Nigel Barker does fashion photography with the Sony A99.
Town Times from Anders N.Farcinsen on Vimeo.
Quick note: A99 is back in Stock at BHphoto (Click here). And first user reviews can be read on Amazon (also in Stock).
Nigel and the A99: Famous fashion photographer Nigel Barker tested the A99 and writes: “I had assumed the camera would be heavier, but it’s svelte, balanced and very well weighted. With 1080p video and the tilt screen, the A99 isn’t just a force to be reckoned with, it’s the next supermodel.” But to be honest Nigel isn’t really giving us a real clue about the A99 strengths and weaknesses. The best article you can read is from Frank Doorhof. That yes is a worthy to be read!
A99 can fly: First aerial A99 Octocopter pics and video.
Sony A99 preorder list:
A99 body Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Jessops, Wex UK, Wex Germany, eBay, Sonystore DE-UK-FR-IT-ES-NL-SE-FI-CH and more links at Alphacameradeals.
A99 with kit lens links Alphacameradeals.
Bite Me
7 months ago |Full frame SLT will not last. Noisy, noisy, noisy. Sony MUST eliminate the SLT line & concentrate on speedy PDAF/CDAF mirrorless line.
CTPhotographX.com
7 months ago |You should consider charging a fee for such well supported, deeply researched and unbiased trend reportage.
Hendrick
7 months ago |On the contrary, Sony must keep pursuing SLT because settling with incremental improvements of the status quo will not give way to true innovation. I can bet for the SLT design that it will triumph in the future.
Hoon
7 months ago |I would think mirrorless would be committing to full innovation…
Poke
7 months ago |As soon as they solve or perfect the focusing than there will not be a need for mirrors, translucent or otherwise.
Hoon
7 months ago |agreed. my point was that slt still feels like incremental innovation compared to full mirrorless.
Sky_walker
7 months ago |Problem is that we are AGES from decent on-sensor autofocus, not even saying about one that can match separate AF sensors in mid or high-end DSLR.
(and before you ask: Yes, I tried Panasonic GFs and Nikon 1)
Poke
7 months ago |You are kidding? If the 99 is noisy then my 850 is Mega Noisy and it’s not even a SLT.
giomaniac
7 months ago |jajjaja!! Agreed!!
Hoon
7 months ago |Yeah, I compared the a99 to 5d3 and it’s pretty close. Nothing that I couldn’t get around in post processing. In some ways it’s not even a question of how much noise but almost just the “type” of noise that is your preference.
On the other hand – for video, the 5d3 is far and away better in terms of sensor quality. The A99 has the advantage in ergonomics and IBIS. Such a shame. Just wanna mash that sensor into the A99 body.
MrBig
7 months ago |The 5DMIII is a great camera but I just can’t live with the loss of DR myself. Other than that, what’s not to like about it.
Joel Richards
7 months ago |Really? I haven’t used either but from what I’ve seen–except for maybe at the highest ISO the A99 has equal or better quality video. Neither having great resolution but the shadow noise being pretty bad in the canon.
Hoon
7 months ago |philip bloom did a shootout with the d800, d4 and 5d3. i’d say the a99 looked a lot like the d800 in the low light portion of that test with regards to noise – if that’s any sort of helpful reference.
Andy
7 months ago |shadow noise banding at ISO 100 is still there in the Canon Mark III
Hoon
7 months ago |re:banding – i’ve not seen that processing raws with lightroom. definitely saw it with the mark ii. could be a combination of sensor and raw processor. also, i rarely shoot at iso lower than 400 as i prefer high shutter speed to freeze action even in decent light.
re: video – there’s a lot more noise, the compression is much more visible and there’s aliasing and moire on the a99 image. quite a bit more. i imagine this has much to do with the bitrate (though i’m no expert). at iso 400, say, it’s not really a factor though i do think the compression is still more visible. by 1600 the gap widens quite a bit and anything higher than that the video on the a99 suffers quite a lot compared to the 5d3 in my experience. (that’s mostly shooting my family indoors with tungsten lights so your own application may yield different results). for workflow it would mean anything shot in lower light would probably want a bit of noise reduction. on the other hand for almost anything shot with the 5d3 you’d want a touch of sharpening. the sharpening however tends to be speedier and less processor intensive, at least with adobe premiere on mac.
re: DR – that’s not something i’ve done a lot of head to head with but again, i don’t think the margin in any of these categories is that large one way or the other except for video. i do think the a99 clips highlights less harshly than the 5d3 but i also think it tends to be a bit darker in its metering to start with.
in the end, the question i have becomes: do i prefer the ergo of the a99 enough to warrant the issues above? for stills it’s a non-factor – they both do AMAZING stills by any standard – but for video (and that’s one of the reasons i’d want either camera to begin with) it’s much trickier as the gap seems noticeably larger.
i returned my a99 as i didn’t want to risk missing the return window and i didn’t think it was fair of me to hang on to it and just keep shooting it for weeks and then return it. but that also means i didn’t have a great chance to get super comfortable with it. it’s a testament to the ergonomics that it felt pretty second nature in just a day or so.
i have to admit, the memory of the a99 lingers. i wish i could afford to hang on to both systems but that’s not feasible right now.
have a nex-6 coming though. that may end up being a better fit. and i’m curious to see how the rx1 fares in reviews. such an interesting camera.
MrBog
7 months ago |I think SLT is the stepping stone of things to come.
Frank
7 months ago |Let me guess, you’ve never touched the A99 let alone owned one…
Hoon
7 months ago |Not sure if you were talking to me, but yes I have handled, owned and returned the A99 as per comments above. I wouldn’t put forth an opinion about its use or quality otherwise. Or the 5d3 for that matter.
Sky_walker
7 months ago |Uhh? Just make mirror flip in single-shot mode, and stay down in continuous / video – problem solved.
No need to cripple yourself with NEXes.
Hoon
7 months ago |Re: Mirror Flip Up
I’ve heard that suggestion before. Guess it depends on whether you feel like that gives you the benefits of both systems or the burdens. Personally I’d rather they focus on getting DSLR-comparable mirrorless AF and perfecting the EVF so that the physical shape can continue to have more flexibility. But I know others feel differently.
The Lotus Eater
7 months ago |Bite Me, the only noise here is coming from you.
CTPhotographX.com
7 months ago |Is there a link to the Nigel Barker shoot?
Dave Cox
7 months ago |Will DxoMark ever review the A99?
a900
7 months ago |A99 is horrible! been with sony for 6 years! since the a100 I have 3 900′s and now after buying a A99 and using it for an engagement PS and totally hating the OLED and the camera which is so FN slow to react. I hated it so much I drove to B&H the next day and returned it and bought the d800 and all the lens I need to shoot weddings this weekend.
so sad sony did this! Professionals dont want smile tech or all the other BS added to this junky excuse of a camera! also with no mirror why the hell does the camera black out for a full half second between shots. battery last about 1/2 time and waiting for the oled to adjust to changing light conditions gave me a FN headache while missing shots!
I’m sending all my sony gear out to be refurbished and that will be the last time a spend a dollar on a sony product.
P.S Nigel barker is a tool box
Sky_walker
7 months ago |Troll, the doors leading to nikonfanboyrumors are that way —->
The Lotus Eater
7 months ago |Cool story bro. I wish I believed it.
Perth
7 months ago |I come from the medium format world. Have Mamiya 645 gear. I bought a 99 4 days ago for general shooting. My immediate impressions after shooting about 300 raw files.
Picture quality – outstanding
Ease of use – brilliant
Battery life. – Dismal
Sustained burst rate – conks out at about 8 Raws and just won’t transfer fast enough to SDHC ( Sandisk 95 Mb/s ) small controlled bursts only for now on.
Video – not interested in it …. yet ! Haven’t tried it.
Tracking – good
EVF – love it.
Focus – fast and accurate
Controls – well positioned and easy to use.
Features – too many to count
Night vision – excellent
Anyone who sends this camera back is an idiot.
BUT …… Sony …. Send every early adaptor a free second battery please. It may be a sensational camera but its not much good if you can’t turn it on ……LOL
Jack
7 months ago |Topi and video aren’t really related are they
Got me confused when I was waiting for the fashion shoot but all I got was some borin street videography with elevator music!
Jurka
7 months ago |Sony A99 autofocus hack in video mode (can capture video with autofocus and apertures wider than f3,5):
http://www.portreti.lv/how-to-hack-sony-alpha-99-65-77-to-work-with-open-aperture-in-video-mode-autofocus/
worg
7 months ago |I just don’t see anything special about this video. My A99 didn’t give me video that looked great either