A77 - Nearly here

Discussion of all digital SLR cameras under the Minolta and Konica Minolta brands
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Allam2009
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A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by Allam2009 »

Check out dphotographer.co.uk for a blog entry on the 77
A700 - 18-200 - 70-300G - 28F2.8 - 30M2.8
Javelin
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by Javelin »

Sorry I don't beleive they've seen anything other than the mock up
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bfitzgerald
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

Now be fair those carpenters worked for a long time on that mock up ;-)
More to the point I just don't see this segment embracing translucent very warmly.
Javelin
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by Javelin »

was the mockup really wooden ? who the hell does that anymore? surely this isn't right
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KevinBarrett
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

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Link?
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Greg Beetham
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by Greg Beetham »

I like the part where they say "We've had a chance to take a look at this high spec model" then they say it has not been named yet? :roll:
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David Kilpatrick
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by David Kilpatrick »

The mockup is real enough but Paul Genge says it looks nothing like the real thing. He's seen something more, obviously. I questioned the viewfinder eyepiece, which in the mockup does not have the same design as an EVF eyepiece. His reply was an answer to this observation.

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tom power 53
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by tom power 53 »

You know a lot of people are worried and a lot of people are making fun of Sony. Sony has made themselves an easy target.

If people set in their ways can not see the advantage to smaller lighter systems such as the NEX - A33/55/77 then they are going to have to switch systems soon and for a few years enjoy some other system until that system too switches to new technology or goes bankrupt.

Things are changing rapidly in the SLR model and this 50 year old technology is changing whether we like it or not.

I am totally impressed by the new NEX UI and folks can slobber over the looks of the new FUJI all they want, and it is a very cool looking camera, but not practical except for a few. The idea that this FUJI will be a better camera than the NEX5, with the new UI, at all most twice the price? You are kidding right? Sure great to have in the garage for an occasional spin like a Porsche but not to commute everyday to work.

A77 will be coming soon I think. It appears to me Sony was testing the market with the NEX/A55 and the market has spoken. Gold award for A55 and wide positive reviews and acceptance of the NEX other then the UI - which is now fixed. Full speed ahead I would think from here. Sony has figured out the strategy to attack the market dominated by Canikon and with it's electronic and manufacturing expertise is a force to be reckoned with. We will be the beneficiaries of this battle with newer better cheaper technology. JMO of course.
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bfitzgerald
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

Here we go again! Mock up looks nothing like the final product..begs the question, why bother with the mock up?
Anyway back to the topic.
Yes technology changes but currently translucent brings some advantages and some disadvantages as well so it's hardly a one fix wonder that some make it out to be. You simply replace one problem with another one.

As for the NEX sure they they're doing a FW update isn't that great yet DSLR Alpha users where did their firmware updates go? All this effort to fix a problem when somebody might have bothered to actually design the damn thing properly before it got released! That just shows me how little thought Sony gave the NEX regading GUI and handling/controls etc.

The Fuji might be a niche product, but with a lower than expected price I think it's going to be a hit myself. They've covered OVF and EVF users (this is a crucial point) so EVF haters won't walk away (me!) It looks like a great handling camera and I could do a lot with a 35mm f2 lens for natural light work. I'd much rather save up a bit more get the Fuji and enjoy using a camera than torturing myself with a NEX. And you can be sure the Fuji lens will be a cracker, unlike NEX which has only mediocre optics on offer currently.

DPR's gold award isn't worth a can of beans, they saw something different and went ga ga for it, nothing more. Take away the translucent element and you're still left with a camera that really isn't that exciting to "photographers" it might be to video consumers who want a high FPS.
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by mike2008 »

bfitzgerald wrote:
As for the NEX sure they they're doing a FW update isn't that great yet DSLR Alpha users where did their firmware updates go? All this effort to fix a problem when somebody might have bothered to actually design the damn thing properly before it got released! That just shows me how little thought Sony gave the NEX regading GUI and handling/controls etc.
I'm just wondering, you said you sold you're selling your alpha gear, so why sweat the fw upgrades for alpha users?
bfitzgerald wrote: And you can be sure the Fuji lens will be a cracker, unlike NEX which has only mediocre optics on offer currently.
not true at all. The nex can use any lens you can throw at it, and has AF in lots of alpha lenses now too. Why the exaggerations?
bfitzgerald wrote: DPR's gold award isn't worth a can of beans, they saw something different and went ga ga for it, nothing more. Take away the translucent element and you're still left with a camera that really isn't that exciting to "photographers" it might be to video consumers who want a high FPS.
This cracks me up. I wonder how much better quality the review would have been in your eyes if they'd given it 50%. Meh. You really can't see that a nice big EVF is better than a small cramped OVF of the A580? Or that seeing the final WB in the EVF might be handy, before you even take the shot? Or that you get AF-C regardless of fps, which go up to unprecedentedly high levels? Or that you get DOFP which is actually useful? Or that you have no need of a kludgy MLU solution anymore? All of this is totally boring to your average shooter is it? Hmmm...
Javelin
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by Javelin »

well the mock up was for 2 weeks ago when they were actually going to release a mirrored camera (I knew it didn't look like wood). the more I think about it the more I think Sony is doing absolutely the right thing. with this new technology they can provide all the features bBarry';s been asking for (for example) at a price point below the competition and throw in a few ripe plumbs that people also wanted.. AF in video and high FPS .. thi si a win win. no wonder Sony backed away from A7xx plans all they would have acommplished is an Also ran like the pentax units ..
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bfitzgerald
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

I'm just wondering, you said you sold you're selling your alpha gear, so why sweat the fw upgrades for alpha users?

I said I was buying another makers camera, I'll look at the "sell off stuff I don't want" after I have had a chance to get used to a new machine. It's hilarious to me Sony will do a FW update for a p&s users camera yet ignore their own DSLR line up.

not true at all. The nex can use any lens you can throw at it, and has AF in lots of alpha lenses now too. Why the exaggerations?

I'm poking fun specifically at the NEX 16mm prime. Very disappointing for what should have been an easy good lens.
As I have 11 screw driven A mount lenses NEX it's not very much use to me is it! Even then I hear the AF is horribly slow with SAM and SSM lenses.

This cracks me up. I wonder how much better quality the review would have been in your eyes if they'd given it 50%. Meh. You really can't see that a nice big EVF is better than a small cramped OVF of the A580? Or that seeing the final WB in the EVF might be handy, before you even take the shot? Or that you get AF-C regardless of fps, which go up to unprecedentedly high levels? Or that you get DOFP which is actually useful? Or that you have no need of a kludgy MLU solution anymore? All of this is totally boring to your average shooter is it? Hmmm...

Sony decided on a 0.80x mag viewfinder for the new A5xx series. They could easily have done a better spec VF for users.
This "change stuff on the fly" cracks me up..ever shot a wedding? I can assure you there are times you simply do not have a chance to consult a histogram, adjust your WB (I can adjust WB in the VF on the KM5d) or goof about in menus.

Not to say it's of no use in some situations of course it is..but I simply need to "see" my subject and clearly without any junk in the way and plastered all over the screen. An EVF destroys any concept of pre visualisation. In short I'm not interested in them..and Sony have clearly shown they are not interested in OVF shooters.
It is an essential requirement for me that I see through the lens and as my own eyes see. I don't carry a TV around with me when I walk about looking at a landscape..because it would look awful compared to my own eyes. This is a very simple thing to grasp..many users will not accept EVF's at all.

Sony are too scared to go head to head with Nikon. How many A mount users would complain if they had a D7000 equivalent for A mount coming out right now? None. It is so simple yet they cannot even manage that. And that is exactly what they needed.
Javelin
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by Javelin »

The problem is they wouldn't have sold any. if the cameras were equal people would just buy the Nikon. A mount users would be very happy... all 8 of them would buy one too probably. then they would sit for a year until they get cleared out ...
bfitzgerald wrote: Sony are too scared to go head to head with Nikon. How many A mount users would complain if they had a D7000 equivalent for A mount coming out right now? None. It is so simple yet they cannot even manage that. And that is exactly what they needed.
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bfitzgerald
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

Javelin you jest surely? So you actually think it's a really good idea Sony don't compete in this sector? I'm thinking very few A mount users would agree. The problem is Sony didn't update the A700 18 months ago folks have no confidence that they will carry on the line and update it. Canon and Nikon are regular doing this.

If you can't compete semi pro DSLR wise you might as well pack in the entire division.
twm47099
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Re: A77 - Nearly here

Unread post by twm47099 »

I keep reading that the A700 didn't sell well. This tends to say an A7xx wouldn't sell well. let's go back to the first statement.

The A700 didn't sell well because - who the heck was around to buy it.

Minolta waited so long to make an a-mount DSLR that many advanced users left.

KM released the 7D, but that had a number of very significant problems: AF speed and accuracy, poor ambient exposure, inconsistent flash exposure, and lazy eye. Some of the remaining Minolta true believers (Jose on the dpreview KM SLR talk was a prime example) gave up and left.

Sony took over, and to try to dispel the "they have no experience in real cameras and will just make glorified cybershots" comments, released the A100. That camera fixed a nummber of the KM7D issues such as exposure and lazy eye, but also suffered from noise that wasn't state of the art. So Sony showed they could make a camera, but it really wasn't competitive in IQ.

Then to try and stop the hemorrhage, they released the A700 that solved the noise problem (too much) and didn't have IQ or features that were state of the art at that level. So who bought it - Minolta exiles who hadn't left (not the largest number in the world) and were willing to put up with the IQ issues. That sounds like a combination that is going to attract new users from around the world and beyond - not.

To Sony's credit and something that convinced me at the time that they did have intentions to make the enthusiast level successful, they issued a number of firmware updates to resolve the major problems.

Then they released the A900 + CZ lenses that started attracting users from other brands.

So their first try wasn't as competitive as it could have been. But most of us assumed that Sony learned something about building cameras and their second try would come soon, building on the A900 good will (people who buy expensive lenses tend to want to buy more compatible products.) But apparently, Sony said "daddy, it's too hard" and went on to release a dozen entry level cameras.

Javelin wrote:The problem is they wouldn't have sold any. if the cameras were equal people would just buy the Nikon. A mount users would be very happy... all 8 of them would buy one too probably. then they would sit for a year until they get cleared out ...
bfitzgerald wrote: Sony are too scared to go head to head with Nikon. How many A mount users would complain if they had a D7000 equivalent for A mount coming out right now? None. It is so simple yet they cannot even manage that. And that is exactly what they needed.
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