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At last I have some good rumor for the A-mount folks! According to one source Sony will very soon announce the new Sony A68 APS-C A-mount camera! It will replace the [shoplink 41647 ebay]current A65 model (image on top)[/shoplink].
Those are a few specs of the new A68 camera:
24 megapixel sensor
79 AF points
19 AF Cross points.
Price around $600
Announcement in November
One more thing: At that point I don’t know if also the FE lenses will be announced in early November or the next few days at Photoplus. Eight FE lenses will be released between now and early Spring.
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563 Responses
Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?
It’d be easier to follow rumors if there were only 1 rumors per post…
Wait… that’s it?
That was just to stop “no more A-mount stuff” patriotism. Now they can move on to FE and announce 8 new lenses for us haha.
Of course that’s it. Sony left a single person to develop a new A-mount camera, build it, package and ship it. He is now cleaning the floors of their abandoned A-mount offices…
I would love to buy it 6 months ago. Shame it only appears now.
Anyway, not bad. A65 was a good camera, AF was just so-so. More AF point would be great, GPS not bad too if they kept it.
Better EVF welcome.
Looks like a joke to me though, I don’t see the point in updating A65. Or they will simply dump A58 which was a shame anyway.
Yeah, they definitely do dump A58 which is worse than A37.
is that the a-mount which was rumored to be announced in november???!!!
Better AF module than that of A77II?
Same module.
There’s 15 cross-type points on A77II.
Right again!
Damn if this true, people are gonna be SO disappointed….I’ll be back in an hour to read the comments =)
That’s going to take you a while…
Why? If they make an entry-level camera, that means they want to attract new users into the system. Not like an A68 prevents A99II from appearing or something.
Can’t stop thinking of all these kids who dreamt about a discount A7… Unfortunately there will gonna be lots of A68 under christmas tree instead. WHY Sony, WHY ??? Do you like all child crying and stop thinking Santa Fe was a true Sony Fanboy ??
cheaper A7???? They should start giving them away????? A7 is plenty cheap for a full frame. Cheaper by 25% relative to anything else as far as I can see in the store….
Hey it’s Christmas ! Hell yah, we want Santa Fe to bring some cashback and 25% !! IF not, why the hell do he exists ? Delivery could be faster with Amazon than some old dears smelling 3 miles away.
That is because everything else FF is to expensive
You get better control, grip etc….with A-Mount and there are wide-range of cheap len that performance is good on crop sensor (no corner vignetting issue, mostly use center sharp).
On the other hand you have A7 with very expensive native lens. And if you want to adapt a-mount len, you need LAE4 and most of the times, af, corner etc…is not that great and you need to spend more for good glass.
Oh the humanity!
A68??? Wow?? Why? I never heard of anyone complaining about A77 ii.
I guess they see opportunity to sell capable A mount crop cameras at slightly lower price point.
It loos they will release another SLT???
If it is some variant of A6000 in terms of features vs. price in A mount skin that will be fantastic. I might just buy one. I hope the mirror can this time be lifted somehow and work with just OSPDAF when blazing fast tacking focus is not requirement.
stop wishing for the mirror to flip up. They will never allow this. No real photographer actually gives a sht about 1/3 stop light loss.
I think the problem is that a flip-up mechanism would be fairly complicated to design too. The SLT mirror in current cameras protrudes outside the mount when flipped up for cleaning.
It’s indeed possible. The a900 has a mirror lift system that uses a parallel link mechanism to move the mirror simultaneously along two axes. They had to do it that way to make room for the SteadyShot mechanism.
so real photographers can’t shoot aurora borealis, stars and night landscapes?
I have an A99 and shoot stars and night landscapes.
Are you handicapped?
A77ii body is too large for many people, especially Asian girls.
Mirror lift is possible. The a900 has a mirror lift system that uses a parallel link mechanism to move the mirror simultaneously along two axes. They had to do it that way to make room for the SteadyShot mechanism.
uuum how interesting! I want to know more, can you please give a link?
http://m.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydslra900/3
Hold on i’ll get my popcorn.
Maybe they are keeping entry/mid-level APS-C models in A-mount to attract/keep the “bigger cameras must be better” crowd and maybe get A58 users to upgrade – the A58’s AF is pretty awful. But this camera is not going to outsell Canikon mid-range DSLR models, is it?
This release just puzzles me (assuming the rumour is correct). So much for A-mount will target high-end and pro markets only…
A58 AF is just fine for 80% of the tasks – it’s just very old.
Try shooting Michael J Fox recently with Parkinson, I screw all my shots with the A58
A58 AF is in EA4 and I can affirm it is very capable and precise for SLR focusing mechanism. About as good as these go even relative to Nikon’s top of the line AF systems.
Sony’s tracking mechanisms thus far leave something to be desired (I have not tried A7r2 but am not holding my breath)
Well it’s lacking the modern f/2.8 cross-type points and high-density focus points coverage useful for tracking, so it’s quite old. But quite capable, yes.
AFAIK it had 3 f2.8 cross type points.
You sure? It has 3 cross type points, but I’m pretty sure they were f/5.6.
Yep, all three are old f/5.6 ones, that’s what I’m talking about.
A58? Even A77II has only one.
You may be right.
It’s quick enough, but as that AF module lacked an f/2.8 center AF point, it was extremely susceptible to inconsistencies and back focussing with fast lenses. That isn’t such a huge problem on the LA-EA adapters, as you have micro-adjust, but I sent two A580s back because it was such an awful experience. My older A700 was much better in terms of accuracy.
Yes, no focus adjust was a real deal killer, especially as you could get it on the adapter.
This is just a publicity stunt. Must have pulled out an old prototype from the recycling bin. Everyone knows that A mount is dead. Waste of time and space… more importantly, E mount profits.
Says the e-mount user.
*Ominous music plays*
Would have been an A mount user instead had there been any worthwhile cameras or lenses in it.
This is Sonys denial of the A-Mount is dead and APS-C is dead rumors.
Yepp they shoot 2 rumors with one camera hahahah
Gotta admit, they have sense of humor.
Creating facts is the only way to deny these rumors, as Sony has allowed them to grow by not creating facts earlier in the first place.
If it has MFA I’ll buy two.
MFA??? Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Masters in Finance and Administration?
Manual Focus Adjustment?
Micro focus adjust.
It won’t – in Sony’s book it’s a semi pro feature (not an essential)
The pie has just hit the a-mounters in the face. At least it’s a new camera.
I would be very happy to see this new A68 coming to replace my ( still very good though) a57 bodies. Better AF, VF, and maybe moist and dust proof would be nice. Compact as the previous model and A57 together with the 16-50 2.8 is for me the bomb for my work with a cam
Cheers !
So, any A99 II rumours, Admin? Or is this it?
This would clearly make it known that Sony intends to continue A-mount no? So a A99 II would almost certainly be on the horizon?
Hope you’re right
This release, if true, is absolutely about cementing A-mount.
Cementing it into oblivion…
Uhm why?
Who knows? Nobody expected this camera, so who knows what Sony is planning or thinking?
It’s entirely possible they don’t want an A99 II stepping on the toes of the A7 series, so will it ever see the light of day?
I don’t think Sony much care TBH, they have never been worried about canabalising their products.
True, but this rumour doesn’t suggest Sony have put huge resources into the A68’s development. Probably A65 shape body, whack the A77II sensor and AF module into it. Done.
Considered how long ago they binned the a65, I don’t think anyone was expecting it…
Ah the look of disappointment after every A-mounter claims Sony NEEDS a n entry level A-mount camera otherwise who is going to upgrade? Yet look at everyone complain when it happens. A-mount moaners are predictable at best.
I’m just fine with new A68. As long as it’s not like A58.
Why would it be? What has the A58 got to do with it? The A58 was sold alongside the superior A65, the A57 was very good but actually didn’t make a lot of sense.
I don’t get it, why did the A57 not make a lot of sense, what was the problem with the A58?
Nothing wrong with the A58, A57 was too close to the A65 except had that horrible phase sequential EVF, even the A58 was better in this regard. It made more sense to have an A58 and A65 is all I’m saying (even though many preferred the sensor of the A57). Sony for too long had too many models and often weird sets of compromises that no model was ever quite ‘right’. Personally I would have preferred a A65 with A57 sensor and no 24MP model plus a compact frame A57 that was a newer A55 rather than downgrading the compact frame version with every iteration like they did.
Nothing wrong with the A58, A57 was too close to the A65 except had that phase sequential EVF, even the A58 was better in this regard. It made more sense to have an A58 and A65 is all I’m saying (even though many preferred the sensor of the A57). Sony for too long had too many models and often weird sets of compromises that no model was ever quite ‘right’. Personally I would have preferred a A65 with A57 sensor and no 24MP model plus a compact frame A57 that was a newer A55 rather than downgrading the compact frame version with every iteration like they did.
Not moaning here. Not what I want but I’m sure someone else will find it useful.
That’s good! No really.
Why would anyone want to by an entry level camera for a dead system
Rumors of it’s death were greatly exaggerated.
Unless thes specifications prove to be wrong or incomplete, I will not consider this a new camera, and the rumors of A mount death are correct.
This camera is death incarnate…few will be made, and fewer will be sold, and Sony can walk away saying I told you so.
They should have let A mount die a more honorable death than this.
?????
The only thing dead is your brain.
I think the old Minolta /Sony A mount is dead meat since the only new lenses from Sony lately were E/FE mount . The A7 II, A7r II ,A7s II and FS7 E mount 4K camcorder are the big news this year and I don’t see a come back with SLT cameras.
There were 2 A mount lenses just 6 months ago….
What were they?
Tamron 35, 45mm. I’m pretty sure about an A-mount version.
But they’re not from Sony.
16-35mm and 24-70mm
It’s actually 19 new A mount lenses only in 2015.
Lensbaby Velvet 56mm
Samyang 12mm 2.8 ED AS NCS Fisheye
Samyang 50mm 1.4 AS UMC
Samyang 100mm 2.8 ED UMC Makro
Samyang 100mm T3.1 VDSLR ED UMC Makro
Samyang 135mm 2.0 ED UMC
Sigma Art AF 30mm 1.4 DC HSM
Sony AF 16-35mm 2.8 ZA SSM II
Sony AF 24-70mm 2.8 ZA SSM II
Tamron SP AF 15-30mm 2.8 Di USD
Tamron SP AF 35mm 1.8 Di USD
Tamron SP AF 45mm 1.8 Di USD
Walimex Pro 10mm 3.1 VDSLR
Walimex Pro 12mm 2.8 Fisheye
Walimex Pro 50mm 1.5 VDSLR
Walimex Pro 135mm 2.0
Walimex Pro 135mm T2.2
Walimex Pro 300mm 6.3 DSLR Reflex
Walimex Pro 650-1300mm 8.0-16.0
Eh?
Well I didn’t see that coming. They aren’t leaking much are they? Can’t say I’ll be buying any of these though.. A99II please
It’s alive!!!!
Better people asking for A-mount buy this thing.
Every A-mount moaner should buy two of three of them, to support and encourage Sony to make more A-mount stuff.
Hahahahaha! Yeah right!
I will buy two though, as long as the AF can be adjusted and not gimped by firmware options left out from the A77 II’s AF options.
Basically a smaller, lighter, less well built and less controls than A77 II but the same ‘guts’.
I’d not expect “A77II for USD600”. Sony will rip something out, and knowing Sony it’s something very important. Small A58-like EVF? No focus adjust? Screen tilting up and down only like A58? Awful tracking? Who knows.
Oh happy day!
Mehhhh
OMG!!! This is so … underwhelming 🙁
I don’t think that becomes true. Sony itself stated to leave the A mount line for top-of-the-line products with slower release cycles and profound upgrades. While E mount is for fast iterations. Furthermore, high-end lenses are big by physical laws and are a better fit to DSLR-sized bodies. Big lenses and big bodies are more suitable for the pro user while compact walk about cameras are more attractive to amateurs. A new entry-level A mount camera doesn’t make sense at all if Sony wants to decrease their A mount line.
super mehhhh!
WHYYYY???? T_T
Why not? A system needs an entry-level camera.
A58?
A58 is old, why not update it
Then call it A58II, no?
They take A and E, name them both A, but mean E. And you expect those people to make sense with their naming decisions?
I dunno? Is $600 cheaper than the A77II?
why don’t they but 5-axis in it? (I’m almost sure they don’t)
Seems to me it’s just something like A77II wrapped real quick into A65 body. No OSPDAF, no 5-axis.
I am confident that it will have 5 axis. Just wait for it.
A68? Damn, A65 is dead.
A65 is a great little camera, enjoy it very much. Let’s see what the second gen brings.
Also, an entry-level camera will help attract new users to A-Mount. Few people need a full frame right away, when they take up photography.
How did I know you would have an A65?
Maybe you have a rare gift of knowing the photo equipment one uses only by looking at a person`s avatar or nick. Like a seventh son of a seventh son, clairvoyant, profiler, nagual.
Maybe? Or maybe it seems that the biggest bunch of A-mount moaners tend to be A65 users? They usually say things like ‘A65 is basically like a A77, A77 is not enough of an upgrade for me’ ‘ A77 II is not enough of an upgrade, I don’t need those things’ ‘A65 still does it for me’ etc etc. bring out a new A65 and they will be all over it.
Translation: I am too budget to buy any A77, so I will make out that A65 is better instead.
Nah, A mount moaners most often use A99, because they have hit the top and dont have anything else to upgrade to. A65 is used by amateurs and hobbyists, they usually dont have too many expensive lenses, and can change system more easily.
Oh trust me, they do it too. But at least they buy and support the system. A65 users like our friend Duott here is not that kind of user.
honestly you guys are doing the most moaning… I’m just waiting for some news…
And after A68 hits the stores, they will just conclude that they still don’t want it because their A65’s were good enough anyway.
I honestly would not recommend any of my friends to get entry level DSLR/DSLT today. For most of them, I would suggest to get an advanced compact, like RX100, RX10 from Sony or something similar from competition.
I somehow feel bad buying a camera with a fixed lens. I am sorry for the lens, because it can`t be removed once the camera goes obsolete. That wonderful Sonnar 35 on Rx1, unusable in 7-8 years. And it will be a great lens even in 20 years.
42MP FF BSI has reached a certain level of sufficiency that in 7-8 years time it will be still quite capable. It can already produce prints larger than most people will print and meets 8K resolution. It is probably the first compact where I have felt that the lens will not be wasted. I mean how old is the A900 now? Still holds up.
ok, maybe in 10-12 years. But still, its a perfect lens attached to outdated sensor. I mean, there are 10 year old compacts with fantastic lenses and awful sensors for $40. If there was a way to put that lens in good use, that would be great.
Such as? Name a compact from 10 years ago that has an amazing lens but terrible sensor? Considering 10 years ago was really the tipping point where digital only just started to be useful (and in no way better than film that it was trying to replace). These days the very latest sensors exceed most people’s needs, while there may be a paradigm shift in the next 10 years it is likely to render all lenses obsolete, not just fixed ones.
There were really nice panasonic-leica fixed focal length zooms on very bad sensors by todays standards. Zooms that could be used on the latest small sensor cameras easily.
And 2/3″ sensors are still terrible. That’s not really the same thing at all now is it? Those sensors may have been bad, but honestly the difference between those and small 2/3″ sensors today isn’t THAT much. A bit like comparing the A900 sensor or even 5D classic sensor with an A7 sensor. Better but not amazingly so. The RX1R II has enough IQ to satisfy most users for a long time.
PS I thought someone would have mentioned the Zeiss lens on the R1, which would have been more apt.
The difference is huge in NR, even at base ISO. Not to mention higher values. Difference is much bigger than when comparing contemporary full frame cameras.
That FZ20 sensor is leagues behind even iphone 6 sensor.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Panasonic_Lumix_DMC-FZ20_FrontView2.jpg
Computational photography is the future. The more I’m reading about it the more I’m convinced. It’s like the writing is on the wall but no one is paying attention.
I am payng attention.
Why? The most expensive gear buyers care more about black color & big grip than having extreme IQ in small size.
I’ll adopt a mirror less FF permanently when the AF is up to snuff. I also want access to third party lenses natively and the who dual card slot thing. I like the A7II- it’s really not all that bad. Pretty good in fact, but dat AF doh.
The Minolta A1 and A2 had a great lens, but a mediocre sensor by todays standard.
Yes but 2/3″ sensors were terrible then and terrible now.
Ok, but in 5-6 years, 2/3 sensors will probably be good as todays micro four thirds, and they will again use the same lenses that were used 10 years ago. It doesnt apply to small sensors and lenses only. Again, Zeiss Sonnar from 1936 is terrific today as it was back than, and cameras are light years ahead. I mean, i cant believe we are even having this conversation, it is clear that lenses always outrun cameras, that was the case in last 70 years.
In the dawn of digital, many engineers believed that the digital doesn’t need sharp optics anyway, because sensor resolution was low. I think you’d be disappointed if you attach 24 mp sensor to it.
Those are virtually the same lenses they put on todays FZ1000, FZ200 etc. Just repacking with newer sensors, and keep price very high. I mean, look through flickr examples, it is clear that FZ30 lens is very sharp in macro and wide positions. Things get crazy when in telephoto they have to crank ISO too much for that old sensor.
How do you tell they are “virtually the same”?
Read reviews of FZ line for example. Almost every model has the same or “slightly improved” lens. They are all superzooms with constant 2.8 aperture, leica branded panasonic made. Dont know what could they improve more regarding IQ…
That’s not the only way to look at it. Yes, throwing away a lens because it is permanently attached to a obsolete sensor is sad. But you had 7-8 years to enjoy a camera which did not need it’s sensor to be cleaned every day. Camera which you could carry with you every day, or put in a pocket. Those aspects are worth something too.
I agree completely. I didnt say i would be sorry for my money, i would be sorry for the nice piece of optical engineering to end in trash. On the other hand, you can still use some fantastic lenses made before world war, such as MC Sonnar 180/2.8. Even today it is producing fantastic photos.
I recommend all my friends to get any DSLT as opposed to any DSLR or Mirrorless just for the focusing speed.
Which model? Except the A77II, there is really nothing special about the focusing speed compared to any other DSLR. The A77II is quick, but that isn’t only down to the fact it is DSLT.
Don’t forget to vote with your wallet and buy two or three of A68 🙂 Then sell them to new users, help Sony
Ken Rockwell… is that you?!
Are they intentionally trying to confuse everyone? What purpose does this serve?
Slightly nerfed A77II so long after the release? If it is targeted at current A58 users, then it has to be even cheaper. If it is targeted at the current A65 users, then they would probably be better off if they just dropped the price on A77II a bit instead of developing this.
Anyway, if this is true, then it just adds to existing confusion about future of A-mount as the high-end pro system.
Hahaha! How did I know that ‘it just adds to the confusion of the future of A-mount’ would come out of someone’s mouth? Like I said, predictable.
It’s likely the base model for an updated line up of A-mount cameras. The truth will be revealed in a few weeks and put your faux concern to rest.
I very much doubt any system can be exclusively “high-end pro”, if we’re not talking Hasselblad or something. They’d also need entry-level cameras to attract new customers to A-Mount.
That’s true, but for past couple years they have been steering all new customers to E-mount.
Personally I am fine with whatever path they choose. If they continue to develop great FF products in A-mount, I will be happy to use my F2.8 zooms and Zony primes on those, instead of adapting them on E-mount until native lenses are available. If not, I already have A7rII with 55/1.8, 85/1.8, 16-35/4 and 90/2.8, which with adapted 24-70/2.8 and 70-200/2.8 cover almost everything I do. What annoys me is the uncertainty. There’s FE 35/1.4 lens, but no real event/wedding body to go with it. There’s plenty of amazing A-mount glass, but the A99 is quite dated if you look at Nikon or E-mount and there’s still no clear message of if and when it’s going to be updated.
And the up to date Nikon and E-mount use the same sensor as the “quite dated” A99.
i think they’re copying the A6000 strategy here (which was incredibly successful): a mid-level tier camera with pro-level performance. this might be the end of the A77 series.
Oh yes, because if Sony do something it means they MUST be ending something else.
i don’t see an A7000 (or NEX7 replacement) coming anytime soon. do you?
The A77II currently retails for all of $50 more than the A65 was when current (it was a $900 body, wildly overpriced for what it was, but still a $900 body. A77II is $950 at B&H today).
I don’t think there’s any good reason for a consumer Alpha in the line right now. Sony’s probably trying for a minimum effort entry which might improve A mount sales since there is no entry point to A mount right now.
The rumoured price point indicates an A58 replacement, not an A65 replacement. Since A65 specs are low-end consumer today (My D3200 had pretty much identical specs aside from continuous speed, and that’s a 3 year old body) it makes sense that this would be a consumer body with similar specs to what the A65 delivered.
So comparing launch price to current sales price of a 18month old camera? At least you are keeping things relevant 😉
Yes, but so far they have been steering all the new customers to E-mount. Not once I have heard any Sony rep say “Hey, you should get this A58 or A77II instead of the A6000”. Not once!
I’ve never heard a Sony rep suggest an A77II over an A6000, they are in very different markets (and the A77II is Sony’s only entry in the ~1K enthusiast market, a clear hole in the E mount line since the NEX-7 disappeared).
The A58 on the other hand was pretty clearly replaced by E mount bodies.
By which E-Mount body the A58 is clearly replaced?
The A3000? Not really the A58 is much more camera for the money.
By the A5000/5100? This are nice cameras but for a different user group. For example no viewfinder.
The A6000? This camera can compete with the A58 but is more expensive.
So your D3200 has built in GPS (that actually works), 1080 60p video, Tilt LCD, Focus peaking, & In camera stabilization?
Sony is planning to revamp the whole range with 5-axis stabilization. Nothing could go wrong with that.
Source?
It is not confusing at all. It makes perfect sense to have a low, mid, and high range camera for one camera system.
I hope that it is just an upgraded A3000.
Haha, is this long-awaited a99II?
No, it’s the A68.
what?
Forget your reading glasses today Jack_ass.
Yes, clearly!
Sony is SO COMMITTED to a-mount 😉
You don’t know Jack.
Umm, so a new version of a long-discontinued model (A65 isn’t even vaguely current, it was discontinued in fall 2013) which wasn’t a successful model (which is why it was discontinued when the models on either side were refreshed). Umm, no.
At that price it’s a revival of the A58, not a replacement for the more expensive A65 ($900 at introduction). This really should be called an A59, but the A6x name as probably chosen to match up better in the line (the A57 and A58 really were 6-level models by the Alpha naming convention, only the existence of the rather pointless A65 stopped that from happening)
I agree that the A65 was pointless, but there was nothing ‘6-series’ about the A57/58 which were very much SLT versions of the A580/A560/A550 etc. I’ve owned two A65’s and they were possibly the worst cameras I have owned, certainly the worst Sony’s.
A580 is much more capable than A58….A580 is much better than A65 also….
A58 is more like A3xx camera in controls, look and feel, focusing system etc.
A65 was misguided upgrade of A58 with metal bayonet and high res low quality sensor (low quality due to the SLT technology….) NEX-7 was way better with same sensor
For very long time A mount is way behind E mount. a99 was disaster A7 success……A65 disaster, A77 disaster – nex-5, nex-7, nex-6 success…..
A77ii is probably the only good A mount camera following A580 or may be even A900……For me after A900 A mount is pretty much dead.
Eh? The A65 came way before the A58.
Ok so A58 was a cheaper and better A65…..better in terms of image quality
The A58 had a poor screen and poor EVF, cheap build. What was better about it? Arguably the sensor, but that’s a stretch. I’d much rather have owned an A65. But neither had micro-adjust, so were out of the question as purchases for me with that AF module.
A580 was not considerably different (other than the obvious SLR v SLT) to the A57 and A65 in terms of controls / features. A3x series in SLT were all small frame bodies. The A58 was meant to bring the A57 to the A3x masses. A58 was the odd one out though.
Agree the A65/77 sensor was a poor choice, it was too early for 24MP APS-C and with SLT light loss made it even worse. A580 was a clunky dreadful camera and the A57/65/77 were better than it in every way other than low light performance which was particularly poor on the 65/77 even the 99 was not significantly enough better. But the newer sensor is fabulous in the A77 II and that camera is superb (even though I don’t own one) it is, I agree, the best A-mount since the A900/850. In fact the 900/850 and A77 II are the only A-mounts I would consider owning. Every other model has been a dud. BUT every NEX was a dud also. Some had the right body but wrong sensor, others the right sensor but wrong body etc. A6000 / A7S / A7II / RII / SII are the only E-mounts worth buying as such.
A58 was A39.5 or something alike it was clear downgrade from A580 and A57. So A69.5 would be A57 and A580 descendant perhaps – two memory slots, GPS, solid body, metal bayonet etc.
Where is the A99 sucessor? It should be something like the A7R2 in an a mount wrapper, dual card slots, faster af, 24-36mp sensor and killer video capibilities! These days pro photogs need to be able to shoot both photos and video.
Why not just a65mk.II?
edit: I’m quite dissapointed that we won’t be seeing a FF A-mount model…
What tells you we won’t?
Will the A68 be the hot camera at the Sony booth today at PhotoPlus Expo or will it be the RX1r II, A7r II, A7s II, A7 II or FS7 4K E mount camera ? 😉
When has an entry level A-mount EVER been the hot new camera? Apart from maybe the A100 that is…
This is no new camera.
It is a lets put together our old useless old parts to shut everyone up camera.
I will wait and see if there is any new tech here..
But if this is all they got
They should have let A mount die a more dignified death.
This will still be a new A-mount camera, and will still prove you wrong.
Not if this is the best they got.
*sigh*
You premise is hanging by a thread now, give it up. You were wrong!
In all fairness, this camera is merely a rumour so far. Quit bitching all of you until we’ve got something substantial to discuss.
Yes, in this case too. You were very clear when stating there won’t be ANY A-Mount bodies EVER. This will be an A-Mount body, so you will be wrong.
Barry’s become worse than the Canon, Nikon Trolls and haters that were always hating on A-mount on this forum!
I would love to be wronh, in facy I would even consider buying a new A mount camera…but this is just sucj a pathetic attempt by Sony that unless there is more to thos than is apparent in this post than I must consider this a mere technicality and insufficient to change my attitude at this point.
If anything this camera reinforces Sony’s lack of commitment to E mount.
I would like to be wrong but am not yet willing to do so based on this …
So critisize me all you like, but it will require more sobstancial action by Sony rather than your critisizm to change my attitude.
“There will be no new A-mount camera”.
Could you be any more arrogant?
He is in a world of his own, better to ignore a spammer cum spammer.
They aren’t shutting anyone up with this. An A99 recycled with a slightly better AF system- sure maybe. Then again, if your afraid the line is going to be discontinued but you want a new body- wammo. Not a lot of risk involved here. 600 bucks is fairly dirt cheap.
No, I think they’re replacing the line starting at the bottom. We can now expect A99II and A77III.
Baseless speculation and more gloom and doom predictions.
You are the one who is in dire need of some dignity. Not Sony.
it’ll probably still focus better than any FE camera and at a fraction of the price. Yet, no touch screen or 5 axis? I mean- at least one of those would set it apart from the competition.
Why? It makes absolutely no sense to have an updated A65 in today’s market. The A77II can be had for less than $950 as it stands. I don’t see what the “A68” can bring to the table that the A77II can’t already do or at least be capable of via a firmware update. It would have made more sense when the camera price market was much more divided, with the high end costing closer to $1300 or more, a mid tier under $1000, and an entry for less than $600. But with the competitive pricing of the A77II and the way that majority of the APS-C market appears to be currently running, it just doesn’t seem to fit.
And with Sony focusing on updating and releasing premium lenses, you would think that the market those are aimed towards have the money to pay a little more for a better camera.
If true, it looks to be solely to appease the A58/A65 crowd as well as to be a stop gap for the anticipated A99 successor that might be held up in last minute development changes.
Either way, I sure hope Sony decides to appease us A77II owners with a firmware update that will at least incorporate the newer features available in the latest cameras (I’d love to see minimum shutter speed get added) along with an uncompressed/lossless RAW.
I see this as good news. Entry level option translates that Sony will keep the A-mount alive, and this also give us clues that an A99II is coming, with an autofocus module similar or hopefully superior to the one found on the A77II, It will give us also time to save some money to buy the camera when it gets release. I don’t get why some are so desperate about the A99II if we take a look back to the refreshment cycle from the A900 (September 2008) to A99 (September 2012) That’s a almost a 5 year cycle give or take a few months, if we follow that road it means that the new A99II should be release by september 2016. Sony stills has 11 moths of schedule to release the new beast. One more thing maybe here in the USA you don’t see to many Sony entry level cameras around, but the European and Asian market is a whole different thing. every time that I go out on vacation, I see people from overseas with Sony’s A65 or lower models on their hands.
Not true anymore. Your typical tourist now is most likely to wield A6000 or A7x. At least that’s my impression in past year or so is. There’s clearly visible transition to mirrorless among those who in past were using low end DSLRs from any manufacturer.
On my recent trip to India, I was very surprised to see so many A7x cameras everywhere. There were a lot more A7x than 5D3s and D8x0/D750s combined! Seriously! And it was not just one particular area, it was all over the country.
Typical tourist in my parts holds a death grip on a canon rebel. I see no A6000 or A7x anywhere I go. ZERO.
I see less and less rebels in my town, and almost no nikon apscs anymore. Lots of nexes, some Olys, more and more A7s. Mind you, they are all Asian tourists and I am in Europe.
I see a lot of A6000s and Sony bodies here in the Caribbean, usually Canadians or U.S. Canon rebels also. Not very many nikon. the occasional olympus.
the sony bodies are also very popular with the underwater shooters here
I actually saw my very first ever Sigma DSLR in the wild, around a tourist’s neck, at a museum this past weekend! That was a thrill!
Hmmmm. Here’s a thought. If Sigma still haven’t put out a full frame body, and the A-Mount eventually does “die” as everyone on SAR seems so concerned that it will… Maybe Sigma will reverse engineer the Mount and put out an A-Mount full frame camera with a foveon sensor!
There’s certainly be more A-Mount lens owners out there to make up a built in user base than there are Sigma Mount lens owners. And using another camera manufacturer’s mount isn’t unheard of — companies used to all put out screw mount cameras that could use other manufacturer’s lenses.
I think if anyone would be bold enough to reverse engineer the A-Mount and put it onto one of their own bodies, Sigma would be that company!
Just a thought…
Well, actually Sigma has the most of what they need to know about A-mount. But why would Sigma wish to do that? xD They need to sell their own lenses, not Sony’s.
Also, FF foveon would produce colorshift in corners.
Typical tourist uses a smartphone.
Yes, agreed. I even use intermediate models for my work.
finely a good point! bravo.
high end cameras do not need to be released every two years! 5 years sounds very reasonable, and those five years are good to put well developed new technologies into the cameras.
If it’s the only news, quite no feel about it,,,
Pretty lame n pointless . Sony didn’t listen
While Sony users continue to debate the fate of thhe dead vs dying A mount, back at Samsung
First the rumor was Samsung was leaving the camera world
Then Samsung officially denied it.
Now Korean newspapers are reporting Samsung has ceasesed all NX camera and lens manufacture and development, and that not a single one will have been produced in 2016.
Don’t see the connection between Samsung and Sony a mount and that argument is baseless now that a new a mount model has been announced.
Barry’s in denial.
Samsung will dump NX before anyone else.
Got a link to the Korean newspaper?
http://view.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2015102210592974740
Thanks. The translation is a bit confusing. I’ve got a friend who’s a Samsung photographer and he says they’re totally committed, but that’s not a topic for this forum.
This link doesnt work well for me. When i click on it i only see pics of very nice women in bikini, like when you visit the site of Yuri Afanasiev 😉
If there was any company that I thought could really come up and catch up with Sony, I thought it would be Samsung. I think Samsung’s focus will remain in other products like laptops and android, one of which Sony has already quit and the other which Sony is considering leaving.
Maybe Sony did play its cards well and the fast renewal and release of a7 and other FF camera iterations (and the flagship tech products like RX1, RX100 and RX10) really cemented Sony as the one to beat. Sony has created and flooded a market and it has shown it can dominate on ever sensor size (from phone to medium format) and that is tough water to get into if your partner (I think Schneider was Samsung’s partner) didn’t push many products into your system and you had a lack of recognition from third party manufacturers (most of which are Japanese…maybe something in there) then you needed to produce and dedicate a lot of resources to your own fight and that money, Samsung probably thinks, is best spent on markets they already have a good hold of.
Then again, Sony had literally no market when it entered the mirrorless idea with NEX in 2010.
Your comparison to the Samsung exeperience is empty. There have been no “rumors” that Sony was abandoning a-mount. Only idle speculation by people like you who have nothing to back up what they are saying. But I am guessing that the distinction between those two things is completely lost on someone like you. Yet Barry, you keep repeating the same baseless malarky over and over again. Do you think that this gives you any credibility? To the contrary. You just look silly. (Are you going to run and cry to mommy on this one too Barry?)
One last last light stealing toy to help them offload stocked kit lenses. And expensive glass by keeping up the hope of the last die hard A-toy fans 😀
Funny how many people are arguing over the specs. Nobody knows what the final specs will be (accept a few people at Sony) so what’s to argue about?
A68 doesn’t mean A99II won’t be coming. What logic is this? If anything, makes it slightly more likely.
Lets hope so. Problem with a68 is it won’t sell well. It won’t attract canikon nor e-mount shooters to switch, nor will it attract beginners. . A68 isn’t the ‘pro’ camera people were asking for. N there is already a77ii
Sony has given zero marketing to SLT and A-Mount over the years, and tries to re-direct all customers to E-Mount, and nothing indicates they’ll change that. So yes, most likely it will be like that.
It’s not meant to attract e-mount users. I would say it’s for intermediate existing users like me. Well, too bad you just have to wait for the A99II.
It doesn’t have to attract E-Mount or Canikon users, A-mount has an established user base and tons of legacy Minolta glass at reasonable prices.
You cannot rely on existing users for ever. Like any business, attracting new customers is a must.
E-mount is taking care of that.
Of course, but I was referring more to the ability of A-mount to stay in business, not Sony’s camera business as a whole. If you look at A-mount as a sub-business, it is no different to the business as a whole in that it has to keep growing with new users.
Not every one like e-mount.
I’m buying one, my great fs100 needs a new friend. Is any one really liking flywire focus, there’s just something about focusing with real physical controls. I love my manual adapter and I spent good money on that parafocal zoom f2.8 16-50. DT it’s about time sony take my money
It will probably mostly attrack current A57, A65 and A58, and not to forget the A33/35/37 and even the vintage 3 digit A-mount camera owners. That’s no big deal, but at least it shows that Sony cares about their current sub-pro customers, who are not going to buy the A77ii. The A58 is for many A57/37 owners not a real upgrade so this is a very welcome addition to the hole in the mid-range.
I suspect that Sony will give it some features unique to this camera, as it did with lower end cameras before, making it an attractive camera for current alpha owners and new DSLR buyers.
Will anyone actually buy this? And if so why?
Buying this body might be an attractive alternative to the LA-EA adapters.
LOL 😀
http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/huh.gif
A77II is but not that A68 unless you own a A3000 😉
A65 was a trimmed version of A77. So say this A68 has a previous gen A77 AF module, thats already much better than EA4. Add to that a native mount and a better body grip, and its a no brainer actually.
I was always against EA4. It uses tech from more than 6 years ago. Sony probably just used overstock AF modules from A580.
i was always against EA4 too and complained about it…. and sold mine
2 good questions. Your best comment in a long time!!! But I am not able to answer them! First I don’t no all people on this earth, secondly I don’t know their thoughts!
reborn of dinosaur…
but…..
12MP FF Amount (SR5) is coming……
with OVF
How will this compare with A77ii?
A65 and A77 had the same imaging hardware in different bodies and different AF. This is probably the same deal – smaller and less robust than the A77ii but the same internals. Might even be getting the same focusing system in both this time.
Great! Just what I wanted, decent price, decent spec.
Good job Sony. I am waiting for it, bring it over and take my money.
This is also proves that Sony will keep both A-mount APS-C & A-mount FF alive!
If this adds new tech and abilities, while making use of existing part bins and production processes, then it makes sense.
It will answer existing users demands for more capability, keep A mount users on board, and maximise profits for earlier manufacturing.
Of course, if the price is too high, the gains too small, and the design too different (so needing entirely new tooling), I have to doubt the wisdom. Time will tell…
Good points. The other thing that occurs to me is the time from announcement to release could be very telling. If it releases by end of year, then it’s proof they were still developing something for A-mount all along. If it’s not going to release till Q1 or even Q2 of next year, then it might suggest this is a knee-jerk reaction to the “A-mount is dead” lament, and they’re putting something easy to develop in the pipeline to quell those users. Hard to say at this point if this is a sincere strategy to keep all levels of the A-mount alive, or just an attempt to prolong good will for a while.
If it’s true, it’s very good news for the continuation of the mount…
Sounds like it mirrors the A65, which was the A77 in a cheaper body. So this is the A77ii, in a cheaper body.
Probably a pretty good camera to compete with the D5500 and T6i/s cameras.
Now let’s see if this rumor is true, and if there is an A99ii in the works or not.
If my memory serves me right, A65 was announced together with A77. It would be nice for them to do the same thing here and squeeze new tech into both, like 5-axis. With A77II being 1.5 yrs old, using old tech in a new camera is way too Canon like for Sony
The A77ii isn’t exactly outdated yet… But you make a good point… with no new bodies in a year and a half, there are some “goodies” that really should be included, most notably 5-axis stabilization.
I wonder how easy/hard it is to import the 5-axis stabilization from E-mount to A-mount. Would it require going back to scratch in design, or can the components be easily brought over.
If true this says the following:
1. Sony wants to grab first-time DSLR buyers – the unsophisticated customers who due to ignorance could still be swayed away from Canikon’s dominance in that field.
2. Attracting new first-time buyers means Sony will commit to keeping the A-mount ladder alive. This is good news to all the committed A-mount users on this forum.
Actually I think this is clever by Sony. It’s a stopgap that tells current A-mount users to not give up, and at the same time, it’s a way to grab swayable entry-level customers who might not fully research their purchase (let’s face it, would anybody in the know start from scratch with A-mount today?), then later become invested, and move on up the ladder. What that means is that ladder is still alive. We can bash Sony all we want for not being forthcoming with their plans, but at this point it’s a virtual lock we’ll see some upgrades further up the product line.
Sony would be foolish not to take advantage of the situation, they have all the best pieces (sensor, IBIS, EVF etc.) to use in updated a mount cameras. No packaging or heat dissipation issues and existing modern camera bodies to place the pieces in.
Cost/benefit.
No, it makes perfect sense to release camera’s from bottom to top.
And I think it is quite obvious that they plan to keep both A-mount APSC and FF alive. You just have to wait for it.
If released bottom to top, then why wait 1.5 years after the A77II to release a dumbed down version of it when before they released the A77 and A65 simultaneously?
Also, if this was to be the plan, then why hasn’t there been any support for cheaper, APS-C lenses? Why is Sony only releasing and updating their premium full frame lenses?
As I mentioned in my original comment, it would make more sense if the A77II was still selling at its original $1300 price or even its current $1200 MSRP. That would leave an obvious gap to fill. But the A77II is consistently being sold for almost $300 less than MSRP. The A77 and A65 had an almost $500 price difference between themselves when first released, it made sense to have a tiered product. But with what the A77II is sitting at, and an excellent camera for the price, it makes it harder to justify the need for this. Especially since Sony’s aim and goals lately have been to target the higher end market (RX100, RX10s, and RX1s for compact, A7x for mirrorless, A77II in APS-C SLT). A lower end camera is not something I think Sony necessarily needed, especially as smartphones cannibalize the budget market. What they need to fill is that full frame A-mount gap.
Never mind decreasing their A-mount line as long as they keep it.
Agree very much with you!
A68 ?
Lol.
that’s hilarious 😀
I was in pain after reading this rumor, but this picture did bring me a smile 😀
It’s the angry photographer, junior!!!
Surely the reviewers hungry for this embarrassing quiet release unworthy of PDN conference? Not to steal the thunder away from EMount. Something to keep AMounters on the hook for another year or two before EMount 9 series.
Sony destroyed the 5 series with a58 downgrading to plastic lens mount, half LCD resolution, less articulation, half video frame rate, less fps, etc… from the fine a57 model… I fear this a68 completes plan to mock the AMount off the map. May be intentional to make the larger camera feel cheap compared to the a6000.
If Sony was really concerned about compactness, they’d reboot the a33/55 size cameras. Nothing wrong with those except lack of development. Best eye relief and smaller than a7RII.
Wasn’t there a rumor not so long ago claiming AMount would be designated towards pro market? Sony so embarrassed about this camera that they can’t announce alongside EMount at PDN PhotoPlus?
Let them eat cake!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_them_eat_cake
like every one said it’s good news that Sony is still working on A-mount .. But where is my A99 II !?!?!?
I’m going to grap A7R II then sell it whenever A99II comes to life
Can’t wait no more .. It’s birds migration season damit
That A7RII on that 600 milly has to got to look ridiculous. It’s like a go cart pulling a trailer. I hope you buy a grip for it.
Lol .. Yes I have tried the A7R with 600mm before and it looks funny but this is the only reasonable solution for me 🙂
I think we’re missing some specs here. All they have to do is throw 5 axis in and now…whoa nelly…we got somethin. No other entry level DSLR/SLT has that. At 600 bucks it would have serious curb appeal. Now let me think- yeah, that would signal more A mount bodies coming down the pipe. Come on Sony- don’t go half asss on this here.
A77ii minus weather sealing and you get A68, i would says its a sweet deal for 600$.
Welp, didn’t see that coming. Sony, you are full of irony. APS-C E-mount shooters eagerly await a new camera, and A-mount shooters get one they don’t want.
That being said, this is a good thing. It’s a chance to show there’s life still in the system, and it’s a low-hanging fruit for Sony to build. Very little risk here. Even though I really don’t have a need for another APS-C A-mount at this point, if it’s cheap enough I might pick one up if only to help show the continued interest. And I can use it as a teaching aid in class.
Yes, oh irony. Animalsbarry wrong and no A99ii.. jiggs.
Who sad a-mount users don’t want this camera? Do you everybody that shoots a-mount or maybe will in the future?
Finally, now all those A-mount fanboys will be happy.
now I see that there is a certain hate towards fellow Sony users…why do you call them fanboys instead of calling them Sony A-mount users?
maybe coz he s a spying Canikon fanboy:D
Recent E-mount adopters from other systems (or those who have one as their first camera) tend not to realize that the only reason they can enjoy their cameras is that people who’ve been with Sony for longer helped finance the R&D with A-mount sales. They view A-mount shooters as old farts who should go away and make room for them, or “get with the times.” It’s interesting to me to see how many photographers I know bashed Sony as a brand when they got into the camera business, but now own A7 cameras and bash on everything else. Including bashing on those who shoot with Sony A-mount.
This is just their latest bandwagon.
Are you sure A-mount paid for E-mount? E-mount was a development of the R1 mostly and that existed before Sony’s A-mount purchase. In fact one could argue that Sony’s time and money investment pushed back E-mount development.
I don’t hate on A-mounters because I am new to Sony, they were the same whiney girls when A-mount was the only option, just moaned about slightly different things (and I mean SLIGHTLY), I got SO tired of being an A-mounter and having to listen to it.
Of all the brand groups A-mounters are the #1 biggest moaners. Fact.
The R&D that went into A-mount sensor fab, not to mention the lens expertise from Minolta, surely wasn’t wasted when they developed E-mount. In fact, Sony is relying on A-mount lenses to shore up their fledgling E-mount system. So you could easily argue that it was the footing A-mount gave them that allowed them to branch into the more successful E-mount.
You could also make a case that E-mount is what they should’ve started with, since it was revolutionary and could still leverage the technological know-how from the Minolta purchase. But it seems like they weren’t confident that fully mirrorless cameras would be as accepted as they are. Hence multiple reports that they were surprised by how it took off. Also, that’s why the SLTs even exist; they were a halfway step toward mirrorless while Sony was getting its footing in a market they helped create and solidify.
You’ll get no argument from me about A-mounters being a whiny bunch. I’ve been with Sony since the A100, and with Minolta long before that, and you’re absolutely right. But I don’t think they’re only ones. If anything, now that I shoot both A-mount and E-mount, I think A-mounters tend to be whiny and their own worst enemies when it comes to the continuation of the A-mount, while E-mount shooters (taken as a whole) tend to be newer converts from the iPhone generation, who expect constant improvements and releases rather than just enjoying the amazing products they already have. It sounds like they’re never happy, even though they have some of the best technology available in any camera from any brand. While it’s probably a good thing that they’re pushing Sony to be better, it gets really really annoying, too.
Yeah the E-mount clearly is a Cyber-shot born, see RX1
So you’re basically moaning about a group of camera owners you were part of before. Admitting that you hate certain camera owners places you even below trolls. I’m not certain there’s a term for such sad people as you. Such focus on gear is not only pathetic but misses actually any point.
Useless comment!
It may sound useless and not necessary, but there’s such a load of crap on here that it is sometimes difficult to stomach it without some firing back.
Yeah a lot of crap. And headless speculations about a-mount!
haters often hate people who possess qualities they themselves have. you’re not advanced enough in photography to understand why others have different needs in their cameras.
Yeah some e-mount users is just crazy a-mount haters!! But it’s mostly few individuals here on this site! I feel sorry for them????
They wanted an A99II as a minimum. Some are hoping for even more and wanted an higher level camera that can really compete with a D810. And there are even a few, who actually wanted a D4S competitior. But I never heard one calling for an A65ii.
So, no happy A-Mounters. 🙁
A-Moaners 🙂
Do you know all who use a-mount? If you do you are the first. So congratulations to you!
No, I’m not professor supersmart. I should prepend “In my humble gess” to every post.
As Dimitry said, I probably mixed up A-mounters with A-moaners. My apologies.
No you are the moaner. I am still a happy a900 user and don’t moan at all!!!
Good for you. I can live with a certain amount of trolling and silly comments, but to be honest, the only thing that really gets on my nerves, are bitter comments like yours. You should relax a little or change the forum, SAR is probably the wrong place for you.
Wow. Another uintelligent e-mounter???
You must be real fun at parties.
LOL, this is what I wake up to?!?!? Who in the world asked for this sad thing.? Sure no one who’s been upset about lack of Amount news. It fills the “gap” in an aging lineup that… doesn’t need to be filled… A77ii is already cheap. Sony’s pumping out $3K FE bodies like nobody’s business and then this $600 turd. Let’s hope there’s more to come…THIS on its own does not equate to “we’re still hard at work on Amount development”.
I wouldn’t call it a full fledged turd. Maybe a dinkleberry but certainly not a real crapp nugget. With that said, we still don’t know all the specs. Maybe 5 axis…maybe something else. No one knows man! Hold your horses.
It looks like putting the A77II hardware into the new body
Yup, I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. But I stand by my point that it’s not a needed/wanted model, unless it has some exciting innovations over A77ii. “Turd” was too dramatic (I’ve been writing that way lately on SAR for some reason, LOL!) but you know everyone’s feeling a bit letdown by this particular rumor. I do appreciate the $600 supposed price as a big deal to some folks… It’s just “meh” addition. Used/like new A7ii can be had for as little as $700 nowadays, so…
Maybe YOU don’t want it! I think others would!
No doubt, I’m sure there’s market for it – and I’m sure people in that market will be happy with their A68, all good.
My point was that in context of SAR and the rest of the on-line community voices the rumor is a big letdown. When was the last time you’ve heard someone say – “OMG, I just wish Sony would reincarnate A65, please Sony, please bring back the entry-level crop sensor body so we can all rest at peace knowing A-mount is a system that’s alive and well!” Right.
Photo or should I say camera nerds are a minority! Thats why! And maybe some told Sony they wanted an new a5x dslt. Anyway it’s a rumor!
It figures that the final A-mount camera would be this unimpressive plastic “prosumer” thing. So much for keeping the A-mount pros happy. From now on, if you want Sony it’s FE or nothing.
What gives you the impression it’s a final A-Mount camera?
That’s easy. If Sony wanted to make a strong statement of support for A-mount after 1-1/2 years since the last one, they wouldn’t have come up with this cheaply made crap. A-mount is dead and this is the way Sony is letting everyone know.
They’re letting everyone know by releasing a new A-Mount camera? I’d like more statements about A-Mount death then.
They’re letting the remaining A-mount devotees down easy by releasing one last A-mount, instead of ripping out the umbilical cord. An American company wouldn’t be so courteous, but the Japanese are. They’re also sending a message: we’re putting all of our R&D effort into FE cameras. Here’s one last cheap nod to those few who still want that obsolete thing called a DLSR.
That’s not a DSLR, that’s a DSLT. You really have no clue what you are talking about, do you, little troll?
A-Mount RIP!
And if they released a A99 II THAT would have been a death bed last hurrah camera for A-mount as well. A-mounters moan no matter what happens. They used to moan that there were TOO MANY bodies, too often. Sony changed that and it meant they were dead. They moaned about not having more affordable f4 zooms, then they use that as a moaning point for E-mount. They moaned about SLT robbing light, then moan that there is nothing better when new ones aren’t coming out every three minutes. They moan that the SLT’s made their cameras too small (a55/33) and then when Sony made bigger bodies they were happy again, but then moan about FE bodies being too small and moan that it is because E-mount MUST have small bodies, without ever seeing a correlation to that history of A-mount. The moan about the AF systems and low light performance, rather than MP being the most important, so Sony release a A77 II with much better low light and AF it isn’t an ‘upgrade’ because there aren’t any more MP. The moan about the battery life with ‘gadgets’ like GPS sucking their batteries dry and then moan when they take it away in the new model. They moan that there are not SSM updates to lenses then moan that screw drive isn’t supported with on sensor AF because they ‘don’t want to have to replace their lenses’.
Yeah A-mounters are the best 😉
you are describing the complaints of idiots, not a-mounters. These fcks are present in all systems, including and especially e-mount. What I don’t understand is the obsession with people hating other people’s preferences.
I don’t hate the preference, I really do just hate the attitudes of a good chunk of the users. I know there are good ones out there, this is social commentary there are always going to be outliers.
A99 had a potential, but everyone who used it noticed a considerable lag in performance against Canon/Nikon equivalent. I loved the concept but hated the lag (lag in start up, lag in AF speed, lack of low light tracking ability, LAG in shutter actuation in RAW and a HUGE LAG in flash firing off) No wonder people moaned. A850 easily outperformed this blend of video and photo camera. Instead of fixing it, Sony aimed at amateurs who don’t know better – clever move by the way – and released a7. Good job!
A850 did not, what rubbish. Also DPR seemed to not notice these things, in fact they liked the camera very much and gave it their top award which they didn’t give to the D800 or 5D III.
You obviously never shot either camera. I used the 2 side by side for paid work and this is my experience. Of course some online magazine tested them vigorously in real applications like I did, NOT!
A-mounters don’t moan. It’s e-mounters that continues to postulate that a-mount is gone! And they are very, very annoyin to say the least!!!
People moved on and may be they are regretting that what if I stayed a little longer
When you get AF with A-mount lenses adapted to the new FF E-mount bodies, why buy an A-mount body?
Hmm… because the whole “A-Mount lenses work just as fine on E-Mount bodies!” story is total marketing BS from Sony?
Methinks your comment is total BS. Or do you think Pulitzer Price winning photographers can be bought? Yours truly. http://briansmith.com/sony-a-mount-lens-sony-a7rii-guide/
So? This link says nothing to disprove my point.
We don’t need to, you did that for yourself long ago.
Beats the heck out of your cruddy A65 champ.
A65 is an old budget entry-level body. It was infinitely better than 60D and such, but what else would you want from it?
‘Beats the 60D’ yeah no. And what a claim to fame even if it were true.
Is all your ranting over the years really coming from you using a A65?
Besides your said that it is Sony BS, but still think the A65 is / was great.
*ding* I think your clown pants have just finished in the dryer – love mom.
Sorry, it’s 3a.m. and I can’t really parse your comment… a lot of emotions about something, but not much else. Whatever it is, hope you feel better now, and let’s end it there.
Dont let the bed bugs bite little clown boy.
Ah, OK, so there isn’t any sense in your comments, just stupid trolling. Please keep your nickname, so I can remember it and not answer to you again.
Alzheimers much? Been using the same one for two years at least. You really are ‘special’.
You dont get “AF with A-mount” lenses …
Just with three A-mount lenses with SSM no one has ! All the great vintage A-mount lenses still suck without the bulky LA-EA4 …
Ah the classic A-mount user… Classic.
Because of better battery, ergonomics, real usable moving lcd, and faster and more intuitive control.
And all those things are tied to A-mount are they? These couldn’t possibly exist because of some imaginary deficit with the mount itself?
>They moaned about not having more affordable f4 zooms, then they use that as a moaning point for E-mount
So we say there are no f/4 zooms for A-Mount, but should be satisfied that Sony made them… for E? And now, when they’re pushing E, we say there’re no f/2.8 zooms, this is wrong somehow? There should be BOTH f/4 and f/2.8 zooms withing the same system, not scattered across various mounts, is it so hard to get in your head?
>The moan about the battery life with ‘gadgets’ like GPS sucking their batteries dry and then moan when they take it away in the new model
So instead of putting in bigger batteries and improving battery life, they remove the useful GPS feature. Who asked them to do that?
The rest of your post is the same. Get your logic straight.
A-mounter’s moan because we have to put up with the all of vomit and poo
that comes from you e-mount haters mouth you guys are now worse than the Canikon trolls!
Can’t we all just get along???
I’d still prefer this over an A7 anyday. True true and double true. The original A7 that is.
Just when other system’s users where starting to see Sony as stable system to jump in, they shoot themself in the foot.
And only A-mount fanboys doesn’t understant how bad this will be for the company’s future in this business.
The hatred towards the LAEA adapter is just autistic over here.
if they had, they’d re-released something like A290
Man who cares about a stupid a68 which cost as a second hand A77ii !? how would this model be a success?! and they keep naging about A-mount not been able to sell! super strategy!!!!!
btw, any news of an FF A-mount camera?
Not everyone wants a second hand A77II, and not everyone needs the full capabilities of A77II. Original A65 was also smaller than A77.
A77ii minus the weather sealing is A68 for the price, I am game to swap this for my A57
Dont forget the missing 2nd wheel and no programmable Auto ISO range, but yeah, completely aggree.
There will always be nice to haves, but never seen cutting edge technology making into entry level cameras. As I see it, it’s a precursor of what will come for a77iii as 5 – axis IBIS or BSI sensor or something else. Or maybe sony will surprise us!!!
But why not going for a used A77II? Why do you want to waive the weather sealing?
Shutter count, warranty, save money for the kitty for a new lens. For a fair weather photographer weather sealing is not so important. Besides not many weather sealed lenses for this range of buyers.
Used bodies are like cat in the bag.
so….. are they putting A-mount into a consumer level (price wise) and E mount into professional level?? since all newly released e mount bodies are at 1500+ range..
@Admin
I would love to see a poll about who would buy such a camera today.
I’d definitely be interested. Although i’d probably be leaning towards A77II to replace my aging A65
A77ii is the tits, I just sold mine as the A7Rii finally can keep up (yes, even for action) with it, so if you’re in the market for a new A-mount, it’s Sony’s biggest undervalued gem as I’m sure you know. For a few hundred bucks, don’t compromise, go the full monty with A77ii!
For 850 new or 700-750 used it’s a steal…and I’m not just saying that because I own one. Given the dozens of cameras I’ve either shot with lately or owned I don’t see how anyone could be dissapointed with it. Its just a really exciting and solid all around camera.
I’m the guy that voted yes.
Something tells me you are a liar. Feels your nose any longer than usual?
I plead the 5th.
Granted. 😀
Buy this and save 350$ for another lens, why not
I may be wrong, but to me, this sounds more or less like normal people’s (non-enthusiasts) thinking. I thought exactly these people are the ones who switch to mirrorless or even leaving the camera market completely (because their phones are so good, versatile and small, that they cant justify a “real” camera anymore).
I don’t know it, it’s just my guess. It’s just hard to believe, that the Canon-Rebel-ish market still works for anyone other than CaNikon.
There will always be crowd for both entry level and semi – pro cameras. From what I have learned is buy better glass and a decent sensor will do wonders. So maybe I am more leaning towards lenses than body at the moment. I look at A77ii and find its ISO performance lagging behind A6000, so for this price tag it’s more acceptable for me.
My 12 year old daughter would love a camera like this because se don’t like the smaller ones.
So a-mount has a bright future!!!
That’s the first convincing argument I heard.
And as the trend has been 2-3 months prices go down, so we are looking at a $450 camera with superb focusing skills and a decent sensor.
Aha! So, if Sony cannot sell as many as they expect, your daughter will make up for it and buy the lot.
Ha. Ha you are funny?. Actually it’s a rumor isn’t it?
My 4 y.o. loves her Nikon Coolpix S33 🙂 It’s fun to see the world with her eyes looking at the pics she took.
https://flic.kr/p/xq9aBi
Don’t know anything about the camera, need to see specs first.
I own a A7RII, A7S, A6000, and I think I’ll grab this A68 and a few A-Mount primes. Looks like a lovely camera with great specs – especially for the price. Glad to see Sony keeping both APS-C and A-Mount alive 🙂
It’s good to see what 600$ will offer you.
Thank you Sony, this is exactly what we asked for in A-mount!
Let’s wait for the final spec’s !!!! could be again a disillusion strip down model
So, biq question: SLT, or NO SLT??????? (Finally!?) Because, if they finally abandon the SLT because on sensor AF is good and sufficient, the a-mount line will actually raise big time because it still has a far more professional lens line.
I’d be just fine with an on demand flip-SLT
There will never be mirrorless A-Mount. SLT is THE reason why A-Mount cameras exist today.
Unless the mirror is no longer needed.
A mount lens owners still need the mount right? Do we all need the mirror?
If the mirror is no longer needed, so isn’t A-Mount. It makes no sense for Sony to keep two mirrorless systems. They’ll just release all kinds of lenses for FE and that would be it.
It makes sense just because of the a-mount lenses. I would hate to use an adaptor!
And that’s exactly what would prod you to buy native FEs.
Unfortunately the AF is still not good and not sufficient… Put a 70-200L IS II on a 5dM3 (almost 4 years old) that’s good and sufficient. I hope the A7r3 will catch up though.
I absolutely agree with you. People telling that the AF in the A7 series (even the A7RII) is great have just no idea what it could be.
I’m absolutely no fan of Samsung (my first APS-C camera was an Samsung NX11 which I sold after some months) but look at their NX1: that is a mirrorless AF that works much better than the Sony one. Even Panasonic has a more reliable AF.
Panasonic may have the best mirrorless AF at the moment. Super top secret that only hardcore photogs know about. But seriously, they got some secret sauce going on there.
Nah. Good but not the best.
I have a NX500 and A7R II, the Sony is better, much better. The NX500 is slightly better than A6000, but mostly because it has the AF control that the A6000 lacks but the A7R II has.
a very interesting blog about the AF capabilities of the A7RII can be found here:
http://joshanon.com/blog/2015/08/09/from_canon_to_sony_almost
And it’s not from one of those Sony artisans that get paid to just say nice comments about the product.
a very interesting blog about the AF capabilities of the A7RII can be found here:
http://joshanon.com/blog/2015/08/09/from_canon_to_sony_almost
And it’s not from one of those Sony artisans that get paid to just say nice comments about the product.
Wow! You read a blog! Did you even read my post?
Sure I did. The link to the blog contains (beside all the tests using a-mount lenses) also a very interesting part – which can be found at the bottom – about native e-mount lenses.
Furthermore I said something about the NX1; I have no idea how the NX500 behaves as I do not care any longer about all those Samsung cameras
NX1 and NX500 share the same sensor / focussing. I don’t need to you read someone’s little blog, I can decide on my own from my own experience which is better (which your little link doesn’t even compare). I’m guessing you haven’t used either… But you sure can link to some articles there champ.
Why is it better without mirror? Makes no sense.
@Admin
I know it is a rumor, but how sure are you regarding the 18 AF Cross points? The 77mk2 also has 79 AF points but 15 AF Cross points and I am wondering if it isn’t the same AF System.
The suggested poll by @myNameIsCondor:disqus about who would buy it would indeed be interesting 🙂
Regarding the comments for the camera here… seems to be very polarizing. Very much of the “because I am not interested, obviously nobody else will be.” I would like it as an addition to my A7 for the A-Mount lenses I use, but that certainly doesn’t mean everybody will like it. My perfect camera still is basically an a7 with A-Mount, but that is technically not possible with the sensor distance and also not likely on a market strategy basis.
>My perfect camera still is basically an a7 with A-Mount, but that is technically not possible with the sensor distance
Why not? The sensor distance would be identical to any other A-Mount camera. The only difference would be the lack of a mirror. The question I keep asking myself is why isn’t Sony building any mirrorless A-Mount cameras? It seems like there would be a market for something that would let us use all of our existing lenses on a new camera body without some clunky, plastic adapter.
Why make a poll on a rumor?
you must be batshit crazy to get this camera for 600 USD when there are plenty of A7 for 999 USD everywhere on ebay in new condition with kit lens.
Good go buy them all
No, leave some for me! He is right. Anything with a mirror inside is obsolete.
it is 🙂
Not everyone needs FF at all.
yeah, go buy smartphone 😀
Dat joke, 10/10.
/s
what is the point of having aps c camera that is bigger than fullframe 😀 ?
You obviously meant that as a rhetorical point, but it’s not. Say, A77II has a lot to offer over the RX1, which is a lot smaller and fullframe.
small size isn’t always an advantage. have a7rii using ea3 adapter for a-mount lenses. would go back to a-mount (a99ii or equaivelent) in a heartbeat and use a7rii as a back up camera
Easier to handle with big telezooms/macro lens?
uuuu i think we have some A mirror lovers here 😀
post me some cooool aps c pictures 😉
Sorry- all I could pull up is an A7 pic. I apologize, AF didn’t hit and no image stabilization. I tried again but the battery died.
LMFAO. To bad I can’t pixel peep it at 100%.
Other way around.
Kit lens has great center sharpness- but average bokeh and it’s still fairly soft and SLOW. A7 is plastic fantastic- loud, cheap, wobbly mount and there is no one on earth who thinks it was anything other than a Beta test. Yeah, A68 over this all day long.
+1
A7 was just the statement:
“Wo can do mirrorless FF (Please wait before buying Canon – usable products will follow)”
+1 for the wobbly mount! :)))
Maybe they need a better selection of lenses, e mount royally sucks right now. One reason people want A mount and are upset that it’s not getting much attention. Sony has slowed wayyy down on making cameras, but they were going strong for awhile. I’m still waiting for new cameras.
Why? The a7 is crippled in so many ways compared to a dslt!
ugh. do all Sony a mount cameras look that ugly?
Yes.
What are you comparing them to?
Certainly better than all brick-like E-Mounts to date
I think my A77 II’s look pretty good. It’s the Sony high-end, mirrorless bodies that look nasty in my opinion. Now the Fuji XT1 is what they should look like.
if you are more concerned with making a fashion statement with your camera, why don’t you get a hasselblad?
I agree, it has all the style of a suburban strip mall.
I really hope this rumor its like most of this year rumors FALSE
When Sony watch the poor sales this A mount camera vs E 6000 it will call A death
Maybe they had too many A DT lenses in stock and this camera its the answer
After all you can convince some E FF to buy cheap FF A lenses, but DT?
Swansong, last Christmas’s A mount sales, hopefully Sony will sold remaining old A stuff
This a77ii hardware in cheaper plastic may be the last A mount body, IF REAL, lol
I doubt they have that many DT lenses in stock. These companies make them in small batches. I seriously doubt that’s their motive. We don’t even know what the full specs are yet and sony has very few DT lenses anyway. I mean, it was a half effort only after Canon got into APSC only lenses. If anyone has the least amount of crop DSLR lenses to unload that would be Sony.
I think they can convince some aps-c E-mount users to buy DT lenses if they add PDAF support in A6000 and lower price of E-A adapter.
I really hope that it was a misunderstanding, this is the A6000 in fat body with e-mount.
So sexy- all that smooth plastic. Man, the girth on that thing. Nubby dials chunky, beefy in your face grip. Could this be it. The A68 we all had hoped for!
It is.
Is this just being announced? Or released, too?
Neither. It’s rumored!
only in asia!!
It sucks. It really does. Ok, better than I though in low light. I mean, when it works.
I compared it to say the E-M1 (which everyone raved about) for action on the original A7S and it absolutely destroyed the E-M1. Yeah it isn’t amazing but it does actually work better than most mirrorless (A7R II is better but not for screw drive)
Great news! Yes, I have A77-2 which I LOVE, but it’s too expencive for many people, while A65 is quite old already and A58 is too basic. So A68 is coming to the right place in the right time.
This is Great News!!! I bought the A65 as a double back up camera thinking I would hardly use it, I think I paid $800 or so for it new.
It’s been a couple years and I could not say a bad thing about it for that price. Light weight, stabilization, good AF. It will be exciting to see the advancements to viewfinder and sensor quality. If really priced at $600, wow.
I don’t think this is going to placate serious A-mount users. Looking at previous rumours I think most people expected a FF A99 replacement.
Some probably did. But if you look at history the a99 came exactly 4 years after the a99 and the a99 is only 3 years this November.
I assume you meant 4 years after the A900. The gap between the A850 and A99 was only 3 years.
I don’t think that’s anything to go by. The gaps between models very with all manufacturers. It’s not a great indicator.
The A65 is flawed by the lacking of micro adjustment, else it would have been a great camera. I may be tempted to buy an A68 if it’s got micro adjustment, weather sealing and the 16-50/f.28 as kitlens for under the 1000 euro.
All of the cameras need to have the micro adjustment settings.. the A7, A7ii, etc.. along with lens distortion corrections being applied to the raw files…
Huh? Assuming you’re talking about adapted AF glass on A7 bodies? Native glass doesn’t… one of the benefits of mirrorless.
There is a micro adjustment feature yes, but you can’t really access it to make manual adjustments on native lenses correct. I find that to be a downside.
Kelly, you realize that on A7Rii, for instance, you don’t need to micro adjust due to OSPDAF, with native glass? There isn’t a mirror that would throw the AF off. What exactly would you want to adjust when the AF is already taken off the points on the sensor itself? There is no downside – only upside, buddy 😉
I think I’m still having minor relapses from my Canon days.. I’m still learning to let go of old ways 😉 My comments above were really not meant as a complaint…. Its probably better that i can’t access that feature when native lenses are mounted on the camera. Less chance for me to screw something up haha. I do love the camera for sure.
Actually it IS a reasonable complaint. There should be adjustment available.
eek. A3000 disallows playback in EVF and emulates mirror flap.
so why not emulate a menu item if it keeps users happy? xD
Nope. In fact the last firmware update for the A7R II corrected back focus issues with certain lenses. It can and does happen and if it does there is currently no way to correct it.
Hm, no $hit? Do tell more as it’s the first time I’ve heard of it.
I didn’t see anything to confirm that in the release notes for either 1.01 or 2.0 releases. What I did see, is a note that said: “Reduces the chance of the camera changing to front focus when shooting certain scenes. (Note: This symptom rarely occurs.)”. This is NOT the same as adjusting focus for “certain lenses”. What that note refers to is AF algorithm logic changes based on scene identification – NOT correcting lens issues caused by variations in build and physical alignment/tolerances (which is what micro adjustment in, say A99, is attempting to correct).
So, if you know more, please educate and provide sources if available – I’m genuinely interested?
p.s. all of my A-mount bodies required various degrees of micro adjustment for all by 1 lens (surprisingly it was the 135mm F1.8). It would periodically need to changed again, and of course, it’s almost impossible to do that for zooms. Mirrorless is far ahead in this category by design… one of the reasons by it’s revolutionary with Eye AF for portraiture – personally I swear by it!
Yes you are partially correct, the update fixed issues users were having with most specifically the 24-70mm but I definitely had it on other lenses, this very much seems to be reaolved since the update.
However I am not talking about hybrid AF, but using OSPDAF. The difference you ask? PDAF has no feedback loop, there is nothing that actually ‘checks’ focus, it determines where the lens needs to move to and move the lens, but what if that movement isn’t quite right due to calibration of the lens? Tough. Yes it removes issues with mirror, sensor, mount, AF module misalignment, but CAN still be wrong. My longer lenses in both A and EF mounts all seem to do it, some worse than others.
Further evidence? Why does Olympus offer MFA with 4/3’s lenses which uses a similar OSPDAF?
Hybrid ‘checks’ focus using CDAF, but not all modes use hybrid even for native lenses.
It’s not an infallible system just because it is on sensor, just less points of failure.
Edit: incidentally part of this issue is what caused EF lenses to not work that well in early reviews as the Metabones (and others) didn’t properly support (or really support at all) PDAF as they were contrast only in the beginning. It was the distance encoding information that was broken and caused havoc with zoom and many other lenses.
Aright, well, I concede that I’ve reached my level of understanding the nuances especially since you’re bring up 3rd party adapted glass (I assume you meant Canon EF?). Though that’s precisely the reason why I personally stick to all native ones… while I have free time to dicck around SAR during my “work hours”, I can’t stand wasting it on micro adjusting nonsense. I’ve verified that all of my native ones have 0 AF accuracy issues across 3 different MK2 bodies and that includes the two zooms (70-200 and 28-135), so while not infallible, it sure is night and day compared to my old A-mount stuff 😉 Thanks for chiming in!
Absolutely agree! It is far better for sure 🙂 and it is far more consistent even if it is out unlike traditional PDAF which can vary wildly. It would be nice if we had the option though for those rare cases, at the moment it is pretty much tough luck.
The native lenses are focused using contrast detect or AF on the sensor. There is no point in microadjusting that.
Kelly, that’s for the LA-EA4 adapter only since it has a PDAF on the SLT mirror. The lenses adapted via the LA-EA3 or Metabones don’t need the AFMA due to the OSPDAF usage and you have nothing to adjust there 🙂
Not true, OSPDAF can be off too, just less likely.
But the distance is the same, and AFMA is to correct the distance light travels to the PDAF (i.e. make it equal to the distance to the sensor), right? So I guess if OSPDAF is off, that’s probably something else 🙂
It is to correct the difference between what it ‘is’ and what it ‘should be’. There is less chance of a differ new nec because there are less tolerances at play but they still exist.
I want to also say thanks to you guys for being polite in your responses. I see so many here that are not.
No, raw files NEVER need to have distortion fixed, only a distortion profile attached. Which is already a little superfluous.
I would prefer it, otherwise there is no need to even have the feature in the camera if it only applies it to jpeg files. If you don’t want it for raw, simply turn it off. But for me, if I’m shooting with it on, and it corrects what I’m seeing in the view finder, i really don’t want to have to deal with it in post, because thats why i turned the feature on in the first place.
You probably misunderstand. Cameras put tags in RAW which indicate settings which were used for shoot. RAW converters read these tags and act accordingly. That is not to same that fixing distortion in RAW, this would be antithetical to RAW meaning.
The A7 series already offers micro-adjustment for lenses using the LA-EA4 adapter. Micro-adjustment is to compensate for calibration issues using separate PAF modules. For lenses focussed using hybrid PDAF or CAF, micro-adjustment is not required as it is fully closed-loop using the focal plane itself.
As far as corrections for lens distortions, CA and so on, this should be done by putting appropriate meta-data into the file and the RAW converter apply them (as it will do for things like colour balance).
What most. People here are missing.
This is still just a rumor..and the only reason ot has a high rating is that admin trusts his sources.
There is no other collaborating evidence thst this is not just a hoax by someone who has suceeded in fooling admin.
Everyone is talking like this post is an absolute truth, and it may be someones idea of a big joke.
Why an entry level A mount????
Why a apsc A mount?????
No new users will buy A mount.
No one will switch to A mount.
No one will upgrade to this camera.
Perhaps a few old timers will replace thier worn out camera with this one, but that’s it.
With no new technology mentioned in these specs this camera is not worth upgrading too
With so few people to buy it it is not worth reopening the assembly line.
Sony seems unwilliing to admit publicly that A mount is dead….would they go so far as to axtually produce this sham of a camera just to keep the A mount fiction alive?
So what if everyone is talking like this is the absolute truth? What does it matter to you?
I try not to bash you Barry, but this post is just a rant.
The other rumor sites, that usually repost this kind of stuff have not reposted this or the earlier SAR rumors about a new A mount camera.
Apparently they are not confident enough in the truth of this rumor to risk thier reputations.
Interestingly the actual claim by Sony was that the A 6000 replacement and A mount are being supportred and developed.
At best this camera seems to be a mix of leftover a65 parts and leftover a6000 electronics.
Perhaps just a way to get rid of unsellable parts.
It would not be too unusual for Sony to do things that do not make sense.
But a low end A mount camera does not seem to make sense at a time when the only real demand is for a high end high tech updated new A mount camera.
Well it’s a rumor isn’t it!
Barry now thinks he is the ultimate truth!
Barry, in this case it’s possible. It’s just reselling the A77ii for a cheaper price. Replace the magnesium shell for plastic and put another label on it.
About a new A99ii, I’m doubtful, but I don’t rule it out.
Your theory does make some sense.
I suspect that Sony simply wants to get rid of existing inventory and will them anounce the end of A mount…but too many people believe A mount is dead and therefore will not buy existing inventory.
By cobbling together an apparrently new camera out of existing parts it may fool some people into believing A mount lives long enough to unload thier old inventory…while incurring very little development and production costs.
Furthermore it can be sold as a kit with whatever lenses Sony still needs to unload.
I wonder if someone will examine a copy of this camera and discover that the old model name has been painted over?
You are and some of your lonely disciples think the a-mount is dead! But many people! Open your eyes??
A few days ago Samsung officially and clearly denied rumors they are completely shutting doen thier digital camera division.
Today newspapers adl over the world report a total shutdown ant that development personell have been transferred to other divisions.
Samsung has always been a great emulator of Sony.
He can’t there super glued shut!
The D750 is ‘cobbled together of existing parts’ and is widely acclaimed as one of the best DSLRs ever made.
It isn’t always about having the latest of everything, but the packaging together of different elements to make a whole. That’s how the iPhone came about FWIW. Not one single piece of new technology, but the way it was packaged together.
If it isn’t crippled in some annoying now way I will buy two and I haven’t shot A-mount since the original A7.
Repackaging outdated meat is a common but illegal practice in some supermarkes.
It is not however illegal to relabel or repackage old cameras.
*sigh* 99% of cameras are repackaged including your A7R II in lots of ways. D750? Yep. Canon 750D? Yep. 5DRs? Yep. D5500? Yep.
Most of the time this stuff is ‘trickle down’, which means it starts at the high end and makes its way down to cheaper models getting last year’s tech for less. Nothing wrong with that.
Nobody AT ALL redevelops cameras from scratch wth every iteration.
*ROFL*
And is already a week past the Loxia launch, and yet nothing here about the new lenses. Rumors seem to be totaly lost nowadays.
why not redirect your passion to something useful like protecting wildlife instead of preaching the death of a-mount. sound like a broken record that just won’t die
Come on, Barry, that’s big part of the fun here: Talking about rumors pretending they were true. We like you. Don’t mess it up. 😉
No we don’t like all the nonsense that he post! Sick and tired of it!
Speak for yourself. The guy is a real drone.
Man you really need a hobby.
SAR addiction *IS* a hobby.
Word!
Barry is actually a talented artist.
He can get a bit over excited on here though. After I while you get used to him.
The main audience of A68 would be A37/A57/A58/A65 owners, who want to update/grow, but don’t have any cheap options to do so.
And for a good reason. It’s a POS for AF, just the way it is.
I am posting this just to remove this lunatic from the top
…and a little bit more.
I can see him claiming when it’s released it was all the pressure he put on Sony with his spam that caused them to release it. Pfft.
why i have a feeling Sony’s plan is a mess?
Because not everyone wants a e-mount but a big old chunky dslr body with a good ergonomic design!!
The A3000 didn’t sell well, so BD on this “ergonomic design”.
Yeah not everyone except the weirdos.
Yeah but they can get a Canon or Nikon for that.
Ok. I have never seen an a-mount lens that works on a Nikon or canon. So no they can’t if they own a-mount lenses!
Assuming this rumor is true.
It makes sense to release a camera like this.
At amazon.de, the A58 is #2 in the best selling DSLR charts, probably due to the low price, 300 EUR. Those who buy a camera like this need an upgrade path. A better and, most important, newer camera.
Sony wants to keep those A58 users inside of the Sony world, not asking wether A- or E-Mount. Those customers are Sony DSLR users, and Sony wants them to stay. As a A58 user, what would you buy? A A7, a completely different and way more expensive camera (it still sells for more than 1200 EUR, and the lenses are expensive, too)? Or just a better DSLR, which works better with lenses the user already bought, and follows the same philosophy?
(I know that a SLT isn’t exactly a DSLR, but most of the A58 users don’t know this or just don’t care.)
Owning a A57, I bought a A77ii a few weeks ago. If this A68 would have been available, I would’ve bought it. Now, owning the A77ii, I wouldn’t, because of the flip-it-anywhere LCD, the display, the second wheel and the weather sealing. But a few weeks ago, it would have been the A68.
I completely agree 😉
Same in Poland. a58 alone have 10% market share in DSLR segment.
I already own four A57’s and rented an A77ii last winter for a week. Didn’t really see the 24MP benefit or much improvement in IQ, though AF accuracy was much improved/ I would only hope they added 4Kp30 and a the A77ii’s AF system into the smaller, lighter body for $600 otherwise why stop using the A5x’s?
What a joke!! Of all the A mount cameras to release you bring this??
It’s a rumor. Not a fact. No need to get all bent out of shape until an actual product is announced (or not announced).
Dude it’s SR4!!! SR4!!!! That means it’s practically fact.
That only mean admin trusts his source…easy to achieve…give out a few true rumors then plant a big fake rumor once you are a trusted source.
Sony can then spread any false rumor they want and not be held responsible.
Why would anyone do that Barry?
Seems a bit paranoid to me.
Why do they keep e-mount protocol secret instead of publishing it?
Why do they find those who’s leaking info, punish them and prevent further leaks?
I think this will be a mirror less A mount
Sony will release mirrorless A-Mount cameras as soon as their AF is better than the A77ii’s autofocus module. If they ever will. But not with an autofocus that can’t compete with Canon/Nikon DSLRs of the same class.
If they would, everyone would remember the A-Mount as the mount with the non-DSLR-performing AF in a DSLR package.
A 68, That is a suprize. If the A-mount is still living in the feature. Then i really was hoping for mirrorless A77 mk III ( With better iso, than the mk II ), and a mirrorless A99 mk II.
Maybe 50 mp A99, and 36 mp A77
. (please ignore this one!)
Partly true. The other thing is every time they go to cram those 100MP’s on the sensor one keeps falling off. Yep..any moment now.
A new entry instead of a new flagship, who would’ve thought!
i am with you although I would be happy with 36mp ff with great low light performance….a68 is not quite the a99ii i was hoping for but at least the a mount is still living…..
Over 425 comments on an entry level A mount camera. The closest on any of the other rumor sites today is I think 18. A mount knows how to shake the branches.
It’s “SAR knows”, not A-mount. We’ve already seen this kind of hype on “A6XXX successor” hysteria. Remember how it ended?
What?
A new A68 means that a new A99 and new A77 are likely on the way at some point too. People are weird.
Some rumor says no ff a mount cam next year.
I’m still not convinced, but hey.. early November, that’s within few weeks. Just wait and see.
Entry level A mount? Sony should push all entry level photographers to E mount and only produce A99 and A77 series for the pros.
Why? How would they attract new customers to A-Mount? Few people start off with a full frame
They have for the most part, but this might still make a great, low-cost option for sports.
EXACTLY what I’ve been waiting for! Hope it’s as sturdy as the A65 and not the downgrade in durabilitly that the A58 was. Good news!
Usually other rumor sites pick up and reprint big stories like this new A mount camera.
But days after SAR began talking about a new A mount camera and still no one has reposted it.
So either admin knows something no one else knows…
Or admin believes something no one else believes.
Which other rumour sites concern themselves with A-mount? Mirrorlessrumors won’t because not mirrorless. Photorumors won’t because they hate Sony and especially A-mount. Maybe Canonwatch because they concern themselves with Sony way too much, but I seriously doubt it in this case. So which sites are you referring to Barry?
Imaging resource, petepixel, photorumors, dp review, image sensor world, mirrorlessrumors…all of these sites possibly except the last two would post this kind of stuff and have not.
Most of them have though posted both recent rumors of the dearh of A mount, as well as Sony’s. Highly ambiguouse denial.
Not also that these sites also posted Samsumgs non-ambiguous recent deniel that they are exitting the digital camera business, as well as todays almost certain evidence that that was a lie.
And Sony’s A mount claim is much more ambiguous than Samsungs.
Lastly is the fact that this rumor with these specifications makes absolutely no sense…except if they are rebranding old cameras like Hasselblad did.
Release of a new camera like this would turn Sony into a laughingstock.
This rumor simply does not pass the common sense test therefore I will not believe it unless I actually see the camera.
DPR don’t usually post rumours. The others I mostly explained already.
Then explain to me how this camera with these specicications, based only on this SAR evidence makes any sense to be true.
Explain to me how it doesn’t? IF true, this will be far and away the best camera in its class, by a country mile. It would be like getting a 7D II from canon in a $600 rebel with a plastic body. Why wouldn’t Sony want to so that?
Additionally this market hardly sees any lens sales beyond kit lenses, basic telephotos and maybe the odd nifty fifty. Which Sony has well covered. They are also not particularly brand loyal not locked into a system already.
It may not appeal to you Barry but that doesn’t make you a leading expert on the matter.
Models like the A55 and A37 and A65 far outsold any of the A7x and A9x series by a huge factor. And this can easily do that again.
I’m really sorry you don’t like it, but didn’t you just buy a very nice camera? What do you care so much about this one?
OH MY GOD YOU ARE CRAZY
lol Barry is a regular here Frankie… you’ll get used to him.
I have been coming here for years, I used to appreciate his input but now he’s gone off the rails
Ah, fair enough. I’ve not seen you on here so assumed you were fairly new.
My mistake.
You mean this photorumors?
http://photorumors.com/2015/10/21/sony-have-not-given-up-on-a6000-camera-replacement-and-a-mount/
Agree with this, A77 II is a stunningly good camera. A camera I would easily own over say a X-T1 or E-M1.
Hahaha! A65 user I’m guessing? I’ve owned more A-mounts than you, not a hater just hate the users and their moaning.
In other news “Despite its mobile division posting a US$1.82-billion operating loss last year, Sony has been adamant that it has no plans to stop producing smartphones…” – They are opening a new smartphone factory in Thailand.
WTF!
Because sometimes companies see value in things beyond short term profits. Exiting a market means no potential to improve or re enter, it is a lost market. Shuffling things around with lower cost facilities and production on the other hand. $2bn operating loss can be turned around fairly easily with the right moves a loss can quickly become a profit.
The smartphone is, and will continue to be, the most important piece of technology in our society. They want to stay in the game.
Oh yeah, that means an A78 is on the way, and possibly an A98! Jyeeaaaah!
I currently own an a65. I rarely use it. It’s a great camera in great light, but I prefer my a57 over it. When I shoot a paid gig, the a57 is usually always the back up for my a99.
So… I’m just not understanding this rumor (if true). It’s just that the a6x camera is in a peculiar spot, slightly better than the a5x, yet lacking the prosumer features of the a77. That’s why the a65 never really took off. The only sense that I can make of it is that the a68 become the a77 like camera(prosumer body with aps-c sensor). Then the a77 series become a budget ff leaving the a99ii to become the monster it should be.
I guess I can dream. It’s just hard to see many new folks buying into a-mount. If I were starting out again and I chose Sony, I would go E-mount hands down. It’s just too obvious that mirrorless is where Sony’s focus is.
The Big Question is : can a SLT camera be improved to match the E-mount mirrorless system camera’s ? if technology does not allow it , then the future of A-mount is compromised, what do you think ? Barry !!
So, the earlier rumour, that a-mount will be only FF or mainly for pro(sumer) users, was false.
They just need to get rid of over-stocked SLT mirrors.
After reading these comments, one cannot simply have an opinion against A mount. So far it seems to me that people on this forum think that A mount are the best cameras out there. Sadly, everyone else buys canikon and e mount son and is happy, takes pictures, probably even earn money. On the other hand we have crying A mount little boys because sony will not update a camera which doesnt earn them a penny. Pull your head out of sand, this is business not your wet dream comming true. Dah
And you are behaving like a self righteous pr.ck.
It’s Our Party (And We will Cry if We Want To)
Oh sorry i cannot say an opinion ? Go enjoy your party , party/slap the mirror out of you 😉
You really don’t have anything better to do with your time than post childish comments like this? Of course you don’t. “Dah.”
Yes i do but I enjoy talking to the mist ridiculous group in the photo/video out there. The “A mount crying babies” “Dah.”
I earn more than you ever will with my A99s. Granted I’m the one doing the earning. It’s just a camera. Grow up.
Because you have big azz camera on your profile picture :D? I forgot i am talking to complex people trying to best themselves against others with showing off their earnings. Wau you must be fun at parties. And clearly you dont get my point, if you earn why do you need new a mount camera ? Either it’s crap and your clients say so, or you’re just a troll.
Really sad attempts at trolling. Kindly fckoff
Since when does a camera mount earn people money?
Oh you so clever 😀 clearly you dont understand my point
Your one of those guys that does tasteful nudes for a living. Pffft.
Nope, (if you meant “you’re) but neither is one of you. Buhahahahahahaha 😀
A98 ??? How about an A00 ?
A0_o
This is a camera sony would sell at walmart and places like that. A77 price tag is way too much for that, they need something to sell against the rebel T6x series.
This is the best explanation yet. But still, Sony’s strategy here appears to be counterintuitive. Don’t you create buzz with your flagship first, and that drives interest in your brand among shoppers at Walmart, or Target or Best Buy?
Walmart, Target, and best buy shoppers generally don’t shop like that. They generally don’t look at the biggest and baddest, and hope the technology trickles down to what they can afford. They tend to gravitate towards sales, and try to get more features for their budget. They’ll look in consumer reports ads and ask sales associates for advice etc….. Trust me, i sold digital cameras at Sears while in college. Alot of times, it boiled down to which camera came with more free goodies.
Selling camera’s in this consumer market is not the same as how an enthusiast or profressional photographer. The actual camera matters less, the features and goodies matters more. But none the less, christmas is just around the corner, sony doesn’t want to be caught without a non-competitive camera in this key bread and butter market.
OK. I am completely buying this. I really couldn’t understand this move by Sony but what you are saying makes perfect sense to me. But can we read anything else from this about where Sony is heading with a-mount? I was really hoping this would be a high-end full frame model.
Can anybody tell me why A mount cameras have to stick with SLT? they do have bigger body, tons more space, why the hell can’t they make a mirror less in more professional body with better button layout? I will be sold if they do that, period!
Because the on sensor AF isn’t there yet, not completely on par with the AF found in DSLRs from Canon and Nikon.
As soon as continuous/tracking AF is as fast, plus offering all the benefits of on sensor focusing, Sony will release a camera in a DSLR shape. A or E mount? Don’t know.
Just my guess.
So it was a rumor only that A-mount was going to be FF only and we may actually see 2 new A-mount bodies this year, unless Sony decides to wait till spring for the A99II to coincide with the Pentax FF release. Now let’s see some more lenses. 🙂
You are wasting your valuable time and effort. Barry doesn’t respond to either logic or facts.
Can’t wait. I’m going to buy seven- one for each day of the week.
“For the record” I had symphaty for you A mount guys, no camera from your system in a year/s. But now I clearly see why you’re a joke to the Canikon and the whole photo/video world out there. You just cannot be reasoned with arguments one cannot be shown other opinions nor just simply talk to you. It’s business, you’re apparently such a low% of the camera market, you apparently earn sony zero profits and still wonder: “Sony, where is my super awesome A mount camera, ineed more for my ego?” 😀
Preach!