Image of the Pentax FF prototype at CP+ (Source: DC.watch).
By end of 2015 Pentax will announce their first digital Full Frame DSLR (picture can be seen on top). Rumor has it that Pentax will use the current Sony 36MP sensor used by the Nikon DSLR and Sony A7r. The very important news is that it will feature a High Resolution shooting mode according to the reliable source Thistanaka. The same feature is already used by their brand new K-3II:
The K-3 II is the first camera in the PENTAX line to incorporate Pixel Shift Resolution® for capturing still life subjects with ultra-high resolving power. Pixel shift technology uses the camera’s in-body Shake Reduction mechanism to move the image sensor at single pixel increments, capture 4 separate images, which are subsequently combined into a single high definition image. Benefits include higher resolving power, reduced false color and improved overall image quality of non-moving subjects.
If Pentax can use Sony sensor and their on sensor stabilization for high-resolution mode…than Sony should do this too! As Diglloyd reported such a feature on the A7rII could generate 144MP raw files of your…cat pictures 🙂
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last time I check the multi shots high res mode on olympus EM5 mark II…..nah, not practical at all
It always depends on the needs. For still life is great.
Do people actually shoot still life?
I mean, I know that *some* people do, but I wonder what the percentages are.
I have no idea, but I have a friend, and I know at least two other guys who do still life/product photography for living.
I understand it’s not as usual as a landscape hobbist or photojournalist, but sadly things have changed, when talking about doing photography for a living, when talking about the quality asked by the customer, the value of the job done and many other things.
Sure is, it’s good to have this feature as an option.
Personally I have used it for interior shooting, and it works, but it wasn’t necessary.
And talking about the IQ delivered (hi res mode of Olympus): it’s not on paar of that of a Sigma dp2Quattro, just to say, but the Oly cameras are far more comfortable to use.
dаmn, i’ve missed to submit the first meaningless comment! 🙂
It could be good for still life in a studio setting I suppose. Much cheaper than medium format anyway (provided you’re not tied to jpeg)
Sure, bring it on! Not that I would use it much, but it’s always nice to have the possibility.
An educated guess explanation:
http://www.pentaxforums.com/articles/photo-articles/how-pentax-k-3-ii-pixel-shifting-works.html
HR mode.. yep, I hoped for that. Amazing for still lives and such.
Sony should do a lot of things, but then they have a mind of their own which is far far off from what their die-hard users want
Before moving to Sony I was a dedicated “Pentaxian” all the way up to the K-3. The trouble is, this is the stuff of the old fashioned heavy bulky DSLR world. The forthcoming Pentax FF will no doubt be a big hefty thing.
Pentax also simply don’t have the glass. I have the FA Limited’s 31/43/77mm and although the 31 and the 77 are sharp there’s way too much purple fringing when using these film lenses on digital, so much so it’s difficult to remove in post sometimes. The 43mm Ltd is great, but only for black and white in my opinion.
Pentax’s new FF zooms are very pricey and again HUGE heavy beasts. £1850 for the 70-200/2.8 WR and the thing weighs over 1.8 kilos.
The decision to stick with APS-C over all these years and develop a lens line around the crop format image circle has left Pentax in the past. This really is too late to the party for Pentax now.
Pentax make a lovely camera though. The quality is superb with functionality designed for photographers. I just wish they’d merged with Sony rather than Hoya and then Ricoh.
This is how the A900 should have evolved! This maybe my next camera!
If it’s really going to be an SLR, that’s definitely NOT evolution.
Just because everybody is trying to convince me to buy a Prius does not mean that It will pull a horse trailer unlike a F-150!
I think most brands use Sony sensors.
One has to wonder about what the chances are that Pentax will get that to the market before Sony updates A99 with more recent sensor? One also has to wonder on how does Pentax intend to compete in the shrinking market in which they are years too late.
This is the main reason I stopped buying Pentax gear and went with Sony FF E-mount. Their future is so uncertain in, like you rightly say, a shrinking market.
It’s a shame because they do turn out a high quality and above all a usable camera. But if Ricoh don’t make a success of Pentax there’s a chance people can get stuck with a load of K-mount lenses (which are not that cheap) and nothing to use them on in the future.
Indeed. What does Pentax think to contribute to the saturated D610, D750, D810, 6D, 5DIII market? IBIS? They can never compete with the Canikon lens line up. Only very few people would be interested.
How would an A7RII get a 144MP image. Did they just calculate 4*36? 🙂
I don’t know the exact metrics of the shift, but I would assume a 36MP sensor being able to capture something around 50 to 55 MP at max. Or am I wrong?
Yes they did.
The figure is about definition rather than size.
Of course the shift doesn’t allow to stitch 4 images in a rectangle but for every single point you record 4 times the amount of information so the overall resolution of your image is higher a bit like how Sigma extrapolate the resolution of his stacked sensor.
Of course during the shift some pixels will cover each other that’s why digilloyd publish 2 numbers: the hypothetical one the approximate one of the real resolution.
That is not a camera, it is a house.
Looking forward to the release of the Pentax! I think my Zeiss ZK Lenses will increase in price! I’am not aware of a FF capable lens from Pentax below 31 mm. So the Distagon 25/2.8 will definetly a interesting lens for Pentaxians. But it is also great on my A7r
Ah, the good old A850/A900 pyramid hump~
Will it be A-mount camera?
Pentax will have a FF by the end of the year,
So will we still see the A99II ???
Never. You can get a7 2 with ea4 that does all a99 does but better except the screen tilting
Keep your toy cam
Stop spreading these type of lies. It’s bad for our entire community.
As stated numerous times in the past few days here on SAR…
Emount adapted with LAEA-4 is NOT equal to a99 or a77. Not even close.
Get the word out. The more we expose this myth, the faster Sony will consider fixing it.
See here:
http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/does-your-a7ii-allow-afc-with-high-cont-laea4_topic112363_page1.html
LAEA-4 only works at Low Continuous at 2fps, with less prowess than an a55.
High Speed Continuous just locks focus after first frame.
Forget about getting any long sportsman’s glass to AF as good as Amount does… much less the competition.
_________
If your results are different, then add your findings to the Dyxum thread listed above.
This is not Emount bashing. But we need to set the record straight based on reality. Consumers should have a clear understanding for what to expect adapting Amount to Emount. Let’s get past the hype. Nothing bad has been said about Emount here. Just the facts. Revealing truth can only help our community, and possibly steer Sony a the direction that helps us all.
_________
Shall I go down the list of other areas where Emount comes up short of the big leagues? Batteries, ergonomics, weak lens selection, weak lens mount that was never designed to hold large lenses… and so never will as good as Amount that was designed from beginning with 300/2.8 in original lens lineup.
How can a professional be expected to use a camera that simply CANNOT be used with gloves on? How can a professional be expected to use a camera with a vertical grip that fires by accident by the palm of your hand… and creaks an flexes while doing it?
Please retract your statement for the lie that it is. No one is claiming you can’t have your precious Emount. Have all you want. But don’t enjoy them at the expense of Amount bashing and misinformation. Too many of us rely upon them to make a living and pay our bills with. You threaten my brand by spreading lies… That’s a direct threat against me and my livelihood.
I think everyone who ever used a A99 will disagree with you.
The tiny small grip of A7 is really poor balance for heavy lens
and the battery life is pathetic.
EA4 adapter used a 5 years old entry level A33 AF module.
It is not so bad. A7m2 grip is about right. Try it. It is substantially bigger than on old a7. Also buttons and dials are more of a99 style.
The EA4 adapter is not fantastic but not bad either.
The balance thing really? A7m2 with adapter is more like a77 than nex camera. Add a grip and it is closer to d4s style of camera.
There is not focus limiter, af assist works.much worse and few other quirks but in general not so bad.
Unfortunately as time goes by I think a99 m2 becomes less and less probable. DSLR market went into free fall late last year even Canon in their report talk about defocusing from photo business and shifting resources elsewhere. Sony have one of the sweet spot spots like a7 that has some growth opportunities…. Even sony believe they will sell less cameras but more expensive models
I think Sony loves customers who are willing to compromise on everything and pay a lot for underpar ergonomics
LAEA makes A-Mount barely usable. Its not so bad? Are you paid by Sony? Why would you spend alot of $$$ and compromise at the essential level. GPS in A77II was not such a big deal. Yes, a deal breaker for some, but not for all. If you are saying that “LA-EA4 is not that bad” then you either never used an A-Mount camera, or used one a very long time ago…
A7 with EA4 is nowhere near A77 or A99. Having said that, A77II is already out, and A99II might just come out soon. E-Mount cameras are toys, that Sony is trying to portray as a pro gear.
Stan the simple fact is that I have friends professional photographers that have tried A7 cameras – A7r and liked it. Now they wait for A7r with fixed AF to possibly move away from Nikon or Canon.
I have not seen to date a pro photographer that wants to move to A99.
There were A900 pro photographers however Sony did not upgrade A900. A99 is simply not good enough .A99 barely matches D600 like camera and is nowhere near 5d mk3 or D810. So some friends of mine kept their A900 cameras and bought D4, Canon 5d mk3 etc. cameras to complement their A900 kit. Sorry but A99 is the worst full frame camera with mirror far worse than D600 – IQ is worse, AF is worse it is just worse camera..
A7r is on the other hand is almost competitive in the pro market. Many people buy it since it works with small lenses produces nice images and complements a pro camera. Similar to RX1 but actually more fun. It is only after A7 cameras were released that Sony became a topic of discussion in pro forums – before that Sony was simply not a topic of discussion. No one cared about A99 ever. This camera is plain disaster.
A99 has laggy viewfinder that makes it useless for event photography. AF in A99 is not reliable it is fast but is not consistent and reliable like D700 or D800 or even D600 AF. These things make A99 amateur camera at best. I have been long time Sony and Minolta user but bought couple of Nikon bodies after A99 was released. This camera is that bad! I sold the Nikon gear within a month of A7 release and came back.
For me A99 and A77 are mistake and should be abandoned ASAP. There is no hope in that system.
So let me get it straight. You compare A99 to 5DIII and D600, figure out that it does not compete, and then you turned around, bought an A7 with EA4, that has AF module from A580 (A camera from 2010), and somehow trying to make a point of A99 being worse than A7? Am I getting you right?
yes it is worse. A7 is more consistent with the adapter. I sold all my gear after seeing A99 YES. I bought new A mount lenses after A7 was released YES
just one word – hilarious…
So then…WHY THE HELLLL ARE YOU STILL USING A MOUNT GLASS!!!! That’s the part I don’t get. If the AF sucked so bad on the A99, how on earth could you then move over to A7 and rely on an adapter…and AFTER you sold your Nikon gear. I’m totally confused?????
A7 is a camera I wanted. It has its quirks .A99 was simply not a camera I wanted, it did not provide much value, it was priced outrageously and it has its quirks too. At the point a99 shipped it looked like A mount is not good for anything, so I moved to Nikon. D600 was defective – oil spots. D700 was nice but very big. Several Nikon lenses were very well speced and priced and this played part too i.e. the 85/1,8 and 50/1,8 both G series. Finally when a7 showed up I thought this is my camera and I am happy since I got it. The fe55 and 2.8/35certainly helped a lot in this decision (a mount lacks similar 50mm lens)
I am thinking of upgrading . My dream cam is a7 with stabilisation, 36mp a7r like sensor, efcs, a6000 focusing, may be 6 or 8fps, ohh and better EA adapter. If ut would do artifact free video I will love it
PS the Batis lenses are yet one more thing A mount lacks. The new 90mm macro is too a good thing. The E mount is now full of convincing lenses. The are few that I do not like but quite a few are well worth the price The primes on FE are really the.very best one can buy. The 16-35 and 70-200 are quite good despite being zooms
Is there better 135mm lens? Is not the Sony/Minolta 100/2.8 one of the better macro lenses for portrait work (I bought Sigma first and then exchanged with a friend for the Sony. My friend actually wanted to do macro – not strong side of the Sony/Minolta design)? I also use Nikkor lenses too albeit old ones MF AIS lenses – 50/1.4 and 105/2.5 – I also have 28 and some fish like lens. I have couple Contax G lenses …So really why not use lenses that you like?
A7 with EA4 works pretty well. May be like an old DSLR or 6D in better light. So nothing wrong there. It is consistent which I find to be great progress over my old A700 and better than the A99 I tried (the last one might have been problematic since I used Minolta 85/1.4 without motor…on A7 I used with Sigma 85/1.4 which was tons better in Af not so good in rendering a picture.)
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2902/14098168526_3b8bc8776d_b.jpg
Here is picture with 1.8/135 on A7 with EA4. Tracking works with the barely usable adapter. In contrast A99 could not manage well even stills. Sorry but A99 is just not good.
This photo was rated 3rd in a Zeiss contest last year.
Maybe you should learn to use it then? Tracking works just fine on my A65 and on A77 and A99 that I’ve rented.
I have spent some time with A99 when it was first released and found it useless. AF would at random produce focusing errors. I bought Nikon afterwards and was happy. So ….May be Sony did learn how to make cameras with A7
Hilarious. Just because you cringe when you pick up an A-Mount camera, doesn’t mean they are non-functional.
A-Mount has been great since Minolta days. Has been used widely(of course not as much as Canikon) during events and sports. There are countless awesome stills accredited to SLT cameras. And here you are, trying to prove that a mirrorless AF tracking is better than a dedicated PDAF module.
And then you also say that a mirrorless camera with an SLT adapter with AF module from 2010, the same thing that is used in A-Mount cameras, but which have advanced quite a bit since 2010, is somehow better than a dedicated newer PDAF modules….
What’s next? Are you going to tell us that Film is better than digital?
http://alphatog.com/zzPhotos/Lenses/Testing/Compare/135ish/zaONa99a.jpg
Try using Sony G lenses with Sony teleconverters on LA-EA4 + a7M2 and be surprised. AF and aperture Doesn’t work right? How is that better than the a99?
Also, I wouldn’t say the a7M2 does everything the a99 does…because the a7m2 doesn’t have AF-D Range nor does the AF assist lamp work when using A-mount lenses. How is that better than a99?
But more importantly. The a99 has 19 af points with 11 cross type points plus 102 assist on-sensor points (with certain lenses) where the a7m2 + ea4 only has 15 af points with only 3 cross type points and nothing on the sensor works with the adapter to assist. How is that better than a99?
And of course, the ea4 isn’t weathersealed. How is that better than a99?
Some people want a proper a99 replacement. Not half-baked product.
I am using quite a few A mount lenses 70-400 and the 100 macro are marked with G. I also use some Zeiss and some Minolta lenses. I have not seen any issues with aperture control. Af too seems to work fine both in tracking and single mode….
…and as sad it is for you even A7 is way better.
For example I can mount any glass on it – Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Pentax, Contax, Leica. There are lots of small options A7 has that A99 lacks. There are lenses that make A7 much smaller and lighter than A99 and are far better quality than any A mount lens ever made – I am talking about all A mount lenses made in the course of 30 years.
Yes there are two or three hyper exotic features A99 has that were cut and not put in A7….may be because no one cared about them.
You didn’t get what I said because you haven’t tried it. I have used SAL70200G + Sony Teleconverter + EA4 with A7S and the aperture and AF doesn’t work. Even the EXIF doesn’t report. How come you say the a7 series are better than a99 if it doesn’t work with top of the line G lenses when used together with teleconverters?
See how your argument that the a7m2 does better in all except tilting/rotating screen falls? You even say that some features weren’t included because people don’t care. Is that your argument for real? How is teleconverter compatibility an exotic feature? How is AF limiter an exotic feature? How is AF assist lamp compatibility an exotic feature?
About the lens choice, I don’t care. I just want a proper a99 replacement with better AF system and new features seen in newer cameras to get the most from my A-mount lenses. Not half-baked products that doesn’t use A-mount features to it’s best.
Got it. I don’t use Teleconverters. I understood your first comment as G lenses do not work at all on A7 series. This is indeed not good. Are you using the Sony TC 1.4 or the 2.0?
Does the manual say anything about this?
Both TCs from Sony are unsupported for unkown reasons and the manual also states this, but certain non-OEM TCs seems to work.
That’s why I say a7-series aren’t capable of what a true A-mount camera. That’s why some people would like to see a true a99 replacement.
That makes sense. Probably better if Sony fix the EA4 adapter. I would love to see A77 m2 AF sensor in a new adapter.
You just said below that SLT cameras have worse AF than the 5 year old A580. Which is it? Make up your mind…
LA-EA4 disables the AF assist lamp, which is a big NO NO. The engineer who couldn’t get AF assist lamp work with LA-EA4 should have his/her license confiscated.
Sony better combine the values of different colors when shifting the sensor to produce Foveon like sharpness such that no demosaic will be needed.
What is the use of making ever more fake resolution. Bayer sensors are quite fake as they stand. Shufting them to get 144 MP bayer like output with even more sophisticated demosaic sounds conceptually wrong though it probably makes sense to the marketing department.
Bayer Grid, of course, is a compromise, but yet it is the best compromise available when capturing color images. Stacking the sensors above each other introduces light loss to the buried sensors (so at least on color will be more prone to noise) and may even introduce coma since each color is measured in a slightly different place on the z-dimension.
Super resolution pictures do very well increase the detail and spatial resolution in images even beyond the physical resolution of the sensor. Keeping only the native resolution seems like an arbitrary limitation.
The most flexible way would be to save the individual raw files of the sensor shift shots / bracketing and tie them together loosely by something like a naming convention on the sdcard. That way you would have all options in post. It would only take more time and be slightly less convenient. In the end you will always be able to downsample the 144mp files if you value a clean image over more data.
Everybody gets Sony’s best sensor in a big boy body… except Sony users…
…again
…their silence on the subject speaks volumes toward how Sony respects, respnds to their professional requests.
…Sony like a bad cheating girlfriend. Gives all the big cookies to the other guys. Then openly brags about it to the one that pays her rent.
…Sony users suffer severe codependency psychopathy.
Looks like Pentax will become my new girlfriend!
Pentaprism housing isn’t big enough. .94 magnification please.
1.0 magnification plz! 😀
I find that pentaprism pyramid quite sexy to be honest.
Talk about weird fetishes LOL 🙂
Blah blah..Sony first should allow 14 bit uncompressed raw to their cameras, if they want to take care of the highest image quality :/
I didn’t know Pentax was still in business. I thought they just made the pentax 6×7 camera.
Pentax will have a new FA* lineup after the FF is out. And the new FA*70-200 2.8 AW is actually very promising. I wouldn’t be surprised if it beat the Canon 70-200 II (which is one of Canon’s best lenses ever made).
… sorry, but you have just made a string of silly comments. I also have a Pentax with some glass, but for me it is the K5 IIs… and I kind of agree about Pentax lenses in general. The star version zooms are worth it though at least for the weather resistance… and I manage to get nice colours out of them.
I have to say that after I saw the specs on the K3 IIs I want one… but I will wait to see how the super-resolution works out in practice, and love the inbuilt GPS, but still want the flash.
… as for glass, pair a Pentax FF with super-resolution (actually the way Pentax does it is to give you TRUE colour and not greater megapixels) with Sigma Art primes, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and more soon and you have a spectacular set up for landscape and other uses. So, there is good glass available for Pentax.
<> don’t know if true but for sure no 14bit lossless uncompressed raw permitted ….
Even Pentax is doing better than Sony now, although they seem to share this odd fascination with megapixels
What is your point? Sony is ahead of everyone in the inevitable mirrorless race. Mirrorless cameras are as inevitable as solid state storage and LCD displays were 10 years ago.
And the Sony-Zeiss partnership is one of dreams.
You mean Sony-Zeiss labeling partnership? Cause that’s all it is for most of the gear with Sony-Zeiss label.
That’s opinion, not fact.
True. Can’t disagree there.
But it’s an opinion based on quite a few not very good Sony-Zeiss branded lenses.
Sony themselves do produce some good lenses too, like an excellent SAL1650, so it’s easy to assume that it’s all built by Sony.
Doing better?? In what way??? Certainly not in either market share or financials……although they do make a wider range of fluoro coloured Cameras….
After the success of the 645Z, I’m quite sure people have turned their eyes on what’s coming next from Pentax. They’re supposedly developing a new lens lineup of fullframe lenses for the new model.
Why dont they lease the A-mount. Sony isnt using it :/
I think the problem is not that Sony don’t want to make A mount cameras rather that there are not enough people to buy A mount cameras. For that matter all DSLR sales across the board have collapsed by as much as 50% recently
There are plenty of people who are willing to buy A-Mount. Options are lacking, and thus few are buying. 3 cameras in the entire range, 1 of which is close to being badly outdated isn’t what I call selection. Especially not when you look at the selection of other competing mounts.
^^ Only one ? The A58 is also pretty long in the tooth. When it came out it was one of the best in its price range. Not anymore.
He meant A58 is dated. A99 is still same level as D600 which too is being offered. So A99 technically is not out of pace with competition – it is just mediocre
No its waay out of pace with the competition. The D600 is being sold for $500 less. The D750 is more in line with the A99 price and it has a better sensor, far better AF, much better battery life, built in commander flash and its a bit lighter too. Oh yes and better video to boot.
I being an A shooter couldn’t bring myself to use the A99. It just felt dated from the screen, IQ and even the EVF seemed worse than the A7 I tried next to it.
there are enough people using a-mount camera. a99 is dated and pros and new enthusiasts won’t settle with a99. but a new pro a-mount ff camera can generate significant business to be profitable. sony can continue to make $$$ from a-mount lenses if they come out with a99ii or a9, which it will but it’s making you wait for it as it’s moving at snail pace.
Pros left A mount when A99 came about or they bought a second system and kept A900. May be even bought an A99 to complement the A900 while for more challenging work they have 5d mk3 or D4. Show me one pro that uses A99 and no other brand please. Really A99 is pathetic it is indefensible.
If Sony make A900 ii there may be hope to sell few of those cameras but that would be very few. I will buy one probably.
Sony need to make inroads to new markets. Staying with the very few die hard A900 fans is not going to keep them in the top 3 camera makers.
not so fast. a99 is an excellent camera. i’d give sony till the end of 2015 before giving up on a-mount. pretty sure there is something for pros in the works
Yeah it’s called A7RII 🙂
What a sickening thought. To be reduced to such a toy simply to keep my lens line alive. A camera that cannot AFC any faster than 2fps with wobbly adapter? A camera that fires vertical shutter release by accident from the palm of my hand? A camera that forces carrying twice the batteries to get half the life? A camera that can’t focus viewfinder optics sharp across the entire screen? A camera that demands users suffer fly wire focus with accelerometer? A camera that was designed as a toy from the beginning, with a plastic lens mount… because the original vision NEVER intended larger lenses would be used?
You can have it. I hope you get it. I’m glad it makes you happy.
But please don’t expect my camera partner to abandon refined Amount for the sake of your Emount wanderlust.
Kiril, I rarely post here. But your repeated insult (here and below) of a99 and claim that no pros use it are completely irrational and unsupportable. Please retract your statement. You are unqualified to make it.
Check my web site. http://www.CTPhotographX.com
Self employed working photographer for 35 years.
I use Sony a99. Many other professionals use it too. The Sony Artisans are all working professionals and most have a99 as main camera. Many professional photographers can be found at Dyxum.com too.
You’ve also made terrible claims against a99 focus ability with ZA135/1.8. You are very wrong again. That combo tracks extremely fast action very nicely. See below, and please retract your comments about things you don’t know enough to speak about. Your comments threaten the mount I use to support my family and run a business. Please don’t let your mouth threaten working photographers who depend on Sony to continue making and upgrade the best cameras they produce… That being Amount.
http://alphatog.com/zzPhotos/Lenses/Testing/Compare/135ish/zaONa99a.jpg
I actually showed how A7 with EA4 tracks well too. I do not find A99 persuasive enough offering. I am tired of reading posts about A99 ii – such camera will not happen! There is no market for it. Deal with it.
As for A99 mk1 should I pin point the IQ issues in the examples you have chosen to show us or you understand yourself why A7, A7s and A7r are simply better cameras?
By the way I can show you similar to your samples shot with A6000 and SEL 70-200/4 (IQ is better actually). Having in mind A6000 is first generation mirrorless with tracking AF and far behind D700 …I really fail to see value in the examples you show.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7557/16164879027_2d20ca02bf_c.jpg
https://flic.kr/p/qCremP
You fail to see the value, because you fail to understand how you were able to achieve sharp focus in both of your examples.
1) The one with motorcycle, has a large enough depth of field, due to a wide and slow enough lens, where even if the camera missed the focus by 1m (behind the motorcycle), the cyclist would still be in focus. Almost any camera with a low enough shutter lag can achieve such results.
2) The one with the horse is very light on tracking. That is because the horse is moving sideways and there isn’t much change in focus. That picture can be taken with a manual lens without much trouble. Tracking from side to side is the easiest for any camera.
I’m going to stop right here, because obviously i’ll be talking to a brick wall. You either never used an A99 or you never tried to figure out how it works and how to make it work. Keep using that mirrorless toy and be happy…
Stan good luck to you too.
I think you are badly underestimating a7 and a6000. They are not perfect but are quite capable cameras.
A99 for the price and offered features I would not buy one. Also I do not like big cameras at all. I agree other people may love it. Just stop whining about a99 ii – it will happen if Sony marketing sees how they can make money from it.
Well, you should have started right there, because I could be seen through everything you’re saying that you don’t like big cameras.
I don’t underestimate the E-Mount, but I don’t overestimate it’s capabilities either. Any mirrorless camera is an awesome tool for achieving critical focus, like for portraits, street photography and landscape. That’s because the AF is on-sensor, and there are no possible AF sensor calibration errors, except for when the lens itself is messed up.
A DSLR or SLT cameras, which have a dedicated high sensitivity focusing module, excel in low contrast, low light and tracking. I keep DSLR and SLT together, because from functionality perspective, they are the same, except for metering and viewfinder being fed off the main sensor.
Now, it is true that Sony has shown a lower keeper rate in some reviews. But there are also other reviews that praise SLTs.
The keeper rate is directly dependant on the algorithm and focusing array. If you are a sports shooter, you need to learn from scratch how AFC works for every new camera, every time.
Since you don’t like large cameras, no wonder you didn’t figure out how it works. I have the same feeling about using a mirrorless camera with large lenses, so when I get myself an E-Mount camera, it will be strictly used as a pocketable camera.
Couldn’t this technology also be used to shift exposures or gather more data for higher dynamic range? That would be more interesting then having 144MP.
It is called exposure bracketing and you can do it with almost every camera.
Sony sensor, Pentax body, they may as well call it Sontax.
The name is already taken anyway.
and this Pony camera is full frame as well 🙂
Does it have uncompressed 14 bit RAW?
LOL
And what about these?
Sony sensor – Nikon body = Sonykon
Sony sensor – Olympus body = Olymponyus
Sony sensor – Panasonic body = Panasonyc
Sony sensor – Canon body = Cansonyon
Penony
Get a life…
No! Sony just try to make good cameras. However A99 sucks. I sold all my sony gear after I tried A99! I came back after A7 was released and bought some new A mount glass to use on A7 and am happy with it. A99 is simply no good.
Pull your head out of your behind. And stop lying. You never had an A99
I already see some A-mount users switching to Pentax FF….
or maybe Sikon, Sanon or Slympus
I see Pentax also knows what kind of body to put theses great Sony Sensors in. Too bad Sony doesn’t. For Pissed A-Mount users… The Nikon D750 is only 1499.00 on Ebay on the “Deal of The Day” Page. I’m glad I picked up a Nikon to use and wait and See if Sony ever decides to produce real cameras again and not just toy cameras with great sensors.
Sounds like this is more about your traumatic past experiences than Sony…
Again… shoot the messenger instead of digesting the message.
Since you cannot argue against the metaphor I present, you attack the one who speaks truth. Your personal attack won’t change the reality of Sony supplying our competition better than she supplies her own. Disgusting.
Can you imagine Canon selling their 50mp sensor to Nikon three times for years, but insisting their own DSLR users remain 20mp, or adapt to toy camera… after killing off their flash system. Repulsive how Sony treats her own.
Why can’t you accept reality Gav? Does the truth sting so much?
A-mounters should rejoice, this is practically like being given a brand new successor to the A99. It’s a DSLR with Sony FF sensor. It’s basically a new A-mount camera!
It’s basically anything BUT a new Amount camera.
But it is very similar to what many of us hoped a900 replacement would be.
What nonsense is this ? Nikon DSLRs used Sony sensors right from the D800 to the latest D750. However there is no way to use A mount lenses on that.
The top triangular Pentaprism housing looks so much like A850 and A900.
Exposure bracketing isn’t the same as pixel shift though.
So what do you mean with “this Technology”? The sensor shift itself cannot be used to enhance dynamic range directly. At best it might be a mild side effect of a downscaled super resolution image with less noise and therefore slighlty higher dr.
No point. Pentax has very few good AF lenses for FF.
If I switch it will in all probability be to Nikon though I don’t like the lack of good live view AF.
If Canon puts their dual pixel tech to their new FF camera then ill have a hard time choosing. For now I am struggling with the LAEA4 but at least all my A mount lenses work just fine.
Pentax when they were Pentax and then Hoya made a critical error in deciding to only develop the APS-C format line, thus they have very little in terms of modern native full frame glass. This also led to a really rather odd system. Not a terrible system by far, but a bit disjointed, a bit too far out from the Norm.
Head over to the newer DA lenses and apart from the 100 Macro (perhaps others) they’re all APS-C and only the old film lenses from the FA line including the “legendary” FA Limited’s are full frame, which in reality are outdated film lenses not particularly suitable for digital and made in Vietnam with poor quality control and massively overpriced – believe me I have all of them and the 31mm Limited needed to be stripped down and rebuilt from new it was so bad, replacement parts the lot. This was a £1100 lens!!!
Chromatic aberration is also a hallmark of Pentax full frame lenses. So bad is it with my MIJ FA 43mm Limited I only use the thing for black and white. Even the newer 100mm Macro WR is pretty dire.
This is a shame because Pentax bodies are fantastic in use and I hope Sigma continue to manufacture in K-mount so those lucky enough to have the Pentax Full Frame (if it’s real) can enjoy good glass at reasonable prices, because looking at £1850 for a big heavy (nearly 2kilos!) 70-200/2.8 doesn’t fill me with any great desire to pursue the K-mount further.
Whilst the A7r isn’t perfect (by an extremely long way, in fact it’s an utter dog), I feel the A7 system will mature nicely and all the terrible problems of the A7r will be ironed out by the third iteration. Sony G and Sony Zeiss glass is impressive enough. I have the FE 28/2, FE 35/1.4, FE55/1.8 and FE70-200/4, along with the Samyang 14/2.8 (incredible lens) and I feel this is more than enough for my needs and as much as I ever wish to carry anywhere.
That Pentax is one ugly camera.
I happen to think that Sony and Nikon cameras look really nice, and Olympus and Fuji too. Canon’s are passable but more like lumps of plastic. Lumix have mostly no idea. Pentax seem to have no idea.
Pentax is the only OVF camera maker I would give money to.
Yup, me too. Only thing is I no longer buy big hefty OVF/mirrorbox cameras with big heavy lenses.
All I will say is the A7rII better have that awful shutter replaced, IBIS, better metering and much faster/more accurate AF along with a bunch of other problems like compressed RAW and arduous menus sorted out.
Once Sony have done that there’s really no point in DSLR’s at all in my opinion, which, according Ming Thein are much more expensive to manufacture than mirrorless.
Honestly, I can’t imagine having to haul big heavy gear around any longer. That’s really the principal reason I prefer the A7 series.
Preach it.
Thanks for listening.
I really don’t like the A7 series cameras at all!