Image on top shows the TriNavi from the NEX-7
I saw a couple of sites claiming the A6000 doesn’t replace the NEX-7 and that there may be a new A7000 APS-C model in future with TriNavi. I can confirm via trusted sources that this isn’t true. There will be no A7000 APS-C(!) E-mount camera in 2014. I repeat it, no APS-C A7000 with TriNavi in 2104.
I have been also told the focus now is on FE camera and lens releases. Particularly new FE lenses are needed to make the system grow. Hope that Sony will announce the next two FE lenses in late March-early April.
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0 Responses
What about A-mount?
Does this mean e-mount resources are focusing on FE or that a-mount is also taking a back seat? I wouldn’t mind so much if there was a sign that fe-mount would offer anything for me, but so far there’s no sign of native tele-macros or fast primes (with oss). Also the a7r shutter issues/a7 ghosting put me right off (I’m not trying to bash FE, just explain why I wouldn’t go for it at this time).
Leave the adapter on and you’ve got an A-mount
Which part of E-mount camera bodies and A-mount lenses are not stabilized do you not understand?
Horrible!
A-mounts have been a back burner Sony project since I started reading SAR. It’s so obvious. Cancelled projects, no announcements tied to big shows, a 2014 front-loaded with e-mount/fe-mount announcements.
What’s interesting to me is it appears the FE system is straining their resources to the extent they’re losing focus on the APS-C e-mounts as well. True, they put great emphasis on the a5000 and a6000 this year at the major shows but there’s significant body consolidation going on in their APS-C e-mount body line-up plus it sounds like lenses for that system are joining a-mount lenses on the back burner.
Oh well… I’ll keep enjoying the amazing wonder that is the Year of the A-Mount. 😉
2012 was Sony’s year of a-mount. 2015 will be the next year of a-mount when the stacked sensors are ready for mass production.
The consolidation of APS-C bodies makes sense. Before there was a full frame option, the higher level enthusiast wanted the NEX-7. Now that demographic of NEX 7 buyers want a full frame camera.
They may be consolidating the number of APS-C bodies, but they are expanding the number of available E-mount bodies. To continue with 3 or 4 APS-C bodies in addition to the FE bodies would be overkill now. As full frame continues to become more affordable, APS-C bodies should be targeted to entry level and budget enthusiast demographics. The higher level enthusiasts are going to enjoy Sony flushing out more mirrorless full frame options.
I suspect Sony’s motivations are a bit more cynical.
Obviously, they want people out of a-mounts because, for whatever reason, they lack the will (I’d say common sense vision) to compete with Canikon in DSLRs. If people switch, they can milk former a-mount users with adapters to use their old lenses and milk them for new e-mount lenses to get OSS. Since the e-mount lens system is less complete than the a-mount one even e-mount users have to buy adapters for some use cases.
Now with Sony behaving like an adolescent with a short attention span, they’re off pushing FF mirrorless which really requires buying into a new FE lens system to reach their full potential. They can milk Sony users again who may opt to replace lens they own already covering the same focal length in up to 2 mount types. On paper, this is brilliant.
Where, IMHO, Sony’s ever-incompetent marketing lays an egg again is they need to compete in all segments fully to attract and keep fans. The only reason for an a-mount fan like myself sticking with that system isn’t going away by any e-mount body rumored or real. I don’t care if they give me their expensive $350 LEA4 adapter for free.
Unfortunately, Sony’s incompetent marketing has created a zero-sum game where e-mount fans resent a-mount vice versa because they realize when Sony produces something for 1 system it means they’re completely ignoring the other 1. Now we have the FE system competing for Sony’s attention which is ironically pitting e-mount APS-C fans against FE ones. 😉
I doubt A mount is on the back burner your not going to see 4k in a E mount before A mount. The whining is crazy on here. Sony is very slow with A mount releases. They are considered Prosumer gear. Sony is noted as about 3 years before the next model comes out in there prosumer lines. Get a grip everybody.
I was also a daily reader/poster to SAR in 2009 through last June when I finely got so discouraged waiting for Sony to show real support for its A-Mount that I sold both of my a850’s all of the Sony-Zeiss lenses made for full frames and everything else I could unload that was Minolta or A-Mount to help fund my move back to Nikon.
Sony has great ideas and could make a great A-Mount system if it wants to, but I don’t think it will happen………..ever.
It’s true Sony has never made a true Pro camera in DSLR.
I repeat it, no APS-C A7000 with TriNavi in 2104!
LOL! 2104, thank the lords…
They have a Full Frame in the NEX body being designed. It looks like the A6000. Pictures of it are on the web site.
http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2013-10-31
A full frame in the compact mirror-less body makes the NEX replacement irrelevant.
IMO, it is quite weird that the design is copying from NEX 5,
Not from NEX 5R or 5T.
For me, it is more likely a design of the prototype of E-mount Full Frame project
The new A-Mount cameras aren’t officially being announced until late spring early summer. So enjoy the wait.
Prediction up to 90 years!
Prediction upto 3 weeks would be a difficult task in Sony land! LOL
Yeah! but….
” I repeat it, no APS-C A7000 with TriNavi in 2104.”
2104!!! lol
Any A-mount news will be good.
Ok Andrea, what about the non-APS-C camera with TriNavi? ^_^
🙂
Andrea, you made a similiar comment the other day already. Can we assume that the “Tri-Navi – Nex 7 – form-factor alike” will be full frame?
If they launched the A6000 at 650$ and the A7 at 1700$, they will probably be able to launch in the autumn a full frame NEX7 succesor at 1200$, body only.
1200$ was the price of the NEX-7 body only at launch, in 2011.
Maybe just a A7 without EVF.
Micro 43rd??? Wakakakaka.
The viewfinder of the A6000 is smaller than the one in the NEX-6, but the body has almost exactly the same size as the A7. Guess what? They cleared space for a FF-sensor…
A ff Nex7 milf rangefinder w/better evf?
A milf rangefinder? Sounds good to me!
LOL
+1
FF A mount tease please!
There’s still a big product gap between the A6000 and A7. *Something* must be due to fill it, surely? Or maybe Sony is waiting until 2015 to launch a prosumer 4k-capable camera?
Yes, there’s something missing. But if that will be a FF camera, I am not looking forward to it. As a FF E-mount, it will have to be worse than A7. Possible ‘downgrades’ would be:
– even slower frame-rate (yawn)
– worse resolution
– worse EVF
– other features removed
– even slower AF
There’s NO CHANCE AT ALL that we will get a FF camera for less $ than A7 which will be better than NEX7 in any of the above categories. Hence, whatever I appreciate about the NEX7 will get a significant downgrade in the next ‘upgrade’ to the NEX7. The one-and-only improvement over the NEX7 will be the chip size.
It’s also unlikely that a camera with flat top + EVF + FF sensor + Tri-Navi will be placed below A7.
All in all, I think the one-and-only TRUE upgrade to NEX7 might be a future super-expensive A9 with 54 MPixel, 8fps and Alpha-6000-fast-AF.
Just need the A6000R version without the AA filter. Then FE lenses as much as they want to make.
What for? You’ll need better E mount lenses to take advantage. Right now you have a limited number of (premium priced) primes, and that’s about it. For the rest, the nex-7 already showed that at 24 megapixels (regardless of the presence of the AA filter) the limitations are lenses. Unfortunately, Sony seems to replicate the same “model” for the FE mount. You have the 55mm F/1.8 that comes at a premium price. Then you have the 24-70 F/4 that also comes at a premium price and with mediocre performance (sharpness, dirty specular highlights in out-of focus areas). Then you have the kit lens.
IMHO, Sony should focus on good lenses at a reasonable price and speed for the E-mount (take a look at what Fuji did, both quality and price wise). As for FE, that’s a young system that will take time to be a viable option for many professionals. Sony is right to focus on native lenses, but I’m not impressed with the current offers or the roadmap. And there are limitations imposed by the body design (you won’t get fast F/2.8 zooms in the foreseeable future for this reason).
The sensor design in A6000 is gapless like the one in A7R but it has the AA filter, which is not friendly to wide angle lenses with short flange focus distances. I found only A7R in crop mode is suitable with WA Leica-M lenses but thats only 16 Mp. Was hoping to carry something smaller than the A7R nail gun and have 24Mp images without compromising on the quality.
I agree with everything said!
I much prefer the design of the NEX cameras, but damn I wish we had the lens selection like Fuji X-mount.
Wrong. Every lens will benefit from the loss of the AA filter, some just more than others.
Can you not read? He said he wanted FE lenses. I’ve only seen high praise for both the new FE primes and their resolving power.
Yet you go on about lenses the original poster makes no reference too.
then, an entry level FF camera E-mount is given
could the new on sensor AF from the A6000 be implemented in the new A79 with IBIS of course and with or without SLT ??, and when will there be some spec’s about the upcoming A79 ????
And ideally without breaking compatibility with legacy/sigma lenses…
Admin, do you have any rumors for the new FE lenses?
Been very quiet since the roadmap was launched October last year.
Admin, enough e-mount..time for A79 rumors please.
I’m pretty sure, if he would have A79 news, he would post it, don’t you think? It’s not like he decides what rumors and news come in in which order 😀
And suddenly, NEX7-users feel left alone just like A-mount users are used to be already. Focus is now on development of lenses for a different system. Deja-vu?
Isn’t it the case that people usually climb up the ‘camera-ladder’? Meaning they start with a consumer model, want more, buy a medium camera, want more, buy semi-pro etc.
The only possible upgrade path for NEX7-users now remains FF E-mount. I’m sorry, but that just doesnt work for me. I don’t want to exchange my beautiful, tiny, fast (10fps!), near-silent, low-weight, high-resolution, small-lens – camera for an ugly bulky, slow, loud camera with 1/2.4 pixel density and large lenses just to have a FF camera.
As an owner of two NEX-7’s I don’t feel the least forsaken by Sony. Maybe because I realize that my (old) cameras still are able to perform just as good as they did when they were new? Event though I bought the A7R, I still use my NEX-5N and NEX-7 now and then. They are still more than adequate cameras. But when I want that little extra in image quality, the A7R is the undisputed choice. Reading your last line makes me think you would be better off with a P&S.
“for a different system”
Have you forgotten that FE and E mount are fully compatible?
No, I didn’t. But the lenses are much more expensive and (even more importantly) quite a bit bigger. If I would be planning to upgrade to FF in the near future, it would make sense to buy them – but I don’t.
admin said that they will focusing on FF e-mount right after a6000 launch,
THEY DONT COMPLETELY ABANDON APSC E-MOUNT, CANT YOU GET IT???
If you want another perfect Nex7 replacement then saved on 2015 im sure there will be an a7000, thats why nex7 still holding up at their high price,
right now they focusing on final tweak for a8000 nex size FF, which is good to sony now they not releasing one after another genre,.
theres now way sony will discontinued entry level apsc market, as they are most sell than pro FF
Well, I thought about it again. The only chance I see for a high-end APS-C would be that Sony has some new tech in the pipeline that they would like to release with a NEX7-successor and this tech just won’t be ready for a product release within this year.
Such killer features to come up within a year could be:
– Global shutter (will make it to APS-C earlier than to FF)
– Full pixel readout during video
By waiting for these features, they could position the Alpha 7000 significantly above the Alpha 6000, which would justify a higher price tag.
However, I don’t believe in this scenario. I rather believe some crack-smoking marketing monkeys read the sale numbers of the NEX7 and then decided to remove it from their line-up.
So, my question is, what do you expect from an A7000? What would that camera have over an A6000? And what do you want? What do you need? Cause in the end, that’s what it comes down to. I know what I want. A small camera with good image quality, that operates fast and has fairly clean high ISO. I have a 5N. I like it a lot, but it has sometimes let me down because it couldn’t focus fast enough or because the higher ISO settings weren’t clean enough to have a good shot in the circumstances in which I wanted to shoot. But I still like it, it’s a very good camera! The A6000 has better focus, and the image quality should be similar between it and the 5N. I think it’s still an improvement over the Nex 7, minus the missing wheel.
Yep.
I laughed hard when noticed the topic. This is EXACTLY what I thought will happen – Sony abandoning E-mount for “a next great thing” – this time it’s FE, so APS-C E-mount will become 2nd(3rd) class citizen.
Sony is seriously f***** up company.
Read that again, if my eye serve me right theres no word “abandoning” admin wrote IN 2014, why people here read with their own mind?
its like reading this post :
(SR5) SONY WILL ABANDONING APS-C E-MOUNT DEVELOPMENT FOREVER
THERE WILL NO MORE APS-C E-MOUNT CAMERA NOR LENSES, ITS ALL ABOUT FE FROM NOW ON.
You’ll see 🙂
Just let me quote admin for you:
“that there may be a new A7000 APS-C”
First off: relax.
I’m well aware that in x years from now, anything might be released.
But it’s surprising that the NEX6 gets an update more than a year before the NEX7, which was released almost a year earlier.
With the introduction of the NEX6, the sales of the NEX7 must have dropped significantly. Apparently, Sony then decided that the cheaper NEX6 deserved more attention and now they moved the successor even closer to the NEX7 than before.
Now, the NEX7 became totally irrelevant. No one would be stupid enough to buy it, if you get a much better AF with the Alpha 6000 at a much lower price and the A7 being in reach price-wise. If Sony would want to maintain a High-End-APS-C model, they would be aware of the fact that an update should be released very soon. Therefore, the rumor that no such update is planned for this year makes me conclude that Sony gave up on this segment.
Yes, it might be a pessimistic interpretation of this rumor, but I seriously doubt that there will be a high-end APS-C model within the next two years.
yes, agreed 🙂
FE lenses ARE e-mount!
The retardation around here is astounding.
As is your ability to appreciate FE lenses are bigger, don’t offer the same focal range on APS C bodies and cost significantly more. There are more people out there who have bought into Sony’s Nex & An000 range than those who’ve bought the A7/r.
Sony has a habit of getting board and moving onto something new…. sorry, I mean innovative.
If the confusion over the fe and e mount continues I wouldn’t be surprised if Sony drops the e mount and renames it alpha.
I think you nailed it Den Gen. The current weakness of the SONY system is not the lack of choice in bodies – it’s lenses (and a competitive, reliable flash system).
The analogy isn’t all there. FE lenses function perfectly on aps-c e-mount cameras without an adapter or any loss of functionality. It’s the same system.
In crop mode.
Yes, just like Canon’s EF lenses work on APS-C bodies. That’s a sign of a maturing system.
Is Canon now only making low-end APS-C bodies?
No it is in crop mode if you use an APS-c lens (like the Zeiss Touit) on an a7/a7r. If you use an FE lens than you have the magnification factor of 1.5x. For instance that great 55mm 1.8 FE lens becomes a kick@ss near 85mm lens (82.5mm) and you get to utilize the sweet spot of all the lenses so less corner issues than with the a7.
Where are the promised A79 spec’s admin ?? enough E news, it end’s anyway this year after the A6000, so now A79 please, thanks.
Full frame nex7 with 4k video, IBIS and quiet shutter would be so great…
+1 (and with the newer/faster focus system)
What about those who have bought in to the APS-C E-mount system, or are planning to? I don’t want full frame as the lenses are too big to be pocketable, and the A6000 is looking really good, but investing in APS-C E-mount if sony won’t care about it soon? I don’t know…
Welcome to the “how A-mount people feel” club.
Not fun to be in it?
NO FRICKEN KIDDING!!!
You either are happy with already exists in e-mount or switch to the a7 (lenses are marginally bigger actually) or go for Fuji or m43. I am not buying anything APS-C from Sony from now on, it is clear that they will push FF for enthusiasts.
Well, the e-mount is still in use, the offering isn’t that bad if you take into consideration Sigma and Bower/Samyang, and they still come up with new lenses anyway, both for APS-C and FE. Plus, with all the adapters one can use, it’s really not that big of a deal. And for the APS-C vs 35mm thing… I’m even wondering if m4/3 isn’t even a better choice than APS-C for most people. The difference in image quality is minimal, the prices are pretty good and you got two companies working on making bodies of different styles, including professional grade bodies. As 35mm becomes more affordable, I think that people might actually be more tempted to choose between 35mm and m4/3, rather than between m4/3 and APS-C, and then step-up to FF if they need it and can afford it. Seriously, if I didn’t like taking low light pictures so much, m4/3 might have been a better choice than APS-C for me!
I am not saying Sony will drop e-mount. And I am using a NEX-7 right now. I simply think (and I could be wrong) that Sony will leave APS-C for the lower end market, so development will not be focused at enthusiasts, but beginners. Samyang has exactly one lens specifically developed for mirrorless, everything else are huge pieces of glass. And if I am going to use adapters, I am better off buying an a7/r as I will be using existing FF lenses at their proper.
Now, that APS-C is perfectly fine for most people, I agree. But that’s an overcrowded market today, even in mirrorless, so it makes sense that Sony would advertise an FF system. The difference in IQ might be small, but the difference in marketing is huge. And price-wise, FF is hardly that expensive comparatively speaking. Fuji and Olympus offerings, for example, are hardly cheap. And APS-C vs m43, I nowadays count them as the same thing.
Yeah, I agree. Sorry, in my comment, I meant to also reply to the comments below yours. In terms of APS-C offerings, I think that Fuji has very nice lenses and bodies. But I mean, the difference of image quality between m4/3 and APS-C is much smaller than between FF and APS-C. Makes sense to use FF if you need clean high ISO (pretty much the only reason for it in my mind), but otherwise, I think that m4/3 is often a better choice than APS-C, despite the slightly smaller sensor. I mean, 35mm has 2.33x the area of APS-C, and 3.84x the area of m4/3, while APS-C only has 1.65x the area of m4/3. Makes sense to me than APS-C would become chosen less and less compared to m4/3 and 35mm.
Start looking for a new system, or get used to updates once each 6 years. 😉 Sony moved on.
Oh – but if you’ll decide to move with Sony to A7 and further – remember: In next 4-5 years they’ll switch to yet another system / type of camera. Will it be QX time, or something else? Noone knows. But one thing is sure: Sony does not give a rat’s arse about existing customers.
And even if they came up with some new E-mount APS-C lenses, they are probably targeted to A3000 users, meaning kit zooms for the soccer moms.
What? Sony just recently released two new APS-C e-mount bodies and are expanding the FE line of lenses, which, by the way, will function on APS-C bodies.
That doesn’t sound like abandonment to me.
Will there be an a7000 ever?
In 90 years time, yes.
Yea, sure: http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/bearwalk/Minolta/A7000.jpg
Any clue on a 70 400 g emount lens?
Admin, any secrets you can tell us on upcoming FE bodies? 🙂
I hope there will be an APS-C A5000, a follow up of the NEX 5 series. A smaller camera than the A6000, same sensor, touch screen, no EVF and cheaper.
Actually you will be pleased to know Sony already launched an A5000 with touchscreen, 20 MP sensor, no EVF and cheaper. 🙂
http://store.sony.com/a5000-camera-with-16-50mm-lens-zid27-ILCE5000L//cat-27-catid-All-Alpha-a5000-Cameras;pgid=UuZgS3WOfvpSRp0dxRhOBxaC0000LzxWf37u;sid=9odd7LWZUJfx7OdlSDou6C2TmcsYndrVs_bOLYkY?vva_ColorCode=BC009&_t=pfm%3Dcategory
Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that camera 😀
Although, in my defense, it isn’t a NEX5 succesor, but a NEX3 one – it doesn’t have touchscreen nor on sensor PDAF (the NEX-5T has on sensor PDAF).
I sincerely hope that Sony will not abandon the NEX-5 series type of camera!
The NEX-5N is a brilliant camera, and I’m very happy with it.
I’m bummed about Sony dropping the NEX 5 line. I got into E-mount because of the NEX 5 design decisions. But it appears SONY has decided against having the entire concept of high quality and smallest, and is going with cheap and light. Unfortunately the cheap and light A5000 isn’t actually cheap.
I hope that Sony will not abandon the NEX-5 line! But since the A5000 is a NEX-3 and the A6000 is a NEX-6, what will be the name of the NEX-5T successor? A5500?
I would consider the A6000 if it would have a touch screen, which is brilliant for spot focusing.
But it doesn’t and it’s also larger than the NEX-5s… Sad times for those of us who like the NEX-5 series…
Same here. I can only conclude that NEX 5 is dead and it makes me sad. Sony has no idea what it’s doing or what it’s got with NEX. The NEX 5 balance of features was simply amazing. A6000 as amazing as it looks, still lacks NEX 5 features like swivel/touch screen and compact size. Dedicated mode dial is quite useless.
If this is true then APS-C E-mount days are numbered as Sony are looking to swap-out APS-C for FF sensors down the range
No expensive APS-C lens purchases for me… which leaves only even more expensive FE lenses 😐
Zeiss can’t be happy after all that money they invested developing the Touits!
A6000 now sounds like a ‘parting goodbye wave’ to tide ‘serious’ NEX customers over with their APS-C lenses before being forced into FF… but what about the APS-C lenses customers bought up to the current time?
If this is not true then Sony need to make a clear verbal commitment to future high-end APS-C bodies, and release an APS-C lens roadmap otherwise the implications are quite heavy for former-NEX customers
Hi Parallaxproblem (nice name BTW !).
I think you are reading a little too much into this rumour.
1) First off I do believe it is true. However Sony will never ever say anything right now to jeopardize existing sales.
2) My guess is that the FE mount is selling very well and so they want to cash in on the existing hype to ensure the cash registers continue to keep ringing.
3) Honestly the A6000 is a very good camera given its specs and it has a sharper EVF, better IQ (latest sensor), much faster AF and more compared to the NEX7. IMO any enthusiast is going to like the new camera.
4) No company likes to comment on their future plans unless they are going to wind down a business like how Olympus did with their DSLR business. So my guess is we will have to continue to rely on SAR to keep pace with Sony’s ever changing game plan. 🙂
Brendon, not to be contentious, but:
1) That’s precisely why we are trying to read into this rumor 🙂
2) And people will buy into the FE system, which will generate more development from Sony. Meanwhile bothe Fuji and m43 are developing their smaller sensors and are becoming extremely appealing.
3) It simply has the latest technologies. I find replacing the second free dial with a mode dial to be a much more clear sign of Sony’s commitment. Also, Sony has never had problems with making good cameras, it’s the lenses and accessories that lack focus.
4) Same point as your first one 🙂
admin said that they will focusing on FF e-mount right after a6000 launch,
THEY DONT COMPLETELY ABANDON APSC E-MOUNT, CANT YOU GET IT???
If you want another perfect Nex7 replacement then saved on 2015 im sure there will be an a7000, thats why nex7 still holding up at their high price,
right now they focusing on final tweak for a8000 nex size FF, which is good to sony now they not releasing one after another genre,.
theres now way sony will discontinued entry level apsc market, as they are most sell than pro FF
If you’re interested in more of parallax problem’s speculations, you should check out the NEX forum on DPReview – he’s their village conspiracy theorist. 😀
Yep, he’s completely and utterly mental.
Agreed, same here.
Sony will support the E and FE mounts just like CaNikon did with their mounts. The e-mount will get a couple fast zooms, a couple normal primes and a bunch of slow zooms. All other lens development will show up on the FE mount. Of course you can use FE lenses on the E mount.
In the end it looks like m43 and maybe Fuji (if they don’t go FF too) will be the only non-FF mount to have full native lens support. m43 already has a better selection of native lenses than CaNikon APS-C without the reliance on a larger lens format.
“Sony will support the E and FE mounts just like CaNikon did with their mounts” – no, it’s not the same. Both Canon and Nikon actively fight on APS-C market bringing out some new stuff and new perks (eg: Canon 100D) – Sony will play more passively now building two stable lines of products with regular, but not as often, upgrades.
If this is true then A-mount days are numbered as Sony are looking to swap-out A-mount for E-Mount down the range
No expensive A-Mount lens purchases for me… which leaves only even more expensive FE lenses 😐
Zeiss can’t be happy after all that money they invested developing the Sony ZA!
A99 now sounds like a ‘parting goodbye wave’ to tide ‘serious’ Alpha customers over with their A-Mount lenses before being forced into E… but what about the A-Mount lenses customers bought up to the current time?
If this is not true then Sony need to make a clear verbal commitment to future high-end A-Mount bodies, and release an A-Mount lens roadmap otherwise the implications are quite heavy for former-A-Mount customers
—–
…you get the idea.
I’m a long time N7 user and lover. I hate the hump and dumped the A7. However, the A6000 is an acceptable APS-C compromise for me (IF the AF claims live up to the hype), thanks to the top dial being configurable. And it changes shutter speed by default in M mode, instead of changing aperture like on the N6 or 5R, which was stupid and counter productive. Plus two new C buttons. I can live with that. I just hope the EVF isn’t too much of a downgrade. I think it can cohabit with the N7 in my bag 😉
Admin, except A-mount and FE-rumors,, im waiting for the RX rumors that you were mentioned a while ago =)
me too
This is kinda sad. I thought the SLR-style mirrorless cameras would matter, as would the smaller APS-C-cameras matter. There would be enough space for more SLR-style cameras, and a A7000 that is weather sealed, has tri-nav and maybe 28 MP and a better OVF. And we could use some better lenses, too! A 60 2.8 Macro, a 85/90… 2.0 or something like that.
Don’t get me wrong, the A7 and A7R are really great cameras and the 55 1.8 seems to be a really great lens, but does a company like sony doesn’t have enough employees to do develop more than one line of cameras?
Simple
A7000 will be Full Frame E Mount mirrorless with Tri-Nav
It is pretty awesome….if it also comes with a touch screen like GX7’s!
Yeah, simple as that!
It will be like weather-sealed full frame NEX-7 with 36 MP sensor and touchscreen and cost less than A7. Why not?
Andrea, you mentioned in an earlier post 3 APS-C E-mount bodies between now and Photokina – so if a6000 is one of them, then the other two are lower end – a3000 and NEX-5T replacement maybe? Or was that rumor wrong?
Sony to customers:
@@@@$$$
‘Thank you for investing heavily in the NEX APS-C system, particularly our very expensive Zeiss lenses. You will no longer have a flagship body. Why??? Because… Ha ha ha ha. Teee heee… we GOT YOU. Xoxo. FE4eva!’
$$$@@@$
Yeah, “FE4eva”- for the next few weeks? 🙂
I get the feeling that I am not the only one who has not bought a single FE lens for the A7R. 🙂
Yes, it is sounding a bit like that…
I admit that it’s a typical Sony move, but what’s wrong with the lenses (1018, 24Z, 1670Z) on the A6000 instead on the NEX7?
And – no release in 2014 does not necessarily mean, that there will be no high end model at all.
Low-end control scheme. It’s very gimped vs. the NEX-7. That’s a very big deal to a lot of people. It’s like the differences between a Canon Rebel control layout and a XXD layout.
The A6000 is a significant step down from a usage standpoint. Sony is saying quite clearly “our ASP-C line is not designed for serious photography”
So, if you want a premium APS-C experience – Fuji is the place to be. I disagree with them – but, what are you going to do?
+100
Who wants an α7000 when the Full Frame α7 with NEX-7 form factor will come as α6? My guess about the future Sony α E-Mount line still is:
α3000 (E-Mount for DSLR body traditionalists)
α5000 (former NEX-3 series)
α6000 (High End APS-C successing NEX-6 and also NEX-7 image quality)
α5 = http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/the-super-compact-e-mount-full-frame-camera-patent
α6 (Full Frame α7 in a NEX-7 body)
α7 series (already released)
α9 series (ultimate E-Mount with IBIS to convice A-Mount users into switching)
I’m still hoping for an α5, but having seen the α6000 a silver α6 might also please me…
A3000 is discontinued – there will be no successor. It was a total flop.
A5 and A6 might be one model.
A9 won’t happen. A7 is ultimate E-mount model.
A9 Mirrorless compact Medium Format
It’s not the time for mirrorless medium format. OVF on medium format offers enormous advantage that no pro would get rid of. Especially at that price point.
Sony’s medium format for now is Hasselblad with their new Sony-build sensor and future cooperation plans.
I agree it’s sad but come on. Did any of you guys seriously believe that Sony would come up with a reasonably priced high performance lens lineup for APS E-mount at any time in the future?
Just put your glass budget into adaptable stuff (which is better than the Sony glass anyways) and if you want AF, go for m43, Fuji or even better a CaNikon. As a matter of fact, Sony mirrorless has no single advantage over its competitors except for the possibility to step up to FF. Doesn’t surprise me at all that Sony concentrates on just that.
Sorry wasnt meant as an answer to you. But btw, the landscape people seem pretty excited about the improved LV of the new backs so I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those people would actually prefer an EVF.
Hmmm… guess being the operative word. This sort of speculation helps no-one.
IBIS is not coming for full-frame e-mount. It’s been explained ad nauseum.
The main problem is that I hardly think that Sony will be able to deliver the same thing they did with the NEX-7 for similar price if that’s a FF camera, if they follow the NEX-7 formula, it would end up being a high-end FF.
Second and quite big problem: Lenses. Again lenses. There is no timetable for this new FF E-mount and it will take time until there are enough FE lenses and more than that, there are no roadmap for APS-C E-mount lenses. So even if this camera was released tomorrow and with a NEX-7 price, it would still take time to be able to take advantage of the system and I’ve to say that my patience with Sony is gone after these last years.
Good for those that still want to follow their system but for everything I’ve seen these last years, how they changed their mind about A-mount, abaondoned it, shifted to APs-C E-mount and now changed their mind again. It’s too unreliable for a system, it lacks commitment and direction. Right now the direction is E-mount FF, who knows if they are not going to change their ming next year? Nobody, much less Sony.
+100
What the E-mount system is missing is an APSC all around lens like Fuji or Samsung is producing! An average speed standard zoom would be great. Today you can only choose between a very light and convenient but rather slow and soft sony 16-50 or a very expensive zeiss 16-70. I need something in the middle, like the Fujinon XF 18 – 55 mm f/2.8 – 4.0 R LM OIS or even cheaper (f4 at any range?)
Especially a mid-range zoom with 1) the ability to focus and zoom manually at the same time and 2) a smooth zoom ring for video. The 16-50 is P&S-ish, the 16-70 is too sticky. So I ordered the old 18-55 for my A6000.
how about the SELP18105?
That comes at least close to your wishes.
Way too big, and it is has flaws for video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhupRnX-HDU
Don’t know how important that would be, but its too big, anyway…
Agreed. The 16-50 is poor quality and difficult to use. I had high hopes for the 16-70 after buying a NEX6 last year, but the poor QC and corner performance mean that I will never buy one.
Olympus now has a 12-40mm 2.8 that is better in every way except OSS, for the same price as the 16-70. Sony NEEDS to compete with this.
Fuji 18-55 and Sony 16-70 are not in the same league, both in IQ and price. Which one is better you go figure.
Great stuff from Sony you can use the FE glass on your APS-C e-mount and we get FE full frame sensors in a small package….
The continuos moaning on this forum is hilarious….Either put your money where your mouth is and change brands…Or embrace the amazing technology Sony is producing and shut up….It’s like pearls being thrown to the pigs around here sometimes…
Your incredibly arrogant attitude tells me that you have never invested in a camera SYSTEM or you are incredibly stupid. This is why Sony is out PC (and soon TV) business.
+1 here.
+1. My thoughts exactly.
+1. Also take a look at the tablet and cell phone dept of sony, and compare them with Samsung. Sony never listens to the customers, in the end she will get what she deserves.
Because there are that many FE lenses and everyone is rich to pay $1K for each lens when Fuji has quality glass options for much less.
Don’t be a fanboy, ok, that’s a real issue so just STFU.
No it is more the fact that a lot of the nonsense being thrown around is simply either irrational or or just plan ridiculous….What you want a gold toilet seat!!
When I saw the new ASPC Zeiss lense, the 12 and 32mm ones, I was convinced that Sony would continue investing in the ASPC Nex line. And I still think itwill. The reason I think there is no upgrade over the A6000 this year is that they’re working on a totally new sensor. The 24mp sensor in the A6000 is probably as good as it gets for Bayer sensors. So the next big step up will come in 2015 with a A7000 with the new sensor.
Would make little sense for an APS-C A7000 to exist because the intended customer would be too small (?).
Moreover, adding another dial and putting in a better EVF does not make enough difference, does it ?
So, E-mount stands for E-ntry level mirrorless and A-mount for A-dvanced or something like that.
The A6000 seems a very tempting offer anyway and since the NEX-7 can be bought cheap nowadays I personally see little reason to object (if true).
But nobody stopped Sony from adding (or keeping?!) those features to A6000. Specially dials don’t add much to the production costs, now do they?
And just ask yourself, would you buy the first generation iPad today for the price of the iPad Air?
So basically, forget about any new APS-C E-mount lenses anytime soon?
There isn’t much missing in the current lineup except tele primes like a 85mm. To me these make more sense to be FF lenses.
I could buy a new NEX-7 body for $650 also. So for the same body price NEX-7 or A6000?
I’d rather see a have-it-all APS-C in that gap than a stripped-down FF.
But I’m pretty sure the NEX 7 did sell way below expectations because only a few buyers understood the concept (and invested in it). More of an image product for Sony which they now decided they need no further.
It was overpriced and in 2011 there was no lenses for the NEX-7. Later when the NEX-6 was released, it was better value for the money. Even though the NEX-7 could be had for the same price.
Andrea, Will the next FE camera be launched before Photokina and will shutter issue with the A7r not be repeated in future FE cameras along with the raw compression issues?
http://diglloyd.com/blog/2014/20140212_2-SonyA7-RawDigger-posterization.html
I’m gonna simplify things for everyone. Sony can’t make an Nex 7 replacement without cannibalizing A7 A7R sales. Also, Sony lacks the resources to produce both high quality E mount APS-C and FE lenses. They had to make a choice and now all R&D will go towards full frame development.
The only problem is that A7 and A7R were duds in the marketplace, suffer poor quality control (light leaks, shutter), and need a $1000 discount to be competitive in a slumping world economy.
Sony has done this before, in the past, they produced high end products that ended up in the dumpster even though they were light years ahead of the competition… remember:
1) Walkman<replaced by iPod
2) Trinitron <replaced by flat panel LCD/Samsung
3) Betamax <replaced by VHS
In all above examples, Sony had better technology than the competition, but failed to understand their customers. Here again, in 2014, Sony has better cameras than the competition, but is so risk averse from previous mistakes, they have failed to capitalize on their NEX fan base, and have now left them out to pasture.
I applaud Sony for pushing technology further than almost any company out there, but at some point I get the feeling that nothing will ever make Sony understand its customer base.
Well like Apple, I rather cannibalize my own sales with a new product (iPhone vs. iPod, iPad Mini vs. iPad) than see the customers move to a competitor.
If they don’t have the resources to develop both lenses then they should a) have waited with E-mount full frame or b) make a $1000 full frame body with at least 36 MP sensor that would be around 16 MP in crop mode, so in other words, stick with APS-C with E-mount for few years, before they could make a smooth transition to full frame, similar to Apple’s move to Retina displays.
With Walkman, Sony didn’t have anything better than other MP3 players or iPods. I owned one of the first Sony MP3 players and it was horrible experience. For example a small plastic adapter was needed to charge the device and every track needed to be converted to Sony’s ATTRAC format with proprietary Sony software.
I have mixed feelings about this.
First of all, I don’t view the a7/a7R as “duds in the marketplace”. The a7R body is ranked #14, the a7 body is ranked #29, and the a7 + kit lens is ranked #53 on Amazon in compact system cameras. That indicates to me they’re reasonably popular given they’re pricy.
I agree that the a7/a7R, while nice in many respects, have issues. Their lackluster AF would be less puzzling if Sony didn’t just announce a far cheaper a6000 that, at first blush, has far superior (maybe even industry leading) AF in the mirrorless segment. Sure, if Sony were to come out with an a7000 building upon the a6000’s design that was weather sealed, magnesium body, and had an upgraded sensor, etc. narrowing the gap with the FF mirrorless bodies it would steer some away. However, if the a7000 doesn’t come out well into 2015 it gives Sony time to address the a7/a7R shortcomings with a quick refresh from the parts bin. Lacking an a7000, IMHO, is a big hole in their line-up and not building one because the a7/a7R are weak isn’t a convincing argument.
It’s a competitive market so I get Sony putting so much effort in mirrorless FE bodies and lenses since it’s a segment they face no competition in. True to what I was taught in Marketing 101, they’re at the start of the product cycle growth curve here so it should prove a good growth area for them. This all comes at a time when there’s indications the compact mirrorless segment is rapidly maturing and struggling worse than the DSLR market they’ve pretty much ceded to Canikon through neglect and marketing incompetence.
I’ll keep banging the drum Sony needs to compete in all segments in cameras. They actually face less competition in DSLRs where they pretty much just face Canikon. There’s little doubt in my mind their engineers can put out competitive and even better DSLRs.
The problem I see with Sony is it’s losing money hand over fist so has to be short on resources at a time when they’re trying to cover so many bases. Obviously, this has cheesed off a-mount fans like myself because it’s the first to get shoved onto the back burner. There’s little chance of a full range of bodies coming out any time soon and new a-mount lenses to put together a competitive system is pretty much out of the question. Now we’re seeing product consolidation in APS-C mirrorless bodies and the lenses for that system taking a back burner too even though that lens system is weaker, IMHO, than the a-mount one.
Sony is walking down the same path with FFs they did with a-mounts and now e-mounts. They’ll put out interesting tech in bodies supported by a long-term incomplete lens systems with gaping holes.
True, true.
I remember reading about the Sony design philosophy and their obsession of being first to market with key technologies. The downside of this is of course that the first generation products are often not as refined as they could be and secondly while this might work with standalone products, it definitely doesn’t work with system cameras where people buy into, well camera systems.
Pardon for saying – but you have absolutely no idea what the sales vs. forecast looks for the A7 and A7r – clearly don’t understand what “quality control” means (there is no shutter reliability issue… what are you even trying to say there?), and the concept that a $1,000 discount is needed is at best, hyperbole (The A7 has to cost $698? Really?)
These things might make people suspect that you’re simply a blowhard that doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Think that through next time.
You’re mistaken, the A7 costs less than a D610. How can you say it should cost $1000 less?
All my opinion only and not based on any fact, but it appears that the a5000 sits between the old NEX 3 and 5 models, and the a6000 sits between the NEX 6 and 7.
There is a gap, but I think it is for a cheap FE. An A5 if you were. No point sony going all FE if there weren’t more camera coming.
Just my 2 cents.
I think you couldn’t be more right.
Funny. This rumor substantiates pretty much what I’ve been speculating here for a while. I understand the upset of folks looking forward to a real NEX-7 replacement (please, no replies about some FF replacing it – it’s not the same!) but I’m going to stick to my prediction it’ll come out in 2015. Face it, Sony isn’t going to release everything in 2014. 😉
It’s like their a-mount line-up. At first blush Sony’s abandoning everyone except the semi-pros, pros, and wealthy with the 2014 rumored releases but I expect Sony to build on that in 2015.
The bottom line? 2015 isn’t going to be a body-less announcement one for Sony. I feel for those who feel Sony has disappointed and even abandoned them this year because I’m one of you. 🙁
This is what I predicted and what I was afraid of.
Suddenly Sony is all about full frame, that is, before the next “innovation” comes along in six months when they will do something stupid like switch to a brand new “superior” lens-mount just piss everybody off, again.
Why would anybody choose a Sony E-mount body if they don’t own any lenses already? Why would anybody invest in any expensive APS-C lenses from now on?
I once promised myself to not buy anything from Sony again for this exact reason (it’s the same issue with their home audio components, TVs, etc.), I don’t why I thought they had changed this time.
My advice for anyone considering the A6000: Go with Canon, Nikon or Fuji instead. At least you know that your lenses won’t be obsolete in few months, that there will be an upgrade path available in future, that there will be accessories available for your camera later on and that there is and will be new lenses for your camera.
Yeah, I predicted the same but hoped it wouldn’t really turn into this, but history really tells us otherwise and it was true.
C’mon it’s evident that sony will push FE lenses and you will use them also on aps-c camers, just like Canikon do with full frame pro-lenses on aps-c bodies.
Still I’m puzzled with Zeiss touits, so I think that aps-c emount is not only for cheap cameras in the future.
As I wrote earlier, the Zeiss Touit lenses make me think that Sony will continue investing in the ASPC Nex line. But the next big step up will come in 2015 with a A7000 with the new sensor, possibly an organic one like the foveon sensor. From that perspective it would make no sense for them to come out with a bayer sensor that is just a little better than the one in the A6000.
Why would the Zeiss Touit lenses make you think that Sony will continue investing in the ASPC Nex line?
Because I suspect Zeiss will have asked for some kind of reassurance from Sony, when they developed these lenses. It is in Sony’s interest to save Zeiss from making bad investments in Sony systems. Given that the 12 & 32mm Touits are so expensive, you would expect them to want to sell them over a longer period, and not at the point where everyone who is willing to invest serious money in a system is forced to move to FF.
Zeiss made these lenses for existing customers of two systems, most notably: X-mount. They added E-mount only because it didn’t cost them almost anything, while there’s enough existing customers to justify it.
Zeiss would have done the same even if A6000 would be the last E-mount camera ever.
Which it isn’t. Sony will keep on making E-mount cameras, just with by far fewer updates and less models (if my source is right: You’ll see just 2 lines of APS-C E-mount: one with EVF and one without). Basically: E-mount was moved to the status that A-mount has. Now Sony focuses on FE-mount (camera-wise, I know it’s the same bayonet).
The Touits are that expensive precisely because they don’t expect huge sales, I believe. Also, as Lensisall pointed out, these are developed for two systems. For me, the Zeiss mean nothing. I obviously do not think that Sony will drop APS-C development, but it will be limited to low end gear.
+1 asaifa
@vlad :
quote : “There will be no A7000 APS-C(!) E-mount camera in 2014. I repeat it, no APS-C A7000 with TriNavi in 2104”
No aps-c emount in 2014 Doesnt mean they STOP developing aps-c e-mount, there will be a7000 in 2015
“I have been also told the focus now is on FE camera and lens releases”
the focus “NOW” is on FE, since when NOW=forever?????
I asked a question. Reading comprehension problems? Or you just made a whole dialogue in your head?
*Focus* here means where the enthusiastic/high-end offerings will be.
I’m not going to invest thousands in high quality APS-C glass if my only upgrades paths in the future are going to be A3000-like novice bodies or +$1700 full frame bodies to be used in crop mode, nor am I interested in buying expensive (and currently non-existing) FF glass to be used with some mid-range comes-with-a-mode-dial crop body.
But Canikon have lots of lenses and with different price points, FE are ALL expensive, so is it a middle finger for those that can’t afford them?
Oh where is my alpha news!!!
This is Alpha news.
As a NEX-7 users, I’m anxious to see a full review of the A6000. The faster AF would be very welcome – also interested in the High ISO performance of the new sensor. I love the NEX-7 sensor in daylight ( amazing resolution ) but the noise in low light is a pain. I want to hear more about the new EVF. On paper it is very appealing to me at $650.
Hi, sorry to be so ignorant, but is “FE” the same as saying Full Frame E-mount?
Thanks!
Yes!
Thanks Vlad!
Yikes – this is really worrying. I thought long and hard before buying into the NEX range. I now have a decent selection of lenses all for APS-C and had been saving towards an eventual NEX 7 replacement. I was happily building a camera system that I planned to stick with for some time adding to or upgrading when I could afford it.
Now I have no confidence that this is a system that will leave me space to upgrade without making the switch to FE (which I suspect will remain beyond my budget).
So I am left trying to decide whether to stick with it and hope Sony change their minds or sell out quick before APS-C e-mount lenses start to depreciate on the secondhand market. I want to say with Sony, I like their cameras – but at the moment I am leaning towards selling out.
If only I had known a bit more about Sony’s reputation a few years back and Fuji or m43 would have had another happy customer!
Hi Colin.
Why are you so disappointed? Is one less configurable dial on the A6000 so damning? If you already have a sizeable collection of APS-C glass can you not get used to one less dial? When the A7/A7r were released, I saw many comment that Sony were going to kill off APS-C. They have released more APS-C cameras and lenses since then.
I don’t think Sony are going to dump APS-C. It dominates the lower end of the enthusiast market, and I don’t see Sony (or Fuji for that matter) dumping it any time soon.
“Is one less configurable dial on the A6000 so damning?”
Yep.
That tells me all I need to know about your mentality. My point was, if he has a sizeable investment in APS-C glass, getting used to one less dial may be a compromise for him, but at least he can still make use of his investment.
Keyboard warriors lol.
My mentality? Oh, man. My mentality is the same as with most photographers out there. And it is reflected in how entry-level cameras have a single dial and high-end ones have two.
Your point about a person being able to compromise is valid, but in your previous comment you were wondering why Colin is being disappointed. Well, he is disappointed that he has to compromise. And, as to his investment, what’s the big deal? He can do whatever he wants with his money.
So, in the end, you are not making a point, you are just complaining about him complaining about Sony not releasing a proper successor to the NEX-7.
No reply button for your comment Vlad, what a shame.
Please tell me how your know your attitude is ‘the same as most photographers out there’? I genuinely want to know.
Yes, it is his money. I’m not telling him how to spend it. I was simply pointing out that he can still use his existing lens investment with a small compromise. He can of course sell up and invest elsewhere if he wants, that is his choice.
I clearly wasn’t complaining about him complaining, but suggesting he may still get use from his existing investment. Your ability to misunderstand comments and go off on your own tangent will become legendary at this rate.
I guess what I want is to feel that the system I have bought into is going to continue to be supported (ie have new lenses developed and released and to have cameras updated so that as and when I desire I can upgrade). I fear the concern over the future of APS-C e-mount will also discourage 3rd party lens developers from working with the system (a shame as the sigma lens’s are excellent). It’s most frustrating because I do quite like the spec (and price) of the A6000 – and whilst I would have liked the tri-nav system I can live with one less dial (it’s still 1 more than I have on my 5n!)…. I would most like in camera IS so I didn’t effectively need to buy a new IS system with every lens. Hmm some thinking to do.
Legendary is good. Yes, I know you weren’t complaining, I was just returning the favor as your reply to me wasn’t very nice. As to your question “how you know your attitude is ‘the same as most photographers out there’?” I was speaking about the missing dial and I even pointed out that there is a clear separation between entry-level models featuring one dial and higher models with two. I believe this is self-explanatory.
Whatever the case though, while I would personally have no problem switching brands over a few dials (heck, that is how I chose Sony in the first place, over other brands), as I don’t really agree with that idea of “lens investment”, I think Colin’s point isn’t about a dial, but the lack of a real NEX-7 replacement. Obviously, one can read this the way one wants to, but as users we actually have to read it in some way.
I totally understand where you are coming from Colin. Modern camera systems are expensive and no-one wants to see their investment abandoned.
No-one can predict the future for any manufacturer, despite what some of the keyboard warriors here say.
Good luck, and I hope you come to a decision that satisfies you.
“Yikes – this is really worrying.” – This was totally expected. Even people here, on SAR, told numerous times that Sony will move forward, away from APS-C E-mount. Heck: even I told it myself long ago, just to be laughed at.
That’s what kind of company Sony is: without basic understanding that people want a large, stable system.
That’s why mirrorless sales are dropping, and both: Canon and Nikon are undisputed market leaders in photography.
So rather than saying something constructive, you speculate and pat yourself on the back?
Canon and Nikon are the undisputed leaders because they are the professionals choice historically, and have lens systems built over decades.
lol
haha
Welcome to the world of a-mount fans on Sony’s back burner. 😉
Sony’s own video on the A6000 says it’s the replacement for the NEX6 not the NEX7…
And that does mean… nothing. They don’t have to reülace the NEX 7 by anything. As they seem to discontinue the NEX 5, likely their most popular E-mount camera, without a direct successor.
This news is disappointing. But, it simplifies the choice for me. My next camera will be a Fujifilm X-T1. Too bad that Sony withdraws from the competition.
point and shoot experience for apsc E mount cameras, only one dial beside the PASM dial =(
Concentrating on FE lenses? I though 2014 was the year of the A-mount???
“Concentrating on FE lenses?” as in: “Concentrating on FE lenses instead of APS-C E-mount lenses”.
History shows that Sony can not concentrate on more than one product line, so yes, concentrating on FE cameras and lenses means a detrimental effect on A-mount.
Watch for an A9000 with full frame sensor and the world’s fastest AF for use with the new FE lenses. If it also has 4K and UHS-II support (312MB/s) it will be a killer camera.
So someone claims they will create a 7000 in the future, and you claim that your sources say they will not release one in 2014. You do realize that you could both be right don’t you. Future doesn’t mean this year, it might be 2015 or later. Frankly from a pricing standpoint I would be surprised if they didn’t push out a 7000 in the future with a few more bells and whistles and a price tag 300 to 400 dollars higher.
+1
there will be no more future after 2014, by the end of 2014 this worlds end.
Why a delay in an A7000?
Sony has made a considerable investment in launching the A3000 and A5000 and A6000 and the A7 and the A7r. A breather in body introduction is understandable as they fill in the FE lens gaps. The demand for the A5000 and A6000 is probably unknowable right now; heavy demand for the A3000 and A7/r is probably known – and most important, the A7/r got a HUGE amount of positive Sony media exposure and approval.
The high price of a totally new and unknown body (A7), and crappy demand for the NEX-7, probably spooked both online and brick-mortar sellers from putting in too much A7 inventory. Sony made an unprecedented effort to place A7s for blogger testing, and it paid off huge. And of course, they faced the perennial complaint not enough lenses. So they’re filling it in.
One needs to remember that Sony is not a pro camera company. The AX000 series is a purely amateur line. The AX series is what Sony intends (I believe) to be their “advanced amateur” frame. That was the frame of the NEX-7
Sony is likely watching to see If the A5000 and A6000 fly off the shelves. If they don’t, that could be the end of the NEX configuration. Idiocy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I expect that the next APS-C model could well be a $1200 APS-C version of the A7…in fact, if they play the A3000 strategy, it could be a $999 price including a 16-50 or 18-55 lens.
Sony cannot afford to walk away from APS-C bodies. But they’ve acknowledged that to get a shot at the Canon–Nikon buyer, they need cameras that look like Canons and Nikons.
Frankly, I’m excited! I’m about to make my NEX-6 a “second E-mount body” to an A7 kit. And if the A6000 lives up to its billing, my daughter will get my NEX-6 and I’ll make the A6000 my backup. I’m not walking away from APS-C just because I’m buying a full-frame – and I am sure Sony isn’t either.
“Why a delay in an A7000?” – there is no delay.
“Sony is likely watching to see If the A5000 and A6000 fly off the shelves. If they don’t, that could be the end of the NEX configuration” – it’s not that simple. Never was. Sony won’t abandon NEX form-factor. They want to keep their foot in a door. Pretty much like Canon. There won’t be any huge push for APS-C E-mount, but they will keep on working on it in their own speed.
“But they’ve acknowledged that to get a shot at the Canon–Nikon buyer, they need cameras that look like Canons and Nikons.” – Yes, they released A3000 and it was a complete flop. Didn’t come anywhere close to expected sales, and their expectations weren’t particularly high. That’s why they try some new stuff, like A7.
I’d be very interested to see where you are getting your A3000 projected and actual sales figures from? You have said this several times without crediting your sources.
Amazon rankings. 😀
Amazon rankings tell you only one thing: what cameras Amazon are selling.
They don’t tell you what other retailers are selling, and they don’t tell you how many units the manufacturer expected to sell.
So my question still stands.
Oh, that sounds like I didn’t get the joke AlphaGuy… I did 🙂
The NEX team might be compared to the Mac team within Apple in the early 1980s – a skunkworks group. The NEX group was not in the center ring of the Sony circus – the A7 team was. That’s why I believe the A5000 and A6000 represent a “last shot” at making the rangefinder configuration succeed.
Sony should finally release their roadmap for APS C ! We need better lenses for a attractive price point -E-mount but if they don’t care anymore and go directly to FE with even higher price point, they will lose many customers! Myself included. Many of us don’t invest in lenses anymore because there isn’t good out there. Only with high price or low quality. Sony should think about it !
“2014 the year of the A-mount”
“Main focus on FE from now on”
Nice 180
This post doesn’t have anything to deal with A-mount. You won’t see any flood of FE cameras this year either. Admin should have said “Main focus on FE from now on instead of APS-C E-mount” to be more clear.
Just read your comment, scrolled down and the Captcha code was “FUK” !!!
No shit!!!
I was disappointed at first, but after a few thought it was not that bad after all. I always complain on how little lenses Sony has for E-mount, either for APSC or Full Frame. They always come out with too many new cameras and not too many lenses, now it is not too bad seeing them focusing on FE system, which Sony has announced the FE lenses roadmap not too long ago, hope to see more great lenses coming! Having say all of that, I actually really want to see the GREAT A7000 too…
If we look at the …
RX10: Zeiss lens 24-200 included : 1100 euro
A6000: add the Zeiss 24-105: 1649 euro
Same EVF !
Probably better video with RX10
IQ in dim light ?
Maybe the RX10 is simply too good and only FF is truly worth while ?
This is why I went from Sony to Fuji.
Sony makes truly amazing tech. But I just don’t trust them to complete a camera system and especially follow through with lenses etc. I loved my NEX, but gave up on it when I realized Sony was probably not going to the lenses (or even bodies)I hoped for.
Hopefully they actually do follow through with FE lenses so the A7/A7r series can become more than a tech breakthrough, and also become a thriving system. Personally I’m more interested in APS-C than FF, but I know many have been waiting for FF to become smaller and less costly.
But not matter what I still have respect for Sony’s innovation. They help push the industry forward for all of us.
Fuji is under huge pressure to produce a full frame. They suffer because their current offering have a clear upper limit of quality that is less than offered by Nikon, Canon, or Sony.
They appear to be focused solely on aps-c because they are behind the curve and need more time to develop their full frame.
The complaints you hear about Sony will happen to Fuji in a year or two once they produce a full frame. Sony is just farther along.
I don’t understand why FF E-mount camera should be named in thousands? Do You have any clue?
typically sony, clueless 🙂
They’re not.
All models with big numbers are doomed to vanish in infinity.
Only 7 days till the one year anniversary of nothing A-mount released by Sony. More important a little more than two weeks till Sony’s fiscal year end. As we countdown the days, more PR and press will be given on the Sony financial problems. We have seen a lot this month, and when the bean counting is done, it’s not. Going to be good.
Admin, I have for over a year given you valuable insight on releases or critical errors on rumors. I even told you that the releases repeatedly being reported of the A77 replacement was erroneous. It was almost this time last year when I said there would be no A77replacement released in 2013. I even asked you to retrieve my posts, over and over through the year. You do not have to be a magician to release that an electronics company cannot turn out a product without tooling a facility (factory) to do it. It’s not Cold War games, many of these facilities are next to each other, and I’m not talking a brand. Sony and other vendors not only share close relationships in space, they often share the same human resources. While one vendor maybe in production, another maybe in closure, and the work forces compensate for this. It’d not unusual for families to relocate twice a year to move to an operating facility a hundred miles away.
I’ve said it many times A-mount is dead, dead, dead. However, it’s not like it dies overnight. Stuff in the pipeline may/will make it to market. Nuff said.
Sorry to hear about the e-mount rumor. We need competition amoung the brands. This rumor in and of itself will really hurt, irrespective of its thruthfulness.
Dan
So.karnak (only a few will get it)
What do you see or don’t see being released in the A mount world this year and next.
You were correct about last year.
What do you see in your crystal ball.
LOL,,,
“I’ve said it many times A-mount is dead, dead, dead. However, it’s not like it dies overnight. Stuff in the pipeline may/will make it to market. Nuff said.”
I’ve said directly to you Dan that the entire a-mount line underwent a major overhaul (from traditional dSLR w/ OVF to dSLT w/ EVF) from the end of 2011 to the end of 2012. Mid-level to high-end bodies go from 2.5 to 4 years between updates. Thus far, the a-mount is on the industry average schedule. Nothing is languishing (like Canon’s 7D at over 4 years old).
The a77 is coming due (at 2 1/4 years old) for its update and the admin has stated this will be the first to be updated (just as it was last time around at the end of 2011 – a700 to a77). Why do you need a new camera model to be released every year? There is the Canon digital rebel series for you if you really need spec bump annually.
Your response?
I don’t need a crystal ball to see that the facility laid vacant. I know that the model(s) went through an overhaul, but I just “reported” that the facility was not tooled to make anything remotely close to a camera, especially not an A77 replacement. Everything had already moved into the shipping pipeline. Oh, and just to be clear, I quaoted reported for a reason, right admin?
Dan
Chrisptopher, you and I see product cycles very differently. You see it as incapusalting the arrival of your consumer good on a retail shelf. I see it as time people and families will be out of very much needed work. Either way I’m sure is fine, but I’d rather see work start up again. Competition is good in either perspective anyway.
Dan
I am not following, are you a re-seller that is unsatisfied with Sony releases or an a-mount pro photographer (I am not being cynical)?
If you are the latter, as I am, I use the gear available to me now to do my job and not hold off on contracts and work because I am waiting on a new camera to arrive. Cameras today are so good, compared to only 5 to 10 years ago, that camera bodies are not the limiting factor to achieving photographic goals.
Dan, do you work for the manufacturing company / facility?
Thanks for asking. Strategic resourcing for large scale manufacturing, mostly in emerging markets. Our firm consults with manufacturing side cooperate planning. We focus on bringing human resources to our partners. In these circumstances, under this discussion we have no loyalty with one branded company over another. Actually, in the real would, neither do the branding companies. We work with several of the brands you think are cutthroat. Oddly, neither do they, for example Sony shares and sells B to B sensors and the same with Panasonic LCD to Sony facilities. Our firm does the same, but with human resources. Obviously, our services are in emerging countries and requires extensive travel.
Lastly, I check in only periodically, because on super rare occasions I’m given a chance to check out some kit, and clients are keen on NDA and we respect clients interests, but we are also not wed to any branded product line. There are some exceptions, but not in these industries 😉
Finally, sony produces fine products, and we really want Sony to start manufacturing new lines. But critical, we need to know if Sony is going to continue contraction into the new fiscal.
Dan
In that first paragraph where it says “going to be good” I meant in terms only as to knowing where Sony stands business wise. Some people really depend on this information, for their operations, and not at all about camera competition. I hope Sony turns it around at the closing bell.
Dan
Hi Andrea
“I have been also told the focus now is on FE camera and lens releases.”
Does this mean “2014 the year of the A-mount” ends before it begins? Or does this only
affect APS-C E-mount?
Kind regards
Lothar
What did I say? Sadly my assunption was right.
It was not without reason that I questioned back then when the A7/R was announced what would happen to APS-C E-mount. Would Sony really keep going with their high-end APS-C? Well, now we have the answer and that’s goodbye Sony for me because they didn’t even have the decency of releasing a roadmap for APS-C lenses.
Andrea, can you share some happy news about the A77 successor 🙂
A full frame NEX7 replacement with tri-navi would be great. If it’s the same form factor as the current NE7 (and close in size), even better. Put a 36mp sensor and use it in crop mode when necessary. I like the smaller APS-C lenses, but full frame would be nice as well. Choice is good. In the meantime, the A6000 looks like a really nice camera.
It is fairly obvious what is happening here with the 24MP sensor. The A6000 is the the new top of the line successor to NEX. There will not be enough feature improvement to produce an APS sensor A7000. Really? Another 24MP camera with small feature enhancements? No, the A7000 with be full frame. Sony sees no reason to build a high end lens system for APS when all the development will be for full frame and APS lens development is seen to be fine for what is seen as a transition camera. I really regret being fooled by Sony again.
If you want APS-C lens size and ultimate performance you go Fuji. Everyone knows that- you don’t go NEX, alpha e-mount, whatever they are calling it now. YOU DON’T DO THAT. Fuji has THE BEST aps-c specific designed glass and a much larger spread of lenses. A much better roadmap as well.
You want full frame for sports or wildlife. You can be an idiot like myself and go a-mount or cave in and go Canikon. Still no damn 400mm…STILL NO 400MM…HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE. I DON’T WANT THE 2500 20 YEAR OLD OVERPRICED MINOLTA!
You want small form factor you go Olympus. They are hardcore dedicated to that system as well as Panasonic. They just announced a 300 f4. A 300 F4!!! And why? Because they listened to their consumers who’ve been screaming for it this year. Does Sony’s “professional” a- mount have a reasonably priced 300mm f4? Nope…didn’t think so.
Sony can make the best cameras IMO, but they SUCK at product support. I fear the e-mount whether it’s FF or aps-c will end up like the a-mount. All types of gaps in the lens line up, problems with flash support and all the other pitfalls Sony is so accustomed too.
Is the a-mount dead? I think it is at this point. I just can’t see how it will survive the absolute beating from Canikon and trashed sales. It was barely churning along before mirror less. Am I really worried? NO. I think it will live on but possibly not as a Sony brand anymore. There is just to many consumers still looking to upgrade their DSLR cameras and a WORLD of Minolta and sony branded lenses out their. Someone will always be pumping bodies out for this system. I just don’t think it will be Sony for much longer.
It’s kinda funny to see how many times a day the sky is falling and the apocalypse is coming around here. It’s almost as entertaining as the rumors and news.
+1
But not as funny as seeing Sony going out of PC and TV business?
My issue isn’t even the lack of camera bodies- for a high end professional line Sony is in line with release dates. My issue for the alpha mount is the lack of lens updates, pricing and new lenses.
If the new cameras are suppose to be advertised as sports and fast action ready, then where are the lenses? If they don’t release a 400mm f4 and 300mm f4 at a reasonable price then what’s the point. The 500mm is stupid expensive and too big. People like the 400 and 300- very very versatile. 400mm is the perfect length and gives you the option of excellent reach with a 1.4 teleconverter without sacrificing IQ. And it still remains rather small.
How about a 135mm and 85mm refresh please? No shady price increase either because they are behind in terms of features- should have been addressed years ago. Maybe a Zeiss 35mm would be nice as well. How about bringing back from the dead Minolta’s best lens- the 200mm 2.8. THIS IS LOW HANGING FRUIT! Easy easy easy to fix and fill the gaps. How about fixing that a99 crappy flash. These are easy fixes Sony! You can silence the critics with just a little bit of effort.
How about focusing on AF responsiveness, updating the A7 via new firmware. After all it has 117 PDAF points, and relatively slughish AF in dimmer light conditions with the 35mm2.8. not even talkin about the 55mm…
Ok. For those of you complaining about Sony possibly “abandoning” APS-C cameras…
What if Sony managed to create a FF sensor capable of being as fast as any APS-C while keeping the camera as small as any APS-C camera out there with a relatively low price tag? Will you stop complaining?
As far as I know, FF E-mount cameras can still take (APS-C) E-mount lenses and can be set work in crop mode.
They can reduce the cost of production by consolidating their camera lines and making one sensor for all (Full frame sized) while letting third party companies build lenses formulated for FF and ASP-C (A & E mounts). The user who don’t want to carry around a big lens, gets the ASP-C version of the lens and sets his/her camera to crop mode. The user who wants the highest quality possible and doesn’t care about lugging around plenty of weight gets the FF lens and sets his/her camera to its default FF mode. Sony (and other manufacturers) have already shown it is possible to cram big features into a small package.
This news may actually mean good things for the system and company.
If they will do a NEX-7 like 36 MP FF body with good EVF for around $1000, then sure I’ll stop complaining 🙂
Will this improved auto focus and Bionz X processor be in a new release of RX1?
I’m wondering the same thing too. Admin, I’d love to hear more about upcoming RX cameras, particularly whether the RX1 will get a MKII refresh with the A7 PDAF sensor.
Sony just released the NEX 5T, A3000, A5000 and now the A6000 all in APS-C E-mount. Saying Sony is dropping APS-C in E-mount is a very strange reaction to that. Sony and third party makers have lots of APS-C lenses for E-mount, most of the current gaps are in the longer focal lengths where most lenses are FF only anyway so the 10 additional FE lenses over the next two years may cover that gap. Most of the FE lenses have been expensive but that does not mean all of them will be. The A7 is close in price to what the old NEX 7 was at release so it sort of fills the gap in camera range but Sony could certainly bring out an A7000 in 2015 if demand for APS-C E-mount is sufficient.
A mount is a little less exciting, the A99 and A58 being recent releases, plus several mark II lenses, For the most part Sony has covered the low end and high end lenses leaving mostly a gap in the mid-range, I do not see a real drive to release a 300 f/4 prime and similar lenses anytime soon.
Rumors are strong for a A77 replacement soon, as in the next month or so, it may end up like the A6000 being more of a cross between the A65 A77 with the new sensor and focus system. Admin says his sources are uncertain at what will be released as demo units have used different technologies. Recent sales on the A65 and A77 certainly point to a near term release.
Careful Bill, that might be a little too much reason, logic and facts for some around here.
+1
None of those cameras you mention are high-end cameras. A6000 is closest, but doesn’t even match two and half year old NEX-7 in all features. The A7 that goes for $1300 is 10 MP in crop mode. That’s the same pixel count as with the first ever Sony DSLR camera released in 2006. Not all FE lenses needs to expensive, but they usually are more expensive than APS-C lenses and for a obvious reason.
A glance a Wiki (if accurate) tells the historical release frequency of Sony aps-c mirrorless (NEX etc.) releases:
2 in 2010
3 in 2011
3 in 2012
3 in 2013
We are 6 weeks into 2014 and get 2 already(!) – and suddenly this is going to stop? Not likely.
Sony will produce anything they can sell in megalots because they are a Consumer Electronics Company at the forefront of the disposable digital imaging industry.
Great lenses? Forget it – you can use them for years. It is not part of their business plan.
Meanwhile, some 15 year old kid with his 8 year old 6mp Nikon D40 and kit lens is learning how to create stunning images. His use of light, composition, and ideas are breathtaking.
He has not learned yet that this is not possible without a tri-navi system and Zeiss glass. He is concentrating on the art of photography and avoids the tech talk on forums.
He is not posting iso3200 pics of his cat or bookshelf. He is not talking about other camera companies failing, or flange distance.
He is a photographer and will create images with his $100 kit camera that will rival 90% of the tech talkers and bashers here in this forum.
I’ll make sure not to tell my cat you said that.
Well said.
You are assuming that it isn’t possible to be here and take good photographs. That is a stupid assumption.
You’ve convinced me. Sony should dump all their current line-up of cameras, lenses, and accessories and just make pinhole cameras. 😉
Get ready for a 54 megapixel J-Mount pinhole camera. J for jerkoff.
SonyFan, nothing personal, but you are a narrow-minded person. The fact that you enjoy the art of photography only dosen’t mean that other people should do the same and not admire the art of engineering, the beautiful design and build of cameras (some of which are sculptures themselves) or get purely inspired by innovation.
If there were no people passionate about technology and engineering your Nikon D40 would still be Nikon’s entry level camera, but cost $700-800, its launch price, at it would have been latest tech.
+ Infinity.
Where have you been my whole life?
>If there were no people passionate about technology and engineering your Nikon D40
If there were no such people, photography would not exist at all and SonyFan’s 15yo boy would have had only choice between chalk and stone.
There’re a lot of photos this hypothetical 15 year old genius simply won’t be able to make.
His indoor photos will be nothing but noise, his shots of moving subjects out-of-focus, his video work will be non-existent.
We don’t need all this technology to feel good about ourselves, we need it because it actually enables us to do things we couldn’t do before.
Well said, sir! i just read all the silly replies to your comment… the post was about sony not releasing new apc cameras this year. Who cares?! There are so many capable cameras and lenses out there!!!! if you’re still complaining about something, you must hate photography and taking pictures. The current equipment is so good, it’s just time to enjoy the photography and to forget about minute differences in equipment…
When people are spending hard earned money on systems that aren’t then properly supported by the manufacturer I think they have every right to complain.
SonyFan – I agree!
‘Meanwhile, some 15 year old kid with his 8 year old 6mp Nikon D40 and kit lens is learning how to create stunning images. His use of light, composition, and ideas are breathtaking.
It is not in the Camera – it is in the Eye!
Rick
When technology changes there are always folks saying the new stuff are just toys! Nothing for pros. Will never sell. Doesn’t work for X?
PC can never replace real mainframes or mini computers.
PC can never replace real wordprocessing or typewriters.
iPhones never replace a real Blackberry with buttons.
Excel is for dummies never for a real accountant.
iPads are never gonna replace laptops.
A small Leica never replace a large format or 6×6.
A small E-mount never a real DSLR.
Every change has draw backs in the begining. You just got to try and see the big picture and the trend.
P&S cameras are DEAD.
A-mount is DEAD.
E-mount is Dying.
Mobile devices will rule the world.
What a nut. You screw your head on tight. It’s fallen off, and your off your rocker.
Lets see what you say in 5 years.
People will be saying things like:
“What’s a DSLR? Is that like…one of those old film camera things?”
“Mommy…who was SONY? What did they make?”
“In other news, landfills are still being clogged by hundreds of thousands of lenses and camera bodies from the collapse of the camera market…the president speaks tonight on this in his State of the Union Address.”
No idea about the subject… senseless trolling… lemme guess, Apple user too?
Yes, I am.
An Apple user, not a senseless troll.
Just because something is hard to swallow doesn’t mean it’s a poison. Do you want a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down?
When you ingested that spoonful of stuff, it certainly looks like it wasn’t sugar. And no, while mobile will be the main content capture and delivery system, it won’t be the only one. Yeah, maybe you can create that imax masterpiece on your cell phone, but there will always be people who prefer to use dedicated equipment to get better (even slightly better results). If mobile phone technology can improve, surely you do not imply that other things will remain in s standstill.
What’s a technical camera?
What’s sheet film?
What’s zone metering?
What’s manual focus?
What’s a rangefinder?
What’s a TLR?
What’s flash powder?
Mr. “Sony Blows” delivery may leave much to be desired but all he or she is doing is assuming history will repeat. Every generation of photographers assumed the gear they currently assumed was state of the art would always be relevant. Yet history has shows us otherwise.
Smartphones have all sorts of problems associated with them as photographic devices but in terms of sheer numbers, smartphones are becoming the de facto photographic tool and people are adjusting their expectations accordingly. It’s not too far off from what happened with 35mm film burst on the scene – photographers scoffed at the low image quality and derided 35mm cameras as toys. It’s not too hard to see that those folks were wrong.
SLRs were not the start of photography. They were just another in a long line of camera tech that rose to prominence at the expense of what came before.
The last time I checked, all A-mount and E-mount cameras were mobile, they could be carried by one person and worked on batteries. Has something changed since then?
ok, Sony Blows comment is funny, if not sad. But on a positive note FujiRumors just posted the XT-1 user manual, which I know everyone is dying to read. Link is at the header of this site!
Dan
Dear Sony I hope you are listening.
The An000’s are obviously dumbed-down consumer plasti-cams. This is your welcome of NEX community into the Alpha brand. Don’t get me wrong – the A6000 is a compelling value and I like that, but it is not an enthusiast class camera. The other An000s are rubbish compared to NEX.
So much for Alpha being a premium brand. You’ve put that image to death. Alpha is a cost-cutting, feature skimping consumer brand. Irreversible damage on that front – at least if you intend “Alpha” to be a premium brand. Might as well just use the Sony brand – Alpha adds nothing but confusion because it doesn’t seem to stand for anything.
Your history in A-mount and now APS-C e-mount is that you don’t finish what you start, and lack commitment to your customers needs. Your recent history suggests you stagger around like a drunk throwing innovations and cost-cuts together almost randomly. You do not practice Kaizen. You do not refine. Every camera and lens stands as it’s own value proposition with no relation to the future or to any kind of customer-needs centric roadmap.
If all you sold were “all-in-ones” that would work. If I buy an RX 1/10/100 it is a single transaction. I only need to trust that you will honor the warranty. When it is time for a new all-in-one I can buy whatever brand and model I feel is “best” at the time. But when I buy a SAL or SEL lens I rely on you for many years (preferably decades) to come. If the system you offer is not extended, refined, refreshed my whole investment with you is wasted and/or my development as a photographer is stunted unless I switch brands. For me to buy into a system (especially expensive lenses) I need to trust you will be there for me for at least the next 10 – 20 years – refining, improving, extending, making my system purchases more valuable over time, not less valuable or obsolete. [note – I’m a fortunate amateur who lately has spent several thousand dollars a year on photography equipment, mostly legacy lenses for my Nex5 and Nex7, I can buy pricey FE lenses….].
Your product strategy this year is clearly destroying the one thing you need most to build a successful FE system. Trust.
Without trust you don’t sell lenses. Without trust you don’t create a virtuous cycle of investment that allows you to build a complete portfolio of tools (some highly profitable, some done for loyalty rather than profit). Figure out how to win trust before it is too late and your commercial hopes falter.
I’ve been a Sony booster these last few years, but I’m planning on taking a hard look at Fuji this summer. They know how to build trust and how to build a good system. Study what they are doing. Learn from them. Learn to compete against Fuji. Unless you can win trust better than Fuji you’ll never have a shot at Canon or Nikon.
Recognize you have very little time to succeed. In addition to Fuji and m4/3, realize Canon and Nikon are each one flagship mirrorless camera release away from closing the door on your hopes. If either Canon or Nikon goes mirrorless (with full backward compatibility with their current lens lineups, even via adapter) they will win virtually all the body sales you’ve been making because they have the system, the commitment, the trust.
Please Sony, I want to trust you, I want you to succeed. Realize you must change or you will fail. Figure it out. Do it right. Do it fast!
Amen!
Sony is Sony. Sony will ALWAYS be SONY. Sony is the BetaMax. Sony is the Sony/BMG rootkit. Sony is Minidisk. Sony is MemoryStick. Sony is JumboTron. Sony is A-mount.
Sony Imaging division will fall flat on its face just like the Television and Computer divisions just did.
Sony will Sony itself right out of business.
Sony stated some years ago it wanted to be in the top 3 with Canon and Nikon. They invested hugely in sensor R&D and production at that time. They bought Minolta and a sizeable share in Carl Zeiss. They are now the biggest manufacturer of sensors.
Yes, their strategy hasn’t been the best since then. They originally hoped to compete with Canon and Nikon with the A-mount, and this didn’t work for them. It seems to me their new strategy might be the best move. These new Axxx cameras have similar specs and controls as Canon and Nikon’s low end DSLR’s. Focusing their higher end and enthusiast cameras on full frame seems sensible if they wish to carve out their own market. Yes they need more FE lenses to fully compete professionally, but isn’t that what the post said?
I agree that they have to move fast though. If Canon or Nikon bring out mirrorless FF utilising their existing lenses then Sony will have a real fight on their hands.
The biggest thing that doomed Sony is the E-mount. It was a unnecessary distraction.
Had they stuck with A-mount, and developed the same groundbreaking and innovative mirrorless cameras for A-mount, instead, they would be GOLDEN today.
Sony’s steps to commit corporate suicide (‘re-inventing the wheel’):
1) Refocus from existing system. Start from scratch with new E-mount? Check.
2) Furiously innovate and develop said mount around APS-C. Check.
3) Release infuriatingly priced A-mount lens upgrades that are twice the cost of the nearly identical original. Check.
4) Ignore valid questions about the future of A-mount. Check.
5) Alienate A-mount customer base, which goes back to 1985, with thousands of potential lenses and millions of current customers. Check.
6) Once E-mount APS-C is nearing developmental maturity and confidence, refocus the plan again. Check.
7) Release KILLER FE mount cameras…with almost no lenses to mount on them (adapters dont count here). Check.
8) Decide to refocus goals yet again on FE mount. Check.
9) Alienate E-mount customer base, which they just built in the last 5 years. Check.
10) …?
I cant help but wonder if they’re TRYING to put themselves out of business!
As their foundation crumbles, they took their only structurally sound pillar and fractured it deeply. Suddenly, they knock the badly damaged TV and Computer pillars out from under them, and the Camera pillar, already cracked, now bears nearly the full weight of Sony. Guess what happens next……
Frickin’ Idiots.
Mirrorless A mount? LOL
You don’t know anything about cameras do you?
You couldn’t be further from the truth.
I currently work for one of the largest optical glass manufacturers in the world.
I design lenses for a living…
Sony tried to compete with Canon and Nikon with the A-mount. It was a loosing battle. The A-mount would have been a terrible choice for their mirrorless system, given the flange distance it was designed for.
You berate the E-mount, yet at least they made it big enough for a full frame imaging circle(shame Fuji didn’t), negating the need for yet another mount. It seems clear that Sony see the E-mount as the way forward, for both APS-C and FF.
Yes, it sucks for those invested in A-mount glass, and I have nothing but sympathy for those invested in it. But Sony want to survive, and continuing A-mount development when most can see the writing on the wall for mirror boxes would REALLY be suicide.
There are many thing you can do with the mirrorbox space. People act like it just has to be ’empty wasted space’. Not so.
How about Z-axis focus shift? How about insert-able light filtering panels? How about dust sealing (similar to Sigma).
ahahaha… I should at least thank you for giving me a laugh.
Frankly, I also doubt you design lenses for a living. Of course, you could name the company you work for and prove me wrong, but I don’t see that happening.
What you’re saying makes sense as soon as you think about the rumored A-E mount camera. So perhaps you’re right, perhaps mirrorless A-mount is going to happen.
The A-mount was so badly damaged by decades of mismanagement by Minolta and a disastrous merger with Konica that there was no chance Sony would find any success with it on its own.
The NEX and Cybershot RX product lines allowed the Sony brand to become synonymous with higher quality photography without any of the Minolta/KM baggage.
While I understand it’s frustrating for the A-mount faithful, the end game of supporting the A-mount is better served if Sony’s position is “hey, you know how you like our high-quality RX fixed lens cameras and NEX mirrorless bodies? Well, we make SLRs too!”
As opposed to “hey, remember those Minolta cameras that you haven’t cared about since the 70’s? Well, now you can get those same cameras from us. We make Playstations so you know your money is safe with us!”
I work in the Carmelray international business park in the Philippines. You should be able to figure it out from there. You know as well as I do that I can’t name the company on a public forum.
I can’t believe you actually bothered to answer that. You obviously can’t prove anything on here. Given the Carmelray International Business Park homes plants for various manufacturers (but you know this already, right?), and you post under a pseudonym, that reply is pointless.
I was merely pointing out what a ridiculous thing it was to say in the first place. Your posts are the only proof I need.
Oh man, I’m still laughing.
Oh, and if you do work there, I think it’s much more likely you ASSEMBLE lenses for a living, not design them.
You sir, are priceless.
The problem I see is Sony has created a zero-sum game with their systems which is becoming a marketing nightmare for the brand. It’s a major reason, I think, why since I came to SAR I’ve seen e-mount and a-mount fans at each other’s throats. They realize whichever system Sony pays attention to for the moment, they’ll mostly ignore the other one. So they hope for the other one to fail to protect their investment.
Now Sony has added a FE system which needs lens support and e-mount fans aren’t feeling as much love as when they were the big new thing. Welcome to the a-mounters’ world. It’s only going to get worse for you! 😉
While I’m just posing this theoretical for illustrative purposes, we can all sit here and wonder if some day the geniuses at Sony corporate will think their APS-C strategy isn’t good enough in making tiny cameras or decide they need to milk us all in a transition to yet another format and decide to switch to Micro 4/3s or even some other some Betamax rerun sensor they come up with their own.
Yeah, Sony is like that. People are tired of me saying this but Sony’s marketing is incompetent and a disservice to their fine engineering.
I think the zero-sum attitude is largely a product of internet fanboyism. I don’t think there’s any evidence that as a whole, mirrorless market growth has come at the expense of the DSLR market (in other words, there are enough photogs who have bought a mirrorless body that would never have considered a DSLR due to size, weight, intimidation factor, etc.).
That there are E-mount vs. A-mount flamewars in these forums is unfortunate but realistically speaking, if the E-mount didn’t exist, I’m certain we would just have Cybershot vs. Alpha flamewars, or Sony Camera Division vs. Sony other division flamewars, etc.
Don’t make Sony a religion here. Religions are systems that make you live with the same stuff for eternity, even after it is outdated since a long time. Sony is champion in creating good stuff and dropping it six month mater, that is know since along time. I just can say one thing concerning this article, and that is, Good Bye Sony. I never invested n e-mount lenses so far, I use the whole park of different brands with lot of success on the NEX-7, but no more tri-navy A7000, no more Sony for me. I am not interested in FF. Too much shallow DOF and too expensive lenses. I will sell the NEX-7 and go GX7, it is for me the complete camera. Why not Fuji? Simple, I do not like the rendering of the X-trans sensor and there lens prices as well, despite that all I need is new adapters for mine. GX7 rocks, from my point of view.
Haleluyah!
I completely agree with you.
I hope E-mounters who have mocked A-mounters about the death of A-mount start to realize what a messed up situation Sony has put us all in… How not fun it is to be there and can stop the mocking.
I wouldn’t exactly call a technological gem like an A6000 … a dying whatever.
Also, the lenses for the E-mount are IMHO OK (even too big already), given the size of the bodies.
A fast lens on a Nex/Axxx body, would it not look out-of-proportion ?
Even a Zeiss 16-70 F4.0 is, IMHO, already more than big enough.
Axxx E-mount is OK as it is.
What about A-mount rumors ??
Will we hear from any camera when it comes out (the a77 successor obviously) ?
Is there any chance, even the slightest to get any specs or info about anything ?
What’s A-mount?
What a bunch of whiners. Does anybody go out and shoot or just come here and complain?
Yea, really. With a fanbase like Sony has I can see why they have so much trouble. I’ve had the Nex 5N since it came out and still don’t have any Sony E-mount lenses. To me that was the beauty of the camera being that you can use practically any lens made with it. Recently bought the A7 with a couple of new FE lenses and I’m a happy camper.
Yes, I take photos with my iPhone every day.
It’s way more fun to poke the dog than to pet it.
Does this mean bye-bye NEX 5 as well? We’re stuck with the 5-T?
Shot some pics today with the 50 zeiss out in the snow. Yeah, that’s right. I’m not afraid to take my junk out into the elements. Set the comp +2 and took a flash with me as well. Buried myself in a few snow banks and got some stellar shots. Maybe I’ll wipe the snow of the lens now that I’m inside and maybe I won’t. I’m living on the wild side today.
As long as you’re only wiping snow off the OUTSIDE of the lens, all is good. 😉
Is there sensor cleaning on the A6000 or it’s another feature they removed?…
Quoting from dpreviews quick look at the A6000
“Sony’s dust removal system includes a combination of ultrasonic vibrations as well as a ‘charge protection coating”.
Thanks Bill
Admin, tell us the truth… You got absolutely nothing about A-mount right?
Pretty sure we all know the answer to that question, even the optimists among us…
Perhaps the naming convention on bodies should match the lens mount: A, E, FE, etc.
in 2104 i will be death and possibly humanity extinct. But, always live with hope 🙂
good news Sony, now complete our FE system please, for me I just want a small flash the goes with my A7 size camera.
Meanwhile, Canon just released the Rebel T5, which has no improvement whatsoever over the previous models, sporting the ancient 4 years sensor, at just a slightly lower price than the A6000. I don’t get all the whining here, most other sites praises Sony for the A6000, it’s just simply the best aps-c camera for the price range. Sony Aps-c E mount is dead, what??
Most of us here have an affinity to the old Minolta glass, but it doesn’t make Sony any money. If I need to use it I will use a converter, but saying Sony is dead is so far from the truth. They came from nowhere to produce 36mp sensor, which Nikon has had to grovel for. Its Nikon that should be worried, its making less and less of its final product. Its fanboy base just can’t hack it. Ask them when you are next in the bar!
If Sony dose not reinvent the wheel the whole time, Canikon will try (ten years after I admit!). As for hoarding old glass its fine, but most professionals in any other type of business would surely keep upgrading their equip if only for the tax breaks.
Agreed Sony takes two forward and one back sometimes, but spare a thought for Canikon. They can only look on now, hence their venom on dpreview etc. They are quickly being sidelined now. The sensor lead will soon have Canon standing in the queue.
Most unfortunate, if this turns out to be true….
I have the NEX-7, and love it for static or slow moving objects, however I will likely get another body for better AF speed (esp in medium & lower light) in a compact travel friendly format before the end of this year.
If no NEX-7 equivalent replacement is not available by then, it will likely be an M43 camera.
For a portable / travel camera, faster AF is a high priority for me than FF (with larger lenses). The best of both worlds, and my preference would be a NEX-7 like compact w/ improved AF performance.
I understand that Sony’s focus (pun intended) is on FF currently. Too bad for me – and other ‘enthusiast’ photographers wanting better performance. It seems that we’ll just have to ‘buy something else’ (as someone else said).
Think I stay with Pentax – LOL!
… but the RX100 MII is realy good as a pocket point and shoot!