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Author Topic: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?  (Read 12162 times)

indusphoto

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #20 on: October 08, 2012, 07:21:51 pm »


6) Because the EVF allows 10-12FPS cameras for $1000 instead of $6000+


That 10-12 fps is useless when EVF can not keep up with the action, or AF can not track.

Viewfinder is a big deal for photographers. They are the whole reason that SLRs took over rangefinders in the first place. I have been shooting only last five years, but I still do not like EVFs. For my m 4/3rd camera I have bought and returned EVF.

Would you like to drive your car looking through windscreen or looking at a TV monitor?

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #21 on: October 08, 2012, 08:23:48 pm »

I have a very, very brief experience with EVF. I was at a trade show and tried one of the new Fujis. What bothered me is that every time I half-press the shutter to focus, the whole image freezes for a second. For static (read: dead) subjects, no problem. For portraits and moving subjects, big, big problem.

Ray

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #22 on: October 08, 2012, 08:28:08 pm »

A recent DSLR is never completely shutted Off unless you remove the battery.

Old EOS 300D (Rebel) was really shutted Off, but when you turned On it took 2 or 3 seconds to load the firmware.

That's why more recent DSLR are not completely Off, but the consumption is extremely low as you shut Off the Power switch.

Have a Nice Day.

Thierry

That may well be the case, Thierry. However, from my experience, when a Canon DSLR is switched off with the button, as opposed to being in sleep mode, there is no indication that the camera is not completely off. There's no light or LCD that may appear to be still drawing battery power, however slight.

One thing I noticed that was different about Nikon cameras when I got my D700 is that the top LCD continues to show some basic details when the camera was apparently completely switched off, such as the number of shots remaining on the memory card, or 'E' for empty if there were no card in the camera.

However, with both models, the 5D or the D700, and all other Canon DSLRs I've owned, when the cameras are switch off, the battery drain is so slight that the battery will retain its charge for several weeks or longer.

This was not the case when the Nikkor 14-24 was attached to my 5D with adapter. The battery would go flat within a couple of days if it wasn't removed. There were other oddities such as incomplete EXIF data and no reference to the F stop, which as I recall caused some problems in Photoshop when attempting to merge images to HDR, and other oddities which I now can't remember clearly.

Now I'm not sure if the sort of problems I've mentioned above are typical for most cameras that are attached to 'foreign' lenses via an adapter, but I understand there will often be at least some degree of loss of  functionality.

When people are considering the purchase of a new system, I would strongly recommend they investigate the type of lenses that are available and the degree of functionality of such lenses when an adapter is required.
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ErikKaffehr

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #23 on: October 09, 2012, 01:38:01 am »

Hi Slobodan,

That is no problem with the Alpha 77 at least, as it does use phase detect AF normally.

I have used the Alpha 77 for about a year, and I essentially feel I can live with EVF. It has benefits but also disadvantages.

+ More control
- Worse visibility
 

Best regards
Erik




I have a very, very brief experience with EVF. I was at a trade show and tried one of the new Fujis. What bothered me is that every time I half-press the shutter to focus, the whole image freezes for a second. For static (read: dead) subjects, no problem. For portraits and moving subjects, big, big problem.
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ErikKaffehr

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #24 on: October 09, 2012, 01:49:49 am »

Hi,

I'm pretty sure that Sony has done some market research. I don't think prices really matter that much. Sony is much more expensive than Canon and Nikon if you look at lenses, anyway.

I sort of don't think that a potential buyer of an advanced camera says: Hi, A costs 2000 and B costs 3000.

Canon and Nikon have the market positions they deserve, which they built up by long time commitment to professionals. Minolta/Sony was always haphazard in that sense. Sometimes they have a pro camera sometimes not. No professional services. Lens sortiment weak with just a few highlights, no go road maps. Lens line expensive.

Best regards
Erik


Looks like a very nice camera, but if Sony wants to sell it in today's market, it would need to be priced at least $1,000 lower that the announced $2800 list price. As Ray says, only if there is no alternative. But with D800,5DIII,D600,6D, discounted D700 and 5DII, even Sony's own RX1, and to some degree Sigma Merill DP2M, there are plenty of alternatives.

If Sony won't reduce the selling price, A99 will met similar fate to Sigma SD1. Sell a few units, and disappear from the sight. What would be a pity.
Now, once Hasselblad puts their label and some red lipstick on it, they may sell more units that Sony (even if they price it higher than Sony, since they would target it at a different clientele).

 
 
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Craig Murphy

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MatthewCromer

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #26 on: October 09, 2012, 11:54:27 am »

I have a very, very brief experience with EVF. I was at a trade show and tried one of the new Fujis. What bothered me is that every time I half-press the shutter to focus, the whole image freezes for a second. For static (read: dead) subjects, no problem. For portraits and moving subjects, big, big problem.

That's a problem with the Fujis, not a problem with EVFs in general.
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MatthewCromer

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #27 on: October 09, 2012, 11:56:27 am »

That 10-12 fps is useless when EVF can not keep up with the action, or AF can not track.


I don't know what you are talking about here.

Quote

Viewfinder is a big deal for photographers. They are the whole reason that SLRs took over rangefinders in the first place. I have been shooting only last five years, but I still do not like EVFs. For my m 4/3rd camera I have bought and returned EVF.

Would you like to drive your car looking through windscreen or looking at a TV monitor?

Do you ever use the LCD to compose an image?

I do all the time.
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Isaac

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #28 on: October 09, 2012, 02:52:04 pm »

I have a very, very brief experience with EVF. I was at a trade show and tried one of the new Fujis. What bothered me is that every time I half-press the shutter to focus, the whole image freezes for a second.
For a change, I'll take the opportunity to join a chorus -- I've just powered up my obsoleted entry-level SLT-A35 and confirmed that the EVF continues to up-date without any delay, as I pan the camera and "half-press the shutter to focus".

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ripgriffith

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #29 on: October 09, 2012, 02:55:28 pm »

Hi Slobodan,

That is no problem with the Alpha 77 at least, as it does use phase detect AF normally.

I have used the Alpha 77 for about a year, and I essentially feel I can live with EVF. It has benefits but also disadvantages.

+ More control
- Worse visibility
 

Best regards
Erik





By and large, I like the EVF on my Sony A65 except (and this is a fairly big except) when shooting in bright sunlight.  It's not really the VF's fault; I am plagued by being definitively left-eyed with fairly intrusive glasses (no, I can't wear contacts and my uncorrected vision is too poor for VF diopter adjustment).  The sun literally floods the VF with light.  It's been a long time since I shot with an optical finder, but I don't remember this being much of a problem, nor was it a problem with my earlier Panasonic FZs.
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MatthewCromer

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #30 on: October 09, 2012, 03:19:30 pm »

By and large, I like the EVF on my Sony A65 except (and this is a fairly big except) when shooting in bright sunlight.  It's not really the VF's fault; I am plagued by being definitively left-eyed with fairly intrusive glasses (no, I can't wear contacts and my uncorrected vision is too poor for VF diopter adjustment).  The sun literally floods the VF with light.  It's been a long time since I shot with an optical finder, but I don't remember this being much of a problem, nor was it a problem with my earlier Panasonic FZs.

Yes, this is annoying with the sunlight shining at a certain angle.  I just mash the eyepiece against my glasses tight.  I hear wearing a baseball cap helps a lot too.
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tbroadley

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #31 on: October 09, 2012, 04:44:34 pm »

Nick:
Please forgive me as I am a newbie here. I have lurked on LL for a long time and think you guys run a nice site. With regard to the a99 (on my possible list) I get that you don't like the EVF and that's fine! From my standpoint as an a900 user, I was looking more along the lines of improved IQ, faster AF and improved FPS s critical features.  I get that my FPS rate is not going to be much over the a900 except for the cropped 10FPS mode. I sense from the article that you thought these things were improved but unlike the EVF, I did not get a sense, I guess, of how much?

The issue of techology to me is somewhat irrelevant as I think cameras 10 years from now will be way beyond what we see as possible today as techology avenues. I agree the EVF will be much faster, PDAF may  be on-sensor but you may also see things like adaptive optics as well hooking two cameras( or more) togther to form a baseline inferometer system. Sensors could very weel be the 80-100 Mp range for full frame and smaller. The simple fact is any camera out today is based on technology that is two years or more older so I guess I lost your point about techology advancement.

Withy regard to OVFs, I have shot with Hassie's and two of the finest Prisms ever made the a900 and the Maxxum 9 but when I go from the Hassie screen to the  Minolta/Sony screens there is simply no comparison IMO.  I am somewhat of zone shooter which is , I suppose, why I keep my EOS-1V hanging around because of multi-spot but I must admit when I first started to use it I was more fascinated by those 45 Focus spots then what the image was. In general, except in cases where you have good light, the 35mm 100% optical VFs have limitations as has been noted elsewhere. Can I live with an EVF, probably at least based on my current experiomentation. I do agree that oth would have been nice but as an engineer, I can see why Sony  believes  that having a mirror flip up and down is a detraction to "overall" system performance. Anyway, I am digressing!!

Would you care to comment on the AF performance and specifically the coverage area. One of the things I like to do is focus on the edges which is not a strong point of the a900.

Anyway, Thanks
Tim
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ndevlin

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #32 on: October 09, 2012, 10:43:57 pm »

Hi Tim,

You're totally asking the right questions as a potential upgrader. I'm unfortunately the wrong guy to ask because Michael is the Sony shooter (and the author of the review but-for my smart ass quote). The AF seems plenty fast to me. Certainly comparable to anything else out there in its league, but I think you should go and play with the camera a bit yourself before you commit.  Both in terms of the EVF style of work and these other very important questions. Overall, my (brief) sense is that the A99 is a very competent camera.

Maybe Michael will chime in to this thread if he's up to it.

Cheers,

- N.
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K.C.

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #33 on: October 10, 2012, 01:32:35 am »

On the other hand, now that Nikon has the truly excellent D800E, the Sony Alpha 99 may have little to offer.

Just the auto focus Zeiss lenses that won't be available for any other camera for a couple of years. They have that look that I loved with Leica R for years.

An A99 will work wonderfully next to my A850. Outstanding optical viewfinder and great sensor on the A850 and all the features of an EVF and another great sensor on the A99. Both with image stabilization on any lens I mount.

I'll also have a D800E with the Horseman VCC for tabletop work. But will wait for Nikon to catch up with their lenses.

It's all a matter of preference.






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149113

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #34 on: October 10, 2012, 03:22:00 pm »

Just the auto focus Zeiss lenses that won't be available for any other camera for a couple of years. They have that look that I loved with Leica R for years.

An A99 will work wonderfully next to my A850. Outstanding optical viewfinder and great sensor on the A850 and all the features of an EVF and another great sensor on the A99. Both with image stabilization on any lens I mount.

I'll also have a D800E with the Horseman VCC for tabletop work. But will wait for Nikon to catch up with their lenses.

It's all a matter of preference.

Are you saying that Nikon needs to catch up with Sony in terms of lenses? It's really the complete opposite. Sony has huge gaps in their lens lineup. Yeah they have the AF CZ stuff which I and most other people use in MF anyway (I own the 24-70 & 85). But overall they are well short of Nikon and Canon in both selection and pricing on comparative glass. Sony has no OEM ultra wide Zoom, no tilt-shift, and everything reasonably fast over 300MM is either absent, outdated or completely overpriced. The STF is nice and not matched by either Nikon or Canon but that's really an esoteric lens and the exception. Some of the G glass is OK. I have the 70-400G but I think it's a little overpriced for a f5.6.





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indusphoto

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #35 on: October 10, 2012, 04:13:05 pm »


Quote
That 10-12 fps is useless when EVF can not keep up with the action, or AF can not track.

If the EVF lags and is not refreshing fast enough, then you really can not shoot sports, and therefore the 10-12 fps advantage is negated. Same goes with AF-tracking, but I think this is not an issue on A77/A99.


Quote
Viewfinder is a big deal for photographers. They are the whole reason that SLRs took over rangefinders in the first place. I have been shooting only last five years, but I still do not like EVFs. For my m 4/3rd camera I have bought and returned EVF.

Would you like to drive your car looking through windscreen or looking at a TV monitor?

Do you ever use the LCD to compose an image?

I do all the time.


Yes, I use LCD screen when I can not use viewfinder. That does not mean that I am willing to give up viewfinder. I think that in any situation, given the option, most people will choose direct viewing experience vs. a television screen. It goes for theater, sports, meetings, etc.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2012, 04:19:25 pm by sunnycal »
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MatthewCromer

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #36 on: October 10, 2012, 05:44:41 pm »


Yes, I use LCD screen when I can not use viewfinder. That does not mean that I am willing to give up viewfinder.


Actually, the LCD screen is the best way to do social photography, when you have a camera that is actually able to focus quickly that way.  You can get the damn camera off your face and stop looking like a cyborg in the middle of the party, wedding, etc.   And it's absolutely the way to photograph children and small animals at eye level.

Quote
I think that in any situation, given the option, most people will choose direct viewing experience vs. a television screen. It goes for theater, sports, meetings, etc.

Yes, I use my eyes for direct viewing experience.  I don't walk around with a camera stuck on my head when I want to look at things.  Viewfinders and LCDs are for composing, focusing and reviewing pictures and changing camera settings to me.  What matters most to me is results, not looking at the world through a (wide open f/2.0) narrow DOF view of the world.
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MatthewCromer

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Re: Sony a99 -- ! This site -- ?
« Reply #37 on: October 10, 2012, 05:52:48 pm »

If the EVF lags and is not refreshing fast enough, then you really can not shoot sports, and therefore the 10-12 fps advantage is negated. Same goes with AF-tracking, but I think this is not an issue on A77/A99.


The EVF doesn't lag noticeably in any kind of light where you could possibly photograph sports.  In 3fps mode the camera uses a live video feed from between frames and it's easy to keep the camera on your subject.  In 10/12FPS (really 12-14fps in most situations) mode the camera shows the last picture taken but it's taking them so quickly it's pretty easy to track motion.  In 8fps it is a bit more of a challenge.  This is for the Alpha 77/65/57 -- things may be a bit different with the Alpha 99.
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