Sony goes FF, can Pentax be far behind?

mithrandir · 09-09-2008, 06:13 AM

And then there were three:

Digital Camera Resource Page News: Sony announces full-frame Alpha DSLR-A900 - preview available

ftpaddict · 09-09-2008, 06:20 AM

Sure is an ugly thing...
And that secondary display... OUCH.

RBellavance · 09-09-2008, 06:33 AM

Originally posted by ftpaddict

Sure is an ugly thing...

It sure is. I really don't like that huge pentaprism hump (but I guess getting 100% coverage of a 24x36mm sensor requires some "sacrifices"

).

But then again, a camera's looks does not have much to do with its usability and IQ

I just noticed they "copied" Pentax's "intelligent preview", and interactive display of WB changes, along with the possibility to delete several photos at a time from the thumbnail view.

Falcons · 09-09-2008, 06:50 AM

Know it's been said already - but Damn that is one ugly camera!
Sorry just had to express that.

cateto · 09-09-2008, 06:56 AM

To avoid repeating myself:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-news-rumors/36558-fairy-tale-some-...ntax-fans.html

montecarlo · 09-09-2008, 07:00 AM

Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 Hands-on Preview: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review
Sony launches 70-400mm F4-5.6 and Carl Zeiss 16-35mm F2.8: Digital Photography Review
But regarding the image still D3/D700 rules. The stabiliser is is a good thing though.
I wonder how big problems will have with diffraction (double numbers of pixels on the same surface).

feronovak · 09-09-2008, 07:03 AM

There is also Imaging Resource review
Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 Digital Camera - Full Review - The Imaging Resource!

What I think from I see with Sony FF is that image quality is not that perfect to change my mind about going from APS-C to FF ... FF definitely has advantage in higher resolution, better cropping and proper DOF with FF lenses BUT I can get same results from k20d with good APS-C lenses ...

Anyway, that is my personal opinion but ISO 800 and up doesn't look great to be honest. D3 looks different league but different price as well..

Fero

pghwarrior23 · 09-09-2008, 07:19 AM

I agree that it is indeed a rather ugly camera. I am also struck by the weird design of the top screen but also of the battery grip. I love how the Pentax grip is molded perfectly with the body so that you can barely tell it is an accessory. The grip for the Sony looks like a weird growth.

ftpaddict · 09-09-2008, 07:29 AM

Originally posted by RBellavance

But then again, a camera's looks does not have much to do with its usability and IQ

I would much rather go for high magnification than 100% coverage.

Show me where the ugly hump is on THIS camera:

bodhi · 09-09-2008, 07:29 AM

it looks awful

Matjazz · 09-09-2008, 07:30 AM

Originally posted by cateto

To avoid repeating myself:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-news-rumors/36558-fairy-tale-some-...ntax-fans.html

Ditto.

I believe Pentax should go ahead with 645D rather than try to catch up the "full frame frenzy"

kenyee · 09-09-2008, 07:34 AM

It's got a red AF assist lamp though, so it'll do fine w/o a flash mounted ;-)

The Canon FF folks are a bit panicked about it being so cheap w/ high megapixel race resolution :-)

Both it and the D3 have answered the "what do we do about APS-C lenses?" question though...just do automatic cropping. Increase the #pixels so an APS-C crop is effectively the same size as the APS-C sensor and you can use it for both applications (if you can afford $3K for a body). That 70-400 lens looks nice...hopefully Tamron/Sigma will copy it since it's a bit more range for the same min fstop as their 70-300 lenses...

**Douglas_of_Sweden** · 09-09-2008, 07:47 AM

Interresting though that the press release says "aimed at serious photo enthusiasts looking for traditional SLR performance". I assume Canikon FF bodies are all intended for professionals, right? So this would be the first amateur digital FF? Though I tend to agree with the point Cateto makes with his excellent fairy tale (a bold writer obviously, take a look at his blogg), I kind of see two groups of pentax users crying for FF: those who freat to sell their Pentax gear if Pentax does not release a FF independent of if they can afford a FF from another brand simply because they feel their gear becomes less valuable and useful if Pentax does not pick up this fight, also claiming Pentax will die if it does not go FF. Then there are those who just honestly would like to be able to use their traditional SLR lenses in their original full frame view on a digital body, although wondering how they can afford a speculated FF body. The former group I pity, the later I understand.
Now if/when Pentax goes FF I assume it will be aimed at the same group the Sony press release describes, not the pro's. Right? Remains to see how this work for Sony and if Pentax will follow. It somehow makes it more believable that Pentax would dare the same as Sony, because if any SLR manufacturer is associated with that user group Sony describe it would be Pentax. My humble opinion.

bodhi · 09-09-2008, 08:09 AM

Originally posted by Douglas_of_Sweden

Interresting though that the press release says "aimed at serious photo enthusiasts looking for traditional SLR performance". I assume Canikon FF bodies are all intended for professionals, right? So this would be the first amateur digital FF? Though I tend to agree with the point Cateto makes with his excellent fairy tale (a bold writer obviously, take a look at his blogg), I kind of see two groups of pentax users crying for FF: those who freat to sell their Pentax gear if Pentax does not release a FF independent of if they can afford a FF from another brand simply because they feel their gear becomes less valuable and useful if Pentax does not pick up this fight, also claiming Pentax will die if it does not go FF. Then there are those who just honestly would like to be able to use their traditional SLR lenses in their original full frame view on a digital body, although wondering how they can afford a speculated FF body. The former group I pity, the later I understand.
Now if/when Pentax goes FF I assume it will be aimed at the same group the Sony press release describes, not the pro's. Right? Remains to see how this work for Sony and if Pentax will follow. It somehow makes it more believable that Pentax would dare the same as Sony, because if any SLR manufacturer is associated with that user group Sony describe it would be Pentax. My humble opinion.

world isnt B&W

..imo its important for Pentax to show FF body this year. I think Canon, Nikon and now Sony knows better than you and me why they go the FF way(i mean cameras like D700,A9OO..)...i think in 2 or 3 years FF will replace todays higer end APS-C cameras..so its imo important for Pentax to dont let the competition to draw away
ps: im sorry for my bad english

ogl · 09-09-2008, 08:20 AM

I saw image from gallery.
Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 Hands-on Preview: 13. Samples: Digital Photography Review
ISO200-400 are good. IQ of camera at higher ISO is no good. Can compete with old Kodak 14 MP sensor. 24-70 at f8 has very weak corners
http://a.img-dpreview.com/gallery/sony_a900preview_samples/originals/dsc01990_dw.jpg
It's hard to compare with D3.

09-09-2008, 06:13 AM	#1
mithrandir Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Maryland Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,895	Sony goes FF, can Pentax be far behind? And then there were three: Digital Camera Resource Page News: Sony announces full-frame Alpha DSLR-A900 - preview available

09-09-2008, 06:33 AM	#3
RBellavance Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Near Montréal, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,716	Originally posted by ftpaddict Sure is an ugly thing... It sure is. I really don't like that huge pentaprism hump (but I guess getting 100% coverage of a 24x36mm sensor requires some "sacrifices" ). But then again, a camera's looks does not have much to do with its usability and IQ I just noticed they "copied" Pentax's "intelligent preview", and interactive display of WB changes, along with the possibility to delete several photos at a time from the thumbnail view. Last edited by RBellavance; 09-09-2008 at 07:05 AM.

09-09-2008, 07:19 AM	#8
pghwarrior23 Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Photos: Albums Posts: 331	agreed I agree that it is indeed a rather ugly camera. I am also struck by the weird design of the top screen but also of the battery grip. I love how the Pentax grip is molded perfectly with the body so that you can barely tell it is an accessory. The grip for the Sony looks like a weird growth.

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09-09-2008, 06:20 AM	#2
ftpaddict Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Yurp Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,666	Sure is an ugly thing... And that secondary display... OUCH.

09-09-2008, 06:50 AM	#4
Falcons Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Perth Photos: Gallery Posts: 669	Know it's been said already - but Damn that is one ugly camera! Sorry just had to express that.

09-09-2008, 06:56 AM	#5
cateto Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Spain Posts: 189	To avoid repeating myself: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-news-rumors/36558-fairy-tale-some-...ntax-fans.html

09-09-2008, 07:00 AM	#6
montecarlo Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 161	Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 Hands-on Preview: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review Sony launches 70-400mm F4-5.6 and Carl Zeiss 16-35mm F2.8: Digital Photography Review But regarding the image still D3/D700 rules. The stabiliser is is a good thing though. I wonder how big problems will have with diffraction (double numbers of pixels on the same surface).

09-09-2008, 07:03 AM	#7
feronovak Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: London, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 123	There is also Imaging Resource review Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 Digital Camera - Full Review - The Imaging Resource! What I think from I see with Sony FF is that image quality is not that perfect to change my mind about going from APS-C to FF ... FF definitely has advantage in higher resolution, better cropping and proper DOF with FF lenses BUT I can get same results from k20d with good APS-C lenses ... Anyway, that is my personal opinion but ISO 800 and up doesn't look great to be honest. D3 looks different league but different price as well.. Fero

09-09-2008, 07:29 AM	#9
ftpaddict Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Yurp Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,666	Originally posted by RBellavance But then again, a camera's looks does not have much to do with its usability and IQ I would much rather go for high magnification than 100% coverage. Show me where the ugly hump is on THIS camera:

09-09-2008, 07:29 AM	#10
bodhi Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 61	it looks awful

09-09-2008, 07:30 AM	#11
Matjazz Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: EU/Slovenia Photos: Gallery Posts: 774	Originally posted by cateto To avoid repeating myself: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-news-rumors/36558-fairy-tale-some-...ntax-fans.html Ditto. I believe Pentax should go ahead with 645D rather than try to catch up the "full frame frenzy"

09-09-2008, 07:34 AM	#12
kenyee Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Boston, PRofMA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,026	It's got a red AF assist lamp though, so it'll do fine w/o a flash mounted ;-) The Canon FF folks are a bit panicked about it being so cheap w/ high megapixel race resolution :-) Both it and the D3 have answered the "what do we do about APS-C lenses?" question though...just do automatic cropping. Increase the #pixels so an APS-C crop is effectively the same size as the APS-C sensor and you can use it for both applications (if you can afford $3K for a body). That 70-400 lens looks nice...hopefully Tamron/Sigma will copy it since it's a bit more range for the same min fstop as their 70-300 lenses...

09-09-2008, 07:47 AM	#13
Douglas_of_Sweden Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Stockholm Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,374	Interresting though that the press release says "aimed at serious photo enthusiasts looking for traditional SLR performance". I assume Canikon FF bodies are all intended for professionals, right? So this would be the first amateur digital FF? Though I tend to agree with the point Cateto makes with his excellent fairy tale (a bold writer obviously, take a look at his blogg), I kind of see two groups of pentax users crying for FF: those who freat to sell their Pentax gear if Pentax does not release a FF independent of if they can afford a FF from another brand simply because they feel their gear becomes less valuable and useful if Pentax does not pick up this fight, also claiming Pentax will die if it does not go FF. Then there are those who just honestly would like to be able to use their traditional SLR lenses in their original full frame view on a digital body, although wondering how they can afford a speculated FF body. The former group I pity, the later I understand. Now if/when Pentax goes FF I assume it will be aimed at the same group the Sony press release describes, not the pro's. Right? Remains to see how this work for Sony and if Pentax will follow. It somehow makes it more believable that Pentax would dare the same as Sony, because if any SLR manufacturer is associated with that user group Sony describe it would be Pentax. My humble opinion.

09-09-2008, 08:09 AM	#14
bodhi Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 61	Originally posted by Douglas_of_Sweden Interresting though that the press release says "aimed at serious photo enthusiasts looking for traditional SLR performance". I assume Canikon FF bodies are all intended for professionals, right? So this would be the first amateur digital FF? Though I tend to agree with the point Cateto makes with his excellent fairy tale (a bold writer obviously, take a look at his blogg), I kind of see two groups of pentax users crying for FF: those who freat to sell their Pentax gear if Pentax does not release a FF independent of if they can afford a FF from another brand simply because they feel their gear becomes less valuable and useful if Pentax does not pick up this fight, also claiming Pentax will die if it does not go FF. Then there are those who just honestly would like to be able to use their traditional SLR lenses in their original full frame view on a digital body, although wondering how they can afford a speculated FF body. The former group I pity, the later I understand. Now if/when Pentax goes FF I assume it will be aimed at the same group the Sony press release describes, not the pro's. Right? Remains to see how this work for Sony and if Pentax will follow. It somehow makes it more believable that Pentax would dare the same as Sony, because if any SLR manufacturer is associated with that user group Sony describe it would be Pentax. My humble opinion. world isnt B&W ..imo its important for Pentax to show FF body this year. I think Canon, Nikon and now Sony knows better than you and me why they go the FF way(i mean cameras like D700,A9OO..)...i think in 2 or 3 years FF will replace todays higer end APS-C cameras..so its imo important for Pentax to dont let the competition to draw away ps: im sorry for my bad english

09-09-2008, 08:20 AM	#15
ogl Banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sankt Peterburg Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,382	I saw image from gallery. Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 Hands-on Preview: 13. Samples: Digital Photography Review ISO200-400 are good. IQ of camera at higher ISO is no good. Can compete with old Kodak 14 MP sensor. 24-70 at f8 has very weak corners http://a.img-dpreview.com/gallery/sony_a900preview_samples/originals/dsc01990_dw.jpg It's hard to compare with D3.