A9: coming soon to you ...

[Malina DZ]

If photographers are willing to pay more for an old A900 than for an almost new A7, does that mean that the A900 is a better camera or that photographers are stupid?

"Old friends and old wine are best." I bet every single component of a850/900 is of a higher quality than one in a7 or lack thereof.
If anyone knows of a FF DSLR with a brighter and crispier OVF with a standard VF screen than one in a900 please let me know.

 

[mazor]

Not correct. Kodachrome went through several changes in process along the way, from the original, to K-11, K-12, and finally K-14 at the end. The films were not cross compatible in the developing process.

The fact that you can put them all in a 35mm camera is comparable to the fact that I can still purchase memory cards for digital cameras that I purchased in the early 2000's.

I just looked it up, because I wasn't sure how long CF cards have been made... SanDisk introduced the first CF cards in 1994, so we are at 20 years and counting.

Do you think that the image quality of these new cameras has not improved in the past few product cycles? If not, then don't purchase a new one. If you feel they have improved, then you can buy a new one to take advantage of the improvements if you'd like.

This improvement is happening so much faster with digital than it did with film (in a long term perspective). I fail to see why anyone would bemoan the improvements, as there is always the opt-out option.

Go back to film for a while. It'll make you appreciate what these newfangled digital cameras are capable of delivering. These cameras are not really any different than computers anymore, and they are always going to have rapid product cycles compared to the mechanical cameras of the past.

Doesn't mean I don't like the old cameras, but I believe the modern ones make a better photographic tool for many purposes.


---Michael

I believe that in the film days, depending on what film one purchased, would vastly affect the image quality. The equivalent of film for digital would require exchanging the digital sensor and/or image processor. In the case of Sony, it would require a replacement more up to date camera body. To my knowledge, CF and SD cards have no impact on image quality, so really one cannot compare film to a memory card.

I do agree with your opt out option. With every new model released, there are options to whether one needs the new improvements or not. Sony is not forcing any of it's camera users to upgrade with each release.

For me, I am still very content with my obsolete Sony NEX 5r with its quirky menus and smaller 16MP APS-C sensor. It still has benefits which include a much smaller footprint and weight, plus it works well with just about any legacy glass with minimal magenta casting.

 

[nikonf]

Jorgen,

I agree with you completely. I was going to sell my A900 and I have decided to keep it as it is the last of the breed.
It is very well built and I can still obtain superb lenses for it.
I recently took it out of my storage case and I was very impressed by the image quality.

I made 12x18 inch prints and I was not able to tell the difference between these and a recent set I had made from a D800E.

The color rendition was very pleasing.

I always enjoy your most informative posts!

Thank you,
Mike

Sony could easily have produced the A7 II a year ago. There's nothing in the new model that wasn't known then, some things for decades (like a decent grip and a sensible position for the shutter release). Sony brings imperfect products to the market because they aim to sell you another, better one next year. It's part of their policy to keep you dissatisfied, to want something more as soon as the smell of new camera has evaporated.

Yes, these are new times, and the sixties won't come back. But I see an industry that is catering for consumerism as much as (or more than) they cater for photography. There's no way Sony will support all their cameras and all their standards forever. It's simply not economical. For how long will they be able to deliver parts for each model? 10 years? 5 years? 2 years?

The best Sony camera so far was the A900. I'm afraid it will remain there at the top of the heap for a long time, unless they have a big surprise in store for us with the A9 or whatever it will be called.

Sorry for being harsh, but as good as some of these cameras are, I see a negative development here. I've really left this train, but the stations seem to be on fire as far as I can see down the track...

 

[GrahamWelland]

I've been out taking pictures full time for the last two weeks with my legacy A7r / A7II & A7s cameras. Now I'm home I see that apparently the sky is falling ...

On a more serious note, it would be nice if Sony adopted Fuji's approach of continuous firmware updates to fix the few foibles we all know about the Sony cameras.

 

[Viramati]

I've been out taking pictures full time for the last two weeks with my legacy A7r / A7II & A7s cameras. Now I'm home I see that apparently the sky is falling ...

On a more serious note, it would be nice if Sony adopted Fuji's approach of continuous firmware updates to fix the few foibles we all know about the Sony cameras.

I so agree about the firmware issue as in a way Sony are forcing you to upgrade as sometimes it seems to be the only way to get what are often just software improvements. Fuji have been so good in this department and have really shown how much areas such as focus speeds, responsiveness etc can often be improved in older/previous models. Unfortunately though I don't think this is a business model they are about to adopt

 

[Bill_Evans]

I so agree about the firmware issue as in a way Sony are forcing you to upgrade as sometimes it seems to be the only way to get what are often just software improvements. Fuji have been so good in this department and have really shown how much areas such as focus speeds, responsiveness etc can often be improved in older/previous models. Unfortunately though I don't think this is a business model they are about to adopt

Fuji was the system I just switched from when I moved to Sony. The only problem I had with Fuji and their excellent firmware upgrade philosophy is that for some reason it didn't keep me from upgrading camera bodies as they were released. .

 

[Jack]

On a more serious note, it would be nice if Sony adopted Fuji's approach of continuous firmware updates to fix the few foibles we all know about the Sony cameras.

Why would they? If they don't, we all scramble lockstep and line up to buy the new one. And with Guy at the head of the line! :ROTFL::ROTFL::ROTFL:

 

[GrahamWelland]

Well yes, I did think that myself when I wrote that earlier. Big functionality changes warrant camera body upgrades but bug fixes really should be part of the program.

Sony & Nikon (and presumably Canon too) always seem to require a model change for fixes, and those fixes are typically for problems known to users of the cameras but denied by the manufacturers.

 

[Steve P.]

Sony should sell these cameras on a subscription basis. "Deposit $20,000 with Sony and receive a brand new Sony A-Something each year for ten years and the 11th camera for free. New user interface guaranteed with each new model!"

Wait a minute...This sounds suspiciously like the Trojan horse that is the Adobe Cloud. Wash your mouth out with soap and water, young man!

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Here's an on topic post from me for a change:
I talked with a friend of mine who is deeply involved in the photography business and well connected to Sony. When I asked him how he thought the A9 would influence the sales of A7 cameras, he spontaneously answered "The A9 will be A-mount". If he was thinking about something else, or didn't hear me properly, I don't know, and this is not even a rumour at this stage, but it would make kind of sense in some ways for a "pro camera", since the A-mount is probably better suited for large aperture, full frame lenses and since a selection of good lenses already exists for the A-mount.

Take it for what it is; a comment that fell during a long conversation about cameras in general.

 

[Vivek]

I will take a break from this forum for a few months. These troll posts are not very pleasant.

 

[Jonas]

That's what I did several months ago. Not for the trolls (are there any, and are they frequent?) but because forums divided into different brand sections seem to be less rewarding than forums discussing gear and images in general.

Normally I don't read about speculations and rumour threads but as the traffic here is a little slow, and I'm having a slow day myself, I clicked the threads marked with the New Post-symbols. The first post was about a quite dated rumour. Meaningless. Then I went to the last message, your post.

All I can say is that I appreciate the thread about the Cron 75 AA and if you leave I hope it won't be for long.

 

[MikalWGrass]

a900 user here (I can hear and feel the board ones dropping off of their seats and hear the door shutting as they leave the room). Many of you gear guys don't seem to realize that it doesn't matter which camera you use if your photos are crap. Crap in, crap out.

My photos are hardly great but you know, the a900 works for me and what I like to do. An a9 won't make a better photographer if I don't have the drive to do better. An a7 in all of its various incarnations isn't going to make me a more exciting person, or a better husband and father. My Leica M6 will out live me and seems to do better than I do after it is dropped to the ground.

It just seems to a lot of us that Sony is cranking out a new computer, er camera, every few months, and it really makes absolutely no difference in the quality of the photos and photographers out there.

What is a Cron 75AA?

 

[Jonas]

(...)
My photos are hardly great but you know, the a900 works for me and what I like to do. An a9 won't make a better photographer if I don't have the drive to do better.
(...)
What is a Cron 75AA?

Provocative. But true. Or partly true at least. Cameras with electronic viewfinders made it possible for me to continue taking images at all. You seem to need a top quality FF camera for what you do. I see no reason to post sarcastic messages about people dreaming on - for whatever reason they do so.

Cron 75AA is a home-made short for a lens which is discussed in one of the recent threads in this forum. The manufacturer cals it "Leica APO-Summicron-M 75mm f/2 ASPH" but that is a bit long for chatting.

And all this from one usually not even reading rumour threads.... lol. Cheers!

 

[MikalWGrass]

Jonas, the sarcasm was directed towards the Cron 75AA. Having used a Lecia (bought for me by my late father a year before he died) for years before I bought a Sony, I am very familiar with the Leica line of lenses.

I am happy for you that you can continue to take pics because of the EVF. That is more important. than anything at the moment.

Yes, people can dream. I dream of: a lighter and faster FF OVF A Mount Sony; a 70-200/1.8 ZA to replace my 70-200/2.8G (earlier incarnation); a reasonably priced 300/2.8G or longer /2.8G lens; and lots of people throwing money at me to take pictures of their kids playing water polo, swimming, playing football, etc. without having to do the hard work of marketing myself. A guy can dream!

Before I picked up a camera, about 20 years ago, I thought that taking a good photo, not a great photo, but a good photo, was relatively easy. I quickly learned it isn't. I ditched my first Nikon for the Leica that my late father bought and shot everything from my adoption law practice (legal proceedings, adoptive parents seeing their babies for the first time) to sports. I supplemented the M6 with a Mamiya 7II and 65/4 lens. Only when my wife wanted to have a fashion blog and needed her pictures yesterday did I venture into digital.

Has digital made me a better photographer? Yes, but only in the realm of sports photography because I can get instant feedback to see if I am adequately capturing whatever it is I am trying to capture. But, I still have to pace the pool deck, walk the sidelines of the football games, and have the stamina to slog through parents standing next to me who think it is ok to coach their kids while the kid is playing 10 feet away.

Gotta run. But before I do, a cold shot glass of Acquavit in your direction to toast our good fortune at being able to take pictures.

 

[dwood]

I'm really looking forward to the A10

 

[ptomsu]

"Old friends and old wine are best." I bet every single component of a850/900 is of a higher quality than one in a7 or lack thereof.
If anyone knows of a FF DSLR with a brighter and crispier OVF with a standard VF screen than one in a900 please let me know.

Having owned the A900 myself I only can attest this is completely right!!!!

Having said that the A900 did lack a lot of necessary features (at least for me) as for example a faster and more capable AF. The D810 definitely tops the A900 from this point of view and even tops it WRT resolution and IQ. Main issue with all that higher res are the lenses which are for sure not designed or capable of 36+ MP!!!

The sweetspot currently still seems to be 24MP for FF sensors.

 

[f6cvalkyrie]

I'm really looking forward to the A10

here it comes, take care !

C U,
Rafael

 

[rayyan]

And there I was thinking my M8s and my ME were mirrorless cameras.
And my M3 before that and my MP and.....

Got to talk to someone about that misrepresentation and my stupidity in believing such.

Sony has long been the leader in mirrorless cameras, and they stand alone in FF mirrorless cameras. .

......

 

[Quentin_Bargate]

I'm really looking forward to the A10

You can have a look at the A10 now. It's a road going north out of London . Bit surprised you are looking forward to it though. I prefer the M11..