One trusted source who shared correct info in the past just told me that he got a “note” saying the Sony A99 will be discontinued this summer. He will send me more info soon about a possible successor launch. Thanks “source” for sharing the info. Hope to get some news from you soon 🙂
Meantime Full Frame becomes cheaper: [shoplink 26856 ebay]Open Box A7 for $1298 (Samys)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 26857 ebay]A7r for $1900 (6ave)[/shoplink]. Hope Sony will offer a “cheap” FF A-mount soon too!
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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!
0 Responses
Evidence A-mount is DEAD. Another nail in the A-mount coffin as confirmation.
By replacing models with updated models… yeah ok that makes sense 😉
Haven’t heard of an update for the A99 tho.
Edit: oh wait I see an A99II rumor from about two weeks ago. Okay.
This is what Sony does. They discontinue a product and then release the replacement a year later 😉
Not a year..roughly half year only
Not a problem, if your’s break, at the speed they sell, you can still buy them 3 years after they are discontinued.
Yeah, they send stuff out of production months before a replacement hits store shelves but how often has the inventory of the old model been cleaned out before the new model comes out leaving a gap in the line-up?
Havent heard of discontinue tho
Evidence AnimalsFakesBarry’s are BORING.
Yep. It’s going to be a long summer with the kiddies out of grade school.
Is anyone else getting tired with “animalsbybarry” and the
“animals[put verb in here]bybarry” rants? Sometimes it’s funny but most of the time it is getting tedious.
And no I am not “if you don’t like it don’t come here”. I come here for info about Sony cameras & to discuss technology.
Barry – the real Barry – is harmless and sincere. Do I get tired of his ‘Barry sensor’ obsession? Yep and I’ve told him as much. But he does some interesting contributions like giving me some advice on shooting with long lenses.
I feel like I’m back in elementary school. You’ve got that awkward kid in class it’s ‘cool’ for all the bullies to pick on. In SAR’s ‘classroom’ it’s easy for the juveniles to create sock puppet accounts on the fly to create tiresome swarms of grade school humor. They’re bullies who once they get tired of driving Barry off of SAR will pick another target. Then another.
On the internet we call them “trolls.” They go away if you stop feeding them. You and Barry seem to have pockets filled with troll food though.
Having dealt with these sorts going back to the pre-Internet FidoNet forum era I’ve seen a zillion MdBs et al. He’s taken a step beyond being your run-of-the-mill troll just posting some outrageous stuff to feed a thread. He’s upped his game to trying to drive people off of SAR.
The latest A99 price at my retailers store is 1.899€, which I personally consider as being cheap.
Sony should just label the current A99 as A88 and continue selling it around the D610 and 6D price.
Bring some advanced features and higher resolution into the Mark II
Comparison to Nikon D610 and the Canon 6D (mid level cams) is fair. They should stop labeling the A99 as “pro” (earlier they did say it was a mid level cam). Price point to match the Canon/Nikon equivalents would be the smart thing to sell these cams. 🙂
When they supply a Mk II version of the 36MP sensor to Nikon their new cam even if it sports the same sensor should be priced on par to the new Nikon cam or a bit less to be competitive.
And the cheapest UK price is “drum roll” £1749. As usual the UK is more expensive than everywhere else. Damn
I’d be very surprised if they didn’t do something very similar to that. If Barry is to be believed regarding stacked sensors, it doesn’t make sense for Sony to release an updated flagship this year with a 36mp sensor and then an even better model with the stacked sensor next year. My guess is that they’ll release an A88 either with the A99’s current sensor or with the 36mp sensor and then an A99 next year when the stacked sensor debuts. If this is the case, it makes sense for the A99 to be disco’ed. In order to have the A88 stay congruent with the lineup, they’ll disco the A99, make an A88 that’s better than the current A99, and then release a new A99II next year with the stacked sensor. That’s my prediction.
Positive stuff!…Better start warming up the bank account!!
Awesome news that mean sony will lunch new a mount cameras at photokina
Hope the lunch an update to the 135 1.8 and i will be a happy so happy !
According to Admin, they may announce prior to Photokina. All the better!
Had a feeling they might announce something at Photokina. Nikon will most probably have d800s, d400 successor (d9300?) and Canon will most probably have new cameras. So it makes sense that Sony will either announce or display new professional cameras.
Looking forward to more info. Thanks Andrea.
OOps meant d300 successor.
Yep, Nikon will have a d800/d800E replacement out this summer: http://nikonrumors.com/2014/05/20/rumors-nikon-d800d800e-replacement-coming-in-june.aspx/. Spec-wise, I possibly see some opportunities for a Sony a99II to trump it.
Canon is coming out with a ‘flagship’ ASP-C: http://www.canonwatch.com/next-canon-aps-c-flagship-will-come-photokina-prototypes-tested-2014-fifa-world-cup/. It’s being tested at the FIFA World Cup so you know they’re sweating AF/FPS. It’s also rumored to really be upgrading the video with more ‘pro’ features. This puts an exclamation mark behind Sony’s need to get the a77II right. Was it enough (you already know my opinion)?
Sony has opportunities to compete against Canikon in DSLRs but parity is not an option. That’s not just bodies either. It’s the entire system.
The 7d successor has been rumored for well over 2 years. It was supposedly making an appearance at the Olympics ..in London.
If you go to the link the Canon Rumor site is a bit skeptical as well. However, I’m suspecting it’s time for Canon to get off the pot. If I’m wrong, the a77II has only has to worry about the Nikon 72000 that’s rumored to be arriving this summer as well. It’s more credible as I can see them ‘upgrading’ to Sony’s new APS-C 24MP sensor. It’ll be interesting to see if Nikon can wring better performance out of it than Sony.
So is this good news or bad news for current A99 owners? Certainly there will be soon some new model follow up announced, but what does it mean for a pro housing that’s barely 2 years out? Is it because the current A99 has quality flaws that need to be addressed this soon?
I’m thinking over this because I had to send in my A99 to service as the front and rear wheels are not rotating too well after just 3000 pictures. They were full of friction soon from the start and it got worse, not better, so I try to have it serviced. Let’s wait for the outcome.
I’ve taken well over 20,000 and no issues with my a99. Maybe yours were over tightened.
guess youre quite lucky then…I have the same issue and I seen a lot of people complaining about the wheels getting stuck-ery
Interesting, I’ll stay vigilant about that.
It’s because the A99 uses a 24mp sensor and they have access to 36mp sensors now. The A99 as it stands is a great camera, but sensor tech has really improved over the last two years. I’d be surprised if this one came out before the stacked sensor is released though. If anything, I think you’ll see an A88 with similar features to the A99 released sometime this year and then an A99 released with stacked sensors. That’s if you believe Barry’s info regarding stacked sensors. It’s an exciting time to be alive.
is this like the LOOOONG more than a year rumor about the a77 succesor
should we expect a LOOOONG year of a99 succesors rumors month after month
Most likely
The first delay announcement will be in several weeks. Keep watching SAR for more delay info.
The a99 which is a great camera, better be discontinued soon and replaced with a 36mp model and a77 II improvements.
I have just tried out an a77 II today. That thing is smooth. Everything is working so smoothly on that camera that is a joy to use. The af points are finally wide enough and they auto select very fast, faster than on the a7’s. autofocus is super fast. The view finder is hardly discernible from an OVF. It is significantly better than the one on the a99 and a7.
Piece of cake.
No. The A77 II is not an upgrade… according to just about everyone here 😉
Better AF than an a7? Wow! The a77 couldn’t do that! ;^)
Oh… thanks for inviting the Barry-bashing sock puppets. Always welcome. ;^)
Let’s see how the a77II sells. Proof’s in the pudding, eh? With Canon rumored to be coming out with a new ‘flagship’ APS-C the a77II better be as good as a drooling Sony fanboy such as yourself believes. ;^)
Uhm, he compared to the A99 dingus.
As for the 7D MkII, do you mean the one that has been rumoured for 3+ years now and still hasn’t materialised? The one that is going to be over $2000 if it does ever surface? That 7D MkII?
Yeah don’t think the A77 II has much to worry about there, it’s natural competitor is the 70D and D7100, I think it’s easily better than both, but complainers gonna complain… Especially you.
Grass is greener Earl, go chase some green grass. I have, it’s really not.
“Dingus”? Really? You and “mate” MdB and the sock puppet clan should all get together for a photo outing. ;^)
Did that even make sense? I am MdB, only name I use thanks. It’s always the same with you two, every time their is a credible argument you turn it in to ‘us vs them’ mentality. Yes I think you are both f’n morons with the same nonsense every thread and wonder why you get picked on. You make big claims and then have NOTHING When others prove you wrong. Honestly would have a little cheer if either of you got hit by a bus.
Love, your favourite sock puppet.
You’re not my favorite sock puppet, mate. Sorry. Not sure I have one. ;^)
Oh please.. put a sock in it, both of you. Sigh…
Well we ask for answers to bullshit claims and all we get it more bullshit from these two turds. Barry is giving Earl the ‘reach around’ right now, that’s why we aren’t getting great info about the stacked sensors right now.
The bullies keep coming out of the woodwork.
Well answer the damn questions Earl, stop crying ‘bullies bullies everywhere with their sock puppets’ every time someone claims counter to what you and Barry say. Stand up for yourself and you ridiculous claims!
Dude, come clean on what’s really going on here.
Your fake name(s) Animalsxxxxxxx tried to get me the join your bully fan club when I stood up to the antics they’re pulling on Barry. Unable to get me to join the group like some school grade everyone pick on that guy routine, naturally they and, of course, yourself start sniffing up my rear.
You looked me up on Google and mistook me for “Gary Braswell” then donned his name. You show up on comment threads trashing Barry then minutes later the sock puppet fake Animalxxxxxx accounts show up to join in. You’ve been attacking me under various different names which, hilariously, keep rolling back and forth between MdB and some other names. Seriously, this is grade school stuff playground pre-teen bullies pull.
You’re not interested in discussion but personal attacks and driving whoever isn’t fond of your juvenility off of SAR.
They need to attack you too now because we ate both standing up to them. Wear it as a badge of honor Earl.
I for one am proud of you.
We are just the first ..others will join us becaise its the right thing to do.
Its too late to stand up to the child bullies of long ago but not to late to stand up to these guys.
did you directly compare with the A99 EVF? I’m asking cause from the Sony quotes, the A99 EVF should still be the best EVF in the Sony line up.
The main improvements come from the new processor and a new optical design (similar to that in the rx10 and a6000). Now: contrasts has been increased and colour accuracy is much better (highlights do not blow out when they are not supposed to). This results in a clearer, brighter (slightly) image with little to no lag.
How this performs in the dark? I cannot say…
I saw the RX10 viewfinder and it is definitely worse than the A99 EVF in every respect like color, viewing angle and contrast. I can’t imagine that this viewer design could be any good for improvement on the A99 EVF…
Imagine the old a77 EVF; now add the improvements. The a99 EVF was surprisingly similar to my a77 when I tried it. As I said: the new a77ii it has a new optical design, and new processing behind it.
This dosnt mean it has been downgraded to the 1.4mil VF from the a6000/rx10. It will look more like the one from the a7(r/s) (which I believe is an improved a99 EVF). I have seen these, and they are better.
And yes, the new a99 will be better than this. So don’t worry. I’d be surprised if sony couldn’t improve on a 2 year old design!
I was at Sony showroom in Ginza, Tokyo. I had the a77 II next to the a99 and a bunch of a7 and r. the a77 II view finder was the best. it almost looks as an OVF with no lag no tearing. I would go as far to say that the over all experience of this EVF is better than an OVF ( i normally use an a900). the image is very smooth, especially in the white and the blacks, without that digital TV feel that the a99 and a7 still have. when you shoot at 12 fps there is almost not stutter at all. I cannot tell how it performs in the dark because the showroom was very bright. Once you pick the camera up, you realize that as a whole, it has several tangible improvements from the old one.
Two words that sums it up: smooth and fast.
One shouldn’t hope that Sony recycles the AF module from the a77-2. Sony did that with the a77 and it resulted in coverage on the a99 that is 1/9 of the frame. The AF coverage is probably the worst aspect of the a99.
all FF dslr’s suffer from this problem, having apsc AF systems.
The coverage is less than the 5d3. Also, the two side groups of point can sometimes be unusable in moderately low light. It would also be nice if there could be a non continuous version of AF-D that used the dual system for improved speed/accuracy.
Yeah but the coverage wasn’t great on the A77 either, at least the A77 II covers a much larger portion of the frame, so should be more useful on full frame.
Before trying it out I was disappointed that the a77 II did not have the same AF of the a7. But once you have it on your hands and start pointing and framing it feels satisfactory. Yet if it reached a little more toward the borders of the frame it would have been welcome. The AF on the a77 feels a tad faster than the a7, especially on picking up focus points.
Hey Barry, what about the stacked 54 MP sensor? 😛
That’s actually good news. It’s the strongest indicator so far of a new “Flag Ship” A-Mount.
Make room for A99IIR and A99IIS
I’m confident we’ll see a 36MP ‘a99II’ a7R equivalent. I’m thinking, as Admin hinted at earlier, Sony will wrap a couple of the better features of the a7 and a7S into it as well. Likely improved AF/FPS and 4k. So my expectation is the a99II will be more well-rounded than the a7xs.
I’m skeptical of an a99S 12MP low light monster. I suspect the a7S to be a modest niche seller. But, hey, hope I’m wrong. The more the merrier! A ‘budget’ (relative term with FFs) a88 might be a real possibility too. It’d be a buffed a99 akin to the minor (IMHO) spit and polish Sony applied to the a77II over the fine a77.
Good set of predictions. It makes sense to me.
In a way, I hope the a99II is rubbish because I fear the prospect of spending the likely $2,800-$3,000 it’ll cost out of the gate. I’ll keep telling myself, “It’s only a hobby… it’s only a hobby.. it’s only a hobby!” ;^)
Seriously, it’s tough. I like the versatility and price/performance of my a65 so the a77II is a logical choice. The 1.5x ‘crop’ factor works very well for my growing interest in nature photography. OTOH, the a7R IQ takes my breath away so the prospect of an a99II sharing that stunning sensor tech sends a real thrill up my leg. I could always keep my a65 as a nature back-up if I find a FF disappointing for nature photography (I’ve heard mixed advice from ‘pros’ on this).
The mediocrity (IMHO) of the a77II upgrade is getting me leaning towards the a99II. I certainly have the money for one it’s just getting over the mental hurdle of spending it. My non-photog friends are going to think I’ve gone bonkers. ;^)
Oh yes, I forgot you are the resident A65 advocate, sorry you have been lumped with such a dunce.
Geez, it’s deja vu all over again with a conversation I’ve had with MdB and the Barry-bashing sock puppet ‘comedians.’ Geez, never saw that coming, mate.
Like MdB and the collective hive of sock puppets, you MENSAs have discerned my interest in upgrading from an a65 translates into me being a drooling a65 fanboy. Brilliant, mate. LOL.
Hahaha, oh poor Earl, always ‘talking’ about upgrading from your el-cheapo and never actually doing it. Make lots of bold statements about how things aren’t good enough, really just trying to justify why you probably ‘can’t’ upgrade what you’ve got.
You and MdB (do your sock puppets buddies have credit cards?) buy a couple of a77IIs to make it up, mate. If you buy 2 a77IIs Sony will give you a free “I’m a drooling Sony fanboy” t-shirt. You’ll look like a real pro shooting pictures of your cat. ;^)
Earl
I just want you to know that I am proud of you for standing up to these bullies…you generously call them sock puppets….
I think the best thing we can do to fight them is to support thier victims.
You fully have my support and I sincerly hope others will join us.
Let me get this straight: you’re both attacking his age and his ability to afford the level of camera you own? Huh… out of curiosity, do you go about town poking the homeless in the eye for the same reason? Or is that too flagrant for your taste?
Thank you for taking a stand against bullying and personal attacks.
I hope you will continue to do so and that others will join us.
If I had 8 thumbs they would all be pointing up.
You are a cowardly bully attacking Earl now just to get your jollies off.
Any ridiculous argument you have about me deserving your abuse goes out the window here unless you want to claim Earl deserves it too .
You are an evil bully.
I am proud of Earl for standing up to you and I fully support him.
There are now 4 of us that will stand up against your kind and we support each others backs.
There will be more of us.
Ugh.
Similar situation for me, only it’s the increased dof for macro. The half-press ibis is another box ticked, as is improved iso 800+ performance and AF coverage. It’s an incremental upgrade, rather than a revolution, but it’s definitely enough of an upgrade for me… I was seriously tempted by an a7 for street/travel but I won’t go there until I can have some oss primes or ibis and ideally an easier way of switching af point.
If Sony released a 36mp A mount camera 2 years agoI would have bought it.
I cannot now afford 2 new cameras so I am unlikely to buy a A99IIR no matter how good it is …instead I will wait for the next generation.
It will also probably be too late to use it this season anyway.
Honest question, do you believe they’ll release an A99II with the 36mp sensor when they have new stacked sensors coming on the horizon? I’d be very surprised if they aren’t disco’ing the A99 so that they can slot in an A88 with the 36mp sensor and an A77esque FF with the 24mp sensor as place holders before the new tech is released. Once the stacked sensors are viable, we’ll see an A99II with the Stacked Sensor. What do you think?
Yes I do because they already have the sensor and this will be the last chance to generate sales from it before it becomes obsolete.
You don’t think they’ll release it in a new model and save the A99 Designator for the upcoming stacked sensor? It seems like a waste to put the 36mp sensor in their flagship camera only to replace their flagship with the new sensors in less than a year doesn’t it?
I think they will release a99IIR and use a new name for the stacked sensor.
I can empathize. I realize a lot of photo nerds and pros churn bodies all the time and often have a collection in their house but I really would like to stick to a single general purpose body. As a hobbyist, I only shoot when I have some precious spare time, weather permitting. Staying familiar with one body and getting skilled at using it well (relative term to my modest skills) is my focus for now.
Nikon is struggling with their Nikon 1 system and there’s a flood of ‘refurbished’ J1s on eBay for $199 in a 2 lens kits. The price is so unbelievably dirt cheap I almost bought it on a lark last night but, really, it’d just end up a dusty toy in my closet after an outing or two so what’s the point?
As I said I can only afford one naw camers unless it were really cheap butt even if I could afford two I would probably not buy another bayer now this close to its obsolescence.
You only live once Earl, If you really want it buy it. And full frame works great for nature photography.
Thanks for the feedback. I’d really like an a99II.
Your sentiments we only live once are one myself and my ‘significant other’ have been expressing in recent years. Her and I are planning a cruise to the Panama Canal this fall so taking a new a99II on it would be sweet. Ironically, my a65 was less than a year old when we took our last cruise to Alaska. That worked out well. ;^)
It would, wouldn’t it?
Yes, the 36MP sensor totally does 4K, that’s not why they designed a completely new sensor for it, they just sorta felt like it.
Sooner or later Sony is going to have to stop choking on 4k if they’re serious about the ending the flood of red ink on their balance sheets. Personally, I could care less about 4k so I didn’t bring it up as some fanboy wish-list item.
Oh but you did, it’s right there genius. Choking on 4K? What ARE you smoking you geriatric?
You have a problem with age MdB (aka JonathonSwift, Nagger, Animalsxxxxxxx,, GaryBraswell, etc.)? You sound like a school kid. ;^)
We know for a fact Sony has been trying do 4k in Alphas going back until at least the original a7x development. The best they’ve come up with is an expensive a7S + Atomos Shogun (or whatever) combination in the Alpha line. They’re running into overheating issues they need to overcome.
Yeah, that’s a choke, IMHO. Sony needs to mainstream 4k content creation to help jumpstart their hopes in reviving their failing TV business. The a99II flagship would be a good start but, hey, you may be right. The Nikon D800/D800E replacement which likely would share any a99II 36MP sensor tech, isn’t rumored to be going 4k so maybe it’s still a pipe dream.
Like I said, I pretty much have no interest in 4k except as a future-proofing feature. It’s one I’d probably rarely use so I’m not wish-listing the feature.
This is a personal attack of the sort a bully would make.
Even if you care to argue that I deserve it Earl certainly does not.
Yes after many attacks from Earl and completely ignoring any actual discussion I don’t much feel like being nice to either of you. As I say you are both ‘bullies’ (your word not mine) who force your opinions and then attack anyone who disagrees with you. Look in the mirror, both of you!
I just edited my response to your earier comment to make my explaination a little more clear.
Please reread the the first section as I believe I have improved it a little and it will also serve as an answer to this comment.
I suspect we may have a fundamental differrence of understanding what is and is not a personal attack and clearing that up may help a lot.
Personal attacks constitute bullying. Disagreement and debating do not.
I’ll bet the A99 will be replaced with an A88 with the 36mp sensor and then the A99II will be released next year when stacked sensors come out. They’ll disco the A99 in order to not mess up the lineup, release an A88 with pro features and a 36mp sensor as a stand in, as well as possibly a FF A77-level variant for prosumers with the 24mp sensor, and then next year they’ll release the A99II with pro features and a Stacked sensor design. Ideally, at some point they’ll synchronize their release schedules so that they don’t run into the issue of having some middle of the pack cameras being released with better specs than the flagship due to newer sensor technology.
That’s my prediction, as, if you believe Barry in regards to the stacked sensor (and I for one do) it doesn’t make sense for them to release a new flagship model only to have it superceded in less than a year by the new sensor tech. If anything I think they’ll slot their current sensors in between the A77 and A99, creating two new FF A mounts as stand ins for the new flagship.
By the time an a99-2R is released, the 36mp sensor will be a bit tired. Hopefully it will be the stacked sensor for the R version.
An a99S makes a lot of sense since Sony cannot claim that it cannot do 4k internally. The FZ mount ( with screw- in a-mount adapter) on such a model would be grand ( as shown at NAB 2013).
Hope so, producing variants of the same body is smart business for Sony, better for consumers so that most needs are served through variety and it educates consumers as to what trade offs are necessary for certain features.
Best news ever, my money is ready and will purchase it on day one.
my ~4000euro just goes for loan payment. probably will fund on 2015 for a FF, hopefully
I hope they get the timing right this time and have enough stock, so that supply doesn’t run out until the successor is available.
They did this with the a900 and a850 too, and there were many months before the a99 appeared, where I’d have been stuck unable to get a replacement if my camera had died.
If they get it wrong again and if I earned a living from my camera, this would seriously dent my confidence in Sony supplying a reliable ‘system’
Andrea, if FF hybrid mount, that body will look like ILCE or Amount?
So assuming that the A99 used the 24MP sensor because they had no improved AF module to launch yet and therefore had to rely on that Dual AF system, now they have a better AF module with a more useful point spread for adapting to FF we will hopefully see a non-gimped A99 II with 36MP sensor and no on sensor AF which will improve low light while improving resolution. Should see it scoring in the 2300-2500 range, which is good enough for me.
Also improved AF (great!) with better spread, plus VF IBIS as on A77 II, plus buffer improvements the A99 II would be a stellar camera. Hell if they can get any ISO improvement out of the ‘refreshed’ 36MP that Nikon rumours are claiming it will be phenomenally good.
Makes sense…. 2 years is a decent life span for the a99, and as it is designed for consumers as well as professionals, some of the technology is getting a little stale compared to the a7 series and the new a77ii. If all those cameras have wifi, surely the flagship camera should have it. And certainly the flagship full frame should have an AF module at least as good as the a77ii.
need to very careful with the character of “p”, with one mistake, it possible turn into ‘flagshit” LoL. hopefully sony produce Power Ranger which consists all good stuff from A7/A7R/A7S
Hey ! You stole my idea of having all A7 series in one DSLR body :/
Now that’s mean
I remmeber that you called me greedy too for this idea :/
nope, i brings your idea here. you know i wont like to own a dslr+lens+flash which are heavy and bulky to me :p
Funny? no. Stupid? yes.
Two features Sony could ad to the A99II would be wireless transfer of raw files and wireless flash control.
Any news on EFCS and AA filter? Given the money ploughed into the a77ii af module, I’m guessing that’s going to be ported over.
Let’s hope not… All AF points will be again in the centre.
Not nearly as badly as before. A77 II are much wider spread, which should serve A99 reasonably well.
Nowhere near wide enough.
This is Canon’s FF PDAF:
http://www.canonwatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/af.png
APS-C AF on a FF body will never be this wide.
Well the A99 had an AA filter as it has PDAF on sensor (the only way Sony make it work supposedly). Which woukd have been a big part of why the 24MP sensor was used. Also not sure the current 36MP can do EFCS, that’s why it isn’t used currently in any models that use the sensor, probably not fast enough read out (and why it won’t have 4K despite many people’s beliefs that it is just a firmware update away).
OPEN LETTER TO ADMIN
In America we have a huge problem with victims of bullies taking thier lives or going on mass shooting sprees.
Many millions more suffer in silence …thier scars are inside where we dont have to see them.
Most people here try to ignore the bullies for lack of caring or more likely for fear of becoming thier next victim
I am sure you are aware of the massive amount of bullying going on here.
Hendrick had to change his screen name.
Earl Fargus is speaking up now amd is therefore becoming bullied as we speak.
Many others have left SAR ranks and we have forgotton who they are
And still more are currently being bullied by the same people.
I admit to standing out from the croud and that is exactly what bullies look for. But being bullied is not my fault or the fault of any victim…and these are the same bullies who are turturing thier schoolmates or coworkers.
You do a wonderfull. Job here a on SAR but an unpleasant and risky responsibility is to take some sort of stand on this issue.
Some sites post a code of conduct, some edit all comments, some sit back and do nothing to interfere.
These cyberbullies and the responses to then are filling a large part of your bandwith.
To this day I wonder about standing up to bullies many years ago in school. I cant go back but I will stand up to them now.
I sincerly hope you do not edit this admittedly controversial letter but instead respond to it.
Thank you
Barry.
+1. People need to respect the views of others. By all means disagree with each other, but act like adults. Fortunately we’re only talking about a minority of people here and there can be some great discussions in the comments section. The person I really feel for is Andrea – all credit to him for keeping the site going.
Bottom line, think before you post.
Barry,
While I agree with you, the trolling is getting a bit out of hand, I have to admit that I believe posts like this only serve to feed the trolls. This isn’t real life, you can’t make a stand against internet trolls and have them back down. It simply doesn’t happen. They aren’t afraid of you, and anonymity prevents them from being shamed for their actions. The more you react, the more entertaining it is for them. If you stop feeding them though, they’ll go away. That’s internet 101 Barry. Don’t feed the trolls…don’t respond to them, don’t pay attention to them, just ignore them. The more indignant you get, the more they know they’re getting under your skin and the more fun it is for them. These guys only have the power that you give them, and when you constantly comment back, it just feeds their enjoyment. STOP FEEDING THEM!
I get that you and Earl are older and don’t really understand the darker side of the internet, but this really isn’t a productive way to handle trolling.
THESE ARE NOT TROLLS THEY ARE CYBERBULLYS.
There is a distinct differrence.
A troll redirects a discussion from the intended topic.
Bullies attack and persecute individual people for the deliberate purpose of causing pain and sufferring to thier victims.
Yes it is easier to ignore them snd hope they will persecute someone else.
That didnt work in WWII and wont work for these people.
I could inore them and let them persecute someone elde…mayby you…but that is not what I believe is right.
A comparison with WWII isn’t very smart…
“A troll redirects a discussion from the intended topic” – that is precisely what you do.
“That didnt work in WWII and wont work for these people” – quite frankly that is a ridiculous and pretty offensive comparison. How dare you compare your perceived persecution on this forum to the persecutions that took place in WWII. Absolutely disgusting.
Agreed, on both counts.
I have to agree with the below statements. You may want to reconsider your choice of words.
I have been criticized here for making an offensive statement / comparison.
I agree with this criticism and appologize both for the statement and any offense the statement has caused.
I have edited out the offensive statement and again apologize.
You are the utmost example of a fool.
End of discussion.
I have never criticized you & I agree the trolling on this website does seem to be getting out of hand.
However comparing what you have gone through to the persecution that people suffered during WWII is ridiculous. I agree bullying is wrong but I do not believe you have gone through the same thing as the victims (yes people died) of WWII.
You are going to get a lot more flak (not from me) from what you just said. I find what you say about technology interesting but I suggest you do not respond to the trolls with the comments above.
THINK about what you say.
Interesting definitions & time to get back on topic – the soon to be announced a99mk2!!
Definition of Internet Troll:
In Internet slang, a troll is a person who sows discord on the Internet
by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory,
extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, either
accidentally or with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an
emotional response.
Definition of cyber bullying:
Cyberbullying is the use of the Internet and related technologies to
harm or harass other people, in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile
manner. As it has become more common in society, particularly among
young people, legislation and awareness campaigns have arisen to combat
it.
Jesus Barry, these aren’t the Nazi’s we’re talking about, nobody’s invading Poland, and you aren’t Churchill crossing the Channel.
These are people who are being a$$holes for the sake of being a$$holes. They know they’re being jerks, that’s the whole reason they’re here. It is literally impossible to stand up to them, as they are anonymous and aren’t going to be shamed by you comparing them to the Nazis or calling them bullies. THEY’RE GETTING THEIR KICKS POKING YOU WITH A STICK BECAUSE THEY KNOW YOU’LL RESPOND TO IT! They’ll continue doing so until they either get bored of it or until you stop reacting. If this were the real world, I’d commend you on taking a stand, and it would probably stop them, but this isn’t the real world. To them, you’re just a bunch of words on a screen that says things they think are funny when prodded.
For your mental well being and for the quality of the forum, ignore them. Note that I’m not saying that you’re bringing this upon yourself, nor do I think you deserve it, but you are certainly prolonging your own agony. Let it go Barry.
Not really. Trolls want attention. Cyberbullies are masturbating their egos. You leave the bully alone and he interprets it as acceptance. That’s why when I ‘turned’ on them their first reaction was to beg for understanding of why Barry deserved to be driven off of SAR. Basically they were looking for me to join their ‘club’.
Trolls could care less what people think of them. Look for no allies. Just drop their ‘bombs’ in the comments and giggle if people take them seriously.
While I agree with RabbleRabble, I also ought to add that you, as an individual, have all the right to say what you want here. What would be ultimately productive and positive is that every time you get someone coming after you, ignore them. Don’t fall into the funnel they create. By responding to their comments you are more likely to do yourself a disservice than be of any benefit, to yourself or to SAR.
Deaf ears to daft words really works.
Barry, you can’t go about winding up almost an entire forum community with your repetitive posts and bizarre conspiracy theories then cry “bully!” when people react.
If you wind somebody up in real life again and again then you might just get a smack in the face. That isn’t bullying, that’s a reaction to you being irritating.
You need to learn the concept of cause and effect. Until you do, then people are going to react again and again and you will be a hugely negative influence on this forum. Unless you can either alter your own behaviour to lessen negative reactions or alternatively learn to ignore reactions to your behaviour, then your problems will continue.
Plus a million.
Except Barry doesnt have enough sense to comprehend what you wrote…
…so it’s falling on deaf ears.
Is Barry real? I thought he’s someone getting paid to entertain us.
*deleted* -Damodara
My acytual comments are not nearly as reprepttitve as they seem..the bulk of the repetition is the responses.
Look at only my comments that are not responses to other comments and they appear very differrent.
I realize standing up these a$$holes makes me a bigger target and can often make me look foolish..but someone has to stand up for what is right..if I have to stand alone I will do it.
If others want to stand with me I welcome you.
I have still hope in mankind and hope most people don’t take sonyalpharumors.com that serious.
Stand up for what is right? Seriously? You are the BIGGEST bully on this forum whenever someone disagrees with you the claws come out, every time without fail. There is NO discussion with you, if someone disagrees they get called names and then the ‘bully’ card comes out. You aren’t bullied, you are an exceptionally negative and annoying human being and I am.more than happy to call you on it and will continue to do so. People are going to disagree with you in real life, do you run off going ‘mummy mummy the bad man is bullying me because they do t believe every little story I say’?
If you want to ‘stand up for what is right’, bloody well stand by your statements and back them up with something tangible. Your fictions in your mind do not count.
I believe I challenge ideas and do not personally attack people..except for people who are personally attacking me..
However you make a rare legitimate criticism that I may be unintentionally at some time have done so.
If I do please bring it to my attention as. I do not want to behave in that manner.
As for backing up every statement with evidence this is a rumor site and that will not always happen here no mstter how abusive you become.
It’s not rare though Barry, it is absolutely consistent. Every single time I call you on something you get your back up. I don’t use different names, never have, never will. I have no need to, if I say something I want it to be coming from me. However, I have noticed that I comment on something and it gets referenced by other users that make it at least appear to me that perhaps my ‘handle’ is not appearing and I have definitely seen it before for other users, where it appears like someone has posted and Disqus has inadvertently used someone else’s handle. Unfortunately I have no control over this.
Personally I ‘attack’ the negativity on this forum, not you or others personally. I do this by providing an alternative viewpoint, which in many cases probably points out some of the ridiculousness of their comments. People don’t like this, that is understandable, but it is not bullying.
Everyone is welcome to their input, but they need to be prepared to take criticism for what they say if they are going to share it on a public forum. It isn’t a big love-in like kindergarten where there are no ‘wrong’ answers and everyone gets a certificate of participation.
There is a BIG difference between bullying and disagreement, I think you should look into it a bit more. My wife is a teacher and I am well aware of the problems of bullying, but as an adult where there is no ‘power’ here, nor are you forced to be here, then it really isn’t. You need some resilience and as I say to stand up for what you believe in.
Finally, if a ‘troll’ comes here every thread and says ‘Sony are $hit, buy a Nikon’ and everyone howls them down and calls them troll and other names, is that bullying.the troll? What if they genuinely believe that Nikon is better and they are just ‘voicing their opinions’?
Here is what I see to be the differrence in very simple terms.
” Your idea is stupid”
May bequite rude but is still an attack on your ideas.
“You are stupid” is a personal attack and totally does not belong on this forum
Today you called Earl names that were totall inapropriate and uncalled for.
There are also people..and I do not know for a fact if you are or are not one of them…that impersonate other people….That too does not belong here.
My gripe with you is not about you as a person but your behavior to myself and others here.
As I said to someone else..I have no desire to see youor anyone here leave this site..but I would definitely like to see the personal attacks leave the site.
In the unlikely event I can convince you to lose the personal attacks perhaps you might also participate in trying to convince others to lose the personal attacks.
Here are two more things while im on a roll.
This is a rumor site..not a fact site..not everything I or anyone says here will be fully documented.
And if I do make personal attacks I would like to know as that is not how I want to behave.
So mayby this conversation will improve things or mayby you will just have big laugh that I was foolish enough to talk seriously to you…your choice.
Don’t you have any self-confidence? Why do you even bother what people you don’t even know think about you? I don’t get it.
We all care to some degree what people say and think about us.
If clarifying the differrence between a personal attack and a difference of opinion will help him to change the behavior that I call bullying then it is worth the effort.
Am I convinced he will change..absolutely not…but I would sincerly like to be wrong and consider it worth trying.
I don’t think that the admin can do anything to stop it, he can’t read all comments and delete the bad ones it’s a full time job, you should know how to act with such people.
Internet bullies are usually victims in the real world, they get the courage to say whatever they want to you because in real life they can’t say it face to face, they know that you don’t know who are they or how old are they ..etc
Personally I try to ignore them sometimes, but if I’m in a good mood and relaxing with nothing to do then I reply in the same way they did with a little aggressive tone.
I think it’s our job to fix this issue by just ignoring them, by time they will bored of no one is replying on their comments.
you should give them that “talk to the hand” everytime.
Here is what I think we ourselves can do.
Its ok to attack and challenge ideas and even better to offer alternate ideas. Bu personal attacks are not ok.
And all of us sometimes with the best of intentions may sometimes be quilty of it.
Whenever any of us see a personal attack on anyone we should comment to the attaxker that personal attacks are not welcome here.
This will accomplish 2 beneficial things.
It will show the bully or attacker…mayby they just got carried away…that we dissaprove of that behavior and more importantly it will generate support for the victem of the bully.
I am 100% certain that the very last thing in the world a bully wants to do is generate positive support for thier victim.
Yeah, I don’t know what tools Disqus has. Unfortunately, I’m partly to blame because I asked Admin to find a new comment WordPress plug-in to replace the last buggy one (didn’t suggest Disqus, though). Several years ago when I and a buddy were blogging we used a WordPress plug-in that tracked IP addresses. That would take care of ‘sock puppets’ on here where 1 person uses multiple IDs to harass people and troll.
I’d rather not see Admin start get into heavy moderation. One thing I admire about SAR is the ability to freely speak one’s mind.
I wish that @animalsbybarry would take SAR as it is, a rumors website that allows you to share your opinion, you are not forced to reply to everyone or to listen to them.
I wish we had someway of hiding all the comments that come from the same IP address with different usernames. Whoever is creating the parodies of Barry’s names needs to also stop as it’s getting pathetic.
There is …….. Abmin can block comments by ip address as spam and has on occasion had to resort to that remedy.
It is however not an action Admin wants to take and I fully agree.
To ban a person from the site is a lot like taking away a persons right to speak and should justifiably be reserved only for the most extreme of circumstances.
Despite my passionate dislike for what these individuals are doing and my extreme dislike of them for doing so it is not my my desire to see them banned from the site.
I would like to see them change thier bullying behaviors and become worthwhile contributers to SAR.
I stated this earlier but will deliberately repeat it for fear it got lost in all the rheterick.
What WE the users of SAR should do is accept dissagreement and challenges to opinions and ideas.
We should NOT ACCEPT PERSONAL INSULTS AND ATTACKS TO ANYONE.
When we see such an attack we should comment to the attacker condenming the bullying and supporting the victim.
Remember that any of us might sometime be guilty of bad behavior ourseves.
This will accomplish two things.
It will discourage the bad behvior..particularly if it is just a lapse in judgement……but much more importantly it will SUPPORT THE VICTIM OF THE BULLY. The very last thing in the world a bully wants is to generate positive support for thier victim.
Do this not just for me but anyone on SAR you see being personally attacked.
Contrary to the popular myth that we must ignore it and cant do anything about it I say we can do something and should.
+1
Barry, though I don’t always see things your way, I can sympathize.
As I’ve said before, readers may not agree with Barry’s claims, or his style. But no one forces anyone to read his posts.
If you don’t like it, exercise that scroll wheel!
If SAR were my board, I would make it mandatory for people to create accounts with Disqus. This wont eliminate trolling, but it will help prevent the ease of impulse-trolling.
I believe the lack of a response from Admin should be taken as a statement that Admin would prefer us to resolve the issue rather than intervene. Admin can correct me if I am mistaken.
In the comment I made below to Slingers I suggested a way that we can indeed take back SAR from the cyberbullies.
Please read that comment as I am already constantly acused of repeating my comments.
I hope after reading this suggestion you will join us in standing up to the bullies.
Barry, I did read that idea, but I fear it may create more fighting.
It might be better for us all to habitually use the “Flag as inappropriate” button to the right of posts when justified. I’m not sure if this flags the post to Disqus or to the SAR Admin, but it can’t hurt.
As hard as it may be, the best recourse for all of us to adopt is completely ignoring the troll comments. Remember, you cannot win an argument with a troll because they do not operate on logic. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter what you say to them. They post for one purpose; to annoy. So, the more of a response they get, the more they’ll feel empowered. That’s what people mean when they say “Don’t feed the troll.”
Logical
The dissaprove arrow does not seem to do anything and I do not have a flag as inapropriate button on my android phone.
I would have to believe that if personal attaxks immediately drew half a dozen comments in support of the victim and condemnation of the attacker it would be beneficial.
Ignoring the problem does nothing to help.
It is like hiding so the predator will choose another victim….sooner or later it will be your turn.
I would like to see as many people as possible join me in this effort to stand up to bullies.
Of course we must all decide for ourselves what is right , but personslly I would get great satisfaction in seeing bullies subjected to a little of thier own medicine..?
I respect your opinion, but fighting fire with fire doesn’t put the fire out. I’ve learned this several times through life experiences.
I do wish you luck with everything, because some of the comments directed at you are highly inappropriate.
Good news, lets hope, that there will be a88, a99r and a99s
A99S- I think I’d be a bit more inclined if it was 16MP instead of 12. You could then pull 8MP stills out of it which would be fantastic.
It is 12 mp because 16×9 crop area is 8mp which equals 4k resolution.
The final nail in the coffee for A-mount.
Well, I like coffee so a little iron never hurt anyone.
HAHAHA!!!
LOL
Ok Nostradamus.
In fact the coffee is already filled with lots of final nails yet A-mount is still alive and kicking 🙂
Lol..
That means Sony A-mount lenses are going to be discontinued and will be sold on ebay for half the price !
That sounds good to me.. Better than the older Minolta lenses.
What kind of coffee do you drink???
I have only one wish for A99-II – DON’T PUT A77-II’S AF MODULE THERE.
If all AF points are in the centre again, it would be a big failure, regardless of how fast/accurate the AF will be.
Come on, Sony, a dedicated high-end FF PDAF module!
Sony has put a lot into their af r&d recently. I’m sure they know that was a huge mistake with the a99… So hopefully we can expect a 79 point full frame af module too. Maybe af-d will make a come back too (with better lens compatibility!) who knows…
they had to discontinue a99 right after the first release of a99 😉
just trolling и си упражнявам английския 🙂
thank you people, thank you!
The A99 replacement will be an A-E mount adapter that comes with a free A9 FF camera
And has a built in soft serve ice cream maker.
Will it mix the chocolate and vanilla into swirls please? ;^)
Not without an expensive adapter.
I like the A7_/r/s approach, and hope they adopt it for the FF A-mount line. Mitigating manufacturing costs by offering 3 identical builds with 3 distinctly different sensors reaching 3 buyer demographics is brilliant. Not only is the cost reduced through build redundancies, but it also allows for one version to be uniquely specialized for a smaller target audience (A7s), with less risk of dumping that unique product since the build design supports a larger pool of product and revenue.
Now if Sony would just blend the features that marry well, all of us would have even more comprehensive cameras. For example, why is it that the A6000 and A77ii have excellent AF during video (and A77 gets IBIS), but both still utilize the AVCHD codec? The RX100iii and A7s get the 50Mbps XAVCs codec, yet the A7 and A7r don’t AF in video nearly as well. Any word out there on the A7s AF-C?
For 4k haters, please relax…it is here. Yes, the pipeline is a long time away. But the big push right now is the revelation of editing 4k footage on a 1080p timeline. Not only does it allow for huge reframing and motion keyframing, but the 1080 output is coming out much sharper. Plus, extracting a useable still photograph from exactly the right moment in a video is huge (better website pics, etc.). It’s too bad that you need external recorders to actually use the A7S for 4K, since the GH4 provides it SOOC. But hey, FF is 5x more sensor landscape.
A99ii in _/r/s versions please. And PLEASE extend the AF area well past the Rule-of-Thirds markers. And PLEASE put real video codec options in them.
More Sony’s rule of nineths for the a99.
There is no consistency in how Sony marries the various technologies they are developing. They bundle a pro audio codec with a crappy point and shoot and cripple their APC flagship with an older poor quality codec. It’s almost as if no one is looking at the big picture or they are so compartmentalized in their process that they don’t talk to other development teams to see what makes sense from a product perspective. They also do not listen to the customer. They seem to have a sense of arrogance about implementing what the customer wants.
Well for one, professionals in video don’t use AF, because as you can see on the a6000 it is NOT professional grade, there is focus pumping all the time. Secondly the A77 does not use IBIS for video, it uses electronic IS, which is akin to doing IS in post from a larger frame size. Third, it is product segmentation. Fourth, really? Decent stills at 1/50th shutter with electronic shutter only recorded to crud dy 100Mbps codec (like in GH4), that’s a half meg 8bit 8MP JPEG… that is not going to cut it for decent stills. This is Panasonic and Andrew Reid (EOSHD and paid Panasonic spokesperson) filling your head with nonsense.
Re: professionals don’t use AF in video: total BS.
There will be a large time gap between discontinuing production and releasing a successor. Retailers will have stock to sell for quite some time.
Well, if the A77 is any indicator we’re talking less than 6 months.
Glad it’s gone and can be picked up in the bargain bin soon.
LOL
I didnt know Barry had a child on SAR.
There is a difference, he really believes it. 🙂
I will be selling my brand new Sony A7 in 4 weeks for $800. I just bought it this week for a project and it will be complete with warranty and only 4 weeks old in perfect condition. (Body Only) Anyone interested?
For 800…I’m definetly interested. But honestly, you can make hundreds more on ebay quite easily.
That’s good to know. Here’s the thing…Maybe I will post it on eBay when I’m done with it (middle to end of June) and I know it might go for more than $800, which is fine, but since my brother works for Sony I got this at a really killer price (basically 50% off) so I don’t mind giving someone else a deal too. If I make a little off of it that’s just a bonus I guess. I’ll post again on this site maybe when it’s up for sale. Probably 4 weeks.
Ooh! I’ll be waiting for you to make that ebay listing!!
If you *want* to give one of us a deal, just list as buy it now and name it something erroneous (to avoid other people picking it up first).
Hook me up on Facebook!
Just post it on ebay in auction with starting price of $800 , i think it will reach $1000-$1200
yes! let me know when you are ready to unloaded… thanks.
HOLY CRAP!!!! http://www.slrlounge.com/canon-profits-fall-almost-90-percent-lays-10-staff
Not good, not good at all. People complain about Sony and mirrorless- but DSLR market is a fairly mature market and it’s shrinking. At least Sony is trying to dodge the axe, reinvent the wheel and move the medium forward. Canon…wake up! It’s not 2005 anymore. Just to note that…this is Canon Australia.
Exactly. This drop is HUGE! Granted, it’s due mostly to compact camera losses (to RX1, RX10, RX100 competition and others) but man, Canon needs to act NOW or they will be headed for disaster. No company can survive 90% drop of sales in one year without making fundamental changes to their business.
Losing Canon will not be good for us Sony people. Canon’s lead is what drives Sony to innovate.
We’ve more to worry for Sony.
I couldn’t disagree more. Sony is one of the only electronics companies that is moving in the right direction. I’m not worried at all about Sony.
They’re diversifying cameras, innovating, selling technology and components; they’re working their a$$es off to succeed.
Canon and Nikon are sitting on their a$$es. Doing nothing.
The imaging dept is doing fine, but please check Sony recent financial reports. Still I’m optimistic about Sony and foresee it will turnaround in 2-3 years’ time.
Yep Sony are walking to talk…real innovation..Not just pretending like Canon
Couldn’t have said it better. Though it looks like the rumored Canon-Fuji partnership is a huge step in the right direction for Canon.
Canon’s C series and 5D3 had invaded the low-cost video production market, Sony need to think twice on how to deploy their high end video technology on the new cameras. I wish Sony could make an A77IIS/a6000 with 12MP sensor with 4K direct pixel readout and SLOG2!
Canon made 100 Million EF lenses! Sony E-mount made the transition from C to S a lot easier – 3rd Party adaptor provides native functions like AF and IS!
SLR shall remain as a Pro Gear, A77II already challenged the D4s and 1Dx at a fraction of the price! Let’s hope A99II really kicks their a**!
The next thing Sony got to improve is the Flash system…Develop a 600EX-RT equivalent system with radio receivers with Hypersync function that works with Studio Strobes!
This is only Canon Australia. And it’s not that sales dropped by 90% –
profits dropped by 90%. Revenue only dropped by 8% and this is what
reflects very badly on profits but it’s not that big of a deal.
Yeah, I see that now, but it’s still not a good trend. I would say it is “Significant”
Now check this out: http://www.slrlounge.com/canon-fujifilm-team-mirrorless-market
WTF?!
Crazy day in Canonland. Game over and a major win for Fuji but Sony can still be the dominant player for the pro- they need to get their lens line up for full frame mirror less in order- not tomorrow….now! Things are about to get really interesting.
That’s why Sony’s FE lens map shows 5 FE lenses every year.. They are trying hard to dominate the mirrorless camera industry
Some very interesting happenings today.
I think that is good news. Sam I wait for the camera to replace the A99 but will not have a mirror. Something that will be a combination of AF a7r such as the A6000.
The question is….how many people will buy it if the mirror does not lock up?
The question is….how many people will buy it if it is full mirrorless (with inferior AF).
Optional locking up mirror is a good idea, I agree.
I will definitely upgrade my a99. As long as on-sensor PDAF has not proved its ability to fast AF shooting in low light situation, SLT is my solution.
Seems to work for Canon and Nikon, they continue to provide sub par LV AF and people think it is quite acceptable. Even people on here think it’s the better solution because you get a little bit more light. It needs to be understood that SLT was designed to make LV work ‘properly’, people seem to only look at the negative. Either you want mirror lockup and accept that LV is going to kind of suck, or you accept the light loss from the mirror and the advantage of decent live view.
I will, considering noise / sensitivity improves with each generation I don’t see it mattering to most people.
My guess is that Sony have sold enough A99 to make them think enough will buy the A99II. Some people in forums make a big deal out of SLT, most just go out and take stunning pictures using SLT.
I can 100% guarantee you that at some point in the future this camera will be discontinued.
Hasn’t the A99 been discontinued before? Wasn’t it around the time the A7 cameras were released.
LOL.
You wish.
This is the rumor I was talking about http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr3-a99-will-run-out-of-production-in-late-november/
There is a BIG difference between stopping production and being discontinued. Cameras & Lenses are built in batches, and the afctory lines are changed to other cameras while the batch is being sold.
Price mgmt ensures that the stock lasts exactly as long as needed.
Sony should stop A mount immediately since it’s going to be obsolete soon. They should focus only their mirrorless system.
After spending a fortune on a new AF system I doubt SLT and A-mount is going anywhere any time soon.
Why should they drop it? Obviously, you have not been listening to what their chief of imaging just indicated about Sony wanting to be a factor in pro photography, and being committed therefore to the SLT platforms.
Please Sony, go for A99ii_/R/S, there’s room for that and enough potential to differentiate and attract different groups:
– A99iii: the true a900 / a99 successor with
24 MPix, FF AF module – could use some of the technology of A77ii but cover FF, dual Boinz X to allow faster frame rates. Main benefit over A7: much faster AF, main benefit over A99: greater AF area and less noise through only 20% SLT light loss and Boinz X.
– A99iiR: Mostly studio camera for high-resolution stills:
36 MPix sensor, no AA filter, option for SLT mirror lock-up since AF is not always the greatest concern here. Benefit over A7R: more sturdy body, easier operation when mounted to tripod through more space for custom buttons and easier access to attach external equipment (flashes, tethered shooting)
– A99iiiS: Video and sports/wildlife shooters
12 MPix sensor, reasonably high ISO but more important: high framerate with FF AF through SLT, option for full electronic shutter. Benefit over A7S: bigger body allows finally to record 4k internally, easier access and more external connections
+1
Ah, and just continue to dream: show the “drop A mount” screamers what a bigger body can be good for. For instance, all A99ii variants will have new, bigger EVF to challenge Fuji with also some nice new manual focus options, live histogram etc. less cluttering the viewing area. Since the space is not as limited as in smaller bodies like A7 and A77ii, that should be possible. And also: GPS and WiFi internally, not having to trade one for the other.
Yep I do agree that the A-mount cameras should have a larger viewfinder. Good why to add additional benefits over traditional OVF cameras.
So, the a99 was a stop-gap solution cooked up on a77 stuff, awaiting new sensors and and new CPU generation, new AF module, new video codecs and modes and new jpeg engine.
Hence only one model and not different MP variations.
Whatever comes now is for real.
Pleeeeease show us a 12MP sports shooter that you already have all the ingredients for!!
Hopefully Sony will launch three FF models based on the original A99’s form factor; A 36mp pixel peeper, a 4K 12mp version, and a entry level 24mp version.