(SR4) UPDATED: Sony Sweden says the A560 and A580 will very likely be the last DSLR with “classic” mirror. And there might be a replacement for semi-pro camera A700 at Photokina
Markus from Sweden sent us the following link (Fotoguiden.se) to an interview with the product responsible guy from Sony Sweden. The interview is in swedish and Anders Ericsson (Sony) says that the Sony A560) and the A580 are probably (pretty certain) the last traditional DSLRs from Sony! So bye bye Optical Viewfinder 
And than he says that “there might be a replacement for semi-pro camera Sony A700 at Photokina”
Can our swedish readers please make a complete translation? Thanks!
Source: Fotoguiden.se
UPDATE: I repeat, we don’t expect the A7xx yo be announced at Photokina. Probaby they will sow the prototype only. But we do believe the A560 and A580 are really the last DSLR cameras…
UPDATE: Here the complete Interview translation made by Eric (Thanks!)
Q: Anders Ericsson, photo specialist at Sony, you have just released four new DSLR. Isn’t that a little too much?
A: Yes, you could really think that. The thing is that we are entering a new market where haven’t been precent. Early this spring we released a NEX camera which combines the quality of the DSLR and also high resolution video in the NEX-5. We are now entering the DSLR bodies and so are releasing two different types of concepts here.
Q: These new cameras, the A33 and A55, which are a completely new design from Sony with fixed mirrors, which types of customers are they targeted at? Who are you competing with?
A: Well they are for those customers who are thinking along the lines of “Should I buy a very good compact camera with video function or should I aim a little higher?” Maybe they are looking a little at, for instance, the Canon EOS-550.
Q: It sounds like this technology could be interesting for instance for hobby photographers/semi professionals with a 70-200/f2.8 who want’s to shoot sports. It is possible we could se this technology in cameras with optical viewfinders which are a little bigger and more professional?
A.: Yes, absolutely. This is a new direction we are taking and going from a DSLR, that is a digital system camera, to SLT where the T denotes Translucent, meaning a new type of mirror technology. This broadens the concept type to many different types of camera bodies. So that is true.
Q: Then the A560 and A580 might be the last models of your older, traditional segment?
A: I can agree to that, yes. That is correct.
Q: Now, you have chosen and electronic viewfinder in the A33 and A55, but when we look through it the whole image is not presented – there is a masked area which is not being used. Why is that?
A: It is because the viewfinder has a resolution of 1.44 million pixels. Effectively the resolution is 1.15 million pixels, which is because there is a boarder around the image which might be perceived as unused space. This is why we are communicating that the effective resolution of the electronic viewfinder is 1.15 million pixels.
Q: Is it the graphics card in the camera that can’t handle the whole picture and that is why the whole area isn’t used, or what is the technical cause for this?
A: That’s a very good question. It is possible that i could be that they have used up the capacity of the camera on the software for the autofocus, in order for that to reach top performance.
(That’s what I think he means to say anyway, he’s not expressing himself very clearly.)
Q: A33 and A55 have a fixed mirrors which “steals” some light. How large is this loss of light?
A: They are talking about approximately half a stop before it reaches the software, but the new sensor in this camera should mean that it has less of a loss than the older A550.
Q: So you are gaining half a stop on the new sensor, doesn’t that mean you’re always facing the risk that you are half a stop behind the competition – comparing the latest sensors?
A: We are hoping that the reviews that you and the rest of the press are producing, will show that these cameras perform better than the older A550 did.
Q: Sony has previously gotten some critique regarding noise on some models but we saw earlier with the A550 and A500 that you have improved this some. Do you think with time you will become the leader in terms of noise?
A: The goal is to deliver very good imaging chips and have a very low noise levels in those. What happened in the A500/A550 was that we switched from the older CCD technology in the entry level cameras to the new exmor technology where we digitize the light directly on the imaging chip, which means that we loose the step where you would previously build up noise because of the external A/D converter. We can now skip that step.
Q: Those who have an A700 and are hoping for a new camera for the more advances users, when will they get something new?
A: That is a very good question. There have been a lot for whispering about an A750 during that past six months. We have not seen any press release of information regarding this internally yet. We’ll see what happens at the fair in September, down in Germany.
Q: Finally, the electronic viewfinder you are using in the A33 and A55, in the press meeting here there was some talk about something even better coming in a year. What kind of technology is that?
A: You are actually getting ahead of me here, I have no facts about that development. What I have heard rumors about is that there is a lot of development going on in that area. What you have now with the viewfinder in the A55 is that you have very little loss of light when photographing in low light, which is a tremendous advantage compared to earlier compact cameras when using an electronic viewfinder.
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kurth
2 years ago |your title should read ¨last ¨ instead of latest – I doubt it never the less, but it could foretell a more revolutionary approach coming out of sony, and that´s great
Khai
2 years ago |nooo! what bull is he talking!! he must be tipsy while doin the interview after gulping down a few martinis of success of the recent launches!!
Jakob Røjel
2 years ago |I’m not sweedish
but this is some fast the highlights
* SLT cameras is likely to be introduced in higher end cameras
* His view on the current SLT is as an upgrade from advanced P&S users
* They hope that sensor improvements will compensate for the SLT light loss
* Wrt to A750, he had not seen any internal Sony information, but let’s wait and see for Photokina (said in a way implying that he expected some announcement
* Sony is working heavily on improving the EVF
/Jakob
acolyte
2 years ago |We talking about no more A8xx and A9xx but A8x and A9x SLTs?
Sky_walker
2 years ago |title is broken
#
Woh… I hope the guy is wrong! I mean: Not that it would be bad to see A700 replacement on the Photokina in SLT version – ANY A700 replacement would be welcome in open arms, but let’s face it: SLT cameras aren’t perfect for everything for people who don’t care about video, unlike the traditional DSLRs are.
So unless there will be an option to flip the mirror up for taking photos (original SLT patent had this feature), the camera will be A700 size, it’ll have optional vgrip, and the EVF will have very very good color reproduction with full calibration options – I’m not interested, and doubt anyone looking for SLT as primary DSLR gonna be.
Hopefully Sony won’t forget who his clients are. We are photographers, not videophotographers. We buy DSLRs to take photos. All the rest is just addition. So unless the camera is perfect with still photographs (current SLTs are not) I doubt they gonna sell well on the higher price tag.
And – yes, I’d like too have OVF option for each camera too.
#
BTW: Anyone up for transscript the interview to english? Would be VERY appreciated
Roger
2 years ago |The biggest problem is that Canon and Nikon have decided that even their pro SLRs are now for video. 24p, etc etc.
There is only one pro-level camera at both companies that don’t do video. And both are due to be replaced. Video is the future, and Sony sees that. I think once they make the EVF be able to refresh at 12 fps or faster there will no longer be a debate.
acolyte
2 years ago |What shortcoming, that I as a photographer that I should care about other than the 1/3 or 1/2 EV light loss?
I’ve seen reviews and comments, but can anyone enlighten me on why should I, again as a photographer, be against SLT?
(No copy paste from dpreview please, tired of looking at that site
)
Sky_walker
2 years ago |Well, there are two:
- Occasional reflected image from bright point lights – aka “ghosting” caused by internal reflections of the mirror – happens very often but sometimes can be frustrating, also makes SLT pretty much useless for astrophotography unless someone proves the effect does not occur with stars.
- Dirt on mirror – or rather – how mirror gets matte over time. I wouldn’t want to have a DSLR which after 2 cleanings produces less contrastly and less sharp images. It was huge disadvantage of pellix cameras – Sony is ofq completely different tech and it’s mirror is far more resistant but over time it will become matte too.
m23
2 years ago |Is it a little bit funny to see this rumors,
especially when the rumor about A750 was classified as “purely invented” just 24 hrs before…?
admin
2 years ago |Yes the A750 is purely invented. And I already told you we should not expect the A7xx to be announced at photokina. My guess is they will show the prototype only.
m23
2 years ago |That’s rumors that more than 1 model will be announced by Sony on commin’ days.
Beside Sony, P,O & N will also introduce new models,
some of them will using exactly the same CMOS as A55.
(The same source provided the detail specs about NEX3& NES5 on Feb, which finally become true )
Let have a look on it.
Sky_walker
2 years ago |Sony already shown the prototype at PMA 2010 so I’m 100% positive they gonna show at least the prototype.
Josef Neuburger
2 years ago |I hope sony realizes that they don’t just kill the SLR system but an essential piece of photography….
i used a camera with electronic viewfinder for several years, and how good these might ever get – they will never be able to provide the same impression of reality than a real mirror.
i think it was robert capa who said something like “if your pictures aren’t good enough you aren’t close enough” ….and the distance to whatever you want to photograph can only be increased by an artificial electronic display….
photography without feeling and hearing the movement of the mirror isn’t the same anymore…..
i bought an A850 with the 24-70mm 2.8 zeiss just a few month (switching from another brand and consuming a large share of my yearly income) in the believe that sony will care about what people buying semi-pro equipment want…..just to give a slight impression of how disappointed and betrayed this rumor makes me feel…..
Sky_walker
2 years ago |“photography without feeling and hearing the movement of the mirror isn’t the same anymore”
- What if Sony gonna develop camera which can slap the mirror like a conventional DSLR or use it like A55? You know – or you pick less light loss, or you pick quiet shot with full AF during continuous shooting.
“i used a camera with electronic viewfinder for several years, and how good these might ever get – they will never be able to provide the same impression of reality than a real mirror.”
- I look at it differently – for me it’s like: Viewfinder should display what I’ll see on the final photography. OVF never gonna do this, never will show me where the clipping occurs, how are the colors, how’s depth of field (and: no, DOF Preview doesn’t show it exactly as it’s on the photo, unlike the EVF with image from main sensor). So as far as EVF gets high picture quality and calibration equipment – I’m happy with it.
Rabi
2 years ago |While I think a move like this by Sony to be inevitable, I would like to see at least one model continue to have OVF (the A8xx or A9xx).
As a photographer, a lot of moments are instant and require split second reactions. I have this impression that EVFs do lag in terms of timing of when something occurs and when one sees it in the EVF. While the difference may be minimal (milliseconds or less), it is still there.
My 2 cents.
acolyte
2 years ago |Is OVF not compatible with SLT? Can an external OVF be attached to an SLT?
Just don’t bring the OVF vs EVF discussion here
You can google ‘em~
GH
2 years ago |Josef, I think it depends on how you use an LCD or EVF. While I agree that there is something more organic about looking through my A900′s viewfinder, the flip LCD on my NEX-5 is quite a revelation for my digital shooting.
Just like the waistlevel viewfinders on my Hasselblad film cameras, I can flip up the screen on my NEX and use it like a waistlevel finder.
The advantage of a waistlevel finder when shooting people is that you can frame the subject and shoot without a box in front of your face. Just look down, frame and focus, then look back up and casually engage the subject while shooting. This often creates more of a rapport between the photographer and the subject, rather than communication with a piece of equipment in front of your face. See: Platon.
kb
2 years ago |oh boy, not good…
i think the top end A9XX should at least stay with OVF.
I am not sure what it would take to get me to go to EVF. I mean I really hate the fact that the A850 doesn’t have live view, but the only time i would use it is on a tripod. So EVF isn’t an issue in that case (for me). But when I handhold, I would severely miss the OVF.
LMN
2 years ago |this looks like the wars between CD and vinil… film vs digital… in the beginning theres resistance and FUD, but after that, no one cares, everyone loves it and no one wants to return back again!
James
2 years ago |The difference between Vinyl and CDs, film vs digital is that in most cases the newer technology was superior. Regarding OVF vs EVF the OVF are superior. Even the current OVF in DSLR cameras are a very poor compared to the enormous OVF from the 70′s. Have a look through an Olympus OM-1. My old Canon Super 8 camera has an OVF which is bigger, brighter and clearer than the dinky EVF provided on modern day camcorders. Not everything that is newer is better. Yes the EVF in the Sony A55 is better than the OVF in the Sony A560 but the Sony A560′s viewfinder is notoriously bad. Is the Sony A55 viewfinder better than the Canon 7D or Nikon D300s? No.
Sky_walker
2 years ago |Ok, but 7D is way more expensive than A55, so there’s not a chance it’d be better.
Let’s see what Sony brings and take a look through EVF before criticism. Though yea, IMHO for Sony to stay afloat it’s super-necessary to have OVF cameras!
Why? Simply because some people never gonna swap to EVF, no matter how good it’d be. And amongst those is huge majority of pro photographers – those Sony could really use amongst it’s users (prestige reasons).
Myst
2 years ago |this can be either vewy good for sony, or very bad for their interested only in still user base… the main drawbacks against the SLT are EVF vs OFV and they just can’t beat an OVF cause it barely consumes any battery life while the bigger the EVF will be the more battery it will drain…
and also the fact you can’t flip up the mirror… i do hope they will continue with producing DSLR at least for their over 1000$ cameras.
Steve
2 years ago |James, I think you have forgotten how poor some of the initial digital camera were in relation to the existing film cameras. It took a few years for the quality to match and even today there are still some areas (ie. highlight clipping) where film still leads. But there came a point where the overall benefits of digital over road it’s negatives.
I think Sony has realized that we will soon be at that point with the EVF, expecially at the lower to mid tier DSLRs. The size and flexibility of the EVF vs the small OVF in this price range has just about reached that point. An OVF will always have some advantages over the EVF just like film has over digital but more and more people will start choosing the EVF.
Since Sony also does the R&D for EVFs they have a good idea on where it will be in 2 years and are likely planning for that now. Just like film not all manufacturers will switch at the same pace. It will take many years for the full transition, but like film the OVF will eventually become a niche.
ABB
2 years ago |@Steve
Quite a pertinence one.
+1 for you
Edgars
2 years ago |I agree with Seve.
Again people bashing something what they already didn’t see. Then may be omit LCD to be less digital?
Anyone still could by A850/900 with perfect OVF. In terms of IQ performance these cameras still far superior than A5xx/Axx line. Yes they cost more, but you will get what you pay for. Sony gives us a lot of different cameras for perfect stills and now also for affordable video DSLR with usable AF.
David
2 years ago |I think it might be a good idea to double-check your English before you post. You should use the word “there” instead of “it” in reference to the possible showing of the Alpha 750 at Photokina. Big difference. “It” implies the 580 is the replacement. “There” implies that something entirely new and different will appear.
admin
2 years ago |Hi David!
Sorry that is a google translated part. I forgot to check for errors!
jt
2 years ago |I bet the A55 will outsell both of these put together by a large amount.
Camaman
2 years ago |Good writance OVF! Its been a long time over due. Enough with your hindering designe and progress.
Now we’ll actually get to see how our photos will come out exposed and see changes and info in VF!
It figures sony would do this. Canikon users are even more orthodox on this regard!
Peace out!:-)
Por fin, son oficiales las alpha 55 y alpha 33
2 years ago |[...] [...]
Lars
2 years ago |Auf der IFA in Berlin wurde von Sony-Mitarbeitern auch angedeutet das es keinen Optischen-Sucher mehr geben wird und auf der Photokina werden wetere Angaben zu Sony 7xx kommen.
Aussage vom Sony-Personal.
Me
2 years ago |@ Lars – Thanks for letting us know; it is interesting that this now comes from two different sources.
@ everyone who doesn’t speak German, Lars wrote that Sony staff at the IFA in Berlin hinted as well that there will be no further OVFs and that more details about the 7xx will come at Photokina.
Sörppa
2 years ago |Ok, I‘m Swedish so I’ll give it a try. Since Jakob Røjel got the essentials out of it, and because I don’t have the time to make a full transcript, I’ll transcribe only two selected parts that I think are the most interesting here.
******************************
Interviewer (on the translucent mirror technology): “Can we believe that we will see this technology in cameras with optical viewfinders, or cameras that are a bit larger and more professional?”
Sony guy: “Yes, absolutely, this is a new direction we are going into now, and to go from a traditional DSLR, that is digital system cameras [SLRs], to the SLT segment, where T stands for translution, a new kind of mirror technology – this makes way for the concept in different kinds of camera bodies, so that’s right.”
Interviewer: “So maybe the A560 and A580 are the last models of your older, traditional, series?”
Sony guy: “I can agree on that, yes, that’s right.”
*****
Interviewer: “Those who have the Sony A700 and are hoping for a camera for the somewhat more advanced users, when will they get anything new?”
Sony guy: “Yes, that’s a really good question. There have been much talk and whispering about an A750 during half a year. We have not seen any press release or anything internally on that yet, but we’ll see what the exhibition will show in September, in Germany.
Interviewer: “Finally, in the electronic viewfinder that you are using in the A33 and A55 – at the press meeting there was talk about that you would show an even better viewfinder in one year’s time. What kind of technology is coming?”
Sony guy: “Now you are ahead of me actually. I have to say that I don’t have any facts on that, but I have heard rumors that they are working very hard on that development. What we have with this new viewfinder is that there is very little loss of light when taking pictures in low light, and that’s a significant improvement compared to earlier point-and-shoot cameras with electronic viewfinders.”
******************************
Apart from this they talk about that the EVF doesn’t use all available pixels – the Sony guy tries to explain why, but can’t really explain it – he probably doesn’t know the answer. They also talk about how much light that is lost due to the translucent mirror, and the consequences of that – nothing new there. In the beginning they discuss who the A33 and A55 are aimed at, but they didn’t say anything interesting about that I think.
(Note: I translated the Swedish word “systemkamera” to “system camera”. Normally I would translate it to “SLR”, but a “systemkamera” is not quite equivalent to a SLR. “Systemkamera” means that it is a camera that belongs to a system and that it has interchangeable lenses. The word doesn’t imply anything about a mirror, as the word SLR does.)
Momo
2 years ago |Why not, A7x for me is a nice news.
But …
kb
2 years ago |as of 7:04 CT. the A560 isnt on the sonystyle webpage. if you google it, it will be one of the first links, click on, and a broken link.
interesting…
Paul
2 years ago |If Sony will do this then i will say goodbye too. No need for an EVF and Video! I only want to have a good DSLR with a good grip, weather sealed body and low noise …. Is this so complicated ? … No need for thousands of beginner cams! The most of us are 1 step after this! We need new A7xx or the FF Cams … Sometimes i think Sony is really difficult partner ….
Rob
2 years ago |If it’s bye-bye DSLR’s with traditional OVF, then it’s bye-bye Sony Alpha for me
ABB
2 years ago |If that is the case, you will soon bye-bye to photography.
Unless you shoot film, or the highest-end digital.
kb
2 years ago |sony japan doesnt have either. not sure if they ever did.
ushac
2 years ago |An attempt at translating the video interview:
———-
Q: Anders Ericsson, photo specialist at Sony, you have just released four new DSLR. Isn’t that a little too much?
A: Yes, you could really think that. The thing is that we are entering a new market where haven’t been precent. Early this spring we released a NEX camera which combines the quality of the DSLR and also high resolution video in the NEX-5. We are now entering the DSLR bodies and so are releasing two different types of concepts here.
Q: These new cameras, the A33 and A55, which are a completely new design from Sony with fixed mirrors, which types of customers are they targeted at? Who are you competing with?
A: Well they are for those customers who are thinking along the lines of “Should I buy a very good compact camera with video function or should I aim a little higher?” Maybe they are looking a little at, for instance, the Canon EOS-550.
Q: It sounds like this technology could be interesting for instance for hobby photographers/semi professionals with a 70-200/f2.8 who want’s to shoot sports. It is possible we could se this technology in cameras with optical viewfinders which are a little bigger and more professional?
A.: Yes, absolutely. This is a new direction we are taking and going from a DSLR, that is a digital system camera, to SLT where the T denotes Translucent, meaning a new type of mirror technology. This broadens the concept type to many different types of camera bodies. So that is true.
Q: Then the A560 and A580 might be the last models of your older, traditional segment?
A: I can agree to that, yes. That is correct.
Q: Now, you have chosen and electronic viewfinder in the A33 and A55, but when we look through it the whole image is not presented – there is a masked area which is not being used. Why is that?
A: It is because the viewfinder has a resolution of 1.44 million pixels. Effectively the resolution is 1.15 million pixels, which is because there is a boarder around the image which might be perceived as unused space. This is why we are communicating that the effective resolution of the electronic viewfinder is 1.15 million pixels.
Q: Is it the graphics card in the camera that can’t handle the whole picture and that is why the whole area isn’t used, or what is the technical cause for this?
A: That’s a very good question. It is possible that i could be that they have used up the capacity of the camera on the software for the autofocus, in order for that to reach top performance.
(That’s what I think he means to say anyway, he’s not expressing himself very clearly.)
Q: A33 and A55 have a fixed mirrors which “steals” some light. How large is this loss of light?
A: They are talking about approximately half a stop before it reaches the software, but the new sensor in this camera should mean that it has less of a loss than the older A550.
Q: So you are gaining half a stop on the new sensor, doesn’t that mean you’re always facing the risk that you are half a stop behind the competition – comparing the latest sensors?
A: We are hoping that the reviews that you and the rest of the press are producing, will show that these cameras perform better than the older A550 did.
Q: Sony has previously gotten some critique regarding noise on some models but we saw earlier with the A550 and A500 that you have improved this some. Do you think with time you will become the leader in terms of noise?
A: The goal is to deliver very good imaging chips and have a very low noise levels in those. What happened in the A500/A550 was that we switched from the older CCD technology in the entry level cameras to the new exmor technology where we digitize the light directly on the imaging chip, which means that we loose the step where you would previously build up noise because of the external A/D converter. We can now skip that step.
Q: Those who have an A700 and are hoping for a new camera for the more advances users, when will they get something new?
A: That is a very good question. There have been a lot for whispering about an A750 during that past six months. We have not seen any press release of information regarding this internally yet. We’ll see what happens at the fair in September, down in Germany.
Q: Finally, the electronic viewfinder you are using in the A33 and A55, in the press meeting here there was some talk about something even better coming in a year. What kind of technology is that?
A: You are actually getting ahead of me here, I have no facts about that development. What I have heard rumors about is that there is a lot of development going on in that area. What you have now with the viewfinder in the A55 is that you have very little loss of light when photographing in low light, which is a tremendous advantage compared to earlier compact cameras when using an electronic viewfinder.
———-
The guy doesn’t seem to know that well what he’s talking about (he seems to be a sales person as opposed to an engineer), so I would take some of what he says with a grain of salt. The thing about the effective resolution of the EVF for instance…
acolyte
2 years ago |Thanks ushac for the translation!
It also appear that the specialist doesn’t know much of what’s going on. When he said ‘what happens at the fair’ if it’s really worded like that, it might not be the case that they’re showing A7xx/A7x although it sounds like a hint. Oh well, it’s a few weeks to go.
Sky_walker
2 years ago |Thanks a lot for translation!!!!
Edgars
2 years ago |He is far from expert in Sony cameras, technical features etc.
PMac
2 years ago |like vincentius says – I think we need to slow down for a second. I read a lot of mights and maybe’s in that interview.
only a few weeks to go how about we wait a bit
Aj700
2 years ago |believe me, if the answer starts with “thats a very good question”, then you can conclude that the guy doesn’t know the answer.
acolyte
2 years ago |HAHAHA just what I was taught in my office
hannes
2 years ago |I think they are also now that the people want to have an A7XX but sony is concentrating to the slr beginner market. I think he do not agree with that
I will hope that ther will also some models with optical viewfinder in future and not only electronic view finder.
For the first time they should have both. Sony have so much beginer slr’s than it should be possible to have optical and electr. semi pro and pro models. In future if the people are love the electronic viewfinder than the can stop do produce optical viewfinder.
Edgars
2 years ago |Technically there are several difficulties, which should be solved.
Translucent mirror divide light and then always less light goes to OVF. I think half a stop of light loss is not big deal for A900 type OVF which is big and “bright”. In comparison, cheep APS-C is tunnel with train in the end of it. EVF is this case is much more superior solution. Another advantage for EVF is possibility to see brighter image in dark scene. It would be similar to that in night vision cameras. Unfortunately currently for EVF most challenging is night scenes, but I suppose there is rather problems with video/graphic card, not with EVF (it is just small LCD screen).
Reviewers mentioned black-out during high speed stills. For OVF this not a problem. For APS-C this disadvantage could be solved with second sensor, similar to A350. In the same time second sensor could help to handle low light mentioned before. In addition it is still possible to make camera with moving translucent mirror.
To summit up OVF could live with translucent mirror in FF, but in APS-C more advantages is for EVF.
Sky_walker
2 years ago |well, if you use the OVF with translucent mirror there’s one big disadvantage: It won’t be bright. Big – might be – but bright? No more than the Pellix camera OVF was – which used to be one of greatest disadvantages of this camera. It’s like… using DOF preview all the time with a lens stopped down by 1/2EV.
You also have a disadvantage in the AF sensors – all the light reflected towards the OVF needs to be split between the phase detection sensors and the viewfinder, which means you see dark image, and AF sensors get less light than they used to in current SLTs (unless you’ll make OVF really dark, like… 1.5EV for example). It’s a disadvantage Canon Pellix did not have, yet you need to consider with modern SLR.
Black-out during high speed stills – well, it depends on implementation, and how quickly can sensor resume regular operations for EVF and how it uses the data (eg. it could freeze the last frame, than display pixels from photo taken, than resume standard operations to make black-out less annoying). Using second sensor is not really an option, cause light reflected from mirror is used for Phase Detection AF sensors, and I wouldn’t like to take even a single photon away from them while high-speed shooting, simply cause that’s exactly when they need to be as fast and as precise as possible.
valon
2 years ago |actually i disagree with your first paragraph. I have had the chance to use canons rt with the pellicle mirror. It only dims down when the shutter fires.
Magnus Fröderberg
2 years ago |I made the intervju and Anders Ericsson did not mean to say good bye to optical viwfinders, but that translucent mirrors are here to stay.
A560 and A580 is the last cameras from Sony with moving mirror.
I guess there’s going to be both optical and electronic viewfinders for some time. Keep in mind that the A33 and A55 is not targeted to semipros and advanced amateurs. A A750 would most likely be a SLT with optical viewfinder.
Sony talks about more advanced EVF’s. Mabe that’s for a A77 next year.
acolyte
2 years ago |Thanks for the clarification. Are the rumors of A750 and A77 separate? I somehow formed a logic that it was going to be one replacement o_O
Ross G
2 years ago |Wait, i dont understand.
With the SLT, 1/3rd of the light (or 1/3 stop?) is reflecting up to the autofocus part with the rest hitting the sensor which gives a live reading to the EVF. How could an OVF fit in there?
The only thing i can think of is a double mirror. First the translucent one then the propper one?
Sky_walker
2 years ago |The light that currently gets reflected to PD AF sensors would go straight up, pass through another (secondary) half-mirror, than reach the pentaprism and exit in the optical viewfinder.
That part which got reflected in secondary half-mirror would hit the Phase Detection AF sensors.
This however, for obvious reasons, would require more light being reflected from the primary mirror – most likely something between 1 and 2 EV – to ensure enough photons for the AF sensors and enough brightness of the OVF (which obviously won’t be even half as bright as pentaprism OVF in regular DSLR).
Ross
2 years ago |So, in reality, not gonna happen then?
Sky_walker
2 years ago |It might happen, but won’t be good for generic photography – more like a specialized camera.
main concept
2 years ago |The traluscent models, may useless for studio photography if they work like the traditional Live view, you will not be able to see more than a black screen by 1/160s at f8 in your studio. I think the OVF will stay in the “high-end-level” for a while.
b shaw
2 years ago |Andrea,
Your topic page says “So bye bye Optical Viewfinder” – Perhaps you want to correct that based on the translated interview.