Sony A700-X , Sony A800 and Sony A900 rumours

WARNING: Rumours not facts:

Useally I'm not into speculation but since there isn't a lot to read about the next A700 and A800 here some info I found on a Dutch site

ALpha 700-X:
Live View;
14,4 Mp CMOS EXMOR APS-C Sensor;
Top LCD;
More fPS.

ALpha 800:
12.1 Mp Exmor CMOS sensor;
FF;
6/7 FPS;
< 2000 euro

ALpha 900:
Enough rumours already

cheers,
Pentafox

I think Sony should put more MPx in a FF sensor for Alpha 800, maybe 14 or 16MPx and to wait a little time before launch the a700X. If this is true...

well.. these are easy guesses:

1. sony has 14mp sensor, sony has live view. lv and mp sells so next a700 should have these.
2. sony goes full frame, canon has 5d, nikon has d3, sony should have ~12mp cheap full frame.

but there is one thing the OP misses: sony has a brain, they plan ahead and aim for certain parts of the market. take a900 as an instance, nobody would guess a 24mp fullframe camera coming, but it has a reason:

sony wants to go pro, but news/sports market is impossible to penetrate into. therefore sony wants to begin with the remaining part of the pros: studio/wedding/product shooters. this part of the market would die for a high resolution pro camera that is not a hasselblad and not cost $30000.

i'm sure sony will have new scenarios for their future cameras as well. just trying to duplicate what canikon has would be quite stupid.

we can all dream

I would like a strategy something like this. I agree with Turerkan though, Sony does market research as good or better than anyone and when they bring a product to market, it's not in hopes it will fit the need. The know there is a need and that's why they developed it.

As far as how they do LV w/ a prism...I'm not worried. They did SSS on FF (upcoming a900) when everyone said it's not possible. As with all engineered items, given time a way can be figured out, and will be, the right people just haven't look at it hard enough yet.

Also consider these new models using their new sensor recently announced, moving the some of the architecture behind the sensor, therefore eliminating noise at higher iso. This could be a great advantage and raise the stake when looking at wedding and event photogs.

I doubt the "light" FF would be only 12 MP. Sony definitely tends to have more MP than the competitors on their products. 12 MP is what the 3 (?) y.o. Canon 5D sports, I don't see Sony doing the same now (I know the D3 is not more, but it's again another range).

Turerkan wrote: but there is one thing the OP misses: sony has a brain, they plan ahead and aim for certain parts of the market. take a900 as an instance, nobody would guess a 24mp fullframe camera coming, but it has a reason: ..

Can't the next Canon 5D (5DII), very easily accomodate the 22MP sensor from the current 1DS and priced to go head-to-head with the A900 ? And they could very easily come out with another 12-14MP FF too, right ?

I am sure the product planners in Canonland are not blind to the possibilities (and challenges) from the upcoming Sony products and being in the business as long as they have, they can very easily counter some of the trumpcards that Sony has so conveniently announced, months prior to the A900 product launch.

I think the REAL trumpcards from Sony would be their upcoming high-end FF lenses that will better anything that a Canon or Nikon will offer. I would not wrap too much strategy around bodies, if I were Sony.

Having said all of the above, I would be thrilled with an A800 with a 12.1MP FF sensor (14MP Full-frame would have been a bit better but 12.1MP is also good enough).

Edited by roweraay - 26 June 2008 at 16:34