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Sony - future DSLR strategy

Quentin_Bargate

Well-known member
Now the A900 has established Sony as a serious player at the DSLR high end, does anyone know or have any idea what Sony's plans are for the future?

Is the A900 enough of a success to secure the future of the brand as a permanent competitor to high end Nikon and Canon products, or is it a one-off "we can do it" product to be followed by a retreat to more consumer orientated products?

Quentin
 

jonoslack

Active member
Hi Quentin
Wouldn't it be nice to know the answer!
Possibly the current answer is different from the one six months ago.

However, as far as I'm concerned I already have a body and lensea which do what I want from them. My only real question about the A900 was it's ruggedness and a couple of recent reports suggest that it might be better than some other cameras which promise more.
 
N

nei1

Guest
If this has the same or similar sensor to the D3x why cant the individual post process the raw file to get similar high asa results.I know that this is a little silly,just interested as to the difference in these two cameras,does the nikon have more electronics to give it its better high asa performance.In high end audio the straightest purest signal path gives the best sound,..is this not the same in photography,if not why not?


Just looking for some thing to discuss,no bitterness intended,implied or felt,(big smile)
 

douglasf13

New member
If this has the same or similar sensor to the D3x why cant the individual post process the raw file to get similar high asa results.I know that this is a little silly,just interested as to the difference in these two cameras,does the nikon have more electronics to give it its better high asa performance.In high end audio the straightest purest signal path gives the best sound,..is this not the same in photography,if not why not?


Just looking for some thing to discuss,no bitterness intended,implied or felt,(big smile)
There are a few theories about this, but "bobn2" on dpreview seems to have one of the better possible explanations. A lot of it seems to hinge on Nikon's alleged 14bit processing, and what is actually going on there. Bob speculates multiple reads/ and or samples, and that makes the most sense out of any explanation I've seen, and this would validate the slower fps when the D3x is in 14bit mode.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1021&message=31096334

It should be said that, Iliah Borg, who owns and uses both the D3x and A900, believes the D3x and A900 are very close in regards to noise when the D3x is in 12Bit mode, with the D3x having only a "slight" advantage. Also, if you read through the thread above, you'll see that Iliah actually prefers the spectral properties of the "Sony A900 over Nikon D3X by a good margin," and therefore prefers the A900 for daylight landscape.

Calling one of these cameras better than the other really depends on your shooting conditions/subject, and I'm not sure that I'd want to give up A900 traits for D3x ones. That being said, Sony would really blow the doors open if they were able to do a similar multiple read scenario with a firmware update, to help shadow noise, but I have no idea whether that would require extra hardware.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Calling one of these cameras better than the other really depends on your shooting conditions/subject, and I'm not sure that I'd want to give up A900 traits for D3x ones.
HI Douglas
All interesting stuff - I quite agree with you - I've struggled with colour with generations of Nikon flagships (for landscape) over the years, with the A900 I' just saying YES, I certainly won't be swapping.
 

DavidL

New member
I had to fill in a questionnaire to win a a900 with Zeiss 24-70, has to be mine as surely no one else will have bothered:thumbs: You could put in a comment on the system, mine was I wanted a full frame with 16mp sensor. When I talked to a Sony guy about it he said "Well that is gap that could be filled "No nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more" He just said it*.
Not sure you can read anything into the comment, well I couldn't. However I'm currently as unreliable as ever as I'm currently struggling with "The Heart Sutra" and loosing the will to be a photographer any more.
you must know it "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Form is none other than emptiness, emptiness is none other than form". Even the Dalai Lamas DVD:angel: on the subject isn't helping much. :wtf::wtf:
*You know what I mean. Someone says something and you immediately put your own interpretations and preconceptions on what they say. That is instead of actually experiencing what they actually say, empty of your projections. Form is emptiness bit. Next you have to even rid yourself of the concept of emptiness, which is just another ultimately false / limiting factor so you just see the "Isness" of the thing (Zen viewpoint). Emptiness is form bit. Lets not even go into the next two statements. No wonder some of the Arhats listening to this discourse by the Buddha died of heart attacks when they heard it.
This is actually making me think I should give up photography and go and sit up a mountain again. However, got several shoots booked for the next couple of months which I'm trying to approach from the viewpoint of Shunyata as described above. Not sure how clients are going to deal with this; I don't even know how I am. I would really like to be beyond that level that is where emptiness takes on a luminous quality. Like looking through a Zeiss 135 f1.8 on a a900 compared with 135 f5.6 on a Zenith.
So does it even matter where Sony goes?
Told you I was confused:confused:
David
 

Quentin_Bargate

Well-known member
Well I imagine there is a road map somewhere; it would be odd of Zeiss to be designing new lenses for a dead-end system.

I speculate that Sony will leverage their two advantages: sensor design / fabrication and size. The former should allow them to use sheer pixel power coupled with the resolving power of Zeiss lenses to get an A1000 or whatever to market within the next 12 months with more than 30 mp and probably other pro features and a baby A900 with the 16mp that David recalled between his bouts of medication :ROTFL: The latter allows them to cross subsidize to keep prices down.

I'm very happy with the A900 but we always want more, don't we? :eek:

Quentin
 

Steen

Senior Subscriber Member
(...) You could put in a comment on the system, mine was I wanted a full frame with 16mp sensor. (...)
I'm with you on that one, David.
It even might make me switch system, primarily because of the aotofocus Zeiss optics, but also because of the apparently rather weak filters on the Sony sensors. I really hope they don't change that.

By the way just go shoot the "Isness" of things .-)


incorrect system
 
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fotografz

Well-known member
I think there are hints as to Sony's possible intentions and opportunities by viewing what the A900 is NOT.

They have gone to great lengths to position this A900 camera as a Prosumer body, (i.e., not fully professional), which leaves room for something more.

The A900 is not a dual slot, simultaneous capture DSLR like the Nikon D3/D3X and Canon 1DMKIII & 1DsMKIII pro flagships.

It is not a fully integrated grip body with a single quick change high capacity battery.

It is not 14 bit.

It is not fully weather sealed.

It does not have true live view like the other flagships (which is invaluable in the studio or on location working with a tripod for critical focus.)

As far as I know there is no GPS option.

It still persists with the old Minolta proprietary on-camera flash mount.

There is no journalist/sports version of a Sony Pro DSLR like the D3 and 1DMKIII

As a side observation: The full frame lens line-up falls short of both Canon's and Nikon's.


Add that up into new Sony offerings and you have Pro level competiton.

IMO, there have made a damned good start with the A900.
 

Eoin

Member
Sony have announced a few lenses at PMA

(1)Super Telephoto Lens
(2)DT 50mm F1.8
(3)DT 30mm F2.8 Macro
(4)DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6
(6)28-75mm F2.8

There seems to be 2 full frame and the rest are aps-c types.
Apart from the announcement above, I believe Sony will be firmly rooted in the consumer/prosumer rather than pro market. That's where the volume is. Possibly in time a pro grade (read indestructible) body may be offered, but unless the remainder of the kit (lenses) are also weatherproofed it seems a little pointless.

I would consider the 16-35, 24-70, 85 & 135 ZA's to be optically pro grade and in general suffice every need except for the extreme conditions. I'm also quite happy with the build of the a900, but hey! I never abused my stuff anyway. It seems quite robust and I'd have no qualms using it in any conditions I find my self in after looking at the torture the Dakar photographer put his equipment through.

No, in-fact I'm quite happy at the position, pricing and quality the a900 & Zeiss combo delivers to me. But reading other fora so are the many others using the a350/a700 with sony aps-c glass and older minolta & G glass.

Cost is a huge factor for many and given the economic outlook I'd say it will be even more so in the months/years to come. I believe Sony is well positioned in the consumer/prosumer to meet demand, but "Sony" will take generations to have their name mentioned in the same breath as Canon & Nikon IMO.
 

Lars

Active member
To guess Sony's strategy, look at the lens line rather than the camera. With the Zeiss lineup it looks like a very serious long-term pro strategy.

Then again, so did Pentax some 15 years ago, and the high end kinda fizzled out. I guess success is a vital component in a strategy as well.
 

edwardkaraa

New member
I find it quite curious that Sony would announce such lenses when people are waiting to see what new Zeiss lenses will be coming. Even the 16-35 has not been produced in sufficient numbers and has been out of stock at many stores, including Sony Style itself.
 
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