Sony: “we think translucent mirror designs are better (than classic DSLR)”. A77 within one year.
In an interview on CNET ASIA (via Noisycameras), Katsumoto said the SLT pro-model should arrive “within one year.”
How much higher up the line will Sony take the translucent mirror approach, also called a pellicle mirror? Katsumoto wouldn’t say, but it’s possible to use it on full-frame models whose sensors are as large as a frame of 35mm film for better light-gathering abilities than mainstream cameras with smaller sensors.
“It can be used for full-frame as well,” he said, but what Sony will do depends on customer needs. “Many people like the optical viewfinder, but from a technological point of view we think [translucent mirror designs] are better.”
It’s important to underline the fact that Sony said that they will focus on the customers need. So let’s do a poll to check what SonyAlphaRumros readers want!
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erwinkfoto
2 years ago |I´ve expected that
Peter
2 years ago |Then listen, Katsumoto-san: I am a customer and currently using an A350 and I want to upgrade to an A7xx with OVF and classic mirror system!
hannes
2 years ago |A77 within one year.
–> means that the A77 will not comming ealry in 2011!? Possible it will be 2012 or later.
..but what Sony will do depends on customer needs
–> A lot of people waiting for the successor of the A700. But where is it?
–> A lot of people waiting for firmware update for 850 and 900. But where is it?
–> Sony have so much mid and low range slr’s where are the high end slr’s?
–> The are SLT and SLR in low and midrange. In high range they will have only SLT???
I think for christmas i will buy the canon eos7d or 60d. Because sony is only mad low and mid range slr’s and the other made all kind of cams and have more lenses.
I’m sad ;-(
A100
2 years ago |If the make the next full frame a SLT that is fine with me as long as they enable a mirror lift mode like in traditional DSLR to maximize the light for the sensor.
There should be no reason why it could not function in both SLT and SLR modes.
Steve
2 years ago |This is a joke! We have waited and waited and waited for a D300s/7D killer and we get this? Some kind of A77 EVF thing sometime in the future? What are Sony thinking? This is Photokina 2010, the show we have all been waiting for. Nikon launch the D7000, Pemtax the K-5, Canon the D60 and even Sigma launch a new pro body. Sony, well Sony confuse and disappoint with nothing more than future plans and dusty old prototypes.
Well done.
Sky_walker
2 years ago |^ Good observation.
IMHO what frustrates people most is that everyone else get advanced-armature models, even Sigma known of “doing nothing” managed to develop outstanding advanced DSLR, yet Sony somehow refuses to.
I guess part of the reason why there’s no A700 successor today is that Sony decided to move it to SLT tech – it’s very, very bad.
pmac
2 years ago |oh, and an A560/580/33/55. How soon we forget.
MorTal
2 years ago |Sorry, but this Interview and what i heard at the Photokina today forces me to switch to Canon.
SLT in an Highend Camerasystem is like an Zeiss Lens on an Aps-C Camera, may look nice but no one realy needs it!
The voting is shit too!
90% of voters on this page will never own a Camera like an 900/850 and vote for new technologys.
No Ovf, no real professionel Camera.
This is my point of View.
Good night.
celle
2 years ago |I was at the IFA and use the A700 and all I can say, the EVF from the A55 is way better than the OVF from A3xx and A5xx and better than the OVF in my A700. No need for an OVF in a Semipro APS-C-Camera.
MorTal
2 years ago |Sorry but the EVF doesn’t even rudimentary reach the OVF of an Alpha 700.
I’ve used both today at Photokina.
celle
2 years ago |I used the A55 at the IFA and have the A700. I like the EVF more
e_dawg
2 years ago |Don’t need pellicle mirror full-frame cameras. Sony has many more gaps and much more important priorities to worry about:
1. While the pellicle mirror concept is great for allowing PDAF during video, it’s still a half-baked solution until Sony redesigns their lenses to have silent AF motors. The current SAM and screw-drive motors are way too noisy to use during video. Panasonic understands this, and apparently so does the NEX division too.
2. Where is the 35mm f/2 full-frame compatible lens? The 35/1.8 DT was launched for APS-C bodies, but there is a big hole when it comes to a compact, affordable 35mm FF lens. Bring back the 35/2 (but use aspheric elements to address the coma and blurry corners)!
3. Where is a proper A700 successor that is faithful to the original A700 design / layout? The A33 and A55 are nice for novice photographers, but not for people who need direct access controls. Please don’t try to stuff an 18 MP sensor in there and think you can call it a day for the A77. The “A77 prototype” shown at PK does not have enough direct controls for ISO, WB, or the Custom function button that seem missing from the original A700 layout, which was arguably close to perfect.
Please do NOT ruin a great design by trying to make it “simpler” like the other SLT bodies. If you have to make the A77 with a similar layout to the A33/55, at least give us an A780 with the original A700 control layout.
4. Also, please do NOT ruin the great design / layout of the A900 by trying to make it more like the other pellicle mirror models. It would be a travesty. The A900 is an elegantly designed, no-nonsense, full-frame camera designed for serious photographers, not a novelty electronic gadget for tech savvy consumers.
5. Go ahead and implement the brain-dead operational design for the NEX lineup and the entry-level Alpha cameras for techies and mainstream consumers, but don’t ruin what’s left of the Alpha lineup for photographers. It’s embarrasing what you guys are doing to the legendary Minolta franchise.
Kyle
2 years ago |I can understand the disappointment from some Sony users but I really think Sony is trying to establish themselves as technology leaders. EVF is probably the future of camera technology, and I, for one, won’t discount it until I use one for myself. I dearly love my a850, but I think we should recognize that Sony has been doing a pretty good job of listening to their customers recently. After all, they did bring back DOF preview among other features in their mid-range cameras.
That being said they need to do SOMETHING in this $1000-1500 space sooner rather than later. The recent camera releases are nice, but us semi-pro/enthusiast users have needs too, and the Nikon 7000 and Canon 7D are very tempting cameras.
Sky_walker
2 years ago |“EVF is probably the future of camera technology” – it won’t be as long as only Sony uses it in DSLRs. And so far – it looks that it’s the way it gonna be. So in long term instead of being the tech leaders they gonna become nitche-masters, kinda like Sigma is with it’s remarkably great color reproduction sensor… supposed to be future of camera technology yet still is nothing more than margin of the people’s needs.
anonymous
2 years ago |No one ask them if there are more OVF cams coming?
MorTal
2 years ago |Mr. Katsumoto, please Stop ruining Minolta’s great Layout an quality!!!
BKD
2 years ago |“but from a technological point of view we think [translucent mirror designs] are better”
What about asking a photographer instead of a toy designer?
Jason
2 years ago |Dear celle:
I don’t know what drugs you’re on, but the EVF in the a33 is garbage. I’ve had an a700 for years, and the EVF is no match. How many readers on this board have actually even handled the a33? I have, and I can tell you first hand that the a33′s EVF really is garbage. The refresh rate is really slow.
It’s not just the EVF. Handling is terrible on these new cameras. Even the menu’s lag when doing simple operations like changing ISO or AF point, whereas on older cameras like the a200, a100, a700 are all instant. The new graphical interfaces are not worth the slow-down in handling.
To everyone who is taking a stand on either the EVF or OVF side, please hold your opinions until you have handled both for yourselves. Otherwise, your opinions are invalid/irrelevant.
phlapp
2 years ago |I think the title is misleaing. The title states a77 within 1 year but in the interview he states a pro model within a year i.e. full frame camera!?!
Sky_walker
2 years ago |it’s not about full frame from what I read.
“We are confident this camera will satisfy the needs of serious photographers. (…) model should arrive “within one year. (…) The new advanced camera will use a newly developed image sensor, he said at the press conference. It will also be available with a new vertical grip. Sony showed a prototype of the new camera”
- So it looks like he talks about A7x. Pity… to say at least.
We should make a petition – like the one for restoring the DoF Preview… maybe it will work too….
Brett
2 years ago |Here’s the quote. He is saying “advanced”, read A77, not pro.
“Based on initial feedback and our own study, we have decided to utilize this unique technology for an advanced model of the amount camera,” Turo Katsumoto, head of Sony’s Alpha business, said at a press conference at the Photokina show here. “We are confident this camera will satisfy the needs of serious photographers.”
In an interview, Katsumoto said the model should arrive “within one year.”
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20017122-264.html#ixzz10DqKQ1WF
Joel
2 years ago |Exactly this. They use advanced == A77. Pro-level means something above the A77 (whatever that is). Admin, please use language like a77 Pro since everyone seems to equate A99 with full frame, and that’s not necessarily what the A77 Pro will be.
Sony drops the ball
2 years ago |Good bye Sony Alpha. It’s been fun, but I have far better things to do than wait for your experiment with the market.
BMan
2 years ago |Two things:
1)
“No Ovf, no real professionel Camera.”
Or:
“No film, no real professional Camera.” (10 years ago)
2)
Do not diss the EVF if you have not used it.
It has a lot of positives and some negatives. But getting used to it is ultra fast and then it’s not “bad” anymore.
Also, I have had the a33 and a55 on test for a week, and the a55 simply destroys the a700 in terms of IQ. It’s better in every aspect except of course for the fact that everything goes through the menu. But once you get used to it, it’s just as fast as the Fn style changing of options on the a700.
And I guess we will never see a KM7D again (I own it just for the fun of turning all the knobs and dials).
However, I am disappointed in Sony.
After I have tested both SLT’s I was ready to purchase the A77, if it were available soon (early 2011) – not in a year!
I would buy the a55 if it had a better battery, would be bigger and had a grip option! Also CF would not be bad, since I have 90G+ of UDMA CF storage cards which I mostly need for the A900 but you know …
More lenses would also be nice.
I own loads of the original AF lenses (beercan series), and would love to have
some of those focal lengths and sizes. Or just if they re-use those designs with new coatings to remove some flaring
David
2 years ago |I’m hoping this is a case of “bad English” and that “within one year” actually means “within the year.” I cannot fathom that Sony would be so arrogant and tardy to produce a replacement for the Sony A700. Five years? Come on….that’s ridiculous.
phlapp
2 years ago |” Katsumoto said the SLT pro-model should arrive “within one year.” ”
I can’t imagine a ‘pro model’ would be APS-C?
john
2 years ago |OMG rediculous for sure and W.T.F.!!!
Carl
2 years ago |Just about anything Katsumoto says makes my head hurt.
Dude
2 years ago |OVF with LCD option like fujifilm shows it…
Well in FF the profit of big EVF is not that huge thing.
Question is whether you want Phase AF in video.
@Jason
I understand you behold because of the reaction time the EVF has.
But it is unquestionable much bigger than the one in A700 and even more in Sony’s LV models.
It is great for framing stills (in my personal view ;o) ).
I think we can complete that at the moment EVF and OVF both have their down and upsides.
Greg McMullin
2 years ago |This decision has me seriously considering ditching Sony and moving on to Canon or Nikon. All I want is a semi pro APC-C camera with directly accessible controls just replace the A700!
Sigh.
Margeneedsanewbaby
2 years ago |I was soooooo disappointed when I heard the news today. I’ve been waiting for a A700 successor for so long and Sony’s only interest: Generate new customers. Why should they bind the old costumers? It’s not them who buy the expensive lenses, flashes and other gadgets… Of course, someone who buys a A55 will sure be interested in a Zeiss lens for 1600 EUR. This strategy is so absolutely stupid an short minded. When will they finally understand, that a camera is no TV or Blueray player, that will be bought, used for 2 years and then replaced. Sorry but after today I can’t take Sony as a Camera producer serious anymore. A Camera is not a Tablet PC, Dishwasher or Camcorder. It’s a supply to take pictures with. And nowadays on a very high standard. I want a camera, that is still a camera, with high resulion, high Iso, OVF and a conservative mirror packed in a body, that can be handeled with normal hands. Stop this stupid huntig for new innovations an start focusing on your costumers, I meen the old ones…
Otherwise the D7000 seems to be a very nice camera.
Andrew
2 years ago |By the time this camera makes it to market it will be good and behind the competition. I understand why Sony put a lot of effort into the beginner bodies. So they could presumably grow their customer base and have more users to make selling enthusiast and semi pro bodies more viable. But at the same time this strategy has alienated the KM loyal alpha mount users that don’t want a full frame camera but who’s experience is beyond the current aps-c offerings.
Panfruit
2 years ago |Luckily Nikon and Canon and Pentax are still pumping out quality advanced amateur models, so really Sony’s waffling is no big loss(though disappointing). Fie on Sony!
Jason
2 years ago |@Dude
But the size of the Viewfinder is irrelevant if you are comparing an OVF to an EVF. And it is not significantly larger (if at all) than the a700′s. Remember, the a700 uses a pentaprism type viewfinder. The EVF IS significantly larger than the penta-mirror types (a200, etc).
Anyways, the point is that this is a semi-pro body we are talking about. The point of having a semi-pro body is increased usability and handling. The fact that it is an EVF cripples usability with its slow refresh rate. ***IMPORTANT*** I have tested the a33 in person and would like everyone to know the following. The worst thing about the EVF is that when you bring your eye up to the EVF, it doesn’t turn on instantaneously. It takes about half a second, which is enough to cause you to miss the moment you are trying to capture – further crippling usability and handling.
I do agree that EVF and OVF do have their own advantages and disadvantages.
johnnyboy
2 years ago |This is absurd. I have been waiting to upgrade from a200 (I could get an a700, but I don’t want to invest in something that will be replaced in a year). I’ve been keeping cool, and quiet. Obviously Sony will get us a new semi-pro in decent time. Then this slap in the face. I was willing to at least try the evf/pellicle. Now that’s not even an option for a YEAR!!!???? Whatever, bad customer service. I’m outta here. Nothing worse than 1 year shutter lag!
celle
2 years ago |“The EVF IS significantly larger than the penta-mirror types (a200, etc).”
I had the A350, I had the A200 and use the A700. I didn´t see much OVF-Advantages from A700 to A200 and A350. I like more the EVF from the A55 than the OVF from my A700. I´m not a sports shooter, for my photography (people, portrait, akt, nature, makro) the EVF in the A55 or the OVF in the A900 is the better option …
“***IMPORTANT*** I have tested the a33 in person”
And I have tested the A55 and will buy it, when it´s available
REVENGE
2 years ago |How about the rumored electronically controllable liquid crystal-based translucent mirror + a FujiFilm-like OVF/EVF hybrid? With a full-frame global shutter CMOS sensor and a pro-style compact body?
john
2 years ago |maybe in 3 years but sweeeeeeeet..:-)
acolyte
2 years ago |Please someone sum it all to me. What’s the solid news with A77?
Is it ‘nothing’?
Personne
2 years ago |I’m a pro, using A900 and a lot of great Zeiss and Minolta lenses…
After looking at where this is going, I have decided to go back to Nikon (sooner better than after).
This Sony “new way”… me no like!
Me like Nikon way! they haven’t forget about the high end user there!
Bye Sony.
rob
2 years ago |How is it possible to vote on the EVF/OVF when most of us have yet to even see this EVF? I think we need some time.
Oscar Soto
2 years ago |Having both choices would be OK and fair. One year is way too much time to bring a new camera that will offer what other brands have being offering in the last two years. What’s left to develop to start building and selling the A700 replacement? SLT technology is here, good sensors are here, OVF is here, EVF is here. Why they need more time? I don’t understand.
I want to start my semi-pro photography business but I haven’t bought anything yet just waiting to see if Sony is capable of offering a decent camera with semi-pro quality but I’m running out of patience.
Brett
2 years ago |I’m in the same boat as you, but I think the A850 is the best choice today for me, and for likely the next 24 months.
Oscar Soto
2 years ago |The A850 is a good camera but there are some problems with it
- ISO performance is not the best (I shoot a lot of handheld pictures and I want them to look sharp and nice)
- No live view so no moveable Screen
- No video support (That’s not a real problem for me)
And I have 4 APS-C lenses and one full frame lens. That’s why I was waiting for and A700 replacement. It’s like having a lot of good things of the A850 but you can use all your lenses.
Brett
2 years ago |Nothing is perfect. I think while the ISO isn’t the best, it isn’t that bad. Video is not important for me in n DSLR, and while live view would be nice, I can live without it. Fortunately for me I have mostly FF lenses, including two F2.8.
Ryan
2 years ago |Crossing Sony off my list and exploring other makers. Sony was and has been my #1 choice for a long time, but I’m tired of waiting.
Brett
2 years ago |I’m not convinced EVF is the future in pro quality cameras (not in the near term anyway). It has it’s place, but to think that it will replace the OVF from this point forward, is quite daring and a gamble on Sony’s part. I really believe it will be a tougher sell in FF pro. But of course, if the A77 is going to be as long as 12 months away (and you can bet it will be closer to 12 than 6 months) then how long can we expect to wait for the next FF?? 24 months? I guess that is time to see how the consumer is “leaning” However,I don’t understand the logic of basing future FF pro decisions on the “customer need” without an OVF along side the EVF in the semi-pro camera. OK they have the A580 and A55 to compare, but that’s a totally different market than a FF pro model, and hopefully Sony are not basing FF pro decisions based on A580/A55 buyers! Or mabe they are.
Anyway, I think I will be going out and getting myself an A850 before the end of the year.
santanu
2 years ago |It talks about SLT on pro model like 850/900 will be out in a year, does not say A77 will take a year so please change your heading. There will always be an OVF and EVF model side by side. If the 5 series has the evf and ovf do you think the 7, 8 and 9 series will not have that??
acolyte
2 years ago |It does not say that A77 will take a year. It just says within a year. Which is politically correct IMO. However, I agree that we don’t know that A77 is what they’re talking about. Andrea, can you reconsider the title? That title depresses me more and more.. T_T
And yeah, we have no way of knowing what’s the future. A7xx and A9xx hasn’t been touched for a while. The A850 is just a more affordable version but too much alike the A900.
Arghhh the more I think about this the more it depresses me.
jumping
2 years ago |that picture is a77
I thought that is the replace of a700
Banish
2 years ago |That’s all Sony, I got tired of waiting for the a700 replacement. I’ve been saving to upgrade from an a200, then I bought the a550 and now I want a decent semi pro camera. I guess the only option now it’s to get the Nikon D7000. As someone said, “sooner better than after” and don’t spend any more Money on sony/minolta lenses.
Chester Lam
2 years ago |A lot of people are writing off Sony because of this announcement…but the Sony rep didn’t actually say Sony wouldn’t be making any more OVF models. He said that from a technological point of view SLT looks better, but never mentioned anything about the photographic point of view.
I’m sure they can see that OVF has some huge advantages, like much lower power consumption, lower heat (especially on the sensor), no loss of night vision, etc. Sony inherited a lot of Minolta engineers – they’re not stupid.
As for me, I intend to buy the a580 when it comes out (I don’t want to wait for the a560). It seems like a capable camera, and after all, in photography skill matters more than updated models.
Sky_walker
2 years ago |What’s most important: He never told that there won’t be twins, the OVF and EVF.
Brett
2 years ago |Well, I tried out an A33 today. Very small body, too small for me, and I have small hands. IKt feels very light and plasticy (cheap) The EVF wasn’t bad, but you can tell it’s not real (optical). It lights up fairly quickly but there is a small delay, and it seems odd putting to your eye blank, but I guess you get used to it.
I think it is a personal choice EVF/OVF and perfectly fine in an enthusiast camera, but for a pro level camera, I wouldn’t want one.
KGruppe
2 years ago |All of you and I, including hang on a big hook in a large fisherman. “It’s a Sony.”
I just want to A580 camera. Nothing more.
imaanyAieR
2 years ago |what are the chance to have 2 (yea 2) mirror inside? after the main mirror reflect upward (into a 2nd mirror) where the 2nd mirror has 70% bypass to OVF(yes OVF) and the last 30% to AF module?
so we wont have mirror slap (hence no need of MLU) and we have OVF! yay
Joel
2 years ago |They use “advanced” to mean A77. “Pro-level” means something above the A77 (whatever that is). Admin, please use language like a77 Pro or A88 since everyone seems to equate A99 with full frame, and that’s not necessarily what the A77 Pro will be.
bloodsucker
2 years ago |“It’s important to underline the fact that Sony said that they will focus on the customers need” i think what sony meant was sales figure.
bye_bye_sony
2 years ago |EVF is not a problem form. The problem is lack of A77 with EVF, lack of NEX 7. In one year there should be A99 and NEX 9 allready on the market. Since they have showed detailed plans for next two years, and there isn’t any hint about FF future I am changing to N or C (I haven’t decided yet: 5d or D700). I have an impression they focus on APS-C NEX more than on Alpha, looks like future system for me. Pellicle mirrors are just intermediate step to that future that is need becaouse of alpha lenses base/heritage.
Sony is less “professional” than Panasonic or Pentax at this moment. Funny after all those predictions how capable their R&D is.
icie
2 years ago |I hope all the people saying they are moving systems do follow through on their word. I shall be watching ebay for your cheap lenses.
ECZ
2 years ago |Been there, done that. I’ve bought all my lenses second hand, and sold them off at around or slightly higher than what I bought it for. Hell, i’ve even made a small profit from selling all my lenses! Good luck camping and wasting time at ebay for lenses sold at second-hand market prices!
acolyte
2 years ago |We’ll be watching
calxn
2 years ago |Voting before trying it seems naive or guessing at best. I’ll get to try out the translucent mirror this week. I’m skeptical, but those u43 EVF fanatics seem to love it. I have my doubts but will give anything a try. I think the Fuji’s X100 hybrid viewfinder to be a much more interesting approach.
GoodwinDan
2 years ago |Hi Guys,
I can understand that many of you are upset about the Poor news from Photokina, but I really think Sony won’t dissapoint in 2011/2012.
I’ve got the a850 with the CZ 85mm and 135mm, and that’s all I need right now..
I’m gonna stick to Sony and Ithink a lot of you guys should either
Regards
Dan
George
2 years ago |I have just received an email from a journalist at Photokina about the a77 prototype.
To him, the prototype looks more like an advanced a55 than a successor to the a700 according ergonomic and size of the prototype.
So it might be true about that there will be an a77 and a750!
JN
2 years ago |We need to wait just a little bit longer! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! I’m off to buy a 7D! Sony you should be very ashamed of your selves…
RB
2 years ago |IMHO, the problem is not OVF or EVF….
I understand, that first of all, Sony has to earn money to pay the developers of the cool a7xx and a9xx. And this can be done only in the grand public market with models like the a200-a550 and NEX.
On the other hand, Sony started with the a700 and a900 a very fascinating line of serious cameras. The a900 is — apart from the JPEG engine and some minor flaws — quite perfect. Sony made so many things right and much better and cheaper than the established camera makers. The lenses are really excellent and worth every single cent. It is so seducing to change system to Sony.
What is irritating, however, is, that it seems that Sony has abandoned this advanced market: In Germany, the important 1,8/135 ZA and the 2,8/70-200 G is sold out at sonystyle, in England, the a850 is declared as a previous model. After four years, there is still no replacement for the a700. On sony.de, there is now a category “For Professionals” — and it lists there the a550.
So, will the Leica-Story repeat with Sony? Will we hear in the (not so far) future “Sorry boys, the real stuff was just an idea. You can adapt your 20.000-EUR lens park to an a550 or a NEX-5″? Is the a550 really the style of camera you want to sell to professionals and enthusiasts?
Now is photokina — after all those bad news and rumors, I would have expected a real statement from Sony, like a a750, like an a800 with 12MP but ISO 200.000. Like a 1,8/135 ZA SSM. Like a real professional a1000.
Gabriel
2 years ago |Modern EVF are good, i recently take a look at the Samsung NX10 in a store, and the viewfinder is good with no grain, good definition and luminosity. You saw the picture like the camera take it, no need to look at the rear screen to judge wb and exposure, you see what you get
Jonathan
2 years ago |Modern EVFs may be good unless you are over 40 and require reading glasses. If the camera does not have eye sight correction on the viewfinder, the user has to use reading glasses in order to take a photgraph of a landscape (which is just weird) or the eye sight correction will need to be adjusted between different users of the camera. Optical view finders do not have this problem and is why I would definitely prefer an OVF.
Ross
2 years ago |Wow, i guess its time to seriously think about jumping ship.
D7000 just released too….. hmmmmmm.
I would in a heartbeat if i wouldnt lose so much money on everything.
kb
2 years ago |you might lose more if you wait. and if you buy replacement used lenses it wont be so bad.
acolyte
2 years ago |If you want to sell your lenses now, sell it. Before supply increases.
Trebor
2 years ago |I too have become frustrated with Sony and their commitment to the high end user and sold my a700 and much of the lenses. I still have the a850 and a 24-70 and 70-200 lenses and the hvl58 flash for that but to keep investing in more Sony lenses was too scary considering how uncommunicative they are about the future and direction of their full frame cameras not to mention the high ISO problem that keeps losing to other cameras. So I got a Canon 5dmk2 with some lenses and will continue to shift over to Canon in the future as I know I will be covered with their gear. Too bad as really wanted to stick with Sony but just too frustrating always waiting.
kb
2 years ago |saw this coming…
i will maybe buy 1 more lens for my a850 a 85mm 1.4 and thats it (i have 50mm and 90mm 2.8). prolly hold on to this system for a few more years then go elsewhere.
acolyte
2 years ago |Wow.. very compromising o.o
Oscar Soto
2 years ago |I wonder by the time the A7X/A7XX gets released, what the other companies would be offering?
Remember Sony is at least 2 years behind the competition in terms of semi-pro bodies.
acolyte
2 years ago |Only time will tell. Canikon is as worried as Sony, not on the same page though. They might be fast on the pro, but technologies like SLT may be hard for Canikon to adopt/re-adopt. After all, even with their renderings of mirrorless (was it?) they still haven’t shown prototypes yet (can someone correct me?)
Brett
2 years ago |Having handled the A33, I can’t help but wonder where Sony is going here. There is no question they seem to be focusing on technology and are very good at it, but to me the A33 is too small and cheep looking. If Sony keeps going down this road, it won’t be long before they invent the compact point and shoot camera!
Although having said this they are probably trying to capture as much of the biggest segment of the market first and will give us the higher end later (but not too late).
I can also only assume dropping the A700 was a production capacity issue, because I wouldn’t think it would have been too much of a stretch to put out an upgraded model (more MP’s and some minor upgrades) earlier to keep this segment from getting frustrated and leaving. It’s easier to keep a customer than get a new one!
acolyte
2 years ago |I’ll just comment on your last sentence – Sony doesn’t seem to think like so :s
Greebo
2 years ago |Maybe its just a feint and we’ll be able to buy a A750 in a few weeks, and the A77 will be available in about an year.
But if not Sony will lose more and more so called semi pro’s to their competitors!
bye bye sony hello canon
2 years ago |I will change to Canon.
They have also pro slr’s!
Sony im sad but i think your future isnt in the pro market.
acolyte
2 years ago |Nikon also :s Personally I dislike Canon’s colors. Why not Nikon?
Sky_walker
2 years ago |^ Same here. Especially cause right now Canon offers D60 being a downgrade from previous model, lol. If anything – Nikon is a better choice. Or if someone likes in-body IS than Pentax is most obvious.
It’d consider even going Sigma over Canon currently, lol.
bloodsucker
2 years ago |their main focus is $, they don’t give a $hit about existing customers. they can’t afford to lose one as long they can get 2 new customers.
acolyte
2 years ago |Think you mean can. And yes, $ is all that matters. It’s not about 1:2. It’s more than that.
Remember, how often do we buy new lenses? New bodies? How often do the entry level market buy new ones? If you think about it, it all make sense.
Canikon prefers to keep their customers. Let them hold the market, but the direction Sony is going is another question that we can discuss. It’s not in our favor it esems.
jjack
2 years ago |I acknowledge that sony will lose a lot of semi pros but i’m sure they will end up making more money with new customers and release good semi pro models. Sony jumped into dslr market relatively short time ago. To me, their improvements are amazing and fast. I will stick with sony cause i believe i will see some good semi pro cameras by the time i can shoot pictures like semi pro
acolyte
2 years ago |heheh I was reading the comments one by one – yup thinking the same way as jjack. I’m just hoping they can get convinced WE semi-pros are quite big of a market, not as big as entry level but bigger than pros.
Whether it is true or not, who knows o_O I just hope somehow Sony can get convinced. One proof is the amount of complaints and hope for A7xx as opposed to A9xx, or A8xx.
Sky_walker
2 years ago |There are no complains nor hopes about A9xx or A8xx because Sony customers haven’t grown up to this level yet.
I started with Alpha 200/300/350 generation – as so did lots of people in Sony system (A200 was best-selling Sony DSLR so far, as I know), after over 2 years I’m more than ready to go up for something semi-pro, like the A7xx generation, though A580 looks very interesting too. Any full frame body is waaay out of my interest now, and so it is with many other people. Pro bodies will sell, sure, but it needs years till Sony actually gains enough customers so that this 0.5% of folks would go into more professional photography and be ready to invest serious money.
Nikon and Canon took years of hard work in order to establish themselves well in pro-market. Sony need some time too, and “building from roots” policy is a good way to go, though… time taking.
So I think till 2012 there’s very little chance for Sony to gain good profit from selling any new full frame model.
Situation with semi-pro, the A700 successor is entirely different though, and end of 2010 as well as 2011 will be a very nice year for Sony to gather profits in this market…if they’ll decide to release the camera before too many people quit.
kb
2 years ago |i am confused and torn. i really want an zeiss 85mm for my a850 but any further investment into sony system seems like not such a good idea. even at this point you can probably get 2-3 good years out of our FFs. before others FF tech becomes very inticing. what to do…
acolyte
2 years ago |Haha, and I just replied to your comment earlier. As you said, it’s an investment, a gamble. If Sony does target for 2012 for the pro market, only time will tell. It’s a full gamble in that case.
Noone knows, not even Sony, as they’re still planning their market strategy right now.
acolyte
2 years ago |Before you guys write new comments after reading the article, please read the previous comments. I’ve seen interesting ones such as:
1. It might not be A77 that they’re releasing
2. The release time is LESS than one year, not one year
3. SLT may look better, but the Sony rep didn’t say anything about not releasing an A7xx SLR.
4. Even if OVF/EVF is released, they didn’t say anything about releasing the twin.
Try to not mislead other readers. If you’re a troll I can understand (lol). If you’re not, try not to, as we’re relying on each other for stuff in the dark.
Dam u Sony where’s Nex 7..
hansen
2 years ago |@acolyte
to 2: the release time is LESS than one year, not one year.
But if they have some problems… It could be more than one year.
On PMA they told that they working on the A700 successor. And now at photokina they have no prototype who is working (like others)
Why to they say less then one year and why do we get no exact date? So the “less than one year” is very sluggish and seems to me that it is not fix that we get the next pro models within one year.
Sky_walker
2 years ago |Sony isn’t really a company laying to a customers.
It won’t be a year. They told that they are working on A700 successor – and nothing changed with that. We don’t have any exact date cause they need to polish everything up, and that’s something hard to date.
Lloyd Grace
2 years ago |I will switch platforms before I use ANY DSLR with an EVF! I’ve been a Minolta shooter since 1982 and have been loyal to Sony until now, but if that’s where they are headed then I, like many others will be gone.
Sonyboy68
2 years ago |Sony is the future !
Sony don’t copy the ohers.
It is innovative and creative.
Waiting for these A77 and
new accessories.
GB
2 years ago |Back in the days the first Digital Video Cameras were using OVF then B&W EVF. Nowadays can you point to me a Digital Video Camcorder using OVF ?
Joel
2 years ago |“Within a year” is a classic engineering term for “We’ll get around to it when we can”.
I wouldnt hold your breath in hope that they’ll release an A7xx within the next few months given that they haven’t progressed their non-functional prototype since PMA. If they’d make some progress on it, Photokina would be the place to show it off.
Momo
2 years ago |I want what you want but now, not in 1 year !!!!!!!!!!!
Jacob
2 years ago |I’ve tried Pentax ,Nikon and Canon with good results but I could always get the same or better results easier with Sony
The fastest Live-View and good LCD is the way to go!
and its alone the most important feature for taking more creative photos.
Who needs a viewfinder at all?
How often do you use it in your video camera?
Ok sometimes is useful(zoom,sun) but most of the time will make your eyes tired and taking photos this way is very slow and its a stone-age style;-)