Sony had a good year

Photography knowledge exchange.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
User avatar
chrish
Posts: 3295
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:14 pm
Location: San Antonio, TX
Contact:

Sony had a good year

Post by chrish »

I should start this by saying that I'm no Sony apologist. I have a Sony camera system because I inherited my first Minolta mount (now = sony mount) camera in the mid 80s and have been "stuck" with that system ever since. When Sony bought out Minolta, I was a bit worried and almost jumped ship to Nikon. But I thought I would give them a few years and see how they did before making the switch.

At the time of the buyout, Sony said they had the goal to be competitive with the "big boys" (i.e. Canon, Nikon) in the amateur, hobbyist and professional markets. I thought that was a bit optimistic.

DPReview just released its buying guides and recommendations for the best overall interchangeable lens cameras in the following price ranges:
under $500 = Sony E5100
between $500-800 = Sony E6000
between $800-1200 = Nikon D7200
between $1200-2000 range= Sony Alpha a7 II
high end interchangeable lens cameras (over $2K) = Sony Alpha a7R II

So four out of five isn't bad at all!

In the fixed lens cameras:

Advanced Zoom Compacts = Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV
Long Zoom Compacts = Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 (although the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 II was ranked best for video)
Fixed Prime Compacts = Sony Cyber-shot RX1R II

So in the overall comparisons, Sony managed to top 6 out of the 8 categories!

I guess they achieved their goal of being among the best cameras in the world?

The complete lists of reviews and comparisons is here - http://www.dpreview.com/articles/408648 ... 00-1200/12 - where you can see the list of cameras they were up against.

Good job, Sony. I'm glad I stuck it out and stayed!
User avatar
El Garia
Posts: 722
Joined: October 20th, 2011, 4:39 pm
Location: Santa Clara Co. , CA

Re: Sony had a good year

Post by El Garia »

Sony's giving Canikon something to contend with in the full-body dslr/dslt department, too. What I'm most excited for, is their latest Alpha Mount offering, due for release in early 2016; the SLT-A68. It probably has the best attributes and features i've seen at a $550 price point (79 autofocus detection points; 15 cross points). As someone who has invested a decent amount of money on glass, I'm pretty stoked that I can upgrade without changing platforms to the e-mount line. I crop like the dickens too, so I'm really looking forward to those 24 megapixels!
Sony SLT A68: http://www.dpreview.com/products/sony/slrs/sony_slta68

What are you currently shooting, Chris? Also; what are your initial impressions of the A-68?

Derek
User avatar
chrish
Posts: 3295
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:14 pm
Location: San Antonio, TX
Contact:

Re: Sony had a good year

Post by chrish »

I have an SLT-A77ii. It is the best camera I have ever owned. It is probably the first DSLR I've owned that I have never found myself saying "I wish my camera had _____ feature" or "did ______ better". I guess the best indicator of what a great camera it is is that I hadn't heard of the 68 because I am not looking for new features or a new camera!

So I hadn't heard of the 68 until you mentioned it. Reading the comments and looking at the comparisons, I might find myself hesitant to spend $600 on the 68 when you can get a 77ii for just a couple of hundred dollars more. I think Sony may run into some trouble with these two being so close in price, unless they plan to drop the price of the 68 down near $500 after release? Or maybe the 77ii is out of production (and they plan on bringing in the next mid-level alpha mount camera? )

I am waiting for a camera with the advances of the a7 R/S series in the Alpha mount body. I am a little concerned about Sony's focus on E-mount right now. I wonder sometimes what will happen to the Sony/Minolta Alpha mount 5 years from now?

All that said, by itself the 68 is a hell of a camera for that price. It will certainly be attractive to someone coming in to the DSLR market or looking for a new Alpha mount camera. It's only issue is that it has an attractive older sister!

Chris
User avatar
El Garia
Posts: 722
Joined: October 20th, 2011, 4:39 pm
Location: Santa Clara Co. , CA

Re: Sony had a good year

Post by El Garia »

chrish wrote:I have an SLT-A77ii. It is the best camera I have ever owned. It is probably the first DSLR I've owned that I have never found myself saying "I wish my camera had _____ feature" or "did ______ better". I guess the best indicator of what a great camera it is is that I hadn't heard of the 68 because I am not looking for new features or a new camera!
Glad to hear you like it so much. My brother feels the same way about his 77. There's a couple of features I covet that are missing from the a68: a high res/fully articulating screen, and a sturdier, weather-sealed body. To me (novice), those are the most glaring features that separate the two models.
So I hadn't heard of the 68 until you mentioned it. Reading the comments and looking at the comparisons, I might find myself hesitant to spend $600 on the 68 when you can get a 77ii for just a couple of hundred dollars more. I think Sony may run into some trouble with these two being so close in price, unless they plan to drop the price of the 68 down near $500 after release? Or maybe the 77ii is out of production (and they plan on bringing in the next mid-level alpha mount camera? )
When I first heard of the a68, it was rumored to be priced at $500 in the US, with $600 being the European price. That said, they haven't yet announced anything about it's release in the US. I'm hoping it's soon, though. It's just hard to believe they would have a camera in production and not have a worldwide release.
I am waiting for a camera with the advances of the a7 R/S series in the Alpha mount body. I am a little concerned about Sony's focus on E-mount right now. I wonder sometimes what will happen to the Sony/Minolta Alpha mount 5 years from now?
I don't know much about the business-side of the camera world, but I would guess that a higher end a mount would also be in the offering; especially with the respective features being so similar between the a68 and the a77ii.
All that said, by itself the 68 is a hell of a camera for that price. It will certainly be attractive to someone coming in to the DSLR market or looking for a new Alpha mount camera. It's only issue is that it has an attractive older sister!
:lol: Love that analogy, Chris!




*edit* There's a $400 rebate on the Sigma 105mm Macro for Sony, through tomorrow night.
dthor68
Posts: 295
Joined: July 26th, 2010, 1:26 pm
Location: South Carolina
Contact:

Re: Sony had a good year

Post by dthor68 »

Way back in 2006 when I started in this hobby I had considered Minolta/Sony. My father was a Minolta Fan and had quite a few lenses. I was even more interested later on when Sony teamed up with Zeiss I just recently learned that the reason Zeiss makes only manual focus lenses for Nikon and Canon is because both companies do not allow third party lenses to focus properly. Sony teaming up with Zeiss has helped them much. The only problem I have with Sony is everything I have ever owned with Sony stamped on it did not last long. I have had 0 luck with Sony, everything from their card readers and DVD writable disk to their stereo receivers and laptop computers. There DSLR's may be great but I will never know because of all of the many horrible experiences I have had with them. You know the saying, fool me once? Try fool me 20+ times!
rtdunham
Posts: 219
Joined: January 11th, 2011, 2:43 pm

Re: Sony had a good year

Post by rtdunham »

chrish wrote: DPReview just released its buying guides and recommendations for the best overall interchangeable lens cameras in the following price ranges:
under $500 = Sony E5100
between $500-800 = Sony E6000
between $800-1200 = Nikon D7200
between $1200-2000 range= Sony Alpha a7 II
high end interchangeable lens cameras (over $2K) = Sony Alpha a7R II

In the fixed lens cameras:

Advanced Zoom Compacts = Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV
Long Zoom Compacts = Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 (although the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 II was ranked best for video)
Fixed Prime Compacts = Sony Cyber-shot RX1R II
Interesting. I'd been using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 (compact, 12x zoom, GPS) but i've developed a hand tremor so wanted to switch to something with an optical viewfinder, which i can hold more steadily. I tried three RX100s but on each, when turned off the diaphragm blades failed to close. "Burn me twice..." as you say. So I got an a6000, which is a fantastic kit, but I also bought a sony DSC-HX90V, as a tiny replacement for the Lumix, with a 30x zoom, optical viewfinder, GPS, wi-fi, and did i say...tiny? I found every time I went out the HX90v would be sitting beside the a6000 kit (two lenses) and I'd always choose the little camera and hang it on my belt. You know what they say about the best camera being the one you have with you. Too bad, too, because I"d bought extra chargers & batteries for the a6000, only used it for test pix in the house, and now i'm selling it.

I'll almost certainly try an RX100 again, for the bigger sensor. But the short (what is it now, 3x? 4x?) zoom puts me off for animal photography. I've blown up images from the Lumix to 20 x 30 on canvas, and they look great, and i've no doubt the HX90V will do just as well.
User avatar
Norman D
Posts: 454
Joined: November 4th, 2010, 8:10 am
Location: Sonoran Desert

Re: Sony had a good year

Post by Norman D »

This past year I switched to Sony(A6000) from Canon (5d2, 7d, 50d, T2i, T3i). Super happy about the switchover, but I don't like the Sony lens availability for E-mount cameras. I don't want to do converters either, but I think Sony will fix their E-mount lens situation soon. I love the portability, IQ, and performance of the mirrorless systems. I travel and hike a decent amount - and I am far more likely to bring my camera because of the Sony mirrorless cameras. I think mirrorless is changing the game big time.
User avatar
chrish
Posts: 3295
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:14 pm
Location: San Antonio, TX
Contact:

Re: Sony had a good year

Post by chrish »

Norman D wrote:This past year I switched to Sony(A6000) from Canon (5d2, 7d, 50d, T2i, T3i). Super happy about the switchover, but I don't like the Sony lens availability for E-mount cameras. I don't want to do converters either, but I think Sony will fix their E-mount lens situation soon. I love the portability, IQ, and performance of the mirrorless systems. I travel and hike a decent amount - and I am far more likely to bring my camera because of the Sony mirrorless cameras. I think mirrorless is changing the game big time.
I am a long term sony user and the E mount vs A mount issue has me wondering. They say they plan to stay with both mounts for the long term. I was disappointed that their big cameras this year (7, 7R, 7S, etc.) were all E mount cameras not A mount.

Fortunately for E mount users, other manufacturers are stepping up to make good E-mount lenses now. Furthermore, with the huge success of the 7 series cameras, I suspect more E mount lenses will be coming soon.

Why wouldn't you use your old canon lenses on the a6000 though? I've heard the adapters are very good.
User avatar
Norman D
Posts: 454
Joined: November 4th, 2010, 8:10 am
Location: Sonoran Desert

Re: Sony had a good year

Post by Norman D »

They tend to be bulky and heavy for the smaller E-mount bodies. Plus I have heard they don't focus as fast or hunt more. If I did more wildlife photography - I would opt for a Canon telephoto lens. But the 55-210 is decent enough for what I do. I love the size/weight of the E-lenses. I absolutely love the mirrorless systems and I think they are only going to get better - which is why I wanted to jump over and get acclimated now. haha! I used to only take my DSLRs to "certain" events or trips, but with my mirrorless I want to take it out all the time. Also obtaining some of the low light prime lenses for the mirrorless systems have motivated me to take my camera to events that I wouldn't usually with a DSLR.

The biggest test will be if I get to photograph rattlesnake combat again. My Canon 7d did a pretty good job and it shot 8fps. The A6000 does 11fps but I am not sure how good the mirrorless autofocus will be in that situation (Rapidly moving rattlesnakes in thick vegetation)
Post Reply