SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Specifically for the discussion of the A-mount DSLR range
Forum rules
No more than three images or three external links allowed in any post or reply. Please trim quotations and do not include images in quotes unless essential.
classiccameras
Viceroy
Posts: 1044
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 9:33 am

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by classiccameras »

I'm surprised that Fuji never pursued the 4/3 format for their X-Compacts and high end Bridge cameras as they signed up to the 4/3 concept along with Olympus, Panasonic and Kodak, in fact I believe Sony also signed.

Fuji need to have ILC's at entry, mid and advanced levels and their lenses need to be affordable. A budget version of the X-T1 would be a start.
If they could bring out a high end bridge camera with a big sensor, that would attract my attention as it would tick a lot of boxes for me. The X-S1 almost persuaded me but it was to big and heavy. Barry has a point with Fuji, they are a very attractive brand with image quality well above average, but a few things need ioning out and more development is needed in certain areas.
User avatar
bakubo
Tower of Babel
Posts: 5865
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:55 am
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by bakubo »

Some of you may remember the Fujica ST801. I think it came out about 1974. The Fujica ST801 was a nice camera and it used the Pentax M42 screw mount, but with some way of having open aperture metering. It had LEDs instead of a match needle and used a silicon exposure meter with fast response and no memory instead of CdS. I was using a Mamiya/Sekor 1000 DTL with a CdS meter, match needle, and stopdown metering at the time the ST801 came out I thought about getting one since it could use my lenses. I have never held one though.

http://www.thecamerasite.net/01_SLR_Cam ... ST-801.htm

All the new Fuji cameras that they have been coming out with for the last few years look very interesting. If I had no concerns with having more possessions to weigh down my life and be a big hassle then I would probably add one.
User avatar
Birma
Tower of Babel
Posts: 6585
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:10 pm

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by Birma »

bfitzgerald wrote:Greg the words Sony and "free adaptor" don't mix :lol:
Didn't they give a token for a free adapter of your choice with the A7/7r when they came out?
Nex 5, Nex 6 (IR), A7M2, A99 and a bunch of lenses.
David Kilpatrick
Site Admin
Posts: 5985
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 1:14 pm
Location: Kelso, Scotland
Contact:

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by David Kilpatrick »

The free adaptor offer was Sony Australia only.
User avatar
Birma
Tower of Babel
Posts: 6585
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:10 pm

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by Birma »

Ah, thanks DK. It was a good idea :)
Nex 5, Nex 6 (IR), A7M2, A99 and a bunch of lenses.
User avatar
bfitzgerald
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 3996
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:48 pm

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

I remember that deal. As far as Europe goes I can only remember the cashback I got with the A57 when I purchased that, and Sony made it hard work trying to claim €50 back (they refused the first form even though I had included a receipt because I didn't include the warranty card!). I think they briefly had some flash deal with the A99 but it wasn't even slightly tempting IMO

I've not seen any deals run at all from Sony since, maybe I missed something but no cashbacks that I've seen.
Not the best way to try to compete with Canikon doing deals all over the place last few months coming up to xmas 2013
User avatar
bakubo
Tower of Babel
Posts: 5865
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:55 am
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by bakubo »

I recall that when the Olympus E-M5 came out those of you in the U.K. and Europe got a free BLD-6 grip/battery holder. In the U.S. we could get the 4/3 lens adapter or flash. I chose the flash. The BLD-6 cost quite a bit more than the adapter or flash so that was good for you. When the E-M1 came out they had the same deals in the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. I haven't checked to see if there are any E-M10 promotions.
User avatar
Greg Beetham
Tower of Babel
Posts: 6117
Joined: Sun May 27, 2007 3:25 pm
Location: Townsville, Qld. Australia
Contact:

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by Greg Beetham »

All Sony has to do with say a hypothetical A7000 is move the focus motor out of the adaptor and into the body then the adaptor loses some size and the body gets bigger, the adaptor just becomes a relay and fixes the register distance for A-mount lenses. What they have to do also is fix on sensor PDAF and then the adaptor also loses the SLT mirror, (they are or have been working on this for sure) the adaptor will also have to translate one kind of on sensor AF comms language into another so the camera can communicate with older lenses, I get the impression a big problem is the lens traffic back to the camera.
To be really attractive they also have to put IBIS in the camera (the body gets bigger again) and it will have to have the ability to activate when the A-mount adaptor is used and de-activate when an E-mount lens is fitted. They’ll probably get it all working at about LAEA6.
They might also not put the screw drive motor in one of the models to keep the extra small aspect that everyone likes currently.
If Sony wasn’t so broke they could up their percentage of Olympus (currently about 14% I think) and then find out how to do what they’ve done, or they probably already know what they did but can’t do exactly what they did because of patent infringements.
Anyway you might tend to look askance at the exercise, is it just a re-inventing and revamping of the wheel kind of thing. Well that’s not the point at all is it? It’s all about selling cameras and to do that they have to convince people that they have now made strides in some direction or other, (and they sometimes do too, but often at the expense of something else, but we won’t dwell needlessly on that) you just have to keep your eye on the ball if you thought it was about photography first and foremost.
A camera model that ostensibly merges the E and A mounts better than ever before should be one that attracts plenty of attention.
This is all hypothetical of course, but you never know they might bring an E-mount with the A-mount style, interface and performance at any time they think it’s ready for primetime.
Greg
User avatar
Birma
Tower of Babel
Posts: 6585
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:10 pm

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by Birma »

I think some form of "in-body" A to E mount adapter would be great! Olympus certainly seem to be kings of the IBIS. Would be great to have that in the Sony line-up as well.
Nex 5, Nex 6 (IR), A7M2, A99 and a bunch of lenses.
User avatar
bfitzgerald
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 3996
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:48 pm

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

Ran across this article this morning..
http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/can ... amera.html

Some valid points there.
alphaomega
Viceroy
Posts: 1196
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:20 pm

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by alphaomega »

Ran across this article this morning..
http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/can ... amera.html
Some valid points there.
Interesting article (as usual by Thom), but my reaction (from a personal standpoint) was - so what?
I have reached the stage of looking at "the riches" presented including the latest A6000 and asked myself: do I need any more cameras now or indeed lenses for my purposes?
I have just looked at what I have in my cupboard:
A550/A580/A58 with Sony 16-80CZ & 17-250 as well as Tamron 10-24, 18-250, 18-270 and 70-300 motorized. Minolta MF 50mm macro & converter.
NEX 5N and 6 with lenses 10-18, 16-50 and 55-210 all with steady shot.
LA-EA2 for use of A lenses on NEX.
RX100
So what am I going to sell is more to the point.
RX100
I follow Sony but don't even bother looking at competitive new releases. What I have can do the jobs in hand. Fixed focals? Why? What I have can do the job and I can fit myself up with "heavy", "medium" and "light" outfits depending on what I want to achieve.
User avatar
bakubo
Tower of Babel
Posts: 5865
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:55 am
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by bakubo »

bfitzgerald wrote:Ran across this article this morning..
http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/can ... amera.html

Some valid points there.
I hadn't seen that. Thanks for posting.
User avatar
Greg Beetham
Tower of Babel
Posts: 6117
Joined: Sun May 27, 2007 3:25 pm
Location: Townsville, Qld. Australia
Contact:

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by Greg Beetham »

I liked the article by Thom, a lot, it was one of the best descriptions lately of the state of play up to the current day that I can remember, which probably isn’t saying a lot in view of my less than excellent memory, but it was quite good I thought just the same.
Greg
peterottaway
Imperial Ambassador
Posts: 600
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:24 am
Location: Northam, Western Australia

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by peterottaway »

Being slightly more a new age dinosaur than an old school dinosaur, I'm finding Thom to more of traditionalist critique of the present and immediate past than possibilities for tomorrow.

Yes he is someone to read and consider, but very much like a couple of old style teachers I encountered as a student. They have their uses, just like dear old Paddy O'Brien before the demon drink did for him. So rigidly right wing he could have been sculptured out of granite. But what he didn't know about communist dialectic didn't exist.
User avatar
bfitzgerald
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 3996
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:48 pm

Re: SAR: A77 update coming, no A65 update

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

I don't agree with all of this comments, but he is mostly on target.
He's summed up Sony's "ok try this, nope not working that well... let's try this, nope not working let's do this now" shotgun approach to the camera market.

Sony had a wonderful opportunity with A Mount, they had the resources to really push the system and develop it over the years. And Thom's right about lenses and the system, this is where Sony fell down badly (they misfired on A mount bodies too, but the system was part of the problem) Rather than concentrate their efforts into A mount, they ended up taking some oddball diversions and splitting their resources too thinly. End result having left A Mount users rather unhappy and pondering if they have a future at all, even APS-C E mount users seem to have taken a backseat to their FF push on E mount.

A poor General who splits his forces; the battle always ends in defeat (proven time and time again). Likewise in the camera market by changing positions and priorities too frequently has left Sony with a weak attack on other makers who have been more consistent and reliable (Canikon)

It's hard to disagree with what he says at least on that part, because it's basically a fair reflection of what Sony have been doing.
I know I've been a Sony critic for some time, but you can surely see the mistakes that have been made (and in some cases continue to be made)

Take this for example the recent DPR Fuji interview:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/598818 ... innovating

When was the last time Sony ever demonstrated they were even slightly concerned or in tune with their current customers?
They still have a £1700 FF SLT on the market without fixing the flash delay problem!

Sony are not a customer geared company, they are obsessed with trying to get new ones..but unable to look after the ones they have already. That's not a recipe for long term success in my books. Be honest now bar someone having a bag of old Minolta AF lenses, would most of us honestly recommend Sony and A Mount to someone? I'd find it pretty hard, even more so with the recent lack of activity and pondering on if there will even be an A mount in a few years time.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 24 guests