While I am anxiously waiting for a77, my worries for non optical finder become bigger. If a580 is the last body equipped with an optical view finder, should I buy one?

Yes. While I would have liked the 580 to have been equipped with GPS ala the A55, I will still be looking at getting one when the funds permit. I, too, desire an optical viewfinder instead of an electronic one, no matter how good the electronics, for various reasons that have been stated many times by myself and others who've discussed this topic before.

Dusty

I use an a700, and I remember being fairly pleased with the a550 when I rented it--enough that I considered buying one. I'm certain you won't be disappointed by the a580, which has so much more to offer than its immediate predecessor.

I have a line-up of Alphas A700, A350, A550 and A580 as well as the NEX-5. If I am out on a long day and do not need fast shooting or a long zoom I bring along my NEX-5. All other conditions I bring along my A580 now either with my CZ 16-80 (for semi side and top qualilty) or Sony 18-250. I also carry a Tamron 10-24mm when required.
The A580 is top of the list. I hand hold and can use ISO 400 and higher without deterioration in image quality. Gives sharper pictures. I have tried it on fast trains using the speed priority setting in drive mode, night shooting, high ISO etc. I find this camera is superior to any of my other cameras. Not as many buttons and switches as my A700, but for my purposes the best tool Sony have presented so far. Not keen on the EVF either so went for A580 rather than A55. With A77 being EVF I have no intention of buying one and will develop my NEX system instead. Nor will I depart with my A580. You must read David Kilpatrick's review of this camera. Cannot compare with competition, but only say that this is a competent camera and the 16Mp images are stunning. I reckon my current lenses can do justice to this sensor but not sure about the rumoured 24Mp in the A77 and potentially more highly specified NEX.

After reading this am thinking the A580 will be the replacement for my A200 next year.

The price has fallen on the A580 it's now quite a decent deal. Regarding the future OVF models all the indications are this might be the last round so you can either go for it and keep using it for hopefully years or think about if you like EVF's!

It's the lack of commitment from Sony to OVF's that stops me going for an A580 no point digging in even deeper if the company won't offer that choice down the road.

Thanks for the responses.
Prices here in Hong Kong is around 700USD for a body and has never fallen a bit. I love my A850 but...the weight with 24-70 is simply beyond my luggage allowance. Nex5 is good but using an adapter means the loss of AF, a factor has becoming more and more important to me.

Adorama Learning Center just posted a Camera test of the A580 - no bad at all:
http://www.adorama.com/ALC/Article.aspx ... lALC051811

Pako
I like Adoram's review more. Since the main reason of buying an a580 is for its OVF, I find in real life, its OVF is dimmer than my A700's.

Yes, smaller and dimmer. That's why I'll wait until the A900 replacement shows up before buying a new camera.

...and that would be a FF SLT...

I hope you are wrong.

He won't be...

Sony has been always doing a lot of revolutionary (and innovative) changes to our existing products. All have good intents to start with but not many of them are very successful. Looking at the piles of SACDs/MD music album, I cannot express more of my feelings...is this going to an end. A camera without an optical finder is not something new but why do we need to do this, if the optical finders are good enough?

My answer to your question at the moment would be a resounding NO.

I have owned an a580 since March, and whilst it has many great features, great handling, and an optical viewfinder, it is seriously let down by the sensor cleaning mode. Maybe I should say the sensor not-cleaning mode.

I heard about this issue after I'd bought mine, and noticed my sensor getting progressively dirtier, despite all my attempts to remove dust & debris. I had hoped that Sony would address this with a firmware update, and had my hopes raised, and then dashed, when the latest updates were only for the a33/a55. Sony have said they have no solution to the problem, and have avoided the issue of repair or replacement, leaving me with the only option of returning the camera to the retailer, and ending 31 years of Minolta/Sony ownership by switching brands.

Sony may be big, but they are doing themselves no favours by ignoring the customer, with their appalling customer service.