First A99 price drops in Europe (and a new review). Low price on RX100 in France.
There are small signs that Sony’s A99 price is falling down. Redcoon Spain (Click here) now sells it for 2499 Euro which is a 300 Euro price drop compared to the initial regular price. Also The German store Technikdirekt (Click here) now sells the A99 for 2666 Euro. In US the lowest price now is $2610 at BigValue (Click here). And My guess is that more price drops will follow soon. Canon and Nikon forces them to do so (and that’s good for us).
One more news…DigitalPhotographySchool posted their A99 review.
P.S.: The RX100 sells for less than 500 Euro at Amazon France!
Ken
4 months ago |I’m so glad I didn’t jump on the a99 when it came out… well, I didn’t have the funds for it anyway, and still don’t… but looks like by the time I can afford it, it’ll be cheaper
CPO
4 months ago |I’ll buy the a99 only if the price falls below 2000 euros, due to the EVF.
Emir
4 months ago |The price of this and the a77 has dropped in Sweden too with about 2000 SEK recently. I just got the a77 but considering to change to the a99 instead because I fell in love with the image quality and the low ISO performance when testing the cam… Wish I had known about the a77 successor 2 weeks ago
any more news on it or a77 firmware update, Andrea?
Eugene Stoesser
4 months ago |Yes Andrea
what is happening on the A77 firmware update? Is Sony just forgetting about us, or are they going to be only about selling new camera’s.
Anything new on the sony 18-270 lens? will it be for full frame? are any spec’s out on it?Is it just a rebadged Tamron 18-270?
so wat
4 months ago |on ebay it goes for 2000euros
Maximus
4 months ago |Hey Andrea,
remeber that you’ve postet, that the D5200 sensor is not a Sony Sensor but from Toshiba?
Have a look:
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201102/11-0228E/index.html
its a Sony sensor made by Toshiba.
Tanglefoot
4 months ago |Wow. 2+2=2346.5
How you got from that old story to your conclusion is quite beyond me.
Maximus
4 months ago |no. That plus the DxO-test that prooves that there are performing identically
admin
4 months ago |Sure that it’s coming from that factory?
Sky_walker
4 months ago |Tishiba got another semiconductors facility in Thailand (it was flooded last year) but it’s not a secret that Sony semiconductors division and Toshiba cooperate so closely, that one could consider it a permanent joint-venture. During last few years Sony bought few Toshiba facilities related to semiconductors (most notably: One Maximus linked to, and one responsible for Cell chip manufacturing), as well as they constantly exchange technologies, with more then often Sony giving them part of their contracts when they cannot handle manufacturing themselves due to extremely high demand.
So as far as I can see it – D5200 chip is Sony one manufactured in Toshiba facilities for Nikon.
Neo NiGHTS ®
4 months ago |So it’s a Sony sensor, made at a Toshiba facility and designed by Nikon?
Mind…… blown!
Sky_walker
4 months ago |Designed to Nikon specs. It’s nothing really extraordinary. I seen worse cases. Eg. Company A designed part for Company B. It was manufactured by company C, but company C actually outsourced production to Chinese companies D and E where company E never could handle that volume, so they hired company F for additional manufacturing.
Business is business.
Inu
4 months ago |So it seems it is hard to imagine that nobody else can manufature sensors as good as Sony or better? This one is made by Toshiba. If you folloed closely the high definition format war between Sony and Toshiba, it was funny becuase while contesting for that format, Toshiba was supplying parts to Sony for its ps3 the very same one that was used to promote blu-ray, the rival format
Inu
4 months ago |So how does that story relate to the sensor in D5200? If I understand the article correctly it was the transfer of Toshiba facilities to Sony so that Toshiba could focus on other business ventures
Wayne Summers
4 months ago |by the the end of the year it should be about 2,000 but by them I would have most of the money for the nex-9 or whatever they plant to call it. Unless something big happens I guess I will just live with my A850.
Marc
4 months ago |The price of RX100 under 500 euros is unluckily no more valid, I’m afraid…
Mike
4 months ago |The A99 has been available in the US for $2599 for quite some time at this shop: http://www.rythercamera.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=47398
In Europe, you can get a grey import for less than €2200 here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-SLT-A99V-Body-Full-Frame-Digital-SLR-Camera-Alpha-A99-V-Brand-NEW-/150977257370?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item2326f21f9a
Or for €2077 here: http://www.i-store-online.com/product_info.php?currency=EUR&language=de&info=p24916_sony-digitalkamera-alpha-slt-a99-body.html
You can also get it for around €2500 at the official Sony education store (online) if you are (or know) a teacher or student.
admin
4 months ago |The UK version is actually imported from Asia!
Mike
4 months ago |Right, the grey imports are from Asia.
Mike
4 months ago |By the way:
http://www.microspot.ch/microspot/product/Digitalspiegelreflex/0000680688/Sony_a_(alpha)_SLT-A99V_-_Digitalkamera_-_SLR_-_24/detail.jsf
A99 at Swiss shop for €2045 and I don’t think that is a grey import
Maybe I have to plan a small trip to Switzerland soon…
Vivek
4 months ago |Despite the price “drop”, it is still ~1000 Euros more than the Nikon D600.
William Leong
4 months ago |For a newcomer, going D600 over the A99, they’ll miss out on A LOT of function. Heck, even compared to a ‘proper’ Nikon FF, D600 will miss out on a lot.
For a Nikon old-timer (with a considerable lens collection), jumping ship from Nikon to Sony (to obtain the same amount of lenses) will cause you to lose more than 1000 euros. So unless s/he’s loaded, I won’t see the probability of that happening.
But meh, who knows what might happen in the near future? The A900 dropped from 3k+ to about 2.5k in a little more than a year.
Vivek
4 months ago |Price drops for the A900/A99 by 500 Euros in about an year while prices go up for the lenses. I am just pointing out the stark reality of how uncompetitive the FF Sony is.
Frank
4 months ago |If you are comparing the D600 to the A99 you might as well compare the D3200 to the A77. They are COMPLETELY different class of camera, idiot.
Vivek
4 months ago |Enlighten me, oh wise one!
Assume, I am walking in to a shop looking for a FF camera (or an APS-C) and a few quality lenses to go with them. Also, assume that it is my wallet and not yours that will be used for the purchase.
Varn
4 months ago |+1
Varn
4 months ago |+1 to Frank
Inu
4 months ago |I have a d600 and I dont think I miss the a99 and whatelse it offers. If you know what is so better about a99, tell me. But it should not be about manual focussing, I dont do that. Not about iBIS, so far I have no problems with ILIS. I happen also to use prime lenses and these are mostly used for portraiture and I have use higher shutter speed and High ISO to freeze motion, so IBIS not a deal breaker. For antything else, I can use a tripod if I want to get the best. Dont tell me about weather sealing, the D600 is sealed enough.Dont tell me about Zeiss. DxO mark just relesed their test compairing Nikons 28mm F1.8G vs Zeiss 28mm and the Nikkor scored much higher. The problem here is you think the attributes that matter to some will also matter the same to others. If that was the case, Sony could have been the market leader by now.
To Inu
4 months ago |Inu, you are pointing out the D600 suits your shooting style and budget; not that D600 is comparable with A99. D600 is more like comparable with A850 class.
Stef.
4 months ago |1. No oil spot problem on sensor! I would NEVER buy the D600 for this problem alone! The Nikon forum is full of complaints about it and before you say that you can clean your sensor before you leave the house in the morning…well look at some of the posts of wedding photographers who did that and in the middle of the wedding they spots started to re-appear…
2. GPS
3. Full articulated LCD screen
4. AF range limiter
5. Teethering
6. Quick Navigation
7. Two memory card slots
8. 60p shooting in video
9. Silent controller for video
10. Clean HDMI output for video
11. Flash exposure lock
12. Shutter tested for 100000 more actuations
13. Multi frame noise reduction
…and did I mention…no oil on the sensor…
Stef.
William Leong
4 months ago |even if you want to compare the D800 with A99, so be it, 12MP better than the A99? ISO? That’s about it…
Jason
4 months ago |RX100 is showing for 559.
Bare
4 months ago |Toshiba is the best 24MP APS-C sensor, better than Nikon or Sony designs.
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/(appareil1)/850%7C0/(brand)/Nikon/(appareil2)/801%7C0/(brand2)/Nikon/(appareil3)/736%7C0/(brand3)/Sony
e
4 months ago |Dx0Mark WOW
Their software products look very Sexy. What else compares?
What other software programs in the Market do you all Like??
DXO Sensor and Camera Ratings and Rankings –
Wow, what a great INDEPENDENT comparison tool for Camera Value
I’m shocked at how Canon ranks so poorly, 6D is lower ranks behind A77
Steve
4 months ago |The real question should be but seldom is which camera in the hand of an experienced photographer delivers the best images? That all that’s important to me!
I’m a stills photographer that does a mix of controlled portrait on a tripod, street photographer that likes to work in late afternoon and evening shadows using wide-fast-primes and landscapes for HDR and pano using my RRS support gear. I’m not interested in video, I don’t need the camera to think for me or try to make me a better photographer I just need it to record what is there and I’ll do the rest in post to finish my vision as I want others to see it.
The a850 and my mix of Zeiss a G-Lens primes and zooms has done the job since 2009 when I moved my primary platform from Nikon to Sony, although since 2009 very little new full-frame optics of interest to me at least has been released from Sony for me to spend my money on.
I’d hoped the a99 would knock my socks off but for my needs it didn’t.
Maybe the next Sony full-frame will
Tanglefoot
4 months ago |It amazes me what is keeping the Europe prices of the a99 so high – it is available off ebay for £1575 new as compared to £2150 for official uk stock. That is a HUGE price difference that makes it quite tempting to go the unofficial route…..
The D800 is £1900 official (much cheaper) & £1750 off ebay (more expensive)…. This price differential is very odd in my eyes. £575 vs £150. Makes getting a grey import seem pretty worthwhile….
Poke
4 months ago |The 99 has been awesome for me. I shoot some landscapes but primarily my kids and their friend playing sports, cheering and dance. This is on a high school and college level. My 850 can only compete with the 99 if I shoot iso below 400, ok maybe 800. After that there is no comparison. The 99′s focusing mechanism is darn good. 850 way too slow for sports especially inside or under the lights of night games. The 99 is usually spot on and very rarely misses the shot. I can shoot at iso 10k and as long as I do not do any significant cropping is very usable for print. This allows me to continue to shoot at 1/500 with good glass. Is it better than Nikon? I don’t know. Is it as good as Nikon? I don’t know that either. I imagine they are very comparable. All I know is that I have never felt that I have never needed to clean a sensor in my 850 or 99 and unless they have corrected the well documented issue with the 600, I would never consider that camera. My buddy has the MK3 and will eventually ask him when we are together if I can shoot with it so I can compare it to my 99. My only regret at the moment is that Sigma is taking their good old the releasing the new 35mm and may not release the updated 120-300/2.8 I really want that lens because I cannot bring myself to drop 7k on Sony’s 300/2.8.
Steve
4 months ago |I hear you Poke,
Agreed, that if you shoot sports or need better tracking then the a99 may well be the best of breed in full-frames and no doubt Sony has everyone beat in several technologies, because in the long run the OVF as we have known it is dead, we just don’t yet how the big two with… what, 99% of the full-frame market will do to compete. And I agree that ISO is also greatly improved in the a99 over the a850/a900.
I’m also disappointed that I can’t get lenses like the Sigma 120-300/f2.8 and that new 35mm that one poster here recently said was basically to sharp for most sensors and how we as A-Mount shooters need to wait what seems like forever to see a new full-frame Zeiss 50 or rebuilds of older technology Sony/Minolta lenses as we do.
Mick
4 months ago |Has anyone tried the D600 or D800 with the Sigma 120-300 OS HSM? Also, are their HSM lenses incompatible with the Canon live-view autofocus? I know their HSM lenses won’t work with the Sony LA-EA1 or LA-EA3 because those are contrast detection adapters. The Sigma 70-200 OS HSM works awesomely well with the LA-EA2 and NEX-VG series. I wonder if you would get similar autofocus performance with the Nikon D600 or D800 cameras and liveview autofocus in movie mode. Does anyone know for sure.
kevin
4 months ago |Just because something is better doesn’t make it the tool to use.
Tiger Woods may have been the best golfer, but it doesn’t mean I like him.
abijah
4 months ago |Its about time! The Nikon D600 is amazingly cheap at 1550€ the a99 was way overpriced.
Hellven
4 months ago |where did you see that? good price!
Stef.
4 months ago |Yes, and you get a lot of oil spots for that cheaper price! The D600 is IMHO a faulty product. Just check out the Nikon forums!
Stef.
iJayJay
4 months ago |Are any of you close to a Sony Store Employee? I’m lucky! My sister-in-law who works for a Sony store was able to purchase an A99 for me at a special Christmas/New Year discount offered to Sony Store Employees. I paid $2099 U.S.Dollars plus tax. That deal is expired but if you are close friends or relatives with a Sony Store employee, they can possibly hook you up using a regular employee discount and you can purchase it for maybe just under $2400. If it wasn’t for that discount, I would have just stayed with my A77. The Nikon D600 seems to be having quality control issues…many reviews report a defect of dust and oil spots on the sensor so I would wait it out if the D600 is your choice.
Dan
4 months ago |there is a rx100 under 500E here:http://www.ebay.it/itm/SONY-DSC-RX100-nero-/230874989763?pt=Fotocamere_Digitali&hash=item35c138c4c3
gabrielefx
4 months ago |why pixmania-pro doesn’t have any a99 in stock?
WhoBobWhatPants
4 months ago |I payed $2600 Austalian dollars at the launch months ago, normal Retail here was and still is $AUD3000.
Poke
4 months ago |There are some people who want to use DXO scores to completely grade a camera or sensor. I like the DXO scores but it is not the end all to grading a camera or sensor. I think you would be a Nut to put such stock otherwise you would believe Canon cameras are behind such companies as Nikon, Sony and Pentax.
Simon T
3 months ago |Wake me up when the A99 is £1200 because that’s the only price point it becomes interesting at.