Sony 560 reportedly no longer available for preorder

[tom power 53]

Till after Jan 1. Kind of weird. Are they selling so many A33/55's and NEX's that they wanted to run more production of those?

Reported by Carl Garrard of AlphaMountWorld who had one on order and was contacted by Sony.

[Dr. Harout]

Hi Tom and welcome to the forum.
I guess it's related to 560/580 products. One has to be launched first in the west while the other in Europe (I think).
Some are speculating that Sony launched SLTs and 560/580 simultaneously for future marketing/designing purposes (whether EVF will be well accepted and wanted instead of OVF, who knows).
Perhaps both launches was to show that Sony is serious in photo business...
Time will tell.

[bakubo]

I guess it's related to 560/580 products. One has to be launched first in the west while the other in Europe (I think).

Yes, the A560 was going to be launched first in the U.S., but this latest report is that it also has been delayed until next year.

[KevinBarrett]

Perhaps a bug was discovered and needed fixing. Rather than do the Canon method of sending out a camera and keeping it in the headlines for a few extra months by fixing its bugs in public, maybe Sony has held it back.

[Dr. Harout]

... or just not to damage the SLTs sale.

[bakubo]

Perhaps a bug was discovered and needed fixing. Rather than do the Canon method of sending out a camera and keeping it in the headlines for a few extra months by fixing its bugs in public, maybe Sony has held it back.

Since the sensor is the only thing different from the A580 one would expect if there is a bug then the A580 would also be delayed in Europe and Asia. Doesn't the A560 use the same sensor as the A33? Has it been delayed?

[Javelin]

unless it was a bug in assembly.... i wnder if the websites simply got it wrong

[WaltKnapp]

... or just not to damage the SLTs sale.

Just think how easy it will be to say SLTs are what everybody wants if that's the only choice you offer.

Fits right in with the rumors and product manager interview which say Sony is ending making DSLRs with OVF altogether.

Sony, soon to be back to being just a consumer cam company, their DSLR experiment ended

Walt

[Greg Beetham]

There might be some substance to that theory, this store http://www.cameraaction.com.au/call1300 ... sp?dept=18 normally carries a big range of Sony DSLR's, but at the moment they just list the A390, A500, A850 and A900 with a 'email for stock status' notation that would lead one too believe that they might not even have any on hand anyway and would have too get it in from Sony..maybe. Of course cameraaction might just be letting stock run out before the new ones become available, hard to say.
Meanwhile they have plenty of different coloured NEX's in the Sony DSLR section....
Sony Style here have the 'currently out of stock' notation on the 50 f1.4, 50 macro, 24-105 and the 70-400G, with 'limited stock available' note on much of the rest in the lens list. How would a camera co. possibly allow themselves to run out of the standard 50mm lens? They probably are just going to stock the DT50 f1.8 SAM in future, that might be it, or the screwdrive 50 f1.4 is going to be converted into an el-cheepo SAM...maybe. No 50mm macro as well, don't like the sound of that much either.
Greg

[bfitzgerald]

Something is going on you would not expect a company to announce new products and have such a long delay on shipping them, next year is really a long time and they will miss the xmas boom sales. But some have said it's a ploy to sell more EVF alphas Maybe so, I won't be one of them anyway lol

Even just looking at the design and controls on the A33/55 is enough to put me off..so how do you change AF point anyway? lol. Re-reading the DPR review it's very obvious that DPR do really get over excited with "new technology". All that wonderful shooting information you can put up on the screen, but maybe folks don't like to see their subject?? lol

[Greg Beetham]

Yep, I'm pretty sure they're talking about screen overlays, like in a P&S camera, I didn't go into the review in depth so I'm not sure, I just figured fairly rapidly it was a camera (A33-A55) aimed more at snapshooters, with a video novelty built in, so I didn't bother with it all that much. I've seen the rear screen on various P&S cameras, such as those belonging to my sister and niece and thought, I could never get used to that interface, so I'm not even going to try. But to have something similar in the EVF would be absolute murder too me.
I think that with the reception the A33-A55 has achieved in various venues/forums, Sony now thinks they can put the A560-A580 on the backburner and sort of let em die slowly while the new toys take over. Besides it might not do to have the A560 on the shelf alongside the A33 at the same time, there might be some unfortunate comparisons made during reviews, handling, features, ergonomics (still shooting interface) etc. image IQ as well. It might be much better if the A560-A580 came out months later, preferably after Christmas...if ever, so the new babe on the blocks has the territory all to itself.
Greg

[peterottaway]

Well you can put this all down to a great big Sony conspiracy theory if you like. Or it may be a combination of marketing and production factors leading up to the end of year sales season. Sony may be taking many more orders for the bridge technology A33 / A55 models than they are for the for the more expensive and more traditional A560 / A580 and in the short term something has to give way.

I think that at the look and price the Axx models will be easier for sales staff to position for the sales plus to present to customers as a new and innovative product. The first real quality camera that can duplicate the functions of a SLR and replace your older video camera at the same time. You can imagine a sales pitch along the lines - " Look the iPod changed how you listen to music, the iPhone changed your communications and the iPad can be used for anything from music, books etc to a real computer. For those of you wanting genuine quality in you photos, this is it ! "

If you are just somewhat cynical, Sony probably has enough A500 and A550 cameras in the supply chain that it wants to quit during the sales as well.

[Greg Beetham]

Nope no conspiracy theory, just a logical evaluation based on the known facts and Sony's track record, remembering that Sony is quite capable of releasing multiple bodies at the same time if they want to.
Even if there is four bodies involved there is basically only two really that have major differences, the A560 and A580 are very similar to one another and actually have much in common with DSLR models Sony has already released, so it's not as if Sony is covering lots of unknown territory there.
The A33 and A55 are also very similar in design too each other, but as an all new design, realistically it should be the one that has production problems and glitches if there are any to be had, not the A560 or A580.....one would think.
Greg

[tom power 53]

You all may laugh but I have a feeling Sony was inundated with orders for all these new cameras and likely having trouble ramping up production at their new factory.

I mean if you compare specs and price Sony in a pretty sweet spot with these new cameras coming up on the traditional Holiday season. Especially if we get even further news at photokina which is likely.

By the way do they do any barrel racing out in the "old country" like this or is it strictly an american sport? Small agile horses for cutting cattle. Couple of other late summer shots there from Northwest Colorado. These were the first shots i ever tried at a rodeo. Off to a local air show right now.

http://tompower.smugmug.com/Animals/hor ... 0500_pL2aR

[Dr. Harout]

Tom, I guess you have lots of images to post here. I enjoyed looking at your site.