New Sony Alphas

BrettG

For those who might not have seen the various posts on dpreview, dyxum.com etc... Two new cameras, one high amateur and one pro, one of which is supposed to be out sometime in 2007.

Little official info, no specs, but the mockups look cool.

A link I borrowed from one of the other sites: http://thephotostation.net/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/18950/cat/9757

Love the sharp pentaprism housing on the 'pro' model - perfect for fighting your way through a crowd of Canikon photogs... :rofl

HeldDown

I predict these will be only slightly less popular than the A100.

And by that, I mean "will be about as popular as horsehair insulation in modern construction."

swintonphoto

HeldDown wrote:

I predict these will be only slightly less popular than the A100.

And by that, I mean "will be about as popular as horsehair insulation in modern construction."

That wasn't very nice... Just because it's not a Canon or a Nikon doesn't mean it wont be great.

HeldDown

Having had an intimate view of the A100, and having had multiple meetings and training sessions with Sony's official representatives (including one just a week ago with the senior marketing guys) I would say my opinion on the Alpha line of products is quite fair.

Seymore

HeldDown wrote:

Having had an intimate view of the A100, and having had multiple meetings and training sessions with Sony's official representatives (including one just a week ago with the senior marketing guys) I would say my opinion on the Alpha line of products is quite fair.

I'd have to say that is a rather biased opinion. To this effect I'd reserve my statement till I got to handle the camera and see what it could really do. After all, this is only the 2nd gen of the "Sony's" dSLR line up. Nikon and Canon have how many generation under their belts? And the Alphas are probably targeting a market other than yourself.

HeldDown

If an opinion was unbiased and neutral, it wouldn't be an opinion, it would be a fact. Let's not get all up in arms here, ladies and gentlemen - no one's insulting your parents and/or children.

claudermilk

If you look around at threads when the first Alpha was released, HeldDown's opinion is certainly not unique and is fairly representative of the majority of posts.

Don't forget the Sony DSLRs really aren't a "first generation" camera--the first Alpha was simply a reworked Minolta. They aren't starting from scratch.

Terrence

HeldDown wrote:

If an opinion was unbiased and neutral, it wouldn't be an opinion, it would be a fact. Let's not get all up in arms here, ladies and gentlemen - no one's insulting your parents and/or children.

Here! Here! Opinion and debate are healthy.

ziggy53

I suggest that opinion based on facts and experience has merit.

Since HeldDown is speaking about a camera's popularity based on his previous experience selling that line of camera, I think he is entitled to that opinion.

Could he have phrased his opinion in a more sensitive fashion ...?

It would be nice to know if the new Alpha cameras have improvements which "could" lead to better sales. I hope BrettG and HeldDown (and anyone else) will keep us abreast of any developments which look encouraging, as progress and development in any camera yields ultimate improvement in all cameras, if the buying public is sensitive enough to the improvements.

Best,

bauerman

I'm also not a fan of the Sony entrance into the DSLR market as for years they were trying to create the DSLR 'aternative' camera ( a fixed lens model that could compete performance wise with a good DSLR) and I think that they came to the conclusion that it just was not a winning idea and that they could not do it. Although for years they had been telling people that you didn't need the bulk of a DSLR.

So in that case, they selected the weak member of the herd, buddy'ed up with them and eventually took over their mount and their anti-shake technology and just re-badged the products as their own. Pheh.

I have personally handled and shot with the A100 and was not impressed. Build quality seemed low and the user interface/menu system was not appealing to me.

I don't think that we are going to be seeing the "Alpha" section on the sidelines of any major sporting events in the next five years or so!

Art Scott

Cyrrently owning 2 of the KM 7D's....I know I would NEVER own the current Alpha....the only thing it had over the 7D is the MP's the MF/AF button on the back of the camera is gone...hopefully they learned their lesson and put it back...it does not have the same feel...it feels to me to be a smaller camera.....

The ONLY thing I like on the Alpha was the changing of the front of body MF/AF switch to a wheel that is accessable from the side of the camera, but that still did not replace the extremely useful MF/AF button on the back of the camera.

Hence I am looking to make a switch at some not to distant future.

Awais Yaqub

Few days ago i saw alpha 100 well i have never picked nikon or canon. But i don't know why i was not inspired by Alpha 100 . I was much impressed with R1 ! what a camera

Stv

HeldDown wrote:

I predict these will be only slightly less popular than the A100.

And by that, I mean "will be about as popular as horsehair insulation in modern construction."

........ another insipid observation from the old'n tired Ford and GM school of photography. No imag.e.NATION here folks.

Seymore

Stv wrote:

........ another insipid observation from the old'n tired Ford and GM school of photography. No imag.e.NATION here folks.

bauerman

with HeldDown............

ziggy53

Folks, keep it about the cameras please.

Thanks,

Glenn NK

More competition from more manufacturers is good for photography.

Sony/Alpa will have to prove themselves as Nikon and Canon have already done.

In essence, only time will tell, but let me put it this way; "suppose you inherited some money, and have an overpowering desire to invest the money in the camera division of a company - which one will YOU buy into?"

bauerman

Glenn NK wrote:

More competition from more manufacturers is good for photography.

Sony/Alpa will have to prove themselves as Nikon and Canon have already done.

In essence, only time will tell, but let me put it this way; "suppose you inherited some money, and have an overpowering desire to invest the money in the camera division of a company - which one will YOU buy into?"

I would buy into one of the more entrenched companies for sure. Sony may end up being a large player in the DSLR market, but they have a past of getting out of markets where the margin/sales are not high enough. I could see that happening with their DSLR offerings if things do not go according to plan.

ken_vs_ryu

I can't wait for these to be released. Both look great and with autofocus zeiss lenses you can't complain.

wxwax

Glenn NK wrote:

More competition from more manufacturers is good for photography.

Not to mention, good for the consumer. I read a report this week that claimed prices for dSLRs will plummet in the next year.

Sure hope so!

bauerman

I heard that they new Sony's were going to have battery grips available, cannot remember where I read that. Not integrated grips - but grips nonetheless. Anyone else heard that?

Stv

Ditto ..........

ken_vs_ryu wrote:

I can't wait for these to be released. Both look great and with autofocus zeiss lenses you can't complain.

Minolta has always made innovative cameras that impact the photography industry to this very day and made some of the best glass available to date, however they were never very good at marketing nor making any money from it. Minolta made cameras for camera lovers, unfortunately the world changed along the way. The Konica/Minolta experiment was just more of the same stagnant thinking, not to mention the staggering debt load from poor USA legal advice and failed patent lawsuits they inherited.

I am no SONY fan boy in the least!

But they did save the A mount. Sony is no slouch in the pro-vid market of which they own. It stands to reason after they hired 250 engineers from the Minolta RD that they are going to take a serious go at this market. I for one am keeping an optimistic outlook for these new releases.

Stv

bauerman wrote:

I heard that they new Sony's were going to have battery grips available, cannot remember where I read that. Not integrated grips - but grips nonetheless. Anyone else heard that?

Yes, that is correct. The mock-ups displayed at the PMA have detachable grips and although Sony has not said much, indications from them are that it will not be an integrated grip into the body at this time.

cmason

I do not find the current Sony DSLR offerings interesting. I think they are simply a rapid path into the DSLR market, a market that IMHO, requires participation in the professional end of the business to really ensure success. This is to keep the innovation going, and to drive adoption of the system based on professional testimonial and support.

While a good percentage of lower end DSLRs may sell as an upgrade from the P&S business, I suspect most owners purchase very little beyond the kit system. Those that spend money are folks like us, that look to the higher end, vs the lower end to give us reasons to adopt.

For this reason, it is not surprising that Sony would be moving toward the professional end. I think it odd the way they did it, by simply announcing they were going to, vs being specific. But they must feel that they are losing momentum in their entrance with the Minolta camera.

BUT, if any vendor can be an equal to Nikon or Canon in this market, it is Sony. Most know of Sony as a leader in TVs and pretty good at consumer electronics. I think their P&S cameras have been negatively effected by their silly support for MemoryStick, but Sony is typically 2 or 3 in yearly sales, so go figure. However, in the professional video market, they dominate. Sony is, in fact, the video standard, at least currently for NTSC/DV...HD I am not sure of. They have the experience and the know how of marketing too, supporting and embracing the pro spaces. They just need the hardware.

I for one hope that they do not do an A100 here, and create a "good enough' Pro model, but instead, do a very competitive model and system.

ziggy53

I would appreciate no personal attacks please. This thread is wandering way beyond a discussion of "Cameras".

No more warnings!

Thanks,

claudermilk

ziggy53 wrote:

I would appreciate no personal attacks please. This thread is wandering way beyond a discussion of "Cameras".

No more warnings!

Thanks,

Huh? All I've seen is discussion on the cameras since you laid down the law a couple days/pages ago.

Back on cameras: I would hope that Sony can knock one out of the park just for the competition--that's always good for we end-users. I'm just not holding my breath after reading about the A100 (IMHO they could have done so much more with it), and seeing them rest on their laurels from the '80s--that old goodwill is about used up.

DifferentSeed

I am by no means any sort of expert when it comes to taking pictures - I have yet to even post a pic for C&C (i'm just not ready!!!)...

However, when I bought my first DSLR last summer I compared all the popular ones, the 20D, 30D, Rebel XT, a Nikon and I ended up with a Sony. I held them all. I played with the menus, the features. I read all the indepth reports on all the sites. I read what people were saying here and on other boards. I even so far as to read how-to books about specific models I was seriously considering.

In the end, I chose the Sony for a few reasons:
- I like how it feels in my hand. It's comfortable. Maybe I wouldn't think that if I'd used other DSLRs in the past, but I hadn't, and I just like the fit of the Alpha.
- Built in anti-shake. At the time nobody else was doing it. I liked the idea of it being within the camera rather than having to spend more on lenses with image stabilization.
- A-Mount. There's no shortage of old Minolta lenses out there. Sadly the prices are only going up for anything good, but deals are still out there.
- Self-cleaning sensor. At the time this seemed like a great feature. Does it work? Maybe, maybe not. Does it help? Maybe. Probably doesn't hurt anything.
- Menu system. I found it pretty easy. Maybe that's because I've had a few Sony point and shoots, but I found the menus confusing as hell on the Canons.

Having had the camera a while I still love it. I don't know if I'd still buy one. Honestly not sure. I moved past "basic kit" within days of owning it and have yet to really use the kit lens, but buying nice lenses is a bit of a challenge. They're still pretty expensive and sometimes hard to find (without going to Sony's new offerings) and market support isnt' as wide as it is for Nikon and Canon. I'd like to see ISO 3200. So not sure. But I've also invested a lot into it at this point -- I'm probably a few thousand in past the cost of the camera just in lenses, filters, and other "essentials".

On the flip side, I still find it really easy to use and like the fit in my hand. I don't care about a grip or flash rings. I'm happy playing with my newest lens (100-300 f/4) and exploring more of the modes the camera offers.

I'm thrilled to see Sony is expanding the line and that it isn't going to die, not yet anyway, because having spent so much on A-Mount I'd like to know I've got options to grow in the future.

Phew. Sorry for the long-winded post - I read this thread a few days ago and it just pissed me off so much at the time to see how condescending some of it was becoming. I'm glad it's back about the cameras and not the people who use them... I like to think that it's about the person behind the camera, not the camera itself. It's just a tool. My 2 cents.

wxwax

I find myself wondering why Sony bothers with a dSLR.

Is the market big enough? dSLRs accounted for 1.7 million units sold out of an overall total of 29.8 million digital cameras sold in 2007.

Is it worth scrapping over that small a market? Does the prestige boost sales, buff the brand, create goodwill? Or is it corporate ego?

Seymore

wxwax wrote:

I find myself wondering why Sony bothers with a dSLR.

Is the market big enough? dSLRs accounted for 1.7 million units sold out of an overall total of 29.8 million digital cameras sold in 2007.

Is it worth scrapping over that small a market? Does the prestige boost sales, buff the brand, create goodwill? Or is it corporate ego?

Hmmmmmmmm... Well, I think I'd like to give my thought on these questions.

Yes...

Yes, yes, yes, yes and YES! (IMPO)

I also feel that if a company stagnates and rests on the laurels of a set market, they are liable to fall so far behind that they'll never recover to what is in-vogue for the current market. I almost see Sony as being in this predicament now with their P&S market, at least in the US market place. So, diversifying a bit is good for them and for the dSLR market in general, IMPO. To me it shows that they are willing to venture into a new market (for them) and can help them to better understand where they can go with all of their camera lines now and in the future.

Diversity can be a good thing...

Stv

wxwax wrote:

I find myself wondering why Sony bothers with a dSLR.

Is the market big enough? dSLRs accounted for 1.7 million units sold out of an overall total of 29.8 million digital cameras sold in 2007.

Is it worth scrapping over that small a market? Does the prestige boost sales, buff the brand, create goodwill? Or is it corporate ego?

A ready made market for their DSLR for one thing. There are over 18 million Minolta A mount lenses out there! A significant market not to be ignored.

There is the fact that SONY is the largest CCD image sensor manufacturer making sensors for such notables as Nikon, Fuji, Minolta, Olympus and some Canon. An in-house DSLR test-bed to improve the core of the product.

Leaders in the Pro-Video camera market.

These are good reasons IMHO to get into this game.

bauerman

How successful was Minolta in edging into the pro market of DSLR's?

If Sony is going to be successful at getting the A-mount into the hands of pros around the world they are going to accomplish something that Minolta, for the most part, was not successful in doing, correct?

(I'm not trying to be cute here - just posing the question.)