Calling all Sony Alpha users! (Part 5)

Those prices are relatively decent, but I never quite trust ex-demo/returned stuff. I always think, there must be some sort of reason it's been returned, and with ex demo stuff, I hate the thought that countless other people have had their greasy hands all over it :p Just me being silly though. I know it'd be 100% fine.

phil-t said:
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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I'd be using my Sony 11-18mm. I guess it effectively means the footage will look more zoomed in? Not a huge problem :) Thanks for mentioning though. I assume with image stabilisation off, it won't crop it?
 
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Jessops are now selling the a57 pre-order for £699 with the kit lens.

Plenty of other places are selling it for the same (and for £619 body only).

Far too rich for me, the 550d it is.
 
I've got to admit, I'm really weighing up my options at the moment. For me, the advantages for each are this. I'm rubbish at making decisions:

A57:
Takes the M batteries, which I already have 2 of

1080 50p video

No overheating

A55:
Smaller size (this is generally an advantage)

Cheap (£360 body only)

At nearly half the price, and with the advantage of the smaller size, I'm still very tempted to go for the A55, but whilst the A55 ticks most of the boxes, the A57 ticks them all (apart from perhaps size, but that's not a huge issue, from what I've seen it's about the same size as my A200). I guess I really need to hold and use both to find out which one I prefer. I've never held or used an A55 before!
 
heidfirst said:
2 generations old (650D expected to be announced anyday) & doesn't have the same features.
£530 v £549 for an A55V?
If video isn't important A390 for £400 http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.212-2737.aspx ?
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I'm not sure there's 2 generations between the cameras. Feature-wise the a57 isn't far off the a65.

Regardless, personally any benefit of the a57 is lost with its greater cost. I just don't need to spend that much on that camera. Video is important to me so the 550d seems like the obvious option. If the a57 pricing had been more linear between the US and the UK then I'd have been interested.

As for the 650d, I'm needing a camera before the end of April, so perhaps if it's announced very soon it might be in the running - and I could hold off until its release. What is your opinion as to potential announcement dates etc? I'm not particularly clued up in this respect.
 
with the 600D over a year old & the 650D announcement expected soon that will make the 550D 2 generations old. Don't expect the 650D to be any cheaper than the 600D though (but the 600D price will probably drop after 650D announcement).
The A57 (& a55) certainly offers more for video than the 550D.

remember that US prices are quoted without sales tax whereas UK prices are quoted with so $699 ex tax for body only in the US directly translates to £525 incl. VAT in the UK - but we have a smaller market & better consumer protection/warranty which bumps the price up a bit.
I'm quite confident that the A57 will be down to ~£550 street (Wilkinson already at £600) within a few months though but not in April.
 
Mod Edit: Price checks can only be posted in the Price Checks forum which has the same access criteria as the classifieds
 
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joelk2 said:
Mod Edit: Price checks can only be posted in the Price Checks forum which has the same access criteria as the classifieds
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Ok thanks. No worries. Didn't realised sorry.
 
snapsnap said:
Hi quick question bout the a77. How is it for sport/ faster moving objects eg birds in flight. I have a a900 which is great for protrait etc just want something more usable for faster type of photography. Or is it just best to wait for a99?

Thanks
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Plenty of people seem to do very well with it for BIF and Sports..

The 'technical' issue is that when bursting at 8/12fps the processor is seemingly so busy writing the data out that it effectively gives you an 8fps or 12fps 'slide show' effect in the viewfinder, i.e. where a normal camera would be blacking out between frames as the mirror slaps up/down, the A77 doesn't have a mirror, so you get the image retained between frames, most people don't have any issues with this, some people don't like it when they first experience it, and I'm sure some would never want to change to this.. but 12fps in this kind of camera is pretty intense..sounds like a machine gun, but you only get 14 frames before a full buffer, with a UHS-I card, that will be empty in 4 seconds or so (it is using a Sandisk 95MB/s card for me).

However, you only get 1-1.5 seconds of buffer at these rates, and 12fps still gives quite a smooth view even if it's technically stuttering a little, so practically people are doing great with it..

If you switch to 3fps mode, the effect is gone, you do get black out like a conventional camera but the view in between is all real time, no stuttering..
In single shot mode (How I do panning shots), it's flawless.. in fact the lack of mirror black out makes it even nicer then a regular camera IMO..

Not sure if the A99 will be able to improve much, maybe many more focus points, or more advanced predictive focussing, but for everything I've tried, it's hit rate has been stellar..



ki_user said:
For all the a77 users, v1.05 firmware is out today, makes a huge difference to the responsiveness of the camera. Here's one happy bunny :D
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Cool, will try this out later!
 
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ki_user said:
For all the a77 users, v1.05 firmware is out today, makes a huge difference to the responsiveness of the camera. Here's one happy bunny :D
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I had a play with a A77 in jessops, but found it very sluggish to adjust the shutter and then show it on the exposure meter through the viewfinder. Think it was on v1.04

It any better on new version?
 
knowing Jessops it probably wasn't even on 1.04 ...:p

Reports that I've read says that dial response is vastly improved with 1.05 as is start up & shut down.
Plus it adds lens correction for several more lenses.
 
jonesy_ni said:
I had a play with a A77 in jessops, but found it very sluggish to adjust the shutter and then show it on the exposure meter through the viewfinder. Think it was on v1.04

It any better on new version?
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Front/rear dial response is specifically stated as an improvement in 1.05..

to be honest, the dials aren't lighting fast like my previous DSLRs in v1.04, but it's never bothered me, the number of times I kept over doing the dials when winding aperture down on my D5100, having it more filtered works fine for me, but if they've made it faster, great.. (I'm charging the battery as we speak before upgrading to 1.05)..

[edit]
Just flashed 1.05.. and yes, the front/rear dials changing A/S are much quicker, pretty much instantaneous.. and there are speed improvements all over the place, nothing dramatic as most of it was pretty quick anyway, but previewing, 100% zoom on preview, all seem that little bit snappier..
 
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Hi all

FWIW, I put v1.05 onto my a77 yesterday, as well as the expected general speeding up of dials and operation I now find my Minolta 200f2.8 WILL AF RELIABLY with a x2 TC attached.

This WAS NOT the case with v1.04 onboard. the 24MP sensor now gives great cropability with a reasonable FL in a very lightweight se-up.

Happy days !

Gary
 
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Still waiting for a firmware upgrade for the a450, its still running on v1.0.....:shrug:
 
Gazbag said:
Still waiting for a firmware upgrade for the a450, its still running on v1.0.....:shrug:
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What's wrong with it? Sony only do FW upgrades to fix faults, not to add features.
 
Johnd2000 said:
What's wrong with it? Sony only do FW upgrades to fix faults, not to add features.
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The new firmware on the a900 added a few things like extra backeting options IIRC, although this is unusual.
 
I don't know the answer to either of those questions, at least not without reading the manual and I'm as lazy as you ;)

AFAIK there has only been one new firmware release for the A900.
 
stan the man said:
mark..what is the latest firmware for the a900?

and how do i check if i have it [to lazy to read the manual lol..] :lol:
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What does this do?

This utility updates the camera firmware to version 2.00 and provides the following benefits:

Adds the ability to release the shutter even when no lens is mounted on the camera.
Expands the Exposure Compensation range to ± 5 EV.
Note: The range before the update is ± 3 EV.
Adds a new Bracket Shooting setting to allow a deviation of 3.0 EV.
Note: The maximum deviation setting before the update is 2.0 EV.
Improves the auto focus (AF) speed. This is especially noticeable when using a telescopic lens.
Note: The improvement varies depending on the lens used and shooting conditions.

What products and operating systems does this apply to?
Model:
DSLR-A900
Operating System(s):

See all applicable models and operating systems.

Note: Not all models are sold in all countries. This file is only for use with the products identified and sold in United States, or Canada.
Determine Whether or Not this Firmware Update is Needed for Your Camera

This update only applies for DSLR-A900 cameras that currently have firmware version 1.00. If your camera firmware version is already version 2.00 or higher, this update is not necessary.

Check the version of your camera firmware:

Slide the POWER switch to the On position.
Press the MENU button, then the LCD monitor displays the menu.
Press the DISP (display) button.
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http://esupport.sony.com/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=DSLRA900&upd_id=6262&os_id=99
 
thank you dean..mine was running ver1,but have now updated to ver2 :thumbs:

strange though,as ver 2 seems to have been out since 2010,and i've only had my A900 since the end of last year...must have been sat on a shelf for 2 years or so..:lol:
 
just had my insurance renewal through from my insurers [buildings,contents etc..],and with my claim last year for my camera equipment due to accidental damage,my policy has only risen by just over £40 :woot: :D

rather pleased about that ;)
 
whats the A99?

would this go up agaist bodys like the 5D etc ??

would the iso be upto wedding/low light standerds of the 5D/D800 ??
 
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Johnd2000 said:
What's wrong with it? Sony only do FW upgrades to fix faults, not to add features.
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Oh poo, I thought it would make taking good pictures easier :lol:
 
i think its time sony gave us a body that we know they could make as they make all the bits for nikon :thinking:

i`m waiting for one thats in the class of the 5d or d800 for wedding work :shrug: high iso etc

anyone using the @77 for wedding work ??
how do you find it ??
 
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I've got a 580 and the 77 but rarely need high iso but the 580 is the camera I take to parties etc as I find it better in low light. Don't hold your breath for the A99 or whatever it ends up being called, look how long it took to replace the 700 with the 77.
 
powell7 said:
i think its time sony gave us a body that we know they could make as they make all the bits for nikon :thinking:

i`m waiting for one thats in the class of the 5d or d800 for wedding work :shrug: high iso etc

anyone using the @77 for wedding work ??
how do you find it ??
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There a several wedding togs in the Flickr Sony alpha DSLR group who are using the a77. And isn't there someone on here that bought a couple for wedding video work?
 
The only sport pics i shoot are rugby and the A77 and 70-400mm G is a fantastic combination. The AF is fast, accurate, and consistent.

Firmware v1.05 definitely makes the camera much snappier. One point worth noting is that the shutdown process isn't any quicker, all Sony has done is change the shutdown order. Not that it's anything to be concerned with.
 
Please excuse my ignorance and laziness, but where would i look to see if there is a firmware update for a200?

Thanks
Matt
 
Matt (MWHCVT) suggested I posted this query in here so...

Bit of history of the camera first. I bought a used Sony A100 back in January from a well known Camera Shop in York, lovely condition etc. but no knowledge of its past (very new to photography at the time).

Recently I tried doing some Star Trails, however with Noise Reduction turned off and at 30sec exposures the camera will come up with an error stating "Sensor Overheating" or similar and turns off after 2-3 shots, the shots it has taken have a lot of 'dead / hot' pixels also. With Noise Reduction turned on it will happily sit and take as many photos as I want but this obviously creates breaks in the trails. Is this a fault with the camera itself? or down to its age?
 
Not familiar with the A100 but all sensors will have a limit until they start to overheat, never tried star trails but perhaps you could try stacking images
 
ArronTucker said:
Recently I tried doing some Star Trails, however with Noise Reduction turned off and at 30sec exposures the camera will come up with an error stating "Sensor Overheating" or similar and turns off after 2-3 shots, the shots it has taken have a lot of 'dead / hot' pixels also. With Noise Reduction turned on it will happily sit and take as many photos as I want but this obviously creates breaks in the trails. Is this a fault with the camera itself? or down to its age?
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when doing this have you got sensor shake turned off?
Running the SS all that time would certainly increase sensor heat.

with NR on obviously the sensor gets a break between shots to cool down.
 
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There you go!
SS should be switched off on tripods - it's in the manual.
 
Good & Bad Results after quick test last night.

Good:
With Noise Reduction and Image Stabilisation off, the camera will take as many photos as I want in single shot with the remote release locked (but only 5 /6 in continuous).

Bad:
Dead / Hot Pixels a plenty with Noise Reduction off, a few can deal with but seems like too many for spot removal in photoshop.

Might justify saving for an upgrade to a brand new camera now getting really into Photography.
 
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