I guess quite many SAR reader would like to have an A7r alike camera without that EVF bump on top. The Chinese friends over at Xitek designed it especially for you to show you how it would look! Obviously this is a pure imaginative rendering but I am sure some of you would like it to see as a REAL thing!
On top you see a so called A9r. And here below the more NEX-7 alike A6r camera:
And here another version:
105 Responses
I really like this design, I hope Sony reads Xitek and SAR, so they are informed
+ 1000,0000,0000,0000,0000,0000,0000 … yup I agree … Sure wish we had an A7r in a Nex7 design – as any one who has read my usual rantings about the new Sony’s will have noted.
Please, please, please Sony listen! And then act!
not happy at all with these a9/a9r designs: no built-in VF = NO PURCHASE; there must be a way to rearrange components such that we’ll have a Nex7-like body, with VF in the LHC, flush with the top plate!!
I mean even with FF sensor, as for the APS-C sensor… WHY there might be any need to do a pseudo-improved design?? The old but very good wisdom says: “better is the worst enemy of the good” 🙁 !!
…hmmmm, I always thought the saying was “Good Enough” is the enemy of Great?
I do believe the saying is “One stupid quote is the enemy of the another”
I like these designs, I do not like evf-less cameras anymore, they can be used to good effect but after having to carry a separate evf and loosing the hotshoe when I want to use it……well no thanks. I would much rather a GX7 or NEX 6 style evf be used than none at all. But I do understand some people don’t care at all for an evf so the extra size cameras “waste” on them is, in some eyes, a useless feature they will never use.
I begin to hate retro design. I really hope they build upon the ‘nex-7’-esque look. Or something completely crazy, like this (only with more grip): http://www.freshgizmos.com/dslr-concept-by-ryan-david-francis/
That was really something of the ugliest thing I have ever seen!! My eyes hurt!
Even american and asian cars look nice compared to that!!
I was referring to the linked camera design in Mares post above (nightMare?).
The other design shown in this post is nice
Yeah, I was kidding about that one. But if I had to choose between the retro path and the path of the design for 21st century, I would always choose new design, even if that would lead to experiments like the awkward one I posted above. NEX line has a modern (although a little dull) look. Experiment with that, follow that path, and I would be pleased. Retro design is an old and, at this time, boring thing.
The silver one looks retro, but I don’t think the black one does. It takes more than positioning an EVF in the top left corner to make a camera retro. Especially the A9r image with the dark background 3rd from the top. That camera looks quite modern to me. Clean edges and quite minimalistic. I love that one.
yes, the III-rd from the top has its place in a good minimalist design, HOWEVER… it is clearly a VF-less project, sort of interchangeable-lens variant of RX-1 = so no way it can be considered as the Nex-7 upgrade
Ergonomically, it looks like a disaster. I’m all for a newer approach, but it would be wise for Sony to try this design out with an RX (RX1000 :D) first before implementing it on a flagship camera.
Horrible, just horrible. I had to go wash my eyes out after seeing that. I wouldn’t wish that sight on my childrens children. It was an abomination to all camera lovers.
I wonder if they know that the bump contains more then just the EVF.
yep, it also has litle elfs that help you take wonderfull picturas
+1
As explained by Sony rep, the hump is there for the optics as well as for the OLED screen. The optics is to relieve eyestrain, better view angle of the OLED screen, etc.
Actually I was referring to those who did the renderings if they knew that the A7/r bump has more into it then just the EVF, so it’s not as easy to shove it aside without doing some other compensation, guess I should’ve mentioned the 3 layer glass in the bump XD
That is exaktly what I hoped for from the beginning! Throw the ugly pseudo pentaprism into the waste bin!!!
Couldn’t agree more!
+1
I agree too. The last 2 a6R designs look really promising.
1.6 Mega pixels? I don’t know if my workstation is ready for files that big.
Wow! That’s nearly FullHD(tm) resolution!
The technological progress is truly amazing.
nice one! xD
EVF res.
Screw the cams, i want that lens that’s on the last2 pics. Looks like a MF-only Lens but i wouldn’t mind if it delivers xD
Sooo much nicer than the A7/A7r!!! A HUGE IMPROVEMENT! Get the message Sony!!!!!!!
Get this message: the A7 has an EVF hump because a) the sensor is bigger, cutting into exactly where the EVF goes and b) because the screen is a proper 3:2 ratio where you don’t lose 30% of the screen because it’s the wrong shape.
To have a FF sensor AND an EVF in the corner the whole camera would have to be the height of the current ‘hump’. OR you could have a hump on the side… your choice.
A simple comparison between the NEX5 and NEX7 will illustrate that what I suggest is not going to have the outcome you rant on about, so GET THAT!!!
Because the NEX-5 and NEX-7 have APS-C sensors genius! They also have 16:9 displays. Have a look at the back of the A7 and tell me where an EVF on the left is going to go? Oh what’s that? ABOVE the screen, like it is now, but on the left? What a great design that will be.
Do you use you brain for thinking or just pointless whinging?
Well if you read my post with less haste and thought before you typed you might not look such an idiot.
@ Chris Lewis – I did read, did you? What you are asking for would require significant sacrifices to the design, it really is as simple as that. Like I say, have a look at the BACK of the camera and try to imagine where an EVF would sit above the screen. Your options would be these:
1) Make the camera wider with a section on the left hand side (from the rear) to have EVF sit next to the LCD (this is what Fuji do and either have a) a small screen (X-E1) or b) a larger camera (X-Pro1). Just this alone makes the camera considerably larger.
2) Have an EVF hump on the left OR make the whole camera proportionately taller to have that flat look. The height of which might be slightly shorter than the current EVF hump due to styling differences, but it won’t be huge. The overall volume (and weight) would increase quite a bit – Imagine the whole camera the height of the EVF hump. Having a hump on the left would obviously look ridiculous.
3) Use a wide aspect LCD, reducing the usable area to around 2″. This is what they did on the NEX series and many people complained about it. I also doubt that the EVF components would now fit in that spot due to the larger sensor and surrounding mounting and components. Just because you can see the bits that you are talking about doesn’t mean they don’t take up room inside that you don’t see.
4) Put a stylised raised hump in the middle where it looks more balanced to fit in the EVF directly above the screen. This would also place it above the sensor mounting.
So there you go, pick one of them that you would be most happy with. It’s nice to draw pretty renderings of how people would ‘prefer’ this to look, but they don’t account for function at all, they are simply dream scenarios. It’s easy to sit back and go “look at Fuji and NEX-7 etc and see how they managed to do it”, but do you really think the designers did it this way just to annoy you?
NEX-7 has the same sized sensor as the NEX-5, so I’m not clear on how comparing them proves your point.
Regardless, I doubt Sony’s going to make the exact same camera in a bunch of different shapes to try to accommodate everyone’s tastes. They might do an EVF-less FF ILC brick, but I think the NEX-6/7 layout will remain APS-C.
On the other hand, Fuji favors bricks too, and rather larger ones than Sony, so they might be able to install a FF sensor and still keep their hybrid OVF layout. So, far, though, the only FF talk from Fuji has been for a fixed lens camera.
The NEX7 is larger than the NEX5 but not all that much, a little taller – to accommodate the EVF. The RX1, for example, with a little extra height for an EVF and then you can see the potential to have a NEX7 style A7 type camera, that is where I was going with that line of thought.
I want A7r to be the present A7r without the EVF. And the present A7 should evolve to the Nex7FF.
This is hilarious. Everyone was whining that RX1 had no built-in EVF. Here you go.
sooo true. People will whine about anything these days…
Let’s whine about whining as well!
lol
+1
Does the RX1 have a flip screen? No. Not a 4-way one like on the a99 but not even a 2-way one like NEXs. If it had a flip screen then I’d rather they leave out the EVF and save some space and power.
Did people whining about the lack of an EVF mention the layout? No. If the RX1 were as ugly as the a7/R, many more would be complaining about the design. Most people wanting an EVF on RX1 should be expecting a NEX-7-like approach to the layout problem.
I would like to use Sony more but the three problems they present me are:
1) Awful designs like the A7r (nice enough camera, but I’d have to be blind to like it’s looks)
2) Incredibly slow roll out of lenses.
Take a look at the M4/3 lenses such as the Olympus 75mm/1.8 and 45mm/1.8 macro, where are the Sony, Zeiss, Sigma or in fact any non-M4/3 CSC equivalent? Why is the 55mm the longest Sony FE/E mount prime?
3) Loud shutters, why no electronic (ie silent) shutter?
1) give it time, the design will sink in
2) I agree but they’ll be more lenses next year, the m4/3rd took awhile too to get to their current lens offerings
3) could be some technology restriction, for now.
Mechanical shutter protects sensor from overheating.
1. Makes you a fashionista first and photographer second
2. m4/3 was a consortium
3. take pictures outside of the church or funeral home
I like the idea of a more esthetically pleasing A7r. Function first is ok in a utilitarian world but photographers don’t need to limit themselves to equipment that is purely utilitarian. The Victorians made many beautiful but very practical things and that is not such a bad ideal.
Yes, the A7r is very practical and also attractively priced too but the NEX7 looks nicer and is also very functional. I’m sure many would say the A7/A7r cameras are beautiful, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Yes because Olympus had more than a 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 and 17mm f2.8 at launch… oh wait!
Lenses with the same 35mm equivalent focal distance Need to be a lot bigger on bigger sensor. That is physics. So telephoto lenses can be a lot smaller on a cropfactor 2 sensor-based camera than on a cropfactor 1,5-based or even full Frame camera. That is why currently there were no low-f-number tele lenses so far and it stopps at 55mm currently.
You need to take physics into account when comparing a m4/3 camera with a APS-C camera or even full-frame!
Sorry don’t buy your understanding of physics. BTW I have a Degree in Photographic and Electronic Imaging Sciences, so I’m not the simpleton you seem to think I am.
Huh?
To keep the same density of light then the lens is inevitably bigger on bigger sensor cameras. If you do not grasp that then there is something seriouly wrong with your education!
So pour scorn. Why not? Insult me, why not. Let us all see the limits of your intellect when the 85mm/1.8 comes out! Piss off moron.
To Chris Lewis,
Oh the repartee and rapier sharp wit…
You have serious issues and telling lies about your knowledge will not overcome your failings. I think you need to get psychological help if you react like that to the truth.
Peter Kelly: “Oh the repartee and rapier sharp wit…
You have serious issues and telling lies about your knowledge will not overcome your failings. I think you need to get psychological help if you react like that to the truth.”
How about a Leica Summicron 90mm f2 made for full frame and often used on CFC cameras. There are other examples that could be cited. These designs could be adapted to use on cameras such as the A7/7R. Modern versions could be introduced.
OK, so, based on your education, how does one make lenses that light up a bigger sensor, with the same field of view and the same spot brightness (F number) as a lens designed for a smaller sensor, without the lens itself being bigger? And why haven’t companies like Mamiya and Hasselblad learned of such techniques for their medium format cameras with their even larger lenses?
Regarding the, “why no electronic shutter?”: As far as I can tell, such shutters require extra electronics in the sensor that make for a considerable reduction in low-light sensitivity, and the lack of an actual curtain removes the option of long exposure noise reduction (shooting a second exposure with the shutter closed to calculate and remove noise from the image). There are probably other reasons, too, since nobody has yet made a global FF shutter, and even APS-C ones are rare.
Sorry, there seems to be a misunderstanding here, I made no reference to the size of the lens, perhaps one of the other “experts” who jumped on my post introduced that red herring. Obviously the physical size of the lens may well have to be bigger but then look at the Leice-M 90mm f2, it isn’t all that bulky really and I’m sure with modern lens design, an af version for Sony FE might not have to be enormous.
“Regarding the, “why no electronic shutter?”: As far as I can tell, such shutters require extra electronics in the sensor that make for a considerable reduction in low-light sensitivity, and the lack of an actual curtain removes the option of long exposure noise reduction (shooting a second exposure with the shutter closed to calculate and remove noise from the image). There are probably other reasons, too, since nobody has yet made a global FF shutter, and even APS-C ones are rare.”
Yes, but look at the Panasonic GX7 for one, it has both an electronic shutter for stealth work and an actual shutter for normal use. It may not be perfect, but it is an interesting possibility.
Much prefer the design the A7/r.
+1… even if ppl should care less about design that functionality and performance. I see ppl going with leica and manual lenses over AF just for the vintage body design and a red dot on top… I don’t care if the thing looks like a megadrive, if it functional and has lenses, good AF, good image quality.
Exactly – I can see people skipping the a7/r for technical reasons (no efcs on the a7r and lack of native oss primes are deal breakers for me), but skipping them for aesthetic reasons is crazy! Any half way serious photographer knows that end result is what matters, not how good your gear looked…
Yeah, I was kinda turn off the first time I saw it but over time, the look grew on me.
I guess if Sony would want to retain the rangefinder look, they’ll have to make the body larger then what it is now to accommodate the EVF 3 glass optics. I wouldn’t mind it being larger but I guess the Sony execs think otherwise 🙂
yep me 2!
you guys all sound like a bunch of high school girls about fashion. The camera is a tool, spend more time capturing, not whining about how the camera looks. I couldn’t care less how they look, it’s the IQ that matters.
The designs look just… ugly. I’m glad those guys don’t work for Sony!
Ha Ha. So true. No sense of proportion.
It is a good idea to remove the EVF and make the camera much smaller.
A7 is small but still too big for jacket pocket.
I like to shoot with EVF but some may not need it.
It always good to have some variation so customer can choose what they want.
Like, interchangeable RX-1?
really “really” bad overall design, bad knob position, etc.
much prefer A7/R
I like them & a good try but the silver top & bottom are not in line with Sony’s styling ideas ? How would the back look like , would it have a smaller LCD than the 7’S ?
very nice job on the A6r, would love such a camera for $ 1800.
maybe a little vit slimmer and lower but otherwise perfect.
I never liked the NEX design so I am happy with the OM-D alike design of the A7(R) cameras. Thumbs up Sony! 🙂
If you want to go more retro, make something similar to Minolta SR or XD. They are nice looking cameras.
What’s up with the retro styling, man?
Some people seem to think that a full frame in the style of a NEX 7 is laughable and have ridiculed my posts. Sorry you don’t agree, however I am pretty sure those who scoff will eat their words soon enough.
You may get your wish, then will you be happy? I doubt it. There will always be shortcoming for you, if you can’t appreciate something for what it is, rather than what you wish it could be.
Draw a picture of a unicorn and stare at it longingly, hoping one day it will come… seems to make you feel better.
Seems to me that it’s not me whose not happy. I am perfectly happy with all the camera choices I’ve made but wish that Sony had made choices that continued along the road they seem to have started on. Clearly I’m not a Sony “Fanboy” and although I’ve got extensive hands-on knowledge of Sony equipment, they have veered away from the path I was happy with and so I’ve found what I want elsewhere.
On a personal note; your trying to goad me with personal insults and attempts to be-little me show a great degree of rudeness on your part and have no place in a civilized forum.
I agree.
this I would buy; much nicer than the ones launched.
My favorite mirrorless design is the NEX-5(x). I like the mount bordering the left side of the body. There should be no need to center the mount to body–like the film cameras of the past.
I would like to see more rounded edges–its a more natural fit for human hands. The Sony R1 is a perfect example.
We are in an age of the hybrid system. The omission of one or the other (stills and motion) is a limitation that camera makers should not undertake.
The hybrid design should not reflect systems of the past. To pursue this can only make the product vulnerable to becoming extinct.
The reason why it’s aligned to the center of the body is cause for balance, especially on a tripod
That silver version doesn’t look right. Too retro maybe.
Sony please keep the shutter release up top, rather than on the grip. Makes for much easier vertical shooting with thumb. The new layout is brilliant for all controls. Don’t change a thing… except adding a manual shutter release cable into the button, so we can screw in a soft touch.
No idea why Sony removed it from the A7/r. The weird things that Sony do
Looks nice, but after trying the a7 at the NY show, I will stick with the a7 design. The larger viewfinder design affords better viewfinder optics and a much more SLR like experience.
An 18 or 24 mega-pixel crop sensor with the 18-105 f4 lens, would be the best get it done package on the market. I am using a 24-105 Canon (on a 6D) now, and would quickly switch to that package for my professional magazine/event work.
I know the 18-105 will work on the a7r, but with the crop it is only a 14 or 15 mega-pixel image which is just a little low for some professional needs.
I feel that the a7 package is the best professional design for most work (except sports work).
I started to think of a NEX ( now Alpha E-mount ) as a second camera when Sony introduced the EVF ( NEX7 and mainly NEX6 )! Please Sony, don’t take that away now!
Since I too use the EVF exclusively, I see no point in releasing a high-end flagship without an EVF.
Me too not a fan of that EVF bump we have been seeing since OMD EM1(a7 n a7r, nikon df)
Nikon DF doesn’t have an “EVF hump”, it is a pentaprism optical viewfinder.
OK, so it’s an OVF hump! Actually, I don’t have a problem with the hump!
That hump, besides the EVF also houses the 3 layer optical glass, so it’s not there just for looks.
Anyone can confirm if the EM-1 EVF is supplied by Sony?
Got my A7 and the first few casual shots with kit lens were all sharp, no AF problems and the lens is good for a kit lens. Will make more detailed tests.
I assume that there are some fakes in this article. Picture #4 clearly shows a EVF. And A7r also seems a little doubtful. Two cameras with different control wheels? Once the wheel for exposure correction has indications, the other not. And no camera is shown from behind. I know, for some 150 years it has been usual to mount a lens in front of a camera, but viewfinders were mostly at the back side.
It pretty clearly states that these are designs only. And not even official sony designs.
Exactly and look at how much it’s got some ranting on an on … the cameras that Sony eventually come out with will no doubt please some and frustrate others. I’d hate to be Sony.
I do prefer the camera to be without the hump, but these designs are ugly.
+1
Wery wery cool! Like it!!!
The line up should be like this:
NEX 3 entry level
NEX 5 for cheapskates who don’t want to look “entry level”
NEX 6 the new NEX 7
NEX 7 FF NEX form factor
A 3000 mirrorless, APS-C bridge body
A XX mirrorless, APS-C bridge body, better specs
A7 mirrorless, FF bridge body (throw away the current ugliness)
Seems kind of pointless – these are largely just third party fantasies with no basis in reality. These aren’t rumors or even speculation, just made up stuff!
Nothing pointless in fantasies. They are merely fantastic.
The A7 looks so great against any FF DSLR, I don’t understand complaints about the design. For follow function and reducing size, this is what this camera is all about!
I think it’s fair to say that the A7/A7r cameras are “Marmite” cameras – you either love them or loathe them and there is nothing much in between.
As functional cameras they are very well specified, attractively priced and many people will be pleased.
There are some, myself included, that like the idea of a NEX7/rangefinder etc style body, ie no prism style bulk on the top, a sleeker more streamlined appearance.
I had hoped for a kind of combination of a NEX7 and a Leica-M (albeit with an EVF), so that I could have an ideal reportage camera. A previous post by someone else had made reference to the Panasonic GX7 which would be great if it was APSc instead of 4/3rds … we can all dream!
They need to do something about the shutter button on the A7. It needs to be on the front plate like the NEX and not to require an “articulated” index finger to make it work.
I’ve been thinking about this, but I believe by doing that way, they’ll need to make the camera taller, to accommodate the user fingers. The current method will allow the user to have all their fingers on the camera, maybe for some the pinky will still be out but there’s a battery grip if it annoys you and I’m pretty sure Sony designers actually tested different shutter positions before settling on this one. Just my 2 cents.
Any taller and waist-level viewfinding would be a frustration. You need your thumb on the shutter and from your middle finger to your pinky on the bottom of the grip.
so the world is now
/r
that’s and improvement on
i