Jim Ritscher
Well-known member
They lost me at A mount (not E mount).
Sony announced A99 II
- Thread starter DLD
- Start date
I'd be shocked if Sony didn't release an E-to-A fully AF capable adapter when the camera ships in November. These days these adapters run both ways - full frame to APS-C/s35 and MFT and, as of late, s35 to full frame with commensurate spec reversals. (the latter example is off the new Angenieux zooms). Sony has the A-to-E adapter as well. Why wouldn't they do this in reverse?
Bassman2003
Veteran
Maybe they will. I kind of see this camera as an A7RII+ with an extra year to iron out some kinks. I am also a little hesitant to buy an A7RII right now and the prices have not fallen and it seems like a sitting duck to drop in value once the III gets released.
Alpha Beta Omega
Veteran
These days, anything can be adopted to anything else. For a smaller independent like Metabones, it may not make sense to devote its energy to making the A-mount adapters, given its limited market potential, but Sony can certainly bear that burden.
They wouldn't likely do it the reverse direction, because like Samuel said, such an adapter would need a lens in it (not a purely mechanical adapter) to correct infinity focus, and it would seem that manufacturers generally don't like to do that. That's if it's even mechanically feasible. I'm not sure what all is involved in reverse-adapter mounts with such a big difference in flange distances.
Whatever is required -and having a piece of glass inside sounds probable - they have to do it.
Because some people seem to really like the camera otherwise.
Samuel H
Major Contributor
Putting E glass on A mount would be too much of a problem. It's a huge difference in focal flange distance. EF to A is almost the same focal flange distance and it already needs glass and completely kills your lenses' sharpness.
This is a camera for A-mount users, for those willing to get new lenses in order to get a bigger body, and to keep E-mount users reassured that they won't be left in the cold. Most of us will be better off with the a7R II.
This is a camera for A-mount users, for those willing to get new lenses in order to get a bigger body, and to keep E-mount users reassured that they won't be left in the cold. Most of us will be better off with the a7R II.
Yeah, I wouldn't hold out much hope of seeing a E-mount to A-mount adapter. A-mount is basically a legacy lens mount at this point, which is why Sony hasn't released any new lenses for it since 2014 (but they have released a slew of E-mount lenses in the same time frame).
That they decided to release a new A-mount body at all is a bit of a surprise, but it's probably mostly so that Sony shooters with a lot of A-mount lenses don't feel totally abandoned by the company. I'm sure Sony wants to try to keep these folks in the family until there's a suitable E-mount body for them. There still aren't really any cameras in the A7 line with a fast burst rate (like the 12fps of the A99 II) which are helpful in shooting sports or fast action. I get the sense that this is much more of a camera aimed at the photography market, and the higher end video features are mostly aimed at staying a step ahead of Nikon or Canon DSLRs (people that might otherwise jump ship from Sony and buy a 5D MK IV, 5DS R or a 1Dx).
Even still, it wouldn't surprise me if this is the last new A-mount body we ever see from Sony. I have to imagine that internally almost all of their development is focused on mirrorless E-mount cameras and lenses. Consider that the A99 II is the first full frame A-mount camera released since the original A99 in 2012. But in the meantime, Sony has been busy cranking out 6 full frame E-mount cameras: A7, A7R, A7S, A7 II, A7R II, A7S II.
This kind of confusingly-managed transitionary period is not unprecedented when dealing with new lens mounts. Olympus and Panasonic announced the mirrorless Micro 4/3 mount in 2008, but that didn't stop Olympus from releasing the E-5 using the older Four Thirds mount 2 years later in 2010. Notably, both Olympus and Panasonic made adapters from Four Thirds to Micro 4/3, but neither company released an adapter going in the other direction. Instead, Olympus added phase detection autofocus to the OM-D EM-1 to allow older Four Thirds lenses to work a little better when adapted to Micro 4/3 cameras. This is not unlike what Sony did with the A7R II which improved the performance of A-mount lenses when using the LA-EA3 A-mount to E-mount adapter.
Lens mount transitions are tricky business for a camera manufacturer.
That they decided to release a new A-mount body at all is a bit of a surprise, but it's probably mostly so that Sony shooters with a lot of A-mount lenses don't feel totally abandoned by the company. I'm sure Sony wants to try to keep these folks in the family until there's a suitable E-mount body for them. There still aren't really any cameras in the A7 line with a fast burst rate (like the 12fps of the A99 II) which are helpful in shooting sports or fast action. I get the sense that this is much more of a camera aimed at the photography market, and the higher end video features are mostly aimed at staying a step ahead of Nikon or Canon DSLRs (people that might otherwise jump ship from Sony and buy a 5D MK IV, 5DS R or a 1Dx).
Even still, it wouldn't surprise me if this is the last new A-mount body we ever see from Sony. I have to imagine that internally almost all of their development is focused on mirrorless E-mount cameras and lenses. Consider that the A99 II is the first full frame A-mount camera released since the original A99 in 2012. But in the meantime, Sony has been busy cranking out 6 full frame E-mount cameras: A7, A7R, A7S, A7 II, A7R II, A7S II.
This kind of confusingly-managed transitionary period is not unprecedented when dealing with new lens mounts. Olympus and Panasonic announced the mirrorless Micro 4/3 mount in 2008, but that didn't stop Olympus from releasing the E-5 using the older Four Thirds mount 2 years later in 2010. Notably, both Olympus and Panasonic made adapters from Four Thirds to Micro 4/3, but neither company released an adapter going in the other direction. Instead, Olympus added phase detection autofocus to the OM-D EM-1 to allow older Four Thirds lenses to work a little better when adapted to Micro 4/3 cameras. This is not unlike what Sony did with the A7R II which improved the performance of A-mount lenses when using the LA-EA3 A-mount to E-mount adapter.
Lens mount transitions are tricky business for a camera manufacturer.
theprestige
Active member
Nothing to see here really. Sounds like a slightly updated A7R II.
Which is why Sony can keep on making the two lines parallel to each other. And I'll still maintain that they have to make a fully electronic adapter for E-glass or this camera is DOA.
PS. The inference to "Canon lenses" from that Dan Chung interview at the end is that they ain't gonna do it.
theprestige
Active member
Samuel H
Major Contributor
Sony doesn't usually add particularly nice stuff through firmware updates. The only time I recall is when they added XAVC-S to the a6000 and a5100, and that was probably because the a6300 was severely delayed. We asked for "APS-C / FF" to be assignable to buttons when the original a7S came out, and they just introduced it... on the a99 II. I expect to see all these improvements in the next round of a7 bodies.
(I still think the E-lens-on-A-mount adapter is not feasible with reasonable image quality, don't hold your breath for that one; this camera is for people who already own A-mount glass, the only other thing it can take is vintage M42 and Leica-R)
(I still think the E-lens-on-A-mount adapter is not feasible with reasonable image quality, don't hold your breath for that one; this camera is for people who already own A-mount glass, the only other thing it can take is vintage M42 and Leica-R)
I am not sure if it's feasible in terms of the investment. This isn't a stand-alone camera, as it were. There are so many overlapping features and body parts with A7RII (and probably A7RIII, whenever that comes out ... maybe this was the rumored RIII for 2016, with the real RIII waiting for the 50 MPX sensor to be ready in 2017), that a limited production run would still leave Sony in the black. Matt Granger said in his clip, "Most of those who I knew with the A-mount have long moved to the E-mount. That's what happens when you don't upgrade your flagship for four years".
Plus, there are a bunch of A-mount lenses being offered - from very highly rated Zeiss to more affordable Tamron and Sigma.
Anticipating new cameras, I sold my Nikon D810 a couple weeks ago, along with a few lenses. Today I placed a pre-order for the A99II and also ordered some Zeiss A-Mount glass. (Which I will use on my FS7 and A7S in the meantime.) I originally moved to Nikon because E-mount glass was pretty weak. (Using converted Nikon lenses on my FS7.) However, the manual focus rings on several lenses is less than awesome. (Especially that 70-200 f/4, that was useless.) E-Mount has improved, and I have several of the F4 FE lenses. I was considering pulling the trigger on some GM lenses since I need to get a full set of 2.8 zooms for the FS7, but this announcement (and attempting a week-long photo job with my A7S subbing for my D810) made me reconsider the A-Mount. Bonus: Sony's A-Mount focus feel is really good on the better lenses. (I already have LEA4 and LEA1 adaptors.) So... there it is. Back to Sony and going all-in on A-Mount with a few E-Mounts as well (since Nikon focuses in reverse, it's really hard to use them both concurrently.) Note: I still have a D500 and D7200 for specific uses... action sports and google panoramas, respectively. It will be really hard for me to sell that Nikkor 70-200 VRII. Love the look I get with that lens.
And yes, like I did with the D500, I'll likely post a bunch of test videos when it arrives.
And yes, like I did with the D500, I'll likely post a bunch of test videos when it arrives.
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PegLeg Media
Well-known member
What lenses did you get? I am thinking of selling my panasonic gh4 and nikon d750 to go sony but dont know which would be the better hybrid with more affordable lenses, the a99ii or a7rii
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and i didn't realize the sony zeiss 24-70 2.8 was under $1200 used!
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The Sony Zeiss 135mm F/1.8 should arrive today. I'm ordering the 24-70mm SSM II next week. With the new II versions of the Sony Zeiss trilogy that's really helped push down the older versions, but for me the updated versions are worth the extra money to just buy new. (Now that I bought the 135mm, they will probably come out with an SSM version, natch.)
For me, the the A99II makes more sense because of dual card slots, a more comfortable grip and more extensive weather sealing. I consider these to be must-have features for all-weather work (and we really do use these in all weather - from blizzards in Iceland to 120-degree days in Phoenix.) I never had to worry about my D810.
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