Future of A mount

Specifically for the discussion of the A-mount DSLR range
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Future of A mount

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

I can believe it. Of course no need to mention the "selfie" craze too. Strange times we live in so connected with technology - yet so distant. Remember pre phone era, going round to someone to visit as a kid, having a real conversation!
Don't get me wrong it's great we can communicate across huge distances - I've seen entire families/groups at a table glued to their phones.
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bakubo
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Re: Future of A mount

Unread post by bakubo »

bakubo wrote:
bakubo wrote:
bakubo wrote:
m4/3 3rd party lens makers:

Sigma
Tamron
Voigtländer
Samyang
Rokinon
Kowa
Kodak
Tokina
Venus Optics
Kamlan
Zonlai
Opteka
Meyer Optik Goerlitz
SLR Magic
YI
Lensbaby
Zhongyi
Yasuhara
Jackar
Holga
Zeiss
Handevision

A useful website with a list (not sure if it is complete though):

http://hazeghi.org/mft-lenses.html

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. :)
Also, there are AF adaptors from Metabones and Viltrox which allow Canon AF lenses to be used with AF. Some are just adapters and some are focal length reducing/aperture speed increasing adaptors.

https://www.metabones.com/products/?c=micro-43-system-2
I left Laowa off the list. There may be others too.
Darn, forgot about Meike too. They even have a 6-11mm fisheye zoom. Never heard of a fisheye zoom before.
classiccameras
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Re: Future of A mount

Unread post by classiccameras »

Thanks, I'll look into some of these lenses
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Future of A mount

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

I would!
Seems like a good time to comment with a splattering of cameras and new lenses in the last couple of days
Canon seem to be back to the old reliable - megapixels 32mp on a 1.6x crop, might not do so well in lower light
The A6100 is evidently "budget entry level" at £829 pre-order. The A6600 seems to lack the 4K 60fps many were asking for -adds the bigger Z battery and a few other bits for a whopping £1450.
APS-C E mount users finally get a 16-55mm F2.8 at a shocking $1400 price tag! with the 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 (slow at the top end) for a mere $1000

I have a quick look around on the announcements/forums and Sony are getting ripped to pieces. I can't say I'm surprised. We truly are in re-hash mode -and the lens prices make me treasure my Tamron 17-50mm even more ;-D. We are truly in mad times in the camera industry, and Sony it seems has no new ideas or concept of what crop shooters might want.
peterottaway
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Re: Future of A mount

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The only Sony APS-C that I ever owned was the NEX 7, and I have gone on record that I can't stand the general form of the Sony cameras. They just give me a fit of the fumbles. Which is why I am at the present time the proud owner of Fujifilm X-T2 ( for now ) and X-T3 cameras even though doing this did cost extra dollars over a pure Sony stable.

But I have also been looking at the Canon R and RP and can honestly say even apart from having sensors that are behind the times, again those cameras just don't fit for me. Prices and selection of lenses don't inspire either. The Fuji was much better value to me.

As a long time Nikon user I can't say however much I had in the bank, I would not be going out and buying a Z6 or Z7 either. And that was before Jim Kasson etc made their comments on banding, although that also applies to the new Fuji 100 MF camera as well.

I guess for now I will just carry on with the venerable F6 and the repaired / reduced price D750 I picked up a couple of years ago and the Canon EOS1V - the last Canon IMO worth putting down money on. As I only have a few Canon and Nikon lenses left and the only purchases I have made in the mirrorless age were a Sigma 24-35 and a 24-105.

Speaking about Sigma I just can't see myself buying any of the f 1.2 or 1.4 primes of any length or the 105 / 135 weights. The 14-24 looks nice but I just don't have a need for something like that. The 24-35 mentioned above is no lightweight but has a purpose.

After each product announcement there is angst among the fanboys of any of the varying tribes. Either the sonyistas didn't get what they wanted at fell off the back of a truck prices. Or over the other side of the religious debate, it just goes to show that Sony may be able to manufacture sensors etc but only by taking other peoples designs etc, etc, etc. like they said in 2018 and 2017 and 2016 and 2015.
classiccameras
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Re: Future of A mount

Unread post by classiccameras »

I just don't get Sony, they are more prolific than any other, Mk 1 Mk 2 Mk 3 Mk 4 Mk 5 Mk 6, Is there a Mk 7 and 8 on the horizon, probably, when is it going to stop, never I suspect, but with those prices they are chasing an ever shrinking market but then they all are.
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Future of A mount

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I think it's just how they operate. What is odd is that the APS-C range is all the same, lacking front dials, no AF joystick (more an issue on the higher priced ones). Even more baffling; not giving the video shooters what they want (10bit 60fps 4K), doesn't bother me, but I can see how they might have attracted some of those users.

Sony now have the A5100/6000/6100/6300/6400/6500/6600 out there - that's 7 APS-C bodies. Bar the A5100, they are basically the same design. Even removed the built in flash from the A6600 (sigh)

I was never a big fan of them, though I did see they might appeal to premium compact users a bit. That is until you start to use larger lenses (had expected Sony to do a range of pancake primes never turned up, well a couple are smaller). Real problem for me is bar the control/handling side, only the higher end ones have steady shot, something every A mount camera has had regardless of price. That's a show stopper for me right off the bat a no buy. Making a 16-55mm F2.8 without OSS is also mind blowing, you could argue it's an expensive purchase and entry users wouldn't buy it, but at that price will anyone buy it?

Yes I'd tend to agree Fuji is doing a better job for APS-C, if they had IS in body on all of them - they'd clean up.
Sony obviously feel there are no buyers out there who use crop bodies for serious sports/wildlife, which clearly there is. So nope sorry with the same dated design/limited controls on all these APS-C cameras, they are not even remotely interesting to me.
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bakubo
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Re: Future of A mount

Unread post by bakubo »

And now you can even have a pinhole zoom for m4/3. :)

The Pinhole Pro X — a pinhole zoom lens

https://www.dpreview.com/news/035556361 ... ickstarter
peterottaway
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Re: Future of A mount

Unread post by peterottaway »

Have you seen the size comparisons of the new lenses on SonyAlphaRumors ?

But I agree that Sony design of its APS-C just don't cut it for me even when not using long or heavy lenses. Even my old Minolta 100-300 APO siting on my reserve bench is not that convenient to use. As I only have APS-C lenses in A-mount, I actually bought an A68 when my A700 bit the dust. It is a reasonable backup when I take out my A99 II. And much cheaper.

I'm not saying that Sony should unthinkingly clone the A7 but you would think that a corporate style would be an advantage.
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Future of A mount

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

Yes I saw that. The 16-55mm is about the size I would expect, but then the Tamron 17-50mm is also small and light and costs a mere fraction of that lens. OK no sealing or lens motor, who cares it's a sharp lens and a solid performer.
The tele lens is small, but then I never saw the point of using APS-C tele lenses on crop bodies - as you say the 100-300mm is a compact tele zoom.
At $1400 and $1000 - both are overpriced with the 16-55mm being ridiculous cost for a crop lens.
If Sony want to tempt people to APS-C E mount, they are going to have to provide "affordable lenses" that people might want to buy - not boutique stuff. As for recycling the same body design - there are obvious reasons to only have one body like that (ie the A6100). Plenty of reasons to change design for the higher ones.

With only the A6500 and A6600 with steadyshot, that's a no go from the off even with an adapter. Yes I would rather buy an A68 because it's got IS in body. From what I see the IS sucks for video anyway for some reason. Reception seems to have been harsh, even from super Sony fans - who are not impressed at what's on offer. FE is just bad value

For £1400 for a crop body, you expect top of the line great controls/handling, fully featured. Not recycled parts shoved into the same body with a new badge. Guess we can call them $ony from now on :mrgreen:
peterottaway
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Re: Future of A mount

Unread post by peterottaway »

I do make a few video diary type recordings now and then with my cameras, just like I do on my iPhone. But that's it, it's an extra which some people use and some don't. Very few of the video clips which I thought were interesting at the time get much in the way of replay and end up being deleted whenever I'm in a serious editing mood. The only ones kept or that get passed on tend to be birthdays, weddings and the odd christening or too.All of which are of sentimental value rather than for being cinematic masterpieces.

Personally I don't want my camera compromised for a little used extra.

If they want a RED video camera, then buy one. With the latest video cameras you can get very usable stills if you go about it in the right way. Yes given the rate of technology then I probably will live long enough to see a range of simply cameras, just press the C1 button for general broadcast UHD , C2 for sports and C3 for your personalized landscape photography.
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Future of A mount

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

I thought Sony were targeting the "vlog" crowd with the flip up screen on these cameras?
That's how it looks, I'm sure some do both. Whilst I make videos on YouTube, I don't need 4K or snazzy features so I can use what I have for that. I mainly use the X10 for that and for the stills shots, useful as it has a very good macro. If it breaks I could use the other cameras I have, albeit they are bigger. I primarily view the A mount cameras as stills machines, with video tacked on. The E mount stuff, got the feeling Sony wanted these to appeal to video users more than stills. I could be wrong on that, the designs of these cameras doesn't seem as good as what's on offer with A mount.
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Re: Future of A mount

Unread post by classiccameras »

Sony and other brands are putting more and more features in their cameras for the Viog, especially Sony's E mounts, its been said at the expense of the stills photographers. A mount in my book is a great APS-C format and stills camera, with a vast lens range from Sony/Minolta and the 3rd party manufactures. I regretted leaving A mount the instant I sold the 57 and 37 and all the lenses, so I went out and bought a used A-37 with kit lens just to remind me how good SLT A mount is. Looking back through my Photo folders on the PC really does high light the good and not so good cameras you have used over the years, I recommend it, it could change your mind and stop you jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, or even that in reverse. Why did I buy this, I'm going back to the previous camera, that's if you can afford it. What's the old saying "BUY IN HAST, REPENT AT LEASURE, I've certainly been a member of that club a couple of times
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bakubo
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Re: Future of A mount

Unread post by bakubo »

classiccameras wrote:What's the old saying "BUY IN HAST, REPENT AT LEASURE, I've certainly been a member of that club a couple of times
Yes, I see that all the time on the forums. It never has happened to me though. I guess I am just odd. :)
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Future of A mount

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

Well make sure you don't watch the latest installment of Tony Northrup's "SLT's were terrible" video :-)
No it's not worth watching BTW. I'm no SLT fan, but it's stretching it to say they were awful cameras
But he does need 61mp to capture his dog for some reason
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