Rumor update: There was a small important error in the A99 specs transcription I posted yesterday. There is no built-in flash in the A99!
SAR readers sent me some very useful image comparison between the A99 and the [shoplink 8461]A77[/shoplink] and A900. The image on top is from Chad (Click on it to enlarge the picture).
Rob sent me this: “Put together a size comparison of the a99+a77, as is obvious, the a99 is wider at the left hand side of the camera, and taller too ;D Sweet! http://i48.tinypic.com/2431653.jpg”
Ren sent me this: “Here is a link to an overlay I did of the a99 and a77 for size comparison. Thought you might want to share. http://www.goldeneraphoto.com/People/sony-a99/25262338_PXXvpq#!i=2074631963&k=XDRJp9z”
Thank you all guys!
163 Responses
Isn’t sensor of A99 too big?
Sensor is not visible on the pictures, you see just mirror. Probably mirror has to be bigger than sensor in order to work properly.
Oh, my bad. On SLT’s we can see sensor, on SLR – mirrored picture of viewfinder. Sorry confusing you, guys!
The Most clever thing todo now is wait a couple of days and THEN YOU WILL KNOW THE REAL DEAL, and THE REAL SPECS, no guessing, no changing opinions.
Fake images, flash, no flash, flash..
So why do you visit and comment on a rumor site?
He’s just talking a sensible thing to stop people from mass panic because of the little thing called built-in flash :D.
So both of you should decide what other people should be talking about?
Oh,pls give me the built-in flash!
Maybe the mike pops up and there is a flash underneath.
Why?
+ many
the is the flash-button, so therse a flash. you can see i tiny line which could be the popup flash like tha a77
Don’t need a build in flush, hopeless tool. If you want to buy a full frame and are serious about photography, that the last tool you will need, a hopless build in flash
built in flash is useless. i cant find any reason to have one on any my camera
They work very well for giving a little fill flash for backlit portraits outdoors and also triggering speedlights?
Here’s what you do. You say you are not getting a good enoguh picture when the flash is off. Well, that is because there isn’t enoguh light. Try putting it in a place where the sun is shining through a window. Also you cannot hold the camera in your hands if you turn the flash off, you will get a blurry picture. Put the camera on a tripod or set it on something, turn the flash off, and use the timer function so you don’t shake the camera when it takes the picture.
Well then, I guess they don’t need one on EVERY APS-C CAMERA ON THE PLANET, right?
Care to explain why to gain 1 stop of ISO performance and 1 stop of DOF, one must give up the flash? Nothing else on the camera changed…except possibly the penis size on the fool who bought it.
Just because you’re too incapable of using a built-in flash doesn’t make the rest of us as talentless.
I am glad there is no built in flash – I don’t think I have ever seen someone on a pro-body use the built in flash – it’s all about off camera light!
I bet there are plenty of D800 users out there who resent you claiming they’re not pros. Guess you know more than they do, huh?
She is gorgeous!
I think I can live without the flash.
A slightly uspscaled version of A77, but are the images exactly the same scale? I will download it and overlay them in PS and scale so the mount is exactly the same. I hope the LCD on top is larger than the A77’s and that there are 1/2/3-modes on the PASM-dial.
Superb that the body is a little taller than the A77, so it can be used comfortably without a vertical grip.
Strange that the Alpha-logo is white and not nrange, but that must be a preprod-sample or something.
A99 100% no build in flash. Notice the knob in lower front right side of the body – same as Sony Camcorders. Video gain or MF during video, possibly configurable.
alpha logo is silver, same as ie NEX7
Erh, no pentaprism still no builtin flash, a bit suck isnt it
No pentaprism? Have you been following Sony’s SLT technology? It’s pretty interesting if you haven’t heard about it, I recommend reading about it, like, anywhere.
Dude i know about SLT since the A33 and all that. Problem is the pentaprism in the A900 took too much space for a built-in flash. The A99 doesnt have pentaprism so it is expected (by the commnunity) that there will be an on-body flash. There goes my dream of no-bulky wireless flash control 🙁
Are you sure that your dream is gone? This camera may have a very different wireless flash control system.
Not a bit, a no go I think. Now waiting again for the D600 with interest
Flash, no flash, flash with guide number 12, no flash,…
I love rumor sites 😉
+1 …and all SR5 :p
lol yeah SR5 for the specs that include a flash. Umm maybe that should have been sr3
Sorry, I saw that you already had done a great overlay.
Perfect size! Lovely camera.
oooh this baby he is muscled and handsome i buy it!!
No Flash…Flash…No Flash…boring.
NO Flash=NO Deal!!! End of story.
Pro-oriented bodies often don’t have flash. Just use an external flash, or use A77.
Glad you say often, D800 has a flash ..
Yes, but the target camera, the 5D Mk III, does not, not do ANY of the more expensive dslrs.
It is important to note that the D800 and D700 also have inferior viewfinders to the A900 and 5DmkIII… anyways seriously .. get over the built in flash. line-of-sight flash triggering is riddled with limitations, which lead to you buying pocket wizards, which lead to fuck all reason to have a damn pop-up flash, unless you are a shitty unprepared photographer who needs one in an emergency or actually prefers that flat, hard-lit look from the front. I seriously cannot fathom who buys a camera BASED ON A POP UP FLASH- I mean COME ON- there is SO MUCH more that makes a camera and THAT is going to push you to another brand?!?!?? Fucking ridiculous!
+1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
I wonder what excuse Sony has prepared this time for the absense of built-in flash.
Last time with A900, there excuse was the large OVF prism occupying too much space for the flash to be accomodated.
Now, with A99, they cannot push this argument for it’s an SLT.
As I understand basing on all these “SR5” rumors, Sony is here to make money with its 9 series in every possible way, and taking out the flash, just like they took out the beautiful pentaprism and the mirror box, cuts down on their costs significantly. Thus, more profits to Sony.
Balderdash. Sony itself never made such an argument for the lack of built-in flash on the A900, so it is a straw man, and to throw it in Sony’s face now is nonsensical. I am confident that the many pro photographers consulted by Sony about this camera over the last two years recommended that there be no built-in flash. Nevertheless, it is likely that you can expect better wireless control of your off-camera flash.
Maybe the hump is full of processors, buffer RAM, wifi aerials and radio flash trigger stuff.
I’d prefer that over a GN12 popup.
Is there anyway that Sony could include flash sync master function witout a physical builtin flash (something as faked builtin flash) ?
I’m still praying the flash will be in. Oh come on Sony, how hard can it be to do that….
Who needs build in flash in a PRO camera? Have a look at 1Dx, D3s, D4, 5D, all MF-Cams… the only one with build in flash in this class is D800.
The fact that you don’t need it does not mean no-one needs it. It is really a very serious thing to me. Probably a deal breaker.
HOW IS A POP UP FLASH A DEAL BREAKER
How, oh how are all of us other pros getting buy without it?? I bet you were first in line for the Nikon D4 (fantastic camera btw, don’t prefer the handling though) until you found out that *gasp* NO POP UP FLASH! OH NO!
Right, no cutrent FF camera has built-in flash except the D800. In four and a half years of fairly heavy shooting with my A700, I am yet to use that so indispensable pop-up flash.
arghhhh!!! it’s really happen, no build in flash on a99!!
arghhhhhhhhh! the end of photography as we know it!
@solo: You were never in the situation where you missed a built in flash? You always wear around your whole equipment with you? You want to spend so much money for missing features? Anything you write here is ridiculous, these are arguments from fanboys and sellers.
To be honest, Tessa, I have been neutral about whether the camera should have pop-up flash, and I can see arguments for and against. But one thing is sure: I have never found a use for pop-up flash, in all my years of shooting. Of course, I might have had I been trying to control off-camera flash units. But I suspect that the A99 will prove to have a better way to do this.
No he probably used the gracious high iso on his full frame and some wider aperatures and got a real photograph instead of shite black pit of calcutta.
Ok.. maybe.. just maybe there is a case for a pop up flash to use as a fill light in close up direct sunlight. But it is so weak and small point source as to be undesirable, would rather move the subject. At night its all kit gear… I have owned a77 from inception and just now reading this discovered it had a pop-up flash and was like oh ya that thing I have never used in my whole time of owning this cam.
Would I like it still? Sure. Its handy to know that your cam has a little extra light when I need it. But I would be just as happy with a small bank of LEDs that provide video light and could act like a flash in a pinch. However. Its for pro work. Pros do not need the pop up flash because they use radio triggers and 58s or soon 60s.
a99 standing next to the a900 looks like Mercedes R-Klasse while a900 is the mighty G-Klasse. 😉 If only Sony could pack all new features in a900’s body…
so long as the thing works and the button layout makes sense, I’m happy. I really don’t think its that ugly.
Never did any fill flash? A common use for having a small built in flash that shoots straight ahead. Oh I forgot this is not a bunch of pros, who do fill flash.
a900 is probably one of the ugliest cameras I have ever seen. What is that on its head? a cone? Ugh. a99 looks like a sexy beast
flash release button like a77 – no flash = fake
wrong, pics is real
not a flash-release button?
No, it does not appear to be a flash release.
the mechanical part of the lens mount is the old version from a900,a700 days not the new like a77 has got
It sure doesn’t look like the one on the A77.
What’s the excuse for the lack of built in flash?
Sony is the KING (or Queen) of making new and awesome breakthrough technology and, at same time, leaving behind unexplainable things like lack of tethered shooting, MLU (when there was a mirror), lack of video controls and so on.
There goes my expectation for the A99 🙁
(also it seems that ISO will go only up to 25600? No H1 and H2 modes?)
Better sealing and thougher body.
Pentax’s cameras are rugged, weathersealed and still manage to have a built-in flash in them.
(OTOH, Pentax claims that having a tiltable LCD on their cameras would make difficult/impossible to make a rugged/weathersealed camera, while Sony managed to do that with the A77. So…. everyone have their excuses but none seem to be really the truth)
Sony’s might be more fragile. I’ve used my K-5 through some interesting sitches and had it encounter quite a few trauma incidents, and even though it had a fair share of glitches, I could still work with it. Dunno if the A77 could handle the same scenarios without breaking that tilt panel.
I’ll also add that during one of those trauma instances, the one thing that did break along the way was the pop-up flash.
guess you need to buy a D800, seeing as your imagery is dependent on a pop-up flash and ISO 100 million.
lol, since the D800 native ISO peaks at 6400, expandable by boost to 25600
“ISO will ONLY go up to 25600” what on earth are you shooting that could possibly need higher ISO???? Black cats in coal mines?
I do a lot of (mostly handheld) night shooting & have shot a few gigs with little more than one or two lights on the performer so have found myself wishing for clean 3200 or possibly 6400 so fail to comprehend the circumstances that would need higher than that….
Make it clean at 6400 & 99% of us will be happy. I have a feeling the other 1% will never be happy!
Exactly. The 25600 is active iso anyway; I believe its going to be expandable to 102400.
The a77 didn’t have upper limit expanded iso, so it’s possible the 99 won’t either. That being said, 25600 is high enough for almost all uses. The image quality would no doubt suck any higher than that anyway.
once you complained iso wouldnt go past 25600 it discredited everything you said before that.
I used to love my A850 and the two A900 that I had, but now in comaprison that A900 really looks old-fashioned and so square and ugly actually.
This new design is truly great I think!
There is room for “something” in that compartment where the prism used to be.
Could it be that the new flash-system has built in radio-trigger for external flash? That would be awesome! Canon has taken this route, but need an external add-on device. If radio (or bluetooth :-))is built in, then there is no need for a built-in flash and a much better solution. If the hot-shoe is changed, then they can take the step to drop the compatibility with older flashes in other ways too.
Just an idea..
Exactly what I was thinking – Sony are going to introduce a whole new flash system with the new hotshoe so are free to change things around a bit.
A built in radio trigger would be quite easy to implement without any worries about incompatability with older flashes that would happen without changing the system as a whole & would be a superb feature to have.
Who would need the built in flash then?
Other than as a wireless trigger I have NEVER used used the in camera flash, but have many times been annoyed by the extra light coming from an undesired direction…
No chance. The dome is very small and there is almost no protrusion to the front. C
I believe that something like this is in the cards.
SONY is The Best often in every way.
New A99 is actually The Best Pro SLT.
SONY have the courage to put new ideas
and new technologies in their products.
Sure, but also easy as no-one else makes SLT.
Sorry but very frustrated about the “no flash”. Waited 2 years for nothing.
You truly are an idiot… in my opinion (: “waited two years for nothing” I mean are you LISTENING to yourself?? You are crying about a feature that has so little to do with good photography and claiming it is the pillar and foundation of your work when really you are a.) sad that you can’t trigger wireless flashes via line-of-sight (bummer) b.) too cheap to buy an external flash that is superior c.) too inexperienced to realize that b. is the proper route, d.) lazy?
I think Alpha is probably an amateur photog that is used to shooting without extra kit but wants to step up his game and is perhaps intimidated by the larger flash cost or usage.
He is probably used to lesser cameras that cannot see in the dark.. but put a 50 1.4 on this puppy, crank up that 6400 iso and sit back in jazzy, darkness heaven.. Dont worry about the loss of flat light! This camera will teach you to respect ambient light and wide aperatures… or buy an external flash. The choice is yours but there is a reason pros are getting excited about this cam. For me – this is the best thing since sliced bread
Sorry to be a douche, but here’s a real comparison between the a99 and a900, I didn’t check if the a77 size was correct. But the a99 bayonet is too big on the pic in the rumor post.
http://oi46.tinypic.com/2afdb0z.jpg
Same picture.
My bad, there is a slight difference.
Strange that there’s no shadow under the Sony logo, as if the hump is not protruding over the mount. The mount has no detailing around it, as with the other cameras, as if it was pasted on (for instance, no screws). The sensor is off-center.
This is a poor mock-up, that’s for sure.
Come on, no built in flash means better sealing and thougher overall body. I am fine with that. Looking forward to the new flash too and some nice radio triggering system. Yummy!!!
Wrong, foto is real. No shadow = no protrusion = no pentaprism box.
It also means:
– spending extra money on a flash (well I have a Minolta one but that one does not work very well with Sony)
– carrying a lot of extra weight and size (try that in a backpack for 2 months with heavy traveling)
– missing shots/getting less nice shots because you have to get the flash out and mounted
So for me (not a studio photographer): not happy. Judging by the remarks of those who are: a lot also not happy bcs needed for triggering the other flashes.
So if true there is no flash: big pitty.
Hey I was right! looks like C., you are too cheap to buy a proper flash.
I’m sorry but maybe you really should buy this body- not having (and therefore not using) that pathetic, extremely low-quality lighting solution on your camera just might improve your photography.
Go buy a used F-series flash (I’ve seen plenty for around $100) and learn how to bounce your light, or buy some triggers and a bracket (this can still be very compact), and leave your damn flash mounted (as for your excuse of “having to mount the flash”) –
I really don’t understand your complaints A100, its very nit-picky… I don’t think you are the target market for this body, look instead to the newer D600 or the A77.
Wow you are very well informed. Just for my peace of mind: where did you ever see my pictures that you know they will be improved if I do not have flash?
Luckily you are no photographer either or you would be out using your gear in stead of spending you days behind a keyboard trying to boost you ego by showing disdain for things you have never seen and people you have never met.
I recommend you to buy the A99 Plus all the 5.000 $ plus lenses bcs you will be a top photographer then!
Sigh…
I somewhat agree with you that if a built in flash does not hurt the build quality and that is a big if because I don’t know the true cons of having a built in flash, why not have it. If it does effect the seal or build quality than I would rather forego it. My main interest would be in a pinch outside when I did not want to carry a speed light and needed to fill in an otherwise shadowed face. Also for fooling around and using it to trigger slaves could be handy but definitely not a deal breaker, not even a speed bump. But that said all the above can be done with much better results with the external speed light. If you cost is the issue then I would probably opt for a cheaper camera. Every pro I know and I am not one never uses an on camera flash in a studio setting or pop up flash to trigger slaves. If I was having my family photographed in a studio and the photographer used a pop up flash for any reason, I would think he is not very serious about his trade. Many pros won’t even use a speed light on the hot shoe, but will use a flash bracket because the results are better. The built in flash would be nice but a 200 rebate would be better.
++1
+1
Why would you even be considering buying a camera like this if your photography depends on a crappy built-in flash? Natural light is better any day, but I admit it means you have to spend a little money on a better, faster lens.
Come along with me where natural light is not enough even with a billion ISO and a f1 lens. There are plenty of uses for light sources for extra light other than natural. And pros are very heavy users of such light sources. Even outdoors photographing nature.
exactly – what he said.
We have to buy a flash, and the most basic flash coming to fit is the Sony HVL-F60M at $550. So effectively the A99 will cost $3,350 plus FF lenses. Ouch! I was stretching to $2,800 as it was 🙁
There are plenty of 3rd party flashes under $100 that do the job, same goes for wireless triggers. For the cost of one Sony flash I have three Yongnuo 560’s and a set of Cactus V5 triggers to fire them and cash to spare.
Yep. If one wants a flash just to trigger wireless flashes, cost isn’t really a problem in this case.
But the third party flashes won’t have the ADI flash metering (especially as the hotshoe may be ISO but will probably be unique electrical connections), or is ADI overrated?
I am sure they are releasing a new line of flashes- the F60 is not a “basic” flash, this seems to be the flagship replacing the F58. Patience
People, this really isn’t that hard …..
I shoot a900 and use a Pocketwizard and a Sony hot-shoe adapter to hit the studio lighting gear; is it as good as a Nikon or Canon kit, no but it works. I also use the little Sony flash as a Sony trigger for my other Sony line-of-sight flashes.
I’m hopeful that Sony’s new hot-shoe will my things better for A-Mount owners in the long run.
I’m fine that the a99 not having a built-in; look, not having a built-in makes sealing better and saves a hundred dollars better spent on a real flash or a real trigger
no… we don’t… I have three flashes because I am a professional photographer which this camera is aimed for. At this level you either shoot ambient light with wicked glass and skill or you use strobes or hotshoe flash with bounce… No one who buys this level of camera would desecrate it by using a small point source with harsh direct lighting. You want that buy any point and shoot. Your results will be comparable.
Aaron, let me know which pro service you work for…so I can avoid it like the plague. Your delusions of photographic grandeur are making me nauseous.
where is PRO NEX?
Did you not read the headline of this post? Are you blind?
Who wants to bet it has built in flash? I bet it does, so if I win, I buy the A99. If I lose, I still buy the A99.
Obviously we’re going to have to wait for something official in order to find out the actual final specs, flash, no flash, flash, no flash, it just goes on…
SR1 this time.
I must add A900 still looks majestic as ever! 🙁
I can accept this dwarf-like toy camera design of A77 for a semi-pro model maybe…. But it would really be hard accept this same frog-like design to replace the steller looks of A900.
Is Sony running out of good designers lately? Laid them off maybe?? Cuz their recent work with the designs of NEX 6 and A99 looks like their designers were only there for some quick patch up work on existing designs.
They don’t need the pentaprism hump so the frog-like design actually helps reduce the overall height while keeping SLR style. It seems to work well on other alphas and is nice when you can save space and weight.
To me the A900 looks dated now, but I know what you mean in terms of presence.
I like the A900 design, though an awful lot of people in the slr community thought it was exceedingly ugly.
Give this new design a chance. I’ll bet that it will prove to have its own powerful “presence” with just a little time.
a900 = cone head.
a99 = Lamborghini stylez = win
Bet its iq kicks the frig out of the 900 as well. I HATE camera body nostalgia. Lens nostalgia.. ok.. justifiable but pining over older lesser tech is tiresome. Grow young.
The lack of flash is for pros that don’t use pop-up flashes and prefer weather sealed bodies, like on the 5D3.
Indeed! PROs don’t need built-in flash.
However, Sony understands that these same PROs cannot live without some features, like the auto HDR function and a horizon leveler in live view.
With all these features, A99 truly is for PRO ONLY. So, if it does not appeal to you, the problem is not with the camera then.. The problem is with you, cuz then you’re not really a PRO… You may have earned money in photography just by a fluke.
….
Yeah right, give me a break.
Saiman whether you like it or not, those of us who make our living off of this don’t ever use a fucking pop-up flash. its true. I have NEVER ever wanted it EVER EVER EVER. And so I sincerely don’t care that its not included on the A99. One less thing to break. One less thing to accidentally pop up and give me a terrible, terrible picture.
I ALWAYS have an F58 mounted, or a cyber commander, or a pocket wizard, etc… I am always using my hot-shoe and if I’m not, I’m shooting natural light. I think most pros will agree that this is the case, at least when shooting events and fashion. . . idk I truly can’t think of any paid professional who uses the pop-up flash, except for convenience to trigger flashes optically- CONVENIENCE- not superiority/preference, radio triggers are always a much better solution for this.
And I stress paid professionals because I think that is clearly the target market for this camera- you won’t hear us bitching about $2800 on a body, thats nothing compared to a D4.
OK auto HDR is a gimmick but a useful one for a lazy pro who wants to experiment with jpeg.. I could do without this.
The level feature is absolutely a pro feature. It is excellent to be able to determine your angles at a glance instead of having to always depend on tripod bubbles.
Can’t wait for some head-to-head comparisons with 5D3 and D800 when it comes out.
Fun week…
I think that many, I won’t say all, people who are complaining about the lack of a built-in flash were never serious about buying this camera in the first place. being that there is only one FF camera on the market with a built-in flash, this is hardly surprising and certainly not a deal breaker.
JS I agree, I just cannot fathom someone centering their camera choice around that elementary feature- perhaps the full-frame version of the rebel is what they need.
+1
Hmm, maybe there are plenty of us who appreciate having one on the A77 and see ABSOLUTELY NO REASON to have to give it up to get a FF sensor????
You may live and breath photography…but some of us don’t get paid. We carry cameras around for the fun of it. So slogging a flash around isn’t fun. I have to do it on medium format (one of which ALSO has an built-in flash)…why does that mean I have to do it on a camera that uses THE SAME LENSES as my A77?
Is the prism too big? Oops, they got rid of that.
Do I need it to wirelessly control flashes? Oops, gotta buy another accessory.
What’s funny is that you “pros” are willing to spend a gazillion on lenses, but are too cheap to pay for an “extra” on-board flash???
No, I’ve got it. The real reason is…the more people with FF cameras in their hands, the less people will be willing to pay you for your mediocre camera work. The lack of flash will keep more prosumers away, thus less threats to your livilihood.
We get it now.
well for one.. because the a99 DOESNT use the same lens as your a77. Yes you can mount your a99 lens on a77 no prob and you can go the other way too but.. mounting pas-c lens on a full frame is abuse. If your not worried about full frame then the a77 is for you. Its a fantastic camera. full frame is for people who need to work events, who need that extra bit of wide or extra shallow dof. Its a pro camera. Its like getting in a race car and complaining it doesnt have air conditioning. Im sorry to say.. its not built for you. and if it was it would not be built for me… but ill buy it because it is
You didn’t get it at all, did you? All of my lenses ARE full frame. They were designed for 35mm, back when 35mm was useful for everyone.
Now, morons like you (people who can’t spell “your” correctly) are telling me that FF sensors are only for pros?
I’ll wait for the A88 to come out. The $800-1000 you’ll pay over what I’ll pay will cover the cost of my A77, and buy me an on-board flash. Not sure what you’ll get for your money…other than some sort of chest-thumping pleasure out of paying more for less to call yourself a “pro”.
Go troll the D800 forums and tell them their camera isn’t for pros.
Sony A 99 looks great. Pro models don’t need a built in flash. Ext flash & studio can be attached. The Design looks like a hi end Pro Camera & it is. A900 & A850’s didn’t have built in flash these were built like Tanks.
Eric.
looking for A99 with 36 megapixels, 70-400 lens weatherproof, 70-200 weatherproof, guess not with Sony as of now.
Amen to that, I think the majority of people complaining, is not that serious about photography, I would be bloody happy if it don’t have a build in flash, it is a hopeless tool. The results with a build in flush is crap. besides any one hardly use a flush unless you want to create weird effects or use it in a studio. And studio work requires descend flashes not a piss pot flash
I don’t care if the A99 has 36mp or not, I do hope Sony releases another body with 36mp though (all those people crying about the 9 series body not having 36 blablabla I think they are just sad that the D800 has more mp, I’m not having a dick-measuring contest with canikon though)
24mp is really perfect for just about any kind of work so this will likely become my new primary body, I look forward to a later released 36mp for leisure and fine-art.
If I can get better high iso performance out of the 24 v 36 I would prefer the 24. I shoot a lot inside poorly lit gyms and night games. A good low light performer is a must. I would like to be able to shoot nice images at 6400. Shooting 12.8k with a bit of noise redction work in LR4 would be awesome. My 850 needs serious help after 1600 with noise. Then I would eventually get the 36Mpix for all my other stuff. The 99 looks pretty sweet and can’t wait to hear what this surprise nex thing is.
Great. I keep my A900. That’s why this camera is just Meh to me.
Lonnie, your A900 is a great camera, so there is nothing wrong with keeping it. If I had all the money in the world, I would buy an A900 as well as an A99. But I believe that you’ll warm up to this new camera with time. I suspect that it will be a powerful machine.
Looks it’s great, on paper. But the reality, I don’t need video, I have that on my NEX. So this camera offers me NOTHING that I don’t already have.
Had they put the 36mp sensor in it, I might have jumped. Not now.
36 mpx, weatherproof 70-400, weatherproof 70-200 from Sony? They’re all on the way, ok.
nah… 36 megapixels would likely have the mediocre performance of the a77 in low light. 24 is perfect.
Give it a break guys. 3 more days and all your doubts will be answered.
The body may be legit (though it looks like a prototype to me), but looking at the sensor/mirror vs the mirror on the A900 and A77 – something just isn’t right – that part is an obvious fake, it isn’t centered.
No worries as the announcement is just around the corner. IMHO the official images will be a little different, logos will be the correct color and the focus dial at the bottom will get the same label as the A77 and so on.
Are you sure that it isn’t just that the photograph isn’t quite centered on the mirror?
From that picture comparison, I wouldn’t be able to tell if the a77 had a flash. Not sure the pics were intended to ‘prove’ the a99 doesn’t, rather just provide a side-by-side comparison?
The overlay pic is very useful and for me personally I like it! One of the reasons I enjoy my A900 is because I can hold it without feeling crowded with my fingers. Granted, it isn’t as ergonomic as I would like so maybe the A99 will be better. Looking forward to getting my hands on one!
Well well… if A99 is just a fracture of a centimeter smaller than 5D MKIII, then why is it almost 200 grams lighter? What is missing in this configuration?
Glass pentaprism
Flippable DSLR mirror
Think these carry som weight.
Then the body is slighthly smallar and pherhaps they use lighter metallchassi also.
why the alpha logo is not in orange this time ?????
Pentaprism.
Apparently Sony wants to copy Nikon’s professional D800 placeholder.
Maybe a new color to indicate FF?
Maybe the conventional prism weight combined with a denser metal alloy is a factor. I know the liquid metal company that Apple purchased will turn out very light yet strong materials. As much as I would love to have the A99 I remain skeptical, as Sony is NOT a company I trust in terms of customer service.
3 days! Cannot wait to see it all especially the 99 and surprise nex.
So is there a way to use the existing Sony flashes with A99?
Early on, Andrea posted that the new camera will come with an adapter for the old flashes.
Try as I might, I can’t get excited about this camera.
this is probably because your not a photographer.. do you get excited about.. Utah!??… this camera is so full of win I would pay an extra 1000$ without a blink on the sticker price.
mmmm…. flash… the popup cannot do anything good… just that u can just use it as ‘trigger’ for WL within line of sight.
i have a F20, it cost me around usd70… i always pop it on the A850… its not heavy, not bulky, useful, bounce, good direct, and triggers WL as well.
or maybe, maybe, maybe A99 will come with a (batt-less) mini flash like the NEX series to be mounted? and when bend down, it will cover the front area (where the hump is missing) it could be really cool for that.
btw admin, i think u need to remind people that, A99 will come with an mini adapter (tiny compact) for the new ISO to iISO. so older flash will still be supported, so its not the end of the world yet. or 2012 oct could be the end of the world,,,, idk.
To think that Sony will always provide an adapter for the good IISO hot shoe to work with a awful ISO mount on the camera is very foolish. They are not even likely to supply such an adapter more than a year or two even though all the IISO flashes will have a much longer life than that.
I expect Sony will also follow their usual pattern of dropping repairing the flashes or stocking repair parts. And do so virtually immediately.
which is probably a good thing. .Dont get me wrong I love the minolta shoe and the way the 58 does acrobatics with its head makes me think of 5 star porn..
But the menu on the 58 gives me the shakes. is it in russian, chinese? Khablah? No its written in sony. Its like a goddam engineering manual trying to set high speed sync. I have abandoned flashes on shoots because I need to go home and ferret through their 80 pag manual to understand exactly how to change this or that setting. Granted this has nothing to do with the old school minolta hotshoe which is fantastic. But… I hope they improve these things. I will miss using a button to remove my flash.. it was awesome..
And voila, that F20 won’t work on this camera. Now, you get to buy ANOTHER one…or use an adapter for a small flash. Well, until it gets bumped and breaks off.
Makes that on-board flash seem to be a better option, now, doesn’t it????
By the new pictures, still looks like it has a small popup. look at the top and side views at the joint from the hotshoe to the mike. Good news if it is . I’ll buy it with or without if the image quality is as good as the a900 and the vf is decent. Anyone making sneid comments about lack of skill, talent, or being cheap is just as silly as the stupid hacks who condemned the maxxum 9 as being unprofessional for having a popup. I have used minolta/sony for over 20 years with only a brief foray while Minolta decided to get caught up with digital. Never really happened for me until a900 though I shot the 7d for fun a lot. Did I use the pop up flash all the time no, but I would pay an extra $200 to have it on. I shot the 9xi in the studio and on location but when the 700si came out I found myself using that a lot more outside the studio for convenience. Especially for personal use.
Unless Sony intend to use an “A” extra large lens for the 99 your a77 a99 image side by side Comparison is miss leading.
Think! the one constant with both cameras given any scale is the lens receptacle.The hole in the middle of the camera that engages all alpha A lenses!
In your side by side comparison the a99’s hole is bigger than the 77!
Line them both up & I think you will find that the 77 is a tad bigger than the 99.
Love you guys love somolta!
it makes total sense that they will use spare alpha a77 bodies for this camera. Layout is nearly identical, guts are similar. Why would they retool their factories.
And frankly I think the a77 fits like a gem in my hands so im like HELL YA, full frame small body!
Any chance of “World Cam” spec video (ie. N/P dual-boot 24/25/30/50/60)?
I don’t like the battery grip on a99, is better on a77…. the battery grip on a99 is no long as the body…why?!?!? seems recycled…
Built in flash would be nice, infrared to trigger flashes would be even better WITH built on battery grip 🙂 Sony needs to set there game up kinda scary having 5,000 in lens+gear and they discontinue all camera and leave one :-/ will not much to expect from a non PRO DSLR company, Sony really only specializes in computers and movies :-/
but it would be nice if we got some REAL I MEAN REAL PRO 15mp DSLRS with two sd slots 2000 shot per/battery and FOR GOD SAKES but ISO 3200-6400 that looks like ISO 400-800 because all Sony ISO 1600 looks like crap
have the alpha 99 brilliant camera