[Julio Marcos]

2. Carl Zeiss only license the name. They play no role in manufacturing the lens, other than the occasional quality control. But since Sony has no heritage in the world of serious photography, they needed a name that stood out; for their lineup of pro lenses.

So much dis-information... what would make you think that the Zeiss branded lenses are not designed by Zeiss? Even if they are manufactured in Japan (like they were doing with Kyocera with the Contax line) they should be superb.

I actually think that Sony is coming out in full force and will take over Pentax for the third spot. They seemed to languish for a while, and suddenly, boom! Three entry-level DSLRs (with a pretty neat looking live-view system in the A300 & A350, at least on paper), a mid-pro with A700, and a full frame, image-stabilized camera coming out (I like the bulging penta-prism!). A line of full-frame lenses like the Zeiss 24-70 f2.8 also gives them a lot of cred.
I'm sticking with Pentax for now because I love their compact primes, but I'll keep an eye on Sony. The live-view system on the A300 could be pretty neat, I hope I can try it out someday.

[ogl]

Zeiss had not make lenses for a long time in Germany. Only several MF lenses. It's only brand name. Oem factories in Japan and in Asia make lenses.
Zeiss makes optical formulas. I don't prefer Zeiss's "lense philosophy" at all.
Sony's camera is out of my mind. It's another photo view for me. Minolta and Sony + Zeiss = not the same. I like 35/1.4 and STF135. But I don't see another interesting lenses in Sony's lenses roadmap. And 35/1.4 and STF are not Sony.
As for prices...Sony is more expensive than Nikon and Canon's lenses.

[Chocolar]

Sony should keep their day job, making tv !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Julio Marcos]

Zeiss had not make lenses for a long time in Germany. Only several MF lenses. It's only brand name. Oem factories in Japan and in Asia make lenses.
Zeiss makes optical formulas. I don't prefer Zeiss's "lense philosophy" at all.

Not true about just Zeiss just being a 'brand name' in this case; the lenses might not be manufactured in Germany, but they are still designed and spec'ed by Zeiss. So this is what counts (and I'm sure they are built pretty well). Again, have you heard about Contax??

You make it sound like they just re-badge some Tamron lenses (this is what Minolta and Sony have done with some of the cheaper lenses). So you might not like the look, the price, or the offerings of the Zeiss lenses, but that's not a reason to put the brand down.

[Jonson PL]

That is one ugly hunk of metal, incredible that if Sony wanna come out with a expensive top model cam that they don’t do more in design. But then again it could just be an early beta.
The weird colour alpha letter, could be painted over with some black marker, so that could be fixed. But the rest is harder to help. Doesn’t look comfortable. Sony has a long way to go, if they wanna compare to Canon and Nikon. They should hold a D3 and try to imitate that.
The A700 still has that cheap feel like the A100, IMO. Looks like they should throw some more money to the designers, instead of just engineers.


I wonder what the pricepoint Sony is gonna set for the A900. Between $ 3.000- 4.000 ? Not that it would appeal to me, the Sony lens line-up is simply not interesting enough.


Should Pentax come out with a 1.33 crop camera, or APS-H crop like Canon, the following lenses would be suited : 31 limited, FA 35/2, FA 50/1.4, DFA 50/2.8 macro, DA 40 limited, 43 limited, 77 limited, DFA 100/2.8 macro, DA* 200/2.8. Plus some of the zoom lenses, at longer Focal length settings. And Voigtländer & Zeiss lenses. (Plus some Sigma lenses). Upcoming Pentax tele lenses will probably also fit full image circle of the film crop format. So a few more wide-angle lenses would be needed, and likely tilt-shift lenses will be added. These could all be announced together with such a cam.
But with the high Iso ability of the K20, together with great resolution, and upcoming 15 mm limited, DA* 11-16/2.8, etc, I really don’t see the need at the moment. The Eos 5D only goes to Iso 3200, and it is pretty crappy at that setting. Its Viewfinder with 96% frame coverage, and measly 0.71x magnification, is also noting to speak off when comparing it to Eos 1Ds. With cameras currently on the market, and upcoming ones to be showcased at Photokina (like the Samsung GX2D), the Eos 5D is a camera from the past that will have trouble living up to the new realities. It has a bigger sensor, but that’s it.
Having said this, the 5D is proven, and people can use it as backup to 1Ds series. I also have my doubts, as to how many Sony can lure from the Nikon and Canon camp.
I’ll give this A900 some credit for actually including a top lcd. Canon and Nikon takes well care of the Pro market, so hard for Sony to get a foot in here. Amateurs that wanna have a gadget to show and impress, would like it, if the price is cheaper. But then they won’t be mistaken for Pro’s as they carry a freak camera. So the cool factor is off.
And if the camera is so good, why do they need pretty girls holding it ?

[séamuis]

And if the camera is so good, why do they need pretty girls holding it ?

to take your interest away from the terribly ugly aesthetics of the mock up?

[RBellavance]

3. You need to swap the vowels in that name.

LOL! Thanks for the laugh this morning

[lol101]

honestly I kinda like the idea of replicating the buttons on the grip. reaching the 4-way controller on my K10D+ D-BG2 in vertical orientation (to select a focus point) is a pain. I also really like the idea of lowering the shutter button on the grip so that it is in the same position relative to the lens as the normal shutter button is. It does make for a rather large grip, but it seems to me that this could be like the experience I had with the game cube controllers when they first came out. They looked rather odd and uncomfortable, but after playing for a while I came to appreciate their form.

Sony wasn't dumb enough to forget Minolta's ergonomics (one button=one function) and basics (look at their VF: excellent!)

The K10 has an excellent ergonomics but also some obvious errors (no AF button on grip, difficult AF point selection in portrait...).

Also, Zeiss glass is Zeiss glass if you believe the tests: outstanding sharpness (and the price that goes with it).

All the other makers will probably have to disappear before I buy a Sony but that's mainly because everything I have ever seen coming out of these camera is not as good as it should be in terms of IQ (look at textural details restitution from ISO 400 on an A700 and compare to K20, or even K10... no way I am buying one!), ergonomically wise, I like them.

Choice in the lens department is also a very weak point in Sony's lineup.

The other thing that prompts my attention on this camera is it's price... Sony apparently wants to price it around $3000, maybe less. That would put some interesting pressure on Canon and their 5D replacement(s) which could have some interesting repercussions for me.... or not!

[Buddha Jones]

Oh man, I just found this while trolling on another site that I frequent... Sony's 25 megapixel Alpha A900 to arrive in August or September - Engadget

[ftpaddict]

Oh man, I just found this while trolling on another site that I frequent... Sony's 25 megapixel Alpha A900 to arrive in August or September - Engadget

That is one FUGLY piece of machinery.

[Buddha Jones]

It sure is, maybe they should let the designers of the PS3 design the camera... no I take that back, then they will just make a shiny black camera with silver trim. Now that would be ugly.

[OniFactor]

i'm assuming that you guys are mocking it since they have a clear case on it, to showcase it's innards?

[ftpaddict]

i'm assuming that you guys are mocking it since they have a clear case on it, to showcase it's innards?

You can tell what the shape of the actual case is, and it is U G L Y

[clawhammer]

I dunno... there's just something about the triangular shape of the viewfinder that doesn't quite work for me. It also doesn't scream out 'solid build' like the EOS 1 series. You have to admit, looking at those things is like looking at a sherman tank.

[ftpaddict]

Going a bit off-topic now, I think Sony would really appeal to tech geeks by selling a transparent camera. Think about it - seal off the mirror and pentaprism chambers, but keep the transparent plastic. Genius!