Too much Internet free time » Sony Alpha 950

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.

Sony Alpha 900 – name confirmed by ad

Yves Roumazeilles — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:49:42 +0000

A Danish photography magazine just leaked the official name of the new flagship camera from Sony.

Sony Alpha 900 - magazine ad

As everybody expected, it will be named Sony Alpha 900. Also,this tends to contradict the possibility of additional similar cameras (possibly with a different/smaller sensor).

Features

24.6 Mega Pixel Full Frame Exmor CMOS Sensor
Dual BIONZ Image Processing Engine
Intelligent Preview
100% Viewfinder (with 0.74x Magnification)
3.0”, 921K-pixel Hybrid LCD
9-point double-cross AF (with f2.8 wide-area sensor & 10-point secondary sensors)
5 fps continuous shooting
SteadyShot on the sensor

Update: Yet another ad has been found.

Sony Alpha 900 - Magazine ad

Embargo on Canon EOS 5D MkII, Sony Alpha 900

Yves Roumazeilles — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 09:03:19 +0000

The DPreview forums are currently providing the latest bit of information about the Canon EOS 5D succession. The EOS 5D is dead, long live the… EOS 7D and EOS 5D MkII. The first would be for a low cost option (around $2000 – I told you that this low price point would be critical in the battle of the Full Frame cameras in 2008-09), the second would be staying up against the Nikon D700 and replace honorably the original Canon EOS 5D. Or it would be a set of Canon EOS 3D and Canon EOS 7D…

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 7D

Anyway, do not expect to get any reliable information now. Canon has put under NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) all press representative and has provided the pre-production cameras for the initial hands-on reviews to pop up everywhere when the embargo is lifted.

This is exactly the reason why we no longer have any information about the upcoming Sony Alpha 900 which will be fighting in exactly the same market. Possibly with exactly the same weapons (two cameras to simultaneously cover both the $2000 and $3000 ranges).

D3x with Sony sensor

Yves Roumazeilles — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:22:42 +0000

According to German photo magazine, Foto Magazin, the future Nikon D3x pro SLR camera will be fitted with the Sony image sensor that was presented a few months ago and that is expected to appear on the Sony Alpha 900 camera (high-end D-SLR from Sony). If this is confirmed, it would mean that the Nikon D3 will have a successor under the name of Nikon D3X (or D4) and that the Sony sensor is really of the utmost quality.

We knew that it was coming with 25 million pixels, but it could have been short on quality compared to the D3 (or D700) sensor because of its small (but many) pixels. For Nikon to accept to use this Sony sensor (and not a better one) at this level of products, they must be sure to have the best possible silicon piece: Pros want wonderful images, not only big figures (a big bunch of pixels).

I was thinking differently, but this could tilt the scale toward a very high price for the Sony Alpha 900 camera (I had hoped to see less than 2500€ or even less than 2000€, but -now- I would not be surprised if the label looked like 3000€).

However, it would leave some space left in the Sony camera range for an Alpha 800, with an intermediate price. This could be quite neat if it allowed to have a super-featured Full Frame camera around 3000€ (the Sony Alpha 900) and another Full Frame under 2500€ (the hypothetical Sony Alpha 800).

With such arguments, nobody would be surprised in seeing a brother to the recent Nikon D700: The ruored Nikon D800?

Let’s see at Koln Photokina opening next month.

Two Sony Alpha cameras

Yves Roumazeilles — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:49:36 +0000

Tomorrow, Sony will present to a tighly selected audience a few new photo products among which everybody expects to find the flagship camera taht was announced already more than a year ago. This camera will be the first Sony camera using a Full Frame sensor with 24 millions of pixels.

Most people think that the camera will be christened Sony Alpha 900 (the 9 figure has been used by Minolta for its pro lines). But, well, uhm, the rumor is running free. In Chasseur d’Image, we read that there could be a declination of the camera. Is Sony going to play to the same tune as for the Alpha 300 and Alpha 350?

Why not? It’s only a matter of launching simultaneously a Sony Alpha 900 and an Alpha 950. Both would share the same nice robust body seen previously here and there. But the digital sensor would be different. Imagine:

Sony Alpha 900 with a 14MP Full Frame sensor
Sony Alpha 950 with a 24MP Full Frame sensor

or even:

Sony Alpha 800 with a 14MP APS-C sensor
Sony Alpha 900 with a 24MP Full Frame sensor

Check here later.