This is probably one of the biggest rumors I ever posted. And before you read it keep in mind that this is a rumor and not an official news. Rumors are not based on official facts but on anonymous and unproven…well rumors 🙂
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The APS-C A-mount revolution: According to multiple trusted sources there will be no more APS-C SLT cameras from Sony. And now listen: There will be new A-mount cameras! What changes is the tech. SLT is done and death for APS-C. This means the recently announced SLT-A58 is the last of it’s kind. No A77 and no A65 successor will have the semi transparent mirror. So what is going to happen? The options are two. Optical Viewfinder will come back (highly unlikely) or A-mount ASP-C goes mirrorless (likely).
UPDATE: There will be one last A77II SLT. After that APS-C will be mirrorless A-mount!
I am still not sure if there will be SLT-FF, but I have been told that SLT is going to to disappear sooner or later anyway. I know the news is big and I have the feeling this will not be the only big news we will here in future 🙂
P.S.: As I told you before Sony is working on a brand new roadmap that includes many new advanced features. 2014 is going to be a very intriguing year!
UPDATE: I insist telling you that the A-mount system will remain well alive. What changes is just that they will not use the SLT tech anymore. Please don’t spread false rumors about a possible death of the A-mount. Just be patient and wait for the new amazing stuff that will come in 2014 😉
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Message to sources: You can send me more info anonymously by using the contact form you see on the very right of your browser. You can also contact me directly at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com.
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Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!
418 Responses
I really don’t care if SLT technology stays or not. It is only there for the PDAF, and if this can be achieved in another way, no problem.
What is important to me is that an APS-C “SLR-like” A-mount camera line will continue, and that the lenses stay fully functional.
Dito!
Exactly. AND THAT IBIS remains.
+++++ IBIS! +++++
But main question is will the pentaprism faux-hump remain? I kinda like people thinking I am a pro photographer because They think I use a dslr even though it is a mirrorless.
The thing is: To have a mirrorless A-mount with an EVF makes no sense at all, since they already have the E-mount with an EVF. If they move the PhD AF to the sensor so that the A-mount lenses will work perfectly, then the same can be done with the NEX cameras and an adapter.
So NO NEED AT ALL for a mirrorless A-Mount camera.
Given this, there are two options:
– A-mount APS-C cameras disappear and are replaced by NEX+adapter (similar to the current solution, but without the SLT mirror in the adapter)
– A-mount goes OVF, which I think is the only way out, but at the same time a dead end.
Conclusion: Sony will go NEX only with APS sooner rather than later. And FF will go OVF also sooner rather than later.
Phd AF 🙂
Interesting news indeed.
Guess I will upgrade to the A77 now and then again next year depending on what comes and when it comes.
To be honest i prefer the mirror with ovf. I like the sound of the mirror.
Ask Sony to emulate the sound of the flapping mirror through the camera speaker… Just don’t ask for the vibration that it does…
Good luck with your non-Sony camera then. 🙂
Well, we’ll see how it goes, but I also would enjoy OVf comming back. That’s the major advantage of the A-mount after all – you can build a camera of nearly every type with it. In E-mount you are stuck with doing the same thing over and over and over again.
How do you think of OVF returning to new A-mount models?
If Sony are so lazy, they could license someone else to make OVF bodies with Sony electronics. But probably not going to happen.
OVF Sonys didn’t sell good anyways, and OVF doesn’t help to compete with Nikon’s AF.
My guess: due to Aptina-Sony patent portfolio exchange, Sony will do with on-sensor PDAF only in budget models, i.e. removing the mirror but of course not adding OVF.
Not to mention the fact that an OVF means either:
– the return of the flipping mirror (unlikely, cost etc.)
– or a parallax setup as used by Fujifilm, which introduces a host of new problems (very little FL coverage doesn’t suit the A mount range to begin with).
I like the sound of the mirror too. Oh yeah. And the beautiful view it provides me with!
I hope that this rumor is true. The whole SLT stuff wasn’t the right way. There are only two usable options for me. DSLRs or cameras without mirror. Canicon rules in the DSLR area, so Sony has to be creative and should conquer the high level amateur market with luxurios system cameras (this means FF). There is enough money, Sony shouldn’t compete with Canicon in the pro arena, itr should earn money instead.
Oh what a mess
It depends on how mature now the Sony’s on-sensor PDAF is. If it provides comparable performance to the conventional AF systems used, then we’ll see revolution.
Based on the reviews of the NEX5R vs the N, I wouldn’t get your hopes up on the maturity of on-sensor PDAF. If this rumour is true and Sony aren’t doing a U-turn traditional mirrors/OVF then it sounds like a another case of Sony prematurely abandoning established tech for something half-baked.
Totally agreeing with you. Too many “IFs”. But let’s wait and see.
Also one thing that bothers me – support for old lenses and 3rd party. If we’ll have the situation similar to A99 – that’s bad. Sony was quite slow to support lenses in the firmware. We don’t have AF-D for old Minolta and 3rd party.
I was just thinking the same thing… all minolta & most 3rd party glass is going to be unsupported… of course sony could change that by allowing somekind of manual calibration via a file (which could be produced & shared by clever people on the forums) but this is Sony what are the chances of that?
There are currently 5 Minolta and a few third party lenses that work with AF-D.
Which ones? I have not seen this mentioned anywhere.
It’s been mentioned (tested) and registered on Dyxum. Go to the lens database and select AF-D compatible.
That’s just for the AF-D feature. Normal AF functions work just fine and thus all those lenses are not “unsupported”.
You mean the normal AF function provided by the translucent mirror works while the AF-D feature provided by the sensor (generally) doesn’t? Gosh I wonder why going mirrorless might cause concerns
“Also one thing that bothers me – support for old lenses and 3rd party. If we’ll have the situation similar to A99 – that’s bad. Sony was quite slow to support lenses in the firmware. We don’t have AF-D for old Minolta and 3rd party.”
That’s not right. I have the A99 and the Minolta 100/2.8 D Macro, I can use AF-D with the 100 AF points with no problem! I guess most ( if not all ) Minolta “D” lenses are supported by A99’s AF-D.
“If this rumour is true and Sony aren’t doing a U-turn traditional mirrors/OVF” – problem is that we don’t know if they are doing a return back to traditional DSLR or not.
Granted but this is $ony, I’ve seen too many ‘no, surely not’ decisions go the (IMO) the wrong way for me to be optimistic that they’re going back to SLRs
Well, that’s why I say: let’s wait and see what path will they choose. IMHO from commercial point of view a return of OVF might be a better move, simply because it addresses most of the criticism Sony got.
Does anyone really believe that Sony will admit that they made a mistake with the SLT and return to OVF DSLR?
Sony are very arrogant and think that everything they make is better than others+ being Japanese would lose face.
If Sony had of continued to produce DSLR’s along side of the SLT’s and now decided to drop SLT’s it would be a different story
…..”Does anyone really believe that Sony will admit that they made a mistake with the SLT and return to OVF DSLR? Sony are very arrogant and think that everything they make is better than others+ being Japanese would lose face.”…..
The SLT was a bold and right move for Sony to break traditional mirror flip-flop design and its old mechanical + vibration caveats! It was never meant to be an eternal design but an interim solution until ( like a “hybrid” car before a totally electric ) the ideal mirrorless is mature enough ( with PDAF equivalent performance ). The SLT works as intended, it’s less costly, lighter, vibration-free. An elegant and successful interim solution!
The 5R was released last year and we are talking Sony cameras for next year. Plenty of time to improve on-sensor PDAF.
My old a330 is dying and I thought a77-successor is coming. Now I don’t know what to do. @@
Just get a cheap and excellent A57. One of the best value for money mid-range camera.
Get a57 or a58. I think new non SLT A-mount cameras will apear in the shops for normal price not sooner than in 2-3 years…
I got an a77 after my a330 died. I’m very happy with the A77 and I love the EVF…
i plan on getting a A65 as im in the same boat and have a F43 so want the “old” iISO flash mount and whiel the A77 has AF micro ajust adn better build its also larger and im not wanting that
way i see it is that the A65 will have as good or better high iso IQ then my a330 and i can use the 24mp to “zoom crop” and still have a great print
I don’t like the idea of going mirrorless………..i always prefer the mirror system……….they better come up with a breakthrough thats blows every other camera in existence in autofocus without the mirror and not a focal plane phase detection on the image sensor…….the seperate af sensor is always better…..
Yeah, being unable to focus at 70% of frame (except of small area in the center), prone to focus errors, being unable to focus with apertures smaller than f/5.6 are good examples as where separate sensor is always better.
I think on-sensor PDAF sensel also suffer the same problems – cannot focus on small aperture for example, or even worse. CDAF is not very suitable for large sensor system yet, thin DoF and heavy lens element are some limitations. In my opinion, hybrid system like one in A99 is the best compromise. Flip-able mirror is also a good alternative, for those who don’t like the 0.5 stop light loss.
The question that becomes obvious is: what’s the difference between the NEXs and the APS-C Alphas? An Alpha-capable convertible mount (seems to serve no real purpose now except for backwards compatibility) and IBIS?
Also, many prefer the ergonomics of a larger camera (And vice-versa).
Grip can be added to a small camera, but not vice-versa.
I don’t care if the slt disappears. However, if the A mount disappears, I will be really really mad and will leave Sony. If Sony brings out a mirrorless system on which the A mount lensen can function, it will be okay to me.
But I hope it will still be SLR-styled.
Maybe OMD or Lumix G6 styles will serve well.
They already brought out a mirrorless system that works with A mount lenses – a NEX with LEA-2.
Title makes it sound like Sony has stopped making APS-C cameras. There will be an a77 successor, it will just be mirrorless.
The best thing would be to make all of the sensor capable of PDAF. That’s quite possible – have half of the sensels looking more to the left and another half looking to the right. With good optimisation it must be even possible to improve the total light-gathering ability of the sensor, especially for the larger apertures.
And a couple spread over the surface that are polarized for improved low light and low contrast focusing.
The Pentax K-01 was its time ahead. 😀
lol 🙂
I think most of us have suspected that the Nex cameras are where Sony is seeing profits- cheap to make with a high profit margin. This is sad news but not all that surprising. I think they’ll give the A mount one more go round before deciding if it’s just not worth it. Ultimately, I think they see the Nex cameras as the future. They have been incapable of breaking the Canon/Nikon hegemony when it comes to DSLR style cameras. I don’t understand why. I thought the Sony cameras were almost always better value.
I saw this coming the big question is when will the 1st next generation camera arrive in 2014, 1st half or late 2014 and will it have a none bayer sensor?
1st half.
Isnt the big 2-yearly photo gear expo due again in feb 2014? Perfect time to announce and show demos!
Mirrorless all the way!
I’ve been waiting in the wings for this rumour, it has come much earlier than I thought.
It appears my predictions of Sony producing a mirrorless APS-C sized body are coming true. I have been telling you lot for MONTHS, but got accused of trolling. I’m looking at you sky_walker…
It makes sense for them to make it a native E-mount with us A-mount users using an adapter, just like they have done with the flash mount.
Nope, you’ve been telling that A-mount is dead.
And what I’ve been telling you that it’s not – here yet again it’s confirmed that I’ve been right and you’ve been wrong all the time along the way.
It comes as no surprise that you can’t admit to being wrong. You’ve accused me of trolling and it has come back to bite you hard as I knew it would. It was only a matter of time…
Dude, learn to read. A-mount is not dead. APS-C camera will come in 2014. You were wrong with your garbage all the time. Suddenly you disappeared when rumors saying quite clearly that you were wrong came out, and now you appear back again when something about chances in A-mount comes out? Get a life man.
Like I said, waiting in the wings for the rumour I KNEW was coming. 😉
You’re going to be really upset when you find out the next APS-C dSLR sized body will not be a native A-mount…
LOL. Too true.
+1
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sony already said that they will not drop A-mount, no SLT for APS-C or even full frame doesn’t mean they will not release new A-mount camera without mirror or flipable mirror with other name called. But whatever, as long as sony giving good things out, happy user happy, haters still hate.
Does it mean DT lenses are dead?
If NEX cameras can focus as fast as other DSLRs, then there is no need for APS-C SLTs.
So, will there be FF NEX next year?
Nevertheless, SLR-type OVF is widely accepted by both Pros & Consumers, and if Sony decided to distrub the market again, make sure the EVF is better than the competition(e.g. dynamic range, start-up time, delays etc)
Read rumor again. It says quite clearly that APS-C cameras with A-mount still will be released.
DT lenses are very much alive.
‘Optical Viewfinder will come back (highly unlikely) or A-mount ASP-C goes mirrorless (likely).’
A third option would be the dual translucent mirror (which will be called differently for marketing reasons) with zero blackout EVF. Patent can be found on egami.
nope. no translucent mirror anymore.
Then I’m really curious as to how they’ll gonna make it work if they don’t go the OFV route. The main advantage of SLR/SLT is the AF speed so they can’t afford to slap in the relatively slow contrast/on-sensor PDAF. Maybe they finally found a way to make focusing totally on sensor (no hybrid).
My speaking! If SLT is dead (why??) and OVF is unlikely (really sure?) than mirrorless comes with that massive showstopper of having slow AF, compatibility and other things.
I don’t understand why SLT is suddenly a problem. It is fast, silent, performs good … and it just started. Why would you stop that entirely? Mirrorless is not for professions but amateurs and NEX. Back to OVF seams than logical. But why? For IQ reasons (it’s only APS-C while the future of FF-SLT is unknown)?
@Admin: Can you find out the reason behind this decision?
I was like the evf so much but now Sony stop it!!!
If go ovf still acceptable ,but if it go to mirrorless I will go nikon side !!!
But y last time I just see the rumuor the ff-slt will come next year？？
What makes you think the EVF will stop? Of course it will stay. The only difference is if the PDAf sensors are on-chip or in a separate array (which is why the mirror is necessary currently).
Please learn to read the rumors properly and apply some common sense. There is NOTHING there that would eliminate the EVF.
If it is true Sony needs to make the sytem very efficient
if not I will not hesitate to switch
The A77 is great, I guess that A99 is even better
in case their AF system is not performing good I will go to D600 or something like that
No SLT? No problem. There will be a new sensor with phase detection integrated 😉
Amount is not dead! We are about to get CZ 50mm f1.4 updated 70-400mm etc etc
A mount is for the bigger system e mount is portability at the expense of less controls
It appears that A-mount is going to be for full frame users who will get expensive lenses, fast AF and IBIS. Native A-mount isn’t necessarily going to be for APS-C users from 2014.
You got outdated info.
You got owned.
Lol. If anyone got owned – it’s you.
Read Seeky post.
Read my posts, the posts that I have done for MONTHS, the posts that you have accused me of trolling. A dSLR sized mirrorless.
The next thing we will find out is that, sure it supports A-mount, but it isn’t a NATIVE A-MOUNT.
I’ll wait and enjoy the moment to prove you WRONG yet AGAIN.
Frank: how can you be so sure? Please elaborate.
Read the rumor, it says: “The APS-C A-mount revolution” Seems self explanatory for me. APS-C A-mount stays.
And the ride begins:))) Sony, keep trying! Only this time I will be the spectator, not the Guinea Pig forced to buy the stuff because there’s no choice within the system.
No more moving mirror, no more SLT mirror… Whatever that is just make it right, intuitive and easy to use.
So, this may be the beginning of the extiction of the A-Mount
Step 1: Build in moveable sensor, so that the camera is fully compatible with e-mount lenses.
Step 2: slowly fading the production of new a-mount lenses…many e-mount lenses instead
Same might happen with FF
This garbage and drivel has been spouted since Sony bought the Minolta assets.
Garbage…maybe! But when Sony took over the alpha mount, the had to serve this mount only. Next year, if the FF Nex rumors are true, they will have 2 mounts with 4 lines of lenses and even more users will mourn about a short lens range.
If Sony thinks that mirrorless ist the future, and it seems they do, why keep that old big system alive? I don´t speak about 1-2 years terms but let´s see if and how the alpha mount exists in 5 years…
Ridiculous ! Sony has far far more lenses for the A mount than for the E mount. Why would they possible abandon the A mount. Its clearly stated by the admin that the A mount is very much alive.
Sony will commit suicide if they stop the A mount completely after launching such pro lenses like the 70-400mm mk II and the new CZ 50mm f1.4. The 70-400mm is practically unusable on an E mount camera.
“The options are two. Optical Viewfinder will come back (highly unlikely)”
– Perhaps unlikely but definietly it would meet a warm welcome.
“A-mount ASP-C goes mirrorless (likely)”
– Most likely it’ll begin a new age of horrible AF performance. Just look at NEXes. Even if they’d have AF speed improved x2 (which is rather unlikely) it still wouldn’t be anywhere close to DSLRs.
SONYROOLZ!
I am asking myself why Sony still holds to A-Mount? If Sony does not use a mirror we don’t need the 44,5 mm flange distance. FF is possible with e-mount, the only thing we need is IBIS in e-mount, if that is achieved (at least for DSLR-sized e-mount cameras) there would be no reason to divide the lens-production up in e- and a- mount anymore.
I’m asking myself why Sony bothers with FF E-mount when they already have fully fledged FF system, and it’s quite clear that releasing FF E-mount body won’t generate any additional sales. Everyone will just use adopted lenses and Sony can say bye bye to most of the profits.
There’s no reason to divide resources on two fronts when they can’t handle E-mount already.
Because in the end, the mirrorless market will be larger than DSLR.
80% of APS-C buyers (either DSLR or mirrorless) don’t buy any lenses anyway.
Of course users might use legacy lenses… most of which won’t AF on Sony cameras… oh wait, weren’t you the person who said mirror is good because it allows to have good AF?
+1. There’s the potential for SONY to lead the market, with the obvious consequence of a new technology.
There are a grand total of zero lenses that cover the 35mm sensor for E mount available. Using lenses like a 300mm f2.8 or a 70-400mm with the adaptor on E mount will result in a broken camera, adapter or lens.
Not saying abandon the E mount as its an additional source of income but stopping A mount completely will destroy Sony.
I wouldn’t mind getting an E mount camera down the line but IMO its ridiculous to use a NEX camera with big sized A mount lenses. As it is I am finding the Sony A55 to be a bit too small for even something like a CZ 24-70mm lens. It will be downright difficult to use when attached to a NEX camera.
Of course the whole ergonomics need to be reinvented for mirrorless EVF cameras, instead or mimicking DSLR. With EVF you have option to place viewfinder anywhere.
There are a few native e-mount lenses from Zeiss that will cover a full frame sensor. Granted they are not cheap and aimed at the camcorder market.
They are completely manual focus to boot !
As it is Sony took so many years to launch barely a handful of lenses for NEX. How many years will it take them to have a half decent lens line up for a FF NEX ?
Using the NEX with an adapter is a half baked solution. The ergonomics is terrible with a heavy lens like a 70-200mm f2.8.
It has been so glaringly apparent that SLT = rape your photons by one full stop
1/3 of a stop. Your math sucks, get your facts straight.
The loss of 30% which is -0.51 stops
Even though I don’t have any DSLT, I really like the concept. High FPS, EVF, no vibration. Tried all of them in the shop. If only I don’t already have the great A850, I would have gone for one of those. But I understand Sony’s dilemma. They have to sell products, and people still believe SLT is a bad idea.
A most sensible comment. Yeah even though I hated the thought of an SLT in the end I found it absolutely fine to use in the end.
However a lot of people don’t like the idea and so Sony might get rid of SLT to try and generate some more sales.
Move make sense. 30% light loss at the mirror isn’t a big deal, but is perceived by the community to be one. It was killing Sony.
One more option — which I’d really like using but doubt we’ll ever see — is two moving mirrors. One would be a dSLR-style mirror, and the second, for the viewfinder. I can switch between a dSLR-style optical pathway, and a mirrorless-style electronic pathway. Done right, I’d get OVF+white balance preview+focus zoom+accurate review+no light loss, all in one box.
Sony better come with some official news and roadmap, because news (or rumor) like this keeps me waiting, and afraid of investing any money in the currently available Sony Alpha products.
so what?!… mirror less or not. Nex is for APS-C … FF for A-Mount… this would be a good decision. RX1 successor with interchangeable lenses and viewfinder & internal A-Mount adapter, nice!
That would be one of the worst decisions Sony could ever make and IMO would absolutely kill the camera business.
Try using a NEX7 with the adapter and say a 300mm f2.8 or 70-400mm lens and see the results. I am finding it difficult to use even a lens like a 24-70mm with a smallish A55 and using such a camera on a NEX7 would be disastrous.
Plus NEX has no IBIS so lenses like the 70-400mm will become far less useful for most people and would lead people to abandon ship.
Not everyone who wants to have a big DSLR has the money to afford a FF DSLR. That’s why we have a lot of APS-C DSLR 2k. And it also comes down to lens prices. You’ll loose A LOT customers very fast.
Well mirrorless cameras are useless because of CDAF. And on-sensor PDAF won’t (ever) be as good as real PDAF in Canikon cameras. You can’t shoot moving objects with mirrorless.
It’s unlikely that Sony would go back to the OVF either.
So… what in hell are they doing? o_0
There is absolutely no reason why on-sensor PDAF cannot be better than traditional PDAF.
If I were making a new sensor technology right now, and if it was Foveon-like with RGB pixels (Sony patents point to this), I could just put 2-4 pixels under each microlens. You get 1/2-1/4 the resolution (depending on whether you want cross-type focus points), but this isn’t a big deal with where technology is going. You also get:
1) More accurate distance information than a traditional PDAF sensor
2) Focus points everywhere
3) No alignment issues between focus sensor and main sensor
As a slight bonus, you get to tweak DOF a bit in post-processing from RAW, and your photoeditor can know how far all objects are from the sensor. Click on an object to select it — think of magic wand on steroids. Selectively blur distant pixels. Etc.
We’re not there yet, in April 2013, but with Moore’s Law, if Sony invested heavily in this, we could be there in April 2014.
Interesting. I could imagine distance information would be quite useful for color balance as well. Foreground and background in a landscape or in mixed lighting such as flash fill with a different temperature background lighting.
Never say never
The on sensor PDAF is indeed limited. But we don’t actually need these sensors, but capabilities they provide: defocus sign, defocus absolute value. These can be done in software thanks to some recent researches. For some reason I’m waiting these algorithms to be implemented in 2014.
Um, there is a problem that camera companies are not that good at writing software… Why do you expect it to be done in 2014?
Aaah, I wish AF code was open to anyone could try their own improvements
Also… I am sure plentoptic sensors are the future, cause DOF is too small if you wish to have 24+ Mpx pictures, or it’s always too small in macro. And every plentoptic sensor is “PDAF” sensor.
Never heard of the Nikon 1? It has PDAF on sensor that really is quite quick. It beats some OVF DSLRs, which is quite impressive and proves to me that Sony should be able to make something that works well too.
Well, if so, then ANY pre-197x camera was useless because none had AF *AT ALL*.
This reminds me so much of what happened with the Olympus 43 cameras. Olympus made a couple high end bodies for those users. I think we’ll see one or two more enthusiast level APS A mount camera and a couple full frame models. Higher end cameras. But the writing is on the wall. And it’s been clear for a while. Nex cameras sell well and are cheap to make= big profits. A mount cameras are expensive to make and haven’t sold well- despite claims to the contrary on here. Anytime someone pointed to poor A mount sells they were told, “Oh, you should see their sells in Asia. Sony is like Apple there.” Maybe they are with Nex, but I doubt A mount cameras are selling well anywhere.
u r right. i see alot of people carrying nex.. but very few ever carry sony branded dslr. all canon and nikon dslr land in asia
Do you have any actual sales figures or are you simply speculating that NEX sales are very high ?
Olympus was having a very hard time with 4/3rd sales as the whole premise of 4/3 system – light small bodies didn’t bear fruit.
Sony is still no 3 in the DSLR market share so they are still selling well in face of Pentax.
Why do you think A-mount cameras are more expensive than E-mount ones?
ah, well, is true… It’s just Sony retains bigger profit margin on NEX bodies and small on SLTs….
Well A mount cameras run for many years before being replaced which helps lower their costs. NEX cameras are being replaced every year or so !!! Plus most NEX cameras are all metal down to their lenses. However most budget SLT cameras are made out of plastic and the A58 has a plastic mount to boot.
Why can’t they just use a semi-transparent mirror that flips up when stills are captured? That way you get 100% of light to the sensor when taking stills and you get the fast AF during filming…
They can, but if A-mount camera and lens sales aren’t meeting expectations, then they won’t bother. Instead they will pour their R&D into mirrorless, large sensor compacts and E-mount.
Don’t think so.
admin, prepare to be attacked for posting this- a lot of people don’t like this news and will take out their frustration on you. Personally, I think four more high end A mount cameras spread out over the next five years is a good decision. They can claim they haven’t abandoned it while Nex market continues to grow. And they cut their losses.
I have said and written many times A-mount system remains alive. Don’t know why people fon’t get this.
We don’t believe it because all rumors and evidence point to it being abandoned. Then at the end you say “but A mount is very much alive” and that’s supposed to be like some prophetic revelation to have blind faith in. So, if you in fact know a mount isn’t dead, then put up or shut up. Tell us the future of it if you’re so sure it’s not going away.
What you see as “evidence” is what is commonly known as guessing based on handpicked straws.
No. I see delay after delay announcing anything. I see 3rd party lens makers not releasing new models. I see no 3rd party willing to jump into the flash shoe debacle. I see models being dropped from lineup. I see sr5 rumors about no more slt cameras. With no mirror what do they need the a mount for? Extra hollow space inside the camera?
Maybe you and most are fine being herded into a half baked mirrorless system. I’m not
Most of those delays are rumors, which isn’t evidence. Don’t confuse lack of patience with proof. Nothing has ever gone fast for the A mount, but by your logics, that meant the mount was dead many years ago. Which would make me wonder why you bothered the past 6 years.
Evidence (new lenses being released) points to A-mount being very much alive. It’s only your mindless paranoia and blindness to facts that don’t fit your narrow world view that make you see “facts” where there are none.
You mean the same lenses being re-released? Along with a “new” 50 mm? A lens design that’s been around for 50 years or more. Yeah man. That’s what I call innovation right there.
Show me any 50mm with the same lens design as the 50mm ZA. Thought so.
@tjwaggonner: So, since Canon and Nikon are busy only releasing MkII, MkIII, MkIV of their old lenses, etc, it must mean they are about to die and be extinct as well, by your logic.
The rumour only says no more SLT cameras. That could only mean that Sony is going back to OVFs. There is nothing to suggest Sony is winding up the A mount.
All delays you claim to read are RUMOURS. There is no real proof that anything was actually planned.
Sony wouldn’t waste resources with new lens launches if they were abandoning the A mount. The recent 300mm f2.8, 55-300mm, 70-400mm and CZ 50mm launches tell me that they are still pumping in resources for the A mount.
1- a mount remains
2- no more SLT, SLT was only a step stone transit from traditional dslr to the mirrorless on sensor PDAF camera.
3- there will be on sensor PDAF mirrorless camera replace all the APSC/FF dslr. but DSLR size body for better handling and for prosumer use. NEX line remain for consumer use.
right.
Okay, my apologies.
Unless Sony have some major secretive sensor tech to surprise us with, on-sensor auto-focus is going to be too s-l-o-w for even soccer moms to use.
It’s fine user Bw saying “…DSLR size body for better handling and for prosumer use”, but prosumers tend to take photographs of things that move. If I wanted to take photographs of a statue, I’d be happy with a mirrorless. In the real World, things move and move quickly!
Yes, I guess Sony will announce the mirrorless camera only when mirrorless AF accuracy and speed on par or beyond the mirrored traditional DSLR
there will be one hybrid system: E/A mount + mirrorless = win win!
two types: compact NEX and SLRbody NEX
what u say admin?;)
I hoped that Sony could find a usage for already mass-manufactured component. Like better colours, or 2 sensors for DOF stacking. Ahh ok not, everyone cares about camera grip and size.
For those who can’t accept mirrorless and want OVF, please go for canikon. which is using the same 50years old technology…
For those who can accept new things, and willing to try to understand what are Sony going to provide to u, the revolution, welcome to Sony, welcome to the new world.
( I’ll not suprise if one day canikon go for PDAF mirrorless/evf like what Sony does, LOL)
I am happy to do so. Please compensate me adequately for thousands of Euros invested in A-mount gear and a FF body.
No need, you can hold on to all those lenses. Or are you unable to comprehend “A Mount stays alive”? Is that too difficult for you?
Yeah. Olympus 4/3 is alive too. We comprehend Andrea “saying” it all the time. Still never hear any specifics as to why they would keep a mount made for a mirror box on a mirrorless camera and handcuff themselves design wise.
Sony themselves have said that A-mount is alive and well.
But ah well, everyone needs a hobby, and yours is mindless paranoia and rumor-mongering.
Finally. The light-blocking SLT mirror always has put Sony at a disadvantage compared to Canon and Nikon. The benefits of the SLT mirror have not been able to compensate this.
Interesting why people think letting A Mount die is an option for Sony. Don’t get me wrong, if they could they probably would, but they can’t affort to do that. The A Mount Shooters would immediately switch to anything but Sony (I definitely would do so) and the Brand would be ruined also for E Mount (or would you go to an unstable brand that just ripped off their customers to survive). The only other option would be to sell A Mount to Samsung or so 😉
I think we can’t expect that A Mount will drive innovation, and that rumor is a good proof, but it is far cheaper for Sony to continue with A Mount (probably with E Mount technology inside) than to shut it down. If you like that is another question…
CDAF will become faster and more accurate than PDAF – all it takes it better algorithms faster processing. It can already achieve approximate focus faster than PDAF, just need to crack the difficulty of not being able to tell which direction the focus needs to moce when nearly focused. On sensor PDAF will help, but is only a stopgap – much like SLT. Computer algorithms and processor power advance much more quickly than electro-mechanical solutions
Not CDAF — this method is too limited. There are different, more complicated software approaches that have benefits of PDAF.
Hi Emacs. Yes they are.
I would still prefer that the term “CDAF” would be retained for any pure software AF method.
The phoyrotype camera on NAB2013 already gave u the hints, it’s huge (can be smaller for consumer line), it’s native 18mm FFD e mount, it support A mount fully AF with an adaptor WITHOUT any mirror in between. Please search the info of NAB2013 if anyone didnt know which I’m talking about.
Although its aim for 4K video market, not stated for still photo market, but u can see the facts of Sony protential future road map
I really hope SONY decide to go with short FFD.
Death of the SLT is a great move. As others have said, CaNikon dominate the SLR market. Why compete head to head?
The reason for keeping E Mount would be to take advantage of a lens mount with smaller flange distance that is always going to be a limit on body size if you have to maintain the A-Mount flange distance.
Full Size, full frame SLR body with IBIS or compact camera of whatever form factor with E-mount and no IBIS. A-Mount to E-Mount adapter as currently occurs but no E-Mount to A-Mount due to registration distance. CaNikon both effectively have two lines being the full frame and APS-C line without backwards compatability from APS-C specific to Full Frame. Sony I think will adopt the same strategy by ditching SLT, using on chip PDAF and keeping both A and E mount.
I can’t see much wrong with this strategy.
mirror or no-mirror
> Should be blazing fast Autofocus
> dont ever go back to OVF.
> Dont compete with Canikon they have a strong brand scope already
> Develop a camera line that will stand out from the rest and will be known
> The only focus should be imaging breakthroughs
I love my Nex & SLT’s.
Hmmmm, interesting… what will happen NEX-T… interesting…
Damn Sony, damn. Another toy gadget technology goes to the trash can. Why, Sony?
Why? It’s called progress. The same reason why we use cars instead of horses today. It’s a widely known expectation that mirrorless cameras are going to take over the camera business as soon as AF speed is comparable to PDAF equipped cameras. Translucent Mirror Technology was a path of being different for Sony including its pros (AF speed and frame rate, constant live view) and cons (light loss, EVF only). If newer tech overcomes one or more previous limitations, then there is no reason not to advance.
What tech has overcome any of its shortcomings?
I said: “If newer tech overcomes one or more previous limitations, then there is no reason not to advance.” It is hypothetical since we only know that the mirror will be gone and not what the implications are of replacing tech. The thing we know for sure, is that the light loss due to the mirror will be no more. However, currently it is impossible or inviable to have the advantages of TMT without the light loss. I hope one thing: that Sony comes with a really good solution for AF, since all current CDAF&OSPDAF solutions do not equal or surpass PDAF speed at all.
This is a very sad news. This rumor really rethink my investment in Sony equipment. Currently Canon is lacking of new innovation(see 700D) and Nikon is using Sony hi end sensor . So it is the best time for Sony to invest on new camera for all users to increase in the market share. But Sony management decided to shift it’s focus to the mirrorless camera to gain on better profit. Nex camera is great but it has limitations and APC SLT also has it own advantage, like size and price. Sony should learn from Samsung where they use innovation to beat Apple and Nokia in the mobile phone industry. Very Sad.
I don’t understand why people is that worried. Really guys, there is a lot of exciting stuff to come in 2014. E and A mount!
Admin, I appreciate the sentiments, but many of us have been around Sony long enough to have heard it all before.
Lack of continuity is where Sony goes badly wrong and while SLT was always going to be a stop-gap, I have my doubts that Sony will deliver on their rumoured mirrorless promises. To drop SLT so soon smacks of yet another failed Sony strategy.
People want to buy into a system knowing that it is going to be around tomorrow, CaNikon users never get the feeling that they’ve bought into a doomed system and that makes a huge difference when spending thousands on lenses and flashes.
This news could just be the final nail in the coffin for those few pros still wondering what to do with their A900 system.
With Sony it always appears to be wait, because we have something great coming soon. Just like that lens engineer asking us to wait for lenses. Well many have had enough waiting.
Such as? What are all these wonderful things we can expect in 2014? Besides maybe having our cameras obsoleted overnight and possibly our lenses being next to useless mounted with some half baked adapter to a nex with no ibis or focus motor.
There will be always native A-mount cameras. I don’t know how many times I have to say this. People gets confused only because Sony removes the translucent mirror??? Weird 🙂
Contrast detect is useless for me. If I didn’t NEED fast af I would have just bought a m3/4 system to start with. And on sensor pdaf is nowhere near ready to replace it. Not sure if it ever will either. Cdaf will overtake it before on sensor pdaf works as well
> I don’t understand why people is that worried. Really guys, there is a lot of exciting stuff to come in 2014. E and A mount!
Why are people worried? Because of your last bit: E and A mount.
Realistically, Sony isn’t going to make the same basic camera in E mount and A mount. Doesn’t make any sense, as it splits Sony’s marketing efforts. Sony has already been piling up options that result in resource need overlap (e.g. E and A mount lens designs for APS sensors).
I think a lot of people fear that Sony’s ultimate decision is as follows: NEX gets APS, Alpha gets full frame. Both go mirrorless. This puts all the folk with Sony APS DSLRs in a position of having to downgrade (NEX) or upgrade (Alpha full frame), and renders their lens collections at least partly irrelevant.
Frankly, a simplified line of 1/2.3 to 1″ Cybershot, APS NEX, and full frame Alpha, each with two to four models would make a lot of sense to me from a positioning and marketing standpoint. The problem for Sony has always been the legacy Minolta shooters. There weren’t enough of them by the time they got Alpha really going to break the Canon/Nikon duopoly in DSLRs, yet there’s enough of them that they don’t want to upset them and send them elsewhere. This problem lingers and if they don’t resolve it soon, they stay marginalized in serious cameras. Meanwhile, they also now completely own a smartphone group that needs to be part of the “camera plan.”
In theory, Sony should be in a good position. In practice, the lack of a strong “across the board” clarity in their imaging offerings is still hurting them. My sources tell me that this has been exactly the executive level discussion that has been going on: how to get line and marketing clarity, and a position that is differentiated from Canon/Nikon. The advantage Sony has is that neither Canon nor Nikon are going to make phones. Thus, in the “social camera” uses, Sony should have a clear advantage if they can rationalize their product lines right.
I don’t see why “a lot of people” would think that, as one of the major incentives to stay with a mount in general, is an upgrade path. Which includes an upgrade from APS-C to FF. Sony knows this too, hence why they’re working on a FF NEX and hence why the last camera released after the A99, was the A58. An A-E adapter isn’t going to cover that incentive.
But that’s just my point. Why would you carry the APS alpha mount forward? It competes with the APS E mount, and you’re not going to move someone from APS E to APS A. You just tell the APS A mount folk to upgrade to full frame A mount. The only problem with that is that full frame costs more than APS, so you’re really asking customers to “pay more.”
Sony’s problem is that all the A mount gear hasn’t made a measurable dent in DSLR market shares. Things are pretty much Canon #1, Nikon #2, a huge drop to Sony #3 with Pentax at #4 right behind. Given how much money they’ve put into R&D of DSLRs, they haven’t gotten a return. The overlap between APS E and APS A makes for a marketing department that has to be careful about message, lest they step on themselves.
No on in here knows how much they put in the past years, but the production cost of SLT’s is significantly lowered by the absence of OVF’s, prisms, moving mirrors and separate metering sensors. Absolute sales have multiplied several times for them them since they started and made a positive mark in their last annual report (I don’t believe NEX has turned an A line loss into an overall ILC profit).
And my point stands, with your theory you’d just create two smaller separate islands in the ocean without a clear upgrade path for either. Now you have to larger islands with both an upgrade path in the near future.
Thom, you have a lot of good points, but I don’t see why APS-C A mount and E mount cameras cannot coexist. Smaller lenses, more compact form factor line – E mount. More lenses (for now), greater reach (with the G zooms) – A mount. I’d buy both, because they don’t quite fulfill the same area of need.
Why can’t APS E and APS A co-exist? Because it dilutes your message on E and you didn’t win enough new customers with A.
Look, with both the NEX and Alpha cameras both using EVF, on-sensor phase detect, and APS sensors, what are you really selling with Alpha? Why would someone choose Alpha over NEX? Well, that answer is easy: because they already have Alpha lenses. But those folk have already bought Alpha. It’s finding NEW customers that take share away from Canon/Nikon that Sony is really after and really needs badly. If they wait long enough, Canon will fix EOS M and the NEX opportunity will be gone, too.
What Sony needs is fully rationalized lineup of cameras, from smartphone through pro full frame. The overlap in APS is not rationalized. Well, not many things in their lineup are, actually; but in this respect they’re not much worse off than the other companies. Indeed, that’s the opportunity. Get the product line right and marketed right and they could indeed start chewing into the duopoly. But when they pushed Alpha into SLT they basically made their DSLRs mirrorless and competing with NEX. It didn’t win the DSLR wars, while NEX was holding well in mirrorless. So which way would you lean if you had to save one? Again, remember that a NEX7 with proper phase detect on sensor should be as good in image quality and focus performance as an APS SLT Alpha, so why do you buy an Alpha? Right, you own Alpha lenses. In other words, the already captured market.
Since there isn’t going to be the A78, where’s my A77 firmware update? 😉
+1
Even entry-level (A58) has tethered shooting, so give us that feature for A77!!!!
Sony goes the right way. I have never had interested in Sony SLT because of the light loss.
I’d rather have between third-half stop loss than loss of fast auto-focus. 😀
That’s why Zeiss makes small E-mount APS-C lenses and large future-proof FF A-mount ones! There will be no NEX-9 anytime soon, as I see it, and NEX will stay half-frame, with the 7n at the top.
Anything else would surprise me … NEX-9 FF is nonsense … an extended version of the RX-1 makes already sense … if this camera has a hybrid mount system (a-mount plus a new one) or a good adapter, EVF and good prime lenses to start. Hopefully SONY is reasonable.
What? Do you suggest Sony to introduce 3rd mount?
Well, that semi-transparent mirror is the only thing which held Sony back on all-important testing sites. 🙂
They have to make on-sensor PDAF work, and it is going to work better than separate sensors on 1/3 of the light – eventually.
Regarding OVF – it is dead. EVF is the only think making Sony worthwhile over Canon and Nikon and Pentax. And A-mount in general – it only makes sense with FF sensor, without mirror and prism etc the only higher cost over APS-C is the sensor itself which is not a big deal, at least if the camera itself works with APS-C lenses with cropping (EVF again is so much more useful for that).
Your statement that OVF is dead seems to be wishful thinking. Tell this to professionals in the field and 99% of them will tell you that they will not change a large 100% coverage OVF for anything else. There is a reason for it. They work differently than a typical amateur.
The reason for it is the people who made all the ultra high grade lenses that they don’t want to replace don’t make a camera body with an evf. Period. When the big two start making evf cameras (they will) you will see pros using them
Wake up call, there are plenty Nikon users using their Nikon APS-C/FF glass on Nikon bodies with EVF’s. And there are more Nikon EVF ILC’s in the works.
The only one lagging here is Canon, mostly for a lack of technology, both for EVF’s( which they in theory can buy) and more importantly, by far the worst LV AF in the industry.
>>on Nikon bodies with EVF’s.
what’s that?
Nikon 1 series with adapter. Go to the Nikon 1 forums and you’ll see plenty examples.
Are you talking about nikon 1 cameras? Because the comments were about professional photographers
+1
I meant OVF is dead on A-mount. CaNikon will try to milk this dead cow for a while.
BTW, use APS-C lens on a FF camera, and your viewfinder shows 40% of the size EVF would. Try to increase the size, and brightness falls. And you need to look at a screen for chimping, with EVF you can just hold your eye where it is. Video again, more and more important. And modern EVF give much better sharpness and clarity than most OVFs (see the APS-C junk). OVF is literally last century tech.
No more APSC-SLT… So low end users don’t mind rubbish contrast/on sensor phase AF?
No, they don’t. Olympus OM-D E-M5 sells like hot cakes and it is a contrast detect only AF. But it looks so sexy and is very visibly and agressively marketed to young males at least in Australia. This seems to be the target audience for the camera.
You’re not wrong mate,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St1LFoA4Fz0
Sony already builds a competitor to the omd. It’s called the nex 6 or 7
NEX 6 and 7 have no IBIS, no high quality E-mount zooms, no good E-mount lenses at the long end and P&S oriented firmware and menu system. Ah, and no weather sealing. Their AF is also slower than OM-D E-M5. I’d guess that this is enough differences.
Way to kill A-mount lens sales.
ELVIS is bringing the SLT replacement with Nex FF in his pocket.
If Sony don’t bring out another SLT I’ll buy everyone on here lunch – or a car – or whatever you want…
Some rumours are so obviously junk I don’t know why you print them.
I’ve got mixed feeling about the news. It rises more questions and gives a lot of uncertainty. I’d prefer official statement from SONY. This is not good PR. I’m not interested in some unreliable or slow AF. I wanted to invest more in SONY lenses but now I’ll hold any decision until there is a clear statement from SONY about capabilities of their future cameras, especialy AF design and performance. I may go shopping FF from Canikon in the future instead if AF performace of SONY system is going to be subpar.
I’d guess that Sony have finally figured out who their real competitor is for the Alpha range of cameras. And this is *not* CaNikon – Sony cannot really touch them, at least not in the professional or semi-professional market. Very few professionals would consider EVF. Good quality OVF gives them what they want. Their creative process is different than gadget obsessed newbies, they keep state of the camera in their heads and only want to see what the camera sees. The real competitor is Olympus OM-D E-M5 and similar cameras sold to a little more ambitious amateurs and enthusiasts. OM-D E-M5 looks like a DSLR (bonus), great lenses, large selection of lenses with many of them of excellent quality and very compact. IBIS. Nobody complains about AF all that much.
Now, NEX cannot really compete with it. No IBIS, plasticky E-mount lenses – enough said, point and shoot type firmware.
But Sony can easily design a different family of mirrorless interchangable lenses cameras with a DSLR look and enthusiast targeting firmware lifted from Alpha DSLRs/DSLTs. Note that this firmware is already used succesfully in RX1 and RX100. The problem is that the current E-mount lens collection is not really competitive with the m4/3 lenses. Here the A-mount lenses come in, at least until the E-mount can be beefed up in the next 3 to 4 years. This would be an approach very similar to what Olympus and Panasonix did when migrating from 4/3 to m4/3.
So, the A58 and A77 will be now placeholder cameras to keep the A-mount lenses alive until the new mirrorless cameras arrive.
A99 will be left alone until it becomes embarassing to keep it in the lineup. This may be 3 or perhaps even 4 years. The sensor in it is good. Nikon D600 – it closest competitor wwith nearly identical sensor – is not due for replacement anytime soon.
A mount slt tech has nothing to do with building an omd competitor. The flange distance of a mount lenses would make any camera body much larger than an omd by necessity.
THe OM-D DSLR mirrorless competitor would be an E-mount camera. It would use A-mount lenses with an adapter as a stop gap measure until more E-mount lenses are available.
What I am saying is that A-mount lenses will be kept on a drip and will fade away within 3 years or so.
They already make it dude. The nex 6-7 are their competition to the omd. Whether you think they are competitive cameras or not, that’s the case here. But I agree that I see the same thing happening as you, just that I’m pissed about it. I don’t want my lenses using an adapter on a mirrorless camera that focuses like an iPhone
Been kinda concerned about this for a while now. Not stressing over it, decided to just take pictures with what I have and not worry. But I can say I’ve spent my last dollar on a mount glass until I hear (from sony) what their plans are. Going on vacation this June and July and was considering a new lens but ill make do with what I’ve got now.
SLT is Dead
I hope the product managers that created it are fired
No, I think, it was a genius idea, picked up recently by Google Glass.
SLT is undead!
Why fire the managers who greenlighted SLT cameras? The Sony SLT line are capable cameras, holding their own against the competition. They are not perfect, but they are an evolutionary step to the mirrorless camera.
I still dun get u guys…
what’s good with a toy nex and crappy e mount lens?
are u guys brainless?
I believe Sony has made a promising direction with this rumour.
Going full mirrorless should be the way to go.
Imagine if mirrorless + a mount = u lose 100ms af speed
compared to mirrorless + e mount = u lose 2000ms af speed
brilliant idea to go e mount?
Now if sony would want to do a full frame mirrorless next half 2014.
imagine if FF + a mount = u still have a dozen sony lens to use + 3rd party lens
compared to FF + e mount = couple of 3rd party lens with compatibility unknown
another brilliant idea to go e mount?
see that i haven’t compare IQ, handling, and NEX’s TOTALLY MIND-BOGGLING MENU INTERFACE.
Sony has the intend to keep playing this game, is what i see.
Doing a FF mirrorless a mount is a correct decision.
Weather sealed body, flash system, len system is what makes people stay in a system.
Dumping a mount and going e mount is double suicide.
And all your precious e mount lens will turn worthless too when sony crash and burn.
but not all hope is lost, sony is going to do the native a+e mount (no adapters).
but that is just a stop-gap measure to let nex users upgrade out.
sony will still continue to produce a-mount for their pro-consumers.
while e-mount for casual pns consumers.
I maybe totally wrong now. But the next non FF from Sony. That might just be a E-Mount. Sony will then totally consentrate the lens production on E-Mount lenses. The FF lenses would be expensive lenses only
What I do t understand is why Sony haven’t moved to E-Mount across the board sooner? There should never have been an A77, A65, A57, A58 or A99 with Alpha mount – they should have all been E-Mount which is already fully compatible with A-Mount lenses anyway using exactly the same tech that is already built into those cameras. They simply needed to separate the AF adapter part of the camera (like LA-EA2) from the main camera body – bingo, instant E-Mount / A-Mount hybrid.
Let the lenses and people’s needs decide which lenses they buy rather than the mount. But I have been banging on about a modular camera from Sony since they launched NEX and SLT designs.
SILLY…
The only thing that surprises me here is that it is sooner than I expected. Unless they do go back to a conventional DSLR – that would be a big surprise, and a step backwards.
This (if true) still leaves a lot of questions — will there be more native A mount APS cameras? What will the next FF camera be? While I am sure the A lenses will be viable for several more years, will Sony continue upgrading the A lens line, or another way, how quickly will the emphasis shift to E-mount lenses?
this rumor causing a lot misunderstanding with the lower IQ users.
this is just a rumor.
this is just a rumor.
this is just a rumor.
this is just a rumor.
this is just a rumor.
this is just a rumor.
this is just a rumor.
another rumor, A or E mount, sony eventually will merge them.
and another rumor!, if on sensor PDAF is Mature, even E mount lens will gain A mount PDAF speed. (read, MATURE)… but a long journey to go.
and another rumor!!!… no OVF. hybrid OVF/EVF, possible. but the last pattern by sony is a fulltime EVF, which is the design i been trying to ask ‘why not’ having a feed from another sensor instead of the mainsensor, which let the main sensor in sleepmode/cool state. EVF has been sony’s intend roadmap even before they brought alpha from KM in 2006.
last rumor, SLT has always been a stepping stone for Sony before eventually the machine goes completely mirrorless. phase detect on sensor was never mature enough to compare with PDAF sensor. but tomorrow is another story. find out soon.
Sony is not reliable, not anymore. Who does really trust on Sony keeping alive not one but TWO mounts? A-Mount and E-Mount?? Too hard to believe that Sony isn’t going to drop one of two…and A-Mount has all the tickets to be the chosen.
Last time I looked, Sony seems pretty reliable. Any pro today can buy a couple of A99s to replace its A900s which are still great by the way. For consumers, even more so. Today, I can get the A37, A57, A58, A65, A77 and A99, so if my A57 or A850 dies (assumed my warranty expired) I can easily get one of them.
So you don’t see Sony supporting 2 mounts? Canon and Nikon just started to support multiple mounts, so I don’t get the point.
If on sensor phase detect af is in fact maturing at a rate that they no,longer need the slt mirror, tea mount is dead. I’m saying it. There is no reason to handcuff your design around a huge Lange distance made for a mirror box. Every camera will need a giant hollow space in it for nothing. They will not do that. Anybody that doubts me; google olympus 4/3 vs m4/3 and read up.
The a mount. Not tea mount
Flange distance. Not Lange
what about things like 3CMOS A-mount camera?
The difference in exterior dimensions between cameras with and without mirror will only be 2 cm in depth. Check camerasize.com and compare a small DSLR with a similarly styled mirrorless body such as a Samsung nx20. That two cm won’t put major DSLR mounts out of business in favor of the new shorter mounts.
Look at olympus. They had some of the best lenses in the business for dslr bodies with mirrors and dropped the whole system for mirrorless with short flange distance. All for making smaller bodies. It’s not outside the realm of possibilities for sony to do the same.
I would say the Sony future is E mount mirrorless(full support A mount) and EVF for sure.
But a big guess here: as a OVF dslr is always not that hard to delevop, Sony may release 1 entry level OVF Dslr in future, with minimal function, and budget price, just to fulfill those who love there A mount lens and love traditional Ovf DSLR user.
But again, I believe E mount mirrorless is the future.
It seems:
1. sony’s new tech is somewhat mature now, from least from sony’s point of view. Otherwise, this rumors would not likely to be rated as SR5.
2. a99 might be replace ‘quickly’ aftern 2014 (maybe it’s not quick enough though).
My perfect body would be: people can use OVF to make composition through VF, and when half press the shutter-bottom, screen will be switched to EVF to show final result (exposure/WB/etc).
Sony should integrated current Omlypus’s preview effect of EVF, when half-pressing. So we can have better experience with EVF, espeically with tele-lens & macro lens.
People worry too much, Sony was a child and now they are in their adolescence and growing up, slowly getting mature. They like taking risks and SLT wasn’t a bad decision at all if you can live with the slight light loss (in return for some great new features and other benefits).
Getting mature means to me that Sony will become all mirrorless in both A and E-mount. It the most logical route to follow. But I hope they can make CDAF speedy enough because it’s going to hurt if it’s mucht slower than PDAF…
It would be GREAT if they can manage but…it might be too early Sony!?
THANK THE SONY GOD!
Finally they’re making gutsy moves. In the right direction. Innovate, innovate, innovate!
And to all those who are saying they’re going to dump the A-mount, no way. They will always fully support it. To say otherwise can only happen if they dump their imaging division entirely.
To all those saying they should jump ship to Canon or Nikon, why would you do that?? I absolutely guarantee that EVERYONE will be going full mirrorless within the next 10 years. Including Canon and Nikon. Absolutely without a doubt. And probably sooner than that. With Sony yet again leading Canon and Nikon by the hand. I love watching Sony work; its not dull and boring like Nikon. When they perfect the mirrorless A-mount with fast AF, I will change my name to NikonJack (meaning I’ll now be shooting Sony! lol).
Everyone, calm down. Sony IS doing good things now. For a while they were stuck in a rut, pumping out camera after camera for no good reason.
Awesome Rumor Andrea! This is great news!
“absolutely guarantee that EVERYONE will be going full mirrorless within the next 10 years. Including Canon and Nikon. Absolutely without a doubt”
it’s hard for canon Nikon to dump their DSLR and 35mm lens market, but at the same time they realise the benefit and thread of mirrorless, interesting to see canikon decision !
I think it’s hard to believe it now but who knows. My only problem with that would be the complete abandonment of the Optical viewfinder, which many still prefer to the EVF and I see it difficult to change dramatically, since I think they offer different pros and cons and thus, there will always be someone who prefers one rather than the other.
Instead, I believe that on-sensor PD can become more and more reliable, in the same way light sensitivity has improved dramatically over the last few years (when usable ISO 3200 was nothing but a dream)
All in all, I consider this a rather positive rumor, this means Sony is actually making plans 😀 although is seems clear that SLT has got and is getting less brilliant results than originally hoped for, and I think this goes for sells as well for performances.
Still very curios to see what’s to come, after all Sony is making a bold move after another and I like to see some fresh approach.
2014?
I don’t know if the A-Mount is dead or not, but………
Any business that has less than 10% share in a product category and part of its strategy to succeed, is to leave the market to its way more successful competitors (Canon & Nikon) and then say that in about a year we will return with something new and worth selling is in my opinion is fooling themselves.
And at the same time is telling us that they need to delay the release of most expensive 50f1.4 AF lens ever made because so many people have ordered it is one seriously messed-up operation.
I’m serious about my photography and I’m serious about the tools I use to create it. I’m not interested in waiting years and I’m not interested in wondering if my investment in the tools of my trade is being made obsolete, not because of changes in technology but by incompetency at Sony.
Calm down, you’re being dramatic. I’m pretty sure you still can make $$$ with whatever Sony are having right now. They might be having missteps but it’s not like your cameras and lenses will stop working tomorrow. Give Hirai some time to sort out the mess at Sony.
Your thinking is critically flawed. You dont have to wait – you already have top of the line cameras. Sure, you dont have a great lens selection, but Sony is clearly working to remedy that.
The CAMERA doesnt make the photo. The PHOTOGRAPHER does. The cameras availabe from Sony right now (and I’m not just saying this, I’ve used the A900, the A77, and the A99) are FULLY capable machines.
Back in 1972, when I started working professionally, with Minolta, you could buy a high end lens and a body and it would still be state of the art decades later. That is no longer the case now.
Now, technology changes every day. But, that doesnt automatically render the current technology ‘useless’ or ‘old and worthless’. Even an old A900 still delivers mindblowing image quality. That’s why I’m so amused by these people who say they need to ‘wait’ for the next best thing in technology. Sure, its a nice feeling to have a state of the art camera in your hands, but as soon as a camera goes into production these days, its already old technology. Its already becoming obsolite.
If you have the mindset that you’re going to ‘wait’ for the next big thing, you’re going to be constantly waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and unhappy. Just buy something and use it! If Sony doesnt do it for you for whatever reason, then you owe it to yourself to change mounts.
I love the new technologies coming out, but I dont plan on replacing my cameras until they no longer function correctly. Its not because I’m anti EVF, I just dont have a compelling reason to switch yet. Once the technology changes/matures enough, maybe my thinking will change.
Everyone just needs to relax. If youre a professional, buy something that will fit your needs, today. Dont wait. If you’re a hobbiest, buy something that fits your needs or wants. Dont wait.
Our world moves so fast today, nothing is certain, from any manufactuer.
+ ~ you are so wise sir, i raise my hat for you sir 🙂
+1
Thats’ s why I’m still married to my A900 and have no plan getting the A99 very soon. The only thing I need from Sony is keeping that amazing color and IBIS and improve low light performance. 24mp is more than enough for me. Btw. Why is your name Canonjack?
+1
Not really. If the market itself big enough, why not try it, in another way?
Long live the DSLR 😉
BTW if Sony are going 100% no mirror they’d better nail the AF fast, accurate and tracking moving stuff.
They could replace the mirror with the sensor. Anyone think of that as a possibility?
How would that work? The image from the lens is not focused at that distance.
That’s a bizarre thought! :o)
that large flange distance might keep a mount lenes alive, easy to use a adapter then 🙂
does e mount have enough room for full frame and ibis?
a mount does have a big advantage in full frame glass
a mount mirrorless we might see a different looking camera physicaly too
Sadly, bye Sony.
If I don’t have guarantee for my investment, bye Sony.
Ok, good lack 🙂 but why do you leaving?
A-mount DSLR like camera without mirror would be completely awesome.
If Sony decided to drop mirror it means they managed to focus A-mount lens very fast without mirror. DSLR or DSLT will die in any cases sooner or later.
If you want to invest, buy stocks. Cameras from ANY manufacturer suffer from depreciation.
Calm down, you’re being dramatic. I’m pretty sure you still can make $$$ with whatever Sony are having right now. They might be having missteps but it’s not like your cameras and lenses will stop working tomorrow. Give Hirai some time to sort out the mess at Sony.
And let me say this to all the complainers:
IF YOU’RE UPSET ABOUT SONY INNOVATING AND CHANGING TECHNOLOGY, you’re a dinosaur. The whole tech world is going to continue to change faster and faster and if you dont like it, its not going to slow down for you. Things will be uncertain. That’s life. You dont need to come here and post how ‘Sony is failing your expectations’ so you’re dumping the mount. If you feel you need to dump the mount, just do it in a mature way.
This is a time we should be excited, not wimpering like a little baby.
Jack
Don’t insult the dinosaurs with such a comparison
Sorry, Dinosaurs. I apologize. 😉
The mature way to leave any relationship is to voice concerns, needs, and make it very clear why leaving is the only option.
The immature way to leave any relationship is to vanish without saying a word.
Its true its mature to voice opinions. Just leaving without saying anything doesnt help anyone. But there are some problems with how most people are doing it.
A) Nobody knows what the new technology will bring to the table, so how can you possibly say that it wont meet your needs and leaving is the only option? You cant. No one can.
B) Look around – this is a site based on rumors. Until they’re facts, announced by Sony, its immature to go into freak-out mode and say Sony is failing you.
Dont you agree?
Mostly yes agreed. But the issue here really isn’t one of customers leaving Sony. The real issue is that Sony has left their customer, with no discussion, without warning, and for no reason beyond excuses afterwards.
I’m not speaking of this latest rumor. I’m speaking of repeated cases where Sony has left their customer.
They left their most loyal evangelists, the OVF and iISO user base, in the dust, without warning, without discussion, without reason beyond excuses afterwards. There was no critical mass outcry for ditching OVF and iISO. Sony wasn’t answering a request from user base. They forced a move by leaving us. They forced us to question the validity of the system when weighed against our needs.
No debate here about EVF/OVF or iISO/ISO. That’s not the issue. The issue is that Sony left us. We didn’t leave them. But they are forcing us to consider it.
I can certainly understand that. As ridiculous as it sounds, I felt the same way when Nikon adopted Autofocus. It took me a while to ‘trust’ AF over manual focus. I still manual focus a lot of the time, even during action. I’ve used the A99, and for whatever reason I trust manual focus w/ peaking more than AF (in the situations where it works, that is). But I understand where you’re coming from.
I think that’s just technological progress though. Sony is the innovator in the Corporate camera bunch. If you dont (and when I say you, I mean everyone) like constant, bold change, Sony probably isnt the company for you.
People will be comfortable with what they know, and will be more likely to find fault with the new tech than find comfort in it. As I’ve said before, I’ve used the SLT’s (but not much experience with mirrorless) and while it was painful to adjust to them, I do find more benefit than frustration.
One thing Sony has never been good as is public relations or advertising. Maybe they’ll improve this time around. Who knows.
Interesting; There are currently Sony cameras for sale, these have all sorts of innovations, there’s a roadmap for future products, and a company with the goal of producing stand-out equipment — and that’s called “leaving us.” Interesting.
….”There are currently Sony cameras for sale, these have all sorts of innovations”….
It’s a lineup with half the cameras carrying one hotshoe with vast 3rd party support and proven workability, and the other half with another hotshoe with no 3rd party support, with compatibility and functionality issues. No hope for 3rd party support either (see my last post)… and that lineup is destined to remain in split limbo until some new promise of innovation arrives in the middle of next year?
The two cameras that do support the new MIS flash are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. And although innovative, they are arguable worse than their previous models in numerous areas. That’s not the kind of innovation I want to see. I’d much rather the innovation be well supported, well thought out, predictable, and compatible with legacy investment.
I propose this is one reason Sony is having such difficulties. They have no concept for how much professional evangelism means to amateur/enthusiast market potential. They’d rather tempt customers with slick trick innovations than recommendations from pro users. And they trick potential customers into believing a higher model number is an improvement, when there are more lost features than are gained from the previous model… i.e. a57 to a58. Their innovation cannot see the perceptual loss of quality from a plastic lens mount over metal. Not that there is any real difference. But the perception of it is telling. To save a dollar, literally a dollar on production costs of plastic vs metal mount. The public is left with the perception of a cheaper product, regardless if it is true or not.
…..”there’s a roadmap for future products”…..
One that is proven to change, without warning, over and over again. It’s not a roadmap that appreciates the road behind them. It’s just wandering aimlessly around in the desert… and thinking they are going somewhere specific.
…..”and a company with the goal of producing stand-out equipment”…..
A noble goal. But innovation for the sake of innovation is nothing more than tech masturbation. It makes them feel good about themselves, but does little to satisfy their partners (us) in a long term relationship.
…..”and that’s called “leaving us.” Interesting”…..
Yes. They left us stranded with no hope for getting any flash system working to competitor standards whatsoever. None… Nada… Zilch… Read the post below for Pocket Wizard statement. Use it as a template for all other 3rd party flash companies who support iISO right now with dozens of offerings from cheap to super smart. Sony just killed all of that dead, done.
And it will be even worse now that they’ve “LEFT” the same SLT technology that they proclaimed as super innovation just a few short weeks ago. A polarizing tech which was forced upon the entire user base with no option, and no previous requests for it.
Not one reviewer ever questioned the elegance of the a900 viewfinder. It was a source of pride and consistent praise, even unto this day. It was a no questions asked selling point for the camera. But practically every reviewer today spends at least a paragraph or more weighing the benefits and pitfalls of EVF. Some reviewers plainly reject it. And other reviewers create entire web blogs to dog it. Regardless if it is better or worse, such polarizing tech is unpredictable for company profit and sustainability.
And now they promise more innovation, and more tech. But never a promise for respecting some basic foundational principles of what it takes to build a consistent system that users can confidently invest their loyalties upon.
But, see, that’s the problem; until they find what ‘works’ for them and they stabilize their camera making philosophy, the Sony shooters will not have a stable foundation. Until the Sony shooters have a stable foundation, they wont invest in the system heavily.
That’s why its so important for them to get this next chapter ‘right’. Think through the system, long term. Bring something truely great to the market, and it will sell itself.
At least on the surface, it sounds like they’re going about this the best way.
Talk about the definition of shortsightedness! I don’t believe ‘next is best’ and yet what you’ve said fails under a modicum of market consideration. Clearly OVF is not an advantage against competitors using OVF, and yet: Fact: Sony has the most technologically advanced EVF existent. Fact: Sony’s strengths lie in video display technology. Fact: EVF is the future.
So, by your logic, Sony “abandoned us” by
…not waiting until people were clamoring for EVF
…not waiting for competitors to catch up in their own EVF technology
…not waiting until EVF was so mature as to offer essentially no trade-offs [because competition would just…wait for Sony?]
Incidentally, a900 OVF argument is a straw man. It existed in a world were OVF was the default position and so of course was considered without reference to an EVF alternative. EVF has clear advantages and disadvantages to OVF. The qualifications made during current reviews of EVF cameras are naturally acknowledging the advantages and disadvantages to OVF because now they both exist…Criticism of EVF which, btw, is logically identical to saying that current reviews are criticisms of OVF: acknowledging the advantages and disadvantages of OVF!
Missed it Brandon. Read again. It wasn’t a debate about EVF/OVF. It was a statement about Sony success.
I said:
“Regardless if it is better or worse, such polarizing tech is unpredictable for company profit and sustainability.”
I’m so glad to be a dino 🙂
It gives me something the teens don’t have… knowledge to compare and say something without having to look into a review in the Internet 🙂
After all…how many of us are able to say the focusing screen if a Monilta XK is better/worse than a Sony A99 based on having both cameras on hand? ( just to give an example…)
Think about this ,,, This is a NEW Game changer !! The cameras they are working on will be the BEST in the World for Stills and Video !! Drop a 36 or more Mega Pixel sensor in to one and you have a SUPER WOW !! Mirrors are ANTIQUE , EVF is the way to go. Just AMAZING to think what we will have as tools to use soon. This really is EXCITING NEWS . YAAAA S O N Y !!!!!!
Yes, a true game changer. If the AF system is not up to par compared with C&N, Sony is out of the DSLR business.
I can see good reasons for introducing a mirrorless DSLR, but much the same, they could have kept SLT moving forward one generation, just as they did with mirror based cameras like the 580(?). It doesn’t hurt to stand on two legs.
What the hell with all these whiners here. Who cares if the camera has a mirror, or a semi-transparent mirror or whatever! Sony would never kill it if the had not found an equal or better way of autofocussing, so stop whining until the product is released. Nobody needs an Update of the A77 now, it’s still a good camera until next year, even if another camera has 5% better high ISO-capability. Unbelievable, this world…
If Sony had found a way to give fast autofocus without SLT, wouldn’t they have dropped it into a NEX by now? Maybe we will see it in the 7n, but I doubt it.
When you say “Sony would never kill it if the had not found an equal or better way of autofocussing”, I think you give Sony management far too much credit.
Sony aren’t known for logical decisions, it’s why we have ended up with a bottom of the range A58 complete with a new flash mount and a top-end flash unit well out of the budget for such a user. Does that make ANY sense to you? 😉
You’re spreading nonsense:
Does this look like its going to be ‘out of the budget of the A58 user?’
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/925703-REG/sony_hvl_f20m_external_flash.html
A58 has its place.
Which isn’t available and offers a “huge” 20m at ISO 100…LMFAO
I really dont think the target audience for the A58 would likely need more than that. And…if they do, they have the HVLF60. Hello? Are you arguing just to argue? I have no interest in that.
FFS will this site please get fixed!
Sixth attempt at posting.
You clearly don’t bounce flash and you are also missing the whole point of my comment too. If Sony made logical decisions, then they would have refreshed their flash line-up at the same time as new camera modes. Get it now? Sony don’t make logical decisions, so removing SLT before putting something equally better performing in its place is what Sony would, and has, done before.
I dont really think you’re qualified to tell me what I do or dont know how to do, but its clear that you dont know how the HVL-F20M works. Here’s the spec list, from the B&H link I gave you:
Guide No. 65.6′ / 20m at ISO 100
Compatible with Sony Alpha TTL System
ADI Flash Metering System
Multi Interface Shoe Connection
0-75° Bounce Head
Built-In Diffuser
Wide and Tele Flash Settings
Compact, Flat-Folding Design
Do you see the 5th line down? It does do bounce; the reflector inside rotates between 0 and 75 degrees for bounce flash.
Think about this; if Sony had more flashes ready to go with the new (old) hotshoe cameras before the Cameras were released, they’d just sit in the warehouse. I do agree 100% with you that Sony should have timed the accessories releases better.
Where did I say that the 20 doesn’t bounce? Do you actually READ and UNDERSTAND the English language?
I misinterpreted your post to imply that I didnt know why bounce is important, and that it was missing from the HVLF20M.
I’m sorry. I try to catch all the nuances of the English language. English is my second language. Parlez-vous francais?
The NEX-5R is 1yr old model.
It might be entirely likely that they postponed NEX-7N release exactly to upgrade it with new AF system
Well, Hans, I care.
I want as little as possible in the optical path.
That would be his point – those who are complaining about it’s removal — after how many years of “we loose 1/3 a stop because of that translucent thingie…” That’s right: Sony listened to us; let’s throw rotten tomatoes!
Some people can’t be made happy. Ignore them.
Those are expected news, at least for some of us. I’ve said sometime ago that all APS-C cameras should be mirrorless, even A-mount, provided that a robust AF system is available ( either a mature on-sensor PDAF or similar ).IMHO, the A-mount SLR-like body is a must, considering the vast amount of great lenses available, either from Sony/Minolta or 3rd party.
As for FF, I believe it will take some more time to reach the required developmentlevel to eliminate the TLM. I expect to see perhaps two more generations of FF SLT’s.
Translation: We have developed PDAF on the Sensor. Our entire line will now be going mirrorless.
Color me stoked.
I’m completely fine with that IF on sensor autofocus is as fast as the standard autofoucs AND IF it works with ANY lens unlike the current on sensor PDAF of Nex 6 or a99 which is limited to Sony lenses. This seems like a profitable move for Sony to restrict DSLR-like autofocus to their own lenses…
“This seems like a profitable move for Sony to restrict DSLR-like autofocus to their own lenses…”
Maybe Sigma have seen this coming too? Makes you wonder.
Pretty sure Tamron lenses will still work, given Sony’s investment there. Not sure about Sigma, but there’s no guarantee they’ll work from one model to the next anyway… (Means I’ll be holding off on on the 35/1.4 for the foreseeable though).
I said it back then, SLT died when they succeed in putting PDAF inside the sensor so both mirror and “translucent mirror” became useless, a waste of space AND money, since you need some high quality pieces.
I do not think that on-sensor PDAF is good enough YET to totally replace the ‘traditional’ PDAF sensor array.
IMHO Sony erred in failing to develop a PDAF sensor array to compete with the best from Nikon and Canon. This weakened the whole idea of SLT. Without a sensor array up there with the best, it made no sense. The 19-point PDAF array even on A99 is nowhere close to compete with for example D600’s 39-point array or D800’s 51-point array.
Maybe the a99 uses the a77 focus array precisely because the AF engineers were working on “something big” and the 102 AF assist points are just a prototyping exercise….
Don’t forget that with SLT, not only the sensor got only 2/3 of the light (i.e. it is always 1/2EV behind the competition in IQ), but AF sensor array got only 1/3EV of the light, i.e. 1.5EV behind the competition (not counting the effect of the prism though). It was lose-lose, and it had to stop.
On-sensor PDAF gets 100% of intensity of the light, and no little distortions of the mirror itself, so in principle it is a far better technology (and if sensels are hybrid, able to detect both light itself and its phase, it is even better than DSLRs as area of AF sensors in those is limited by need to have OVF). The only thing left is some quality engineering (including software) work to leverage the advantage.
This is false. Open up any DSLR and have a good look at the mirror. It’s semi transparent (silvered)…..in the centre and behind it is small mirror that bounces the passing light to the AF sensors. Classic DSLR’s pass an aqual amount or even less light to the AF sensors, especially in the IR range. Because most of the light is bounced to the OVF.
Translucent mirrors were tried by Canon and went almost nowhere (a long time ago). Why would it be a good idea to reduce the light to the sensor, or place a dust collector in front of it. Mirror free is where things are headed, and making a bridge camera (in my mind) was a waist of research time and money. A truly professional NEX style (maybe larger in size) full frame would be landmark in the industry.
The ASAP end of the SLT may be best for Sony.
Yep. I’m sure Sony doesnt see SLT as a failed experiment. SLT technology was a transition period between the beautiful OVF with its terrible flapping, vibration inducing mirror, and the clean, sleek, mirror-less EVF.
I’m 100% confident that Sony NEVER intended SLT to last more than a few years. It was just a means to an end. SLT was designed to be replaced from day one.
Looks like Sony is pushing heavily with On sensor PDAF,which eventually all other makers will follow .Currently Sony has the best and fastest On sensor PDAF system.
The competition system like the Canon with 650D and 700D is a joke.
The best on-sensor PDAF is actually in Nikon 1. Maybe because the focusing groups of the lenses are lighter.
It’s not only autofocus groups…
Everything in nikon1 vs NEX is diffrerent.
All Nikon 1 lenses made for PDAF and have exit pupil very remote from the sensor (hence, lenses compared to sensor size are huge), while Sony has to put three groups of AF rows to work with various exit pupil locations.
I hope this means that the LA-EA2 will be made obsolete with the introduction of the Nex-7n, because focusing will done within the imaging array, and a new adapter will be offered for Alpha lens to link autofocus to the camera.
…then that would be the LA-EA1.
Your right El-c. I did not think of that. So that effectively takes $100 off the price of total quick auto focus for me. 🙂
Can I get an AALELUYAH?
Sure to come a88 FF then? Perhaps an a99E? Would be welcome stop gaps until the new tech arrives. Provide some options for that new ZA50.
Agreed. An SLT A99 revised model (or two as you indicated, with a slightly dumbed down version) would probably be a good idea. Probably not likely. I’m sure they’ll refresh the A99 firmware a few times though.
May also be time to evolve the 7 series into a full frame camera. Not likely, as you say though.
There are so many more underlying issues with the system philosophy though. Where we once only worried about lens line, and 3rd party support to A-Mount… Sony has now made the problem exponentially greater by also killing the flash system, and 3rd party support for it too.
The last post of this Dyxum thread reveals a letter from Pocket Wizard to a customer inquiring about their support for the new Sony MIS. Read here.
http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/sony-a99-in-pocketwizard-webinar_topic97752.html
We can take this as a clue for other 3rd party support efforts to be questionable. Especially now, if this is true about the newest Sony camera plan. No company in their right mind would pursue R&D for Sony cams. It’s going to be a long time before the system settles down. And even longer to gain a standards confidence enough for risking 3rd party R&D investment. Sony has become a company proven to trash any customer investment beyond two years. Not a good plan for getting professionals to evangelize the product to amateur enthusiast potentials.
What you say about 3rd party support is largely true. Im sure they’re all watching Sony closely these days. I dont think Sigma, for example, has written Sony off – they just dont want to spend money making lenses for an unknown system right now. How can anyone blame them?
Unfortunately, I think this mirrorless ‘revolution’ mentality will soon (5 years or so) spread to all makes, and its going to be a world of change when mirrorless becomes standard. Of course I’m not looking forward to the chaos, not if, but when it hits Nikon, but I dont know how we can avoid it.
But here’s the thing I think is key; Sony is a big company and they are clearly spending a lot of effort in the R&D department right now. If Sony is successful with its new technology, that means it will be groundbreaking. Sony will gain many new users (myself being one). And in this situation, the 3rd party makers will have a very good reason to invest gobs of money on R&D to accomodate the new system – it will pay off for them too.
Like you say, I think it will take time, however good the new tech is.
Its a brave new world out there.
And one thing that you touched on is very, very important.
The camera world is largely ego driven – for better or for worse. New users are gained from the top down, NOT the bottom up. For Sony to really succeed in the camera market, they MUST make compelling cameras for Nikon and Canon professionals, and the ‘hey look what the pro is using’ mentality will trickle down to the hobbiests as well.
Sony needs to give me a reason to ditch my Nikon. Thus far, while there’s nothing wrong with the A99, its not better than the D800E. So why would I swtich? These are the questions that need to be answered.
Look at A58 DxO score, another failure.
Did you read the accompanying review, which basically said that at its pricepoint, nothing is that close to it in terms of performance per dollar? Sometimes, there is something else besides a number.
Just because a Subaru BRZ doesnt have Ferrari performance, that doesnt mean the BRZ is a failure.
The A58 looks to be a damn fine camera for its intented market/price point.
Look at your basic comprehension skills, another failure.
A58=74, K-30=79, D3200=81. Failure.
Canon EOS 650D = 62
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Publications/DxOMark-Reviews/Sony-SLT-Alpha-58-review/Comparison
I played with the canon t5i and did a comparison touch shutter experiment vs my next 5r. The Canon was at least 2 seconds slower to shoot the same subject in the center of the frame.
Sorry, no link at all. The NEX is an E-mount system which is designed from ground up for CDAF, while the Canon system is a PDAF DSLR trying hard to have some form of CDAF.
This rumor, however, is about APS-C DSLTs and the A-Mount. Your “experiment” has nothing to do with this.
When reading SAR you almost get the idea that the future is mirrors, bigger sensors, prime lenses etc. Someone said Dinosaures! Yes we used 4×5 inch film then 6×6 cm then 24×36 mm! Smaller and smaller and today even smartphones gives photos and video for newsmedia. In the short run FF could be used in cameras but only a short moment. Cameras will be smaller and smaller! Sensors, lenses. You bet …
There other factors aside from size of the camera. Lenses, accompanying system accessories, etc. If you want control of the DOF, you may want to go with larger sensor sizes.
Or faster lenses.
OK, a few people will want blurred backgrounds. Others will prefer pictures with some context in them. Yet others will use software (soon coming right into your camera) – “how much of the background blur do you want”, turning a little blur into a lot of blur, as much as needed. I can write the algorithm for that on a napkin.
Blurring by software, for purist, is not quite the same thing. It’s one thing to understand the mathematics involved, but what about the guy with the oprical finder pressing the DOF button to see what’s in focus? Or looking at the lens markings to see what distance interval will be in focus?
Yes, smaller sensors, faster lenses for same DOF effect. But there is something about the light gathering power of a large surface. That’s why some of those telescopes have such a wide diameter. Even as sensor technology improves, there is only so much energy hitting a given surface area.
It’s the lens which gather light, not sensor.
This news doesn’t bother me in the slightest. As long as what Sony does next (or NEXt if you fancy a pun) works and works well then thats all that matters. They must be confident enough in their own sensor PDAF technology to know they can make this move. Sony will only really make inroads into Canikon’s market share if they do something truly different and innovative. Really pushing sensor technology and things like EVF technology is the way to go. Personally I think EVF’s are the future of photography. As that tech seriously matures, and it’ll mature very fast to the point where people won’t know how they ever used an OVF in just a few years I think, Sony are in a good position to be the leaders of that sort of innovation.
This is good news! SLT was never a great technology, but it was necessary until phase AF on the sensor was developed. That has now happened. I never liked the SLT mirror, especially for low light levels where it just added noise. So I took out the mirror in my A55 (still have the mirror in my A57 for when I need AF). As long as Sony keeps the A mount and the camera size of the A57 alive in mirrorless I will be happy. I like a camera that I can hold and has controls, not a tiny NEX…
NEX-7 has more controls than your A57.
I’m not bothered by this rumour, in fact it can only be good news.
1) If they’ve found a new technology that’s better than SLT, great, I’ll have it thank you. It has to be better otherwise they wouldn’t drop their current tech. The old roadmap was stopped at Christmas, so maybe this is the reason why.
2)Remember Sony makes sensors for Nikon amongst others, so they’re pretty good tech. We’ve also seen on this website patents for curved sensors, so maybe that’s how they’re gonna focus them or apply the new tech differently from the competition.
3) I’d be very surprised if Sony drop the ‘A’ mount. They have a large “A” mount & Minolta fanbase, and it would make ALL of these peoples lenses obsolete overnight. That would lose you pretty much all of your current customers at a stroke, alienate them, and they would go to Nikon/ Canon never to return.
Well all along we knew SLT was a bridge technology. It came into fruition and they just released the A99, so it seems odd that they would just stop abruptly. Also, why bother with the A58 and not just keep the price down on the well received A57 ?
It’s not a matter of people leaving Sony, but whether people come into the system.
yep they could hae kept the 57 and built the 38 as mirrorless with the understanding that the AF woudl be a hair slower and entry level shooters wudl not be overly disapointed
A58 is all about lowering manufacturing costs – plastic mount, etc. It most likely also uses cheaper components inside e.g. more integrated electronics. One way to improve your margin is to lower the manufacturing cost. This is especially important with volume products.
I think we all saw this coming. If Sony can make hybrid focusing as good as the Nikon V1, then there is no point in having an SLT.
A Mount is dead.. wellcome nex system!!!
Great, another person who can’t read.
… or write.
Let’s all face the truth – Sony is toast. This latest rumors doesn’t feel like innovation, but one more desperate move by a giant to be a player in a market that they never truly understood and hence never mastered.
Going totally mirrorless may make you seem innovated but in the end, it will be a failed effort as professionals will deem it novel but consider the technology too immature to bet their livelihood on it. It will not be until CaNikon offers a mirrorless DSLR that the industry as a whole will embrace it and even then the pros are not going to switch to Sony. They are going to buy the mirrorless CaNikon. They might rent the Sony to see what its all about, but they are not going switch over to Sony because Sony doesn’t have a mature product line with a strong support network in place.
CaNikon built their reputations by maturing a compete product line. Sony thinks that they can jump to the top by coming up with the latest innovations. They think that pushing the envelop will gain them substantial market share but really it hasn’t paid off for Sony yet.
Don’t forget that real change/revolution in tech often doesn’t come from market leders (“Canon/Nikon”). Microsoft vs IBM! Apple vs Nokia, Motorola, Blackberry! Samsung vs Sony in TV!
Sony might surprise in cameras??
This isnt a truth, its an opinion from a negative outlook. Of course, itmight happen, but it’s not likely. As a Nikon shooter, I hope it doesnt. The only company keeping Nikon/Canon motivated is Sony. Nikon and Canon would stagnate without Sony kicking them in the butt.
Only time will tell. It will take time to convert people to a new system. But, if its good enough, it WILL happen. No self respecting Nikon or Canon pro will be happy with their antiquated technology if Sony brings something better to the table.
“Mirrorless DSLR” is a contradiction in terms. R in DSLR stands for Reflex i.e. mirror in this context. Either you have a mirror or not. Please don’t use this phrase, as it may become entrencheded and abbreviated to MLDSLR (:-)).
This has been reported on Senscore 2 months ago.
Sooner Sony gets rid of SLTs the better.
Allow EVF to be used in stop down aperture mode. This is important to accommodate for focus shift in wide aperture lenses. CaNikon top lenses suffer focus shift to a maddening degree. The EVF can provide a real solution to togs who want to focus accurately on close up… but you must allow it to be used in stop down metering mode. That’s why I’ll buy a cheap adapter rather than expensive LAEA versions. They allow stop down aperture focusing, and dispel all concerns with focus shift.
Take advantage of the true EVF potential. Don’t cripple it with sub standard optical magnifiers which smear the edges. We’ve been crying for more eye relief and eye point distance for ages now. EVF can answer those issues better than any OVF solution. Give us a huge round beautiful magnifier to view a massive screen with… the size of a medium format Fuji GX680, or Leica S2. Forget about making the EVF cameras look similar to OVF prisms. It’s holding you back, and crippling the potential.
Sony, please take note of all the super innovative lighting solutions at LightingRumors – dot – com. The lighting world is exploding with fabulous solutions, evolving both constant and flash systems… yet NONE of them are native to anything Sony. Put effort into leading the way on that front. It shouldn’t be to hard to understand the enthusiasm it would create in the professional arenas, and even less difficult to understand the free marketing potential to enthusiast consumers who want to use what the pros are raving about. Make the pros happy and you won’t need to market anything to the enthusiasts. It will market itself beyond your wildest advertising budget ever could.
Begin a super training program for brick and mortar camera stores. Teach the sales counter how to operate your cameras without stumble. Give the store a few demo models and encourage the sales people to take them home and use for pleasure. Make friends with those who sell your cameras.
Make the bodies of your cameras with built in Arca Swiss style mounting plates. Mold them right into the frame of the body. Would be a huge selling point. The patent is up and open. Do it.
Offer interchangeable sensors. That would increase my investment loyalties more than anything. Collect all four! One for B&W, another for fast sports, another for super low light needs, another for mega resolution. But let me keep the camera body for more than a year before having to learn something new.
Realistically, I’m not sure this is feasible yet, but I’ve always thought this would be an amazingly cool idea. Let the camera body live through a longer life-cycle, and just upgrade the sensor. Of course, they’d have to build the body to a higher spec than it needs to be when its released (cost more than normal), to accommodate the increasingly demanding sensors, but if they could make it work, it would be awesome.
Buy a body that will last 5-6 years, and upgrade the sensor/shutter as needed.
Yes, it’s a good idea to make the sensor upgradable, but often the processor needs upgrading too (if not a second one).
Take a clue from GoPro and allow for multiple cameras to be remotely operated, fully functional, from one super cheap controller that doesn’t compromise performance. This should be obvious. And it’s far beyond time that you leverage technology that has been available for decades to its maximum potential.
Dear CTPhoto…..
Slow and easy!
You need a dose of Ansel Adams. Read his “Camera and lens” and slow down.
Much of what you say is good but…..
Would you suggest to shoot film too because Adams shot it?
Adams did not have a chance to see these innovations…
APS-C sized DSLR have been a bridge technology while the sensor technology has been too expensive making everything full frame. Therefore focussing DSLR/SLT on Full Frame and APS-C down to µ4/3 on Mirrorless and leaving everything much smaller for Smart Phones is a wise decision I’m expecting all companies to go for in the near future. My guess: Doing this Sony’s rescueing their A-Mount business more than destroying it.
Why would Sony want to downgrade the NEX down to m43? Especially when it’s been such a commercial success for them, and with third-party companies like Tamron, Sigma and Carl Zeiss investing into it (and other APS-C mirrorless standards such as Fuji)?
I didn’t talk about downsizing, I talked about the range from APS-C down to µ4/3 making the most sense for mirrorless cameras – if you’d tried to understand my posting you might have realised that I wrote more about upsizing, keeping the DSLR or SLT market for Full Frame, so giving up APS-C sized SLT is a wise decision by Sony to offer the best α product range, since E-Mount for mirrorless photo AND video cameras is much more convincing.
I got it… Sony is now going to a flapping SENSOR technology. The dSLuRS! 😉
I cant Wait to see whats to come from sony, Hope it’s something good and lasting…..
Let’s wait and se for that new roadmap 🙂
1. Its time that someone rethinks picture taking and technical camera design.
2. Ask the right questions:
a. what will sony not do?
b. will there be square lenses for square chips and square papers?
c. an autofocus so fast that the us-military would be jalous of it? no – the russian spy satellites have it already
d. who is the next ceo? sony needs a stronger hand & head – they need a uniter like a steve jobs (r.i.p.)
e. sony needs a united & clear communikation politics and ethics… fire the leaks! and some managers too
f. sony needs more direct and indirect advertising… you see only mikon and danon
g. will sony receive the needed support by 3rd manufacturers?
h. to hell with zei$$ – they sell material worth 250$ for 1500$ or more – good sellers
i. sony needs a solid fundament in the market – which market? they do not know the target market.
j. sony – do your homework – you missed more than 24 months worth of clear product and markt presence
k. sony – do your homework good – or mikon and danon will raise above your “artisanal pause”
l. last wish for sony: sell the tv-part of your biz (LG and Samsung rule the tv world), keep the photo division & pay them well and keep a clean, recongnisable product line and philosophy & make all sony-www-pages of the world looks the same – just like apple
m:
greetings / grüsse / salutations / pozdravi / 问候 wènhòu , 致意 zhìyì / salus / saludo / пока́! / abraços / üdvözlet / تحيات / Selamlar
from mac-baar
Ziess is worth $250 not $1500, OMG what planet are you and and do you actually own any Ziess glass if so what? If you don’t how can you even make such a comment?
Si
He probably was referring to SEL24F18, which has nothing to do with Zeiss except blue sticker.
lol
The SECOND revolution:
According to multiple sources there will be no more cameras from Sony and no more computers from Apple.
And now listen:
There will be new all-mechanical-devices. Thats is the tech change.
This is the rumor from the year 2313… chances to be true?
I TOLD YOU, I TOLD YOU, I TOLD YOU… THE SLT EXPERIEMENT IS OVER!!!!
YES! YES! YES!
There goes the re-sale prices for the a77’s and a99’s… Glad I got out when I could and I’m glad the SLT experiment is over…
I’ve been capturing excellent photos with an SLT camera. Were you unable to do so?
What experiment? It was always going to be a stepping stone between reflex and mirrorless. I agree with C – I get great results with my a77.
You expect resale prices to plummet on perfectly good cameras just because a new technology design is going to replace them?
Wouldnt this logic also mean that automobiles become worthless once the new, more technologically advanced models come out? I think not.
There’s nothing about the SLT that makes SLT less attractive once the design is discontinued. It wont suddenly stop producing great photos.
Good attempt to keep the resale values up, lol
I have no interest whatsoever in keeping resale value up; I dont own any Sony gear (other than my old Sony stereo), but I’ve used the Sony SLTs, and if I did own one I certainly wouldnt be thinking of selling it for any reason. MrLee, you seem quite shallow. Live and let live.
And just to clarify, Since so many even get confused about what the topic states… I dumped SLT, Not A-mount, just like Sony did… Owned both an a77 and a580 at the same time, I still own the a580 and a77 is gone (Just like the LST Experiment)…
*SLT
Philosophically you are obviously opposed to SLT design, but realistically what about it was a problem for you? What prevented you from taking good photographs? I understand that some people prefer an OVF, what was it that was a problem for you?
I’d be really surpised if Sony saw SLT as a failed experiment. Its obvious that SLT was a transition technology. I’d be surprised if Sony EVER intended SLT to last more than a few years. SLT was designed to be replaced from day one. What’s wrong with that?
Take a chill pill, my friend.
I need to take a chill pill because I’m happy SONY ENDED SLT???
Again, Sony made that decision, Not me… You and your posts never make sense… Just like your name… Your Canonjack, who don’t own a Sony who uses Nikon… You have targeted me before and you have the most negative comments in response to others comments who actually use and own Sony… Canonjack(off) you get the award for the “Troll of the year award” for Sony Alpha Rumors web site…
If you’re trying to ‘get under my skin,’ I dont react to that. You’re the only one here who thinks I ‘targeted’ you. I always try to be quite understanding, especially to those who aren’t ‘all there.’ My wife is a behavioral psychologist and I’ve always found her work to be quite interesting.
There is absolutely nothing negative about my comments. I am quite positive. I enjoy life, and I am not a fanboy of any brand. I like Sony as I’ve quite clearly stated. I am Canon Jack because I use the tools that make sense to my job; I am not a fanboy of Nikon, I just use the cameras. I started my photography with Minolta, back in the 1980’s, I was a sales rep for them. I still have a soft spot for A mount.
My posts are carefully constructed, and make sense. If you take the time to read them, and if you can comprehend them, you’d agree with me. I’m going to be humble and say that I respect the fact you want to give me your Troll of the Year trophy, but I must graciously decline. There is someone else who deserves this honor far more than myself.
Now, the next thing I say is purely honesty from my perspective. You appear to be a confused, insecure, abusive, manipulative, immature human being. I highly recommend medication, and or counseling to help you through your psychosomatic episodes. I wish there was something I could do to help your mind function correctly. I hate seeing human beings in mental turmoil, as appears to be the case with you.
Now, lets get back on topic…shall we?
Canonjack(Off)- I will never respond to you again and I hope nobody else does on here as well (Now that you won the “troll of the year award”)… I wont respond to fools because from a distance, people cant tell who is who…
Well, I wish you the best. And I’m not trying to be a jerk, I honestly mean that.
Jack
Mr. Lee – I would say you are a Jack-ass and the only reason CanonJack pissed you off is because he was being reasonable / logical, things which are alien to you. You are a troll and have not made any credible arguments with supporting evidence.
C = Canonjack…. If not, you 2 should become BTF… “Best Trolls Forever”
Mr. Lee = Jackass
2013 is and will continue to be a very slow year for SLR releases. Canon, Nikon and Sony overhauled most of their SLR/SLT camera lines in 2012. It was a rare year for camera releases, this year will be slow. The budget/consumer cameras like the digital rebel will get their annual spec bump but for the most part nothing major will be released.
If Sony gets out of the gate with an overhaul in 2014 they will probably be ahead of the curve since Canon / Nikon tend to update their major cameras every 3 years.
Well… let’s see what N and C will make of this situation…
I see too many complaints here. Sony introduced the SLT technology, which had advantages, and if you did not like, had the “old” cameras Sony still worked with quality (A580, A900 …). Now improve SLT and the system will make no loss of light the focus is fast, and we have mirrorless cameras, classic ergonomics, and electronic viewfinders (who are the future like it or not). I see this great news, not a cause for complaint.
Greetings.
what is the true benefit of a mirrorless a-mount camera? flange distance will stay the same, so you can’t make the camera any smaller really. either there is a mirror there, translucent or not, or there is nothing. if they could make a mirrorless camera with great af, that would also mean they can make an ovf camera with great liveview including great af and peaking etc. why wouldn’t they? size? I don’t get it. I still have a hard time believing they could pull this one off. maybe all future alpha aps-c models will be e-mount/hybrids with lesser af functionality, which would make the a-mount line more of an exclusive FF enthusiast alternative?
The point is that the mirror cost 1/2 stop of light and serves absolutely no purpose, starting when then get production up on the next generation of sensor chips. Mirror AF has no technical advantage over on-chip AF. It’s just a matter of getting the new chips designed and produced in quantity. I presume this is what will be ready in 2014; along with whatever other improvements they come up with.
i hope you´re right, but my gut tells me mirrorrless af won’t be good enough as early as 2014. still, it could happen – but one qestion still remains to be answered – what is that huge flange distance good for if there is nothing there? why not just put a mirror there (a real mirror) and make it an OVF model? you could always flip the mirror up and go all liveview or make a hybrid viewfinder, swichable or layered with ovf and peaking an what have you. right? if good AF could be had without a mirror, that would indeed be a huge game changer. lets hope.
well, layered hybrid viewfinder would be hard, come to think of it, but swichable would be easy.
I don’t see the point of Sony having TWO APS-C mirrorless platforms, especially when one of the platform is outselling the other one by a wide margin. Sure A mount can go mirrorless, but what’s the point? From 3rd party lens maker point of view, E mount is the future. At some point, A mount APS-C will exist mainly to satisfy existing owners of those cameras. New lenses from 3rd party will slow to a halt. It won’t be long after that before Sony cancels the entire A mount lineup. Lens and accessory support will not continue for a mount that is not growing. The pellicle mirror is not the reason A mount is not growing.
According to this rumor, their will not be two APS-C platforms, the a-mount cameras will all be full frame.
Read it again.
+1 mirrorless will be the effective end of A mount, sure they’ll add limited support via adapters but it’ll be an after thought
Smart move (imho).
‘Innovation’ is what sets Sony apart from CaNikon. It’s why I bought a Sony.
It’s good to see Sony recognize the importance of ‘evolving photography’ as a key strategy and focal point for their success.
I’m sure they won’t leave ‘A-mount’ owners in the cold (they know that’s not smart business). There’s no reason they can’t be *both* innovate, and offer compatability. I’m betting A-mount users will be pleasantly surprised.
We’ll see soon enough.
SLT—RIP!!!
The SLT solved some problems in making it possible to use AF in movie mode – which people DO need (not pros perhaps, but the other 98%) AF. As I’ve mentioned, friends have purchased Canikon dslrs with the intention of getting videos of their kids, but found that was only possible when the kid was unconcious. Unfortunately, that point was lost on the public, and the mild/moderate compromises were SCREAMED from every hilltop. Anyhow, it’s time to move on now that other tech will make the slt uneeded.
I’m rather hoping the next gen cams will also have next get sensors, with resolution that I want for my large prints. I’d like to see something in the 56 meg range, with great tonality and saturation too. I’ve enjoyed my 850, but feel a need for some images that are big and so sharp they’ll make my retinas bleed. I know Sony can do it – and it looks like they’re serious about their next gen cams being a leap forward, so I’m willing to wait and see!
I certainly understand what you’re saying (it WOULD be cool), but have you tried making some super high resolution images by stitching together multiple files? Of course this only works on still objects, but it can yield some amazing results. 3 FF images wide by 3 FF images high. Something I’ve always wanted is this functionality in camera for one big RAW!
Yes, of course I know about stitching, and yes, of course I do it. My largest uses 11 portrait-oriented images. I’ve also been following the work of a master, Max Lyons, for a number of years ( http://www.tawbaware.com/maxlyons/ ). And, yes, what I want is to shoot images with movement (the best stitching software will help with this, and multiple images of moving subjects too, and differences in depth of field, and hdr as well). But, I want to do single captures – or maybe only a measly three like you describe. Thanks for the input, but I know what I want and am a bit beyond the point you imagine I’m at.
But I still love my 850 and 70-200G for taking pics of pretty girls!
http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/28958610
http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/26263413
http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/31847253
I knew this day will come, SLT is just a temporary solution and Sony got mirrorless technology mature enough thanks to its NEX line. Now releasing mirrorless DSLR is just matter of time. Mirrorless is really the future for ALL. Dont you know how long has the mirror technology been existing? I would say more than 40 years! Time to step up people! Poor knuckleheads who still want to stick around with flapping mirrors, haha, they reminds me people using dumb phones I saw in the street nowadays!
Very interesting. I haven’t tried out any cameras with on sensor PDAF for myself(like the NEX-5R/6), but from what I’ve seen/read, they’re actually decent. I’m curious to see if solely using on sensor PDAF can be viable.
An A-mount body with no mirror and PDAF on sensor with comparable(or better) performance to current SLTs, that would be pretty nice.
Exciting news indeed. 🙂 Canon and Nikon are choking on their DSLRs, let’s see if Sony can bring forth something truly innovative.
Yeah Canon and Nikon are really struggling to sell dSLRs and lenses….not…
Welcome mirrorless cameras and waiting 100% electronic shutter!
Just out of curiosity, you all should ask DSLR friends of yours why they chose the DSLRs that they bought. While there is an undeniable advantage to not have the mirror flapping, I don’t know anyone who chose DSLR systems because of the mirror. Sony seem to be chasing the small problems and not the big problems. People I know who own DSLRs, including myself, bought the systems we own because of the lenses and accessory support (esp flash). Sony definitely has some good lenses, but not enough of them. Plus, the number of Zeiss available for the big two is quite large vs a small sample offered to A mount users. Why Sony doesn’t attack the real problems is befuddling. They keep banging on this mirror issues (and OVF vs EVF) as their hope to becoming a major force in this market. These two issues are complete red herrings. It’s like they know these are red herrings, but they also know they do not have the time and resources to fix the real problems with A mount. Well, with E mount, there aren’t many problems other than the need for more high quality lenses. NEX is becoming one of the best supported mirrorless platform.
If you talk about lack of lenses, it is only valid to E-mount. About the flash system, Sony flashes are about on par with competitions. The problem is the branding. Most retailers pushing the big two, I know one camera shop in my town that doesn’t sell Sony at all. That’s why everybody buys Canikon, not because they like mirror-slap mechanics, they think that’s the standard of DSLR. They don’t know there’s an alternative, better one, IMO.
+1
The problem has always been marketing, not technology and not lenses.
I don’t see Sony SLT out and about or personally know anyone using a Sony, it’s all Nikon and Canon.
When I hand my Sony to a CaNikon guy they don’t know they are looking through an EVF until I tell them.
Yeah Sony lacks good lens alternatives for good money. A.k.a. Minoltas “Beercan” series. Sony does have cheap lenses. Sony does have top of the line lenses. But nothing in between. Why are Minoltas beercan lenses popular now? Why do my Canon friends use f/4 lenses? … I’d say it’s “great value for money” and that’s what Sony lacks big time.
1.It’s “just” 20 mm but these are lenses like 30/2 that fit in it.
2.The difference is 26.5 mm for A and E mounts, not 20 mm.
3.Restrictions of back focal distance forces to use larger, retrofocus lens designs and make things like optics faster than f/1.2 and Speed Booster impossible.
Glad to see SLT gone but I’m also glad it doesn’t mean (S)ony’s (L)ast (T)ry with the Alpha mount….
now i know why Sony named the latest (last?) model of SLT an A58, instead of A38…
SLR-A580 marks the ending of Sony DSLR,
SLT-A58 marks the ending of Sony DSLT,
so, what’s next? DSLM? (mirrorless?)
next generation comes with SLM-A3 , A5 , A7?
Good catch!
Yada yada yada…
Still find it so funny how many closed minds there are here…
Lets have some simple truths:
1. OVF’s are over. Dead. Sony are never going back. GET OVER IT OR MOVE ON ! Jeez…
Personally, I love the EVF. It takes some getting used to, but now I will never use an OVF again.
2. The A mount is fine ! Ditching the SLT technology really is NO BIG DEAL. My current SLT’s take great pictures – they are not going to stop doing so.
Things move on. Whats the big deal?
I don’t worry that my existing gear is “old tech”, any more than I worry that my Canon 5D2 is “old tech” compared to a 5D3.
I prefer using Sony to either of them ( including 5D3) because of the EVF.
Good news Sony, new stuff on the way. Bring It On !
I like EVFs now but OVFs aint dead. Taking panning shots with an EVF is extremely difficult as is taking BIF shots. Using an OVF is FAR FAR easier for such shots.
You ask any Canon/Nikon user if they wish their cameras had EVFs and I doubt you will find many who would say yes.
I want a flipable SLT …. especially now with the new on-sensor PDAF.
Really…. How hard is it to make a flipable SLT?? … like in the original SLT patent?? ….How much innovations are needed to make that happen?
I am really excited about this, it will mean the single greatest advancement in the Sony line, eliminating the SLT mirror which compromises low light image quality. It will also mean making a single camera that can do phase detect AF (which is extremely important) with both E-mount and A-mount lenses. You’ll have the option of shooting any lens out there (with third party adapters), or just stick with A-mount. This will be amazing because there are so many lenses from other brands I would like to be able to use which are not made in Sony mounts. That, btw, is the other thing Sony needs to keep improving on – keep adding to their lens lineup and encourage the third party makers to offer more of their lenses in the Sony mount. Particularly Sigma and Tokina consistently leave Sony out of their offerings, and they both make some very nice lenses. Going back to the elimination of the mirror, this could conceivably lead to an adapter with an OVF and AF sensors in it for those who prefer OVF, provided Sony were willing to develop it. We will just have to wait and see what they do.
This is just perfect. I’m a professional photographer and i already have one A900, Two 850 and the A99, three beautiful cameras, I work with eachone, the oldest I use it for product. Thetered and working perfect, with the 70-200 and the 24-70 the images are crisp and beautiful, I use the A99 for fashion and exterior works because you have the preview in the viewfinder, thetered as well and the AF is fast and acurate, also the image quality. the new tecnologies doesn’t ganna make obsolete anything, they just give us new tech, as Sony always do. I surely gonna buy the newone wherever they gonna name it, but my old sony cameras still doing they job as a top image tecnology over a lot of new competition releases. remember that is not easy for sony change the mind of a lot of photographer who already have a lot of lenses of other brands and they use to work with, so they’re trying to make something with more innovate tecnology to convince photographers to switch to Sony, That’s a challenge but I think that they’re making a great job. KEEP INNOVATING SONY.
Sony was the first DSLR with 24 FF megapixels on a under 3K dollars body
Sony was the first SLT with autofocus on Video
Sony develop the best sensors on the market even for others brands.
Sony’s gonna have something even more interesting for us than a 36 mp sensor on a SLT body. Just be patient, keep making great images with your sony equipment and wait.
Totally argree every word u said. And I suprise so many people cannot understand that.
many people still saying slt lost 30% of light…
it would be nice du have an APSC or FF Camera with Emount. if Amount dies or not doesn’t matter for the future. you can handle amount Lenses on Emount and you can adapt many lenses from other manufacturers!!! Thats the big Advantage of E-Mount, isnt it?
How do I get a Sony camera with steadyshot to take Leica M lenses? Whatever Comes, I guess this won’t become true… ;-(
All camera systems have an uncertain future, both for reasons specific to each system and for reasons that have to do with the changing nature of media creation. In light of that, I think that the best strategy is to avoid investing large amounts of money in *any* system unless you absolutely need to for your profession. Until all of this gets hashed out, buy the least expensive camera that meets your needs and concentrate on developing your skills. IMO, the NEX-3N is a prime choice for this.
I’m keen on waiting for this mirrorless APS-C camera.
I don’t exactly need a fast camera as I only do portraiture, landscape and product shots. Mirrorless means maximum detail without the obstruction from SLT’s translucent mirror.
But if A mount goes mirrorless, what is the point of the NEX system?
NEX equal compact size. A-mount mirrorless equal DSLR size.
ROFL…btw, where is that smartass that tried to convince me that slt is the future and that i need to embrace it?
strange.. sony once said SLT is the future.. now, only after about 1 or 2 years, it dies! i think if they still sticks to OVF after the a580, the growth of their market share would be even better ever since and we will surely have a sony`s camera that if not on par, is so close behind Nikon
It was the future back then.
For sure they are developing in sensor phase autofocus system fast and realiable. The clue for this was in the A99 sensor. Next A-mount is mirrorless!
This is the logical evolution, nobody could think that the traslucent mirror was forerever!
That’s the point exactly. Sony has been working on adding focusing pixels to the sensor for a while now. If that works as reliably as current phase detection autofocus does (or better), I say: begone all ye mirrors. I’m looking forward to it.
Thet cannot stop A Mount.
To many will buy an adapter lens and leave Sony for Canon or Nikon.
All I am waiting for is an A Mount, good in low light, with image stabiliation and a fast shutter speed
….
Does that mean they will stop producing the A-Mount models existing right now? I’m planning to buy an a77 II next year. Will it be stopped?