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Future Sony FE Bodies

Pradeep

Member
So in light of having the Nikon Z6/7 being announced officially, what are the things you hope to see on the next Sony bodies? I figured I’d return to putting my thoughts regarding Sony here to keep the peace.

I for one would like to see these things personally:

A7SIII/A9S:

18-24mp LSI/BSI/Stacked sensor (with same or improved high ISO capability - 400ISO Base)
OSPDAF with same A9 autofocus system
6k/24 | 4k60 or 4K120 (UHD/DCI) | 2k240p and/or 1080p240
10-bit (internal) | 12-bit (external) color space
ProRES RAW
Venice Color Science
Data bit rates up to 500mbps
Improved heat management
Larger body (A9S)
3.69md EVF (A7SIII)/ 5.6md EVF (A9S)
Improved weather sealing (since they advertise it as a feature)
Dual SD cards (A7SIII)/ Dual XQD cards (A9S)
Price: $3k (A7SIII)/ $5k A9S

A9R:

56-72mp LSI/BSI/Stacked Sensor (with same or improved high ISO capability - 50ISO Base)
Improved OSPDAF
4k60 DCI/2k240
10-bit Internal/External Color Space
Data bitrates up to 200mbps
5.6md EVF
Larger and more weather sealed body
Dual XQD Cards
User definable crop modes (or just include 1:1, 3:2, 16:9, 4:5, 6:7, 2:1, and 8:3)
Price: $5.5k

Lenses I’d like to see at some point:

200/4 G (can’t justify the cost of the $10k+ lenses)
400/4 G (can’t justify the cost of the $10k+ lenses)
200-600/5.6 G (something to directly compete with the Nikon 200-500/5.6)
100/2 GM (just take the Contax Yashica formula and modernize it)
135/1.8 GM (need an update to the legendary A-Mount lens)
Updated 24-70/4 (though I guess the 24-105 actually solves this)
21/2 G (Walk around ultrawide)
24/2 G (Walk around wide)
35/2 G (Walk around prime)
50/2 G (cheaper alternative to the Sony Zeiss lenses)
135/2.5 G (cheaper mid-telephoto option)
20/4 Tilt-Shift
Updated A-Mount adapters that allow all of the newer features.

For me:

A9 MkII:

Dual SD UHS-II slots - I actually prefer these, they keep the camera size small overall. Writing speed is not that much different and what many do not realize is that it is the buffer in the camera that makes all the difference. My 1DXMkII had faster cards but I could not shoot even half as many frames as I can with the A9. So with a large enough buffer, you could potentially have the capacity to shoot several hundred frames at 20fps, which is more than what anybody should need.

Larger Buffer - see above.
Better weather sealing
14-bit compressed RAW
Improved AF, not that it is bad right now :)

Don't care about much else, especially video

A7r4:

Increased pixel count - anything over 60 Mpx
Improved AF, if they can make like current A9, would be a HUGE accomplishment
Maintain current fps of 10 or higher with above
Better weather sealing
Remove 'star eater' problem although it is not really a big issue to my eyes
Improved High ISO performance = lower noise, agree with base ISO of 50
Dual SD UHS-II card slots - as above.

Lenses:

200-500 f4 with 1.4x built in
600 f4 DO/PF equivalent
I would even be happy with a 600 5.6 if it was really light.

Don't care about wides, I am perfectly satisfied with the current line-up.

I believe companies like Samyang will have a big role to play in the future although their offerings may be limited to the wide-angles. Very hard to make a really exceptional super-tele.
 

seb

Member
Interesting lists. Both show nicely how good these cameras are already.

The last days I was thinking about my expectations on future camera releases and realized that I'm very happy with my a7RII. It has flaws when it comes to burst and AF. But if I need that an a9 should solve it. And when it comes to video I'll expect the a7sIII will bring all I need.

Of course, it would be nice to have a camera with high res/DR (7Rxxx), perfect AF/FPS (a9xxx) and great video (a7Sxxx) in one. But with 650g each body it will not be a big thing to bring them along. It's also the reason why I'm not thinking about replacing the a7RII with an a7RIII but rather buying an a9 or a7sIII (when it comes to release) on top.

For me:

A9 MkII:

Dual SD UHS-II slots - I actually prefer these, they keep the camera size small overall. Writing speed is not that much different and what many do not realize is that it is the buffer in the camera that makes all the difference. My 1DXMkII had faster cards but I could not shoot even half as many frames as I can with the A9. So with a large enough buffer, you could potentially have the capacity to shoot several hundred frames at 20fps, which is more than what anybody should need.

Larger Buffer - see above.
Better weather sealing
14-bit compressed RAW
Improved AF, not that it is bad right now :)

Don't care about much else, especially video

A7r4:

Increased pixel count - anything over 60 Mpx
Improved AF, if they can make like current A9, would be a HUGE accomplishment
Maintain current fps of 10 or higher with above
Better weather sealing
Remove 'star eater' problem although it is not really a big issue to my eyes
Improved High ISO performance = lower noise, agree with base ISO of 50
Dual SD UHS-II card slots - as above.

Lenses:

200-500 f4 with 1.4x built in
600 f4 DO/PF equivalent
I would even be happy with a 600 5.6 if it was really light.

Don't care about wides, I am perfectly satisfied with the current line-up.

I believe companies like Samyang will have a big role to play in the future although their offerings may be limited to the wide-angles. Very hard to make a really exceptional super-tele.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Interesting lists. Both show nicely how good these cameras are already.

The last days I was thinking about my expectations on future camera releases and realized that I'm very happy with my a7RII. It has flaws when it comes to burst and AF. But if I need that an a9 should solve it. And when it comes to video I'll expect the a7sIII will bring all I need.

Of course, it would be nice to have a camera with high res/DR (7Rxxx), perfect AF/FPS (a9xxx) and great video (a7Sxxx) in one. But with 650g each body it will not be a big thing to bring them along. It's also the reason why I'm not thinking about replacing the a7RII with an a7RIII but rather buying an a9 or a7sIII (when it comes to release) on top.
Well seb, that’s what I have been doing.
Keep my A7r and A7r.2 and add the A9 for action and birding and wild life.

I also have an NEX-5N (my first Sony), NEX-7 (<= had to wait for), and a6300.
I should have been more patient and waited for the a6500 with IBIS.
In hindsight I am still using the NEX-5N more than the NEX-7.
Although I bought the NEX-5N only because I had to wait for the NEX-7. :LOL:

The only reason I got into Sonys was to finally be able to use my Leica R lenses.
So the first FF camera I ever properly used an R lens on was the Sony A7r.
Although I did focus an R lens with a NEX-5N, then shoot it with my Leica M.
That worked just fine for landscape shots. All well worth it.

I also had Nikon FX cameras that I could have used for my R lenses.
However I didn’t want to modify the lenses and Leitax them. Good decision.

The Sony A9 has become my all time favorite camera.
Any new future camera for me will have to be based on its amazing technology.

I now have several excellent native FE lenses.
But what’s so nice about especially the A7r.2 and A9 is that I can adapt many more lenses to them, including with autofocus.
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
Interesting lists. Both show nicely how good these cameras are already.

The last days I was thinking about my expectations on future camera releases and realized that I'm very happy with my a7RII. It has flaws when it comes to burst and AF. But if I need that an a9 should solve it. And when it comes to video I'll expect the a7sIII will bring all I need.

Of course, it would be nice to have a camera with high res/DR (7Rxxx), perfect AF/FPS (a9xxx) and great video (a7Sxxx) in one. But with 650g each body it will not be a big thing to bring them along. It's also the reason why I'm not thinking about replacing the a7RII with an a7RIII but rather buying an a9 or a7sIII (when it comes to release) on top.
I agree and I haven’t upgraded from the A7RII yet for a few reasons but chief among them was the new battery, potential switch to another system in the past, and awaiting what Sony comes up with in the future. I, like you, am patiently awaiting the A7SIII and/or whatever comes next in the A9 line. The A7S with OSPDAF would likely already be the “perfect” event camera with its lowlight ability. Adding a higher resolution to it AND keeping the lowlight ability would take it over the top for me.

Most of all what ive been enjoying again as of late are the native Sony lenses. They really have some gems in there and I don’t believe that a lot of people that only adapt are getting the full experience of the cameras if they haven’t owned at least one or two of the higher end lenses.
 
V

Vivek

Guest
The FE lenses needed better AF bodies to realise their potential. With gen III and up it would only get better. If they would completely forego lossy files and cooked RAWs (star eater), the cameras would do justice to their sensors as well.

They do not seem to have any shame being the largest imaging sensor company and all ...:facesmack:


Anyway, real competition is on its way: https://www.mirrorlessrumors.com
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
The FE lenses needed better AF bodies to realise their potential. With gen III and up it would only get better. If they would completely forego lossy files and cooked RAWs (star eater), the cameras would do justice to their sensors as well.

They do not seem to have any shame being the largest imaging sensor company and all ...:facesmack:


Anyway, real competition is on its way: https://www.mirrorlessrumors.com
Yeah I would like to see them address these issues for one reason alone - marketing. I can’t say they’ve ever actually affected any of my pictures but it’s a talking point the competition can use. I have SOME faith that they will address it like they have the battery life, Dual card slot, and lens lineup “issues” that are apparently (and predictably) not an issue at all when the top plate doesn’t say Sony on it.

:ROTFL:

In all seriousness though glowing reactions to some other cameras and the safety net others play with reminds me of why I dropped CaNikon cameras and went Mirrorless 10 years ago. It’s what I expect from those brands but I was hoping for better. Early rumors of the new Canon Mirrorless look promising with the camera slated to launch with a 24-105, 28-70/2, 50/1.2, and 35/1.8 that are all supposed to be L series glass. As predicted maybe THIS system will give Sony a kick in the pants.
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
On a side note... I feel like a wide range of people have never even tested a Mirrorless camera within the last 5-10 years. I’m seeing people amazed by being able to use adapters, being able to shoot in cropped mode, being able to customize to their heart’s content, being able to have competent video AF, being amazed by face detect, being amazed by AF that’s not just in the center of the frame, etc.

Like I’m happy for the enthusiasm and recognition that there are benefits to Mirrorless but these are all things that have long been available on cameras on the market (doesn’t even need to be a Sony) for YEARS... :wtf:
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
Though the topic is labeled for FE bodies I wonder if Sony will simply call the future crop sensor flagship an A6 to compete directly against the Fuji and high end Micro 4/3 bodies. It would be interesting and hey should also release 4-10 high quality APS-C lenses for it as well.
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Instead of looking at what new stuff, I am looking forward to seeing how steep a price decline on existing stuff.

Bring them on! :)
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
Instead of looking at what new stuff, I am looking forward to seeing how steep a price decline on existing stuff.

Bring them on! :)
Perhaps. That might drive their sales up for those that have sat on the fence between DSLR and Mirrorless who have come to a head/believe that CaNikon isn’t going to give them the camera they want any time soon (if ever) even after 5 years time...
 

Shac

Active member
Though the topic is labeled for FE bodies I wonder if Sony will simply call the future crop sensor flagship an A6 to compete directly against the Fuji and high end Micro 4/3 bodies. It would be interesting and hey should also release 4-10 high quality APS-C lenses for it as well.
Totally agree - it's about time they came up with a decent APS-C zoom lens
 
V

Vivek

Guest
I peaked over at the Xt3 announcement at a rumor site. OMG! The enthusiasm or hype they generate is totally astounding! :bugeyes:
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
I peaked over at the Xt3 announcement at a rumor site. OMG! The enthusiasm or hype they generate is totally astounding! :bugeyes:
LOL. Agreed.

Fuji users can be a bit like Leica ones in a sense that they are largely committed to a brand ethos (not that it’s a problem). In fairness though the XT3 does in fact seem to actually be a huge step up for Fuji but I would like to see them improve the stability of their firmware/cameras. The day I was prepared to buy the XH1... it locked up on store on me. Brand new camera out the box and a quick google search returned this to be a common enough issue at the time that caused me to get cold feet.

My cousin shoots a pair of XT2’s for professional and personal use. Never had any issues with them in regular use for his job or pleasure. I do like the Fuji cameras for a lot of reasons but I do I find the built in grip on the XT2 to be too small for long term comfort without the vertical grip. The XT3 looks slightly larger and shaped a little differently. He is shooting parts of a documentary with the A7III (along with other digital cinema cameras) currently but he rents them as needed. He’s pretty brand agnostic but is a big Canon guy at heart - which is one of the reasons I originally went Canon to share his large selection of lenses.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Yup, there are lots of folks who really get it on with Fuji gear.
Sony should release an APS-C version of the A9.
That would be the ticket for me.:grin:
 
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