A-mount monster!! Sony A99 II announced with 8K sensor, full frame 4K and 5 Axis Image Stabilisation

[Django]

nice to see S&Q trickle down.. PDAF system also looks beefed up.. basically this is a 5D4 killer as far as specs.. just too bad it's an A-mount.. 

[jonpais]

  On 9/19/2016 at 4:22 PM, mike_tee_vee said:

Samsung could learn a thing or two from this practice!

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Could you clarify? Samsung isn't in the camera business anymore, as far as I can tell...

[norliss]

This is an unexpected and fairly bizarre development, given that Sony had looked to have abandoned the A-mount.

[mkabi]

  On 9/19/2016 at 4:56 PM, norliss said:

This is an unexpected and fairly bizarre development, given that Sony had looked to have abandoned the A-mount.

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I'm sure you aren't interested in A-mount cameras (and neither am I), but from my perspective... A-mount wasn't abandoned. Even before this announcement, they were releasing A-mount cameras. Last year (2015) they announced and recently released the a68

Voila: http://www.cnet.com/products/sony-alpha-a68/preview/;

And the year before that (2014) it was the a77ii.... http://www.cnet.com/products/sony-alpha-a77-ii/preview/

so... how that translates as abandoning or giving up or anything else of the sort... makes me wonder....

[norliss]

  On 9/19/2016 at 5:15 PM, mkabi said:

I'm sure you aren't interested in A-mount cameras (and neither am I), but from my perspective... A-mount wasn't abandoned. Even before this announcement, they were releasing A-mount cameras. Last year (2015) they announced and recently released the a68

Voila: http://www.cnet.com/products/sony-alpha-a68/preview/;

And the year before that (2014) it was the a77ii.... http://www.cnet.com/products/sony-alpha-a77-ii/preview/

so... how that translates as abandoning or giving up or anything else of the sort... makes me wonder....

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Ok, 'abandoned' may have been a bit strong but it's fair to say they've given the A-mount system scant attention in recent years. It's a shame as it's good and there's also some nice legacy Minolta/Sony & Zeiss glass for it too...

[SullyCortez]

damnnnnn this look awesome with an 8K sensor?!?! too bad though... a mount is literally a dead lens mount.... why the HELL would they keep producing a mount lens bodies??? if this had the e mount, i GUARANTEE nikon and canon would be pissing themselves.... great job sony of fucking it up yet again

[wolf33d]

You Guys did not get it. This is just a gift to amount owners and to show people they don't give up on them.

A9 or 7RIII will get those improvement (better body, speed...) 

apparently it has 422 which is nice. 

Cant wait to see Nikon answer to 5D4/A99-2

probably a d820 with 42mpx and 4K. Could be a nice body to be paired with GH5 for the ultimate photo/video combo.

[Advisti]

  On 9/19/2016 at 2:48 PM, Andrew Reid said:

It's a terrible mistake to have A-mount on there

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WTH? There are hundreds of thousands  of A mount users who want A mount camera. Who are you to tell Sony that Sony should not make cameras for their A mount users?

  On 9/19/2016 at 4:56 PM, norliss said:

This is an unexpected and fairly bizarre development, given that Sony had looked to have abandoned the A-mount.

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When asked, Sony always denied they will abdomen A mount. So in that sense, this camera isn't a surprise.

[Simon Shasha]

Was about to drop my cash on an XT2 with 23mm F2.

Think I'll save a bit more and go for this instead with the Sigma 35mm F1.4 ART A-Mount.

[The Chris]

  On 9/19/2016 at 3:06 PM, mindfest said:

?
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr3-sony-a99-successor-announced-soon-42mp-499-af-points-4k/

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Just yesterday he said nothing would be announced today.

That rumor is nothing more than clickbait, its a A7rII, duh.

  On 9/19/2016 at 2:48 PM, Andrew Reid said:

It's a terrible mistake to have A-mount on there, the could easily keep the same A77 / NX1 style form factor with a mirrorless E-mount.

Mirrorless does not have to mean small!

Also can't see what it offers over an A7R II for video?

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Agreed. A larger, deal card A7rII would have been a better move.

It doesn't look like this camera uses a floating sensor like the A7's either, they call it 5-axis optical steady shot, so I'd guess there's a crop with stabilization. See the brochure here:

http://sonyglobal.scene7.com/is/content/gwtvid/pdf/2016/A916/1e06f5296792e980.pdf

Same s35 full readout, but slog3 and 120fps, along with a mount few care about and virtually nothing can be adapted to. No damn touchscreen either.

Meh...

[RubanCam]

Menu looks certainly illogical. I know many have invested in A mount lenses and i think this body is intended for them. I am sure all these sensor and other advancement will end up in A7R II replacement. Sony need to have better battery tech in Emount cameras, their battery life is pathetic just like their menu system. 

[teddoman]

  On 9/19/2016 at 4:47 PM, jonpais said:

Could you clarify? Samsung isn't in the camera business anymore, as far as I can tell...

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I think Samsung's failure of long term commitment was actually his point

[Advisti]

  On 9/19/2016 at 9:32 PM, The Chris said:

Agreed. A larger, deal card A7rII would have been a better move.

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Whether there would be larger E-mount cameras  in future (I suspect Sony will put this sensor in FS series someday) that has nothing at all do that Amount users were demanding an upgrade to the 4-year old A99 ,and they got one. Stop demanding that Sony stop making cameras for A-mount users as most of those people have been A-mount shooter long before this site even existed, and most likely long before you bought any Sony camera.

 

[tomekk]

  On 9/19/2016 at 6:33 PM, wolf33d said:

Cant wait to see Nikon answer to 5D4/A99-2

probably a d820 with 42mpx and 4K. Could be a nice body to be paired with GH5 for the ultimate photo/video combo.

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What's Nikon's standard timeline? I was hoping they would announce something now but they didn't. Waiting another year for a D750/D810 replacement is quite a long time. 

  On 9/19/2016 at 6:21 PM, SullyCortez said:

damnnnnn this look awesome with an 8K sensor?!?! too bad though... a mount is literally a dead lens mount.... why the HELL would they keep producing a mount lens bodies??? if this had the e mount, i GUARANTEE nikon and canon would be pissing themselves.... great job sony of fucking it up yet again

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One semi solution to keep the cost down would be to use A-mount sigma art lenses :).

[IronFilm]

  On 9/19/2016 at 1:49 PM, Geoff CB said:

If I could mount my Nikon lenses on this, I would dump my A7r2. Worth it for the bigger battery alone.

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You can:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flange_focal_distance
46.50mm vs 44.50mm (EF is 44.00mm)

Although, hmmmm..... maybe that half mm difference is why EF adapters exist but not Alpha Mount adapters:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Lenses-Filters/78997/i.html?_sop=15&_from=R40&_nkw=nikon+sony+mount+adapter

  On 9/20/2016 at 6:27 AM, tomekk said:

What's Nikon's standard timeline? I was hoping they would announce something now but they didn't. Waiting another year for a D750/D810 replacement is quite a long time. 

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But quite reasonable given the number of products Nikon has and their general life cycle. 

Very optimistically speaking we might see one of D750 or D810 upgraded before the end of the year. But more likely both will happen next year. 

[Django]

  On 9/20/2016 at 6:27 AM, tomekk said:

What's Nikon's standard timeline? I was hoping they would announce something now but they didn't. Waiting another year for a D750/D810 replacement is quite a long time. 

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I believe Nikon's had some unforeseen delays with D750/D810 replacement due to the Japan earthquake causing Sony sensor shortage which has of course also delayed Sony's own A7/A9 production. 

I'm just speculating but it could be this A99 II was presented as a way to showcase something new in a low production run. 

It's been said the new sensor factory is up and running now but with back orders and such will only be fully operational by end of the quarter..

[BasiliskFilm]

  On 9/20/2016 at 6:48 AM, Django said:

I believe Nikon's had some unforeseen delays with D750/D810 replacement due to the Japan earthquake causing Sony sensor shortage which has of course also delayed Sony's own A7/A9 production. 

I'm just speculating but it could be this A99 II was presented as a way to showcase something new in a low production run. 

It's been said the new sensor factory is up and running now but with back orders and such will only be fully operational by end of the quarter..

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I am sure the earthquake has something to do with the decision process. The A99II and "A9" will probably turn out to be more or less identical, except the "A9" will have a detachable A mount SLT adaptor on an E mount body. Sony can pick up some sales from A mount loyalists, without undermining A7Rii sales, until they can produce enough sensors for the "A9", which I imagine will be a big seller.

[JurijTurnsek]

I hope Sony is aiming at FF full sensor readout for their next flagship release - the 12fps 42mpx transfer rate clearly outs the sensor as the weakest link for bandwidth. However, 8K downsample to 4K would probably fry the CPU as well.

[Ed_David]

agreed.  I am sure we will start seeing a mount to nikon mount adapters or canon adapters.  Time for machinists to start cranking one out.  

Also maybe they will put this tech into a e mount as well.

Don't complain, email them!

 

[The Chris]

  On 9/20/2016 at 5:07 AM, Advisti said:

Whether there would be larger E-mount cameras  in future (I suspect Sony will put this sensor in FS series someday) that has nothing at all do that Amount users were demanding an upgrade to the 4-year old A99 ,and they got one. Stop demanding that Sony stop making cameras for A-mount users as most of those people have been A-mount shooter long before this site even existed, and most likely long before you bought any Sony camera.

 

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Thank you for the history lesson. I actually bought the original A99 when it was released, but the video was so bad I returned it. Been using E-mount cameras since the original Nex5.

Sony's best lenses are all E-mount - the GM zooms/primes, the 90mm macro, the new Zeiss primes and the Cine zooms - none of which can be used on the antiquated A-mount. Then there's the outdated lens AF systems - like the noisy/slow screw drive on the 135/1.8. Great, lets put a 20-year-old AF system on a modern camera.

So YAY! There's a new body, but you still have the same old lens lineup and many of the most common FL's are in need of a refresh, plus the long flange distance limits adapting other quality glass. Its been three years since Sony released a new A-mount lens, the Zeiss 50/1.4, and many of the lenses are holdovers from Minolta, so they're over 10 years old and in need of a modern refresh. It would be different if they actually gave a damn and updated the A-mount lenses and responded to a decade of users asking for a 24-105/4 or something similar.

Then you have spotty support from 3rd party manufacturers like Sigma and Tamron. So the best non-native lenses are not even showing up in A-mount anymore.