Since a lot of information reached our ears already through a number of different leaks, it is now possible to make a few educated guesses and to attempt a comparison with the older Sony Alpha 700 (many of its owners are impatiently waiting for its successor(s)) and the direct competition in the Nikon and Canon ranges.

Legend: Green means “best in class”, Red means “worst in class”.

Let’s not forget that this comparison is still based upon rumors (which will or will not be confirmed in the coming hours).

• Sony Alpha 77 + 16-50mm18-70mm f/2.8 SAM = 1800€
• Sony Alpha 77 nu = 1050€
• Sony Alpha 65 + 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAM = 1000€
• Sony Alpha 65 nu = 900€

Suggested prices (to be reduced in the actual shops).

As a matter of fact, the information is present at the bottom of page 36 in Réponses Photo, second photo magazine in France which is organizing an amateur photo competition with a large quantity of prizes in real photo gear from all major brands (Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony). Curiously, they did not make precise announcements of the Sony-based prizes, but they give a good indication:

We can read:

• An expert SLR (A700 replacement) + quality lens (APS-S) (approx. value 1800€)
• An expert SLR (future model) + 18-55mm (approx. value 1000€)

From this, knowing that the Alpha 700 will come with a small brother under the name of Sony A65 and tying to be normally able in the art of divination, it becomes possible to deduce the price of these cameras.

since the details of the photo competition will only be known in the next special edition (n° 12), it is quite possible to understand that the indicated availability date (“the 2nd and 3rd prizes from Sony […] will be known in Fall”) confirms the possibility of an official launch during the first half of September 2011 (the news people of Réponses Photo quite certainly already have the cameras under test and are invited to the official launch ceremony to be organized by Sony France).

Today, Sony extended this to include the excellent lenses from Carl Zeiss, but it is less significant than the already large set of tele-lenses from Minolta. Actually, this company had designed an impressive set of long focal prime lenses and a nice set of pro zoom lenses.

Wildlife photographers will actually find a wealth of very good quality lenses even if some of them are either second-hand lenses or re-branded Minolta lenses incorporated into the Sony line-up. But the best news for them is that since Sony incorporates Image Stabilization in the body rather than the lenses, all old Minolta glass immediately got IS when used on a Sony SLR camera like the Alpha 700 or the Alpha 900. A real treat for people willing to use second-hand lenses from eBay…

Amateur

If your priority is to keep the total budget at a rock bottom level, there are two interesting lenses to watch for. The first and most impressive one if the 70-400mm f/4-5,6G SAL-70400G. A recent design from Sony, this is widely considered as the best zoom lens of this category (Canon 100-400mm offering is just not as good and Nikon’s 80-400mm is clearly of lower quality). The price is not small but it gives quite a focal length range.

Interestingly, there is another lens that Sony wildlife SLR photographer should also consider: The 500mm f/8 Reflex SAL-500F80 is a mirror (or reflex) lens, so it brings all the good and bad of such a technology.

Good: Impossibly light 500mm lens (stabilized by the SLR body, of course) with a reasonable quality.

Bad: The fixed aperture is forcing to choose shutter speed against ISO sensitivity.

Bonus: While most mirror/reflex lenses do not allow AF, this is the only reflex lens on the market that can auto-focus on all the Alpha-series SLR bodies.

Speaking of cameras, Sony has a large choice (too large?) of SLR cameras. I will risk a recommendation of the Alpha 55. Despite being really flawed for video capture (an overheating sensor is strongly limiting the length of video clips), it offers an excellent 16MP digital APS-C photo sensor with good AF and amazingly fast continuous shooting rates (10 fps) if you can tolerate the ugly electronic viewfinder.

For landscape photography, use the Sony 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 DT SAL-1870 that will probably come in kit with your camera bosy. This is a bargain.

Enthusiast

The expert photographer will take advantage of second-hand lenses and this is the real good surprise of the Sony solution for wildlife and nature photographers. Prices can drop significantly here while I recommend taking advantage of the exceptional prime lenses available.

Your first choice must be second-hand since these are only from Minolta: Select the 300mm f/4 APO G and the 400mm f/4,5 APO G (two of the “white primes” of the pro G line of Minolta). Relatively light weight and impressively good quality makes these obvious choices. The only real issue is that the 400mm is very rare. You may have to spend some real time looking for it even on eBay. Despite that, prices stay at a reasonable level.

Quite significantly, all the APO G tele-lenses have been designed by Minolta with the focal multipliers in mind, to the point that the focal doubler doesn’t degrade images as much as doublers for Canon or Nikon brands). I recommend strongly the 1,4x multiplier from Sony (or the older Minolta branded if it is a mint-quality second-hand).

Currently, Sony problem is that there is no SLR body that can seriously be recommended here: The Alpha 55 electronic viewfinder will not satisfy any of the enthusiast photographers. The only reasonable choice is between the Alpha 850 (or Alpha 900) and the upcoming/promised replacement for the Alpha 700. A full frame SLR like the A850/A900 is tempting because of its exceptionally good price (under 2000$) but you will loose the focal extension provided by APS-C sensors while the A850/A900 are not very reactive (relatively slow AF and limited continuous shooting). The Alpha 700 is still a good camera at a very good price, but it is now ready for a replacement in 2011. If Sony does not install in it one of their (successful but ugly) electronic viewfinders, the Alpha 750 (tentative name) will be a better choice.

Complementing the initial prime tele-lenses, you would add a Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* SAL-2470Z (same as before) and possibly a Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* SAL-1635ZA. Both are expensive and heavy gear, but you can’t get any better.

In between, a Konica Minolta 200mm f/2.8 APO G AF would be a nice complement for a relatively short tele lens.

Pro

Unfortunately, Sony does not provide a perfect solution set at the pro level. The camera body choice will be limited by the same constraints as above for the expert/enthusiast (either A850/A900 or future A750). 2011 may also bring a new pro-level SLR camera body but nothing is really certain here.

Nevertheless, the long prime lens choice is relatively easy: Go for the Sony 300mm f/2.8 G SAL-300F28G which has all the bells and whistles of the top-quality glass deriving from the original Minolta design updated to the latest standards (including SSM smooth focus).

While you could keep the good old Minolta 400mm f/4,5 APO G previously mentioned, I am sure you are thinking about a 500mm. Unfortunately, while Sony has been showing models, we are still waiting for this lens (probably in February 2011). Quality should be there, since price and weight will be no issue.

As for the expert, before, these tele-lenses will be complemented with a Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* SAL-2470Z and a Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* SAL-1635ZA. I would also add the pro-level (G-series) Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G SAL-70200G zoom lens, for its quality and its SSM focus.

Conclusion

Really, Sony takes full advantage of the existing Minolta line-up of lenses. For example, the Minolta 400mm f/4,5 APO G is simply impressive for a cost usually under 2000$ and a weight compatible with most back-packs.

However, the mix of new technologies and relative lack of understanding of pro photographer needs for the SLR camera bodies, puts Sony is a dire position. It is no surprise that, currently, Sony cameras are not often seen in the bags of photo-safari travelers.

However, the arrival of new 2011 SLR bodies and of a world-class 500mm f/4 prime lens could gradually change this.

In between, Since we don’t often see wildlife photographers equipped with Sony gear, here is a David Bittner video clip where you may find some of the lenses lenses and camera bodies listed above. Will you be able to recognize the 300mm f/2.8 lens or the 70-200mm zoom?

I may not be a fanatic of the HDR (High Dynamic Range) images which are often exaggerating their effect. Here, Andrew Rees went much farther. He shot the city of Cardiff in Black and White, produced thousands of images to be assembled into HDR photos, then concatenated into a 12 frames per second video.

The result is really powerful, not far from a cartoon or an animé movie. Not necessarily realist, but this video has a passionate personality.

Source: Peta Pixel.

There are a few little sounds that come from people who know about Sony.

First, and this is no longer a rumour, Sony has delayed the availability of the Sony Alpha 560 until beginning of 2011. The exact date seems a bit unclear (January or later?) and the reason is still unknown (production/manufacturing issues or marketing decisions). For the time being several countries are informed that the pre-orders are canceled and availability is unclear.

Second, a Sony representative from Sweden has been giving an interview to Fotoguiden.se where many people (unfortunately starting with SonyAlphaRumours) are willing to read a lot more than what is said. Anders Ericsson seems not to be a real spokesperson for Sony and tells many things which are presented exactly as if he is thinking aloud about things he does not know about more than most of us.

He says that he does not expect the follower to the Alpha 700 (Alpha 750, Alpha 790 or else) to be announced at the Photokina show. But more importantly, he tries to give views about the future of SLR cameras at Sony, stating that the A560/A580 are the last true SLR cameras at Sony, expecting the semi-transparent mirror solution of the A33 and A55 to be extended to the whole Alpha line.

This would obviously mean giving no successor to the Alpha 700 and A850/A900 products (no serious/expert/pro photographer would accept an Electronic ViewFinder -at least today). This would be a very bold statement for sure, even if Sony is selling many more entry-level cameras than the Alpha 900.

And Mr Ericsson is even giving the reasons why this would be so surprising today:

• The EVF is needed because the semi-transparent (SLT) mirror brings only a little light to the viewfinder.
• The semi-transparent mirror is reducing the light coming to the photo digital sensor, which would be a sin for high-end cameras where extreme sensitivity is becoming a critical decision factor.

In addition, SonyAlphaRumours has shown a set of specs for the next cameras from Sony. I go along with their analysis: This has a very low credibility factor.

Sony A9xx
34.6 MP
100% pentaprism
51 AF point
Center new double cross sensor at f/2.8
8 crosses
18 hidden assist point AF
ISO 100-25600, extended to ISO 50-51200

Sony Axxx
18 MP
19 point AF
Center double cross f2.8
10 fps
New Bionz
ISO 100-25600，extend 50-51200
3.5′ Bravia-class (???) LCD

Sony A750
18 MP CMOS
New BIONZ processor (perhaps twice, but is unlikely)
19-point AF, central cross
Between 10 fps and 12 fps
ISO 100-25600 (expandable to ISO 50-51200)
Full HD Video 1080i
Folding LCD 1.44K
HDR, 3D Panorama
Metal body
Date of announcement: September 12

Most serious observers now exclude the possibility of seeing a real Sony Alpha 750 announced at the Photokina fair in Köln, Germany. Surprisingly, it’s still uncertain whether or not Sony will have a set of preview features or even of prototype under a glass dome.

Everything/everybody points to a January or February 2011 announcement.

When they presented the new Sony Alpha 560 and Sony Alpha 580, yesterday, Sony published a family photo for the two Alpha and NEX ranges. Nobody is missing.

But two products are obviously absent:

• The Sony Alpha 700 has been removed completely from the photo.
• There no longer is any 500mm f/8 mirror tele-lens (which was from the Minolta portfolio of AF lenses).

I would predict that this is disclosing what comes next…

Can you find some more absent friends?

Eiffel Tower, by night – Copyright (C) Yves Roumazeilles

Now, I would like to underline the quality of a full series of posts, published by Patrick Moll on Alpha Numérique, and dedicated to comparing as precisely as possible the various offers now on the market to develop and improve as much as possible the pictures that -sometimes- we must shoot using very high levels of ISO sensitivity (with the troubling levels of digital noise that come with big ISO levels).

The list of the software programs taken into account is quite respectable:

• Image Data Converter 3
• Lightroom 3 / Camera Raw 6
• DxO Optics Pro 6
• Aperture 3
• Bibble Pro 5
• Capture One Pro 5
• ACDSee Pro 3
• Silkypix 4
• Lightzone 3
• Raw Developer 1 (dcraw)

Not bad, eh!

Even if the comparisons done here are not only for Sony photo cameras, Patrick Moll applied its tests to a quite appreciable list of cameras too:

• A100
• A550
• A700
• A900
• A330 (not ready yet when I published this post)

Even if you are not reading French, I highly recommend checking these (most of the posts are made of image comparisons using the yellow buttons to select the software program results you want to see). Even if you are equipped with Pentax, Canon or Nikon gear, the lessons you will draw from this are applicable on all the photo camera brands, concerning strengths and weaknesses of each of these software tools.

To understand the review process and the methodology, I would recommend the reading of (here, all in French):

• Introduction
• Réduction du bruit et accentuation

With the tests, body by body, you will immediately recognize the excellent results of Lightroom 3/Camera Raw 6 (these two Adobe software programs share a single common RAW file management core). Just behind, comes DxO Optics Pro 6 which is a bit more violent (or more accentuation prone) and the (not famous enough) Bibble Pro 5.

From this point, you will always be able to get the best from the photos you were forced into shooting in poor lighting conditions which required big ISO figures.

• Alpha 33
• Alpha 55
• Alpha 560
• Alpha 580

The first two (Sony Alpha 33 and Alpha 55) would be entry-level cameras able to capture HD video and using the semi-transparent mirror already mentioned here and allowing to maintain autofocus in LiveView and HD video modes.

The next two (Sony Alpha 560 and Alpha 580) would be mid-range cameras announced by Sony in the middle of the beginning of the year. They are also able to grab AVCHD video but with a simpler architecture.

They share the two new CMOS photo sensors from Sony, a 14 MP sensor and a 16 MP sensor, at the heart of the rush for video started with the NEX-VG10 video camera, recently shown to the press (HD video based on the 14 MP sensor). They should all have a DOF preview button, continuous AF during video capture with 15-point AF, panorama stitching, 3D picture capacity, state-of-the-art ISO sensitivity (read “much better than A700”).

PR also tells us that the Alpha 560 has been spotted in Jakarta, but no pictures yet. So, it may still be a false lead.

But then, where is the successor to the Alpha 700? Has Sony decided to step back into the A5x0 range? Or will the A750 be a pre-announcement only?

First, and this is very easy to predict, Sony is ready to add to its NEX range of photo cameras. Already noticed because of the originality of its concept (a very dense point-and-shoot-like body, very simple but able to hold not only the new lenses of the new NEX range, but also compatible with the existing Alpha lenses, to bring light onto an APS-C CMOS digital photo sensor brought in the Alpha SLR range). While NEX was received with an obvious interest, it still needs to prove that it fills the needs of a real public. And this may be easier when a few days before the Photokina show (in September) we will be able to see the new photo camera of the NEX range: The NEX-7, which should capture 1080p video up to 60 frames/s. This should bring it in direct competition with the Panasonic GH2 which is still the best digital video offer among the compact photo cameras.

On top of it, we already know that Sony just presented it NEX-VG10 video camera, which is the pure video solution in the NEX range (again with the same CMOS 14.2 MP digital sensor that Sony seems decided to apply to as many NEX and Alpha cameras as marketingly possible). Available in September (in parallel with the door opening of the Photokina), it will be sold around $2000 (probably a little less than 2000€ on the old E continent).

Of course, Sony will also present (and possibly make immediately available) some new NEX lenses. The one whose name is most often repeated, since the Yodobashi leak in May, is the Sony NEX 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 OSS.

Then, there is no need of a crystal ball to announce that Sony will speak a lot about 3D on the Photokina floor. All the company divisions (video games, movies, video, photography) have been committed to bring active product support to this technology defined as a key target for Sony.

But, will you say, where are the D-SLR here? I kept the finest morsel for this part of the meal I offer you. Sony is preparing a full overhaul of its Alpha range. The A290 and A390 are already here with a 14.2 MP sensor (but only in a-little-outdated CCD technology), here comes the flood. There’s no doubt that the successor of the Sony Alpha 700 is ready. It was nearly official in PMA 2010 (at the beginning of 2010):

I dream of having reliable information about its photo sensor, but it is nearly certain that it won’t be the ubiquitous 14MP CMOS sensor of NEX and A500 series. It will be an APS-C sensor capable of 1080p video capture at 30 fps (at least). Since Sony always repeated that they would never bring a photo camera with a half-thought video section (like some of the competition, they murmur), it will be worth looking into its detailed features. Moreover, I would bet a tidy sum that the camera will be named Alpha 750, even if it appears that A790 was a possibility during the design stage.

The Sony press photo for PMA2010 (above) also gave us an important bit of information: The Sony Alpha 750 will have a little brother also video capable (probably with a resolution limited to 14 MP). The rumor says –curiously enough– that it would be named Alpha 33, and I find this utterly surprising. We’ll see, but in the meantime, you could listen to what the Spanish DSLRmagazine has to say about its supposed semi-transparent mirror used to assist a good autofocus in LiveView mode (traduction française, English translation).

But there is another possibility to take into account. According to Réponses Photo, the French magazine, “Sony give [us] a rendezvous in September for other SLR news, but this time in the expert and pro ranges…” (emphasis is mine). It looks a lot like a leak out of a magazine already informed but held tight by the signing of an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement). It would seem very surprising that anybody knowledgeable would place the Sony Alpha 750 in the “pro” range, it is the “expert” announcement. But, the, here is the last event: A pro camera! The Sony Alpha 900 (and its little brother A850) would prepare itself for a new offspring in the use of an Alpha 950 (no certainty about the name, of course)! And that could be thunderous if they announced (availability in early 2011?) the new 32 MP Full Frame CMOS sensor in association with a new quad-core BIONZ processor (aka Quattro Bionz).

The other option in this part of the product lien would be the arrival of an Alpha 820 (this name is heard in several mouths right now) which would be a new effort to popularize the Alpha 900 after the sub-2000€ Alpha 850. Credibility: Very low in my (not so) humble opinion.

You will have noticed that I did not go heavy on the conditional tense despite the long list of news. Be prepraed to see a Sony showroom of enormous size and density in Köln, next September for the Photokina. Alpha, NEX, 3D, video, Sony is alive and kicking.

Here is something else entirely: Sony just presented a video camera (not a photo camera) with a 35mm (or Full Frame) sensor. It will probably knock down RED and Panasonic. Let’s hope that this technology will be immediately applied in 2010 in a Sony Alpha 750.

Announced, but the availability is still not before the beginning of 2011…

Source : Engadget.

There also will be a new ultra-compact camera with interchangeable lenses. The presented mock-ups are quite small indeed:

A Sony Alpha 707 with HD video capture and ISO 12.800 sensitivity and a Sony Alpha 900SH with HD video.

Seriously! I can’t believe it for a moment… It’s so strange that I will not even create the Sony Alpha 7007 and Sony Alpha 900SH categories for the YLovePhoto menus.

Thanks to Mash for the link to PR. These guys are ready for any kind of rumour…

From all sides, we hear that the Sony Alpha 700 is now reaching the end of its commercial life. Several web sites (including Sony UK and e-tailers like Adorama) indicated it as such.

The question, asked over and over here and there, is still: What camera will follow in its footesteps? For the time being, it’s all speculative. But it seems that the successor is really in the last mile before the official announcement (my own sources now have gone completely silent on this issue). Some tell that the CES show in Las Vegas (7th to 10th January 2010) will be the launch pad for this successor; It would be adequate, but I still think that it may take longer than that.