Monday, June 12, 2017

future of the Sony (Minolta) A-mount? dead or not? And Adaptators A-Mount to E-mount. GPS built-in?


The A-mount is no longer seen as a viable platform by Sony executives, because it now represents  a small % of all interchangeable camera lens sales.
2016:
http://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/2016-companies-market-shares-japan/
2015:
http://www.diyphotography.net/japan-has-spoken-canon-dominates-sony-dethrones-olympus-and-nikon-stutters/

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-a68-and-a-mount-in-general-will-no-more-be-sold-in-taiwan/
So after Australia and New Zealand also Taiwan will likely no more sell any A-mount stuff.
I guess Soy’s startegy now is to sell their new A-mount cameras only in “DSLR-friendly” markets.

2017 may
https://www.dpreview.com/news/6936602216/sony-still-third-globally-but-bullish-about-2017
Sony is the world's leading mirrorless camera brand but remains third for ILCs overall, it said in a presentation to investors (imaging product  https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/calendar/presen/irday/irday2017/IPS_E.pdf).



But
https://photorumors.com/2016/03/03/sony-still-comitted-to-the-a-mount/

Lists of all products


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sony_%CE%B1_cameras
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minolta_A-mount_system
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sony_A-mount_lenses
The last A-mount zooms (2015-04)
Sony α Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II
Sony α 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G SSM II

Example of oldies : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minolta_AF_Macro_100mm_f/2.8

In french https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Alpha
for a sheet of all alpha A-mount:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_%CE%B1330

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sony_E-mount_cameras
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sony_E-mount_lenses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_E-mount



Now (june 2017), only 3 Sony A-Mount cameras:

Comparison Alpha68 and 58:
http://cameradecision.com/compare/Sony-SLT-A58-vs-Sony-SLT-A68

Reasons to choose Sony SLT-A57 (2012-04) over Sony SLT-A58 (2013-04)

Reasons to choose Sony SLT-A58 over Sony SLT-A57
4 advantages
 Max Sensor Resolution 20 MP vs 16 MP --> 25% more pixels
 Battery Life 690 shotsvs 550 shots  --> 140 more frames with a single charge
 Weight 492 g vs 618 g -->126 g lighter

Reasons to choose Sony SLT-A57 over Sony SLT-A58
6 advantages
 LCD Screen Size 3″vs 2.7″ --> 0.3 inches larger display
 LCD Screen Resolution 921k dots vs 460k dots --> 100% higher resolution screen
 Continuous Shooting 12.0fps vs 8.0fps --> 4 fps faster
 Color Depth 23.4 vs 23.3 --> higher color depth
 Dynamic Range 13.0 vs 12.5 --> higher dynamic range
 Low Light ISO 785 vs 753 -->  better High ISO performance?

A57 is better than A58 
In french: http://www.lesnumeriques.com/appareil-photo-numerique/sony-alpha-58-p15629/test.html

More

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Alpha_57
http://cameradecision.com/compare/Sony-SLT-A58-vs-Sony-SLT-A57

Alpha 55


 200€ https://www.rebuy.fr/i,7673396/photos-et-cameras/sony-alpha-55-noir
(GPS built-in).
  • Slow (50 seconds) buffer clear time (RAW-mode)
  • Little control over high ISO noise reduction in JPEG mode ('auto' or 'weak')
  • Visible loss of detail at anything over ISO 400 in JPEG mode (noise reduction too strong --> blur)

Reasons to choose Sony SLT-A68 (2016-03) over Sony SLT-A65 (2011-03)

6 advantages
Flash Coverage 12.0mvs 10.0m--> 2m longer range
 Color Depth 24.1vs 23.4--> higher color depth
 Dynamic Range 13.5vs 12.6--> higher dynamic range
 Top LCD Yes vs No--> Help viewing and changing settings easily
 Smartphone_remote control Yes vs No--> Remote control your camera with a smartphone
 AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune) Yes vs No--> Adjust each lens for more accurate focusing
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Photography-Tips/af-microadjustment-tips.aspx

Reasons to choose Sony SLT-A65 over Sony SLT-A68

5 advantages
 GPS BuiltIn vs None track your location
 LCD Screen Size 3″vs 2.7″ 0.3 inches larger display
 LCD Screen Resolution 921k dots vs 461k dots 99% higher resolution screen
 Continuous Shooting 10.0fps vs 8.0fps 2 fps faster
 Viewfinder Resolution 2359k dot vs 1440k dot 63% higher resolution
A68 plastic mount!!!

http://cameradecision.com/compare/Sony-SLT-A68-vs-Sony-SLT-A65

Moreover the alpha 65 is very near of the alpha 77 (I):
  • Comparatively strong noise reduction at medium and high ISO settings
  • Very noisy raw files at high ISO settings
  • Little control over high ISO noise reduction in JPEG mode ('auto' or 'weak')
  • Limited control in 10 fps continuous shooting and movie modes
  • No live view in 8 or 10 fps continuous shooting modes makes accurate panning very difficult
  • Slightly 'laggy' menu system and UI

Converting the A65 images in Adobe Camera RAW 6.6 Beta confirms the suspicion that we had when examining the camera's JPEG output. The A65's 24MP sensor is producing significantly higher noise levels than the competition, especially towards the top of its ISO sensitivity range. At ISO 1600/3200 and above the disparity is obvious, and becomes more so as the ISO sensitivity increases.
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyslta65/20
Then bad for low light shooters!
Idem for A77
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyslta77/

Alpha 77

Jpeg are bad after 3200 ISO.
review in french:

Alpha 99 (2013-04)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Alpha_99
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Alpha_99

SLT-A99V with GPS.
SLT-A99 without GPS (depending on country).

Absence de sortie USB 3, Absence de Wi-Fi ; pas de flash intégré...
c'était le nouveau reflex à capteur 24x36 mm (full frame) de Sony 24 Mpx (loin du 36 Mpx du D800). Corollaire : la densité de pixels reste sous les 3 Mpx/cm², ce qui laisse présager une excellente gestion de la sensibilité.

The adapter is good quality, fits tightly to the body and the lens, and when attached you don't notice it at all. The only issue is the auto focus speed.
It's not slow, it's ridiculously slow. 

Avec un objectif sur lequel on ne peut pas régler le diaphragme mécaniquement, cet adaptateur est inutilisable car il n'y a pas de communication avec le boitier qui affiche F-- de ce fait le diaphragme reste fermé au maximum (F22) et on ne peut pas faire de photo en manuel. 

E-Mount

Shortening the flange focal distance to 18 mm compared with earlier offerings from Sony which used 44.5 mm.
the flange focal distance (FFD):



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_E-mount


GPS built-in

Why GPS in cameras is going away?
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3866556

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