(SR3) A possible protoype list…(36 MPX cam, PRO NEX, hybrid videocamera, 400mm lens)
“Someone” sent me this Sony prototype report. As usual take this kind of info with a grain of salt. I re-wrote the text to hide the original writing style:
“There are many “Pro” prototypes. Some A mount some E mount plus a “hybrid” 1/2 camera 1/2 videocamera. There is also a super 400 f2.8 and a CZ 70-200 f2.8. They tested the PRO cameras without AA filter and all it did was moire everywhere…but crazy sharp. One of the PRO camera protptypes uses a 36 Megapixel sensor and the early sensor ones overheated. Sony will go from NEX 1 to NEX 11 – so the Pro body E series will probably be ready after Photokina. By the way…what happens when you go beyond A99? Go to early numbers!”
So basically, we will have a 36 Megapixel PRO camera in 2013, a new hybrid video and still camera, a 400mm lens a new 70-200mm zoom and a PRO NEX very likely coming in 2013. Sounds interesting that Sony tried to remove the AA filter. Something Nikon has done with the D800E and Fuji with the X PRO 1. But I don’t think they will release a model like that.
Jonathan Coombes
11 months ago |They should bring out a 400mm F5.6, not everyone can afford the F2.8 glass.
Klipsen
11 months ago |A revised version of the old 400 mm f:4.5 would be most welcome. Slower than that … get the 70-400 mm. At f:2.8 it would be unbelievably heavy, something like the old 600 mm f:4.
Jonathan Coombes
11 months ago |Good point that!
Mike
11 months ago |CZ 70-200??? goodbye canon dominance!
Armando
11 months ago |Well 2013 sounds like a good time for a new nex-7, that thing is a beast! With canon coming out with an aps-c mirrorless camera they might as well continue on the next stage since they basically have a head start on this market vs canon.
fotowolf61
11 months ago |Sony should better fix the A77 firmware ASAP, otherwise there will be no confidence in other high end models.
Steve
11 months ago |Sorry, but you are going to need to get over that
We have seen this before and the a77 is an older body an we are unlikely to see much improvement from firmware at this point other than little fixes.
kalpurush :)
11 months ago |Sony better clean up the a77 high ISO noise – FW soon or…
Klipsen
11 months ago |An older body?!
It used to be people bought a new camera every 5-10 years. Today a camera hardly makes it to the shelves before there’s a “demand” for a new model.
But what do I care? I’m not going to buy an APS sensor SLR/SLT again, and full framers are years apart, not months.
Lofote
11 months ago |What is left to be fixed other than “wishlist” things?
World
11 months ago |@Lofote: ISO at 3200 and 6400? Small changes would be very helpful.
fotowolf61
11 months ago |1) better JPEG engine (A77 loose 53% of image details at ISO3200 versus A57 loose only 10% of image details at ISO3200)
2) AF is not working properly (which is a confirmed issue)
Frank
11 months ago |Got a link to the confirmation by Sony that there is an AF issue? (not just some random guy in a forum, I mean confirmation by SONY).
shamb
11 months ago |Low light A77 AF ‘issue’ (or rather, non-issue) is that if you shoot in low light and close to the subject, the AF won’t track as well as a non SLT.
There’s a very good reason for this though: basic physics: (1) the camera relies on AF assist LED in these conditions (because it only has 1/3 of the light of other cameras going to the AF sensor), (2) the camera is so close that the assist light is to the right of the target ( becase the AF assist LED is physically to the right of the lens on the camera).
This means the assist LED does not illuminate the target.
No, this is a VERY edge case: you have to be very close to the subject and shooting in poor light at a low contrast subject.
There’s a SINGLE blog post somewhere where a guy brings this up. He’s basically shooting at a blank area of a cardboard box in a dark room from less than a foot away. In the end, even he admits its a non-test.
Maximus
11 months ago |your simple physics is simply wrong.
In an SLT the AF-Sensor gets 30% of the Light that comes through the lens. This is MORE than in traditional DSLRs, in which the AF-Sensors are behind the semi-transparent-main Mirror that reflects most of the light into the viewfinder and behind the smaller AF-Assist mirror.
https://club-sonus.sony.de/getMedia.htm?resolution=FORUM&media=b79186f3bef434bff1213d7c72322d8b
Carl
11 months ago |A 400/2.8 is probably necessary for the pro crowd to take Sony seriously, but if the 500/4 costs 11k, I fear what a 400/2.8 would go for.
I’m not sure what to make of the rest of those rumours.
hwelvaar
11 months ago |400/2.8 hmm, don’t believe it, but if it’s true, the good thing is that this would confirm Sony’s commitment to the (pro) DSLR/SLT market.
Technomad
11 months ago |The hell with more bodies right now. Give us high quality core E-mount lenses: proper, fast, compactish zooms and primes that give a photographer a range of options that match the capabilities of the sensors.
Varn
11 months ago |Sounds too good to be true…
Steve
11 months ago |Yes it does
Rooru S.
11 months ago |Everything sounds like a dream…Is Sony really commiting themselves to the Pro market?
so 400mm f/2.8 coming next year? but they should offer a f/4 alternative version aswell (like the old minolta, I think it was f/4.5)…not everyone can afford such a high speed super telephoto lens.
but the interesting thing is the Zeiss 70-200 f/2.8… it’s going to be priced ridiculously high that I don’t know if they are going to get some money from that lens at all, I would rather make a new 70-210 f/4 beercan or update the old one.
but 2013 looks promising..now I want a list of what is coming at photokina!!
Don Cox
11 months ago |Remember that Sony have been in the pro video market for decades. It would make sense to extend their offerings to still-plus-video cameras.
The E mount is used for both.
Rooru S.
11 months ago |Yes, I know. But I was talking about the A-Mount division. I do remember some time ago Sony said they were focusing on the consumer and weren’t aiming to compete with Nikon and Canon in the Pro-segment of the market and rather aiming to get the most features to consumers and enthusiasts. But this leaves us with a feeling that they’re really after the Pro market.
Dulaney Ward
11 months ago |I don’t believe that there was ever a time that Sony said that. When they introduced their first slrs, they said that their intention was that the Alpha cameras would be the sharpest of swords. When the A900 was introduced, they denied that it represented an attempt to enter the professional market, saying among other things that it took a lot of work and time to build adequate support for professionals. But they didn’t say that they never would enter that market. And for two or more years now, Sony has been indicating through words and actions that it is very much their intention to compete for the professional market. For one thing, they began listing the A900 & A850 under the rubric of “Professional Cameras” on their website. For another, they repeatedly stated their intention to introduce professional cameras in the future. For still another, they developed a group of professionals shooting Sony cameras called the Sony Artisans of Imagery. Furthermore, their sponsorship of the prestigious World Photography Awards clearly represents a concerted effort on Sony’s part to build prestige among the world’s best photographers. Finally, a camera company does not introduce lenses like the 500 f4 and the expected new 300 f2.8 unless it is very serious indeed about the professional market.
Steve
11 months ago |+1
lollo
11 months ago |“They tested the PRO cameras without AA filter and all it did was moire everywhere…”
A few words like this, make me think that who sent you this infos cannot be trusted.
removing the AA filter from a last generation sensor does not deliver moire everywhere.
it did not deliver so much moire, even in the old sensors like the Kodak 14n.
whistler
11 months ago |Well, well. Sounds very interesting. Especially the no-AA filter part. If sony can fix the moire and get extremely sharp results, then this would be the camera to die for. Still would love them to make an no-AA filter A77 but guess they would be more welcome to fix the A77 firmware first before putting more new cameras on the market.
The 400mm/f2,8 – not sure what to think of it. It will be heavy, it will be damn expensive. A 400mm/f4 would be much more welcome and affordable. Even a 400mm/f5,6 would be a good value option. A new 70-200/f2,8CZ will be most likely responsible for many divorces as husbands will stretch the household budget way too much.
Good rumor – lets make it real.
Lofote
11 months ago |“Sony tried to remove the AA filter”. No, they did not attach it in the first place in that test model
Terrance
11 months ago |If SONY is going to support the PRO market (Sports/wildlife/press) a 400mm f/2.8 is a MUST along with a superfast full frame body. 36+MP is OK but 25MP is enough if the thing can shoot 12-18 frames per second, have 100+ crossing AF points, an optical viewfinder, be rugged, durable and weather sealed. As for cost as long as it is competitive with Canikon everything will be coming up roses. A 36+MP camera is OK for landscape and art photographers (who make extreemely large prints), the frame rate does not have to be as high not the focusing points as many. Cameras and lenses are tools; and in order to make good ones you have to understand how they are used. Advanced amatures obstensively are out having FUN but PROs have dealines to meet and so need tools that get the job done quickly and efficiently, to the quality level demanded by their editiors, day in and day out.
JonasM
11 months ago |Sounds like a kid on the internet posting bs
lollo
11 months ago |exactly….
saiman
11 months ago |+1
Bill
11 months ago |Just need to remember prototypes do not mean shipping products. Features from the prototypes may make it into shipping products or get dropped altogether. Sony could easily have a prototype 400mm f/2.8 but decide the 300mm and 500mm, with current high density sensors, cover the range fine. You can crop a 300mm to a 400mm field of view and still have over 13 MP for the image with a 24 MP sensor.
The Sony 300mm f/2.8 was $6999, the 500mm f/4 is $12,999. Canon’s 500mm f/4 is $10,499 and 300mm f/2.8 $7,299. The Canon 400 f/2.8 is $11,499. So one would expect a Sony 400 f/2.8 to fall into the range of $11,000 to $14,000.
All prices B&H online
Mark
11 months ago |It’s not what Sony decides is sufficient, but whether photographers need or want a particular tool. Pro photographers who are expected to deliver the highest possible image quality are not going to be satisfied with a “crop to get the equivalent of 400mm” attitude if it means losing a large number of pixels in the original image. A photographer that has to crop all the time to get a certain “view” will lose out in image quality to someone who has the right tool to begin with. For many amateurs, cropping is a cost effective way to get the desired result, and they are willing to live with the image quality compromises it entails. That is the last option a pro photographer will want to regularly rely on (as opposed to occasionally relying on it when the situation requires).
I do think a 400/4 (or f:4.5) lens would be a very acceptable alternative to a 400/2.8 for just about all photographers, except sports photographers where every stop of shutter speed can make a difference. But, lots of pros are using the Nikon 200-400/4 as their “go to” lens, particularly when combined with the high ISO capabilities of a camera like the D3/D4. While I remain doubtful that Sony is going to go after the pro sports market, if it does it needs to have available the tools photographers will need and want to use, without making compromises based on what it thinks is acceptable. If the photographers disagree they won’t buy it.
Martin Gamper
11 months ago |I really love to hear that … 36MPX … Pro models … 400mm lens …
But it’s a SR3 and therefore I am too old to believe a word. I believe Sony will bring a “more professional” model of the A-Mount cameras, but still it will not challange the real Pro models (Canon 1dx and Nikon D4) … I don’t have any sources and I am not a “rumorer”, but if anybody ask me about my decision to stay with Sony I’d say “I am really sad, that they forget the professionals in so many ways.”
what I want to say … please Sony, don’t forget the believers and make those Rumors true
Saber
11 months ago |Wow! A Carl Zeiss 70-200 f/2.8 will be very appealing, if only I could afford such a treasure. I think I would opt for this vs. the A99 body. For me, it would be worth up to $2600
Bernd
11 months ago |Admin,
do you have any information about the professional servo zoom lens we can expect for the NEX-FS700? This camcorder has a zoom rocker, so such a much-needed lens must be in the works. And maybe we’ll see it already at IBC in September?
CTPhotographX.com
11 months ago |“By the way…what happens when you go beyond A99? Go to early numbers!”
They start the AO Series – (Alpha~Omega).
Matt
11 months ago |Historically Minolta have dropped a digit going from one ‘gen’ to another and Sony have been following a similar path. My guess is 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9. Maybe 1 for something unique.
CTPhotographX.com
11 months ago |Methinks you are correct. A fair assessment.
john
11 months ago |A1
double positive
get a free case of steak sauce with every camera ordered.
after that A1 MII etc
tttulio
11 months ago |Sony has already won the MegaPixel war. time to stop now.
Frozen
11 months ago |Like to see a new 16-80 cz with ssm
PhotoNut
11 months ago |I don’t put too much stock in these very vague rumors. How could anyone have seen these prototypes in person, seen the specs on paper or talked to someone who had done the above but yet have no real information to add to the rumor pile.
I mean the person goes into a lot of speculation and stuff that is believable but at the end of the day, this person does not really provide any information that is falsifiable.
I guess that is why this site is called **Rumors. All rumors anyway.
In any case, to direct to photo related topic. I’ve been using two mint copies of the Beercan on my A850 and thought it was great — and it is great and short focal distances and macro — but when I shoot things at longer distance, I’m beginning to see that the results are not very good at all. I recently short a Heron (or something like that) at 210mm , good distance and when I started looking closely at bird (which needs to be zoomed in 100% to be seen well), I noticed that there is a lot of optical aberration in the picture. In particular, the bird seemed slightly out of focus, blurry, little swirls in the pixels. I shot wide open.
Is this a common experience for others? Or was I just shooting wrong without tripod? I’ve also seen this fuzzy/oof problem in non-macro/closeup pictures with another Beercan. Shooting someone about fifteen feet away at medium focal length, the person is not fully sharp or in focus. But yet I get beautiful close up macro pictures.
Anyway, just wanted to throw some photo topic into my usual nay-saying.
ep
11 months ago |u can drop it down to SR0.
the sony revealed roadmap to dealers did not mention anymore super tele prime, nor a CZ zoom, but a possible of 70200G revised.
Steve
11 months ago |I also own an old Minolta 70-210 (Beercan) and have notice the same
My not as old Minolta 70-200/f2.8 (not as old) is sharper at 200……….
It takes a very good lens to make it past todays Photoshop and high-end displays at 100% pixel peeking
Ottawa Wedding Photographer
11 months ago |If you have seen the SONY revealed roadmap to dealers, why haven’t you submitted your detailed knowledge of this roadmap as a “rumour” to the Sony alpha rumors website?
I know we’d all love to know what lenses are coming… Do tell!
Pietro
11 months ago |A99, 36MP, shutter speed to 1/12000, 16/20 fps, pro body, high quality lenses like 24/f2-50/f1,2-200/f2-400/f2,8!!! If it were true it would be a very good step forward and a realistic choice for pro. I’m working for two weeks with my new Sony 500/f4, very excellent, fast and sharp (more then Nikon 600/f4).
ihur
11 months ago |This is just a traffic-maker rumor. Better than nothing aye? Definitely more interesting than those roundups or or tittsbits posts.
Twaddler Belafonte
11 months ago |300mm F4!
Sahaja
11 months ago |I would expect any company like Sony, Nikon or Canon to have many prototypes that while interesting never see commercial production.
cliff
11 months ago |Every translucent material has its limitations. I wonder how much resolution that sensor can collect behind that translucent mirror material.
I’m sure that there are heavy amounts of difraction in that acrylic. (Difraction is literally is “job”..LOL)
36 “real” megapixels? Calculate bayer pattern pixel loss and nyquist pixel loss all behind that thin acrylic material? I wouldn’t be supprised if that 36mp image looked no different to the current 24mp today.
Hell,…the 16mp and the 24mp are so damn close in tests that it makes going higher just not worth the photosite shrinking.
Cliff
CTPhotographX.com
11 months ago |Even without SLT, the D800 36mp doesn’t look much different than Sony a900 24mp either. Barely hardly more resolution, but no better in noise control. At least that’s what my eyes see on DPReview comparison page.
I just don’t understand why they don’t put a double size NEX-7 chip into the new FF for 48mp… which would make a noticeable difference. Certainly overheating isn’t a problem when NEX-7 is ok with such small body.
matgay
11 months ago |why stop at 2 chips? you can combine 10 of the 24mp sensors and have a fullframe camera that is 240mb!!!
Jason
11 months ago |They are so quick to come out with new cameras. Really wish they would redirect some of that R&D into some good lens. I am about to give up on Sony.
anthony
11 months ago |i dont know what teh big deal is removing the AA filter
even on my sony a700 using my zeiss 85mm stuff is SO sharp that especially on models skin sometimes im reducing sharpness to 0 in LR
Clifton
11 months ago |prototypes don’t always result in a consumer product, Sony have probably started developing 100′s of products over the years and most of them never see the market.
jack
11 months ago |sounds like Sony want to go after canon n Nikon’s pro reporter / concert field of dominance aim with these 400 2.8 and 70-200 2.8.. each will cost a bloody 3000 estimated !!!!
I dont get the after A99 go back to bah… so it will be A1? Should be A9000 !!!
So they can reboot the whole line and people know the more 000s the better.
Walter Knapp
11 months ago |There has been no indication that Sony is setting up the support system for pros. They, themselves said that was what was necessary for them to move into pro. They have to set it up and then convince the pros that they will support gear long term. With no long term support record, look at what they have done with support for the a700 folks and now the a900, that’s what the pros are going to be thinking about. It will take Sony a lot of time to overcome their current support image.
I’ve no use for a 70-200 in my lens set, or in my photography, but something like a modern version of the Tamron 200-500 or maybe 200-600 in a G lens would be very attractive, and maybe affordable. The 70-400, good as it is should be longer. And the primes they are putting out are priced out of the market.
Joseph
11 months ago |I would love to see the manufacturing cost for the top lenses. The profit margin must be ridiculous. Sony must be okay with shooting themselves in the foot. Eventually, many Sony user will move to Nikon if they don’t bring their “A”game and step up to the plate. I am almost to that point. I am not necessarily looking for new bodies all the time but continued support for older models should occur until you squeeze every drop of performance out of them. I know there can be improvements in the A900/ A850 6400 ISO noise performance, but I guess that would kill some sales of a new model if customers don’t like SLT or have no need for video functions. One thing I really hope is that Sony keeps a slot for compact flash cards. I know everyone on here probably has a load of them. Sony hasn’t listened before, but I hope for some reason they start now before they begin closing parts of their still imaging division for poor product promotion, support and execution.