[JohnBee]

According to Photo rumors, here are the full specs for Sony's upcoming A99 full frame body:

• 24.3MP full frame CMOS Exmor sensor
• Translucent mirror technology
• ISO range: 100-25,600 (ISO-low 50 is also available)
• 14 bit RAW output
• 1/8000 maximum shutter speed
• 10 fps
• Shutter life: 200,000 shots
• 102 points AF system
• AF with two phase detection sensors
• 2360k dots XGA OLED viewfinder
• 3" tiltable 921k dots LCD screen
• Full HD video recording at 1920x1080/60p
• Auto HDR capability
• HDMI output
• Built-in stereo mic
• Built-in flash with guide number of 12
• New multi-segment low pass filter
• Photodiode expansion technology
• Light concentration technology
• Selective noise reduction
• Two memory slots: SD and SD+MS cards
• Announced on September 12, 2012
• Available in stores in late October 2012
• New accessories to be released with the a99: battery grip, flash, remote control, microphone etc.
• Very light, weather sealed magnesium alloy body
• Weight: 730 g.

Also SonyAlpha Rumors has a little more to offer:

(SR5) A first for Sony: 14bit RAW files on the A99!

Finally! The Sony A99 FF camera will be the first Sony camera to have full 14bit RAW file recording! It is something Nikon cameras (like the D800) have since a long time now so it was about time fro Sony to use it too. But will it really bring some noticeable improvement?
The administrator of Cambridgeincolour wrote:

“It is usually image noise — not the 12/14-bit A/D dynamic range — that ultimately limits the photo’s visible dynamic range. A 14-bit linear A/D converter has a dynamic range of 14 f-stops, for example, but this is far beyond what is visible because of image noise (5-10 f-stops at the very most).
Further, A/D converters and CCD/CMOS sensors are not always linear; in which case the image bit precision/depth does not necessarily correlate with A/D dynamic range. Take a look at the last two sections on bit depth and tonal curve in the dynamic range tutorial. There’s a lot more on this there, although be warned that this concept can be quite confusing.
At present the only tangible use I can think of for the extended 14-bit precision is more shadow tonality in a RAW photo which has undergone extreme shadow recovery. If this is true, then 14-bit is worth it in exchange for the marginally larger file sizes. However, I have no evidence of this in practice. ”

Apparently, the A99 JPEG engine receives improvements as well.

---

Last edited by JohnBee; 08-27-2012 at 11:38 PM.

[kenafein]

Very nice.

[RonHendriks1966]

Looks great!

[Medium FormatPro]

I have not handled one just yet, but probably will before the general public does. But coming from someone whom has handles the camera; they clearly state it has much better build quality than any Sony made - it's that good. Also that there is a "consumer" noticable difference between this new model and the Sony A900 at about the size of 11x14

[TOUGEFC]

Looks dusty.

[Unsinkable II]

Am still not sold on the EVF. Am presuming its the same as the A77 which, while good, is still light years from a pentaprism. For some, the WYSIWYG EVF aspect will be more important.

The weight looks very good.

It seems that Sony have also put the rear dial to the right of the normal thumb resting spot as per the A77. On the D90, it is still quite useable, but on the A77 it was the main deal-killer for me. I far prefer the dial to be to the left of my thumb, as using it doesn't compromise my grip.

[jogiba]

Will the Sony Nex-9 ,Nikon D600 and Pentax K-3 use the same sensor ?

[kenafein]

I heard that the d600 was going to use a full frame sensor by the same company that makes their 1 series sensors.

[pinholecam]

The Sony SLTs are pretty good when it comes to attracting the layman or pns upgrader with its specs overload, which often means that when comparing spec sheets, they often top the competition with bigger numbers.
However, being a serious enthusiast level camera, the SLT ISO performance has never made the grade vs the competition, and the enthusiast isn't that easily fooled with just big numbers on the spec sheet.

So to me, I see a repeat of the failure of the A850, A900 in penetrating the FF market.
Cameras that did not have the 'pro' level ISO performance to make the grade.
Not that they were unusable, for low ISO work they certainly pack a punch.

[Frogfish]

Most Sony users say that anything over 800 ISO from their cameras is unusable .... so this will have to improve on that quite substantially to compare to the D800/E and 5DIII. Nice specs on paper for sure.

[kenafein]

Most A900 users? As we all know. Sony sensors have taken a huge leap since then. Or even late model SLTs? The NEX certainly has no issue with high ISO.

[Frogfish]

Most A900 users? As we all know. Sony sensors have taken a huge leap since then. Or even late model SLTs? The NEX certainly has no issue with high ISO.

I was on the Sony forum the other day. There were pretty much agreeing on all this with regard to the Sony APS-C sensor cameras (and the A900 too), no mention of the NEX though, the SLTs.

[NickLarsson]