I have read both versions of the 'truth', thrice. We have both cameras and the a99 'performs' much better than the a77 and most users on the web are quite surprised to realise it is an EVF, at times me included. The light from the bigger sensor (is this the first FF EVF?) might be a big factor - I guess we could tell by side-by-side comparing with a NEX-6.
This is why, as time goes by people even marginally interested might care to check it out.
The ways these things generally work, there are component upgrades even if not detailed by the maker. Thanks for the definitive answer.
Another small point is that the Sony screen protector is the way to go, and is available now - it goes on well and looks/works terrific.
Ran into another small issue - using non-standard Sony batteries. The newer Sony DSLRs have a much tighter fit in the battery cavity, and a legacy after market battery I must have bought one time as a backup got stuck in the camera, had to finangle it out! It worked just fine in the A900, but sticks in the a77/a99.
So use genuine Sony batts only. Be careful using the battery door on the a99 it is lightweight and a little fragile for my liking.
philip_pj wrote:
I have read both versions of the 'truth', thrice. We have both cameras and the a99 'performs' much better than the a77 and most users on the web are quite surprised to realise it is an EVF, at times me included. The light from the bigger sensor (is this the first FF EVF?) might be a big factor - I guess we could tell by side-by-side comparing with a NEX-6.
This is why, as time goes by people even marginally interested might care to check it out.
The ways these things generally work, there are component upgrades even if not detailed by the maker. Thanks for the definitive answer.
Another small point is that the Sony screen protector is the way to go, and is available now - it goes on well and looks/works terrific....Show more →
I work for them.
Or at least I did until a couple of weeks ago. No burnt bridges so I can still speak to the product specialists and engineers. Nowadays I work for a company with a little red dot.
Got to play with one at B&H today. Feels great in the hand even with the Zeiss brick mounted. Pretty dim shooting environment, so I won't comment on the AF, but everything about the camera felt great. Oh how I wish the NEX7 had that menu.
Loved the EVF. It seems like an improvement, but I don't have many complaints about the 7's (I don't like the 7's cup, but I can get a seal on it without touching the screen with my eye- the 99 is perfectly comfortable). I will be anxious to take it out with a tele and see how it feels to track with it.
carstenw wrote:
But wait: how did it focus in a dark environment?
About as well as the a900 performs, which is fast with the ZA zoom and fairly accurate, but I hardly ever use AF and have no idea how to optimize the a99's system. So tracking someone walking toward me in that cave wasn't great, but I have the feeling it can be made to do better. I didn't see anything but the original 19 points light up and wasn't sure how to activate the additional points.
philip_pj wrote:
Some say choosing low contrast settings can improve shadow detail, but the sensor has excellent DR and I use the histo to gauge shadow tones. Overall, not much different to using Photoshop in some ways, but for 'pre-shot editing'. Apparently LR needs very little work to get images looking good.
Assuming that you're shooting raw, using low contrast settings is still good for your histogram, regardless of the EVF's performance, because it gives you a jpeg histogram a little closer to the actual raw file.
1. Here is a short 30 second video shot out of a 24/2 ZA at ISO 6400, ungraded and handheld, as an idea of the video quality:
Apparently you can shoot it uncropped in video. The video looks like it will be much more useful than I first thought - I figured it was a nice add-on, but a bit toyish; I don't feel that way anymore..
2. "Today I took a completely recharged battery out and shot a bunch of pics of the kids. I took 226 pictures (raw + JPG) - some with bursts as well. 9:47 of video in 9 files @ 60p, GPS ON, LCD for 99% of the pics. Battery life now shows 68% remaining."
That sounds excellent to me.
3. The strange thing is I now like it most for the EVF, which is very enjoyable and purposeful. I had bought it for all the incremental advantages accumulated over the a900 - sensor IQ, noise quality, high ISO, better colour at high ISO, twin SD cards, lighter, greater DR, LCD, LV, no MLU, 'first curtain' shutter, better shadow recovery minus red blotches, usable auto ISO, better customisability - but the EVF is the big thing at the heart of the a99 because it enables manual lenses to shine using peaking, magnification, dof, histo and review all in the EVF itself.
4. DP have a noise comparo - the a99 is well in the same class re noise as the 5dIII, D600 and D800 certainly - quite an achievement. Across a range of crop subjects and ISO, each of the 5d3, d600 and a99 looked best for some, with rather 'jammy' colours and more noise in the D800. The Canon is really good at the high level ISO, as expected.
Ugh. I am not going to be able to revisit this thread until next year. I'm on track for a no-consumer-debt-added/no-savings-reduction Christmas, and an a99 purchase would force me to blow that.
Emopunk- that looks like the grin of a highly satisfied shooter.
freaklikeme wrote:
Ugh. I am not going to be able to revisit this thread until next year. I'm on track for a no-consumer-debt-added/no-savings-reduction Christmas, and an a99 purchase would force me to blow that.
Emopunk- that looks like the grin of a highly satisfied shooter.
Ehehe. Indeed it is. Today I wrote on another forum, that after the first trial with the camera, I wondered if it wasn't some kind of alien artifact
Yes, it's that gooood!!
freaklikeme wrote:
Ugh. I am not going to be able to revisit this thread until next year. I'm on track for a no-consumer-debt-added/no-savings-reduction Christmas, and an a99 purchase would force me to blow that.
Emopunk- that looks like the grin of a highly satisfied shooter.
Yea like me, Im going to jump into time-machine and end at 2015, where it should be nice SH camera.
Yes, it's that gooood!! +1. And of relevance to an Alt forum, surely there is no better legacy manual focus lens DSLR camera, it is just a surgeon's scalpel at this work.
Take heart on the price: the market will give it a very lukewarm reception, due to timing of the release and the many EVFophobes writing negative reviews together with OVF familiarity among the dominant brand users; so I expect the price level to fall fast to something more affordable.
Sony will very likely have a D800 class DSLR camera out quite soon in 2013, which will relegate this one to a kind of hybrid video/stills niche, depressing its price further.
I saw a breakdown of the same sensored D600 on a site last week...as one poster quipped: 'where is the metal?' Even the LCD was part of the back frame, so that is the competing Nikon for you. Better get a good screen protector! But of course they are a 'serious' camera made for real photographers, lol.
