Too much Internet free time » Sony Alpha 500

Nikon D800 on YLovePhoto

Yves Roumazeilles — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:05:58 +0000

If you are looking for the latest news and the next rumours about the Nikon D800, you can now join other visitors on my new web site dedicated to the digital SLR cameras and digital photography: YLovePhoto.com.

Sony, Nikon, now what?

Yves Roumazeilles — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:05:12 +0000

Nikon D700

After the launch events of this Summer and this Fall (before and during the Köln Photokina), there are two brands leaving important questions open. This is Sony and Nikon. While the two near-friends had us used to seeing them working together around the Sony digital photo sensors, we discovered two very divergent/different announces about 35mm Full Frame dSLR cameras: A Sony Alpha 900 pushing the resolution to record levels (24.6MP) and a Nikon D700 limiting its resolution in favor of maximum sensitivity (12MP).

Sony Alpha 900 - publicité

Some would have us thinking that Nikon would have rejected the sensor offered by Sony (used on the Alpha 900) for reasons of insufficient image quality. It does not seem so obvious when looking at the results actually obtained by Sony, but why not? After all, Nikon did obtain a special edition of the Alpha 700 sensor in order to build its Nikon D300…

So what?

It is not very difficult to forecast. Nikon is preparing a Full Frame SLR photo camera with very high resolution (the Nikon D800 of the rumour mill or the D4 promised around Christmas?) and Sony will derive a low resolution version of the Alpha 900 (most certainly named Alpha 800). Their moves will be opposite but very complementary (and predictable).

In both cases, you can say that Canon will not be forced into running with the pack. With their EOS 5D Mk II (and the last EOS 5D, sold at bargain prices), there is enough to sustain the pressure, but Canon will need to react in 2009, before Summer.

Pre-Photokina calendar (photo news)

Yves Roumazeilles — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 07:09:44 +0000

What can be forecasted of the most important (in my eyes ) announces expected before the Photokina fair in Koln.

18 September	Nikon lenses: AF-S 50mm/1.4 G – AF-S 85mm/1.4 G – AF-S 70-200mm/2,8 VRII.Nikon new SLR : D800 or D900 (24.6MP Full Frame dSLR camera, with Sony-designed sensor), or Nikon new pro SLR: D3x or D4 (not sure, this one should only be ready at the end of 2008 or early 2009).
23 September	Photoshop CS4 & Flash CS4
Only during Photokina	Olympus first camera with Micro Four Thirds sensor
Probably never	Canon EF 100-400 f/4-5.6L IS II (le remplaçant du télé-zoom à succés de la gamme Canon)

Beware: We said announces, not releases.

Already done:

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 21.6 Megapixel Full Frame SLR

New ZE lens family from Carl Zeiss (for Canon EF):

Planar 50mm f/1.4 (580€),
Planar 85mm f/1.4 (1000€),
Distagon 21mm f/2.8 (1400€).

Panasonic DMC-G1 new SLR camera, with Micro Four Thirds sensor

Sony Alpha 900 (Full Frame 24.6-MP SLR) and assorted pro lenses
(Sony 70-400 f4-5.6 G SSM, Carl Zeiss 16-35mm f2.8)

Photoshop CS4 (previewed in Photoshop World show in Las Vegas)

Google Picasa v3 (with face recognition)

Bibble 5 Pro

Canon EOS 50D

Beware: This will be updated as often as needed. This may lead to repeated publications in the RSS feeds and some publication date changes.

No Sony Alpha 500

Yves Roumazeilles — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 02:35:09 +0000

Some soul searching and information collecting leads me to say that -contrary to what I could have suggested here before- there is no Sony Alpha 500 in preparation. It seems that this was rather a name imagined for the now-existing Sony Alpha 350.

Sony Alpha 900 or Alpha 500

Yves Roumazeilles — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:43:39 +0000

As surprising as it may be, I needed to inform you about one little bit of rumour that is currently appearing on the Internet: The next ‘flagship‘ digital SLR camera (hig-end camera based on a Full Frame 15- or 20-MP sensor) from Sony could well not be called Alpha 900 as expected by nearly everybody but rather Alpha 500. I don’t really believe it, but you never know…

The other possibility is that the Sony Alpha 500 is another new mid-to-high end camera product that nobody’s seen yet (a successor to the Alpha 700, already?) but it would be the source of some confusing thoughts. To be checked in the future.