Sony A77 release very soon - is this the 5D/7D/GH2 killer?

Oh, the so called experts of the internet era longing to be part of the chosen ones. The people that get the early versions are usually well connected people in the world of photography at one level or another. What really happens is that the ones on top of the list for a camera like the A77 are top professional photographers who are not videographers. Add to that the fact that these early prototypes lack features and usually don't come with an instruction manual. Thus the early results. But if you are a real professional you have to clearly see the potential even from badly shot early footage. If you are not a pro with plenty of knowledge then you won't see it of course. And also you have to be knowledgeable enough to understand what is put into a new camera and how it should perform. For a real pro there should be no doubt from the early footage from the A77 to see that there is a great improvement in rolling shutter, aliasing and moire. There is going to be amazing footage shot with all these cameras. Then at the end of the day everybody is going to want to jump in the bandwagon.
 
Don't think there's much of a bandwagon. Nobody (well i think nobody) has said it wasn't a good camera. The footage is still crap... no fault of the camera at all. Its pretty easy to give knowledgeable experienced people early versions without a manual and with some features lacking and still have very well shot footage. Exciting times all around though and all of us are the benefactors :) cheers
 
All cameras suffer from this early stage of footage crap. As proven with the release of the AF100. With the help of Barry Green's book and footage shot by a group of top line personnel people were able to learn how to tweak it correctly and start getting beautiful footage. These cameras have many variables that have to be perfectly in-sync to produce the best footage it can offer. These samples are typical of the cycle of a camera. It is actually better to look at raw footage like that than to perfectly executed, controlled and edited footage a camera company might produce using thousands of dollars and mask any problem the camera might have hidden.
 
yup i agree. totally. I would also like raw footage ...from any new cam....this just happens to be the one now. But I'm talking about well shot stuff that i'm sure any of us can produce with a decent tripod. and rolling shutter tests can also be done swish panning all over if needs be. In any case, i'm sure this camera (Along with the others) will be really good cams.
 
I just put in a pre-order for a NEX-5N with B&H so hopefully it will be here in a couple of weeks. I've got the Sony 16mm lens coming and an adapter for my Leica-r primes.
 
http://vimeo.com/28231189

Uhhhgggg... Sony should get some professional movie/video maker to promote their camera than using the money to buy travel ticket and hotel rooms (press event in Greece, I am sure those reviewers will praise Sony camera). Filmed in 50p, mud mud mud codec breakup everywhere, aliasing. You can download the 1080p MTS image. Damn, I don't know if the guy use that part of the video because it is so fast that it might hide the aliasing (For moire, I see a lot of purple on the water but I can't confirm it because it is smeared) but he achieved the contrary in another way.
 
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John Caballero said:
No aliasing, no moire, no banding in the blue sky. He has another piece somewhere in Vimeo. So far it looks very promising.

These ones are quite good for what they are:

http://www.vimeo.com/28193317

http://www.vimeo.com/28230358

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ45XgyjS4E&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wiw4DrWJQYo
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That last clip is the only one that looked good to me vs say a GH2. Its not as sharp as the GH2 but it seems sharper than the canons.
Hard to say looking from my laptop screen tho.
I may have to reconsider this camera after seeing that clip.
 
Do people really believe that Sony is going to come out with 5 new cameras and not take care of their technical priorities to create the best video and stills possible? Also do people really believe that the video is going to be different on any of them? Sony is one of the biggest if not the biggest supplier of sensors in the world. If they can't improve the image quality is this latest round of sensors very few others, if any can. These cameras are going to produce fantastic results.
 
John Caballero said:
Do people really believe that Sony is going to come out with 5 new cameras and not take care of their technical priorities to create the best video and stills possible? Also do people really believe that the video is going to be different on any of them? Sony is one of the biggest if not the biggest supplier of sensors in the world. If they can't improve the image quality is this latest round of sensors very few others, if any can. These cameras are going to produce fantastic results.
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I dont know about that :/
Companies don't necessarily do what we the niche customers want, only what makes a profit in there eyes.
Nikon for example has apparently failed to see a profit in creating a proper video/cinema DSLR (judging from their latest products).
Sony might be tryig to maximize their profits by hitting all the markets simultaneously by making the A77 a Jack-of-all-trades-and-master-of-none camera.
It's always the bottom dollar (after all thats what a business is for, to make money)
I'm still liking the A77 tho as I would need a jack of all trades camera at some point, I'm just not gonna assume its perfect just because its Sony.
I'll let the footage speak for itself :)
 
In reality any company can sell whatever they are able to manufacture and nothing more. Up to now video DSLRs have been evolving as a new product. Some companies have been able to develop products better than others. Eventually everybody will catch up when the technologies mature. People think that Nikon stayed behind because they wanted to. Nikon stayed behind because they had to develop the video side of a totally new concept in image making. First they had no video business experience to draw upon, like Canon and Panasonic, and second they had to wait until the sensor technology from another company allowed for better video implementation. Now the company that produces the sensors for Nikon is itself confident enough to hit the market with an onslaught of cameras that will shake the market. And if somebody didn't notice ALL this camera revolution coming from the land of the rising sun. They truly have learned how to control a whole industry.
 
John Caballero said:
No aliasing, no moire, no banding in the blue sky. He has another piece somewhere in Vimeo. So far it looks very promising.

These ones are quite good for what they are:

http://www.vimeo.com/28193317

http://www.vimeo.com/28230358

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ45XgyjS4E&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wiw4DrWJQYo
Click to expand...


The clip I posted is the only one with downloadable MTS (If I am not mistaken) and I can see aliasing at the start on the boat crome ring, it is clearly visible. What I see, is mud mud mud and codec breakage because the ................................. Avchd 2.0 (yes the world we have avchd 2) starved bandwidth 50p/60p. Yes laddies and gentleman, we have the super 28mbits codec for you all. Less than half the bitrate of the 24p frames.
 
Danielvilliers said:
Avchd 2.0 (yes the world we have avchd 2) starved bandwidth 50p/60p. Yes laddies and gentleman, we have the super 28mbits codec for you all. Less than half the bitrate of the 24p frames.
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I agree. The canon h264 at over 40mbits is considerably better looking than this. Except at 720p they kinda suck because of aliasing. But the codec is way better than what these AVCHD2.0 cameras have shown. I have the Sony hx9v that shoots the same codec as these and it also breaks up when there is motion as these clips do.
 
Doesn't the FS100 have the same codec and bit-rates? I haven't heard anyone complaining about 60p on the FS100. I expect we'll see a bit-rate hack in the not too distant future. Now that there's a hardware moire fix for the 5D I can't see why there can't be one for the Sonys.
 
John Caballero said:
Do people really believe that Sony is going to come out with 5 new cameras and not take care of their technical priorities to create the best video and stills possible? Also do people really believe that the video is going to be different on any of them? Sony is one of the biggest if not the biggest supplier of sensors in the world. If they can't improve the image quality is this latest round of sensors very few others, if any can. These cameras are going to produce fantastic results.
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Do people believe that Sony would come out with laptop that could burst into flames, do people believe that Sony would release and unsecure online services that would compromise the credit card information of million of users. I am using extreme example here, just to show that your assumption that they are a flawless company is not true, as is the case with a lot if not all companies.

I am not dishing Sony offering until I see some good test with someone who has the camera and knows what he is doing. But it is not the fault of many that Sony seems fit to give its first camera to a bunch of suppose pro that are showing some ugly ugly footage and I don't think anyone who does not have the camera can give a good assessment to others. For now I see much more form (features) than substance (image quality). It does not mean that it won't be a success in the mainstream but for an enthusiast or pro, I don't see anything compelling. As commented by Boncrek, I see more of a Jack of all trades, masters of none.

I really hope Nikon comes out with some good to outstanding video in the DSLR. As a Nikon photographer I had to invest in a Canon 7D and now a gh2. Since I got the gh2 I am a lot less concerned by the video, but they among everyone could give us the 3rd generation HD SLR. I consider the gh2 as a second and with the hack a 3rd generation hd slr. The quality is just exceptional, I would like to say that the Sony do seem to have much less jello that the current crop of HD slr. As for the rest I will wait for further test and first hand experience from competent persons.
 
squig said:
Doesn't the FS100 have the same codec and bit-rates? I haven't heard anyone complaining about 60p on the FS100. I expect we'll see a bit-rate hack in the not too distant future. Now that there's a hardware moire fix for the 5D I can't see why there can't be one for the Sonys.
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I don't know if it is the Af100 or FS100, but it been said that the 60p footage was more like 35mbs, perhaps this is why.
 
Not according to Sony: "1920x1080 60P recording at 28Mbps. The new PS mode with a 28Mbps bit-rate enables the NXCAM Super35 to capture full HD at 60P."
 
I have no doubt that the video in these new Sony cameras will perform very, very good. In all of them. As for Nikon coming out with anything better I doubt it. It will come out with something along what the technologies allow. If you look at it all the video DSLR cameras are performing around the same quality the technology allows. All suffering from aliasing, moire and rolling shutter from one degree to another. And that is the fault mainly of the sensors which are slowly developing towards their full capabilities. AVCHD 2.0 is also a step forward in development. It tops at 28 mbps because that is the mark set by the developers. Can it go higher? Of course but the safety point is apparently 28 and that is what the camera companies will use.

In the meantime the VG20:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mfBrHBz9hU
 
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