According to our sources Sony is ready to launch the first ExmorHD DSLR. The most popular Sony DSLR the Sony A550Sony A550
Sony A550
Sony A550
Sony A550
Sony A550
Sony A550
Sony A550
Sony A550
Sony A550
Sony A550
is going to be updated with two new A5xx ExmorHD models. They will become the first DSLR (non-mirrorless) Sony models with video! Both camera will be announced between now and Photokina (July-August). Sony clearly wants to compete against the Canon 550D
Canon 550D
Canon 550D
Canon 550D
Canon 55D0
Canon 550D
Canon 550D
Canon 550D
Canon 550D
Canon 550D
Canon T2i/550D
.
Reminder: And two pellix cameras will be announced at Photokina. That makes 4 new Alpha model in few months!
Stay tuned on SonyAlphaRumors!
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32 Responses
Awesome! The Exmor sensor has shown it is a very capable sensor with good performance especially in low light.
Let’s see if they can make the rest of the camera match this as well.
And the A700 Successory???????????????????????
I think i have to buy a Canon or Nikon Semi Pro DSLR
“That makes 4 new Alpha model in few months!”
That makes no a7XX in more than few months. Sony goes ahead with a patience test.
I still dont get it. If the rumors is true, they will be some many sony camera flooded in the market. How the heck that they want to achieve the sales target by product? Sell difference product in different country maybe? Hidden business strategy?
Sony seems to definitely abandon serious photographers. The A700 and A900 won’t be replaced it seems and they will focus in entry and mid level cameras targeted at those coming from point and shoots or to those wanting video.
Why else wouldn’t they release their top of the line cameras with video first and then make video go down the line? Why replace the rather new A380, A330, A280, A550, A500… and not the much older A700 and A900?
Sad…
I doubt both is A5xx level camera. I think one of them is A7xx but will be available late this year while the A5xx replacement may be ready in shop by photokina. The lower end seems get updated more often. I think A9xx will be release early next year.
Forget about competing with the T2i. The hacked GH1 is the new benchmark.
a33, a55, a55v
One of those ExmorHD Cameras is almost certainly A7xx level.. The Top Place LCD is a dead give-away.
Sony, A7XX please. Long over due.
Also any new lens? Photography is about lens too.
Canon is rumoured to launch the 60D in mid July. This should be interesting.
Where is the A7XX??? Sony we wait long enough!
I start to check the other on and i check the price of the Canon 7D. If Sony let me wait to long, i will buy the Canon. It could not be that they have no Semi Pro Camera. I think also to buy the A850. But at this time i think APSC Camera is the right one for me.
Please Sony. Let me wait to long, because i will not change, but if you have no new Semi Pro I have to change, becaus i will not go back to a A5XX.
If this rumour is true I will be very dissapointed too. The A7XX is long over due now……. I have an A200 which whilst learning has been very good! I am now at a point in my photography where I want a moisture & dust sealed semi pro camera (For macro work in muddy, boggy places) and the only way I can now go forward is with the Canon 50d or 7d or Nikon D300. I don’t want to buy a FF camera like the A850 or A900 as I think these are inferior to the latest offerings from Canikon I also like the idea of video! Low light performance with 7-8fps for wildlife pics and a whole lot more affordable glass 85mm f2 ect… Not to mention getting lenses of the shelf instead of waiting for deliveries from sony!
Sony what the hell are you playing at??????? Loyal customers won’t stay loyal if you keep this behaviour up! look after us or were going Canikon…….
Senter–nonsense. Sony has not and will not abandon serious photographers. The A7xx & A9xx will both come, in due time.
For now, it is a strategy of replenishing the entire line. from the bottom up, within three approaches, NEX, dslr, & pellicle. Each higher model, I suspect, will follow fairly swiftly behind.
jt, what is a “hacked GH1”?
acapella, what is an “a55v”?
Futile, the larger of the two cameras we saw at PMA was surely a 700-level camera, but that doesn’t mean it will come before Photokina. I certainly hope it will, of course. Nikon is apparently announcing one of its top-line cameras in November. Do you suppose Sony might do that for the A7xx?
I sense a lot of cat & mouse in Sony’s strategy at this time. But I want to see that A7xx soon! The longer we have to wait, the more impressive the camera will have to be.
JN-
“850 & 900 inferior to lastest offering from Canikon??!!??” If your talking thier APSC sensors the 850/900 blows them away. If you mean thier Full Frame cameras Sony offers far better value and MUCH better resolution.
Have you ever used the 850/900? I to lived in the crop sensor world until I got an 850. Now I have a hard time using my 700. Everytime I do a shoot the pictures impress me more and more.
I agree though Sony has taken a very long time, but they will release the a7xx within the next few months. Hopefully that will cool everyone off.
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Ok. Use spellcheck…
Dulaney, the post mentions Sony wants to compete with the T2i in terms of video. The T2i is a capable camera but when it comes to video the stuff coming out of the hacked GH1 is much more impressive. The GH1 has been hacked by a fellow known as “tester13” and is producing some extraordinary footage.
I’ve been patient with Sony and their development of pro level dslrs but being left in the dark for too long about what exactly the new cameras will be has become tiresome and frustrating. Every new announcement is for entry and mid level cameras. It’s time to move on to one of the other 2 major companies and quit justifying waiting for Sony to announce a new full frame or a7xx just because I’m tied to them with my lenses. With C or N I wouldn’t have to wait and I could have what I need.
thanks, jt. I figured that you meant something like that, but I hadn’t heard of it.
I must admit, Trebor, that if Sony doesn’t give us an A7xx this fall, they owe us a major explanation. In fact, if there is no plan to introduce the A7xx this fall, I want to hear from Sony now. They have certainly raised expectations.
@trebor
Don’t expect a competetive pro DSLR from Sony any time in the next years.
If you need a fast AF sports type camera there is no way around Canon and Nikon (lenses and support not even weighted in).
For landscape and studio work the A900 is extremly good.
And by “need” I mean for business.
Because there is no reason to get excited about a product of any company that is on the market and would be a better spend money RIGHT AT THE MOMENT.
There will be new Sony models for advanced segment
Also as you say: you are bound to the system with your lenses.
And in the alpha system there are some very fine lenses.
BTW:
Look how great the D300 was.
And all over sudden the 7D turned that segment from N to C dominance.
Do you think all the Nikon crowd switched??
Sony shown the follow up for A700 at the PMA.
As well as the new entry level model with HD video.
Most likely this is what the rumor here is about.
And comparing the simple mockups for NEX with th final products there is hope for the DSLR mockups to be improved till final products, as well.
Don’t get me wrong Sony does need to do the A7xx right.
And I’m not defending them for delaying it soo long.
At the moent I thing a minor improved in between model would have been clever right as the realized the need to delay the A7xx to improve it more.
But maybe Sony didn’t got the staff to do this.
Also the higher grade the model is the lower are the sales to expect.
And therefore the more risky it is to bring in short follow up models.
Plus: for sure there is no A9xx model this or early the next year!
Not at least ;o)
Realize that C&N do mistakes as well.
And that their users are unsure about the development the same way Sony’s users are.
Canon folks wonders why 5D mkII had no improvement in the AF module and why when (finally) there will be mkIII.
And I talked to 7D users that told me they actually don’t use all the the functions in their camera and wished to have the FF sensor of 5d.
One even told me he had bought a A850 if he had known about it (and thta it is/was the same price) !
If indeed Sony is going to release TWO A5xx models as successors of A550, I’m wondering what would be the difference between them?
One clearly could be just A550 plus video. But the other??
A550 plus video plus WHAT?
Or maybe A550 plus video MINUS something (grhhghghrghrghr)?
Another option is A500 plus video and A550 plus video but this is even more silly as the main difference between A550 and A500 is actually the sensor. I don’t expect Sony to introduce two ExmorHD sensors.
JN:
The A5XX class is unfairly stigmatised due to the early popularity of the A700. The fact is, those features you listed as essential to your current shooting is available now on the A550. Low light performance? The A550 has acceptable quality and noise up to 1600, especially when assisted by Lightroom 3’s new noise reduction algorithms. 7-8fps? A550 has that. Affordable glass? Minolta.
I have also found the Manual Focus Live View mode combined with the flip screen is also indispensable for some modes of shooting, like macro. Gone are the days when I had to blindly guess composition, or lie on the ground to get a view of what I am shooting.
As for moisture and dust-sealing, I find the A550 much less susceptible to dust ingression than the A350. The camera is not spec’d for weather proofing, but the other day I shot at close proximity to a fountain and the amount of water on the camera was equivalent to leaving it out in a heavy shower for a few minutes, and it still worked flawlessly.
Obviously common sense measures apply, but the fact is these “consumer” grade cameras do hold their own in terms of practical shooting features.
Was the A550 announced before or after the A700 was discontinued? If it was after the A700 being discontinued, it would mean a midrange model being announced and discontinued in the time that we have been waiting for the replacement for the A700 prosumer model. Will the A700 ever be replaced? Will we ever see the rumoured A800 full frame 14MP model?
Should I continue waiting to replace my Dynax 7 with a similarly specified DSLR or should I look further up the range to the A850? Maybe, given the lack of activity above the A550, Sony are indicating that they will be pulling out of the prosumer and professional markets (or have already without actually announcing it). If so, maybe I should consider moving to another manufacturer, one that is willing to cater for photographers who want more than just another midrange model. I am getting fed up waiting.
whatever it takes, make this happen FAST. If these are 500 series, 700 series, or w/e, they are sorely needed (i will be buying one the moment they are released).
I think ppl saying Sony pulling out the high end market need to get their head check up. Sony always strive to be the best, it is company ego. Even when their betamax fail in the end (note in my country Betamax ruled before sony move to LD then DVD), it still rule in broadcasting until recent HD broadcasting. They won’t play at the very high end yet but the a7xx and a9xx will come. At the very top we will see less update but I think it will be very revolutionary when it comes. At the low end we will see very often update some cosmetically rather than technologically. Seems that Sony is using 3/5 class to launch their new technology/design as obvious in NEX3 and NEX5 (even the E-mount is consistent with the alpha dSLR mount) . Also the rumour A33 and A55 (again class 3 and 5). It is a bit of safe play for them because if new thing is not popular (like unconventional grip in A230/330/380), it will be less exposure rather when it happen in their higher end body. If the new things is accepted we will see some incorporated with 7,8, and 9 body.
Personally, I don’t ever want to buy dSLR body beyond $1000. I would rather get better lens like STF and 70-300G. Now I look further to buy CZ 24-70 and 16-35 to replace my KM 17-35 and KM 28-75. After that some prime 35, 50, 85, and may be play around with M42 mount. And if Sony finally release under $1000 FF with plastic body, I might be there. Because digital body is disposable. When there is new version you may want to upgrade. I think even with video the sensor won’t last a decade.
@ hanugro
I only question Sony’s commitment to the higher end models because models have been discontinued without replacement. Twelve months ago, Sony had three cameras at the prosumer level and above in Europe, the A700, the A850 and the A900. Now we have just the one, the A850. If the A700 had to be discontinued because Sony had exhausted the silicon required for its sensor, Sony would have known that the model was popular enough to require replacement. If that supply has not been exhausted, then why discontinue the model?
I wish a Sony rep would come and read these posts..
(icie)
I know the A450 to A550 are very good cameras but like my A200 which is getting cleaned quite alot at some expense, they don’t have much dust sealing, twice i’ve had to have my finger wheel cleaned due to skipping menu’s! I would buy the A550 tomorro if the camera had better protection!
I shoot in some hostile conditions at times! I need to move forward with my current body and buy what suits my photography, I have waited for the A7xx for the last year now and i’m getting a bit pee’d off with Sony’s lack of respect towards us!
Canikon have support with bodies, lenses & accesories in nearly every camera shop in the uk, if I go to my local jessops and ask for a Canon 70 – 200 f4L I would get it that day, if I ask for a Sony 70 400G I would have to make an order because its not stocked! This is not good enough! Canikon have got bodies for semipro level photographers that are not limited to one model! (A850)
(eneuman)
A850/900 are very good camera’s (priced amazingly) but all those mega pixels mean more editing after a shoot not to mention re-mortgage my house for CZ glass to keep up with the resolution! The A850 has a place in photography but its not for me!
Sony this is not a good situation…. Why leave an important part of your market un-attended for so long?
@Dulaney Ward
a55v = a55 + gps + someothers. 16.7m
@Jonathan, I am sorry if I sound pretty rude. But, I think the reason Sony has not released a7XX is because the video is not ready. Sony realize that whatever camera they will unveil as a7XX will fail if it does not have video. It is ppl perception that dSLR has to have video. It is every reviewer mantra that dSLR has to have at least 720p video even without proper AF. As we know they focus to bring out NEX (even creating new mount which is not easy). I bet that because they have not been able to do continuous AF with dSLR mount as the rest of world (CANIKON world). And they already repeated say that they will only do it right. So they might want to stick with it (ego side).
As why they let A700 to discontinue before bringing in replacement, we all may speculate. My guess is that Sony manufactures dSLR in batches. When the batches finished you must retool to manufacture more batches. The question will be economically here. It might be more expensive for Sony to say produce more A700 in smaller batches to keep it in enough stock for every country. And if they have run up of camera to sell then what can you do but to declare it as discontinue. In my country you can still buy A700 in camera shop, but not in Sony style. Same with A900. i think Sony has pretty sold out A900 and decided that their high end line is not good enough for reviewer if it does not have video and does not warrant another batch. I think we can safely accepted that at least until photokina a850 is Sony top of the line until stock run out.
@JN. For US$550 body, I think a good contact cleaner will sort it out. Just make sure it is a fast dry and safe for plastic one. I don’t think I will spray something if my body is US$2900 A900.
I am not about to repeat my scenario for what Sony has done with Alpha in the last year & a half–but suffice it to say I think it has had something to do with several things: the economy, the ending of the agreement with Nikon, and the development of new systems & new technology. We have been assured that a new A7xx & a new FF camera are coming–but not when. Nevertheless, I think we can be pretty sure that we’ll have a new A7xx by the end of the year or just after. The sooner the better.
I am not surprised to see that there are two new A5xx cameras on the horizon. But the absence of evidence is not evidence. In other words, just because we hear nothing now about an imminent A7xx, that doesn’t mean there won’t be one, even at Photokina.
Most assuredly, Sony will not pull out of prosumer & pro markets. Sony is instead changing the very ground on which to engage the competition. This shift in paradigm will then enable them to carry the competition into the home ground of the strongest competitors.
Acapella: 16.7 mpx? Will this actually be a separate camera from the A55? What is your source?
I’m not being naive when I say I wish they’d be more proactive with communicating their future plans instead of all this speculation going on about what or will not happen. Without giving away secrets they can still reveal plans for the future of pro level and FF dslrs. Why just Nigel Barker and Taylor Swift to promote the Sony line of cameras? Are there no respected photographers who could be advising and promoting their cameras and inspire us Alpha users that they in fact do listen and have a plan for developing and continuing the pro line of cameras and lenses and maybe even a flash system? A little reassurance from them about their commitment would be nice is all I would ask from such a large and savvy company like Sony.
Trebor, there are such photographers, the Sony Artisans of Imagery, & they are working at it. But it is a tough row to hoe. One of them, Brian Smith, joine in some of the forums on Sony Backstage 101, and was greeted with disparagement by one Alpha enthusiast. But he continues to promote Alpha cameras in many venues.
We may see more of him & the others when the new A7xx & A9xx cameras are introduced. But for now, Smith at least seems to be convinced that there is future for him in Sony’s pro cameras.
If there is a new a5xx with video and GPS this year I think I will be selling my a550, assuming of course they don’t remove any of the current features!