(SR5) Sony A58: new sensor, new autofocus system and also new viewfinder!
I keep getting short updates about the next Sony A58. Not only will it be the first camera using the new generation Sony sensor (with 1 stop improvement) and a new autofocus system. It will also have a completely new OLED viewfinder. Got no info about what’s so new on that EVF. I hope sources can tell me more about this after reading this post! Thanks!
That little A58 sounds every day more interesting! And keep in mind, the announcement is scheduled for Monday February 25. Likely at around 6-8 am in the morning London time. So be sure to be online on SAR by that time! Will make a live coverage of the event!
zstan
3 months ago |AF-D ?
Francisco G.
3 months ago |The A57 is a great camera as it is, the A58 is looking astounding. And dirt cheap for what its offering!
Junius
3 months ago |How will this compare, in terms of dynamic-range and ISO performance, to the Nikon D5200 I wonder?
GreenLens
3 months ago |According to DPR, D5200 is a slight improvement over A57– better for mid ISO, worse at 6400:
If true, A58 is going to be a killer cam!
dff
3 months ago |1 stop means iso??
Stan
3 months ago |Yes, 1 stop means twice as good in low light performance. So as an example, if A57 was good with low noise up to ISO ~800, then A58 will be just as good up to ISO ~1600.
Thats in theory… How will it perform after DPReview and DXOMark are done with it remains to be seen. I really hope its 1 stop improvement with increased dynamic range, as mentioned in previous rumors, because as you increase ISO in any camera, the dynamic range begins to suffer. So a higher dynamic range is more than welcome as well.
Pacman
3 months ago |I’ll consider this if it’s weather, mag. alloy body & with battery grip option.
RD
3 months ago |Keep dreaming(or wait for the a77 replacement).
xxxx
3 months ago |or dream while waiting? ha ha ha
Maxxum
3 months ago |I’m suspicious of claims that ISO performance will have a one-stop improvement. The current sensor on the A57 gets a DXOMark ISO score of 757 before noise is noticeable… so, the claims are that the A58 will be good until ISO1514; that’s almost as good as the A99. I don’t buy it. I would expect clean images until ISO-900, 1000 tops.
alphabart
3 months ago |That DXO is measured ISO. You should relate to Factory ISO. So if ISO640 on A57 was clean, then now it will be clean at ISO1250. The A99 is clean at ISO2500.
Maxxum
3 months ago |The clean factory ISO on the A57 is around 1100-1150, which means the rumors are suggesting the clean factory ISO of the A58 will be around 2200 – 2300, which puts it near the range of the A99 clean factory ISO you quoted earlier… so, again – it’s highly unlikely that this will be possible.
BTW, I was a bit off earlier, the DXOMark clean ISO score for the A57 is 785, which suggests the clean DXOMark clean ISO score for the A58 would be 1570… that’s better than the A99… I don’t believe that’s possible with current tech.
Roman
3 months ago |1 stop improvement over what? Over last 16 Mpix Sony sensor? 24 Mpix sensor?
Stan
3 months ago |1 Stop improvement over a previous generation camera. A57 in this case. A57 has a 16Mpix Sensor…
Seeky
3 months ago |Sony manages to get me excited about every new body they produce, except the lower end ones. Every time there seems to be some new features I must have.
xxxx
3 months ago |Don’t be disappointed in the end.. hahaha. Remember the “hundreds of thousands ISO”??
It’s not Sony that get us exited. It’s Andrea. I’m addicted to this site. Poor me.. huhuhu.
BMan
3 months ago |Yes Yes, one stop improvement over old sensors but the ISO still goes only up to 16000.
Yeah, right.
Also, I’m quite sure the OLED will be the same resolution as the current LCD in the 57, but otherwise same tech as the 99 one.
DiBok
3 months ago |“Only” up to 16000? Do you expect a low end body offering perfect images at that range?
One stop improvement would be a big step. As long as they don’t fool us by manipulating the FW.
Zohee35
3 months ago |Still? The A57 actually went 2/3 EV higher, to ISO 25.600.
xxxx
3 months ago |Well, maybe improvement in comparison with the same ISO and not the maximum ISO the camera can go?
Zohee35
3 months ago |If that’s true, wouldn’t the camera maker be all too eager to raise the maximum a stop too, for spec chart purposes? Rather than >lowering< to the max of the 24MP cameras.
Not ruling out the possibility that some of these specs are incorrect of course.
Paul
3 months ago |I wonder will they truncate all “pro” functions like 1/3 stop spets in ISO, Auto ISO customizing, e.t.c. like they did before?
If this camera gonna have all these functions, I’ll sell my A77 and take this one…
But still… A78 will also be released in 2013… And it should be even better then this… What to do, what to do..?
admin
3 months ago |A58 may be a super camera for the price you pay! The A78 will be a lot more expensive!
Seeky
3 months ago |If you have an A77, you will probably never want to stop down to a 5 series considering their limitations. If I was an A77 owner I would wait for the A78 or step up to the A99.
Sky_walker
3 months ago |Pretty much this.
andrew
3 months ago |+1 I’ve gone from meh a78 to shut up and take my money in the space of 2 weeks… (And this is from someone who actually owns and likes the a77)
MdB
3 months ago |+1 – I like my A77 and have no intention to upgrade, but as a second body this A58 is looking rather compelling!
OneTrackMind
3 months ago |This (spec-wise) is sounding more and more like a solid little camera. Play this one out a little..if the A58 starts to grab an increase in sales and Sony does a similar bump in features to the A78 and again pulls more people in, it makes me wonder if they would rethink their SLT (a-mount) roadmap.
I’m not saying Sony is gonna overtake Canikon but steady successes with each update might bring more confidence to stay the course and not feel the need to zig zag every year.
Wishful thinking on my part
Syl
3 months ago |Of course everything is new and better, that’s technology… better iq, faster af..blabla..but how much better? We heard lots of amazing things for the launching of the A77 and in the end we got a good camera with really poor iso perfs (unless you use multi frame jpg). Let’s wait and see. If the A58 can score a 1200 in low light perf in dxo, maybe I’ll wait and replace m A77 by a A78..
Frank
3 months ago |Only people who have never owned the A77 say it has “really poor ISO”. Compare downsized A77 images to those from the A57 and you’ll need a microscope.
I’d take ISO 50 and 24mpix any day over the 16mpix A57.
Syl
3 months ago |Frank, it has poor iso perfs compared to its peers . I own it, send me your email and I’ll send you a picture a me holding my A77.
Compare iso perfs to Nikon d3200, d5200 or D7000 and u’ll feel the difference. I am wondering if u own any camera. I love Sony and have been Minolta/Sony user for more than 15 years but I have to be frank, the A77 iso perfs are just poor for a camera of this class. Peace!
Frank
3 months ago |You are simply wrong. This discussion has been done to death on the forums with plenty of examples provided there, go and look.
Downsize the A77 images to A57 size. Print it or view it at normal sizes, you know, like real people do, there are ZERO differences in noise.
Now take the image from the A57 and upsize it to that of the A77 image, then see what happens.
The problem is that many people, including you, profess to understand this but they really do not.
Simon T
3 months ago |Wrong at ISO 6400 the A57 spanks the A77 even downsized. A77 users need to get over it their low light performance sucks beaten by the old 12mp CMOS even
Frank
3 months ago |Your problem is that you sit with your nose one inch from your 24 inch monitor staring at ISO 6400 100% crops of your cat taken in the dark.
There’s a lot of that going around.
Simon T
3 months ago |No it’s about A77 users in denial. Nobody buys the noisy 24mp sensor for low light shooting. Just enjoy the A77 for what it is a lower ISO camera.
alphaman
3 months ago |i have a A77, the noise over iso 1600 is horrible. Smears detail to hell. And youre the one who has it wrong, if you upsize the A57 file to the A77 its still cleaner. And by your logic, when you downsize any file from any camera to web size theyre all clean at ISO 6400.
Amateur Sony Shooter
3 months ago |Hi Admin, any info about LCD size? It seems a lot smaller than A57.
MdB
3 months ago |Just doesn’t have the shiny black plastic to the edges, the actual screen size looks the same.
Poki
3 months ago |The Nikon D5200 (the closest competitor from Nikon) offers uncompressed HDMI out which is totally awesome! Do you know if either the A58, the A78, the NEX-7 successor or something similar will offer uncompressed HDMI out this year?
ME
3 months ago |Doesn’t anyone have some insights on the screen articulation tech? Won’t it really be possible to turn it around to protect the display as with the Sony A37?
MdB
3 months ago |Nope. But now you can go from top down viewing to rear screen viewing on a tripod without having to remove it from the tripod and/or baseplate – for me I call that a win.
ME
3 months ago |Why would I have to remove it from the tripod?
MdB
3 months ago |Because to go from a top down viewing position to a rear of camera position when using the screen you have to rotate it 180 degrees. Doing this almost certainly the tripod head gets in the way, so it needs to be removed. Depending on the tripod, you might even need to remove the base plate. On the A58 you simply tilt the screen with no rotation needed.
Mike
3 months ago |So will this be the $600 APS-C camera that will already have a better EVF than my $2500k+ A99?
ageha
3 months ago |The A99′s viewfinder was already outdated when it got announced coz it used the same one than the old A77.
The Lotus Eater
3 months ago |Nobody said anything about it being better – just that it is OLED. It might still be lower res than the A99.
Anyway, I guess you’re saying Sony should never release a better viewfinder until they replace the A99, right?
y2k
3 months ago |If you get anything on video specs you know what to do.
Maxx
3 months ago |20 Megapixels inside an aps-c sensor… hmmm.. I’m puzzled. It seems to me a marketing operation
Emacs
3 months ago |More megapixels are always better for IQ at the same generation technology/
dro
3 months ago |any rumors about nex 7x ?? SR3 maybe? pleaseee share share
y2k
3 months ago |White alpha logo is making it look more professional.
Sky_walker
3 months ago |Just like stripes make cars go faster?
y2k
3 months ago |just like that.
Stan
3 months ago |And “Greddy Racing” stickers and the like, give you extra 15hp
Hexar
3 months ago |Why would they have skipped that fantastic articulating screen ? This is a handy feature for many I assume ?
MdB
3 months ago |You mean the really awkward one that articulates at the BASE of the camera, you know where you say attach the camera to things, is that the one you mean? The one where you have to swivel the screen around every single time you go from rear view (flush sitting) to top down view, is that the one you are talking about? Yeah good riddance to a terrible design in my book! The A580/A560/A37 articulation is much better and the A77/A99 is far better again.
DK
3 months ago |I’d agreed that the A57′s hinged LCD can be awkward sometimes (the side hinged screens on some other camera brands are a better design), but personally I like being able to flip it round to protect the screen.
Most of the time I use the viewfinder and generally only use the screen when shooting something low down. When that’s the case just flipping the screen down puts it in the right horizontal position, without any need to rotate it. Then I can just flip it back up when I’ve taken the shot.
For me this’d be a downgrade. Not that I was thinking of upgrading from my 6 month old A57 anyway. Maybe an A78 though, depending on their price by the end of the year…
Funny
3 months ago |This is good news to all a mount users. Sony is now not only competing with canikon, but also itself by having 2 system- a and e mount. We will only see better cameras everyday.
I wish I am right: by dropping the A3x series, Sony will make a mount more professional to differentiate from Nex.
Bring in the new FF Nex and a better A9x afterwards!!
Maxwell
3 months ago |I say the Nikon D5200 is very tempting.
D5200 got in camera interval shooting etc.
If Sony want to compete, they got to show us some real
benefits with the SLT design. Like good autofocus in video mode, not
only with aperture locked. Good high ISO even with SLT mirror.
Good battery life even with EVF.
Where is the Sony “sport camera” with high FPS, good focus tracking and
a good buffer?
I like the Sony in-camera HDR, panorama and multi frame noise reduction.
But Sony really got to tell people what the “great benefits” of the SLT
design is. If not… the future is NEX
Frank
3 months ago |Over the past 6 six years it would have helped if Sony had simply advertised the fact that they make dSLRs never mind the technology they use.
y2k
3 months ago |you mean nothing about SLTs/PDAF/EVFs and just say DSLR High FPS photos and videos at low Noise with camcorder like live viewing.
kongqueror
3 months ago |Nikon 5200 does not make sense when for very few dollars more you can get a Nikon D7000. The A58 is in a price segment a notch or two below the Nikon 5200 which makes it even more tempting compared to the Nikon 5200.
spaceman
3 months ago |Will there be a need for the A65 after the A58 is released, esp if the viewfinder is comparable and the pixel count reaches 20M?
Low light performance is not a subjective measure in DXOMark, it is the limit where DR and Color depth reaches a threshold low limit value. The Sony sensors have so far impeccable low ISO dynamic range and color depth performance, but at very high ISO’s Canon’s best sensors (the FF ones esp) catch up and even gets better. So if Sony has made the dynamic range curve decrease significantly slower than the previous sensor generation then DXOMark score could realistically be bettered with one stop.
Here’s hoping!
spaceman
3 months ago |*the dynamic range curve decrease significantly slower as the ISO sensitivity increases
CTPhotographX.com
3 months ago |“…info about what’s so new on that EVF”
Lower resolution monochrome without magnified view or focus peaking? That’d be “new”!
dro
3 months ago |wheres nex 7x rumor??? SR2 SR3 ??
admin
3 months ago |Coming today!
ArtoS
3 months ago |jsss!!
Vivek
3 months ago |Look forward to that!
It is best if Sony come out with true upgrade (much much better sensor and way better construction that the current NEX’), now that Nikon are also rumored to come with an APS-C mirrorless system camera.
ageha
3 months ago |No, there is just a rumor about a APS-C compact camera from Nikon.
Jason
3 months ago |Regarding the EVF, my guess is that the A58 will use the same EVF as the NEX-6/7 and A77/99 instead of the older, lower resolution EVF found in the A33/55/57. The A57 and below had the 1.4 MP EVF while the aforementioned use the 2.35 MP EVF.
incognito
3 months ago |Is there a place for A65 on the market anymore? The most important improvement in my mind is normal hot shoe, lots of problems with individual style. And, nice piece of cake would be new low end flashgun, replacement for F43 with normal hot shoe, F60 is too expensive
Simon T
3 months ago |I doubt we will see another A65, but could be wrong there who knows. The new hot shoe isn’t something that will appeal to current A mount users simply because you are forced to use an adaptor for your flashes.
Douglas
3 months ago |I think it will be wise from Sony to leave out the 33 and the 65 out of the market, and concentrate in 3 Alpha lines the a5 series(low), a7 series(medium) and the a9 series(high).
Right now my interest is in the a78 and the Nex7n, but the a58 as entry level camera have very nice specs, but like many says the Nikon 5200 is very hard to beat right now and more for DSLR videographers, the image leave eating dust to any Sony DSLT or NEX cameras right now.
incognito
3 months ago |While Sony has their Phase AF for video, all other manufactures are rubbish in terms of video. I tested new Canon 650D, which has the best Canon AF while filming video on the market right now, and I can say, that it`s complete rubbish comparing to my older Sony SLT. And IQ is also not impressive, even if you`re focusing manually. Checked some video examples from 5200 and nothing ultra impressive with its IQ too.
Simon T
3 months ago |I find the SLT video quite poor applies a heavy crop (that cannot be turned off either) AF only works in one mode anyway really not that impressed with Sony’s video, audio isn’t bad though. Canon have way better video quality IMO. Pointless having a 1.5 crop sensor with a daft 1.8x crop on video. Sony really dropped the ball here.
incognito
3 months ago |Simon, I had video shoot in very poor lighting situation, and Sony SLT looks a way better than Canon 650D, we wanted to put videos from both cameras together but now looks like we`ll be able to use only videos from Sony. I don`t know, where you get, that Canon has a lot better IQ in video…
incognito
3 months ago |And AF in Canon is the same as you don`t have it at all, it`s soooo slow, wow, it`s amazing, how they manage to sell this crap at all… Even when you leave the camera on tripod, it hunts AF time to time
what a rubbish…
Funny
3 months ago |I won’t put my money on a d5200 just because it has higher iso to satisfy me sitting in front of my PC with a magnifier to pixel beep 100% on the picture of my black cat in a dark room (quoted from other commenter). I’d rather put my money on a camera with more video feature even though I dun shoot video much.
incognito
3 months ago |I actually am surprised, why anyone is complaining about this ISO, where you need more than 3200? I had old Alpha DSLR, ok, it had problems above 800, it`s not enough sometimes, but now with later model, it`s solved, I can use up to 1600 without trouble, with little post production, 3200 still looks fine. It`s simply marketing, they need to sell new camera, that`s all.
butch
3 months ago |if we see the 3x it will most likly be mirrorless as people upgrading from P&S will be ok with slight af lag (they will not know any better) this will be a god way to test the market and the tec withought upsetting higher end users.
while i dont like that thought of it i can see how the Emount is being built to take over the Amoune for most users
we will have a 5 7 and 9x amount for more “pro” use or feel and the nex will be for the more everyday user with the nex6 7 and maybe 9 being super backu bodys or street photog gear
if i didnt have any larger glass i can se how a nex woudl be handy but i can,t see how the 70-200 2.8 wouold handle well
hardbonemac
3 months ago |NO NO MORE SERIES!
ONE CAMERA THAT WORKS.
STOP THIS ONE BUTTON MORE AND 100gramms of cheese there…
Stan
3 months ago |So what you’re saying is keep A99 and drop everything else?
Not everyone wants to pay 2.5k for a camera….
I actually prefer A58 and thinking of waiting for A78 as a possible option, depending on specs. Since A78 might be twice the price of A58, it will have to be a complete work of art to swing me over.
I do agree on A38 being dropped from lineup.
davidlam
3 months ago |Wish it had a global shutter with full-power flash sync speed upto 1/8000, coz PWM-F55 got global shutter…
The frame buffer should be capable to do continuous shooting in JPEG mode or 8-10 sec of RAW+JPG at highest resolution.
Sony please make a vertical grip with 2 more batteries, like the a99 to extend the battery life.
Again, please make a 50-150/f2.8 with weather-seal…
Palex
2 months ago |It is less then the A57, they kept the things low so that the A35 can disappear.
Pure marketing.