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I have been told by some sources that the next SLT camera to be announced is the [shoplink 3617]A55[/shoplink] successor. It should arrive within the next few months and certainly before the fullframe A99 (which will be announced in late August/early September). I am very curious to see what kind of sensor it will use. I have been told it is a “new” sensor (with less than 20 Megapixels). it will not have the super high resolution of the [shoplink 8461]Sony A77[/shoplink], nor the top body quality, nor the same fast fps and advanced viewfinder. But this may become a real High ISO King camera!
As usual, if you have some rumor to share contact me at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com or send me an anonymous message by using the contact form you see here on the right sidebar. Thanks!
A77 in Stock status:
The A77 body is now in Stock at BHphoto (Click here), Amazon Japan (Click here).
The A77+16-50mm lens is now in Stock at BHphoto (Click here), Amazon Germany (Click here), Amazon France (Click here), Amazon Japan (Click here).
117 Responses
it’ll be no High ISO King…..why would they cripple the a77 sales?!
Why would a77 be the obvious choice in that case?
Agree..I wonder what surprise that Sony wanna do via the release of this camera
It will not have the high resolution or advanced EVF of the A77 / A65 but may become the high ISO king. Anyone find that frustrating? It seems we can’t have everything whether we own an A77 or the new A55.
Can I have a new camera, The Sony A765?
Correct. You’ll probably need to shell out for the a99 if you want the best of both worlds (advanced EVF / high ISO)
eh? If high ISO is your thing, use the A580 or swap to Nikon. High ISO isn’t the be all and end all of photography and far too much time is spent discussing it.
the a900 when shooting RAW and using Lightroom beats them both.
NO KIDDING!!
Yeah, if you consider high ISO to be 1600.
May be stop producing this SLT crap and concentrate on NEX?
No how bought taking the A900, one of the best FF csmeras ever made with the best viewfinder period and updating it with new sensor/electronics, liveview but keep the body style, ergonomics e.t.c FFS sony listen to your customer base!!
Sony aren’t listening to the tiny customer base that is just shouting loudly in forums. The rest are getting on with taking pictures.
Actually I’m now a sponsored Sony photographer so speak for yourself loser!
Sony must be so proud to have such a professional representing them.
What does one have to do to get sponsored?
Shout loudly in forums.
Interesting that you name yourself ProSLT when you are very Pro SLT at all!? Secondly, you want live view, but don’t want an SLT or EVF? So you want the half baked LV that is in every other SLR?
Keep the body style of A900? Seriously?! The A900 was and is a very good camera, but if I were making a wishlist for A99, A900 would not be my basis. Hell if I had a wishlist it would be for a proper digital Dynax 7 – Like the 7D, but FF, A77 articulating display, EVF/SLT and 24+ MP, updated styling, better build (mag alloy, aluminum dials and chunky rubber grips).
I think he was referring to how well the body is built on the a900. It is solid! You could add some of the features you have mentioned while still using the same solid body of the a900. It has better build than the a77!
Yes, much. I just hope with all that development time they could come up with something better than a900 version 1.1.
I agree, the a900 class would have been a fantastic starting point for a 2nd generation Sony full-frame.
The a950, with an updated tilt back-display, and any of the other technologies that cameras like the a77 have that could be used or adapted to the OVF DSLR design would have competed nicely against what we are expecting from Canon news 5D and Nikon’s new D800.
But we need to except as fact, that Sony will not compete directly for the professional market and has pinned its future firmly in the idea that the OVF is too costly and inferior to the SLT.
So, I’m happy to learn that Sony is continuing to “improve” the SLT, and replacing the a55 with a new generation of camera that hopefully will fix many of the short comings described on the site daily.
But an Alpha a950 still could have been a great camera.
I second that!!! I love my a900! How did you become sponsored by Sony?
Maybe some people care about AF lens choice and (follow) focus speed. Any “crap” comments about that? 😉
a
Heh. Follow-focus is why I’m hoping for mirror-lock up in future Sony cameras
I’ll keep my “SLT crap” with fast focusing A-mount lenses rather than your glorified compact camera and pathetic lens selection focusing at a pedestrian pace.
Yup I agree. I never understand NEX. They are as expensive as dSLRs, you lose the image stabilisation, slow autofocus and only 6 lenses, and only two fast primes.
All of that in exchange for being a bit smaller and lighter. You still need to have a NEX7 on a camera strap. It’s not compact enough to be truly compact, and not a good enough performed to rival a dSLR.
But they sell really well, so somebody clearly sees the point in them.
I don’t buy sony and cz crap lenses for NEX. My choice is Leica: already bought Super Elmar 18 and Summilux 50.
Which don’t auto-focus. Do you actually read the comments here before spouting crap?
Denis,
You bought Leica, and You certainly saw a point doing that, and I hope You will be perfectly happy with it. Why not assuming, that others, who decided to buy a different camera type from same or different brand knew as well as You did, what they were doing and had good reasons for their decisions as You did for Yours? Why humiliating fellow photographers by doubting their ability to judge? Competition and different user demands are the pacemakers for beautiful peaces of camera technology already existing and yet to come.
CZ lenses are not crap!!! And there are some fine Sony lenses too!!!!
Ehh…If fast AF your thing, stick with your A77. Fast AF isn’t the be all and end all of photography and far too much time is spent discussing it.
It obviously isn’t as I don’t keep banging on about it like people do with ISO.
You really are a piece of work aren’t you!!
Is Sony going to release another Firmware for the A77? I just got mine yesterday and the startup and UI is a bit glitchy and unresponsive even though the FW camera is already 1.04.
No SLT camera will ever be a high ISO king (at least not unless the light loss is greatly reduced). At equivalent output sizes, the MP count is not the most significant thing.
I suspect that any new sensor capability is far more likely to be aimed at things like improved video, lower power requirements, higher read rates (important for EVF). As digital sensors are now approaching theoretical limits (at least for “classic” bayer pattern type technology), improvements in fundamental image quality characteristics will be incremental. Certainly not enough to compensate for a 30% light loss.
Exactly. Let’s not create false expectations again that will certainly lead to disappointment (remember the “ISO in the hundreds of thousands” nonsense?).
C’mon sony… Stop everything u are doing and give us a new FF and some lenses…
I could not agree more….wtf!
Sony has more than one camera department…like every other company. Problems aren’t solved by throwing more people at it. If it were, the cameras would cost a LOT more.
omg, investing on a77 is a death then… should i continue wait and grab a77? it seem resale a77 market is gone if this is true
You seriously think that the future introduction of an entry level (and limitations accordingly) camera will kill the resale value of a semi pro camera that is barely making its way to the various markets?
This board needs more sense.
Why on Earth would the A5x kill A77 sales? Have you forgotten that there is a cheaper model NOW? The A65.
The different price points are aimed at completely different classes of user. Nobody looking at the A77 will suddenly get the A5x instead, a border-line user might get the A65 if they cannot justify the A77 price for the added features.
Unfortunatelly this “NOW” seems to be relative.
While the A77 and NEX-7 are back in stock, and the talk is even about a successor to the A55, the A65 probably was forgotten by Sony. :'(
The A65 was simply overshadowed by the A77 launch.
If it doesn’t have that viewfinder, it’s just weak.
i would buy everything A77 has but with FF sensor…. just gimme that, sony….. we waited for very long already … OMG…
Same here A77 body with 24mp FF sensor will be nice.
Those waiting for a new Sony 24MP FF camera are going to wait forever. Yes, I accept all bets.
I thought admin has already said the a99 will have 24mp?
No.
Didn’t they say it would be either a 24 or a 36mp sensor on the future FF?
I do agree it’s unlikely, but there is some precedent in the market. Camera companies won’t make a new product that doesn’t align with their current products. In other words, people expect higher numbers from a FF than from APS-C. But that doesn’t mean they can’t match the resolution of their top APS-C.
Look at Nikon. Their top APS-C is 16MP. Their lowest res FF, then, cannot be lower than 16MP. So that’s what they did.
Canon, too. Highest res APS-C is 18MP, so the lowest res they would dare make a FF is 18MP. So they did.
With Sony, the top APS-C is 24MP, so if they follow suit the lowest res they would dare put in a FF is 24MP. I think they might just do that, too, considering it would give them a chance to make a reasonable low-light performance in their FF offering. If they pull another high-res monster for all of their FF offerings this year then that – coupled with the light reduction from the SLT design – will seriously put them at a low-light disadvantage compared to their competition.
I’m not saying they can’t, Sony has a trackrecord that is completely unlike Nikon’s in this regard.
Sony is also a large sensor maker and to market their sensors, they seem to want more than just lower noise specs. Besides that, Sony has specifically stated in their sensor brochures that there is no downside to more pixels and they have the technology (both sensors and processing power to handle the data) in house to bring out sensors with smaller (and thus more) pixels without sacrifices in noise.
Considering the fact that the life cyle of a new FF camera is atleast 3 years and the points above, it would make zero sense for them to introduce another 24MP FF camera at the end of this year, knowing that towards the end of its life, APS-C cameras (mostly shorter lifecycles) will have gone long past that point.
my prediction:
– either 16MP 10fps or 24MP 6-7fps
– EVF similar to A77 and A65, LCD same as A55 LCD.
– same translucent mirror as A65/77
– same AF modul with A65 or A55 old AF modul.
– body similar to old A55 (small battery)
– same single slot SD/MS as A65/77.
Dual card slots.
LOL, yeah, because amature photogs with a small camera need dual slots. Thanks for the laugh.
I would kinda be surprised if it used a different viewfinder.
Surely Sony would want to consolidate the manufacturing. But also, I think they should use the best EVF they can in order to showcase the technology.
Since EVF is still untrusted by a lot of people, they should be putting the best EVF they can manage into every camera.
And no, I don’t think it’ll be a high ISO king, even if they keep the MP count low. The a77 is still great and has a lot more resolution.
I fully agree, A55 EVF is frustrating, A65/77 is acceptable. In a5x should be the same or even better next gen EVF.
I want buy some A5x as second camera even if they put NEX5n sensor and A77 EVF in the same A55 body.
*i mean i would buy a camera that has everything A77 has + FF sensor*… Sony just need to gimme that, do not need to think of more innovative way….for now at least…
Make the A57 a low risk product derivation:
2.4M EVF
16M CMOS Sensor
1080p 60Hz
Body similar to A65
24M is similar in noise performance at the same resolution. You get more resolution if you have enough light. That is the way to go but I think the economics of the lenses will be limiting factor in the future. Anyway 24M is the only difference then to the A65 which could also be read as a A63 model.
Not having the same EVF would be a serious mistake on the part of Sony.
Canon’s Rebel series have tiny optical viewfinders, Sony should be attacking this weakness with a large and bright EVF.
Differentiation should not come from the EVF. Let it be a different sensor with different frame rates. Let be with build quality.
I agree, but perhaps it is too costly? For example, the A700 has a penta-prism OVF, the lower models have penta-mirror. This is the case with canikon too.
However in the case of EVF I would have thought it was simpler and cheaper to produce with volume production driving unit cost down too.
But yes, if it was Sony wanting to use the EVF as a differentiator between models, that indeed is a mistake. Acceptance of EVF needs to come from the bottom up and gives Sony a definite advantage over the lower end canikon models.
The EVF must be the one from the A77. If they can offer it as an option on the NEX-5N, then it should be on the A5x by default. The A55 EVF was simply not good enough.
I also hope they have vastly improved the AF accuracy/calibration. Back focus seemed to be a common complaint on the A55/A580, especially noticeable with fast lenses. Either improve it or include AF micro adjust.
and Sony’s customers will have the choice to attach the 18-55 kit lens ($100) or the new 16-50 ($700) on it..it’s cool Sony!! thanks for frustrating your customers!!! How comes Sony is sooo deaf?? Sony’s users keep on “begging” for new lenses and what we got is new cameras…hum…btw i heard that the CZ 16-80 doesn’t work really well on the A77..How comes? any one knows? is it because the A77 has the A77 can detect attached lenses and block the performance of some lenses so that the A77’s users have to spend $700 on the new kit lens???
What exactly are you saying? Make your point rather than cynical statements, backwards comments. Are you suggesting that Sony don’t have enough zooms that cover the 18-50 range? I think 3 is probably plenty. Are you saying that cheap Sony lenses are crap (I would say otherwise)? I’m really not sure what you are trying to say.
abc,
I have been working with A77 and CZ 16-80 for 6 weeks now (about 1500 exposures) and it seems a very good body/lens combo to me in respect of crisp sharpness, metering, autofocus, inCam lenscorrection. The only flaw in comparison to Sony 16-50/2.8 – besides the smaller min. aperture – seems to be the audible focusing noise in videomode.
Your conspiracy theory about Sony deliberately weakening the CZ 16-80 performance on A77 is beyound any logic – why would Sony have implemented lens correction data for the CZ 16-80 in FW 1.04 then? Plus, due to it´s larger aperture over full zoom range plus the faster, silent autofocus the Sony 16-50 will sell very well anyway.
Not to mention the 16-105, 18-250 (I drew the line at 16-80) but we include those we could probably include the 28-75, the 24-70 CZ maybe even the 16-35 CZ, not even bringing the 3rd parties into the equation.
Do you serious think the 18-55 and 16-50 are the ONLY options available? Because that is what your post implies.
Ah another post and another bitch fest about the following:
1) ISO performance of high res APS-C
2) EVF vs OVF
3) A-Mount vs E-Mount
First of all, for the millionth time – ISO performance between the NEX-5n and NEX-7 are VERY similar. Getting a 5n sensor in an A77 body is just going to give a lower resolution A77.
The EVF in the A77/65/7 are very good for APS-C, stop comparing to A900. The best APS-C OVFs cannot compete with the size and brightness of the newer EVF. We haven’t seen what Sony plan to put in a FF (other than knowing it is EVF). Let’s hold judgement.
Ah E vs A mount. Hmmm they both have advantages and disadvantages – E-Mount will replace A-Mount, end of story.
In regards to this post, the a55 has a widescreen display (16:9) and uses only a crop of it’s original EVF resolution. Bars on the top and bottom, on the side on the LCD. Until you go into 16:9 shooting mode. The a33/35/55 are widescreen oriented, it is a big part of their body style, my guess is that new 16:9 version of the a77 EVF is what will land in the a55 replacement.
I doubt there will be a “high ISO king” with a translucent mirror inside.
If the sensor is good enough, there is no reason why that should not be the case. The light loss is only half a stop and the impact on real-world images is not that big.
Where do people get their misinformation from?
It won’t be king for the simple reason alone that the same sensor in a NEX or for example Nikon will still show slightly better performance. And for some people that will always be a stick to beat Sony with, as silly as it is. 😉
Put the same sensor into a camera with an SLT and one without, all other things being equal, the latter will always outperform the former at the same ISO and exposure. It’s quite simply because there will be about 30% fewer photons reaching the sensor (so things like gain have to be tweaked to compensate).
This is not an issue for debate, it’s a simple matter of the physics involved.
Note that this doesn’t mean the real-world implications of the SLT light loss isn’t exaggerated by some, but it is inescapable.
nb. for ISO levels above base on the SLT but below base level on the non-SLT this isn’t true (as the latter will clip highlights easier), but that’s a very small overlap and often the non-SLT camera won’t even offer those ISO levels anyway.
Its easy to get very good high ISO hand held reproduction with all Sonys. Just exposure compensate up with steadyshot on.
Exposing up increases light to the sensor (as opposed to increasing ISO, which increases amplifier gain – and amplifies sensor noise). Exposure comping up reduces shutter speed, but steadyshot compensates, so you’re still comparable to a Canikon shooter in the same situation. Then expose down in post.
Basically, trade in the 1/3 stop pellicle loss at high ISO for the stop gain allowed by steadyshot.
So for example, if you are at ISO 800 and need a little more gain, expose up instead of going to 1600. The difference in image noise is substantial.
Fine for stationary subjects, not so much moving ones. SSS only compensates for handheld shake, not shutter speed.
Why not buy an a77 and bump the iso to 1000 instead of 1600? 😛
Ugly design.
The a99 should have been first then this. Sony is goIng to get its ass kicked at Cp+.
After Cp there will be 4 new FF and 0 for Sony. 🙁
I disagree. Sony will be laughing all the way to the bank when they get their cut of the Nikon bodies that are using their sensors.
Does the D4 use a Sony Sensor? Where does it say that? Same for D800?
dont start the embarrassing “iso in the 100000s” rumors again, which turn into barely useable iso 16000 😉
Sony will bring a new EVF but cripple it with slight software lag via firmware. Old EVF puts bad light on the whole EVF technology.
They may release pre-production model and see what “first impression” feedback they get.
According feedback they may improve EVF lag via firmware update in final version.
Sony seriously need to get the best out of the bodies they’ve already got. This continual push to launch new products before the existing ones have reached maturity is getting annoying. The existing A55 is a very good camera, the EVF wasn’t to A77 standards maybe, but the rest of the camera is certainly good for a couple more years with investment in firmware updates to improve video and photo IQ yet further and add the odd feature here or there.
The 77 still has a ways to go before its due for replacement and I hope i’m not saying the same of it at the time. There’s loads of room for improvement in that software in both operation and output quality especially video! – sorry Sony, “definition” and “pixels” aren’t the same thing, just because you kick out 1920×1080 pixels that doesn’t mean its “High Definition”. I’ve got £500 4 year old camcorders (17mbit/s AVCHD!) that capture more detail and even my TRV900 runs it pretty close and thats 720×576 SD MiniDV and about 12 years old.
It seems as though Sony have this belief that camera bodies are only current for 1 year…They’re not, look at the Nikon D90 I would strongly suspect that its Nikons most profitable DSLR ever and its been around for years and can still be bought new.
They need to understand that these things are expensive tools not cheap fashion accessories.
The D90 and the a55 hardly sit in the same category. The higher end the model the longer time between models, this is because the features of high end cams filter down to low end cameras then they up the ante on the top models and so on. D90 is still around sure, but in most ways is much worse than the D5100 which sits below it, in IQ terms at least.
Cameras that out resolve a 24MP DSLR downscaled to 1080p on the fly? No way! (sarcasm). The best video cameras have super low resolution sensors that are designed to closely match the resolution of the output. Stills cameras do not.
Why does everyone assume you can just magically fix things or add things through FW? Yes you can fix bugs an add some new features, but not everything can be changed in FW sorry.
No-ones assuming that you can fix “everything” through firmware, I know full well what can and cant though as I spend my life writing firmware for a living (I’m an embedded software engineer working on things rather more complex than cameras). Its not magic, its understanding the platform, knowing the register sets, experimenting, refactoring, optimizing and testing. The longer you have on a platform to do it, the better it gets. Having to learn a new platform every few months is distracting and counter-productive.
erm….most camcorders downscale on the fly too. And your argument is in no way borne out by the comparatively stellar performance of the GH2.
WRT the D90, i wasn’t comparing it to anything, if you read the post again you’ll see it was an example, I was just pointing out that its sold for years and sold very, very well long after all the R&D expenditure has be recouped. Nikon didn’t feel the need to replace it after 1 year and that paid dividends.
GH2, GH2…. Oh right the GH2 – The camera which performs somewhat marginally better than say an A77, considering it is sold as a ‘hybrid’ camera I would hope so. Yes Sony DO need to learn from Panasonic because all their video cameras are WAY below the performance of the GH2 right? Alpha’s and NEX’s are still stills cameras, with some ok-poor video functionality. The GH2 is essentially a slightly better video camera with some comparatively ok-poor stills capability.
Back on the D90, this model is not replicated in Sony’s line-up, it sits somewhere between the Semi-Pro APS-C (7 series Sony’s) and the Middling consumer (5 series). The ‘7’ Series runs on a life-cycle of around 3-4 years, much like the D90. Consumer models (by all major manufacturers) are updated more quickly, Nikon for example have had at least the D5000 and D5100 plus probably what the D60 and D60x (5 series equivalents) in the life span of the D90?
How long had the Canon 550D been out when they released the 600D? Entry models get more minor updates more often then the Pro and Semi-Pro models – it is as simple as that. This A55 refresh will be a minor update to the existing camera.
Also people buy a camera because of the features it has and it’s abilities to capture images, unless a camera somehow fails to do what it says on the box, or in press statements (ignoring subjective PR comments such as ‘amazing true to life… blah blah’) then any firmware updates that add new features should be considered as a bonus and a good will gesture, not a necessity. I would never buy a camera hoping and preying they will release an additional, non-documented feature and then stamping and shouting when it does not get delivered.
As a software engineer you would know that software gets developed and priced to a spec and once it is delivered to that spec (barring bug fixes) if a client wants more ‘stuff’ they have to pay for that extra development. Maybe you should be offering 4 years free development (not support) with every piece of software you write?
Go and have a look at the GH2 shots, they’re not significantly different to any other M43, its produced some very good stills shots in its time. Its only stills limitations are related to the small physical sensor size and compromises due to its price point. As for being marketed as a hybrid, what on earth has that got to do with it, any video DSLR is a hybrid, it just relates to the readout speed of the sensor being capable of >24fps thus suitable for video, perhaps having an EVF and having a few video features in the software, no different to the A77, A55, A35 . IIRC the NEX-VG10 is a “camcorder” and inside its just a NEX-5/A55 and FYI my A77 had a whacking great FULLHD 1080P sticker on top as do the others. The difference with the GH2 is simply that panasonic paid more attention to video accutance post down-scaling, its not magic, its just doing the same thing properly.
WRT the Nikon D90 having no equivalent in the Sony lineup, ever heard of the A580? I’d say that fits the bill quite nicely, just because there wasn’t a 7-series at time of launch is irrelevant – do you think thats going to last 4 years?
The life cycle of the 7 Series Sony cameras is not pre-determined, they dont produce one and say “well thats it, see you all in 4 years”, like anything else in business its market reactive. Until now its been 3-4 years but hey with just 2 examples launched , I think you’re jumping to conclusions there about “cycles”. you might also want to consider that Sony officially stated that they weren’t going to bring out a VDSLR until they’d “got video right”. The 33/55 etc were the proofs on which they made the commercial decisions for the 77, so until the results were in for those, there never was going to be anything on the 7-series front.
Canon 550 and 600 were to all intents and purposes the same camera, the 600 added a swivel screen but that was about the only significant upgrade. As most reviewers commented, basically it was a pointless, if you had a 550 dont bother upgrading.
You said – “As a software engineer you would know that software gets developed and priced to a spec and once it is delivered to that spec (barring bug fixes) if a client wants more ‘stuff’ they have to pay for that extra development. Maybe you should be offering 4 years free development (not support) with every piece of software you write?”
– Sorry, this whole statement is rubbish! Has anyone ever paid for an update to their XBOX360 or PS3 software? Did we have to pay for the software update to the A55 which added the extra picture modes? NO. Do I have to pay for the software updates to my bluray player which provide functional enhancements (BDLIVE, BD2.0 for example)? NO. did I have to pay for the software updates for my mobile phone which added functionality? NO. All of these products have had numerous functionality enhancements and no-ones come to me asking for cash yet. This is firmware, not some bespoke, single customer application we’re talking about. Firmware releases are updates to address issues and keep the products current and selling and it goes on continuously, long after launch day. Unless it involves a very specific single customer requirement (a customer specific build), you dont expect the customer to pay for it, its funded by the profit from continued or enhanced sales. You dont develop firmware for one product then scrap it all and start from scratch on the next. You continually add features, fix bugs and re-use the software modules, time and time again for new releases and new products. Much of the software in the A77 is probably a whole lot older than you think.
Some replied would have worked better as a book. Keep it short and to the point if you want anyone to read it.
Here’s a short point. A GH2 doesn’t really work well for moving subjects in comparison to an A77. Nor can it touch the DR, etc. Not comparable as a stills camera.
@ monkeyfacemcbride
As spoon said, the GH2 does not compare on stills to the A77, in the same way A77 does not compare to GH2 in video. VG10 is a travesty – basically a NEX made to be a very poor handling video camera with poor output, it happens, it is crap, I’m not arguing that (and I have 2 of them!).
D90 – Pentaprism VF, Dual Control Dials, higher quality construction. Does not compete with A580. Not in the same market space. At some point they may have competed on price, not the same thing. The D90 is a competitor to the A700 and the cam that doesn’t exist between the A500/550/560/580 or ‘5’ series and ‘7’ series.
Your argument in not sound in regards to software updates – every example you gave is a system that has software developed for it, games, apps, films with java content etc these systems rely on software updates to enable newer content that relies on the newer software. A camera does what it is supposed to and continues to do so, if not a bug fix is probably in order… Or repair depending on the nature of the problem. My statement was that any additional features should be considered a bonus – if I hear one more idiot like you ‘software engineer’ say that they are somehow owed a feature I will punch them in the face. If it was not promised to you in one form or another, why would you have ANY reason to expect it.
Life cycle – no it isn’t predetermined. I was trying to prove a precedence with not only Sony but other manufacturers. Which you didn’t disprove you simply said ‘yeah well… That’s not set’. Also Sony’s precedence if for 3 cameras 7D – A700 – A77. Each with a similarly long wait. ‘3’ series on the other hand get updated more often, as do ‘5’ (now known as ‘6’ series). If you can’t get this, just don’t bother to reply.
Who said ANYTHING about users upgrading? Sony upgrade the consumer space more often because they want to attract new customers with the latest and greatest, they aren’t to encourage customers to upgrade every 6 months. This is just like Canon in the 550D – 600D upgrade. The same thing you are complaining saying Sony shouldn’t do… But why? What do you care? Is it going to make the camera you bought less functional?
Your last point about the A77 software being older than I think – this sums up this whole thing nicely. Your initial gripe was that Sony shouldn’t make new cameras, because the ones they have are fine, they should simply concentrate on updating their firmware. If Sony are releasing new cams which are essentially the same as an older model with a minor tweak here or there, but based on the same basic platform – WHAT DO YOU CARE?
lot of fun here, as usual.
1- High ISO is not all and end : true…
2- AF speed and tracking are not all and end : true…
3- OVF vs EVF is not all and end : true…
4- Sharpness on the corners in wide angle lens is not all and end : true…
5- High end long telephoto is not all and end : true…
but 1+2+3+4+5….
This is excellent news. You can bicker all you want about the A99 or Sony focusing on Nex. The simple fact is, there is enough production occurring to release a new body, that tells me that there is production occurring period.
Sony has said it before, the SLT group is a different group than the Nex group. They’re probably on different floors or even in different buildings. They probably compete against each other for bonuses. Anyone who just has a Nex go and rent an A900 or a A77 and the Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 or the 135mm f/1.8 and fire off 2000 shots and tell me Sony needs to focus on Nex. Go and find a 25 year old Minolta Beercan on eBay for $150 and put it on a brand new A77 and fire off 200 shots and tell me it would be a good idea to abort on the A mount.
The timing of the A99 is very poor indeed. The Olympics are coming and nothing is a better commercial for pro bodies than the Olympics. But the simple fact is, it is not ready yet. The D800 was a myth for 3 years, right? So was the A77. If Sony is the company it has always been, it is learning from the A77, A65, A35 and so on, it is gathering data and it is looking to stick a dagger in to Canon and/or Nikon. Canon and Nikon have made their move with the 1DX, 5D3, D4 and D800. Sony needs to release something in the $3-4000 range to go up against the 1DX and the D4, and they need to hit the $2000-2500 sweet spot to go up against the 5D3 and the D800. Sony has shown they can win the Megapixel war. They’ve shown they can win the FPS war. Sony’s sensors have shown they can win the ISO war. This is probably a better move than we give them credit for. Let Nikon do the beta testing for them.
I work for a company that has a business unit that competes directly with a Sony business unit. Sony has shown time and time again that it can innovate and compete, and that it is a customer-driven business. Sony has shown it will lose money in lieu of being perceived as the best.
-english is not my mother tongue-
I wish you are right. Talking about what you wrote, I remember the FW 3 for the NEX: that was a game-changer! With that, NEX models become useful, before FW 3 were a total boredom; but this was when Sony reacted in time, listened critics and public, and made NEX one of the most profitable cam of the world (and more important: a very joyful cam 😀 )
I cant be the only one frustrated with this news, The A55 came out in August 2010 and the 900 came out in Sept 2008 Why focus your efforts on replacing this camera before replacing your great but dated full frame?
I cant get used to the A77 EVF and slow controls, I need an up dated version of the A900 no crazy bells and whistles just a solid work horse.
Full frame camera’s life cycle is 4 years. They follow the Olympic somehow.
It’s about time they replace the A35/A55, they are just too small for a dslr. Make the size bigger like A65.
Then that defeats the purpose of the a55. Look at the Rebel for example.
A57 is going to be the same size as A65, the new A37 will be the same size as the current A55.
I saw this post, and my first thought was, “sweet, this should drive down the cost of a used a55 so that I can pick up one of those as a backup/more portable option to my a77.” If I can’t take good enough photos with the a55, then shame on me. I’m sure the successor will be even better.
That’s not to say as a business concern Sony doesn’t need to compete on specs. For a given price, a buyer is going to buy the best camera they can whether or not they “need” the highest specified camera. But for me, selfishly, this is great news.
Wow, A FF in an A55 body. Who wouldn’t like that. Maybe it has D4’s 16mp sensor so a high ISO king is quite possible.
Yeah, I read the humor. I just like to live in my own world and wouldn’t you like the camera I described above?
I am guessing the A55 successor will have a new 18MP sensor. If it can keep the low-light performance of the current 16MP sensor and update the video specs, then the A56 could be a very nice camera.
What I am really excited about though, is this 18MP sensor showing up in NEX-6. If Sony can keep everything else about the NEX-7 but give us a lower resolution sensor, that would be very welcome for those who don’t need 24MP.
I would be very surprised if Sony releases an 18 mpx sensor, that won’t happen. I am with Bill on this, the A65/A77/NEX-7 viewfinder and a slightly upgraded version of the wonderful 16 mpx-sensor in a small body similar to the current A55.
And please Sony, give us NP-FM500H batteries in this one!
The new A5X will be an A55 with A65 viewfinder, and electronic steady shot for video. Move to the slightly upgraded 16MP sensor in the NEX 5N. The drawbacks to the current A55 is overheating on long videos, fixed by electronic steady shot like on the A65 and the LCD viewfinder, fixed by going to the A65 finder.
That’s what I’d like to see!
NEX 5n sensor should be put to Sony A580 body is fine for me. If A580 have the sensor and IQ of NEX 5n, then it will be a big blow to Nikon D7000.
How is putting a sensor that is basically the same in the a580 with a cramped vf, inferior focusing system, and a plastic body going to strike a blow to the d7000. Not a Nikon fan. My a77 shipped today, but this weird love affair with the 5n sensor is getting out of hand. It’s basically the same sensor that’s in the a580, and also the D7000.
With respect why do you think the FF-incapable E-mount will replace A-mount? Do you not recall the rumor of a hybrid-mount FF camera being developed by Sony?
As a professional photographer myself I just think this is a bit of a laughable claim, nothing against the NEX cameras, they really are amazing for their size, but the E-mount?.. The lenses are FAR from the professional offerings in A-mount, I personally own and use the CZ24-70, 70-200G, 851.4Z, 1351.8Z and know that not a single E-mount lens even begins to compare to the optical and physical qualities of these lenses, especially when taken into consideration what is needed for professional use (build quality, constant f/2.8, etc)
And there is no way to use those lenses on E-Mount cameras?
Professional needs? Well that is subjective, besides professionals keep saying they need an OVF… Seems like Sony is really listening to the needs of professionals.
Sure they can be used but would be balanced terribly, the ergonomics of NEX are simply not good enough for professional use. Making adjustments on my brother’s nex5N is a pain compared to my A850 and 900.
I will admit I don’t like how damn heavy a full-frame system is but the size is spot-on for handling and the amount of buttons required for essential functions. Love having a switch for focus, metering, just about everything on the a900. Now fill it with helium please.
Sorry you seem to be confusing a mount with a camera. NEX isn’t E-Mount, it uses E-Mount. I am NOT saying NEX will replace Alpha, only that the mount will over time change, considering the advantages of E-Mount I don’t see why people don’t seem to get that. E-Mount can be easily adapted to A-Mount.
I could reverse the argument and say the FS100 (E-Mount) has more external controls than the A900, but that is besides the point.
As far as hybrid mount, my bet is it is basically E-Mount, with adaptation for Full Frame when using included A-Mount adapter.
You also ignored the primary point of E-mount being incapable of full-frame. Who the hell wants to use their 24-70 if its going to be cropped, answer: those who can’t afford full-frame. Nobody else.
This is simply (like all of your other comments) extrapolating what you think is important and implying your beliefs on everyone else. I for one would use a 24-70 on a crop sensor as for my style of shooting that would be a perfect range for me, however I don’t because I use solely primes lenses.
What people can and cannot afford – who the hell are you to say what people can afford?! I mean people who use puny 35mm only use it because they can’t afford medium or large formats right? Broadcasters only use 2/3″ sensors because that is all they can afford right?
I am so so SO sick of those who shoot full frame believing they are somehow superior, different cameras have different uses, there is no ONE good format and if there was it wouldn’t be 35mm. 135 is an el-cheapo crop that simply became a popular standard, mostly because it was cheap and ‘good enough’, like VHS really.
you really think aps-C is actually superior to FF in any way at all? I sure hope sony doesn’t ditch it, wondering why you wouldn’t mind if they did…
@ Solo – Some areas yes. Smaller, cheaper, cheaper lenses, more development due to R&D costs vs sales figures all the same reasons why 135 was a prevailing format in the film era. I still like 135 however and still shoot it.
I also NEVER said that it was a good idea, just what I believe will happen. You are the one who doesn’t seem very clear on their own position – you say that the A900 is better than a NEX-5n because it handles better when comparing lens mounts. Then you try to act superior because you feel you have ‘made it’ in life because you can afford a FF camera, whoopie shit! Then you try to dismiss the usefulness of any other sensor size by making rather useless remarks.
But no, you are right, everyone should have the same camera, as dictated by you and it should be 135 because that is what you like and everyone should have the same phone, computer, car, house, job, wife, kids, pet and life as you – because hey! That is what you like?
with the launching of new camera, sony can cut its production cost, because they consistently use more efficient parts/engines every new cameras launched
As one who owns the a55, for the money, you seriously can’t get any better unless you go to the NEX 5n and have to sacrifice alpha lenses…and a decent grip…and gps. It’s a class of it’s own, people. Not a higher class but just a class of it’s own. All you high-and-mighty a900 people just reply on here because you feel like you have to justify your $2500+ purchase to a cheaper camera. There’s no point. They are 2 different classes. The a55 was a brilliant camera for the price (2010 camera of the year from multiple sources) and I can’t wait to see what Sony guineapigs with this new model. And for all the people bitching about the overheating and “ghosting” or whatever – just buy a pro camera. Each entry cam has their problems. Want longer video? Then why are you looking to a $600 camera to give you perfect vodeo? Get a real camera then. Such whiners on here. Get a life and more money to spend on your perfect camera and stop your bitching.
Hm.. wonder, what name will they use? 😀
A56? .. A60? 😀
Complete line-up will be:
A37
A57
A65
A77
A99: No priority, will be a while….
high iso king is what i want….