SLT-A99 upgrade?

[hwVHpXXL]

I may be wrong but it seems that the A99 has been unchanged since 2012.

I would hate to spend that amount of money only for a new full-frame model/version to be announced shortly after.

Quite possibly there is no reason to replace it because there is no need to, but it would be nice to know.

PS. From 2006 I am hooked on live EVF's ( I want to see what is going to appear on my computer screen, not just see what the lens 'sees') so the A99(+?) is my front runner to replace my R1. Still perfect (will there ever again be a lens optically as good as the R1's?) but only 10.3 megapixels is a llimitation, limiting 300dpi prints to about 12" x 8".

[Bieomax]

Full frame's currently available are the A99 (24mp) on A mount and A7(24mp) & A7r(36mp) on the emount, according to sonyalpharumors.com this year there will be a new annoucement on a new A mount full frame. so if you've time

Have you looked at the A7/R camera's ? or are you invested in the A mount with lenses ?


Mark.

[hwVHpXXL]

Mark,

I have pretty well given up any hope of replacing my R1 in the foreseeable future.

I am not a techie but my R1's prints stand up well in competition and its only limitation is its only 10.3 MP.

I can't find any lens on the market which can remotely match its 24-120 mm f2.8 -4.8 zoom.This  is along with the R1's venerable live viewfinder and swivellable screen. Maybe the R1's fixed lens is computer enhanced but against all the parameters: distortion, sharpness, colour, etc. it seems to be away ahead of interchangeable zooms.

The A99 seemed to come close but all the zoom lenses for it get poor reviews and I don't want to start fiddling about with primes. I am too old to start learning to use optical viewfinders - I need WYSIWYG !

The RX10 suffers in the reviews from too many pixels on too small a sensor.

Apparently the R1 lens's rear element is only 1.5mm from the sensor which may account for its performance so now that EVF's have come of age maybe we will see mirrorless lenses before too long

Maybe Sony with their history of innovation can get together with Zeiss to produce 'mirrorless' lenses for their A7/R bodies? they have a good start with that R1 lens from 2005!

[Bieomax]

Aye i suppose with the R1 having a APS-C size sensor, if you moved to a full frame camera with its bigger sensor you'd need a lens which covers 35-180mm to give the same field of view you have now There are lots of pairs of very good lenses which will cover you from slightly wider then 35mm upto about 70mm and then from 70mm upto about 200mm but having said that it is a pair rather then a single lens,  

Unless you cropped the pictures which is all the R1 is essentially doing for you now, and with a full frames sensor quality you would have a good amount to play around with.

Where are you viewing the reviews for the A99's zoom lenses? i generally use the A mount lens database on dyxum.com which gives user reviews of pretty much any lens which is or was available for the A mount cameras.

Kind Regards

Mark.

[Bieomax]

Actually i've just had a read up of the R1 and its lens is already calculated for the APS-C size sensor (*1.5) so if you went full frame you'd be looking for something from the 14mm-70mm lens range.

one thing the current range of sony camera's (A33/55/35/37/58/65/77/99 or the A7's) do do is amplify the EVF so your not just restricted to the rear screen for WYSIWYG both show you. Plus if you like to manually focus you get focus peeking feature which shows you in the view finder or on the rear screen where your field of focus is.

going back to lenses, if you wanted the top quality ones maybe look at the Sony Carl Zeiss 16-35 and 24-70 as that pair would just about cover the views you have now and give you the great quality you want, plus the 24-70 is 2.8 all the way through the range.

[hwVHpXXL]

I am totally confused!

My Sony R1's lens is marked 14.3-71.5. I have always assumed that its field of view was the same as a 35mm film camera's 24-120mm  lens. Obviously I am at the bottom of the learning curve when it comes to different size sensors, diffferent mounts, etc..

As I said Mark I will hold onto my R1 until things clarify (when I think that my R1 cost £557 in 2006!!!).

Peter