The Sony A33/A55 are coming tomorrow

Art Vandelay II · 08-23-2010, 10:48 AM

www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-price-of-the-a55-and-a33

So the A55 model is really freaking tiny (looks much smaller than even the K-x), has a rotating LCD (I've always wanted one of those for screen protection alone), has a large EVF like the Panasonic GH1, has in-body VR, shoots 10 frames per second (might need that some day right?), 1080i/720p movie mode with full autofocus, built in GPS, clean IS3200, and is only $750 MSRP.

Yeah, thats going to be tough for me to say no to unless Pentax or Nikon's new EVIL's are really something special.

pxpaulx · 08-23-2010, 11:31 AM

Like every company, you also have to keep in mind that camera bodies are only the gateway to a lens system - the Sony system can get fairly spendy on back lens side.

Art Vandelay II · 08-23-2010, 11:59 AM

Very true. In-fact lens selection is my biggest concern with these new bodies. I want a small body as much as the next person, but it just doesn’t make much sense to me to make DSLR’s this tiny when you take into account Sony’s lens line up. All the Zeiss glass is huge, and Sony’s 35mm f/1.4 is also way too big for these bodies. Their 50mm lenses are small enough, and maybe their 28mm (but at f/2.8 its too slow). Sony really needs a set of pancake primes to go along with these. IMHO they need to release a 30mm f/1.8 pancake as well as a 18mm pancake for these cameras to make any sense.

Great price for the specs though…I just wish they had proper glass for them.

pxpaulx · 08-23-2010, 12:51 PM

I suppose this is an A-mount camera; if they come out with an e-mount body that has those kind of specs I think it would do extremely well. It seems the NEX are pretty popular, but there are just as many people that couldn't concieve of using such a P&S oriented camera, regardless of the sensor (I am one of them!). I am going to stick with Pentax and m4/3 until Pentax gets into the micro mount. I would love to be back to one brand, especially if they can get a workable adapter with at least aperture communication (I could live with MF). Anyway, it seems that through the Photokina that a lot of new stuff is going to be dropping - more competition is good for the end user any way you slice it!

Art Vandelay II · 08-23-2010, 01:10 PM

Originally posted by pxpaulx

I suppose this is an A-mount camera; if they come out with an e-mount body that has those kind of specs I think it would do extremely well.

I agree with that. Im hoping the NEX-7 will have the same specs as the A55, but in a more rangefinder-esque body. They already have an E-mount 16mm f/2.8. All they'd need to do is release an e-mount 30mm and a 55mm and I'd be fairly content with those three lenses for years. Of course ideal for me would be that either Nikon or Pentax would do that very thing first...but thats a different thread.

I'm a former E-P1 owner, and I loved that camera, I really did. So much so that I don't even want a trradional DSLR anymore. But I'm not sold on the 4/3's sensor. However, not for ISO reasons like most people. I really don't need anything over ISO1600. The 2x sensor just produces too much DOF for me unless you have a ton of f/1.4 glass...and m4'3's currently has zero f/1.4 glass. So my hopes lie with Sony, Pentax, and Nikon (I simply don't trust Samsung either as a system builder or a sensor manufacturer).

ogl · 08-23-2010, 09:23 PM

Do you see any sense in 4 new strange cameras with so strange video modes?

• AVCHD:
• 1920 x 1080, 59.94i (from 29.97fps sensor output)
• Motion JPEG:
• 1440 x 1080, 29.97p or 25p, depending on region
• 640 x 480, 29.94 fps

The difference between A55 and A33, DSLR-A580 and DSLR-A560 is only sensor.
It's rather strange...

I see that all this models are not A700's replacement. A55 and A33 are the way to approach DSLR to gadgets and P&S cameras...

It's strange strategy of Sony.

KungPOW · 08-23-2010, 09:32 PM

If I was a A700 user I'd be really pissed by now.

How many entry level cameras has Sony released since the A700?

The A700 is now one of the oldest bodies on the market. Maybe as old as the E-3.

Do we really need 20 cameras all a micro-spec apart?

Art Vandelay II · 08-23-2010, 09:51 PM

Sony has obviously shifted gears after failing with the A900/850. They also just announced/released two cheap APS-C plastic mount primes that were clearly designed for these new cameras. But wow. That 16mp sensor looks like the real deal:

Sony SLT-A55 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

Well, at least in the JPEG noise test. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued by the A55. It's about time someone included GPS on a DSLR. If sony had Pentax's lens line up I'd probably buy one just to play with it. As it is though I will just play with one in a store to apease my curiosity. Of course when I do that and actually like the camera I tend to walk out of the store with it, so maybe I shouldn't

But DPR has done an excellent job of making me want that new sensor. Hopefully that is what Pentax has chosen for the K5 and their EVIL.

er1kksen · 08-23-2010, 10:15 PM

These 2 cameras and Sony's recent cheap-prime-lens introductions are really complicating my plans for the future. If you really bother to look, you'll find there's actually a pretty decent lens selection (including primes) available for A mount, OEM and third-party alike. A $200 35mm f1.8 is pretty ideal in my eyes; I've been jealous of Nikon's for a while but I can't stand their sub-D90 bodies, and the D90 is too big...

ogl · 08-23-2010, 10:17 PM

It's some kind of marketing idiocy.

DSLR with VERY OLD idea of translucent mirror and EVF, and with strange video modes - do you really want such camera?
No details at ISO over 400, worse colours and contrast = no IQ.

ogl · 08-23-2010, 10:18 PM

Originally posted by KungPOW

If I was a A700 user I'd be really pissed by now.

How many entry level cameras has Sony released since the A700?

The A700 is now one of the oldest bodies on the market. Maybe as old as the E-3.

Do we really need 20 cameras all a micro-spec apart?

+100

Sony will have more cameras soon than lenses...

Sony has offered 19 cameras since 2006!!!

Boris · 08-23-2010, 10:42 PM

I reckon Sony being the electronics giant (unlike Pentax being a medium to small company dealing in optics) does what they can do best - electronics. They have all it takes (money, manpower, brains, etc) to offer many updates of their camera line. Whether or not to choose Sony as a system, that would be an entirely different question. For all I care - each camera Sony introduces is also somewhat useful for everyone else. It is like in playing a game of chess or cards - Sony makes a move and by doing so it discloses certain information, be it marketing intent or technological direction. Others can take it, digest it and react according to their own strategy. So, life is still good, methinks.

jct us101 · 08-23-2010, 11:39 PM

I really want one of these cameras, have you seen them? The SLT idea is something that should have been implemented much earlier. I might get one.

Aegon · 08-23-2010, 11:44 PM

Wouldn't it make sense to include a blackout mode, where the mirror flips up and that extra 30% of light goes to the sensor? The thought of losing precious light puts me off.

jct us101 · 08-23-2010, 11:51 PM

I'm just amazed that Sony made a DSLR that doesn't look like crap.

08-23-2010, 10:48 AM	#1
Art Vandelay II Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Charlotte, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 886	The Sony A33/A55 are coming tomorrow www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-price-of-the-a55-and-a33 So the A55 model is really freaking tiny (looks much smaller than even the K-x), has a rotating LCD (I've always wanted one of those for screen protection alone), has a large EVF like the Panasonic GH1, has in-body VR, shoots 10 frames per second (might need that some day right?), 1080i/720p movie mode with full autofocus, built in GPS, clean IS3200, and is only $750 MSRP. Yeah, thats going to be tough for me to say no to unless Pentax or Nikon's new EVIL's are really something special.

08-23-2010, 11:59 AM	#3
Art Vandelay II Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Charlotte, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 886 Original Poster	Very true. In-fact lens selection is my biggest concern with these new bodies. I want a small body as much as the next person, but it just doesn’t make much sense to me to make DSLR’s this tiny when you take into account Sony’s lens line up. All the Zeiss glass is huge, and Sony’s 35mm f/1.4 is also way too big for these bodies. Their 50mm lenses are small enough, and maybe their 28mm (but at f/2.8 its too slow). Sony really needs a set of pancake primes to go along with these. IMHO they need to release a 30mm f/1.8 pancake as well as a 18mm pancake for these cameras to make any sense. Great price for the specs though…I just wish they had proper glass for them. Last edited by Art Vandelay II; 08-23-2010 at 12:05 PM.

08-23-2010, 09:51 PM	#8
Art Vandelay II Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Charlotte, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 886 Original Poster	Sony has obviously shifted gears after failing with the A900/850. They also just announced/released two cheap APS-C plastic mount primes that were clearly designed for these new cameras. But wow. That 16mp sensor looks like the real deal: Sony SLT-A55 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review Well, at least in the JPEG noise test. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued by the A55. It's about time someone included GPS on a DSLR. If sony had Pentax's lens line up I'd probably buy one just to play with it. As it is though I will just play with one in a store to apease my curiosity. Of course when I do that and actually like the camera I tend to walk out of the store with it, so maybe I shouldn't But DPR has done an excellent job of making me want that new sensor. Hopefully that is what Pentax has chosen for the K5 and their EVIL. Last edited by Art Vandelay II; 08-23-2010 at 10:03 PM.

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08-23-2010, 11:31 AM	#2
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	Like every company, you also have to keep in mind that camera bodies are only the gateway to a lens system - the Sony system can get fairly spendy on back lens side.

08-23-2010, 12:51 PM	#4
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	I suppose this is an A-mount camera; if they come out with an e-mount body that has those kind of specs I think it would do extremely well. It seems the NEX are pretty popular, but there are just as many people that couldn't concieve of using such a P&S oriented camera, regardless of the sensor (I am one of them!). I am going to stick with Pentax and m4/3 until Pentax gets into the micro mount. I would love to be back to one brand, especially if they can get a workable adapter with at least aperture communication (I could live with MF). Anyway, it seems that through the Photokina that a lot of new stuff is going to be dropping - more competition is good for the end user any way you slice it!

08-23-2010, 01:10 PM	#5
Art Vandelay II Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Charlotte, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 886 Original Poster	Originally posted by pxpaulx I suppose this is an A-mount camera; if they come out with an e-mount body that has those kind of specs I think it would do extremely well. I agree with that. Im hoping the NEX-7 will have the same specs as the A55, but in a more rangefinder-esque body. They already have an E-mount 16mm f/2.8. All they'd need to do is release an e-mount 30mm and a 55mm and I'd be fairly content with those three lenses for years. Of course ideal for me would be that either Nikon or Pentax would do that very thing first...but thats a different thread. I'm a former E-P1 owner, and I loved that camera, I really did. So much so that I don't even want a trradional DSLR anymore. But I'm not sold on the 4/3's sensor. However, not for ISO reasons like most people. I really don't need anything over ISO1600. The 2x sensor just produces too much DOF for me unless you have a ton of f/1.4 glass...and m4'3's currently has zero f/1.4 glass. So my hopes lie with Sony, Pentax, and Nikon (I simply don't trust Samsung either as a system builder or a sensor manufacturer).

08-23-2010, 09:23 PM	#6
ogl Banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sankt Peterburg Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,382	Do you see any sense in 4 new strange cameras with so strange video modes? • AVCHD: • 1920 x 1080, 59.94i (from 29.97fps sensor output) • Motion JPEG: • 1440 x 1080, 29.97p or 25p, depending on region • 640 x 480, 29.94 fps The difference between A55 and A33, DSLR-A580 and DSLR-A560 is only sensor. It's rather strange... I see that all this models are not A700's replacement. A55 and A33 are the way to approach DSLR to gadgets and P&S cameras... It's strange strategy of Sony.

08-23-2010, 09:32 PM	#7
KungPOW Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Vancouver, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,699	If I was a A700 user I'd be really pissed by now. How many entry level cameras has Sony released since the A700? The A700 is now one of the oldest bodies on the market. Maybe as old as the E-3. Do we really need 20 cameras all a micro-spec apart?

08-23-2010, 10:15 PM	#9
er1kksen Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Forestville, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 1,801	These 2 cameras and Sony's recent cheap-prime-lens introductions are really complicating my plans for the future. If you really bother to look, you'll find there's actually a pretty decent lens selection (including primes) available for A mount, OEM and third-party alike. A $200 35mm f1.8 is pretty ideal in my eyes; I've been jealous of Nikon's for a while but I can't stand their sub-D90 bodies, and the D90 is too big...

08-23-2010, 10:17 PM	#10
ogl Banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sankt Peterburg Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,382	It's some kind of marketing idiocy. DSLR with VERY OLD idea of translucent mirror and EVF, and with strange video modes - do you really want such camera? No details at ISO over 400, worse colours and contrast = no IQ.

08-23-2010, 10:18 PM	#11
ogl Banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sankt Peterburg Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,382	Originally posted by KungPOW If I was a A700 user I'd be really pissed by now. How many entry level cameras has Sony released since the A700? The A700 is now one of the oldest bodies on the market. Maybe as old as the E-3. Do we really need 20 cameras all a micro-spec apart? +100 Sony will have more cameras soon than lenses... Sony has offered 19 cameras since 2006!!!

08-23-2010, 10:42 PM	#12
Boris Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Israel Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 932	I reckon Sony being the electronics giant (unlike Pentax being a medium to small company dealing in optics) does what they can do best - electronics. They have all it takes (money, manpower, brains, etc) to offer many updates of their camera line. Whether or not to choose Sony as a system, that would be an entirely different question. For all I care - each camera Sony introduces is also somewhat useful for everyone else. It is like in playing a game of chess or cards - Sony makes a move and by doing so it discloses certain information, be it marketing intent or technological direction. Others can take it, digest it and react according to their own strategy. So, life is still good, methinks.

08-23-2010, 11:39 PM	#13
jct us101 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Rohnert Park, CA Posts: 3,793	I really want one of these cameras, have you seen them? The SLT idea is something that should have been implemented much earlier. I might get one.

08-23-2010, 11:44 PM	#14
Aegon Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,416	Wouldn't it make sense to include a blackout mode, where the mirror flips up and that extra 30% of light goes to the sensor? The thought of losing precious light puts me off.

08-23-2010, 11:51 PM	#15
jct us101 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Rohnert Park, CA Posts: 3,793	I'm just amazed that Sony made a DSLR that doesn't look like crap.