Sony are really upping the ante on Nikon and Canon, with the introduction of this new model and with a very reasonable price in the U.S.A. :tup:
Here ia a link - Read all about it!!
http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1251378035.html
Thats a great thing to see, I really hope that pushes canon to release something in the xxD range with full frame sensor :)
Those who have Sony or Minolta lenses might be interested in this camera and also noticed it's only 850gm in weight, so about the same as mid-range cameras from Nikon and Canon. It should put the 'cats among the pigeons', so may see a reductions in prices of mid-range cameras. ;D
Would it tempt you to "Jump Ship" ? I have too much invested in Nikon Equipment to do so myself. But, for many, it offers a great alternative doesn't it! Certainly it will affect the sales of Nikon and Canon and what now will they answer with? Interesting time ahead I feel.
I dont see myself turning to sony, but its only brand loyalty as my lenses, except one, are all apc ef-s so I would have to change them and batteries/battery holder would be different, if I was lucky it would use cf and the same remote, but I would love a full frame, just cant justify the cost of 5dII and new lenses, so something in the xxD range would probably push me over the edge :)
Wishfull thinking I guess as the sony is in the 5DII price bracket.
Expect the price to drop, though, as UK pricing puts it above the A900....
But, it could blow the FF market apart.
Also, A500/550 look interesting. 7fps in the latter, with both fast AF liveview, and more relaxed, MF, lv a la the competition!
Quote from: John Doyle2 on August 28, 2009, 11:55:33 PM
Sony are really upping the ante on Nikon and Canon, with the introduction of this new model and with a very reasonable price in the U.S.A. :tup:
Sony built some very good radios in the early 80s I still have one in the shed ;D :legit:
The 850 wouldn't make me change systems. How good it really is will depend on it's noise and noise reduction (both of which Sony have been criticised for in the past).
The 500/550 seem odd to me. If you try to line them up against Canon/Nikon you get the weird "overlaps" in the product ranges. I'd have thought it would make more sense to pitch the a550 at the D90/EOS 40D market. 5 entry level models seems excessive.
In a sense, it is still early days for Sony in the DSLR market. However, Sony is determined to be a major player in the photographic world and have the resources along with the finance to succeed. As far as I am aware! They produce the processors for Nikon, or am I wrong?
Sony do make the sensors for Nikon but the equivalent Nikons still produce cleaner outputs (both RAW and jpeg).
It's the lower end of their range I'm not convinced by. I've used the a380 and it's horrible. Really horrible. The a350 was MUCH better than the 380 in terms of it's ergonomics and useability. I know Sony have simplified the a380 done it on purpose and now you're expected to get the 500/550 if you want a "high end entry level" camera (EOS 500D/D5000 range).
But... if the 380 is now the "top of their bottom end entry level" range (EOS1000D/D3000 range) whats the point in the 280? And... where is the D90/D300 EOS 40D/50D competitor. The range goes straight from D5000 to D700 in Nikon-ese, or 500D to 5DmkII in Canon-speak. Thats daft! :o
Quote from: John Doyle2 on August 29, 2009, 03:54:08 PM
In a sense, it is still early days for Sony in the DSLR market. However, Sony is determined to be a major player in the photographic world and have the resources along with the finance to succeed. As far as I am aware! They produce the processors for Nikon, or am I wrong?
And looking at the new Canon compacts, these too.
High iso from the A5xx range is looking good - Sony's approach to noise has previously been stronger AA filters, retaining colour fidelity at the penalty of higher visible noise, which does process well, it has to be said.
Even at the price this is likely to be there will still be a big jump from Entry Level to full frame. One day someone will come up with a real photographers camera with very little automation and a full frame sensor at around the price of a mid range APS does almost everything DSLR.
I just hope it's not too late for me....
Is it just me who isn't interested in full frame?
I like the FoV magnification of APS-C and there is no shortage of wide angle lenses to use on my camera. The noise is generally very well controlled as well. I've got a range of focal lengths from 10mm to 300mm and a sysem that doesn't cost the earth.
I get the D3 concept of nice big photodiodes for good low light performance but I for one don't want APS-C to disappear
Quote from: Chris P on August 30, 2009, 02:44:22 PM
Is it just me who isn't interested in full frame?
I like the FoV magnification of APS-C and there is no shortage of wide angle lenses to use on my camera. The noise is generally very well controlled as well. I've got a range of focal lengths from 10mm to 300mm and a sysem that doesn't cost the earth.
I get the D3 concept of nice big photodiodes for good low light performance but I for one don't want APS-C to disappear
The thing is imho, with a full frame sensor, you take a pic and then crop it and you get your crop factor again :) so nothing lost in that mythical free magnification :beer: For me its about the size of the kit, I would love a 5DII, but if I had one I would also like something 40D size as that is just about right not to be too much with 1 lens to shove in the bag for a day out, so my ideal is a xxD size camera with a ff sensor :) of course the compacts are getting better all the time for that purpose, but my 40D isnt so big that it becomes a mission to go out with it.. if you kow what I mean :)
Chris P. I use both DX [ APS Sensor] and FX, but mostly DX because the majority of my Nikkors are DX! Yep, I attended a show/lecture in Dubai some years back now, given by some big brass from Nikon, and at which they said, that they had no intention of producing a full frame DSLR Camera!! As a result of this, I off loaded / sold a few of my old Nikkors so that I could purchase DX replacements, after all they were lighter,newer and shiny!! Lots of regrets now :(
So, Back to Sony, have you read this? A900 sure!:-
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/a900-5dmkii.shtml
And I read the follow up, to antartica, when the 5dii were basically baggage, so many broke...
The A900 broke so many barriers on release (Nikon feel that shoving a body around the same sensor warrants £3500 of your earth pounds), and hopefully, the A850 will bring the prices down lower. Because if it hits £1300-1400 within a couple of months, will video be enough for aps-c gear to warrant that price range?