Photoclubalpha

as you get them, thinking of the next one.

I think I've found my Utopian cameras

the a 580 and the nex 6
a brilliant combination for me as an old minolalite, at last sony have delivered for me, I'm glad I stuck with them, a few times I was wavering,it was a rough and bumpy ride but I think I'm there at last

In what ways is the A580 a utopian camera?

Headcell, reference your question, not sure if the A580 and NEX-6 are utopian, but I would support gio67 in his assertion that these are capable cameras.
I have disposed of all older Alpha cameras but retain my A550 and A580. I will not sell either and they will be my last Alpha mount units regardless of SLT or what have you. I have also disposed of my NEX-5 and now retain my NEX-5N and NEX-6 with 16-50mm pancake. I have written elsewhere on this blog about the NEX-6 and the Internet is now full of reviews and comments, all being mostly very positive in all respects except for the omission of an external michrophone inlet. I can fully endorse gio67's praise of the two mentioned cameras. Best in the World? Who knows or cares. They are good and capable cameras. I also think that Sony have come of age and their sensors now dominate the "high" ground, being used now also by Nikon and Pentax for their top end cameras. It will only be a matter of time before Olympus will join in with a Sony sensor. Look at the recent DPReview of the A99 and the list of features that Sony cameras now provide. I certainly have no intention of switching. As for reliability, I have owned one DSC-R1 two A700, two A350, one A550 one A580 and one each of NEX-5, NEX-5N and NEX-6. Not one single one has had to go back for repair. Only problem was with my NEX 16mm pancake. Sony repaired in a week and it has been fine since.

For me, the a580 is the pinnacle of Minolta/Sony consumer cameras. It has a very good spec (which could have been improved by a firmware tweak, but that's another matter), produces excellent results, and since the early sensor problem was fixed by Sony, has never let me down. I am with Alphaomega on the last Alpha mount cameras, although if I could find a pile of brand new a580's (And get a reasonable sized lottery win), I'd stockpile them for use for years into the future quite happily, rather than go down the SLT route.

I can't comment on the NEX range, as they hold no interest for me.

My next purchase will likely be an OVF A mount camera. I'm ok with the A57 it's pretty good overall..but I don't find Sony's range that appealing A77 doesn't do it for me and forget the A99 hugely expensive.
I was out with the film 7 and A57 the other day and for daylight shooting the 7 smashes the A57 to bits with it's viewfinder for landscape work

The A580 did not seem to be around for long before it disappeared, the last OVF.

I think it was around 9 months or so? I was thinking about an A580 or A700 at some point. Probably not a FF body at the moment.
At the time I nearly bought an A580 I was just involved with changing mounts (twice) at that time!

It might not be the last OVF I think Sony might have to "re-think" things..maybe dreaming but if their SLT vision doesn't meet expectations it might force a change of heart. I can see the D600 causing massive problems for Sony. FF or higher end A mount users might be looking to update..and I'm not sure the A99 is what they are looking for.

Right now the D600 is vastly cheaper than the A99 it could cause a loss of users to F mount and more than a few of them.

alphaomega wrote:I also think that Sony have come of age and their sensors now dominate the "high" ground, being used now also by Nikon and Pentax for their top end cameras. It will only be a matter of time before Olympus will join in with a Sony sensor.

The Olympus E-M5 has a 16.1mp Sony sensor. Also, the new E-PM2 has the same Sony sensor, I think.

I thought they used Panasonic sensors?
I take back my Olympus overpricing remarks the price of an OMD is now a huge £7 cheaper than it was in Feb 2012

It's a nice enough camera had a play with one bar the cramped controls/handling..can't say I'd pay that price for one though

bfitzgerald wrote:I thought they used Panasonic sensors?

Switched.

My as 580 is has had some reliability issues, mainly the famous control wheel problem for which the top part of the camera had to be replaced. Furthermore when it's cold the control wheel sometimes doesn't respond well. Other than that, I'm rather fond of it as well. Especially the image quality, speed, light weight, DR and the fact it has an OVF.

After owning a NEX3 and a compliment of lenses and adapters, I sold it all for the far more pocketable RX100. Although the Nex had better high ISO capabilities, I like the size, handling and DR of the RAWs better.

The a580 and RX100 are a good match.

Mark

bfitzgerald wrote:I thought they used Panasonic sensors?

Barry, the Earth is calling - come back to reality!
It's not really possible that Olympus themselves lied saying the sensor in the latest abnormally good thing they made is from Sony.

Of Panny - nobody knows, but given their horrible financials - nothing subduing is impossible. Of Sony, the cny being in the same kind of financial trap as Panasonic, it's quite realistic to expect some supplies to the very principal enemy.

I don't really pay much attention to micro 4/3 just a casual glance now and then.

Headcell wrote:In what ways is the A580 a utopian camera?

If you need to ask the question,you would not understand the answer

I saw in my local Jessops store about a 18 Months ago, a Sony Alpha 560, does any one know much about this camera, I think it was on the market even less time than the 580.