Sony A99 image samples (including first Black and White test)
Still didn’t get enough A99 image samples? Here is a short new list to some tests. As usual feel free to comment this post to add your links and tests! Thanks!
An Adobe RAW test. Image before Adobe RAW conversion, image after Adobe RAW conversion.
Some tests by Mark Galer (also on Flickr).
Black and White A99 tests by Amy Davies.
Sony A99 image samples at PConline.
Sony A99 and other new Sony stuff hands-on pictures from the Createc show in Japan (Dc.watch).
RAW image samples from Russia at Prophotos.
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Sony preorder list:
A99 body Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Jessops, Wex UK, Wex Germany, Sonystore DE-UK-FR-IT-ES-NL-SE-FI-CH and more links at Alphacameradeals.
A99 with kit lens links Alphacameradeals.
RX1 Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Wex UK ,Wex Germany and more links at Alphacameradeals.
NEX-6 body Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Wex UK, Wex Germany Sonystore DE-UK-FR-IT-ES-NL-SE-FI-CH and more links at Alphacameradeals.
NEX-6 with kit lens Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Jessops, Wex Uk ,Wex Germany and more links at Alphacameradeals.
NEX-VG900 Amazon, BHphoto, Sonystore DE-UK-FR-IT-ES-NL-SE-FI-CH, Wex Uk and more links at Alphacameradeals.
NEX-VG30 Adorama, Amazon, BHphoto, Wex UK, Sonystore DE-UK-FR-IT-ES-NL-SE-FI-CH, and more links at Alphacameradeals.
Sony E-mount 16-50mm Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Wex UK, Sonystore DE-UK-FR-IT-ES-NL-SE-FI-CH, and more links at Alphacameradeals .
Sony E-mount 35mm Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Wex UK, Sonystore DE-UK-FR-IT-ES-NL-SE-FI-CH, and more links at Alphacameradeals.
Sony E-mount 10-18mm Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Wex UK, Sonystore DE-UK-FR-IT-ES-NL-SE-FI-CH, and more links at Alphacameradeals.
Sony A-mount 300mm f/2.8 Amazon, BHphoto, Sonystore DE-UK-FR-IT-ES-NL-SE-FI-CH.
Stef.
8 months ago |Some great samples!
Stef.
saiman
8 months ago |Again.. poor sharpness in almost all of them.
I’m still waiting to see one crisp sharp image from a99 at the full original resolution.
Alexey Ozerov
8 months ago |1st link looks like complete Sony fail for me. Too much noise.And this on light picture – on dark condition there will be no small details on foto at all
sergei
8 months ago |I have that Raw file in lightroom 4.2, it is fine and has little noise. The shot is underexposed at iso 2500. Sony a99 raw files are 2 stops better than a850/900. Iso 6400 will be perfectly usable
Wayne summers
8 months ago |samples look great as long as that shutter lag is gone. I will be happy
Alexey Ozerov
8 months ago |In low light detail level is very poor. 5DM3 outperfoms A99 now at 3 – 4 stops
And not so much different in price.
RTI
8 months ago |Quit the bullcrap, you’re judging the camera’s ISO performance by looking at underexposed, at least by 1.5 EV samples from a preproduction camera. (Одним словом, перестаньте нести бред, дождитесь нормальных кадров)
Pei
8 months ago |Alexey Ozerov is not a pickled cat ears.
The Lotus Eater
8 months ago |3-4 stops!?!
Buahahahahahah!!
RTI
8 months ago |Exactly, 4 stops is like saying files @ISO6400 on MkIII look as clean as files @ISO400 on A99, total bullcrap… I’d give the 5DmkIII and advantage, maybe 1EV. But then again look at the color reproduction and the dynamic range…
jon
8 months ago |sad but true… the canon 5d markiii can go up to usable iso25600. The Sony A900 can only go up to usable iso800. And now the new sony has even worse semi mirror that steals light from the sensor.
that is why canon sells 90% of all professional dslrs. sony is pretty good for soccer moms on auto mode.
WTH
8 months ago |Jon
You retard much lately!?!
LifeStoryImages.com
8 months ago |Jon, nice comparison of 2008 tech with 2012 tech. Fail.
– Bert the soccer mom with his A900 on “P” — for “Professional”, right?
Denis
8 months ago |Чувак, ты пиздец тупой ))
Denis
8 months ago |Как приятно видеть комментарии на “Великом и могучем”
А что касается камеры, то те немногие нормально снятые кадры выглядят очень и очень неплохо.
Rolleiflex
8 months ago |LOL, I think you should be smarter next time to make such a wild claim. The 5D mark 3 has shadow banding issue even at base ISO. Whatever 3-4 stops you are pulling from your behind.
aaron
8 months ago |The canon is a pale shadow of this. Sony appears to be making the best full frame sensors in the world. If you dont like sony get smart and switch to Nikon.
Kevin alpha
8 months ago |Remember nothing is free, you get good iso performance, you sacrifice color and dynamic range, and im glad Sony tried to balance this out.
emopunk
8 months ago |I want this camera badly!
ipla
8 months ago |The A99 seems to be a great DSLR but I am also a little bit disappointed. We all have waited so long for this top product and expected so many “killer”-features but as it is typical for Sony they “implemented” several show stoppers. I cannot understand why the AF works fully with only a handul of objectives. Also the AF range (only in the middle of the possible field) is a big problem for a lot of photographers. In my opinion Sony should be more focused on the key disciplines and values of DSLR manufacturing. While we are waiting for the rollout of the A99 Nikon and Canon started to supply the market with their next generation low budget fullframe DSLRs. Where is Sony with their own competing product. If I could wish something from Sony for 2013 I would wish a camera with the best possible image quality. Being the leading sensor manufacturer it shouldn’t be a problem for Sony to develop an outstanding super high end sensor which is only be used by themselves and not sold to Nikon or other competitors..
Dave Cox
8 months ago |Only one version of the AF (the new AF-D function) works with that handful of lenses. ‘Traditional’ AF (AF-S, AF-C, etc) works just fine with all lenses.
Dave Cox
8 months ago |Sony is losing billions. Their market share of DSLR is tiny. Of FF it is even less. Conquest sales for FF will always be small due to investment in glass. Asking for such things as Sony unique sensor or super low cost, high feature, FF camera is nonsense. They simply cannot afford it!
ipla
8 months ago |Sony is also investing billions!
The low cost fullframe DSLR market will be very important in future. It is not really important how big the market share is to be able to offer good prices on the contrary you can extend the market share with competing offers.
People buying this sort of cameras are not so much interested in the diversity of available glasses. For pros you are right but consumers/prosumers you are not.
Rolleiflex
8 months ago |If you meant the very people that would stick with their kit lens regardless, then I don’t think they would even want a full frame. Sony Alpha system has all the essential primes and zooms so I don’t see much point of the more diverse lens selection from Canikon (most are crappy anyway). Now I just want the FF NEX camera, screw the native lens since I doubt anything Sony comes up with would beat my current line-up. Cram that ISO-less D800 sensor in there and they will have my money.
Dave Cox
8 months ago |The point I was making was that Sony could never survive on camera sales alone. They need to sell sensors to make money. They would be committing financial suicide by making a Sony unique sensor as their camera sales would almost certainly not cover the R&D cost.
It’s a shame but I think it’s also a reality.
aaron
8 months ago |This is correct but while this is occuring they are having their R&D being paid for by other camera manufacturers and slowly but surely gaining market share. Eventually the tables will be turned. No one is going to care about canikon glass line up anyway because many of the new photogs will want the updated glass with better af systems, weatherselaing etc. Vintage glass is not the future.
WIth its in body stabalization, live view etc Sony will soon take first place in camera sales. I would estimate 2017ish
Bennet
8 months ago |For the portrait shots, I really like the skin tone. It’s nice, isn’t it?
ssglxn
8 months ago |ISO 2500 (first one) is too much noise !!!
DG
8 months ago |Thats is not noise, it’s focus issue, in open aparture the out of focus areas will feel like noise. and also in higer ISO, even at 1600 you feel it as noise..
Frank
8 months ago |…and the pixel peeping high ISO obsession continues…
dyna
8 months ago |Lordy lordy amen. High ISO pixel peeping is an utterly worthless hobby. How many posters are we making? And when we are how much software isn’t available to help? Really?
sighhhhhh
aaron
8 months ago |No its not. If you depend upon shooting weddings which have very low light times, it is very important to have a camera that can work within this. Not only for image quality and light/dark balance but also for being able to use less flash on each photo. People dont do this for no reason. Knowing what is going on at a granular level is damn important for most pros Otherwise.. why not stick with your first digital camera? Im sure it shoots 8×10 reasonably clearly as long as you dont look at the pixels.
DJsolo
8 months ago |aaron I shoot 3 weddings per weekend with my A850s. I always shoot my reception at iso800-1600, F4-5.6, 1/60th, with my F58 at 1/16 – 1/8 in concert with off-camera flashes. The noise hardly exists on my properly exposed photographs, and many of my clients order them as gallery wraps, and they look great in their italian hand-made albums. What load are you smoking? In comparison my partner’s images from his D700 have a yellow tinge (nikon tungsten has never looked great) and his skin tones always require a lot more retouching… and man that canon banding, it looks like all the pictures were printed on a printer with low ink.
Seriously. Looking forward to the A99, as the A850 already does fantastic for me (and many others who have a fucking clue how to shoot)
sleek
8 months ago |too noisy! compare that to the nikon D600. why cant sony match nikon’s image quality?? they’re the same sensor anyways. love my a77 but c’mon sony, why can’t you match nikon’s image quality with the same sensors??
Rolleiflex
8 months ago |LOL, what is your definition of IQ? Sony has been better than Nikon (color and tonal, tied in dynamic) at base ISO since forever.
Alexey Ozerov
8 months ago |??? A77 – ISO 1600 – and look at kneeling girl hand in the middle – light is sharp, dark looks like water dropped on paper. And matrix of A99 have same problem too – looking at test foto.
http://photo.qip.ru/users/ozerovpaparacci/4109299/98893029/full_image/
LEdgars
8 months ago |Cmn, it is preproduction FW
Steve
8 months ago |Yes, still about 30 days before its due to be in stores.
Peter
8 months ago |Here are different ISO photos in one archive http://fil.io/FL82vTNAq/Different%20ISO%20tests
sergei
8 months ago |Peter, these files are spectacular. Thank you very much. a99 is toe to toe with the 5D mk3 raw files I have for comparison
Patrick
8 months ago |^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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These are the files that everyone should download!!
I did it…Lightroom 4.2 looking at ISO 400, 1600, 3200, 6400.
With a minimal amount of imput in the noise dept, ISO 6400 is deliverable to a magazine to print a double page spread. It looks like NEX 7 ISO 1600.
This camera and sensor ROCK!
Worth noting, the shadow detail at 6400 is not great, but if you need it, don’t count on it. All else being equal, those shots are the most controlled I can find and I have processed them. They use an excellent lens and can attest to the sharpness this combo will deliver (amazing!)
1600 and 3200 are not TOO far off.
Go Sony!
Alexey Ozerov
8 months ago |PrePoduction – yes, BUT A77 I purchased near a yaer ago, and still there is no solution for A77+FL58 combination – in auto mode flash use ONLY 100% power impulse so i must shoot in manual mode – and for reports its too much troubles. And no news from Sony – in Russia was presentation – Sony was questioned about this situation – No answer at all. And like 77 now in Burst mode Hi camera make 2 shoots at one button press. And backward wheel is too easy as it was on 77 – just control dial fixed. Buffer still too small – less than 20 raw files and NO indication of free space, like it was on A580. No uncompressed RAW. No 6 digits shoots counter.
Gunnar
8 months ago |+100 to me the problem with Sony is not the cameras imaging performance, its simply their lack of interest to serve pro’s with competing products. The A77 and A99 are priced on a level where you might expect more mature products with more refined details(like all the things you mentioned). Sony instead chooses to deliver feature packed cameras with lots of small annoyances for pro’s. For me one of the worst is their quality, lots of Nex7 loose their rubber grips after a while, A77 display is nowhere near weather sealed, its control dials don’t freely rotate after some time..it just seems Sony thinks everyone has to buy new cams every year
then there is the whole firmware and listening to customers part that’s not working either..
Jimbo
8 months ago |Listen to the trolling pixel peepers whine. How about getting off the net and getting out there and taking some photos with your canikon gear. Don’t worry about Sony yeah they’re making inroads but you guys will still control the enthusiast/semi pro/pro market for a while yet.
The Lotus Eater
8 months ago |I don’t know what’s with this obsession with noise in high ISO shots.
Current Sony sensors perform pretty damn well to my eyes. What is interesting is that when shooting RAW at higher ISOs, when there is noise, the noise pattern is actually fairly attractive – assuming you know how to expose a shot correctly. That has been the case for the last few years now with Sony sensors. Even my NEX-5 is useable at ISO 3200, as I actually quite like the noise pattern is produces.
Those expecting clean images at ISO 914915913501 are expecting a little too much.
A900 Tog
8 months ago |Guys you have to admit, those Russian sample tests really don’t do the camera any favours. The shot at 1600 is terrible for 1600, and as much as I hate to admit it, it;s no better than my A850, actually worse. I’d put it down to firmware and poor technique but I really hope I’m not going to be disappointed, I have such high hopes for this camera and it will keep me with Sony if it delivers. I’m the first to jump to Sony’s defense when ignorant people unfairly judge them but those samples are not looking good…at all.
A900 Tog
8 months ago |Just about to check the chair shot..hopefully this will be better! I also wonder if the intelligent area specific NR will work in RAW, this could solve a lot of noise realated issues as the noise is prevalent in the shadows mainly, similair to what you see in the Canon 5D III shadows just a little worse. Low noise shadows has always been a Nikon strong point.
Simon
8 months ago |man these black and white shots are really shitty, No shadow Detail, blown highlights everywhere, half of the frame is pure white, these need some serious pp. you can do alot better with an old contax + Zeiss glass + T-Max for a lot less monies.
RTI
8 months ago |I suppose they are meant to be this way, it’s kind of an art filter – High contrast B&W…
A900 Tog
8 months ago |Ok the chair shot is an incredible improvement!! Even the shadows look great for 2K ISO!
BigP
8 months ago |It makes no sense to study and criticize the pre-samples, which was acquired by a person who knows where and how.
We will wait for the final product and the final outputs in jpg and raw.
Frank
8 months ago |^This^
i like the rumors
8 months ago |rhaaaa, i can’t access flick from my job !! I have to wait this evening to see these samples !!!
A900 Tog
8 months ago |I agree BigP, we’ve seen many cameras where the preproduction samples have born little resemblance to the final results. Also one small update in CameraRAW can make a big difference, look at the A850/900 files and how different they look nowadays to how they used to look with earlier versions, just check some initial reviews!! Adobe possibly need to tweak their RAW engine a little yet.
Yong
8 months ago |watch this video: http://youtu.be/J30XJsdpqmY
The guy said — the Auto ISO is very good, because when it see the guy in dark, the footage is bright enough, and when he suddenly switch to the lady in bright area, it does not over exposed.
p.s the shutter rolling seems VERY minimal.. ?
Yong
8 months ago |is this consider silence?? http://youtu.be/9lUXR-tQ73M
Defender
8 months ago |The chair shot looks very good to me despite being underexposed.
D600man
8 months ago |Wow, after looking at these examples I’m very please I jumped on the Nikon D600 bandwagon. Looks like Sony may have a fail here with this overpriced camera. Shame really. I was hoping for better as I really like my nex5n.
The Lotus Eater
8 months ago |Explain why you think it is overpriced.
aaron
8 months ago |Your cam may have the same Sony sensor but the rest of your nikon is nikons old tech. The a99 is double the cam the 600 is and thats not including the sweet Zeiss glass.
Only thing your nikon is a win on is flash control. That is it.
poke
8 months ago |You don’t make much sense. If you are on the 600 bandwagon why on God’s green earth would you care what the 99 produces. I don’t think you are being very truthful. Oh yeah I forgot its because you like your 5n.
blabla
8 months ago |Even if A99 would finally have sharp RAW&JPG engine, at €2800 it is more expensive than D600 or 6D and even D800 is now at €2550. What a fool will buy it under these conditions ? It is a shame that Sony didn’t refresh A850/A580 (last OVFs) with new motherboard for less than €2000/€500 !!!!
Kylberg
8 months ago |Don’t take too much notice of theese early samples! They seldom tells the truth. I suspect there will soon be a LuLa usage report. Later DPR will have images from their consistent test process. Then we will have a more clear (!) picture.
Know very little about A99 handling, but percieved the A900 as unmodern and not very nice to hold and handle. A big CaNikon has more personality and ergonomy has developed during decades obviously. No reason the a99 cannot make a leap up to their level.
Joel
8 months ago |The D800 and D600 utterly dominate the camera by the looks.. Tis a bit of a shame. Sony, you’ve got some utterly killer sensors, by why oh why cant you not process the images off them as well as the other two?
koinmove
8 months ago |today in malaysia KLPF, sony have serve 3 A99 for test….
i was owned a900 for 2 years… but after a77 launch i change system… because the evf system not perfect… and now the a99 still have the same problem… when u use 6fps and af-c… after 2~3 frame… the evf hang at there… so how can i able to keep chase the object? and about the movie setting, i use M mode, but it lock the aperture in F3.5 even i test with 35 F1.4g or 24-70…. anyone know how to able to use max aperture to shoot video? also the video focus is slower and worst than a77….
i had one more complain to them is the manual focus assist, i used to set the af/mf to af-on. so when i’m not pressing the af/mf y the assist highlight not comming out in af-s and af-c. i know if use DMF the manual assist will full time on.
just another product that disappointed me…
Joel
8 months ago |Id still love to see a comparison involving a photographer that can actually expose a frame correctly..
Lucas
8 months ago |IMHO in the first link the RAW image looks better than the ACR image! It only changed the noise pattern to a worse one than the original! Seems like Adobe didn’t do a good job yet.
Anyway, assuming the image is ISO2500 as someone mentioned, the original looks good.
sergei
8 months ago |Peter has shared some test images here http://fil.io/FL82vTNAq/Different%20ISO%20tests Lightroom 4.2 opens them with ease and delivers great detail and low noise up to iso 6400 and VERY usable at 12.800. Just what I needed, I’m buying it.
Mike
8 months ago |The saxophone player shot is pretty bad for ISO2500.
Chris
8 months ago |The noise performance seemed to reasonable to me. Not d600/800 but not terrible either.
The saxophone shot is really bad though.
Isn’t the firmware now version 1.0 – http://www.dpreview.com/previews/sony-alpha-slt-a99
The image title says preview based on 1.0 production firmware
One consistent theme – We Sony users complain about ISO and Nikon users are complaining about video
Rolleiflex
8 months ago |There are some individuals complain about the ISO performance, but I don’t think that would be the collective “we.” I’m still very happy with my noisy NEX-7 sensor.
doug
8 months ago |The B&W images are good, but no better than what my A850 can do.
Stefanie Kappel
8 months ago |What about this comparison:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3278839
If this is true than the A99 is performing very well.
Stef.
doug
8 months ago |There’s no mention of who conducted the test or how it was done. It could even be completely bogus. I will say that the unevenness of the noise in the A99 sample is odd, if it really is from an A99.
Kevin B.
8 months ago |Once again Sony is about 3 to 4 years behind in noise reduction..
To be cutting edge in areas but how to handle noise they find not and this is not acceptable.
gabrielefx
8 months ago |A99 photos are for print or web?
for print I read that there isn’t any noticeable noise on printed dual pages
for the web I never seen a 6000 px image
then…
are you worried about the noise?
If we want a noise free pixel per pixel image we have to wait 10 years
Kevin B.
8 months ago |Noise free is not the issue, but up to the competition would be nice..
Flo
8 months ago |I tested the A99 at a photo exhibition in Kuala Lumpur.
It looks like a a77, cheap plastic feeling, and autofocus cannot compare with D800 which is at almost the same price now. And the d800 is sooo much nicer than the D600.
so I bought the d800 after using Minolta/sony for 17 years, including Dynax 9 and A900. I will miss the EVF and the LCD screen
Game over
neia
8 months ago |” game over”…
it’s not over yet..