(SR4) New Sony A850/A900 firmware update to be released next week.
According to two of our sources Sony should unveil the new Sony A850/900 firmware update by end of the next week. It’s Christmas time and Sony wants to push the full frame camera sales. Would be nice to see some price drops too 
We only know that exposure compensation, AF performance will be improved. One source said also the image quality will have a major improvement (but that hasn’t be confirmed by other sources). We don’t know yet if also the A700 will get a firmware update. If you know something please contact me at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com. Thanks!
Click the direct shop links to check the Sony A850 price and availability at:
US -> Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Europe -> AmazonDE, AmazonUK, AmazonFR, AmazonIT.
Click the direct shop links to check the Sony A900 price and availability at:
US -> Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Europe -> AmazonDE, AmazonUK, AmazonFR.
P.S.: We expect the next Sony Fullframe camera to be announced late 2011/early 2012.
emopunk
3 years ago |I saw that in USA you can buy A850 for 1600 dollars. Still here in Italy it’s way more expensive. That’s really a pity, since a price drop would help in rising sales.
SonyA700
3 years ago |It’s going to be interesting to see the pricing on the A77, it may be that the A77 is around the same price as a used A850. Hmmm, now that will be an interesting choice for some to consider…
Whatever
3 years ago |And nothing for the A33/A55 damm Sony really kidding…
Can update the A33/A55 too..
john
3 years ago |OMG
How can your guys CRY about firmware for the A33/A55 which are just a few months old when the owners of the A900 have been waiting patently for an update since 2008!!
Stand in line boys there are a few ahead of you.
Arthur
3 years ago |Good point there.
clivengu
3 years ago |Really Wish there will b a new firmware release for a700 too. improve on noise handling. i have pushed the camera to its limit. And has been waiting for a700 replacement for 2 to 3 years. ;(
emopunk
3 years ago |I guess the time will come for A33/A55. They are too “under the light” cameras for Sony to ignore their users.
kucau
3 years ago |not a light camera when a33/a55 CANNOT shoot when u use manual setting with a small aperture! the EVH fails to autogain.. unless u pop-up flash .
SonyA700
3 years ago |What about the LCD screen?
Emopunk
3 years ago |Indeed, I didn’t mean “studio” camera..
Firmware update in arrivo la prossima settimana per le Sony A800 e A900 | petruccifrancesco.it
3 years ago |[...] Per la fine della prossima settimana stando a quanto affermato da una fonte, è plausibile che Sony si prepari a rilasciare un update firmware per le sue fotocamere full frame, ovvero la A800 e la A900. L’aggiornamento dovrebbe interessare sicuramente la compensazione nell’esposizione e un miglioramento nelle prestazioni del sistema AF, più dubbia invece la possibilità di migliorare la qualità delle immagini. Fonte SonyAlphaRumors. [...]
Gerücht: Firmwareupdate A850 und A900 - 11320 - Digitalkamera
3 years ago |[...] Firmwareupdate A850/900 [...]
00aeiou00
3 years ago |momentous! cant wait to put it through its paces.
CedricM
3 years ago |If it’s true … a really good new !
mugen
3 years ago |A700 FW update – too good to be true
SonyA700
3 years ago |Discontinued, don’t hold your breath!
Carneiro
3 years ago |It would be interesting to assemble a team of people specialized in programming Sony Firmware. There’s the chkdsk for some Canon users… but the idea of having someone building custom firmware sounds really good…even if you need to pay that person…200..300..usd for the updates…
Marketing 101: Sony has no replacement for the A700. Therefore…It must support it…as a Mercedes Benz doesw sell spare parts for its 190E from the 80′s. It’s called brand prestige
SonyA700
3 years ago |What’s wrong with the A700? When you bought the A700 Sony didn’t promise you that they would add new features through firmware updates.
Using your analogy, if you bought a Merc back in the 80s, would Merc continue to add new features to it, such as fitting a CD player for free later on?
Joel
3 years ago |Think of the flipside… the hardware is still good and most of what actually costs money to create the product. Why should the camera end up in a landfill just because the manufacturer decided not to bother to get the full potential out of it to make it more useful?
SonyA700
3 years ago |Because manufacturers only make money from new sales. You expect them to continually update your discontinued camera? LOL
Carneiro
3 years ago |hi
My analogy doesn’t do way that back…but if you actually make me think of the 80′s…back in 89 the Chevy dealers were offering a free upgrade to a CD player from the tape player ( only the premium doulbe din deck…which actually was way batter than the Cd they put).
Instead , like Microsoft ( as an example)when you buy a equipment, that hardwarare comes with a lifecicle policy-In the case of XP…until 2013?).
So…why not adopt such a policy on the photo equipment. To me it seems that most manufactures still don’t have a dedicated hardware programming personel ( like Nikon…).
The other question on how much one would be willing to pay is another question. Instead of paying 200-300 Usd ( which I think I overexagerated…) The user may pay an yearly fee to the manufacturer…like a software assurance policy most software developers use as a standart policy
SonyA700
3 years ago |The A700 works fine on the current firmware.
I don’t understand why they should be expected to make improvements to a discontinued product.
I would rather they concentrated on the A77.
Zdrobot
3 years ago |Sorry, replied to the wrong comment
MrJameson
3 years ago |Is there any reason why owners of discontinued products shoulden´t have updates ? otherwise it´s no point in purchasing a product if it´s not brand new.
Zdrobot
3 years ago |And charging for a firmware upgrade (thus earning money) is a wrong business model, because..?
SonyA700
3 years ago |If you purchase a product then it isn’t discontinued.
How long do you expect companies to release firmware for after a product is discontinued? A year? 5 years? 10? Forever?
I don’t think you guys understand resource management. Development teams are small, costly and constantly under pressure to get bug-free software out for new products and fix the issues in current products. You then expect them to add new features to DISCONTINUED products???
Joel
3 years ago |$200 to $300 for an update? Seriously? I could see paying $20, but it would have to be quite an update to pay much more than that.
Carneiro
3 years ago |Nope
I was watching TV when I wrote that
SonyA700
3 years ago |Because they don’t have the resources the work on firmware for every model of camera that they have ever released.
Every company has limited development resources, they are not going to make a sufficient return from employing hundreds of developers to develop firmware for discontinued products.
Major
3 years ago |Hi,
can you please tell me what’s wrong with exposure compensation that needs to be fixed?
Rob
3 years ago |Hi,
My autofocus is good – what needs to be fixed there?
Edgars
3 years ago |A900 AF is unconvincing in low light even with 24-70mm CZ. For landskape shooters of course it is fast, but I feel it is to slow for me esp. indoors. Lets see in PP test low light AF performance:
http://www.popphoto.com/Reviews/Cameras/Camera-Test-Sony-Alpha-850?page=0,3
Fortunately A900 is with exposure compensation function, but unfortunately you have to almost always set it to +1 because of A900 tendency to underexposure for around 1 stop.
Rob
3 years ago |From the 3rd page of that review “In AF speed, the Sony outperformed the Nikon in all but the dimmest light levels, with the Canon trailing both.” It sure doesn’t sound like the 850 is bad at all!
Edgars
3 years ago |Of course AF for A850/900 is not bad at all, but it could be better. I remember, I was amazed by how A900 AF is better than my A700.
Brett
3 years ago |Nothing needs to be broken to make it better. And I assume all those who are saying there is nothing wrong with the AF or exposure will not be installing the firmware update if and when it arrives:)
If Sony believes they can make my camera better with a firmware undate, I’m all for it.
AVESTA
3 years ago |NICE… although I don’t see the price dropping anytime soon considering the next version isn’t out until next year.
Robert Poirot
3 years ago |sorry guy’s but the nois problem with the 700,850 and 900 is by design, hardware based and will not be solved with a firmware update. A firmware update could improve the jpeg prosessing, but not the RAW output. If jou want the same sensor as the a900 with better performance buy a nikon D3x.
räven
3 years ago |Fortunately there’s no “noise-problem” with the raw files.
Robert Poirot
3 years ago |a payed urgrade would be a good investment when for exanple the way of a/d converting is changed in the hardware. This would resuld in performance equalling the nikon D3X. But the way dslrs are buid this will require exchanging the main print including exmore and bionze chips. so very expensiv.
Mat Foulidis
3 years ago |It’s so exciting to think that a firmware update is nearing its release and that will make an already fantastic DSLR even better. Can’t wait to see the performance boosts this update will pack. I have to agree that AF is fast in all but low light conditions.
sonystudio
3 years ago |noise, noise, nois!
Anonymous
3 years ago |[...] [...]