I am working on the new 2014 camera and lens rumors. And as I told you last week it’s going to be an extremely exciting year with plenty of new cameras, many times more in number than we had in 2013! With all the E-mount news I posted in these days and weeks I feel obligated to post A-mount rumors as first 🙂
According to two anonymous sources Sony has two working A-mount prototypes cameras:
1) One Full Frame SLT A-mount cameras. It features a new 36 Megapixel sensor which is slightly different from the A7r sensor (it has no offset microlens design).
2) One APS-C SLT A-mount camera with new 24 megapixel sensor (improved over the A77 sensor!).
One trusted source also told me that Sony is well aware of the need to continue to make APS-C A-mount cameras. In short, the chances are high to see two new A-mount cameras in early 2014. Both, for FF and APS-C A-mount system. I am working to get the final specs of the cameras.
Stay tuned on SAR, because I am also working on the new APS-C and FF E-mount cameras front. I have to say I am surprised to hear how much Sony is developing rigt now. They are more “convinced” about their roadmap than ever.
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Message to sources: You can send me more info anonymously by using the contact form you see on the very right of your browser. You can also contact me directly at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com.
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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!
250 Responses
Thank heavens for that. The prospect of mirrorless-only A mount cams has had me considering selling up. I’m not a sports tog per se, but I’ve absolutely no interest in any camera that can’t track fast action when I want it to.
Are you saying that SLT is better at tracking moving objects / sports than non-SLT cameras ?
At least got a potential to be while shooting at the same time. Whatever it is or not needs to be studies on case-by-case basis. In entry-level cameras: it surely is. On highest end gear this advantage gets overshadowed by Sony’s inferior tracking AF.
That’s quite a leap you’ve made there. Its a comparison of SLT to mirrorless. SLT tracks much better than mirrorless, which is pretty safe ground.
But SLT tracking better than mirrorless is purely circumstantial. It is a property of existing cameras and not anything inherent to the mirror or lack of mirror. Abstractly a future mirrorless should track better because the AF sensor can be receiving more light if it is on the main sensor and there is no mirror.
we all hope for that to happen sooner or later, but I doubt ospdaf will beat ordinary pdaf anytime soon. the new Canon had me wonder, but now it seems like the mirrorless a-mount rumor was false.
That is great news I am very impressed. Hopefully they’ll have a significant ISO improvement and improved battery life. I’m very interested in the 36mp FF to replace my A850.
Admin, didn’t you post earlier that Sony was moving away from SLT?
In some cameras, not all. Here is a rumor about these few that will still have SLT.
What A-mount camera is currently non SLT?
Currently – none. Eventually – at least one Full Frame.
Maybe finally there will be a camera to replace A700 and A900. SLT is not for me, also FE-mount is path I won’t like.
A77 replaced A700. Regardless if it’s camera for you or not.
A77 replaced the A700 and A99 replaced the A900…
I bought, used and then sold a77 and a99. They don’t provide the level of performance needed for me to do my work effortlessly. I find optical viewfinder cameras better suited for professional users who need a camera to work in a verity of conditions all day, indoors/outdoors with dedicated flashes and studio equipment, have good jpeg output when i need it and be able to last on one battery for more than 500 shots.
I doubt the new SLT camera will be as straightforward as a900/5d Mk3/D4/1Dx to use.
Sony has no Pro user base to loose, so they can experiment all they want.
Fix the Damn Flash System, while we are on it, and tune your new SLT to be quick and simple to operate.
Thank you Andrea 🙂 this is very encouraging news!
Regarding improvement of APS-C 24Mpx over A77, I’m skeptical to expect significant noise decrease at higher ISOs.
I guess it will be the same as the one in Pentax K-3.
I hope it will be better than the Toshiba sensor in D7100.
No need to worry about high ISO noise: the main factor for that is sensor area. Pixel size is not important.
With readout and processing being the same, 1 micron pixels to NOT perform as well as 10 micron pixels.
There is no question about that no matter how much people want to change the laws of physics.
I thought SLT was going away ? (previously rumored a few times)…
I hope this will be clarified soon. I have an A77, and I want to upgrade, but I want to upgrade to technology that will be around for some time.
If SLT stays alive, I will consider the FF A99 or the 2014 FF SLT.
If SLT goes away, I will not buy a new SLT camera.
I, and probably more people, need to know the Sony roadmap !
I believe A-mount was rumoured to become mirrorless due to Sonys A7 name confusion. Someone somewhere heard A7 was mirrorless… and according to all known logics, A7 was supposed to be A-mount. But we know the lack of logic @ Sony is not new…
I wouldn’t be surprised if that would be a case. Not the first time when sources confused cameras, not the last one.
I understand your concern…but I think the previous rumours were (undeliberately) wrong and eager in saying “no more SLT”…
Rumours perhaps said: “no more SLT cameras”…I think it should’ve been: “First Alpha camera to come: no SLT”. Alpha was mistaken for A-mount…which now makes sense of course.
I believe the rumours of the A7’s in it’s early days misguided quite a few people and therefore making some wrong assumptions 🙂 At the very early stage of the A7 rumours, it was (probably) thought to be the replacement of he SLT cameras, which of course isn’t just yet.
So what Happened to all that no more SLTs statements by Sony hmmmmmm, I guess they could crack the AF issues with mirrorless
I don’t remember SONY ever saying no more SLT.
Sweet! If Sony would just improve on the A77 and A99 with these new senors plus add the following:Huge buffer, Full multiple exposure and HDR like in Canon MarkIII and Pentax K3, Wireless camera control from PC or laptop or tablet,And more focusing point coverage, Plus 3 Raw file settings Sm Med and Lg I would buy both cameras in a heart beat!
Nobody does offer raw in three sizes. Raw is RAW
Canon has sRAW it is nice if you don’t need the additional resolution. Obviously there is some processing, but the extra color information and depth is there
No micro offset lenses on 36 My sensor no buy.
you only need the offset microlenses for very high light impact angles, this is maily a problem of cameras with very smal flange back distances.
A-Mount has a fairly large flange back distacnce of 44 mm. No need for offset micro-lenses.
Offset microlenses work best with lenses optimized for them. It is better to avoid them for compatibility with existing lenses.
Sony is fooling me !
I have many many Leica lenses and they don’t work with my A99.
None of my lenses focus to infinity or even work most of the time.
I can’t even find an adapter to attach the lenses to my A99 !!!
Micro lenses will solve all these problems for me and since there is no problem of small flange distance ( as people keep complaining about E mount ) then there will be no problems with soft corners on A mount !!! 😀
Oh and I heard micro lenses will also make my Leica lenses AF !!!
o_O sarcasm too hard?
Yeah I think everyone has set their sarcasm detectors to OFF. 🙁
Get a7r, rf lenses are short flange cannot use with mirror box cam, long flange should be fine without micro lenses they’re not spreading wide as bad as short flange and they’re not making your lenses AF, z axis sensor shift would do, but they’re not implemented with SLT, it have to be mirrorless
Yeah, please give us an a77 succesor Sony! No need for even more MP, but 5 axis ibis and an significant better sensor are mandatory imho. SLT is ok, but I would prefer more light on sensor instead.
Sony offered both 36 and 24mp in the a7/a7r clearly more people are buying the higher mp cameras than th lower mp.
The hollerings of no more mp on sar are clearly NOT consistant with what people realy want to buy.
Many if not most serious photographers want a super high reslution camera but are just not as vocal about it as the sky is falling no more mp crowd.
I am probably the only person on sar that CONTINUALLY speaks out speaks out on behalf of higher res despite constant critisism for doing so.
2015 will prove me correct ant the sky is falling crowd wrong.
Barry, we do know your correct, it’s just easy to give you a hard time because we know the pitch. Literally, history tells us that MP resolution will increase at least to the levels of lens resolution, and we all know that is sky high. We just don’t want to admit it, yet. Plus, some of us are still stuck on cameras like the D700 and it’s 12MP ISO powerhouse and dream of something like that in a 24MP realm before the race to 50 or 60 MP, although it’s coming and we know it. So yes, you will be proved right, that much we are certain. What we don’t know and what many of us hope is some vendors slow down and work on the performance discussed above before we reach full speed of the horse race.
Dan
Contrary to your fears sony is not ignoring the performance issues that concern you.
Take for example the a7 and a7r
Even though one is 24 mp and one is 36mp the performance on a pixel for pixel level are comparable.
Both have the same iso and as can be seen in recent tests the a7r has excellent high iso performance.
Sony knows people want improved performance accross the board and newer higher res sensors have always outperformed the older lower res sensors.
The next generation will probably be stacked and have foveon like performance but better and higher resolution.
I an very anxious for these improvements as current cameras will not take the quality of pictures i need without difficult workarounds.
I put a lot of work into my paintings…i would really like taking refference pictures to be easy.
This is all fantastic news coming out of Sony. I’ve ordered the A7r with the 55mm but I would also love an RX2 with the 36mp sensor as well.! I wonder. Tony
Agree~!
RX2 36MP with PDAF and Bionz X, faster AF & quiet leaf shutter.
Yes, new RX products please. RX1 MKII with PDAF would be awesome.
… and integrated EVF. On the Side even better!
But definitely, the Focus Peaking must be able to work also *without* Magnification!!!
SLT A79 for $1300 or A7 for $1700…hope Sony will lower the price of the A77 replacement…Same build quality for $1100 at launch should be the right price…
That would be the right price???
In case you would be able to persuade enough with people to scream that Sony HAS TO lower the prices, and Sony’s only option will be to do that to get people to buy their cameras – have you spent just one single second to consider the consequences?
If Sony would be forced to sell their cameras with the “right price”, i.e. with loss, there will be no founding for further development of the line. In the end, it will be extinguished.
.
r u working for Sony? hahaha
Andrea,
Based on current rumour on the new e-moint FF, do you think it’s worth it to get the A7/R at the moment, especially you’re not in a rush?
Maybe a A7 with 36Mpx would be perfect gear as it has hybrid dectection contrary to A7R
Very bright road map,
A-mount keep SLT,
E-mount stick with Alpha,
So anything happen to either one, Alpha still survive!!!
Where’s Frank? His great plan is burning!
+1 lol. I’m sure he’ll be around to sow the seeds of doom soon enough..
I can bet he will be back as soon as next rumor about new E-mount camera gets posted.
What was his plan, Sky Walker?
It is a bad news for those who expected revolution from OSPDAF speed. It is a good news for those who were worried that there will be only new mirrorless cameras from SONY with slower AF compared to SLRs with dedicated AF sensor.
I would bet that there will be further improvements in focussing speed of mirrorless cameras over the next few years. The time will come when they are fast enough.
36mp
1/250th flash sync PLEASE!!
Please, no more SLT,.. if Only you could working on something like new SLT that only ate 1/10 of light and improve AF, noise, new high end evf, 5 axis ibis, sensor shift, etc. I thought a mount aim for pro right?? just don’t make a7 with a mount…
Just add flip-up mode when using single shot mode, and keep the mirror down in video and continuous shooting. That pretty much solves most of the concerns you have.
(and making SLT mirror more transparent only gives you worse AF performance, especially in low light and low contrast situations)
Yep, agree,.. just add an option not using the mirror and use only ospdaf(they hybrid right?), and we could flip up the mirror via camera menu,
Not all scenario require high AF.
Sony does have a recent patent for a FLIP UP SLT MIROR.
The last patent I saw pre-dated the launch of SLT cameras – so not very recent.
MY BIGGEST FAN..LOTUS EATER. Good morning.
Take your meds, Barry.
I’d love to be able to flip up the mirror – however a bit more customizable than like that.
Maybe they can / have integrated the BSI-technology into the new sensors, e.g. making so that the PDAF sensors require less light (as soni says 10% light usage instead of 33%), and having that on the main sensor… I can’t imagine the IQ & AF performance from such a camera… It would probably be the best APS-C has seen.
SLT takes away 16% of the light, not 33%!
No, it takes approximately 30% away, which is around half a stop.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyslta55/2
Admin – do you think there’s any chance they will add a flip-up mode? That would make this camera really great for both ends of use!
Glad to see replacements coming, saddened they are SLT meaning Sony’s OSPDAF is not ready for prime time and Z-shift probably wont come till 2015 giving Canikon ample time to attack
So there is no mirrorless FF with hybrid sensor and stabilisation for the next months? A litte bit disappointing but okay I guess in 2014 there will be one .. more time to save money 😉
If you are waiting for IBIS on E mount you may be sorely disappointed.
I half expected IBIS to come with FE mount but when it didn’t I think Sony will never put it now considering they have launched lenses with OSS.
So I think there is zero chance of IBIS on E mount now.
From what I know there is even a mirrorless FF with hybrid mount 🙂
This statement just made my day:)
People want to update there cameras so quickly so they can go take pro pictures of their cat. Most people never get to the end of the useful life of their cameras- not even close. What I mean is, I want the next thing just as much as the next guy. Just don’t say our cameras are “dated.” Give me a break.
With that said, faster buffer, better EVF and advanced AF. As far as the mirror goes…eh. I don’t really care if it’s in there. The ISO performance on the A99 is more than even most professionals will ever need. If they could cut down the light loss to like 10-15%- now that would be a huge improvement. Or, as someone else stated, just allow it to flap away during manual shooting.
This would be interesting especially if it had z shift focus and ibis and thier best sensor.
Andrea, Could you please ask your sources if sony ever plans to address there lacking flash system? This is really the only problem I have with them.
Andrea, could you ask your sources when the FF camera with hybrid mount might come out. That is the camera I’m waiting for…
I will invest FE mount lens and totally give up A mount.
I hope Sony will work with Mamiya and make make something like Mamiya 7 style MF camera.
If anything – they’ll work with Hassel.
Mamiya 7 is mirorroless, lens is more compact.
Only Sony got contract signed with Hasselblad, which is a direct competitor. So I can’t imagine them working on a two fronts. Regardless what 7 is or is not.
We need a new A65 and a new A58 both models are dated and need updating too.
36mp FF, forget it price will be nuts, new A77 might be worth a look but again it depends on the cost
The 6 months old A58 needs a replacement?
If Sony did update these cameras, I could only see a sort of 5t type update where all they do is stick wireless capabilities in these cameras to keep them current.
i see an A72 (A65 and A77 blend) plastic body to save $ and not compete as much with the A7
the FF will liklyh be the A88 tht has long been expected
Hope that new A-mount will come both with SLT and mirrorless bodies, as biggest invest was usually in lenses an not in bodies, therefore I will not switch to E-mount A7x whatever great these bodies will be !
@Admin Andrea, just an off topic question, and I beg pardon in advance: is there any rumor at all about a future RX1?
++++1
You mean an RX2, which has a 24mm lens, right? 🙂
I find 35mm too wide for portraits, for my taste. 24mm would be great for urban/nature landscaping though. Honestly I’d prefer a 50mm! 😉
+1
I totally agree, there should be an “RX2r” with the latest OSPDAF/CDAF 24MP FF sensor (w/o microlens) and 50mm/f1.4 lens! I always preferred 35mm for APS-C and 50mm for FF!
Sorry! I meant to say “OSPDAF/CDAF 24MP FF sensor (w/o AA filter) and 50mm/f2.0 lens”! I’d also add a flip up/down LCD…
@admin Are new rumors about it coming *soon*? 🙂
Two new A-mount SLT:s – great news!
I just hope it will be an a78 so there’s room for an a79 in 2016.
Around 2018 there might be good-enough OSPDAF.
Dear Andrea,
First of all–thanks and high praise for all you have done in the past months as the A7/A7r/RX10 emerged. Fantastic.
As we all know, road maps exist to enable us to chart a course to a destination.
If SONY would make THEIR road map OUR road map, we would be able to know what is coming–and plan our acquisitions accordingly, saving money, selling things to enable purchases, etc. It would be unconventional–but also revolutionary–as their inventions are.
With all of SONY’s inventiveness in high gear–far in excess of any other camera maker’s–it is an amazing environment to be living in…to see what the next great thing will be and to evaluate it in relation to personal needs. At the same time, it is frustrating not to be able to plan what to buy. Each of us will have his or her own needs and preferences and will want to take advantage of SONY’s inventiveness to maximum personal benefit–i.e. to buy the right equipment…only once
For example, personally, I’m a small camera, high resolution guy who absolutely needs a zoom lens. I have a NEX-7 and several Zeiss and Sony lenses and am unhappy with the zooms. I resisted (successfully but painfully) buying the RX1, even though I could crop for some artificial zooming. I have pre-ordered the A7r and Zeiss 24-70 Vario Sonnar…BUT…if SONY will announce something in the E-mount or fixed zoom category that might suit my personal needs better than the A7r, I sure would like to know about it now and not learn in February or March that I should have waited. Similarly, if I know that the A7r is the best of what’s in store, I can have it happily in a few months.
Do you think it is possible to exert your considerable influence in REVERSE…and have your trusted sources send messages back to SONY to see if they would consider being more forthcoming…TO CEMENT THE LOYALTY OF THEIR LOYALISTS?
Thanks.
Sony has competition that will certainly take advantage of knowing what sony is doing .
It would not be to sonys advantage to share thier future plans with canon and nikon.
I would expect that Canon and Nikon already have pretty good info on Sony’s future plans. They hardly need what Sony might could tell us. Especially as Sony flops all over the place as to what they plan to do.
I would LOVE that. Yes Andrea, please “spread your influence”. I’m pretty sure Sony would be able to at least divulge some information to customers without getting into the specifics and throwing away the edge to their competitors at the same time. Personally I don’t even need a road map of exact lenses or camera models they tend to introduce or are working on, that would definitely be showing their hand to the competition. But sharing info like where they want to take their products in a big picture sense to at least let people make more informed purchases on cameras and lenses that suit their needs.
I would greatly appreciate if Sony could at least make some general statements as to how they view their product lines and where they see them going in the future such as, “A mount is geared only to the pros and enthusiasts” , meaning, we can go with that system with the assurance that we’ll see fast and pro quality optics. Or, E mount FF will solely be intended for the most portable FF solution. I would’ve believed that until seeing images of the upcoming 70-200 F4 zoom. Maybe it’s actually smaller in person but seeing that tripod collar tells me otherwise. Also, I would like to know exactly, what is meant by “NEX is dead”. Does that only relate to the death of a menu system and name or does that also mean they are moving away from the rangefinder body style as well?
There are just far too many questions I have, even about the broader picture of their devices and direction, that I find it hard to invest any more money in one direction or another. I can’t see how announcing at least broad, general comments about how all their products work within their now expansive system of various camera types would give away any information to competitors, and in doing this, we customers would at least know which system is directed towards our needs and can then choose products within that family.
Future plans constantly change.
Imagine how angry everyone would be witj changes to official statement when they already get furious about changing rumors.
Sony will never share thier roadmap except by leaking rumors.
I very much agree, Barry! Sony is doing a great job in product innovation and giving that info up in advance to competitors is suicide! Let them ( and us ) sweat!
I think we already have gotten the general broad lines from Sony.
They are committing to A- and FE/E-mount more than before (will perhaps develop a pro-service organization too), continue and possibly expand the line of advanced compact cameras, back on smart phones with improved cameras, and increase compatibility and integration across all lines, including TVs, pads, play stations etc. As far as I can see.
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Well, at least Sony will try to increase compatibility and integration. 🙂
.
Artichoke, I too am curious now (with the A7 in particular) as to whether I can invest in the A7 cameras and lenses knowing that what I am getting is a top level E mount product. I wish we could at least know whether the rumored FF E mount cameras next year will be higher-spec models or new entry level models. It would be frustrating to buy an A7 and find later that A: you spent more money than you had to since all you were looking for was a FF sensor in a small body, or B: you made compromises and bought the A7 even though there are features you wish it had but a higher end model with those features comes later.
Everything was all simple in happy land when E mount was only APSC, portability-focused cameras and A mount was for those that needed the speed and faster glass. You could argue that nothing in reality has changed and you can still invest in a camera line that is obviously geared towards one need over another, but the fact that there are two mounts and each with both APSC and FF models just turns all logic to me on its head.
While I agree all the new launches are confusing it’d actually quite simple if you think about it. Canon and Nikon have 2 mounts for years now. One for aps c only lenses and for ff lenses.
So now so does Sony for the e mount. Both mounts are backwards compatible so you can use ff lenses on aps c bodies and conversely You can use apsc lenses on ff bodies. So there is little confusion there.
About what’s coming next is anyone’s guess but we can say with fair certainty it isn’t going to be a cheaper model. It must be a more expensive model probably in dslr form with bigger buffer and faster fps rates and probably bigger battery. The a7 is already the cheapest ff camera at launch price and it’s practically impossible for Sony to go cheaper without ruining both a7 and nex7 dales.
However they still have room to go up beyond the $2299 price point of the a7r.
Heres the unoficial roadpla ( my opinion )
2014… Sony will make small sensor improvements and try out a number of differrent camera styles…mainly positioning themselves for 2015.
2015… Sony ( and the competition ) will introduce new technology sensor probably multi layer and very high resolution
Cmos will gradually be phased out of all highvend cameras…only entry level will have cmos and prices will drop.
This is just my prediction not oficial rumer…but i do believe i will be correct.
Less noise in new a77 model. a77 is too noisy! add 10-20 more focus points, larger buffer. thats all. maybe bettter evf.
@Andrea:
What do the rumorsources tell you about a FW update for A77 ?
What is in the bushes? Please can you ask around?
Whatever happened to the on sensor IS rumours? Its like they just disappeared with the A7(R) launch..
Thanks for all of this amazing info though!
Hi, Any news on A77 firmware upgrade?
I can only assume now, that in Sony world, “firmware update” = new camera model. Start saving your money to purchase an A78 for those “firmware updates”.
Firmware update + Sony = ROFLMAO
Admin
The picture shows a slt camera.
Are these new comeras slt or mirrorless?
It’d be nice to have the option to flip up the mirror for stills, and keep it down to keep AF during video and fast frame rate stills when the subject is moving.
what happened to the 4k FF camera
If these cameras turn out to be 24mp slt c
And 36mp slt ff
They will not be much of a step up from existing cameras.
The c will just be an updated a77
The ff will just be an updated a99 with a sensor like the old nikon.
I do want to upgrade my cameras but I am waiting for a big enough improvement to warrent the expense.
We’ll see what gets released. So far it’s like judging two cameras by the fact that both are black and both are DSLRs. It’s too early to concern about that.
You can judge a camera based on its looks. Just look at that pug ugly A99. It had looser written all over it before it even hit the market.
That’s a matter of taste, which is very personal! It took me a year before I decided to buy an A900, but I bought the A99 only two months after it was released. The A99 design is a work of art in my POV, resembling some of the greatest designs for SLR cameras like the Canon T90 and Minolta 9xi. Besides all that, it’s also the most tech advanced camera in the market today.
I agree with Barry here – how about a real advance here, not just “catching up” with an old Nikon product at the high end. Will that cam have the same sensor as the D800/e? Also, will there be an AA filter on that product?
Rob
I think 2015 will be the year we see ” images so sharp our retinas will bleed”
Problem with that is lack of lenses to resolve the kind of 36MP or higher sensors we are now seeing. 4k Otus’s just don’t make sense for most of us. I think my eyes are already bleeding.
Complete nonsense. 36 mp ff is lower resolution than 24mp a77.
Most hood primes are RATED about 300line pairs / mm and will actuslly resolve at least 600 nut not at acceptable contrast levels.
This is a fiction that people that dont have a clue what they are talking about keep talking about.
Good lenses will still perform at magnitudes of resolution beyond current sensors and when we need better lenses they will be there.
I’ll let you live in that fairy tale world. Enjoy those crappy lenses.
The A7R sensor must be new as it is the first 36mp sensor without an AA filter as when the d800e was released they said they couldn’t remove the AA filter and had to use software.
What is an update??
-Larger buffer?
-4K video support?
-New hotshoe.
-Wifi / NFC?
-Better EVF?
-AF-D support.
-on-sensor PDAF.
And those are just already available technology, or linear improvements.
Add to that ideas like increased MP images by multi frame shots with sensor shift.
There’s alot of thing that can be added, even if the sensor is still 24 MP.
Allow yourself to imagine stuff. 🙂
I am allowing myself to imagine a brand new stacked sensor ff of over 100 mp coming in 2015.
As long as im just imagining lets make that a 200 mp square sensor.
Andrea
When will you release the rumors about the roadmap for Alphas replacing NEX5/6/7 ?
It’s been a while now and I will not go to A7, because it is not in my budget range on the camera and lenses scope.
But still pretty interested by quality of NEX6 and NEX7, but if their successors are close enough, I can wait another 3-4 months or so.
Thanks !
Please NOT MORE AND MORE CAMS
FIRST ONE SHARP SONY only one…..this is horrible kidish.
only one…
Cant wait for a new full frame to replace my a99, hopefully this a 4k one! coz i need video 😀
I’ve suggested this on DPR, and I’m surprised that people aren’t talking about this possible prospect:
How about an SLT, where the mirror can flip away just like an SLR? This way you get best of both worlds! You get SLT when you want fast accurate PDAF with fast shooting speeds and video with AF tracking. You get mirrorless when you want to maximize low ISO. With full time mirrorless mode the mirror is flipped up full-time, and you get CDAF and no mirror flapping when shooting photos.
There would also be a mirrorless mirror-flapping mode, like an SLR mode. While focusing, the mirror would be down, and SLT at that point. Then when you shoot, mirror flips up, photo is taken, no light loss, like an SLR.
Thus:
– SLR mode
– SLR mode (not OVF mind you)
– Mirrorless mode
All-in-one! Should be relatively simple to implement. It’s the mechanics of an SLR (not OVF). An SLT/SLR combo. The cost to construct this wouldn’t be terribly more expensive. You combine the engineering efforts of the A700 and A77 and Bob’s your uncle!
Probably because for most people actually using these cameras, the SLT isn’t an issue at all.
In theory, a great idea. I think the issue is cost.
Sony managed to cut production cost by eliminating the flapping mirror.
To put back in the mechanism to flap the mirror, plus the costs required for SLT… I think that would likely drive the costs up above competitors.
Would you pay $1500 for a a77 BODY with the hybrid SLR/SLT mechanism? $750 for a58?
Cost clearly did not change with dropping DSLR. Why have a complex DSLR/SLT when it would be better and cheaper to just update the a700/a900 DSLRs. All the new desirable technology Sony has been working on that has to do with image quality could be in those cameras and more. That would be cheaper than what you are describing. And might even allow competing with the mainstream of upper end cameras, which is DSLR in both APS and FF.
If you’re designing a new technology this doesn’t make sense because there is no physical sense in which the mirror improves AF. It’s just a circumstantial fact of history that the better AF sensors are currently designed for mirrors.
Camera shape should be based on function.
When an if z shift focusing becomes avaialable the shape should probably be similar to a video camera rather than slr shape.
This would allow more room for sensor travel in the z direction, facilitating better macro and long telephoto focusing.
This is complete non sense. No one wants a camera shaped like a video camera. To state that fact means your clueless as to the reason why modern DSLR’s share such similar characteristics. No one wants a video camera shaped DSLR/SLT. Go buy a video camera.
Did you actually read what he said?
What part is nonsense? ” the shape of a camera should be based on its function” is that nonsense?
I as most people dont care what a camera looks like i care abuot how it works.
A conventional still camera shape has no extra room for the sensor to move forward and back that would be needed for z shift focusing movement.
Add that space and the camera is very very very big.
Now change the shape and you have almost unlimited room for sensor movement in tje z direction without a much less significant increase in camera size.
You really should think about your comments a little longer instead of just reacting emotionally because you want me to be wrong.
As for the reason for the traditional dslr shape.. film cameras were basically two spools and a flat section for the film with a pentaprism for the miror.
The shape was totally based on funtion.
People got used to that so although functionally the camera cold be any shape people were comfortable with the familiar.
There is no inherrent advantage to this shape.
If a different shape will accomadate different funtions the do it.
Actually a shape like video camera laid on its side would fonction even better for z shift focusing.
A major portion of the shape of the DSLR is that it’s a very stable hand holding shape. Even rangefinders are basically that shape, and for the same reason. Just choosing a random shape that’s artistic, or resembles your old P&S or whatever does not generally give you the hand holding shape stability of the DSLR.
Remember, for a very long time the shape of rangefinder and SLRs gave folks the sort of stability for hand holding that now folks think they must have stabilizing mechanisms to get. With no stabilizing mechanisms folks got excellent stability and first rate photos pretty much routinely. And it still can be done.
With Sony part of that is that they have gone away from the ideal balance and weight for the camera. Really light cameras of any shape are generally less stable to hold than a camera with a little more weight to it. This is especially true if you evaluate the motion blur types that come from muscle tremor. There is an ideal weight for optimum control of motion, and Sony has gone too light for that, particularly in their E mount range.
Also any of the mechanical stabilization introduces it’s own micro motion to destabilize the photo. ie, it’s a compromise trading one type of stability for loss of stability in another type. And as sensor resolution goes up that’s going to be more and more of a problem.
As a minimum I want a camera that any stabilization can be turned off. And I’ll certainly be evaluating it for stability issues in hand holding before I buy.
Hi Andrea,
anything new on the 4K Front DSLR they showed as a prototype at NAB this Year.
regards Michael
If it has the following improvements over the A99 I will def buy!!
1. Stronger/Wider AF point coverage.
2. Better AF in low light/back light.
3. 1-2 stops improvement in high ISO.
4. Ablity to micro AF adjust at the short and long end for zooms.
These upgrades would satisfy me for years to come!!
Is point 4 a feature that any camera currently has? I agree it would be good for some of the older lenses like the minolta 80-200 2.8….. All good points.
They need to sort out the video line skipping that results in less than sharp video (and negates all the other video friendly features across alpha).
It would also be nice if they at least added the option in current models to remove the video softening they clearly force to avoid line-skipping artefacts.
As I understand it, even the older Panasonic GH models do pixel binning in video, so Sony doing something good here for future Alphas is long overdue.
Greatest lies of all time
ISO in the hundreds of thousands
Sony will not release new cameras without significant improvements
Sony will go all mirrorless
The check is in the mail
I won’t cum in your mouth
🙂
A77+ wifi + hybrid AF (as in a99) + a bit of ISO improvement…(another half stop)
If under $1200 for the body…
Pretty good.
Half-stop is too much to expect I think.
Microlens offset as in the a7r is advatageous for short flange and wide angle lenses.
It is disadvantageous for macro and long telephoto wher the lens to sensor distane is greater.
For these applications smaller or no offset is much better.
Thes differences are easy to obtain by simple changig the manufacturing temperatur of the microlens slightly thereby altering its size…thereby altering the viewing distance.
Wow, I didn’t know you worked (silicon)in foundries besides being a animals photographer. Sounds like Elvis the engineer/rock star. Very interesting. 🙂
Just a basics from reading a book about technical aspects of DSLRs.
Sky, You no fun. 🙁
O manufactured 3d lenticular pictures many years ago
Same technology as it relates to microlensrs and viewing distsnce.
Keyboards had bigger letters back then and my fat fingers had no problem hitting the rite keys.
Going from millimeters to microns is a different story. Can not scale down the same processes.
The principal is EXACTLY the same.
Monor temerature changes result in minot size changes.
By varying the manuufactuing temp of the microlens verses the rest of the sensor the size change will result in the appropriate offset/ viewing distance.
These conditions must of course be very precise since we are talking about very small differences.
Hendric
If you believe the process is different than what i described then please tellus what you think it is.
I want full control of my A77 through a mobile devise. Why not? I should be able to set the damn delay beyond a fixed 10sec timer as well. I want complete control from a remote. There is no reason I can run my camera off of my IPAD.
I want full-size microwave in my A77. Why not? I should be able to set the damn dinner in a field and eat something. I want a complete eat&shoot solution. There is no reason I can run my food off my Alpha.
The microwave idea sounds great. However, I think Sony’s A77 already cooks the RAW files enough.
As far as complete control- enjoy living in the stone age.
You’ll have to wait for the new QX with APS-C or even FF
The process might be doable if a wirelss image could be transferred to your mobile screen.
Building on your idea the camera could be mounted in a reletively inexpensive rc drone such as the ones available in hobby shops that sell rc hobbyist airplanes and helecopters.
Using the image on the screen and a standard rc transmitter the camera/ drone could be precisely piloted.
The drones i am talking about are the ones with 4 rotors on 4 arms
+1 That would be great. Olympus seems to be going in the right direction with their E-M1, I hope Sony will follow soon.
Of curse the new a mount cameras or going to be slt because if Sony was able to get mirrorless cameras to focuse fast then they would be no slt mirrors in the new ef to a mount adaptor
As an A77 owner, this is very disappointing news. When I see what the mirrorless sensors are capable of (100% crops are fantastic) I long await a new APS-C A Mount mirrorless camera. I don’t want another SLT. Don’t get me wrong – I think it’s cool technology, but I find the need to shoot 8-12 FPS is far less than my desire for better low light performance and image quality. Most of what I do is landscape and nature work.
There is no way I’ll ever move to E mount either, and I’m getting really tired of all the buzz about E mount / nex. I don’t like the bodies which don’t feel natural like a good SLR/SLT. I want a sizeable camera. Furthermore I have lots of great glass in A-mount.
If Sony’s priority is E mount, Sony may lose me to Canon or Nikon.
Canikon sucks.
@Andrea: Thank you for sharing great news. 🙂
Will the new A-mount APSC & FF camera have 5-axis IBIS and On Sensor PDAF ?
I lost faith in Sony after no successor to the A580. It is a great camera but no auto focus on video and really suffers past iso 800. I was planning on getting the A7, 1/250 x-sync did it for me, but with the rumors of another emount I’m going to sit on my cash until I at least hear the specs.
You are doing something wrong if you think the A580 high ISO suffers past 800. It is a match for the D7000.
Alleluia !
Sony will still use the same SLT technology but in BACK ILLUMINATED SENSOR to compensate for the light loss. If it happens….. sound good to me.
Now this is interesting.
This sounds fantastic.
+1
I have seen no rumors that sony plans to scale up the exmor r sensors.
In fact since 2015 will probably see the end ( or beginning of the end) for cmos sensors altogether it seems unlikely they would put much money into cmos development at this time.
Probably just make minor improvements and continue to call each one an all new sensor.
Unless of course you have information that i dont?
Back illumination compensates for efficiency losses due to wiring et al preventing part of the light from reaching the sensor. For current pixel densities in APS-C sensors that’s a tiny factor, around 1/6th of a stop. In other words, back illumination might increase efficiency for the 24 MP sensor by about 1/6th of a stop at best, that’s not
helping much to cover up half a stop loss due to the beams platter.
Beamsplitter…..
Exmor r would make sense if sony were planing to make a much higher resolution cmos sensor.
I do not however believe that would make sense at this time because cmos is nearing the end of its ” life cycle”
I expect multiple manufacyurers to come out with stacked sensors of very high resolution in 2015. Putting a lot of money into cmos now would be wastefull.
Can anybody think of any downside to a flippable SLT other than cost/reliability?
If A-mount is to be tailored for high-end/pro use, then I don’t think the additional cost would be a deal-breaker. I know that in my case I would not purchase the A99 because of the SLT, but that I would seriously, seriously consider a FF A99 successor with a flippable SLT. I would pay a couple of hundred bucks to get that thing out of the way.
It’s probably going to be hard to avoid the reflections from the flipped mirror. It would need a secondary mechanism to cover the mirror while fliped. It’s doable of course, but probably not worth the trouble.
Thanks Billy, that seems like it would be an interesting technical problem to solve.
Internal reflections are simple to fix on a flipping mirror. It’s called a built in ND filter.
Those that actually use SLT don’t care too hoots about the marginal loss of IQ that is practically imperceptible upto ISO 1600. And I rarely use anything beyond ISO 1600 so I don’t fret that my ISO 6400 isn’t terribly good on my A55.
Brendon, I actually use a DSLR and I care–and yes, I know what I’m talking about, because I have field-tested an A99 with the lenses that I use, in the conditions under which I frequently work.
If you are expecting to see any real difference in IQ then you are flat out wrong if you think you will perceive any real difference between photos taken at any sane ISO.
If you are referring to OVF then yes there is an advantage to OVF especially for burst mode and tracking but Sony will never come up with another OVF camera so your only option is to move.
This website compares cameras of different brands. Tell me how great a difference you can see between similar cameras at high ISOs. At normal zoom levels the differences will be even less.
http://www.dkamera.de/testbericht/sony-alpha-580/bildqualitaet.html
Have a look at this website and tell me how much difference you see. As I said one field test is hardly any experience than actually using the product. I hated the EVF of the A55 but since I didn’t want to swap systems I was forced to use it. Now I really like EVFs.
I just want a RAW+just-about-big-enough-for-IPAD-JPEG option so I can wifi the jpegs down to my iPad for the models to review. A wifi card in my A77 almost does the trick but it’s just too slow with 6000x4000px jpegs. Remote control/”viewfinder” would be nice too, but not as nice…
Usability improvements are much more important than minuscule quality improvements if you take a lot of photos.
The whole point of spending lots of money on camera is to make taking photographs easier – the very cheapest DSLR and kit lens is quite capable of taking technically perfect photos – it’s just harder work…
Oh, and on the flippy mirror thing – I actually wouldn’t mind having to take the lens off and flip by hand then use MF/CDAF
Does that contradict my last post?
Now tht’s the news i was waiting for. Please Sony losse that AA filter on these cameras.
Sony,Sony, Sony – cameras, cameras, cameras!
What about lenses?
I promise I will switch to Sony FF – the day it can replace my Nikon D800 based system! Camerawise Sony is there, but when it comes to lenses sony is nowhere. (there are a couple of overpriced, decent lenses, but not the right specs. With nikon you have a lens assortment on different price levels. Take the 1.8G series: decent prices, not heavy, not big and excellent performance.
Will Sony ever understand what they sell?
How many lenses do you need? Most of us beside professionals who do this for a living buy them used anyway. Any new lenses will be priced at astronomical levels anyway. The biggest gap I see is the lack of a 400mm F4 (well, tilt shift as well). The only one available is the minolta at 2400.00-2700.00 used. GFU. However, you know whatever Sony ends up releasing is going to just as expensive- probably even more so.
I look mostly at lenses for mirrorless, but I made an evaluation Sony/Nikon before I decided to buy the D800. I like the A99 a lot, but lenses with quality are rare. – And there are more very expensive Sony/Zeiss lenses than there are high quality Sony/Zeiss lenses.
Now we have the A7/R with a few, hopefully great, definitely expensive lenses. Sony talk about 15 lenses in total – but which lenses? Quality? Pricing? No I will not buy into Sony A7/R until I KNOW they have the lenses I need at the right price.
Just read rumors about Fuji ILC FF – for sure they will develop the right lenses at the right price as they did with the APS-C system.
Tom
Elswhere in this post you complain that we should not have a 36 mp sensor because lenses are not good enough.
Here you complain that we dont need any more lenses and they arevtoo expensive.
I enjoy debating facts but you clearly are not taking enough time to read the comments you respond to and think out your comments.
The fact that Sony lacks some cheap alternatives in their lens lineup doesn’t make the rest of it overpriced.
no mirrorless A mount FF body? so that won’t happen next year????
Could we finally see a flippable SLT mirror design?
I mean that the camera could function as a high speed focusing camera with the SLT mirror down, but with the drawback of loosing some light. And then another mode where you flip up the mirror and get full usage of all the light to the sensor, but with a little miore sluggish AF-performance.
Best of two worlds. Could absolutely be possible since the EVF is already there and works with or without the SLT mirror. Just a thought…
/Mats
Best response I’ve heard all day. Why not just let it flip up? Problem solved, best of both worlds.
I don’t think there is a problem to be solved. I am still waiting for that example of a situation where (for example) a D600 would work and an A99 won’t, because of the SLT.
Agreed
If slt will be used flip up is a good idea.
Sony actually does have a patent for a flip up slt mirror so it is possible we might see one.
I wouldn’t want to add complexity and cost to the excellent, reliable and simple SLT design! However, a simple button to flip up ( and down ) the mirror can be very useful when a fast AF is not needed ( slower AF would still be available with on-sensor CDAF and/or PDAF ). That situation happens a lot for me when shooting macros, landscapes, architecture, still nature, in which several times I don’t even use AF!
Flipping SLT, that would be a nice solution. For videos, let the mirror stay in place, and so for fast continuous high speed drive as well. For slow speed drive and single shots the mirror flips. No AA filter on the sensor, imagine the sharpness of the pics and the low light performance.
y even bother with SLT ?! SLT is dinosaur !
I don’t think dinosaur’s had fancy mirrors.
SLT might be a dinosaurs, but that would make traditional DSLR-mirrors primordial soup.
SLT is old, it’s new and can be made better with the use of ND filter as plus factor to the design.
Sony is barking up the wrong tree with SLT.
Mirrorless is the future.
If you invest in SLT products, just know that you will have a dead end upgrade path in the future.
Why? Because the mount will fall apart, when you remove the mirror?
Actually, the mount on MY camera will fall apart when Sony announces a mirrorless a-mount APS-C camera! Strange, but that’s how it works …
Not only clever, you are also funny. I like you.
Maybe that’s why Sony offers the best of both worlds: A99 and A7/7r. One has just to choose and live happily ( almost for ever after ) with it . Digital camera bodies have become a 2-4 year life spam commodity.
I wish they would hurry up and integrate Oly color (and IBIS). “Sony color” still leaves a lot to be desired, by comparison, even when shooting raw.
Not to discuss taste, however, for most Sony users IMHO, colors ( Minolta… ) are some of the major aspects for choosing Sony.
Nexer says – “Sony color” still leaves a lot to be desired, by comparison, even when shooting raw.
Lots of things leave a lot to be desired by comparison especially picture quality…and all because Sony concentrates on technology and leaves firmware in the background.
Technology is great but, come on Sony, get yourself some firmware writers who know about photography and what we require from our cameras. What’s the point of making great sensors and letting everyone else get the best out of them.
There are two SLT camera’s coming? I thought there was only one A-mount camera coming based on that Sony slideshow that showed an A-mount camera in between the A77 and A99.
In 5 years time I will check Sony’s offer again.
Maybe by then Nikon is out of business and Sony has a decent line-up of lenses and a good set of FF mirrorless cameras with good tracking, silent shutter and no translucent mirror in front of the sensor…
APS-C SLT? Dear Sony please stop this madness, just keep things simple – A-mount FF only, make *at most* two FF bodies for wedding/sport/landscape and done. Focus on lens pls.
I am getting into video this year. I am interested in the RX10 for its video specs. It looks like it has the specs I am looking for. What is everyone’s take on whether it will be a better video cam than any of the alphas (I have an a77 and a99) since it samples the whole sensor and does not do line skipping? Very interested in the 24-200mm power zoom lens. I do video for a high school with all of their choir, band, orchestra and drama productions. I have used an Panasonic 3 CCD camcorder in the past and have tried an RX100, Nex 6, a77 and Panasonic FZ200 lately.
I see many rich folks waiting desperately to upgrade their one-year-old A99… As a poor university student I can’t afford to upgrade my A850 in at least another two years.
‘As a poor university student I can’t afford to upgrade my A850 in at least another two years’
what do you expect from replacing the 850 with a new camera? improve YOUR skills and dont blame it on the tool 😛
LOLOL I was being sarcastic haha 😛
Look at it this way. You still have an amazing camera that’s now the envy of EVF owners. Well, at least some of them. A850/900 for the win.
I know. I love my camera 🙂
OSPDAF will take more light away. Those pixels used for AF take space and take the light.
What happen to the sports camera?
I went to PhotoPlus in NYC this past weekend as an A-Mount (a99) owner, I have to say, going into the Sony area, I felt not only overwhelmed by the E-Mount displays and showcases they had there but I was quite disappointed and concerned that the A-Mount would disappear within the 2-3 years. I left the PhotoPlus thinking the following: What’s to keep Sony from building a physically “larger” version of the A7R to accommodate the professional crowd? They did it with the A3000 so why wouldn’t they do that with say…an A9R?
The last time I was at PhotoPlus, it was back in 2011. Just 2 years ago, the Sony section showcased the A-Mount like it was their jewel and it represented 50% of their section (50% being that there are other things like camcorders, etc). For 2013, it was maybe 10-20%? It was kind of sad. In fact, they had the new Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 v2 there and guess what was attached to it? The Sony A7R with the new LA-EA4 adapter. They had 2 showcase tables for their camera lineup – one for the A7 and A7R and the other was for their “NEX” cameras. Keep in mind, the “NEX” cameras are being phased out. So for Sony to have a showcase table dedicated to the NEX cameras while the A-Mount cameras (maybe just 3 or 4 of them) pushed to a corner was quite depressing for me.
Another thing that keeps echoing in my mind is how Olympus just 12 months ago said they’d fully support the 4/3rds and M43 mounts. Now, they’ve phased the 4/3rds mount in favor of the Micro 4/3rds. It goes to tell you that it doesn’t make sense for a company to support two separate mount systems when one (being that the E-mount) can do everything the A-mount can and more – not the other way around.
So granted, Sony may be announcing new a-mount products next year, but seriously…how long after that before Sony realizes that the big money maker at this point is the E-Mount products. I think the A7 and A7R pretty much broke the glass ceiling in giving mirrorless technology the exposure it needed to attract all types of consumers. I honestly dont see why Sony should invest anymore in the A-Mount. On a business and technology standpoint, it just doesn’t add up.
You are incorrect that e mount can do everything A mount can. First off focus tracking is crazy on E mount cameras. Second sony seems to least bothered to put ibis on its e mount cameras so lenses like the 70-200 are hardly useful without af.
Lastly the complete lack of 1.4 prime lenses or f2.8 zooms shows that A mount will retain fast lenses while e mount will get sharp lenses but not too fast to ensure the size isn’t a problem
Well, the point I was trying to make is, it would not be difficult for Sony to release 1.4 prime lenses or 2.8 zooms. It really wouldn’t be. I understand this involves larger lenses but if they were to increase the size of the next iteration of FF E-mount cameras comparable to that of the A99, then I do not see why they wouldn’t release those types of lenses. Also, stabilization in-body versus in-lens is not as good. Granted, the huge pro of having IBIS is that you can connect legacy lenses to your body and the lens would be stabilized. But that doesn’t mean anything considering the A-mount can’t really take legacy lenses like the E-Mounts can. Also, it wouldn’t be that difficult for Sony to build IBIS into it’s e-mount line if they wanted to. If you think about it, some of the frustrations you mention about the e-mount is purely due to Sony being well aware that if they were to put those a-mount features on the e-mount, the e-mount would completely cannibalize the a-mount. With that said, it’s inevitablethat the e-mount will surpass the a-mount as the preferred systemfor the long-run. I wouldn’t be surprised in 2 years when I’m back at Photoplus, there will be no a-mount cameras up for display.
I would only expect them to show the latest and greatest at photoplus. of course the a7(r) stole the show. however, I think ultimately you’re right – but it will take time. still no signs of a-mount dying. I will start worrying when fast zooms and 1.4 primes for e-mount gets released.
You should not be too sure that mirror less or tiny light cameras will be the way that upper photography goes. We are not talking cybershots here but systems that need to be adaptable to all kinds of photography. So far E mount has shown all the flaws in it’s basic design, flaws that are built into the design. Flaws that are not there in A mount, or DSLR. Keep stacking up the limitations and it will become just a limited system pushed to the side by something like A mount that can cover far more of photography and do it well.
I see no reason why either mirrorless will ever move out of it’s current position. And it’s been faltering in sales as well, so it may be the first to go. Along with E mount that instead of still photography and image quality places it’s core design limitations on video and tiny cameras. Just look at the backlash that occurs with any tiny increase in size. And this in a system that’s already limited in lens choice by lens size.
Great news. Waiting for right set of features to come on FF A-mount. In the meantime, where the heck is the A77 firmware update? Sony = great tech / innovation but not so great support. A company can have the very best item but that can all be for naught without great customer service and support.
Sony released 3 firmware updates for the A77. That’s a lot for any camera manufacturer and while1.05 improved performance the two subsequent versions only updated the list of supported lenses.
So I will bet money Sony won’t release any more updates in future. If you need better iq you need to buy another camera.
Compare it to Canon’s support of 7D and Fuji support of X-Pro1 and even lower level cameras. Different league!
Even Olympus released 7 (seven!) updates for E-M5 in the first 14 months after release. The last one is not interesting though.
The 7D is just a one off case. Name any other Nikon or Canon camera to have received performance improvements via a firmware update.
The Fuji Xpro 1 did receive many useful features via updates but do remember that Fuji released what was essentially a Beta product at a high price into the market.
Same with the Fuji X100 where they relied on people using and testing their products so they could work on fixes and enhacements.
Coming back to Sony 3 of the 4 cameras I used had firmware updates with added features.
My A55 received a firmware update which added a few features like ability to change functionality to certain buttons and my A37 received a performance update though Sony did not call it such even though the IQ and speed improved noticeably.
The A700 famously received 4 updates which improved the performance.
Besides the 7D I can’t recall too many entry level cameras receiving performance updates via firmware.
I think if you want a full frame camera with a selection of fast glass, Sony has to keep the a mount around, I still think they could make an A99 smaller yet not as small as an A7 and that’s OK. There is no way IMHO to use fast glass on an A7. It kills the whole benefit of a small body.
Who wants to use adaptors on an A7 to use A mount lenses? Total joke and especially with the 36MP A7r. Any FF 36mp camera will be almost impossible to get GREAT results if one has to use some adaptor, and that statesmen also is true with the new A7r and using the best adaptor Novoflex for M lenses. I think people are dreaming. Different story though with 24MP FF A7. Yet fast glass means much larger lenses again killing the small size. Sony please keep the A mount. Though this is déjà vu all over again with the 4/3 m4/3 camp. 4/3 is dead. To bad the Pro grade Olympus glass was top notch.
I think A mount will be around for a while. Sony has yet to launch a f1.4 lens mmostly to reduce the size and now they have a f4 cZ lens already so a f2.8 lens seems unlikely anytime soon.
4/3 was a different case as it was a mostly Dead system. A mount still has many users and adapters is hardly going to sway users to switch to E mount if they stop A mount anytime soon.
It would be great if they brought out FF A-mount camera without SLT..
Non slt will take time. The future of A mount is mirror less. However I suppose on sensor pdaf sensors aren’t good enough to replace conventional pdaf just yet which is why Sony is continuing with slt.
Brendon,
I agree with you will never see a 2.8 FE. Zoom, actually we may one day but It will be for a full size body, not an A7 body.
Sony would not even release a FE f2 35mm, to big.
Yeah 4/3 was dead a while ago but here’s the rub, Olympus was publicly saying not to worry we have a new 4/3 body in the works.
Well we know what actually happened an adaptor instead and I am sure they are no longer manufacturing 4/3 glass anymore.
A new SLT 36MP camera I have very little interest in. Actually 36MP FF has very little interest to me. I shot a D800/e for a while, and although the IQ. Was excellent, the rub again was the lenses and the exacting technique I had to use to get the most out of it. Sine I already own a 33MP medium format system, I felt I might as well stick with that, it takes me just as long to setup my MFD setup as it did my D800/e
I guess I will stick with my A99 for my DSLR system. I would have preferred an incremental upgrade to the A99, still 24MP, but improved AF focus area, bigger raw buffer, etc. actually I was hoping for a A99 pro body. 24MP, built in battery grip alba Nikon D4. My A99 with the optional battery grip is a beast, to big IMHO.
quote “…..I guess I will stick with my A99 for my DSLR system. I would have preferred an incremental upgrade to the A99, still 24MP, but improved AF focus area, bigger raw buffer, etc. actually I was hoping for a A99 pro body. 24MP, built in battery grip alba Nikon D4. My A99 with the optional battery grip is a beast, to big IMHO.”
I am with you 100% on that. Thats exactly what I want to see when I am ready to upgrade in a couple more years. Here’s hoping…
Time to kill the stupid SLT and work on PROPER OSPDAF damn it.
If OSPDAF was good Sony would have used it but its obvious its not that great right now so SLT will have to stay for at least another year.
Those complaining of the IQ loss due to the SLT mirror are kidding themselves as its marginal at best and barely noticeable upto ISO 1600.
And until the release of the new model Sony has had more than two years time to improve the little weaknesses of the SLT concept.
Anybody here knows about the possibility and performance of using the upcoming FE lens mount on the E-mount NEX cameras.
There is no physical difference between E mount and FE mount. For all intents and purposes they are one and the same mount so you can use APS-C lenses on FE mount and you can use FE mount lenses on E mount.
What about lenses??????????????????????????????????
What, is sony going to call this the aplhex line now? LOL,. What a joke Sony is. always trying to make stupid wlakman gimmicks for the camera business.
Thanks Andrea – any news on price? Is the new ff likely to be a replacement for the a99 or are they going to keep both bodies in the lineup?
Well thats a shame …………That means the Hybrid will be delayed as it needs a STL Less mirror box to reposition the sensor ……Lame .
Pity about the SLT.
As a low light guy, interested in ~f/1.4 lenses with IBIS (and hence A mount), I would rather have accurate hybrid AF on the sensor and no light lost in the mirror.
SLT , is probably a AF Speed issue. (PDAF on sensor Maybe not fast enough for PRO use … yet)
Totally “For” a FAST 36mp A-Mount SLT PRO ! FAST 36mp has not been done yet.
SONY “NEEDS” to show, it can produce a Sports PRO FAST A-Mount.
Say with Dual Processors. and FAST new tech SD dual card slots. USB3
Having a CROP mode to “See” around the Crop on a Sports shoot (and it still be 15mp). Have Zebra. Make ALL your long lens even longer .. It is incredibly Valuable for a PRO.
Then ADD CAF , First Single AF speed, -3EV AF (low light AF speed) .. that is a useful tool.
Also note: A-Mount will already be “Easier” to shoot 36mp vs the D800 because of IBIS and On Sensor AF Accuracy. And f1.4 lens Focus Peaking (on Full View and zoomed view in DMF) is HUGE.
imho, it will be the easiest 36mp to Handhold and shoot with.
SONY has something to Contribute here at 36mp A-Mount ! … tack sharp images that are easier to get , “more” of the time. That has Value. Something the competition will have a hard time matching. This is the crack in the door for SONY on the PRO side.
fyi: 36mp on a fast and simple Lightroom Export size down to what you need to output “at” (with LR output sharpening selected) will make ANY lens you shoot with look better. at say 24mp vs 24mp. but take it lower to what you will use it at and it will look great. it’s all in the Details and DR at 14-bit. any PRO D800/e shooter knows this. reason why there is so many PROs that shoot with one. and why it tops DXO. The RAWS are crazy good. and so will SONY’s 36mp sensor , that is newer.
Now, will that same lens “look” worst at 100% at 36mp ? , probably. because it will expose lens weaknesses. But when you have a Great Lens it’s Magical. even at 100%.
Like a good teacher , it rewards you when you did it right. And that’s the Money Shot. 🙂
Drop the SLT – been there done that – didn’t really like the A77 because of “noise”. I have the A99 and A580 but I really want my second body to be a good APS-C mirrorless A mount with fast AF and even better than any of the above for noise control. I nearly jumped ship this year to Nikon and only the promise of better goodies coming soon stopped me.
Better be a a58 successor. a3000 is crap as a beginner and is E mount $$sive.