B&H Lists the A99ii Discontinued

Sony definitely stopped all manufacturing of A-mount items long ago. In light of the removal of the A99II from the Sony website, I’ve been trying to find a new A99II to purchase. It is proving near impossible. If anyone can steer me towards one I would appreciate it.

We all knew for several years that the end was near. My plan was to buy the most current flagship model A-mount camera whenever it was indisputable that the line ended. I held out hope for several years that at least one successor to the A99II would be produced. But I never considered the fact that I might not be able to find an A99II. I’ve called all over the country (US), only to be told the same thing over and over. “I haven’t had one in stock for several years.” While there was certainly some buzz around the A99II for a few years after release, it wasn’t selling well in recent years. Sony’s lack of A-mount promotion was so sickening to me. It’s as if they wanted it to die. Not only a lack of advertisements, but also a lack of sales promotions in the form of discounted prices. Rebadged Minolta lenses designed decades ago are grossly overpriced and those prices never change. Even now, in the wake of the A-mount’s death, the remaining lens stock has seen no discounted pricing.

In my search I have called Sony three times. None of their reps here in the states has been able help me locate a camera and none seem willing to go the extra mile to help me. One of them told me that shipments of A-mount pretty much stopped a year ago. I said there surely must be one in a stock room of an authorized dealer somewhere, and to tell me which stores would be my best bet. I asked for information regarding which stores were most likely to have one based on recent orders or whatnot. She was unable to give me any info whatsoever. Her only advice was to call every dealer in the country. As if I want to dedicate so much time and effort to spend $3200 on their product! It should not be this difficult to buy a camera that was pulled from the website only days ago.   I asked her to get me one from Japan, but she said that’s not within her power to do. Another rep I spoke to had never even heard of the A99II. Literally did not know of it’s existence. A third call was even worse. Phone rings, call apparently answered automatically. I say hello. I hear a strange noise and think there’s a connection problem. After about thirty seconds I realize this repeating noise is a man snoring! So I screamed.... WAKE UP!!!!!! The man wakes up and begins the call as if nothing happened. That’s how pathetic customer service is within Sony. In every call, I knew more about their product line than the rep did.

Edited by macronut - 10 May 2021 at 03:29

I totally understand that stock on bodies were kept low towards the end. But I cannot imagine an A7 owner would seek or buy an A-mount lens, even if they had one of the Sony adapters, rather than an E-mount lens. New or used A-mount lenses aren't attractive to anyone but A-mount body owners. So again, why wouldn't A-mount lens prices drop precipitously?

macronut wrote: Sony customer service representatives should know what an A99 is when I inquire. That’s like working at McDonald’s and not knowing what a Big Mac is.

Sony do a few more products than McDonald's though .
Likely as not it was the first time anyone's asked the person you spoke to about A mount gear .

You also say you would expect Sony to know exactly where you can buy an a99ii .

Although they might know who they delivered some to three years ago , what makes you think they know an independent retailers inventory ?
They certainly don't have access to a camera stores database , so how should they know if they still have stock in someone else's storeroom ?

You need to shop around on the web or phone the shops up if you want to track one down now . How long have they been on sale ?
I think you might have missed the boat on getting a new one now .

I didn’t say I expected them to know exactly where I could buy one. I also didn’t say Sony has access to dealer inventory. I’m not stupid. Give me some credit and read between the lines a little. The message is that I was trying to get some form of direction or some amount of information that would help, to which I got absolutely none.

And I’ll say this. When I contacted Sigma about a discontinued lens, the guy pointed me directly to the most likely source, which was a dealer that bought the last three lenses they had. One phone call later and I owned the lens. So it would be nice if you’d back pedal abit from your slightly condescending post. I asked Sony for the same info, but she said she could not access that info. Okay, fine. But somebody can access it. Go the extra mile.

Furthermore you seem to suggest I’ve been asleep at the wheel because I never bought this camera. No. I didn’t buy it because I didn’t want it at the time.   If you understand my post correctly, I only wanted the A99II if it proved to be the pinnacle of A-mount. Within days of the revelation (dropped from Sony website) I acted. It’s frustrating that Sony did not give any blatant warning that the camera would no longer be available. My plan all along was to buy the best A-mount camera when the line was discontinued. I should have been able to accomplish that.

macronut wrote:     Furthermore you seem to suggest I’ve been asleep at the wheel because I never bought this camera. No. I didn’t buy it because I didn’t want it at the time.   If you understand my post correctly, I only wanted the A99II if it proved to be the pinnacle of A-mount. Within days of the revelation (dropped from Sony website) I acted. It’s frustrating that Sony did not give any blatant warning that the camera would no longer be available. My plan all along was to buy the best A-mount camera when the line was discontinued. I should have been able to accomplish that.

I was also looking for an A99II. As far as I Know they out sold all expectations in Japan which led to shortages and delays in other markets. Why not just make more of this unanticipated successful product? The A99II was always a "Special Order" item in Canada, so they weren't storing them on back shelfs around here to be discounted.
I suspect Sony knew exactly how many copies were in any given market and dropped the a99II from their product line in that market when the number reached "0", hence the staggered delisting. A product available countdown would be nice for a little A-Mount "musical chairs" but I didn't think they would pull the plug on a success.

LAbernethy wrote: I was also looking for an A99II. As far as I Know they out sold all expectations in Japan which led to shortages and delays in other markets. Why not just make more of this unanticipated successful product? The A99II was always a "Special Order" item in Canada, so they weren't storing them on back shelfs around here to be discounted. I suspect Sony knew exactly how many copies were in any given market and dropped the a99II from their product line in that market when the number reached "0", hence the staggered delisting. A product available countdown would be nice for a little A-Mount "musical chairs" but I didn't think they would pull the plug on a success.

As an aside; has the a7, a9 series cameras sold pooly in Japan? There is a dirth of second hand a99II's from Japan suggesting they're being held on to and forgoing all that E-mount goodness.
As for what Sony Knows; quite a bit if you've ever filled out the warranty registration. Including: production run, shipment lot, point of sale vendor, who got it and where it's based.

Edited by LAbernethy - 10 May 2021 at 19:22

owenn01 wrote: In the meantime, 2022 appears to be bringing us the Sony A7V with 'only' a 61Mp sensor. Wonder where this will all end. Best regards, Neil.

It is the A7R V (not the A7V) and SAR describes it as a wild rumor. We'll see what happens.