First a real news: Preorder of the A99 are now back at Amazon (Click here). And now an (impossible?) message from an anonymous source. Please be aware that I have no confirmation from trusted sources yet but I hope they will contact me after reading this post.
The message I got from the anonymous source said that “Sony dropped the pre order Cost of the A 99 from 2348 to 2099, and the pre order cost of the nex 6 with kit lens from 836 to 749.99 in the us”
The preorder costs are the ones paid by dealers and not by the final single buyer. If…and I repeat “if”(!) the rumor I got is correct this may will lead to a Sony A99 and NEX-6 price drop soon and probably your preorder will be charged less than you expected to pay for. This may be Sony first reaction to compete against the low entry Canon 6D (specs and price here) and Nikon D600 (specs and price here) FF cameras. I am a bit more surprised about the NEX-6 price drop which honestly wasn’t bad at all.
I repeat it, for now I think the rumor has low chance to be correct. And no need to drop your preorders. If the rumor is correct they will simply charge you less when shipping the camera!
—
Sony preorder list:
A99 body Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Jessops, Wex UK, Wex Germany, Sonystore DE–UK–FR–IT–ES–NL–SE–FI–CH and more links at Alphacameradeals.
A99 with kit lens links Alphacameradeals.
NEX-6 body Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Wex UK, Wex Germany Sonystore DE–UK–FR–IT–ES–NL–SE–FI–CH and more links at Alphacameradeals.
NEX-6 with kit lens Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Jessops, Wex Uk ,Wex Germany and more links at Alphacameradeals.
—
Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!
87 Responses
If true, good news.
Store charges 450USD from each A99 camera?
“And no need to drop your preorders. If the rumor is correct they will simply charge you less when shipping the camera!” – more like: Make better profits from selling the camera.
Why not to sell 10000 cameras with $500 profit, than 1000 cameras with $800 profit? ))
A $249 price drop (~9%) on a $2800 camera will not increase sales by 10x. It won’t even increase sales by 9%. If people are shopping for the A99, there aren’t many saying “if only the A99 was $2550 I’d buy, but at $2799 its just not realistic,” give me a break. If this is even legit…
Even a $250 drop would cause me to strongly consider the A99. I’ve ruled out the D600 for a couple of reasons/limitations, but the I mostly ruled out the A99 because I can get the RX1 for the same price and not have any glass left to purchase. I won’t buy mediocre glass either, so the A99 would still be pricey once I get a fast 35 lens (and with the A99 I’d probably need a few more lenses (Zeiss 24-70 and the 70-200) to take advantage of the system. With the RX1, I’d just keep my NEX-5N and other lenses. Hmmm, yeah, a $250 drop probably doesn’t move me to the A99. Probably. Hmmm.
Really? $250 still leaves you a long way from the lenses you list, about $1600 for either the 24-70 or the 70-200. So at $4550 for a lens you listed and the A99 (minus the rumored discount) you’ll buy, otherwise you’re going to get the RX1 at $2800 over the A99 + lens at $4800. I never would have guessed.
I’m looking at the RX1 as my 35mm lens (my favorite FL) to compliment the A99, but not instead of the A99.
Sony 35G is a crap. If this focal length is one you need the most then the A99 doesn’t worth it. Better buy RX1 — I guess it’s the best choice IQ-wise and easily beat any DSLR competition in 35mm FL. The only serious competitor is Leica M with Lux 35 ASPH FLE, but it’s way too pricey.
+1 All preorders will go through at current list price. We won’t see a price drop until inventories build up. You’ve got to be naive to think otherwise.
Finally!
“nex 6 with kit lens from 836 to 749.99 in the us” BTW NEX 6 with the kit lens now not 836 but 998$
It’s called profit/margin. It sounds weird, but I think most retailers have that as part of their business plan.
$836 is dealer cost, $998 is cost to consumer. This article is about a potential reduced cost to the dealer, speculating that it might mean a reduced cost to the consumer as well.
Sony probably just realized that they built a camcorder instead of a camera and that the product is not selling very well….
hows that, the photo component is getting race reviews everywhere and the camera in general
Yup, makes sense as to why Sony might have dropped the price…
/golfclap
True, the A99 seems to be getting a bad rap only from trolls who have never picked one up.
Yup, just classify everyone as trolls that doesn’t quite agree with you and your lifes so much easier…
/golfclap
I have no problem with people disagreeing with me and making educated comments. However, I have a problem with people making idiotic and ill-informed comments. Yours was the latter, in case you were wondering.
Just how was it idiotic?
Sony has not penetrated the market significantly with their numerous attempts at DSLR. If Sony produced a camera that focused purely on photography and does an excellent job at it, I am certain that photographers would flock and give praise.
If you bothered to look around and see what people are saying about the A99, Its actually pretty sad considering the amount of stuff they crammed into that camera.
If you removed the video functionality from the A99, you essentially have a A77 with an improved full frame sensor, a standard hotshoe and 1 extra SD card slot. Will this justify the costs of 3 times of that of they A77? well that is up to each individual.
Yes, video is important these days, but at least other leading manufacturers are not going overboard with it whilst neglecting the primary purpose of the camera.
Take a look at the D800, Nikon has gained a lot of ground with this camera. It sells, because it focuses on what a photographer wants/needs. You can argue all you like and dismiss other peoples comments as idiotic or ill-informed, frankly most people won’t care. But if Sony keeps this up, they will be closing manufacturing lines on the SLR business.
All it would have taken was a 36 MP sensor just like the one they sell to Nikon. Add that with a better phase detection (wider/more points) and you will have a camera that will make a difference.
I know some of the things I say would upset a few diehard Sony fanboys out there. But in the end, Sony needs to learn the hard way and start listening to the consumer.
Well Enjoy!
“If you bothered to look around and see what people are saying about the A99, Its actually pretty sad considering the amount of stuff they crammed into that camera.”
Please provide some links to what people are saying.
I believe you have access to the internet.
Google is a good place to start.
If you still don’t believe that the A99 is a video centric tool built for videographers, then there is little I can do.
Good luck!
all the reivews i read so far say the a99 is great photo tool
guys like frank doorhof who likes canon and MF
matthew jordon smith ( even though hes sponsored by sony )
luminous landscape ( cept the EVF but i think the evf is better than they think ) but they have rated teh photo taking ability of the camera high
to name a few
I also tried a d800, its a nice camera but im going to liek 24mp much better than 36. the d800 for nat light portraits you NEED VR lenses on that thing to stop movememnt blur even at good shutter speeds
@Anthony,
You are missing the point, I never once said it was a bad photographers tool. But I do state that it is nothing for photographers to go WOW! I MUST HAVE THAT!
If however you are a videographer, then the story might be different. As for the D800, I will let the sales speak for itself. If anyone disagrees that the D800 is making an IMPACT in the photographers world… well they should give up photography and sign up to http://www.sonydefenseforce.com/
Nevertheless it is not selling well from what can be told from pre-orders. It was typically around position #800 to #1100 in the Amazon camera ranking.
No matter how good the camera may be actually or in reviews, the market decides.
+1
Finally someone who doesn’t have the Sony stick up their arse.
Please don’t feed the troll. They only come back for more….
So you just posted that to troll the troll….
That’s good if it’s true isn’t it!
wierd. my preorder in .au$ was $2898 a week ago. sonys price was $2999 and its meant to ship after the weekend.
the place i preordered from have actually gone up to $2985 since yesterday
This is good news for the US buyers…too bad it won’t have any effect on prices in the EU. Estimated price for body only in the Czech Republic is 70,000czk. The D800 body is 68,990czk…and I can walk into any shop right now and pick one up.
Jumping ship is looking better by the day fellas 🙁 Will wait a few months and see how the a99 performs in the real world before (potentially) taking the leap.
BTW: 70,000 Czk is approx. $3,500
Brian, that reads as if you’re going to jump ship over what must be a price difference of less than $1 all because you can’t go into a shop and buy one right now!
A900 Tag – Jessops are crap with handling orders, I tried to buy a Pentax once – it was in stock but they wouldn’t let me have it fot some reason. They also kept telling me a photobook wasn’t in stok yet until I turned up at the store and made them look and it was there.
A pre-order, expect them to tell you a week after it has arrived.
WEX are far better IMO as are several other amera shops in the UK.
No, I’m saying that the D800 is on the market right now, and by the time the a99 hits the stores in any decent quantity the 800’s would be out en masse for 4-5+ months. It’s already proven to be an absolute BEAST. The a99 is an unknown at this point, still isn’t in stores (availability date keeps moving farther out), and is priced higher than the top of the FF body food chain. I’m not heavily invested in glass, frankly tired of the overpriced proprietary accessories, poor availability of their stuff in local shops, and the desire to sell me a new body every 6 months instead of fixing or adding simple features via firmware. THAT’S why i’m considering jumping ship….the cost difference is inconsequential. The point is that it’s MORE than the absolute top of the line D800, Canikon accessories are cheaper / more plentiful, and they support their users much better than Sony has at this point.
I’m not hating on Sony (have 5 Sony cameras in my collection), but my patience kinda ran low when they announced the new firmware for my a77 that gave me the option to disable one lousy button that wasn’t even a problem instead of fixing it’s other issues. 🙁
As I said before, gonna wait it out a few months and see if this body lives up to the hype.
You can walk into a shop and buy a D800 now because it was launched months ago, and the A99 price will no doubt drop, as do prices of all models that have been on the market for a while.
Excuse me for saying this, but if you’re thinking of jumping ship for those reasons (no doubt losing money on your Sony lens investment in the process), then that’s bonkers, to the extent that I doubt the validity of what you say and wonder whether you actually own any Sony equipment at all.
Read my posts above for the various reasons… I have an a77, NEX5, two compact P&S, and a Sony digicam. Two different mounts for the APS-C, and not a lot of glass for either. The obnoxious expensive accessories do add up though….
You’d have to be an absolute muppet to leave the brand given that you’ve already made an investment in glass and overpriced accessories as you say. The IQ coming out of the a99 appears to be as good as the D600’s which is frankly nearly as good as the D800’s with only a slight drop in resolution as a detractor. For $2k, it’ll be an absolute bargain and by far the most appealing mid range full frame on the market.
As a disclaimer, I do not own a single piece of Sony kit, instead I shoot my commercial work with a D800 so I have absolutely no investment in telling you to stay with the brand besides trying to prevent someone from making a pretty ill thought through switch.
Anyone any news on UK shipping yet? am awaiting a Jessops pre-order patiently, they haven’t given me a confirmed shipping date which is a bit crap to be honest!
i will get my next week, i am from Malaysia, guess what, with the battery grip, sony back pack and 16g of memory cost around RM8500…
dirty cheap……in europe we pay twice the price…..
if i tell you this is not the cheapest i can find, sure you will plan a trip to my country!!! cause of the warranty issue, i need to stick with this price… hahaha…
how come u can get it so much cheaper than the Sony Malasia’s suggested retail price at 9299 RM (body only)? http://www.rebeccasaw.com/kl-photography-festival-2012-sony-nex-5r-sony-nex6-slt-a99-dsc-rx1-nex-vg900/comment-page-1/#comment-424380
Please give me the name of the retailer and I will make a phone call to arrange a visit. I don’t care about warranty.
there are some pro shop doing many offer, even some of the sony dealer can do their own combo package, our income here are not like europe or us, so the profit even lesser, they will do it, atlease there hit their target to get more advantage from sony… so, hahaha… we are consider luck, i guess…
I LOVE Malaysia, they have genuine equipment for rock-bottom prices. Problem is they have a ton of fakes for next-to-nothing. You have to know the difference and inspect before you buy. And if you can help it, don’t buy near KLCC, where they charge full price for everything.
ya, you are right, but get from sony Malaysia, so i am 100% sure are original… just worry the 2nd batch a99 maker are from Thailand…
Really??? Can we just walk in and get this price? I’m tempted to fly there from Thailand if the price is so much different. I will still have lot of money left + a good vacation!
Any idea what will be the price in Thailand or China? Similar as in Malaysia? I will be there in November.
I could sure use 10% of $2799 that could make my day!
I would pay the whole $2800 to not have to wait two more weeks to get it. Heck I’d pay $200 OVER list price not to have to wait …..
if this is true:
1) we won’t see an A88 for a while, or Sony not planning on it at all.
2) Retail price would fall below $1600 after the supply has been stable or retailer has more stocks.
It looks like the price on the sony UK store has INCREASED for the NEX-6 – from £829 to £899. It still lists 829 in places but upon checkout its definitely 899. :(!
https://shop.sony.co.uk/shop/b2c/z_tabletAcc/(xcm=PCM_b2ccrmstandard&Z_OMNI_CSINT=14000017)/.do
Somehow they had to compensate for the price drop in the US, right? People in the UK are used to high prices anyway, so why not add a little on top of that.
This would really help push me over the edge to fully switch to Sony from Nikon. Lowering the price on the two cameras I have considered would certainly be nice as that’s an extra $340 if savings were passed on. Upgrading to D800 body with D600 sensor for an extra $450 and $450 cheaper than a D800 would be great. Funny how it splits the price difference perfectly. In the meantime, I’ll take this with a grain of salt.
Surely nobody in the UK would ever buy a camera direct from Sony. They are concistently the most expensive supplier in the UK. Sometimes by several hundred quid.
Actually, when the A65 and A77 were released, some Sony shops in the UK had pretty low prices, way below standard. I almost thought it was a mistake.
Wow, PLEASE stop talking about the a99 like it’s OVERpriced! It’s a steal. It’s not in the same category with the INTENTIONALLY DUMMIED DOWN Canon and Nikon full frames.
Check your history…the Sony is a FULL FEATURED, WEATHER-SEALED, PROFESSIONAL-SPEC’d camera with revolutionary technology, and it’s the least expensive camera EVER in that category!
The way this site and some people talk about how we NEED a cheaper full frame camera is only encouraging Sony to focus on DUMMIED DOWN variations….
FULL FRAME PRO cameras are BIG PEOPLE TOOLS, not something we want Sony making CHEAP versions of. And the last thing we want is the general public impression that the a99 is NOT a good bargain!
Understand, full frame photography is EXPENSIVE. But thanks to Sony, it just got a lot LESS expensive, and we need to stop being GREEDY.
Sony, Please know that most of us understand the value of the a99. Give us more of the same….and even MORE EXPENSIVE, even MORE APPOINTED VERSIONS.
Ignore the DUMMY DOWN marketing tactics of Canon……PLEASE!
1+
1=2
I think the a99 was priced incorrectly, even given its feature set. The $700 gap between the a99 and D600 is significant to some– especially considering they use the same sensor. The same .mts video I’ve seen from the a99 has been far less than impressive, in fact, it reminds me of my a65. If the video from the D600 looks as good as the the D800, I’d rather go with the Nikon. I want to love the a99 but between the price and the unimpressive video quality, it’s hard.
The 7D and 550D have the same sensor. Does that make them comparable?
And last time I checked the D600 image sensor had no PDAF incorporated.
They’re marketing people sent by Canikon to troll down Sony rumors sites to steal potential Sony customers away 😀
They’re trolls sent by Canikon to Sony rumor sites to steal potential Sony customers away 😀
Dave makes a great point. Spec for spec, considering enabled features, the A99 is closer to the 1DX than it is to the 5D3. Video-wise, as long as the A99 stays along the path of the A77 the only thing better in SLR/SLT form-factor is the upcoming 1DC at $12000-$13000. If you consider just stills, the buyer has a tough choice. Taking video into the equation, it isn’t even close. Putting a SSM-Zeiss Lens on, adding a good microphone, and the stabilization is in-body: as much as 4K/Quad-HD sounds like the future, there are too many people still paying off their 1080p TV’s. And how much 4K do you see on You Tube? But you are seeing an emergence of 1080p on You Tube and monitors to support it. The A99 will be the most practical video-capable full frame body on the market and nothing Canon or Nikon makes will be anywhere close.
+1
Outside of FPS, the A99 is very competitive with the 1dX (better in many areas) and crushes the 5d3 IMHO, unless you’re not a fan of the EVF. I personally don’t care, the EVF is fine with me. I’m buying one to use along side my FS100 and hopefully replace it if the image holds up.
4k is a gimmick to up the price of a camera with that “future-proof” B.S. It’ll be years – if ever – before we see 4k sets at the sub $1000 price point so many 42 & 50″ LCD and LED TV’s are selling for right now. Most commercials, sports and shows airing in 2012 across cable, satellite and over the air are not even full HD, instead they’re 1080i or less. I’ve shot commercials that aired on broadcast stations and cable companies in Florida and they all asked for 720×480 because of compression. It’ll be years before everything is broadcast at 1080p, much less 4k.
Unless you’re shooting for major distribution in a 4k theater, 4k for the masses is for suckers.
I assume you’ve never edited any of the video you shot if you think 4k is for “suckers.” Having a 4K image to edit with creates all sorts of new opportunities creatively and technically in post.
Full-frame photography is expensive (Dave Melges, 2012)
640kB should be enough for anyone (Bill Gates, 1981)
I think there is a world market for maybe five computers (Thomas Watson, 1943)
Actually the right way to view this is that the market will determine the price and ultimately Sony’s strategy on the a99. The more a99’s that Sony sells the better for everyone already invested in the A mount system. If they sell very few a99’s it gives them little incentive to produce more lenses and accessories. It has nothing to do with prestige or cheapness perceptions.
All the other stuff you wrote in caps is just marketing nonsense.
here in europe, the A99 goes for €2600 and the Nex-6 for €750 (€888 with the 16-50)
Where ??
Fotoboom
bought my A77 there for €1070, its now for €1012…
Thanks !
Price drop will be fine. I want to buy 2 of these. But I just saw that they are crippling the US version apparently so that it will not shoot PAL video as well. The manual they released confirms this fact. The International version apparently can switch between PAL and NTSC. Crazy that they do this in 2012. I should have known Sony would do this. They have too much higher-end cameras to protect – and I own several of those. But I also need this camera to shoot both NTSC and PAL for it’s form factor. Anyway, disappointing. I will not buy until a firmware update is made official to offer support like they did with the FS100.
Hey Adam, I am completely naïve to what the difference between PAL and NTSC are other than their prospective frame rates. Is there no way to convert PAL to NTSC and vice-versa without quality loss?
You can convert in post, but it is a pain and degrades quality and motion. Granted this is not a big deal for people who never leave or do work outside of their native area. But for me, I get jobs for both PAL areas (Europe and Middle East) and NTSC (US).
Well, some here may feel it’s worth the price, but I have read no less than three reviews that questioned the price of the A99 compared to its competition. And they all speculated as to how well it could do against Canilkon relative models considering it’s premium price point. So this could well be a logical response from Sony. I know I would welcome it.
You read reviews questioning the price? SHOCKING!!!!
My mother also read something about the world coming to an end on December 21. I also read a story once the aliens MIGHT be coming to invade Earth some day.
I don’t believe it because they would have to drop the price of the new nex-5r as well or what would be the point, if for not much more you can get a nex-6
let me put this in perspective. When a store has in stock a A99 then, from Sony’s standpoint that camera is already sold.
So all this does, if true, is entice stores to stock A99’s and NEX-6 because of potential larger profit margin.So we don’t necessarily get a price drop…just higher availability of the camera…which is not bad…it just isn’t that god a news
The reason that Sony UK is consistently higher priced is because they can’t be seen to compete on price against the dealers, so they tend to stick to list prices only. Otherwise the big retailers will complain about unfair competition.
I’m also awaiting a price drop on thie A99 before I buy or if there’s no price drop I’ll get the 5D III, which can be picked up for less if you look in the right places.
a99 was removed to try to get
Higher Amazon Sales Ranking
It is still not in the top 100 ?
Is it still around in the 900th camera of interest? or Popularity?
Independent Reviews (like DPReview)
with Side by Side Comparison & Contrast
are everything. 6D vs D600 vs A99
So ProSumers can see
1) If those features are worth it at all or even work
2) or if they really want to pay the extra $700 OR
3) if its worth it
AF-D sounds OK, but is NOT independently tested
A Fast Autofocus with HALF the frames to focus on?
Continuous Drive is only Half the speed of A77 –
why is the A99 so much slower than the A77 ??
Since it only might operate with one available lens
with Five more in the Future, What? Really?
There is NO availability Ship date of New Flash, WOW
Maybe SONY can not measure up ? –
Is the Firmware Bug Free?
Get the a99 Camera to the Testers
you do realise sony doesnt have the same amoutn of user base as canikon tehre is no way they willhit super high in rankings with pre orders. tonnes of canikon users are going to suddenly pre order teh camera either. i know a few who maybe thinking to jump ship as they really like the possabilities of a99 but theyll wait till they can have a play with it.
I just got my lcd screen protector from Sony and read the manual. Now all I need is for them to ship the camera. A $200 drop in price would be a welcomed savings that I will put towards the new zeiss 50m or 85mm lens. Opening my mail everyday in hopes of an early ship date. Its like waiting for Christmas.
I received my 99 LCD screen protector and I read the manual. Now all I need is the camera. Let’s ship these cameras. I hope to awaken every morning to early ship notification.
SORRY TO BREAK IT TO YOU ALL BUT WE WONT SEE ANY DISCOUNTS ON THIS CAMERA!!!!
Such a pity if that is the case.
Would have been nice if Sony also released a A99 without Video.
Perhaps it would then be sub $2000.
That would have been very nice.
Should be an SR1. I would be glad if I’m wrong though :).
i don’t understand why people compare the A99 to D600 & 6D, its pretty much comparing Canon’s rebel line with the 60D/7D. sensor being equal, but other features are more advance.
the only way to make people stop comparing the A99 to D600/6D is to release a A88 : )
my only complaint from the A99 is the AF is all cramp into the center too much, i want an AF system with wider coverage.
The UK price for the a99 is starting to come down. Wex UK now have the body only for £2299.
That’s still more than the D800, but the cut has brought it below the latest price for the 5Dmk3.