Calling all Sony Alpha users! (Part 5)

Hi Guys,

Any thoughts on the new a57 sample images on DPR? They look pretty impressive to me. Better than the a580 and the 60D/D7000, IMO. Quite an achievement for an SLT.
 
Ta. Just found it. :thumbs:

Looks amazing. Even iso 16000 seems to be perfectly usable!!!!

Think I might have to change my mind about SLTs....
 
My view is that the jpeg conversion renders really nice images from the a57 with few artifacts, even at really high iso's. The gallery shots confirm this too.

The actual RAW files are not that clean though at high iso !

I think this says something about how good Sony have got at processing relatively poor RAW data files.

Bottom line though is that the jpegs are nice and that is what most people will output.
 
Exactly. If in camera jpgs are really good then it doesn't matter so much about RAW, especially as a lot of the special modes can't be used in RAW or RAW+JPG if it is like the A580.

Quite excited. Will annoy my friend with the 7d that can only manage a lazy 8 fps :D

I wonder if they'll release a firmware update for the a580 to use whatever better processing is being used in the A57 if that is technically possible?
 
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srichards said:
Exactly. If in camera jpgs are really good then it doesn't matter so much about RAW, especially as a lot of the special modes can't be used in RAW or RAW+JPG if it is like the A580.

Quite excited. Will annoy my friend with the 7d that can only manage a lazy 8 fps :D

I wonder if they'll release a firmware update for the a580 to use whatever better processing is being used in the A57 if that is technically possible?
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I think it's down to the new image processor the A57 has, if you notice, the A65/A77 and now A57 have supposedly the same image processor, and all seem to have much higher chroma noise in the RAW but seem to retain more detail, so they clean up pretty well.. Sadly I don't think this is a firmware upgradeable kind of feature..

The 12fps is a bit ridiculous, I was messing around with my A77 and thought it was in 12fps mode, but it was actually only 8, when I finally got 12fps it sounded ridiculously quick.. And prompted me to get a Sandisk Extreme Pro SD card (95MB/s).. that should help get the buffer clearing times right down!
 
The A57 looks a little close to the a65. Why would you choose an a57? It's a strange edition to the range to me.

Love my A55, my fat finger don't but my head does :)
 
simon44 said:
The A57 looks a little close to the a65. Why would you choose an a57?
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because it'll list £200 cheaper & you don't think that you need the extra features?

personally I found the A55 too small for me but then I tend to use large, heavy lenses.
 
heidfirst said:
because it'll list £200 cheaper & you don't think that you need the extra features?

personally I found the A55 too small for me but then I tend to use large, heavy lenses.
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The A57 is actually a slightly cut down A65 with 16MP instead of 24MP and an slightly inferior EVF..

The price difference is only about £50 based on pre-order pricing of the A57 vs the established pricing of the A65.

Finally, the A57 will have a slight advantage in noise handling from ISO6400 onwards going by preview images available (due to larger pixel size), but you get the extra MP at lower ISO's and a better EVF etc on the A65.. just food for thought!

:)
 
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I did say list price ...
The A57 hasn't arrived yet whereas the A65 has been out since last Autumn - in 6 months (probably less) the A57 will be under £600.
 
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heidfirst said:
I did say list price ...
The A57 hasn't arrived yet whereas the A65 has been out since last Autumn - in 6 months (probably less) the A57 will be under £600.
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But surely the price of the a65 will fall at the same rate in that case?
 
no, it's already taken it's major hit & it's not linear.
Shops will try to sell as near to list when a model is brand new and/or stock is limited.
Thereafter prices drop typically by ~30% for bodies apart from right at the end when they are clearing final stocks when real bargains can be made (i bought a new A580 cw 18-55mm for under £400 on clearance).
it's like cars which depreciate more in the 1st year than 2nd, more in 2nd than 3rd etc.
 
I am patiently waiting for the A99 to be released with the deluded hope that there will be a mad rush by A850/A900 users to switch to the 99 therefore flooding the market with Sony Alpha FF goodness at bargain basement prices.

Somehow I think I will be disappointed and my thoughts thus far actually delusional :D
 
Had a play witth the A77 today in Jessops, I've got to say it's a highly under-rated piece of kit!

The salesman kept trying to tell me about the new Nikons and Canons he's got in stock that have the latest bits and pieces on them that the A77 doesn't... Can't help but think that if Nikon or Canon launch an exact replica of the A77, it'll be the best thing since sliced bread and the biggest camera development for years... That's just my personal opinion though :/

Adam.
 
Adam Priseman said:
Had a play witth the A77 today in Jessops, I've got to say it's a highly under-rated piece of kit!

The salesman kept trying to tell me about the new Nikons and Canons he's got in stock that have the latest bits and pieces on them that the A77 doesn't... Can't help but think that if Nikon or Canon launch an exact replica of the A77, it'll be the best thing since sliced bread and the biggest camera development for years... That's just my personal opinion though :/

Adam.
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Have to agree, very under rated, I used my a580 the other day and couldn't wait to pick up the a77 again.
 
Adam Priseman said:
Had a play witth the A77 today in Jessops, I've got to say it's a highly under-rated piece of kit!

The salesman kept trying to tell me about the new Nikons and Canons he's got in stock that have the latest bits and pieces on them that the A77 doesn't... Can't help but think that if Nikon or Canon launch an exact replica of the A77, it'll be the best thing since sliced bread and the biggest camera development for years... That's just my personal opinion though :/

Adam.
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I think you are right! I own an A77(love it), but it sure does divide opinions on forums!
 
phil-t said:
I think you are right! I own an A77(love it), but it sure does divide opinions on forums!
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Too true!

"It's the photographer, not the camera that takes a photo."

Ten minutes later...

"No way am I buying an SLT... An EVF, what are they thinking, I can't work with that!"

:lol:
 
I've had my A200 for about 3 years now and I feel it might be time for an upgrade. At the moment I'm extremely tempted by the A55, as I've seen one (body only) for 360 quid which seems a good deal. The main reason I want to upgrade, is for a live view, tiltable LCD, and the full HD video; the small size is also an advantage. I am however very concerned about the 'overheating' issue. I know that shooting video with steadyshot off minimises the problem, but would video without steadyshot look overly shakey? Apart from the overheating, the A55 is the perfect upgrade and ticks all the boxes.

The other camera I'm lusting after at the moment is the A57. The feature list looks amazing on it; 1080 50p video (as opposed to 25p on the a55), 12fps, etc etc. But the big question about the a57 is, will the sensor still overheat when recording videos like the A55? If it does, I think I'll just get the A55; if not, I'll seriously consider the A57. I did notice that A57 was a fair bit larger than the A55 though...
 
the likes of the A65 & A77 use digital shake reduction in video to avoid heating the sensor rather than physical sensor shift - I would be surprised if the A57 doesn't do the same.
 
heidfirst said:
the likes of the A65 & A77 use digital shake reduction in video to avoid heating the sensor rather than physical sensor shift - I would be surprised if the A57 doesn't do the same.
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But does this eliminate the problem completely or does the A65 & A77 still overheat, but last longer? If the problem is completely eliminated, I think I'll almost definitely wait for the A57.
 
George7 said:
But does this eliminate the problem completely or does the A65 & A77 still overheat, but last longer? If the problem is completely eliminated, I think I'll almost definitely wait for the A57.
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It'll be out next month, so it's worth waiting.

The only question I have is how the exchange rate will fall. With a 18-55mm kit lens it's due to be sold in the US for $800, which translates as about £500.

Of course that's not what will happen, but if Sony keep it low enough I'll get one.
 
WEX have it at around £620 (body only) at the moment. That's just £50 less than an a65. Too much IMO.

Re: overheating. I have an a55 and have been looking out for reports about overheating in the a65/77. Don't think I've seen any at all.
 
Johnd2000 said:
WEX have it at around £620 (body only) at the moment. That's just £50 less than an a65. Too much IMO.

Re: overheating. I have an a55 and have been looking out for reports about overheating in the a65/77. Don't think I've seen any at all.
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As far as I'm aware there has been no indication of UK pricing yet.

I'd either expect that to be a placeholder or just a guesstimate.
 
If it's around £500 body only, I'll probably take the plunge. The lack of overheating makes it worth it. It's a shame about the overheating on the A33\A55, because if it didn't overheat, I'd probably have bought one already.
 
George7 said:
If it's around £500 body only, I'll probably take the plunge. The lack of overheating makes it worth it. It's a shame about the overheating on the A33\A55, because if it didn't overheat, I'd probably have bought one already.
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I use my a55 nearly every day and have had one overheat in the last 12 months. That was in Spain, at 32 degrees ambient, shooting hand-held video (SSS on). 10 minutes in the shade and I was back shooting again.
 
Johnd2000 said:
WEX have it at around £620 (body only) at the moment. That's just £50 less than an a65. Too much IMO.
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the list price of an A65 body is £789 - give it a few weeks/months after actual availability & the A57 street price will fall too.
 
I think £500 would be a good price point for this camera. It'll probably take a few months to drop to around that point though; I want it for summer. It does look a fantastic camera though, so if I may end up picking one up at a higher price anyway.

The A55 overheating would rarely effect me, however, I do sometimes like to record trips in the car, and the overheating would be a real pain when doing that. I'd probably just accept the fact and buy an A55 if it overheats only with SSS on, but I've read it also overheats with it off, but in half an hour as opposed to 10 minutes. Is this true?
 
George7 said:
I think £500 would be a good price point for this camera. It'll probably take a few months to drop to around that point though; I want it for summer. It does look a fantastic camera though, so if I may end up picking one up at a higher price anyway.

The A55 overheating would rarely effect me, however, I do sometimes like to record trips in the car, and the overheating would be a real pain when doing that. I'd probably just accept the fact and buy an A55 if it overheats only with SSS on, but I've read it also overheats with it off, but in half an hour as opposed to 10 minutes. Is this true?
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It's limited to just under 30 mins, like all DSLRs, to avoid being taxed as a camcorder.
 
George7 said:
I think £500 would be a good price point for this camera.
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probably too good imo. I suspect street price ~ £550 after the initial period at full price.

The A55 overheating would rarely effect me, however, I do sometimes like to record trips in the car, and the overheating would be a real pain when doing that. I'd probably just accept the fact and buy an A55 if it overheats only with SSS on, but I've read it also overheats with it off, but in half an hour as opposed to 10 minutes. Is this true?
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I think that it depends upon just how much you are using it, ambient temperature & whether you keep the screen folded against the back or not (folding it out supposedly lets heat disperse more).
It's limited to maximum clip length of 30 minutes anyway to avoid extra European duties on camcorders.
 
Johnd2000 said:
It's limited to just under 30 mins, like all DSLRs, to avoid being taxed as a camcorder.
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I didn't realise it was limited to 30 minutes to be honest. The A55 is still in the running, but the A57 does look quite fantastic. 1080 50p video, excellent noise handling, lack of overheating, and the fact it takes the same batteries as my A200 (I have 2 M series batteries already, so that'd mean I'd have 3 in total if I bought the A57) I'm really looking forward to full HD recording with my UWA lens :D
 
George7 said:
I didn't realise it was limited to 30 minutes to be honest. The A55 is still in the running, but the A57 does look quite fantastic. 1080 50p video, excellent noise handling, lack of overheating, and the fact it takes the same batteries as my A200 (I have 2 M series batteries already, so that'd mean I'd have 3 in total if I bought the A57) I'm really looking forward to full HD recording with my UWA lens :D
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Just a thought,

The A65/A77 (and I would wager teh A57) All do 'cropped' video (x1.4 I believe), this is due to the software image stabilisation.. So a 10mm lens = 15mm (35mm equivalent for APS-C), but then this = 21mm when the video cropping is taken into account..

It may be the A57 has a new strategy or less crop, but if it's using software stabilisation, then it would need some 'room' around the edges to allow for movement..

I'm only mentioning it since you said UWA..
 
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