Any higher end cameras coming soon?

[LightBright]

Ive heard a lot of buzz on the web that there might be a a950 and a750 coming soon. Whats your take on this? I have to warn though I am the type of person that believes almost anything lol.

I am rapidly moving into sports photography as my area of expertise.. I love my a700 and get fantastic sports shots from it, however I need something that has far better noise control than the current a900 and have at least 9fps. The people I work for don't really mind the noise in my photographs but personally I'm a little annoyed by it. The a700's 5 fps really feels like 3 because theres allot of lag but thats due to fast moving objects and focus. I just hope there next dslr will be close to something like the Nikon D3s. I hope so please Sony PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! Than I would get that and use my a700 as a 2nd body with maybe a good 18-70mm lens.

[OldClicker]

There is a rumor of a FF announcement today (10/20)??? – TF

EDIT - Then again, it may have been confused with a Canon release. TF

[Anbesol]

How are you going to get a good 18-70?

Anyway - I don't know how you can complain about the A900's noise, its indistinguishable from the D3X until you hit ISO 3200+ and start doing 100% pixel peeping. I don't imagine Sony would release another one, but who knows.

[NoKnees]

I'd be curious to see what Sony comes up with for a "Sports" oriented camera some day. Unfortunately, I haven't heard any rumors of one anytime soon. I know I'm more interested in a good tracking AF system and something in the 9fps range at a moderate pixel density, probably APS-C or similar would be just dandy, no need for FF for this use...

I definitely like the specs of what others are coming out with now though... Canon's latest offering in the EOS 1D line is pretty sweat, slight crop (1.3), 10fps, good ISO coverage... Nikon's latest FX low light monster, D3s, shows what can be done if we don't go crazy in the MP race... Lot of cool things out there, just hope Sony has a new one up it's sleeve somewhere...

[OldClicker]

I, also, will be very interested in the new model that comes out in the $1k - $1.5k range. There are a lot of different ways they can go. An even cheaper FF? Video done right? Another 'first time buyer' model with all the bells and whistles? A true A700 replacement (i.e. dream machine for the old Minolta users)? Sports model (high ISO and fps)? A double release with and w/o video? An A750 II just to get through the Christmas season? Any other ideas?

The availability of A700 seems to be running low and it’s hard to believe that they won’t have something in this slot for the Christmas season.

TF

[LightBright]

That canon is pretty awesome.

"How are you going to get a good 18-70?

Anyway - I don't know how you can complain about the A900's noise, its indistinguishable from the D3X until you hit ISO 3200+ and start doing 100% pixel peeping. I don't imagine Sony would release another one, but who knows."

Well not exactly 18-70 but something close enough to replace my kit lens. Anything is better than that kit lens. Well ive spent alot of time looking at the a900 samples and low light performance isnt a highlight of this model. It does look similar when you look at a bright photograph taken with the a900 but a dark deep shadowed scenes tend to suffer. Im not saying the a900 is a bad camera, infact I wished I had it. Its by far the best at color rendition even when compared to the d3x which costs way more.

"I'd be curious to see what Sony comes up with for a "Sports" oriented camera some day. Unfortunately, I haven't heard any rumors of one anytime soon. I know I'm more interested in a good tracking AF system and something in the 9fps range at a moderate pixel density, probably APS-C or similar would be just dandy, no need for FF for this use...

I definitely like the specs of what others are coming out with now though... Canon's latest offering in the EOS 1D line is pretty sweat, slight crop (1.3), 10fps, good ISO coverage... Nikon's latest FX low light monster, D3s, shows what can be done if we don't go crazy in the MP race... Lot of cool things out there, just hope Sony has a new one up it's sleeve somewhere..."

It would make sense if sony is coming with another model that will compete with the D3s and the 1D's. Alot of the rumors that there might be a camera similar to the D3s in Sony's line up is caused by Sony I believe makes some sensors for Nikon. I don't know if I should go ahead and say that they make all there sensors but I do know they make some. So when the D3s came out there might be a alpha with the same sensors but different features.

[OldClicker]

The $5000+ bodies don't mean much to me and I think it would be a mistake for Sony to go that way at this point. - TF

[DonSchap]

No kidding ... if I have $5000 toss away on a better body, I'd be buying all new glass, first. Holy smokes ... camera bodies come and go, glass is (kind of) forever.

[LightBright]

"The $5000+ bodies don't mean much to me and I think it would be a mistake for Sony to go that way at this point"

Well there a force to be reckon with. Everybody was surprised that Sony could come up with an amazing dslr like the a700. Thats the point where Sony started to become very respectable in the dslr market. Than the a900 came out than I didn't really find a problem with a $5000 body from Sony anymore. It will help get alot of the pro market in and everyone will have another choice besides Nikon and Canon in that category.

"No kidding ... if I have $5000 toss away on a better body, I'd be buying all new glass, first. Holy smokes ... camera bodies come and go, glass is (kind of) forever."

I find that I only need two lenses, my 30mm f1.4 and 70-200 2.8 I have been amazingly satisfied with the telephoto and rarely use my 30. I feel like I get much better shots when im restricted to only one lens. I think its crazy to spend that much cash on a body but if its someones job thats a different story. I guess ill find out when its
PMA time if Sony has a dslr like that. Than ill know if to aim for a a700 replacement or a higher up model and start saving like crazy! All the pros next to me are usually using 300 f2.8's but there so heavy and cumbersome I think it will kill the fun of it. I usually crop my shots kind of heavily to get in there tighter. Of course a better body can have less noise and have a sharper image sensors so I can crop all I want with out all the worry. Thats my theory anyways and so far it has worked great for the alpha700

[DonSchap]

As a marketing advantage, the a850 was a novel way to garner Full Frame migration. For less than $2000, you have your entry camera into a "wider" realm. When you look at overall cost, the difference between it and the a900 is more "mental" than substantial.

The new a7xx and a9xx are going to have to address a bunch of powerful changes in what the market NOW expects from the DSLR.

The paradigm has shifted dramatically and Canon and Nikon have made their pitch, even with the high-end APS-H body (Canon EOS 1D MkIV, as of today).

Yes, the argument stands that from the old guard, DLSR Video is still not all that important, but great response from ISO/Noise Reduction still is.

From the new members ... DSLR Video is simply an option that maintains SONY's status as "a player." The decision has already been made: It simply HAS to be in the new camera body to make it viable in the market. AND ... it had better work great! The market has already spoken.

Personally, do I see myself buying one? And this is the question that all current a700 owners are going to have to ask themselves, because you have to know it will probably demand another $1500 out of your pocket. Yes, you can mitigate the cost by selling off your current a700, but the retail price has fallen to such a level ... you would probably be wiser to keep it as a backup or give it to your little brother, so he will buy into the manufacturer and help offset lens costs (wink wink). Yeah, plan ahead ... good glass is not cheap.

So, to answer this ... my next camera will have to be an a9xx, simply due to glass considerations. APS-C 1.5x crop is bygone, as far as I am concerned. Once I made the move to FF with the a850 ... there was no turning back to APS-C. Super-ISO and Video are pretty low on my totem pole ... and in that view, ISO/Noise response rates tremendously higher than High-Def Video. I'm not a cinematographer ... and if they leave it out of the next camera, I know I will not miss it.

So, if SONY can cut loose with a 8-9 fps High Speed body ... with solid noise response ... that's where they can find my money waiting. Keep the video to the kids, as a veteran photographer, I do not want to waste my time with it. If it's there ... no matter.