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Archive 2012Sony A99

  
 
Jonas B
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p.17 #1Sony A99
wfrank wrote:
Yeah, lucky me when Canon releases something with a sensor like that and a tilt screen, no EVF will enter my house just yet

IBIS wouldn't hurt either, so there are multiple things piling up against Canon now. Almost anything except registry distance really, a pure historical coincident..


I have a feeling you'll start to like EVFs pretty soon.

philip_pj wrote:
I have mine now, and Jonas, your wallet may not like the news, but the EVF is a clear step up from the already good a77. In fact, much better, and the greater DR helps greatly.
(...)


Oh, I have a lot of ideas my wallet really doesn't like... I've been using EVFs since 2008 (Panasonic G1, Sony alpha-55, E-M5). They have worked fine and they have become better. The sensor sizees have been a problem so I have also used a 5D and a 5DMkII during the period. The OVFs has caused problems only for me. So, I see an A99 coming my way, I'm just not in a hurry as I also want, unless Zeiss screws it up in some way, that ZA 50/1.4.
Nov 04, 2012 at 04:03 AM
wfrank
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Nov 04, 2012 at 04:56 AM
wayne seltzer
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p.17 #3Sony A99
wfrank wrote:
The Kai test:

http://www.digitalrev.com/article/sony-a99-hands-on-review/NTA4Mjk2NTk_A

Funny as usual!
"Looks like a builder's a$$"
And " If. It's face is not pretty, take it from behind" Lol!!
Nov 04, 2012 at 05:26 AM
philip_pj
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p.17 #4Sony A99
If you like the ZA signature look, the next 50/1.4 will satisfy, and on account of its FL it might even please a wider audience with great performance. Also, Sony realise they need to fill out the ZA range - still. And the a99 is the best excuse to release a good one. But imagine a hot 35/1.4...

Interesting in some reviews people are measuring the a99 against pro models from C/N, presumably so they can have a go at the 'features' that are more amateur oriented. Anything to knock a competitor I guess, but Sony are ahead of these narrow guys and realise the days of 'da pro DSLR' as flagship models for AA aspirants are closing and you need a broader audience, which brings broader interests, hence the neat little things like peaking, DRO, pano, horizon level, and even EVF...and a whole lot of custom functions.

My current a99 favourite is the shutter speed progress meter (one of five EVF setting groups), reminds me of the old time needle meters used for exposure in great old SLRs like the Min SRT-101. Graphics work better than numbers in many applications, like wrist watches, fuel gauges, etc.
Nov 04, 2012 at 04:13 PM
Jacob D
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p.17 #5Sony A99
Gotta love Kai's reviews.

"It's like being the bloody matrix"

I'm sold
Nov 05, 2012 at 09:53 AM
Tariq Gibran
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p.17 #6Sony A99
Kai's review's seem to just keep getting more ridiculous (and I mean that in a good way).

With regard to AF on the A99, it's too bad Sony bunches up all the points in the center. Seems like they would be much more useful if they were more spread out across the frame like, for instance, on the D800.



Nov 05, 2012 at 10:08 AM
wfrank
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p.17 #7Sony A99
I think there must be a (tech) reason for that? I remember when switching from a cropped 7D to the 5D2 and found the points being very much in the center (not talking about the amount or sophistication where the 7D is superior).

About Kai I love the way he depicts the various camera bodies postures with himself. Not totally pointless :-)
Nov 05, 2012 at 10:15 AM
philip_pj
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p.17 #8Sony A99
'I almost gave up on this guy because the first 1.5 minutes (being kind here) was nothing but silly faces.'
'I only wish he'd have not used the fisheye and DT cropped body lenses.'
'Most of the comments for the video are made from outright ignorance.'

Like the first quote guy, I lasted a minute before realising this guy's schtick and shutting him down - what a hack, it's all about him.

People are reporting around two stops better noise than the a900, and better 'grain'. 3200 is more than acceptable even in jpeg. Very fast AF even if centrally placed. And a very natural looking EVF. My partner picked it up thinking it was her a77 yesterday, lol. Weighs about the same also.
Nov 05, 2012 at 09:08 PM
vchowdhary
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p.17 #9Sony A99
Sorry if this has been answered earlier.

The A99 mount is it any different from previous Sony digital SLRs?

Will it take Nikon lenses (using adapters). Is the mount useable with a wide range of legacy lenses like the Canon EF is?
Nov 05, 2012 at 09:24 PM
FlyPenFly
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p.17 #10Sony A99
Nope and nope.
Nov 05, 2012 at 09:30 PM
philip_pj
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p.17 #11Sony A99
Any late adopters of the Sony A cams need to jump in lock stock and smoking barrels (ZA series), or get hold of some alt lenses, which work rather marvellously on the a99, it must be said.

Sony are talking more A lens development, which probably means 2014 given their abysmal record post 2008. These characters have taken on too much and are raining new cameras from the heavens, they seem to do more than C and N combined...just do a ZE type deal with Zeiss fellas, for goodness sake! This will become a big issue when the next high Mp Sony cameras arrive.
Nov 06, 2012 at 12:36 AM
sebboh
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p.17 #12Sony A99
wayne seltzer wrote:
wfrank wroteThe Kai test:

http://www.digitalrev.com/article/sony-a99-hands-on-review/NTA4Mjk2NTk_A
Funny as usual!
"Looks like a builder's a$$"
And " If. It's face is not pretty, take it from behind" Lol!!


i have to say, i actually like the looks of the a99 (unlike the a900) better than any of it's competitors. it reminds me of the r8/9, which i always thought was the best looking of the ridiculously oversized slrs.
Nov 06, 2012 at 03:00 AM
AhamB
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p.17 #13Sony A99
FlyPenFly wrote:
Nope and nope.


There are three Leitax for Sony mounts:
Leica R
Contax (C/Y)
Zeiss ZF/Voigtländer SLII/Nikon

http://leitax.com/
Nov 06, 2012 at 03:30 AM
Tariq Gibran
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p.17 #14Sony A99
I wonder if anyone with an a99, who had previous extensive use with the a900/a850, might comment/ compare out of the box/ default color between the two. Is it "over the top" like the NEX-7 or more subtle/ nuanced like the a900? I'm just curious what it looks like without any special profiling. Even today, I feel like there is something special about the a900 when it comes to color.
Nov 06, 2012 at 07:37 AM
FlyPenFly
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p.17 #15Sony A99
For me that had to do more with terrible ACR profiles for Lightroom for the NEX-7. Using calibrated profiles made a huge difference. THere is far too much color contrast by default and a yellow tinge.
Nov 06, 2012 at 07:38 AM
Tariq Gibran
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p.17 #16Sony A99
FlyPenFly wrote:
For me that had to do more with terrible ACR profiles for Lightroom for the NEX-7. Using calibrated profiles made a huge difference. THere is far too much color contrast by default and a yellow tinge.


Yes, it can be improved most definitely but I still never really saw the nuanced subtlety from the NEX-7 that I did from the a900. Perhaps I just did not spend enough time with the NEX-7 files. Regardless, I'm curious about the default color rendition of the a99 (the NEX-7 appeared to definitely be more "consumer" oriented in that respect).
Nov 06, 2012 at 08:04 AM
wayne seltzer
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p.17 #17Sony A99
Maybe Sony should use Kai as a consultant for their dslr design so that the next one doesn't look like a builder's a$$!
Nov 06, 2012 at 08:08 AM
carstenw
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p.17 #18Sony A99
Hmm, I thought he said "builder's butt"
Nov 06, 2012 at 08:27 AM
FlyPenFly
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p.17 #19Sony A99
I guess I'm the only one who really likes the design. I didn't like the A900/A850 much in terms of aesthetics.

I really like the way the A77 and A99 looks over Canon and Nikon. I love the way the K-5 and K-30 look also though. It also feels extremely lovely to hold.
Nov 06, 2012 at 08:30 AM
Tariq Gibran
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p.17 #20Sony A99
I like the look of the a99 myself but I also really liked the look of the a900 as well. The two things I don't like about the a99 are technical, and have been mentioned over and over.

1) Permanent transluecent mirror in my image path.
2) EVF - and if it's the same as the NEX-7, I don't like it.

Edit... I should say I don't really like the look of that "tit" control knob thing on the front left of the a99.
Nov 06, 2012 at 08:46 AM
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