Sony A850 discontinued...

[Paratom]

I hope Sony is not giving up the OVF.
Even though I havent used much the A900 I admit that of all DSLRs (besides MF) its the one which delievers the best IQ for my taste.
I am still considering selling all my Nikon stuff and get some more lenses for the A900 (which I bought with a 24-70 used some time ago).
I prefer the handling of the Nikon and all those lens options. But pure IQ of the A900 and also the Zeiss 2470 is really strong .

 

[douglasf13]

. . . and the A900 has more weatherseals?

I don't believe so, Jono. At least I've never seen it substantiated.

 

[jonoslack]

I don't believe so, Jono. At least I've never seen it substantiated.

I have - on several occasions - just try doing a 'side by side' at dpreview, under environmentally sealed, 850 is NO 900 is Yes (water and dust resistant).

Of course, they have been known to get it wrong, but not usually on stuff like this.

Like Quentin, mine's been in terrible conditions and always come up trumps.

 

[etrigan63]

Yeesss!! I'd just add an articulated LCD with LV and MF zoom.

Articulated LCD = No Weather Seals. Fixed display for me, thanks.

 

[jonoslack]

Articulated LCD = No Weather Seals. Fixed display for me, thanks.

No it doesn't - look at the Olympus E3 and E5 - weather-sealed and with articulated LCD - maybe there are others, but those certainly are (and I've proved it in heavy rain with the E3).

 

[kit laughlin]

From Guy:

Now in all truth i personally think Sony in overall look of files is above the rest.

After running the A850 alongside the D700 bodies and the D3s, and comparing files, that is the view I came to, as well. Dare I say it: more 'film like'—not in a tone curve kind of way, but in a 'I am looking at an image I really find appealing' kind of way. Shooting the same subjects in the studio with both cameras at the same time lets you say this kind of thing, I think.

Now, could I tell images apart, if different subjects were shot with different bodies, and I didn't do the shooting? No, I don't think so, because pixel peeping is not how I see images (though, perhaps, that kind of inspection might reveal those differences).

When we 'see', it is a gestalt process; there are a huge number of variables being considered—some at the conscious, rational, compare this with that level, and a great many that are not at that surface level (like how one colour is reproduced compared to another in the same scene). A close comparison can reveal that neither camera reproduced the scene perfectly (we all see this all the time), but nonetheless, we prefer one over the other.

to etrigan: an articulated LCD can be weather sealed, to the best of my knowledge. I can't think of a specific example, but I am sure someone will, and the Olympus E-5 has one, and is 'water resistant' and I have seen videos of one being shot in a torrential downpour without any water entering).

Cheers to all, KL

 

[kit laughlin]

Ah: Jono and I posted at the same time. On occasions, an articulated screen is a true blessing, so i would want one if sealed, too.

 

[douglasf13]

I have - on several occasions - just try doing a 'side by side' at dpreview, under environmentally sealed, 850 is NO 900 is Yes (water and dust resistant).

Of course, they have been known to get it wrong, but not usually on stuff like this.

Like Quentin, mine's been in terrible conditions and always come up trumps.

Oh, don't get me wrong, Jono. I'm not saying the A900 isn't sealed. I'm saying that I'd bet the A850 has the same seals.

I've seen the A850 listed as not weather sealed a few places, but I've yet to see any tests to confirm it, and I've yet to see or hear of any A850s having weather issues. I'd say both the A900 and A850 do well in bad weather.

 

[my_photography]

I don't recall seeing Sony stating A900 as seal camera either or did Sony say that?

 

[douglasf13]

From sonystyle.com:

"Moisture/dust-resistant design
Sealed viewfinder optics and rubber gasket surrounds on all buttons, dials, and switches help resist the entry of dust and moisture into the camera, and allow for safe use in a wide range of environments."

 

[jonoslack]

Oh, don't get me wrong, Jono. I'm not saying the A900 isn't sealed. I'm saying that I'd bet the A850 has the same seals.

I've seen the A850 listed as not weather sealed a few places, but I've yet to see any tests to confirm it, and I've yet to see or hear of any A850s having weather issues. I'd say both the A900 and A850 do well in bad weather.

Hi Douglas
I didn't realise that's what you meant - it certainly makes sense - the body is so similar it seems unlikely that they would have made it differently.

all the best

 

[my_photography]

From sonystyle.com:

"Moisture/dust-resistant design
Sealed viewfinder optics and rubber gasket surrounds on all buttons, dials, and switches help resist the entry of dust and moisture into the camera, and allow for safe use in a wide range of environments."

Looks like the most vulnerable non seal area would be the lens mount area.

 

[Lonnie Utah]

This might deserve a new topic, but one person's take on the A55 EVF...

http://www.astroweb.no/a55/a55evf.html

 

[jonoslack]

This might deserve a new topic, but one person's take on the A55 EVF...

http://www.astroweb.no/a55/a55evf.html

HI Lonnie
Interesting stuff - I've been there as well, and although the a55 is not really for me for other reasons, I agree with the report - a really good EVF has some serious advantages with respect to getting the DOF and the exposure correct, and many of the disadvantages disappear quickly with use.

FWIW I usually keep the AE in spot mode, and use the AE lock button to hold the correct exposure like that.

all the best

 

[Paratom]

Hmm,
in one way the EVF might help to judge the output (WB etc.) but personally I allways feel like watching TV. I want to see the scene as it is (color wise) and also without delay.
Shooting 7 frames on flying birds and choosing the best image is one thing. Another thing is to catch just one moment. And there I have still doubts with EVF. Where I saw the biggest advantage of EVF was for focus and in dimmer light.

 

[Jan Brittenson]

I visualize what an image will look like in print, what size to print, paper, etc. Seeing it on an LCD makes this much more difficult. It's bad enough that I have to look at a screen with an image projected by a lens wide open when it's going to be stopped down for the image, but this is just normal for any SLR and part of why i like rangefinders better. They show infinite DOF and it's easy to mentally add any subtle DOF layer I might want, than try to visualize something wide open as being in focus (which is much harder). The color and appearance of an image on an LCD is much the same way - it's "processed" but not in any way relevant to my work. An EVF might be a useful teaching aid when learning to visualize, but once that rather elementary skill is acquired people are going to want to expand on what kind of results they can visualize, and dump it for something less constrained.

 

[douglasf13]

I hate to admit it, but, after shooting some pretty high quality OVFs most of my life, I find that using LCD/EVFs is fantastic, for the most part. I like seeing my DOF before the shot, and the live histogram makes things outrageously simple, so the large majority of my shots are exposed perfectly. I keep my camera in M mode + spot metering, and it allows me to adjust exposure until the histogram is dead on, and I can use the spot meter to check various zones. Pretty awesome. I almost feel like I'm cheating, as if that mattered! lol

That being said, there still is a bit of a disconnect that forces me to look forward to the LCD/EVF technology improving.

 

[Tony Beach]

I have a lot of issues with EVF, such as having my camera's settings influence what I see in the viewfinder; bottom line for me, I don't like it and it could very well be a deal breaker for me and the Sony system. Also, since Sony let the A700 replacement lapse for way too long (and it's still not here), and they may well let the same thing happen to their replacements for the A850 and A900 -- again, that's another deal breaker for me and and the Sony system.

As of right now, I have no confidence in Sony anymore. I plan on buying an A900 and keeping my A850 as a back-up, and that will suffice for me for the immediate future; but frankly, the long term future of Sony (based on their recent performance) has me strongly considering eventually going back to the Nikon system. That's a shame, I just bought the Minolta 200/2.8 and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite lenses ever; I really like my A850 and it is my favorite camera ever; Zeiss is making some great lenses for the Sony system; and yet, I think Sony is on the verge of making all of that irrelevant for me by pandering to a bunch of amateurs with gimmicks like EVF and by not even bothering to keep cameras I would want to own currently available.

 

[Lonnie Utah]

I have a lot of issues with EVF, such as having my camera's settings influence what I see in the viewfinder;

That seems counter intuitive to me (as opposed to changing your setting and NOT know what the effect will be). Please elaborate.

 

[edwardkaraa]

I am someone who does not have a strong opinion on this matter. OVF/EVF, it doesn't really matter that much to me. At the end of the day there are many pros and cons to both, and no matter what, OVF, like film, will die eventually. Whether Sony decided to prematurely drop the OVF, and whether it was a genius or stupid move, I guess we will find out in the near future. In the meanwhile I am still enjoying my A900 after 2 1/2 years, something that no other DSLR has ever achieved before Usually I dispose of them in less than a year :ROTFL: