpness from movement then I sure as hell want the best glass on the front of my camera.
I think Sony Should jack up their prices even more so it will scare off the CHEAP ASS complaining bastards that troll this forum!!
Hi CaNikon. We understand you want the best for Sony…
It is the “CHEAP ASS complaining bastards” that keep Sony in business so that you can buy a CZ 50mm.
Or do you really believe that Sony imaging could survive on the pitifully small A99 and CZ sales?
+1
How dare you call me a cheap punk! Are saying that my Sigma 19 & 30mm f2.8’s on my NEX 7 are inferior to this Sony/Zeiss 50mm monstrosity? Take a look at what I’m pumping out in the MTF’s. A fool and his money are easily parted. Guess that makes anyone buying this lens a fool.
Yes, they are vastly inferior if you want/need the look of a FF image captured at 50mm f/1.4.
As great as those little Sigmas are – and the 30 is awesome – they render nothing like the Zeiss 50 wide open. And that really is why you buy an f/1.4 lens, to shoot it open and for the shallow DOF look it creates.
Now, compare the Zeiss 24mm on NEX to the Sigma 30mm and you have a better argument. Still not right but better…
lol. Man, you have no clue what you are talking about OR you can’t see colors. Yes: your Sigma IS vastly inferior to Zeiss glass on A-mount. Even on A-mount APS-C camera.
Sony made the same mistake with the A58 that Canon did with the 60D. Both models were downgraded for a cheaper price, leaving a gap in their product line. Maybe the A66 will do the same.
LOL @ taking Carl Garrard seriously. This is the same guy who predicted Nex would fail in 2010. His most recent prediction was that “RX100 was too little and too late”. A joker who has a record of being this wrong, shouldn’t be advising Sony how to run their company.
Yep. He is basically a Tom Hogan of the A-mount.
Not worth attention really.
Did he really predict that? I’d like to see it. What a lame brain moment if he did, must make him wrong about everything he said then. I agree.
-C
“Did he really predict that? I’d like to see it”
Yes, you did, in the DPR forums. You were ranting like a moron against Nex. Funny you deny that now. And your RX100 prediction of “too little too late” was on your blog. One of the dumbest prediction, ever, in the history of camera predictions. Funny you can’t deny that one now, as everyone still remembers it.
I don’t deny the RX100 at all of course, but I don’t recall talking about NEX the way that you are making it out to be. Maybe, just maybe, you are overreacting a bit? Nah.
By the way, I can’t help but notice how emotionally invested in all this talk of Sony cameras you are-and how long you’ve held a grudge. It’s fascinating.
If I held the grudge that long, then you should admit that you made these statements about Nex in 2010. Your memory might be bad, but mine isn’t.
Said by a man who made one of most emotional posts about Sony I’ve read online. Carl… seriously… what the heck!?
If you held a grudge that long over comments about a camera, then … I dunno what to say. And no, neither of you (who are probably the same person) I don’t recall the comments. I’ve made over 13,000 of them on DPR over the years and no, I can’t recall every single comment I’ve made. Maybe I’ll take a look back and see what I said about NEX to see what all this fuss is about.
Either way, holding a grudge for that long, making personal remarks about someone over someone’s comment about a camera is kinda weird to me in real life.
Judging by the comments on the A58 here, I can see that nobody agrees with Carl either, what a joker he is. Always wrong.
-C
Of course, there’s more than one Carl here. Have enough of us saying different things and one of us is bound to be right.
I should have said Carl G as I was being silly and referring to myself in the third person, or is it second person? Heck I dunno! Sry for confusion Carl, not calling you a joker always enjoy your comments.
50mm and 70-400mm prices are insane… 50mm price should be halved and 70-400 should be at least 25% less… Not to mention that there is absolutely zero Sony camera marketing at least here in Sweden… So people barely know that Sony makes cameras!
70-400 for 25% less would be cheaper than the old version. That’s a foolish request.
The old version costs 15000 SEK and the new one 20000. I said 25% to bring the new lens price to the same level as the lens being replaced. Plus it doesnt have IS so the price should be lower considering the price of CaNikon lenses
The 50/1.4 price is on the high side for a normal lens. However, what makes the whole thing ridiculous is that there are no high level FF body from sony to match it, yet. The A99, according Sony themselves are a mid level camera.
Similarly, there is no good enough body to match the E 24/1.8. These are futuristic lenses with no matching cameras. We have this and a overpriced Sony zoom 10-18 which does not even match their own NEX-7. Instead of fixing that they jump to RX-1.
Sony are without a clear strategy. It is a pure coincidence and luck that the NEX bodies can take pretty much any manual lens out there. Fact of the matter is the E mount in a NEX is more fragile than the cheapest Chinese made adapter. They do make a hefty profit from the NEx cams and they have not made a decent NEX cam that will offer proper, basic things that one needs in a camera to make photos. They are always lacking something. The yearly “upgrades” with different numbers have not added much . Thsoe giving away “Gold awards” and 7 star ratings have little credibility.
Sonyalpharumors claiming that the 16-50 E zoom is better than the 18-55 E zoom also has lost credibility by promoting falsehood.
So, yes, it is prudent to be cautious and avoid patent falsehood.
The real problem is not the price of the 50F1.4, the problem is the risk of investing further in the alpha mount. It is a bad purchase if A99 (which is a nice but not exceptional camera) is the last Alpha fullframe, paying the premium for using it on at Nex9 with an adapter is not a dream scenario.
I have a significant investment in the Alpha mount, but haven’t bought anything the last year due to the uncertainty of the platform. I having less and less confidence in the Sony Alpha strategy (Nex and RX are nice product lines)
^^THIS
+1 If you would have seen the cameradinershow, you would have lost your confidence completely (like me). Now I really regret that I have just invested another 800 Euros in alpha-mount SYSTEM.
+2 It would be nice if Sony would at least announce their full frame plans. Even a hint to restore some confidence. But having said that there is no indication at all that Sony is actually going to abandon it. It’s just when you add up the NEX system, advanced Cybershots, and especially the forthcoming FF NEX one has to wonder.
I’m on the same boat – all my alpha investments are on hold now. I would like to know the vision (not necessary the exact roadmap) for the A-mount. Will there be a photography oriented FF alpha model in the future? Is miniaturization the only driver for Sony? I’m afraid I’m not interested in tiny-sized camera bodies with poor ergonomy and lack of direct controls…
^ Same here.
I’ve tried the NEX’s, theyre cool and I can apprecaite the small form factor, but I just dont like it. I’ll never buy a NEX style camera. I like the large body and grip of my A850 and A77. I like the heft and ergonomics.
When Sony dumps the A-mount (you know its coming) I’ll dump Sony.
NEX is no way out, there are also no quality lenses for the NEX system. Only the Zeiss 24mm. for this 50mm you pay $1000.- only for the name Zeiss, not for the lens. It is not that hard to make a quality prime.
Bought the NEX-7 end 2011, stopped waiting for quality lenses. Sony is a dead end for me.
+ 10 to the third power. Sony better wake the F*%@ UP! Just drop that dang A mount and be done with it. Quit dragging it out. Sony can’t compete with CaNikon. Heck, everyone knew Minolta was dead before Sony bought it. Guess Sony didn’t get the memo.
Nex is the only way out of this mess. Sony got that memo, me thinks!
Haha, you are foolish wishing A-mount death. If Sony ditches A-mount noone with a healthy brain will trust them ever again to invest some serious money to the gear.
It’ll be a rotten apple. Company with no reason. They ditch A-mount now, who knows if they won’t ditch E-mount when “a next big thing” arrives and they find E-mount less profitable then it?
It’d be a VERY bad thing for Sony.
Not to mention tens of thousands of people actively discouraging everyone into investing any money in Sony photography gear after what they done.
Sony seems perfectly okay with doing things that get people to actively discourage buying their products, though. Rootkits, stolen credit card numbers, etc.
Sony never seems to settle for a coherent, strong product lineup. They keep cutting features and using lesser hardware on successor models, which is confusing and drives customers away.
They deliberately cripple lower end models per firmware to differentiate them from higher end models. Customers notice this! The Olympus way seems more successful: Give every firmware functionality to every model but with different styling, more/less buttons, with/without viewfinder or articulated display…
You can’t play with the big boys, if you don’t deliver the goods as good or better as they do. Sony seems to be driven by a misguided marketing departement which just keeps on making the wrong decisions. They have gotten themselves into irrelevance in quite some areas:
HiFi (tries to sell medicroe products at the same price as Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, who really give you your moneys worth)
TV (tries to sell BRAVIA with a huge Sony-premium on the price)
Smartphones (tried to save Symbian and thus came late to the Android party)
The list goes on (MiniDisc, anyone?). The whole picture shows a consistent misunderstanding of the market, an ignorance towards the informed customer and the complete lack of the ability to establish strong, coherent product lines with realistic pricing. And their fear of piracy, oh my…
Sony has engineering ressources like no other, but their management just keeps screwing up. Beeing an engineer at Sony has to be frustrating to no end (Manager: “No tethering for this camera!” #Insert bogus marketing research blabla# – Engineer: “Okay…”)
I take it that the Sony UK Product Manager didn’t make any assurances about the future of A-mount and new full frame A-mount cameras then?
He didn’t say anything. Paul cited the press releases concerning video stuff and asked whether this would be correct and the Sony guy replied well behaved: “Yes.” That’s it. Not a single question from our list.
If I would shooting with Canikon, I would have laughted heartily, it would have saved my day. But with the considerable amount I have invested in A-mount, I feel cheated.
Yes he did answer some questions from the list 🙂
Although you need to keep in mind two things: Obviously this guy was a new to the topic. And secondly: Even if he wouldn’t be – he cannot answer some questions, and Paul knows all too well what he can ask and what he cannot. That’s why you haven’t seen questions about future plans asked.
Which one? Whether the 70-400 is weather sealed? Come on! a900 owners have invested about 2400 EURO/USD in the body. When you add only (!) three lenses, you have very likely burst the 10.000 Euros/USD threshold (look up the prices yourself for a 24-70, 1.4/85, 1.8/135, 70-200, and, yes, the new CZ 1.4/50). And many of the a900 owners have more than three lenses…
So, I would consider it just fair if Sony would inform their devoted customers what is the future of their 10.000+ EUR/USD investment… so after 4,5 years without sucessor of the a900/a850…
What exactly is wrong about asking for reassurance that there are future plans for A-mount?
I fail to see how NOT informing Sony management that their customers are asking for reassurance is a good or helpful thing. If you don’t ask, then you don’t get.
They’re not reassuring anyone by design. Why let the cat out of the bag sooner than you have to?
A-mount is going away. All the signs are there. I’d be surprised if this time next year there is an A-mount.
Not only does Sony have the guts to do it, they have the finanical pressure to do it. Its happened before where mounts are abandoned, and it WILL happen again. The only question is when. I say, soon.
I’ve been saying that Sony will go E-mount and use A-mount adapters. It’s actually common-sense for them to do so. I see a future of SLR sized mirrorless bodies with E-mount and an updated SLT adapter for fast AF on A-mount lenses.
By-the-way, expect my personal stalker “Sky_walker” to jump in at any moment saying you are trolling… 😉
I agree with sony_wanderer and Frank. A friend of mine (also a photog) told me that when SAR announced that Sony dropped the 3 DSLT FF prototypes to ‘focus on’ the NEX FF, that was the beginning of the end of the A-Mount. I was skeptical initially, but now I wholeheartedly agree.
I’m not so upset switching to NEX Cameras (I too wish the ergonomics/size was in line with the A850 body style). The adapters wont be so bad if they can nail the focus down to fast and precise without a translucent mirrorbox. Thats not the end of the world.
I’ll be upset if Sony goes under. It seems impossible now, but think of General Motors. Think of Minolta. It CAN happen. And Sony is showing the signs of it now. I heard on the radio that they just sold their Japan headquarters today. This means they’re REALLY hurting for money. Two major office centers in a few months. If the Playstation 4 doesnt sell well, its the beginning of the end of Sony. If Sony eventually folds (or shuts down the imaging division) that WILL be the end of all our worlds until we throw our gear in the landfills and rebuild, or, just take up a new profession/hobby.
So lets think positive thoughts! In fact, I’m going outside right now to catch the sunset with my A850 and trusty 50mm Minolta 1.4.
Paul who was making the interview got more knowledge and insight than the manager. Regardless of what he would say or not – it’d be meaningless in the end.
It was pretty funny how SAR members seemed to expect it was an opportunity for an inquisition!
I fail to see how asking a PRODUCT MANAGER questions about PRODUCTS that he is responsible for, can be an inquisition….
His job is to communicate the value of the SONY system to a wider audience.
As a professional, why would he allow the interview to be side-tracked into a discussion about percieved failings according to some minority of readers existing on a internet forum? What possible motivation does the show have in treating it’s guest aggressively and like a common criminal?
The false expectations for this inteview demonstrates just how out-of-touch a few members of this board are.
if they will stick to there current twisted policy, they gonna be broken soon.
we said 100 of times and here i am repeating it again, the lenses are way overpriced as well as the pro/semi-pro cameras for a amateur like me and most of the people (sure the big bellies are able to afford a 3k G2 lens or a 50 1.4 prime while i can’t).
cheers, peter
They are basically doubling the cost the existing Canon & Nikon CZ 1.4 50mm lenses just to give Sony users AF. So is AF worth another $750? I think not. At best maybe another $250 and even that is high for nothing more than AF.
The 750 overpriced difference comes from the sony side of the equation: the AF module. The zeiss optics are priced reasonably well. I would have nightmares if Sony buys the excellent but cheap Samyangs and sony-price it by just slapping in their AF modules too.
The camerdiner show was a bit of a let down. The Sony guy was anything but a camera aficionado. I would hate to see what Sony’s spit ball sessions look like. The dude bored me to tears. He does not inspire excitement. I want some insight to why Sony does certain things. Why we sacrifice light with a SLT for improved speed and focus capabilities but the 99 is given only 6 fps and a paltry amount of selectable focus points all in the center. You might as well give me back the mirror. I do like the quite shutter though.
“The Sony guy was anything but a camera aficionado.”
Which is exactly why Sony are releasing mediocre stills cameras lacking basics like tethering.
I can see why they seem to miss the boat. Sony would do better if they had a town meeting of sorts with photographers that would give them i grocery list of needs and want in a camera. If I was Sony, I would have a weekend sit down with well know photogs from Sony, Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Olympus and from scratch build the perfect camera. Thats my flagship and from there I can reduce performance for the rest of my line.
I don’t understand how you can get something so basic as a camera so wrong, not just once, but EVERY time.
It’s not rocket science, do what Nikon do at any given price point but do it cheaper and better. Then ADVERTISE the fact that you are doing it cheaper and better…
It can’t be beyond a company the size of Sony….oh wait….
From scratch isn’t necessary: The a900/a850 is an extremely good starting point.
My thoughts exactly. I shot Canon for 10 years and switched to the A900 because it is a real camera with some incredible lenses. Sony got it completely right in my opinion. Where they went wrong was turning that digital/mechanical workhorse into a glorified PC.
50 mm F1.4 for 1,5k is in my opinion truely overpriced… if it would be an F1.2 well… perhaps… but even with the name, i wont pay more than 800 – 900 EUR.
I mean… there is an Sony 50 mm F1.4 for about 300 – 400 EUR! also compatible for FF. i think double price “just for the name” is fair enough… but 4-5 times more? come on…
Personally I think the CZ stuff is overpriced, $1500 for a fixed lens.. I won’t be buying one.. and I’m guessing Sony will sell as many as they did their $20,0000 80″ 4k TV’s..
I just watched that Camera Diner live broadcast with the Sony UK manager and he was totally clueless. What a disappointment for us Sony users, that not even the UK manager knows the product line (the presenter was far more knowledgable).
1. Zeiss 50mm is probably overpriced at US $1500, but tests will flesh that out. For $1100, it would have been a pre-order item for me.
2. The 70-400 II is another disappointment. No weather sealing. No improvement to the aperture system, so the crappy bokeh remains unchanged. They just gave it a paint job and some coatings, plus a supposedly upgraded focus system (I wasn’t aware the old one had an issue) and call it a new lens. That’s a fail for Sony.
Come on, see it positive: Take some dispersion paint from your local DIY store, paint your old 70-400 white and you have a 70-400 II….
LOL
If some of you are worried that the A-Mount is disappearing why not sell your A-Mount gear at top dollar right now?
You’ll probably find that many already have. Me, I’m just a old Minolta hobbyist that doesn’t like to see a good system with so much potential being pissed down the drain by a bunch of clueless non-photographers at Sony.
Minolta already pissed the system down the drain in the 90s, so I guess that’s just the status quo for us.
I’d love people to dump their Sony gear. Can’t wait for all the great used deals. Best bargain on the market right now is used a900/850/700… and soon to be a77/NEX7. This is great!
Can’t think of one assignment these cams couldn’t accomplish well for client work. And since “no pros” use Sony, the gear will be lightly used in fantastic condition. Not like buying a used CaNikon.
So come on everyone… sell you kit so I can buy it up cheap cheap. Once that wave settles down, you’ll be sorry. My bottom line will be cheaper operating costs than my competitors. Win win!
OK ready? Sell NOW Sell NOW go go GO!
Are you sure that you really want to buy an a900/a850 with 100.000 releases…?
One of the problems with Sony is that there is no way of seeing the actual shutter count.
Maybe because you won’t get top dollar for it anyway. And some of these classic Minolta lenses are bargain priced and also damn fine lenses that you simply can’t get on other mounts.
Minolta made some mistakes that is beyond doubt but they def didn’t “pi$$ is down the drain” in the 90’s, the maxxum 7 35mm body was released in 2000 and even to this day is a damn fine camera that is unmatched at that price point for performance and features, and superior handling.
Sony just throw out all the good Minolta ideas and replace them with naff cybershot thinking. So sad to see
Between 1996 and 2002 they released only two new serious lenses, the 17-35G of 1997 and the 200/4 of 2000. All their resources were going towards Vectis. Minolta was one of the innovators in digital cameras, but they released their digital interchangeable lens camera in V mount, too, and didn’t come out with an A mount one until 2003. By the time Sony put the offer on the table they had pretty much died from a death of a thousand cuts anyway.
Not having a digital A-mount get to market until too late was interesting. But I was still a film guy and didn’t care about all that crappy mega-pixel nonsense. 😀
Even with all the advances in sensor tech over the last decade or two, I still don’t find the result markedly better than Kodachrome 25. It’s nice to be able to change the ISO without having to rewind and replace the film, though.
If the image quality of the Zeiss is better wide open than Canons 50mm f1.2, than I think the price is on par. I sell this stuff, so I get to play with it all day. Canons 50mm L is quite soft at 1.2 and the focus is sluggish for being an Ultrasonic. Canons 50 f1.4 is sharp but has terrible CA.
Yes the 50mm CZ is grossly overpriced (try half that price) and yes the A58 is a BIG let down in every way.
Sony have lost it big time so sad to see they are throwing away their opportunities
Just because you can’t personally afford it doesn’t mean it’s overpriced.
Be serious it’s not about being able to afford it, but I’m not paying such a ridiculous price. If you want to buy an overpriced 50mm fire away dude, yes it’s got a CZ badge on it but most won’t care.
Rip off prices will never go down well
I don’t imagine the majority of people will buy it. For someone wanting a high-quality, reasonably priced lens they should look at the Sony 50/1.4.
Its kind of weird when they released 50cz ff lens with an apsc new body. This is common sense when canon introduce new ff body, they also introduce a kick ass ff lens as well.. Sony should fire everyone in market development department.
Well they replaced their last Sony UK Product Manager, who is a photographer, with some guy that hasn’t a clue. If that’s how Sony operate in Japan is it any wonder why their cameras get average reviews?
sony is run by idiots—i too was looking for an upgrade to the 57 PRIMARILY to solve the flash problems that sony simply will not fix—the 58 is a joke in comparison—the one thing i didn’t care about, resolution, was where they focused. Done with sony, my stuff is on ebay, moving to nikon. Real shame too, sony has some great features, but they cant seem to get the basics right, god riddance.
D7100 😉
yep, i will wait to see more, but probably will be 7100. I will really miss the wysiwyg of the evf tho. However, i’ll probably gain a flash system that wont wash out everything in the background! I’ll probably short sony stock too–a company run this poorly will certainly not survive, and from what i can see, this is widespread among their product lines—just unresponsive to, and unsupportive of, their customers.
Gizmodo gave a brief, yet positive look at the A58.
http://gizmodo.com/5987677/sony-slt+a58-all-the-dslr-a-beginner-needs-for-cheap?post=57873083
Greetings,
I believe that both Planar ZA 1.4/50 and Sonar 1.8/24 ZA are overprized 🙁 They should cost about 2/3 of asking prize. Other hand Planar ZA 1.4/50 has impressively innovative schema, so it might cost about double of the Planar ZE/ZF.2’s prize.
Best regards, WZ.
50mmF1.4 should be $1100 +/- $100 and a 50mmF1.2 should be ~$1800.
As far as the A58 whining by the A57 owners; why would you upgrade with a model so close? Just for one or two maybe features you were anticipating? The upgrade path is to the A77. Price is down to less than $1100 (at least in the US).
no, not for upgrades, FOR FIXES to stuff they will NOT fix with firmware updates, thats why
The Zeiss is a premium/pro quality lens, along the lines of a Canon 50 1.2L, so I don’t think it’s overpriced given Zeiss pedigree, etc. It’s still a hell of a lot cheaper than a Leica lens (although almost certainly not as optically perfect) and has AF, etc…
Very disappointed with the a58. I would hope to see a new upgrade for the a57 like an a6x model for 800USD. Highly doubtful though..
YES, YES… Sony don’t have a professional body worthy of buying a lens that costs this much… even if this 50mm Zeiss is the best glass ever produced the a99 still wouldn’t have the final image quality of the same Sensor N-Word D600………. SO WHAT IS THE POINT????
Wake up a99 owners who just want to feel good about your purchase of your overpriced d600 with a crappy auto-focus system…
Look at MrLee, the big Sony A99 hater! Sounds like you are an angryman and need a hug or something. A camera is just a tool, the final image is achieved by the photographer who knows how to use the tool. If I had the funds, I’d take all the features of the A99 over the supersized D7000 (aka D600) any day. FYI: I’m a Nikon Shooter and have already borrowed and used both an A99 and a D600 and I wish I had the A99. I just had so much more fun shooting with the Sony. If I wasn’t invested too much in Nikon gear, I think I’d switch over in a heartbeat for that awesome camera.
You sound like a Sony employee… A Nikon user wishing they were a Sony user in a Sony forum, hahahha.. Get out of here…
I’m a Nikon owner but I wish I were a Sony employee. I’d prob. be making a lot more money than what I make. But at least I’m not MrLee a Sony hater in a Sony Forum. I suggest you get out of here.
Both opinions are dead on. The CZ tax is worse than Apple tax and Sony seems to replace features on updated cameras rather than adding/unloacking more features or even fixing previous issues. I think (and hope) that Nikon is doing it right with the D7100. There is so much camera packed into that body for that price. Its like Nikon actually listens to people. Go figure. I’m not jumping ship (I can’t because I can’t sell my Sony or even give it away) but I’m going back to Nikon, for reasons said, and using it as my main camera and the Sony as a secondary camera for…I don’t know…taking pics of cats and trolling this website. Sony just doesn’t get it. Fool me once – shame on me. Fool me twice…jump ship!
Oh, and I wasn’t comparing the a58 to the D7100 directly. I was just using it as an example of how a proper update should be done. And while the D7100 is a different price point, it still retains better value after 2-3 years than any Sony does. Another thing I’ve learned the hard way.
I am curious about this great camera. Other than having more autofocus points can you list all the places where the d100 is better than the a77 its real competitor.
more you pay more they will ask you next time.The company is to make money .give them all and they promise and promise next model will fix the problem.why do you need expensive overpriced lens if your body is full with lag,bugs and locked features(af-c-d limit at 3.5) and other witch are not even written(tethering) cause they don’t care what you won.
It’s had to call it on the Zeiss. On the list price, it’s expensive for a 50mm. However, it remains to be seen what the the street price will be 6 months after launch. Also bear in mind that it’s an AF Zeiss, so it was never exactly going to come free with your Cornflakes…
I can’t get my head around Sony’s logic with the a58. It’s a gimped a57 with an upgraded sensor, which screams a48 to me. It’s possible that this was the original idea, but it over-delivered to the point that the a57 would have been redundant (but then I couldn’t see the point of having the a65 sitting between the a57 and a77)… Maybe we’ll see an a68 at a similar price point to the a57? I’m far more interested in the a78, to be honest.
A58 is great – shouldn’t be chirped. And it’s priced well. It’s now a bargain A65 if the EVF is really upgraded.
And yes, the Zeiss 50mm is ridiculously overpriced. Especially since Zeiss sells a similar Planar 50mm f1.4 for half the price, although it’s manual focus. Still, it’s very sharp and AF is not worth $750.
The EVF isn’t the same one used in the A65/77. It is 800×600.
Zeiss 50mm – For a Zeiss, it’s priced reasonably. Manual focus Zeiss and Leica already cost a fortune, we’re talking about AF Zeiss here. Pluss it’s SSM, not just screw-in AF.
A58 – It’s a fantastic camera. The problem is, people keep comparing it with the A57. It wasn’t meant to replace it. At least not a direct replacement. Want an upgrade, go to the higher level. For NEX/ P&S upgraders, the camera is just fine. Plastic mount? Oh please, how do you all know it melts easily. Nobody has even tried it yet. Glock pistols are made of plastic(well, for most of its parts) but it has been proven as reliable(and cheap to manufacture) gun.
Just look at D3200，D5200 and D7100，then we can confirm one thing：sony should updata his SLT cameras . And I’m very happy for sony cancel the a3x series ,this’s meaning a58，a6x，a78 will be the new generation competitors vs DSLRs。
they want to trim down the lineup so I suspect there will be no a65 successor. Shame they ended the a33/35/37/55 body style. To me, they need to have SLT-a38 for low end market (and small body), SLT-a58 for mid-end (current body size), SLT-a78 for high-end APS-C market.
Also, SLT-a99 as mid-end FF, and SLT-a85 for “low”-end FF. And if they can, SLT-a1 or whatever they want to name it for high-end FF. If you count the number of bodies, this way they end up with a lot of bodies and may end confusing consumers. So with the new policy they are using, maybe we will just have a58, a78 and a99 for the moment.
I’ve been thinking about some of Sony’s recent decisions, such as releasing a downgrade A58 to replace the A57, and I have been puzzled about these types of decisions. The few Sony staff I know seem to be very bright, very customer focused, and very business savvy. So, why these awkward decisions?
Then, I seem to remember that someone in a different Sony division apologized for being too Japan-Centric in their product design. That is, they accurately understood their local market, but the global market wasn’t as innately understood and they had to rely on focus groups. Consequently, their product decisions, management trade-offs, and R&D tended towards serving their local market slightly more than the global market (This isn’t unique to them, it is a problem for many (most?) global corporations with centralized management).
If this is true of the folk running Alpha line-up, perhaps it could explain some of their decisions. That is, the decisions might not make sense to western photo enthusiasts, but make complete sense to their local market.
Another thought occured to me was that like many Sony product strategies before, they intend to make their technology the de-facto standard (e.g. Blu-ray) and win the high risk/ high reward licensing game. Consequently, they’re working to redefine photography tools and we can’t fully appreciate the long game-plan they have. For example, perhaps eventually they can get rid of the half mirror in the DSLTs and somehow still have both types of AF and then make full use of their awesome sensors. Who knows?
Or, the folk making decisions aren’t like the ones that I know-of, and instead, they are simply in over their heads.
Who cares what Carl Garrad thinks about the name A58? He was the one who claimed an A600 with OVF was coming last year and it turned out to be a lie. How is the A58 not an upgrade anyway? It has an improved sensor and viewfinder, that’s a lot better than most Canon and Nikon updates. And regardless, come on, the NAME is the biggest thing you have to complain about? Really? Grow up.
It’s not an upgrade because it has a cheap plastic mount, 5fps v 10fps full res (big drop), smaller lower res LCD, limited articulation, no standard remote socket, cheaper lower quality body finish. Do we really need to carry on?
Sure a new sensor and better EVF but big swing what’s the point when you take 3 steps forward and 5 back. It’s not going to work anyway Canikon always sell last years models at knock down prices so Sony are not going to be cheaper. The A37 is already selling for next to nothing too (and with a metal mount)
You don’t bag upgraders with “a worse model” you bag them with a better one
Did he claim that Andrew? I thought he reported a rumor he heard. I don’t ever recall seeing anything definite about that rumor he claimed would come true, in fact, the article itself states he doubts it’s true. But he’s a moron anyways, no matter if that’s true or not.
-C
“But he’s a moron anyways, no matter if that’s true or not.”
LOL
🙂
If CZ 135mm F1.8 selling for 1600-1800 then I think 50mm ZA F1.4 is reasonable price.
In photography everything is almost always overpriced, which is why so many DIY projects work so well but since we can’t make lenses I guess it is what it is.
Definitely right!!! No guys would buy a 50mm lens for that high price, you know… I would prefer the Sigma 50mm when Zeiss get so priced…
Overpriced? It’s only double the cost of a 50mm Planar. I have zero regrets about leaving Sony. How do they expect to gain market share with these prices? I made the full frame jump on Canon right after the A99 release, and this is just more evidence I made the right choice.
At 1500 that lens better be three times better than a 500 dollar equivlent lens. but it is NOT…no lens can be 3 times better than any other lens, unless the lens is broken and has oil smeared all over its optics.
but of course there will be an a68, that will be the upgraded a57.
and it will be realeased around mid/end-summer, the a78 will be released around mid/end-fall.
at the end of the year or early next year a88 will follow.
so… sony lineup for the end of 2013 will be
a58 a68 a78 a99 maybe a88
then in 2014-15 they will launch the last of the slt series
a59 a69 a79 a89
after that we will see the next generation
a3 a5 a7 a9
maybe without mirror, maybe new sensor tech, maybe new unexpected tech, who knows, but the roadmap its crystal clear from where i look at it
I don’t think we will see another A6x camera.
Sony, I give up!!!
Go keep on doing whatever you want to do…
If Sony wasn’t so RETARDED, they would have created a E-Mount SLR form factor camera targeted purely at photographers. Instead of the Camcorder A99…
Troll me how you want bitches, history and sales speaks for itself…
I think Sony started off superbly with the alpha range and the a55 slt introduction etc but as soon as they realised they were on to something and had a semi decent following and slight market share increase decided to milk it and start charging canon and nikon prices before they had achieved an equal footing.
They could’ve been one of the big three instead of chasing the big two like they will continue to do unless they regain their momentum and pricing structure of previous years. Until they are one of te big players they cannot charge top whack money as the incentive isn’t there to convert the other fanboys to switch systems especially with a lesser range of glass available too.
In a world where whole continents are in a recession (most important continents for sales too) they should be pricing aggressively not optimistically.
I love sony and their camera systems but I think the lack of glass in the Csc systems have been a major failing not supporting the continuous churning out of the bodies and in the slt range the prices for the decent glass that is out there is too expensive. The new 70-400 is a good example.
They have the time and opportunity to save this but not if they keep this current direction up or they will become the greatest camera company to not have capitalised on the chance to take over as number one or two.
Shame…,
The Zeiss is awesome, but other lenses are not worse.
http://www.sigma-foto.de/index.php?id=1359&L=2
This one isnt really worse than the Zeiss and is about… lemme think… 533 €!
About the A58, id rather drop the A60-line. Im a fan of “Low — Middle — High” so it should be
A3X, A5X, A7X, A9X
Entry Level, Hobby, Semi-Professional, Professional
Now its like
A5X, A6X, A7X, A9X
Hobby, Semi-Professional budget version, Semi-Professional, Professional
there is no entry level anymore, for the price of the A58 you cant count it Entry Level. Look at the Canon 1100D or the Nikon D3200
I mean, the A58 is better than the 1100D and the D3200, but some people dont need that. They just dont have the money and want to pay as less as possible for there Camera with still having good quality.
The A3X should be in line with 16 Megapixels!
– 16 Megapixels and LCD EVF
– – A38
– 20 Megapixels and 1MP OLED EVF
– – A58
– 24 Megapixels and 2MP OLED EVF
– – A77
And the Zeiss again, yeah is incredible overpriced. About 800 € is for the Brand and the rest for the Lense.
The Planar is a few hundred bucks to expensive. The Guy is complaining about 1500 $, in Germany it is announced at 1500 € (roughly 2000 $). Sony is going overboard with pricing. 1000 € would be a reasonable price compared to the other Zeiss and taking the focal length into account.
The A58 is no successor of the A57. The specs are speaking for themselves. A clever marketing would have demanded A48 as the name – implying correctly that it is ahead of the A37 but below A57.
And in some respects, even the A37 has it beaten. It’s got a metal mount and better buffer and faster FPS to start. 🙂
A48 would have been the perfect name, but number 4 is considered bad in many Asian cultures. So they usually skip it altogether.
They had a A450.
I think that the recent Sony announcement fits very well into the following scenario:
– Sony would like to have full frame mirror-less product line. They have a chance to become a leader in this area due to the strength of their sensors and experience with SLT, NEX, RX1 firmware etc. The only missing technology component is fast phase detect system directly on image sensor, but this is maturing quickly. It will be ready in about 2 – 3 years on Sony sensors. They also will face little competition at least initially, as CaNikon would hate to cannibalise their DSLR sales. So, there is a fighting chance for Sony to win there. This may be a full range of cameras from little plasticky P&S up to semi-pro aand pro models.
– The new FF mirror-less range will need to have a new lens mount. E-mount can’t do it and A-mount has too large flange distance i.e. will be too bulky. It will take long time to build a new lineup of lenses. So in the meantine the A-mount lenses with adapter will have to stand in. Sony may even call the new mount a micro-A (:-)) or A+ or some such to stress the supposed continuity.
– This is why the A-mount SLT cameras are kept alive. Just alive, just ticking over at a minimum development cost. Sony must be losing money on them.
– It will be much easier to offer A-mount lenses + adapter when they are still current product stocked by resellers. Reintroduction of dead products does not have a good history.
– Sony has not made money in 6 years and loses keep mounting. That is why the development budgets are cut in all their repartments. Having just 3 SLT cameras (A58, A77 (or successor), and A99) must do. This is why A58 is a downgrade from A57 with much lower manufacturing cost – plastic mount, cheaper display, etc. I also predict that A65 will be dropped soon. It just costs too much to keep it alive.
– The NEX series and the DSC-RX will continue for a while – they make money.
– There will not be a Sony DSLT anymore. Sony lost this capability with switch to SLTs which require different firmware.
Are you drunk?
Well full frame was never going to be a cheap investment. So the 50mm Zeiss price was expected.
It is weather sealed, which is a really big plus.
No other company in this business has such a capabilities as Sony does. And not only this. Many people still (despite of everething) love Sony and believe this company in long term. But I would say, I would add, that love and trust Sony does not necessary mean agree with every decision made by one or several managers. They work for Sony, they are at this time part of Sony, but they are not and should not be meant as Sony as is. This my position. I love this company, trust her and wish her the best, but do not agree with the way current managers are trying to lead Sony.
– premature abandoning dslr line and technology
– lack of support for current products
– completely wrong mixing of products offer (e.g. where is A77 style of camera with fabulous 16Mpx sensor – I mean the camera with 16Mpx sensor, oled viewfinder and focus micro adjustment function)
– as Carl said: A58 is supposed to be what?
– pricing, pricing, pricing (great A57 price, but A99?, lenses?, crazy)
– where is square sensor? Nikon has so agressive products offer/pricing strategy that when Sony finally comes out with this big thing (square sensor) maybe not much people will or will be able to (because strong investments in other systems) care
Just some thoughts, not all..:-)
Martin
yes, I think that Zeiss is overpriced but I do not care about. i’ll never have one, so…
I also think that a58 is a wrong name. it’ a new basic model like a37 with “boosed” resolution and EVF. It’s an hybrid between a37 and a57 but it’s a downgrade for several aspect of the 57. I think that Sony have to use another name like A4x series for this …
I do not like the plastic mount. I’ve never seen a plastic mount on any kind reflex, even at the super entry level… not good.
ugo: Minolta used plastic mounts on the HTsi Plus SLR, which was a cheap entry model.
It does cut manufacturing costs but you got to be careful of not mounting too heavy lenses on it and not have an appropiate platform to hold them…
I didn’t like the fact Sony used a plastic mount on the A58. Makes you think in what other parts of the camera they are cutting costs without us knowing.
Sony should merge the line of a3x and a5x, so it is reasonable to have called it a53, to imply it is actually a lower level of camera compared to a57. It also make the potential buyer more aware how a53 is positioned. In middle range, Sony should produce a truly successor of a57 which should be name a6x and advanced level of a78. By doing so the differentiation of low, mid and flagship aps-c SLT is much more clear than current status with ambiguous borderline.
CZ50/1.4 is for sure overpriced given current information available, not amazingly sharp wide open in center though fairly sharp across corners. $1300 is well balanced price for both Sony and the consumers, I suspect.
A lot of things Sony sells are overpriced. Lenses are one of the biggest problems. Instead of having competitive prices to lure more people into the system and make established users extend their lens stable, Sony just asks for more every 6 months.
Undeniably, it’s true that recent lens releases have been really good optically, but Sony charges as if it were on the same league as Canon or Nikon and the sad truth is that it isn’t.
What use is to make lenses and sell them for a high price so no one buys them?
For that matter, they shouldn’t have released anything to begin with.
As for the A58, the main problem with it is that it shouldn’t exist yet. It was only released to begin the switch to the damn ISO flash hotshoe that began with the A99. There isn’t really any improvement over the A57; cramming 4 MP on a new sensor and tweaking the dynamic range isn’t really improvement.
All Sony is doing is to keep going with their plan to cater to the video filming crowd who bitches all the time about video in DSLRs and demands a proper video camera. Sony already pleased them in that sense but they want to stain the Alpha line with that too. So now they’ll “refresh” camera models to just change the damn flash shoe because they think people will buy the F60AM to light their videos with it…
They should drop the damn nonsense. Return to the Minolta flash shoe, fix the damn firmware bugs across the board in all SLTs and NEXes and improve the technology on sensors so they can get rid of the mirror and focus with nothing to bounce light anywhere.
Oh, and revise their lens pricing policies. They should want people BUYING them and USING them, not having the lenses SITTING on shelves and doing NOTHING because NO ONE uses them.
Sony is no longer what it used to be and it’s close to bankrupcy, they really can’t afford to think they are Leica and that their uses will pay whatever they ask for accesories they need. They need fresh income from sales and those won’t happen at these prices.
Indeed I am quite disappointed with what sony has done after A77’s release, so it will be a nikon DSLR in my hand some day if sony still disappoints me in A78 thing, you know.
Put up a Poll and lets see
Put a poll if people find product X too expensive and expect any other answer than “yes” ? Seriously?
I’m pretty much through with the Alpha range and the SLR format as a whole. As long as Sony don’t screw up the higher end NEX models I’m not so bothered. Sony seem to spend so much time faffing about with their lower and mid range cameras.
If Sony are serious about making in roads on Nikon and Canon’s dominance then the only way I can see them doing anything about it is by bringing their prices down. That’s the only thing that would get new buyers or persuade people to swap brands. Better value for money.
For A58 or any updgarde camera…
Really simple, Ask people having the A55 or A57 if they are tempted by the upgrade/update.
I have the A55
And… No! I am not interested by the upgrade.
I like my 10fps
I like my screen rotation as I can protect it most of the time when using EVF
I like the resolution and size of my screen to review my pictures.
I was tempted by the A57… (especially by the focus peaking and better EVF)
And I said as soon as the OLED is integrated in the next, I will change my A55
The OLED came… But we lost a lot of other functions.
Ask D3100 owners if they are tempted to switch for D3200. Ask Canon 500D owners if they were tempted to switch for 650D.
A58 wasn’t made for A57 owners. No idea how did you came out with this idea
Actually you are wrong a lot of Canikon users do update models esp the 550/600/650d ones because Canon actually “make their new models better”
When was the last time you saw Canikon downgrade a “new model” never because it’s guaranteed to fail in the market place. There is no place for cheap plastic mount A58’s in the market, Sony should have updated the A57 and not downgrade it in any way.
2.7-inch, 460K just isn’t even cutting it at the entry level anymore. Silly downgrades that put buyers off. The A57’s 920K 3″ was superb what a waste
What about the 60D? Some consider it as a downgrade of the 50D.
“because Canon actually “make their new models better” ” – does it? I know at least few people who hardly disagree with that.
“A58 wasn’t made for A57 owners. No idea how did you came out with this idea”
Then… an A55 or A33 owner that want a new gear should turn his interest where? to competition?
In my company (completely different business than photography) we say: If you lose a consumer, it is lost for at least 5 years (average time life of our material)…
You have always to take care of your base consumer… No way, you give a chance to a hardly gained consumer a chance to leave your system so easily…
sony is a crazy brand… no one is gonna buy the 50mm neither a rx1… i prefer a 5d III that can take some photos instead of some crappy toys
So why you here?
because im waiting a ff nex… not overpriced by 23231941929 dollars maybe
You wish…
the answer is simple, RX 1 is not for you 😛
CZ 50mm/1.4 is way overprice i think, it should be $1000
Interesting the question of price with Zeiss.
Overall, I think the prices for all the main manufacturers (Sony, Canon and Nikon) is too high.
If Sony is going to use Zeiss for their better primes, they may have a problem as whilst the Zeiss is excellent, it is also an expensive brand which may not be as good value as it could. If Zeiss was significantly better than the Nikon or Canon equivalents, the prices might be justified.
Don’t care what “phoblographer” says, most of the reviews there are crap. Just read the Leica M9 review, and the comments to it. Also the guy says he didn’t shoot with the new lens, but already doubts it’s pricing…
I think Zeiss price is OK… After all it is a premium 50mm lens, not a usual one (which we also have).
As for A58… It is a good camera for it’s price. Extremely good. BUT it’s not from A5x family, it belongs to A3x family. It is by no means an upgrade for A57 or even A55! It’s a goos upgrade for A3X cameras!
I understand that SONY wants to change the lineup – A5x are the chapest, A5x are balanced and A7x are top cropped cameras. This is logical. BUT people see the name A58 and the expect it to be a continuation of A57… So maybe they should’ve drop A5x line, not the A3x. And give A38 name to this camera…
Nikon 85mm f/1.4 is one of the Amazon’s bestsellers at $1500 now. (Not that I’m going to buy one.)
Since there are a lot of Nikon pro users, it’s not surprising.
Goes to illustrate the point here. The Nikon 85mm f/1.4G sells for $1,399 on B&H, which is comparable to the Zeiss 85mm. The Nikon 50 f/1.4G, on the other hand, sells for $399. You be the judge whether or not that compares favourably with the new Zeiss 50mm or not.
No it does not. Nikon 50mm F/1.4 is closer to the Sony 50mm F/1.4, which is $350, than it is to this Zeiss.
Nikon D and G glass is nothing like Sony’s Zeiss or G glass. It doesn’t signify quality like it is with Sony. For Nikon it means different AF types, like screw driven or SSM equivalent. So in order to compare properly, you have to look at the equivalent price range, then you’ll find a similarly performing glass. I’m sure this Zeiss will be like Sigma’s new 35mm 1.4. Cause looking at the pricing, if its crap, there’s a $600 50mm F/1.4 Zeiss glass from ’09 for Nikon and Pentax mounts, which is pure crap due to it being build for compatibility with older cameras.
I’d still say it does.
It is much easier to design and much cheaper to build a good 50mm lens than it is with an 85mm one. Pricing of the Nikon lenses reflects this, while pricing of the Zeiss ZA line leaves me scratching my head. The Nikon 85mm 1.4G is not even a particularly impressive lens, yet it costs three times as much as the Nikon 50mm 1.4G. What gives?
It just seems to me that we’re paying $1.5k for the Zeiss badge and Sony throws in a lens for free, rather than actually paying for a lens based on its performance. I have no doubts that the Zeiss 50mm 1.4 will be a good lens, but there’s just no way to justify its current price point.
I see it this way. If the lens is sharp wide open, it justifies the price point, cause every other 50mm lens from Sony and Nikon is soft wide open. Since wide open is where this lens is used most, i’d say that this would be the primary selling point. We will just have to wait and see what it delivers. It would have to perform above and beyond. No doubts about that…
About the a58 – what’s in a name? It’s an entry level camera and most likely will be sold of the shelf in camera stores (providing the shops actually display it and sales staff can be persuaded to push it over their beloved canikon models). Some savvy buyers will set to buy one based on reviews if it turns out to be superior to similarly priced canikon models. How many people preorder entry level models? Not many I would guess.
About the zeiss 50mm. At face value it seems overpriced. Not many preorders? Unsurprising as at this price point, I’m sure many people are hanging on to read reviews as this lens will have to be quite special to deserve the price tag.
About the a58 – what’s in a name? It’s an entry level camera and most likely will be sold of the shelf in camera stores (providing the shops actually display it and sales staff can be persuaded to push it over their beloved canikon models). Some savvy buyers will set to buy one based on reviews if it turns out to be superior to similarly priced canikon models. How many people preorder entry level models? Not many I would guess.
About the zeiss 50mm. At face value it seems overpriced. Not many preorders? Unsurprising as at this price point, I’m sure many people are hanging on to read reviews as this lens will have to be quite special to deserve the price tag.
The problem with Sony is that they rather sell expensive Zeiss glass rather than developing their own high quality G lenses. In the mean time, they don’t have the high-end cameras that an owner of an expensive lens would want. Plus, their system has so many holes in it, that someone who is interested in buying into a complete system, just bypasses Sony. Sony needs to sit down, and look at where the gaps are in lenses and accessories and then develop products to fill it.
If Sony is going to develop high-end lenses, they need to have more high-end bodies to go with them.
yes A57 is wrong named
yes the zeiss 50 1.4 is out of market!
they did develop an a38, but they ditched it. why? I guess they tried to lower price on it too, but couldn’t without sacrificing what they consider to be basic quality? or maybe they just wanted to make room for the nex-cameras. who knows. but I do get the feeling that there will be far less a-mount cameras in the future. and yes, they shouldn’t have named it the a58, and no, the zeiss is not overpriced, it’s directed towards a market segment where money isn’t an issue. the rest of us should try and be perfectly happy with other options. unless you’re a highly specialized pro, you don’t need that kind of lens. considering af and ssm it’s pretty much in line with most zeiss glass. they should whether-seal many more of the mid-range lenses though! that’s what’s missing!
Sony have developed many lines and ditched them, A100, A2xx, A450, A65 (it will be ditched) and A850.
Sony are simply carrying on with that by reducing the number of SLT models to three lines, A5x, A7x and A9x. The A3x series has gone as did the A2xx series, next it will be the A5x series as Sony will expect new users to buy a NEX.
I wouldn’t hold my breath for the rumoured higher-end full frame A-mount, it is ditched in favour of the Full Frame NEX development according to SAR.
NEX and E-mount is where Sony are investing their time and effort from now on.
agreed!
“But then again I have yet to test it on a camera” Brilliant!
The zeiss 50 1.4 is out of market! It is sure overpriced. The right price should be 900-1000 $, not more.
50ZA overpriced for sure~~~~~~~~~~~
Sony prices have become screwed. The only reason I chose an A77 over a CaNikon was its price/performance ratio.
However since then I have become disillusioned with the brand as a whole they have offered NO firmware support/upgrades (apart from fixing a few bugs and adding lens profiles) and there lens line up is poor/overpriced… where are the weather proof lenses to go with our weatherproof cameras (70-200 mk2)?
All Sonys have inbuilt image stabilization so why are Sony lenses more expensive than CaNikon lenses that have the additional cost of image stabilization built into them?
Until Sony can demonstrate they can look after their existing users how can they hope to generate new users.
Zeiss is Zeiss, Much like Leica is Leica, and Lamborghini is Lambo. There is no overprice Zeiss, Only people who can’t afford one.
You know it’s Expensive when you see the Blue “Z”, so stop whining if you can’t afford it’ leave it to those who can.
Sigh..
Let’s put it like this how can Sony have a FF body and no proper range of primes? No 24mm f2.8, no 28mm f2.8, no 35mm f2, no 85mm f1.8 either
All those lenses were WAY more important than some overpriced Zeiss that’s a focal length nobody wants anyway (we have 50mm’s and don’t need this one)
It’s less about being able to afford one (frankly I consider the price a rip off so no I won’t buy one) much more about fanboys who are telling themselves how great they are and bragging rights for a name badge.
Sony doesn’t have cheap primes cause it doesn’t have cheap FF body.
(and keep in mind that A850 was an afterthought due to common whining on the market about A900 price)
He didn’t say anything about “cheap primes”, he said Sony DON’T HAVE ANY HE LISTED.
of course the zeiss is overpriced, it is the same optics as the zf and ze ant everybody knows that is one of their weakest lenses, not really better than the nikon or canon versions. so yes of course it is about $1000 to much. even $500 would be pushing it. you didn’t realize that already?
plastic mount alpha? wtf how idiotic. (and actually I just started to like sony but no I’m not sure if I really do.) a plastic mount camera? seriously?
It makes some sense for Sony to simplify its SLT range, A37, 57, 65, 77 seems too many and would be costly to produce. Maybe they will end up with two in the ‘C’ size the A58 and A78? plus full frame. Having said that the A58 number is OK; it looks like photos might be less noisy than the A57, the EVF is better, battery life better. It is let down by that rear display, if only they had kept the one from the A57 I would have bought it. The competitors I’m considering from Canon, Nikon, Samsung all have flip out larger screens. It feels like Sony just missed a great opportunity with the A58, just missing a couple of wow factors (Screen and Wifi) and they could dominate the small SLT/DSLR Market. I hope they have sorted out JPEG processing too, the A57 and 65 were not good enough beyond the lowest ISO settings.
Yep! Critics nailed it.
I also had to resort to weird reasonings to explain the naming of a58 to be correct.
dear sonyalpha rumors, the glass is half full, relax, just do your job, it’s all good
the lens is not over priced, u can easily spend $500 on a blow job, and who cares what the call the a58??
Okay, see heres the thing.
SONY will do whatever they want, regardless of what the community/customers want.
They’ve proven this time and time again. You dont like the naming convention for the new A58? SONY doesnt care.
You think the new Zeiss 50mm 1.4 is grossly overpriced? SONY doesnt care.
In SONY’s eyes, they’re hurting for money, yes, but they’re still the prestigious SONY and they can do whatever they want and charge as much as they want, because they’re SONY.
Will this hurt SONY? It has been, for several years now. Will SONY go under if they keep this up? Yes, absolutely. Will complaining about it help anything? Absolutely not.
SONYs catalog of products is bloated and confusing and its marketing strategy sucks. SONY is SONY. They do what they want, even if it does them in, as seen many times before (Betamax video, Digital Audio Tape, Minidisc, ATRAC Audio Compression, MemoryStick, Universal Media Disc, Sony/BMG rootkit scandal, JumboTron, holding onto Blu-Ray way too long and waiting way too long to enter the LCD flat panel market…etc…etc…etc… )
A good read: http://kotaku.com/5960411/how-sony-is-turning-into-a-ghost-in-japan-and-around-the-world
The bottom line is Sony is a slowly dying giant, and the imaging division will be one of the last pillars but it too will come down. The writing is on the wall and has been for a while now. Killing off their 3 FF Alpha mount prototypes, killing off the A3x line, cheapening of materials on cameras (plastic mount), etc. Once the A-Mount is abandoned, they’ll immediately lose many customers to Canikon and distroy faith in the rest. Who’s to say they wont pull the plug on E-Mount once everyone else gets invested in it. This is the problem with SONY. Everyone knows it. So, If you dont want to go down with the ship, get on a life raft now and paddle out to SS Canikon. But, dont complain about how the ship is slowly sinking – its not going to help re-float it.
Jack
what on earth are you doing on SAR? here to save some souls before Armageddon begins?
now I know, you’re an ex Sony shooter trying to make s big deal about your own change of systems.
see, here’s the thing: I don’t hang around canon sites trying to tell people what’s wrong with their cameras. I couldn’t BOTHER!
Kinda like that, I’m trying to enlighten those who have their heads burried in the sand.
Actually, I shoot exclusively Nikon D4 and D800E. I am an ex Canon shooter. I am very intrigued by Sony technology, and tried the Sony A99 for the heck of it and LOVE it, but… the system is dying.
I’m not talking about what’s wrong with the cameras. Not much is wrong with the cameras. A lot is very right with the cameras. Let me let you in on a little secret here; Canon and Nikon guys (like myself) are VERY envious of some of the Sony gear and technology. Whats wrong unfortunately is the company behind it.
Jack
that was s pretty nice answer to my kind of quarrelsome comments! a well behaved man on the internet, hallelujah! I guess I jumped conclusions there, sorry about that!
No worries at all. I understand the emotions when it comes to gear. I LOVE my Nikons but I’m not a Nikon fanboy. I’m not Anti-Sony Cameras either. I’m just trying to bring some hard to swallow information to anyone new to the brand. I’d hate to see new people buy into the A-Mount today only to have it abandoned tomorrow. Like I said, I really like where they were headed with the A99…its a shame the company is in such financial trouble with seemingly no one at the drivers’ wheel. NEX is cool and all, but very few Pros are going to even think about it until its much, much more developed. It will take a revolution of sorts from all manufacturers to make mirrorless palatable as photographic tools.
Had Sony decided to invest some serious energy into the A-Mount I think with a little more camera refinement to the A99 design and a few more G lenses, I (and many others like me) might have decided to switch systems from Nikon to Sony. Imagine that! Crazy to say, but I know it would have been true. Now its just a sad dream of what might have been.
Jack
Looks like you have missed the bloated prices for the latest Canon lens additions. However, they can pull it of, because they are Canon.
Also, few people have complained about the expected CZ 55 1.4 price of around 3,000 USD. Pros who need the quality will happily pay the price. Sadly, this will further deepen the divide between pros who can deliver any state of the art quality and the rest.
In my eyes Sony has to clearly define their market strategy. Usually you discern between price and quality leader. Since they cannot compete on price, which would require sales volumes matching at least those of Nikon, better Canon, they can only go the route of a quality leader. That is what they can achieve with those highly priced CZ lenses. I did not say too highly priced because I do not yet know what the 50 1.4 lens delivers. If it comes any close to the CZ 55 it might even be a bargain.
When they came out with the A99 my thoughts were that they need a public lens roadmap like those newcomers. That in spite of the A-mount being in the market for decades. If they want to build trust in the system going forward they should announce all lenses that they will introduce within at least the next year and stick to it.
That link was an interesting insight into the Japanese Sony market, I recommend people read it.
Thanks.
Its sad, really. If Sony wasnt so proud, they’d be able to help themselves.
That is why I immediately bought a A57 as a replacement for my A580, when the A58 was announced.
It would make some sense if the A58 was named A38.
And as we have been reading, there was supposed to be a A38 (I cannot even imagine what kind of crap specs Sony initially decided to put in it). Sony is losing it and too desperate to attract new buyers. No vertical grips for the A5X too. Really sad. I have been using Sony for 5 years now.
But hey, apparently Sony decided that 3 camera’s are enough at one time (A58, A77, A99)
So now we see the huge gap between the A58 & A77.
In the Malaysian market, it’s either you spend 2k(1 month average salary), 5k(2.5 month salary), or 9k(4.5 months salary) for a Sony camera.
Recently bought an MINT Rokkor MC 58/1.2 lens and now I´m going to convert it to a-mount. I already testet the lens by just holding it onto the Bajonett of my A77 and what should I say – brilliant! already at 1.2! And it costs me arround 500€ complete with material to convert it. OK, there is no AF but that makes the lens small and its quality is fantastic! I won´t buy CZ 50/1.4.
So one less Rokkor that I could put on one of my beloved Minoltas. How dare you!
Don’t worry, the conversion will be full reversible and I may sell it to you in about 20 years in original mount. 😉
Glad to see SOOO MANY people who plan to leave Sony if they drop the Alpha line… I have said numerous times that I would do the same… I already sold my a77 and 3 Sony lenses 2 weeks ago…
No brand confidence at all right now… I don’t care how great the NEX system would become in the future… I would not invest in that system just out of principle… Forget usability, size, flash, no lenses, overpriced, etc, etc, etc…
Sony cant even stick to a flash mount, much less a photography business model…
They switched flash mounts and Its a shame Sony made all of your alpha flashes obsolete already and Now they may do it with you body and lenses… whatever flash mount they decided to use, they should have stuck with it but they “Changed their mind”
They were going to come out with a 36MP full-frame photography based camera (A1X?) and then “Changed their mind” again… They were going to come out with a a38 and then “Changed their mind” SONY IS SO LOST RIGHT NOW…
+1
Like I said before…no way in hell am I ever paying these kinds of prices for lenses anymore…I used to but this is a new economy and it just doesn’t make sense. If you’re good in photoshop…it really doesn’t matter if it’s a Sigma or a Zeiss. Too expensive.
You’re right! To some degree. As someone whos used (but not owned) some really expensive gear, let me tell you a secret. This will upset some pros, but its true.
A hypothetical cheap 50mm kit lens at $150 is going to be ‘okay’ image quality wise.
An intermediately expensive 50mm lens (Sigma, Sony 1.4, etc) at $500 is going to be much better, both image and build/reliability.
A Zeiss at $1500 is going to be better yet, but only marginally; only slightly better.
There are optical and production limits to glass lenses, and honestly you’re paying for the Zeiss bragging rights and not much else. If your gear ‘looks and sounds’ expensive, it’s seen as ‘pro’. There are times I could do a shoot with a cheap Nikon D3200 and come up with viturally identical quality as my D4 or 800E, but my clients wont have it! That being said, I’d say 1/3 of my lenses are Sigma EX lenses; if you get a good copy (quality control sucks), they’re just as good as some of the top-end nikon glass for a fraction of the price.
Moral of the story is you probably dont ever want to buy cheap lenses, but its rarely cost effective to buy the top end Zeiss glass, as pretty as it may be.
Jack
That is so true. the other day i toke some pictures of a dog and when i was done, all my gear packed i was going home and the dog stopped… i look at him and it he look so nice so quickly i just grab my phone ( a very cheap one with 2 mega pixels camera ) a toke the picture and it was that picture that customer liked the most!
Maybe Sony is the new Apple 😉 Getting rid of things that don´t work and settle for new users who aren´t stuck with old concepts of OVF and such.
I was an Apple user when it was totally unsexy and I am still today, when Sony brought NEX I jumped at it and liked the SLT concept. But if there will be a NEX with fast AF and great lenses, I won´t buy another SLT.
Yeah Old concepts so old and crusty that Canikon are doing great with them!
SLT was a mistake in some ways (at least SLT ONLY and no DSLR’s)
I find NEX quite uninteresting, no in body stabilisation, small bodies with minimal controls. I’d rather look at the new Fuji system which warts and all at least looks photographer geared. Give me an adaptor for my Minolta glass and I’d think about it.
A mount is in a coma and Sony need to wake up. You make products people want, not products that a few suits in an office like.
I don’t have experience with A58 but I can say this is the case with Nex 5R. I was excited about having a touchscreen but once I got my hands on 5R, I was so disappointed. Apparently they have cheapened down on the touchscreen type and the new one on 5R is far from my positive experience with the smart phones I have had. It exhausting to having to divert your concentration from the image to operate the touchscreen. Another cut down: taking off the essential features like auto bracketing off the camera and selling it in an online store. What’s really bad is that the application that is being sold is still defectively incomplete. Another cutting down: leaving SSS out of the camera body. Great features but wrong or weak implementations: defected wifi, defected camera software interface, defected user control layout, defected touchscreen technology, defected marketing strategy (selling defected incomplete applications for the camera), etc.
Some of the shortcomings can be easily fixed with little resource use such as the camera software interface which can be vastly improved by some minor tweaks.
Sony is eating off the m43 market only because they have a superior sensor inside. They do have some interesting innovations but, it is sad to see this great potential is at the risk of being wasted by too many obvious flaws (and mistakes).
Per lens: yes, overpriced Zeiss lenses and too any zooms (often cheapos). Sony spend more resources developing decently priced prime lenses. Sony makes a false assumption that photographers are either consumers looking for super automatic cheap cameras and cheap zooms or pro who can afford paying thousands of dollars for that label (Zeiss) on their lenses.