Sony DSLR official -- 3 Zeiss lenses!

The official announcement from Sony has been made. The Sony alpha 100 DSLR --10.2mp APS-C size CCD: $999. (with a 18-70 Sony zoom lens).
see: http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INT...ProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=DSLRA100K

It seems that it has the same sensor as the Nikon D200, but has overall a more entry-level specification. It should be a good D50/RebelXT/D70/30D competitor. There supposedly 3 different Sony DSLR models planned. Presumably at least one of them will have a higher specification to compete with the D200 directly, and perhaps the Canon 5D.

Among the 20 lenses anounced for the system, there are 3 Zeiss lenses:

* Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Zoom LensSAL-1680CZ -
Expected to ship on or before July 28th, 2006. (this one is APS-only)

* Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f1.4 Telephoto LensSAL-85F14CZ -
Preorders will begin on September 8th, 2006

* Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135mm f/1.8 Telephoto LensSAL-135F18CZ -
Preorders will begin on September 8th, 2006

Hi James,


That's good news, more options for those looking for an entry level camera, and with the Minolta mount previous Minolta 35mm owners will have a low-cost way of entering the digital arena without having to buy a lot of lenses and accessories!

The 10.2MP sensor Nikon used on their D200 seems to be quite popular at the moment, Pentax will be using it on their new DSLR and I've heard some un-confirmed rumors Sigma will be using it on one of theirs.

Kyle

It will be interesting to see what this does to the market. Obviously Sony are trying to go all out with their new system but Canon and Nikon will be ruthless in trying to retain their very large and healthy market share. We could well see some very interesting new relases and price adjustments in the next 12 months.

Yes, I do love competition, and with Sony releasing this at $999 with a lens I'm very happy because I think that will keep the price down on the Pentax 10MP I'm waiting for them to release this fall. It may even prod Pentax into accelerate their release date (rumors are it's ready to release but they are working on some marketing issues), and as you said the pricing may start getting more competitive on all of these 8 and 10 MP DSLRs, including Nikon and Canon!

....but Canon and Nikon will be ruthless in trying to retain their very large and healthy market share

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Could be true, but I think they'll have a run for their money, when it comes to marketing Sony can be just as ruthless as the next guy!

Kyle

Zeiss Quality

I've always been impressed with Zeiss lens quality. I bought my first Zeiss in 1949 (a 50mm f/3.5 Tessar for the Kine Exacta) and it was a great lens. Since then I've had several others and they have always been excellent. The latest was on a Sony W50 I bought for my daughter, excellent contrast, color and high resolution with corner to corner sharpness with very little distortion in all zoom ranges.

Now a days it seems buying a lens for my Canon DSLR is like a lottery with the chances of getting a good one less than 50-50. This goes for both Canon and other Third party manufacturers. The last three lenses I bought were so disappointing I returned them.

I hope Zeiss keeps the quality consistant with the new Sony DSLR line.

Glenn

Where's my info dude?

I have discovered one interesting point regarding the A100, as I've looked at the Sony site and other sites regarding this camera I noticed the was no information LCD display on top, or anywhere for that matter, after a little research my suspicions were confirmed, information regarding the current settings including aperture, shutter speed, ISO, remaining images, flash, etc. are viewed on the image LCD on the back of the camera, I think this will be somewhat inconvenient to have to activate the rear LCD and select the shooting information display mode. I know having that information automatically visible on the top of the camera has become awfully convenient. Any opinions?

Kyle

Glenn Haley said:

Now a days it seems buying a lens for my Canon DSLR is like a lottery with the chances of getting a good one less than 50-50. This goes for both Canon and other Third party manufacturers. The last three lenses I bought were so disappointing I returned them.

I hope Zeiss keeps the quality consistant with the new Sony DSLR line.

Glenn

Click to expand...

I don't know where your lenses were purchased from but I have been lucky with my lens purchases, mainly from Canoga Camera and rest from B&H and even Dell (yes the new 24-104 f/4L IS). My lenses are listed under my profile. I only had one lens, 35 f/2 that had its aperture motor malfunction and I returned it to Canoga. Later I decided to buy it again from B&H and it was fine. None of my Canon lenses ever had any issues. Neither did my Canon friends who all own a number of Canon L and non L lenses.

I also owned the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 and Sigma 18-125. Both have been excellent. I gave the Tamron to my brother for birthday and sold the Sigma to a coworker whom I work with everyday.

As for the Zeiss lenses used in Sony cameras, the jury is still out deciding whether it is Sony or Zeiss who designs and builds them. The Zeiss brand is obviously worth keeping as much as the Leica brand used in Panasonic P&S and 4/3 cameras.

Kyle Nagel said:

I have discovered one interesting point regarding the A100, as I've looked at the Sony site and other sites regarding this camera I noticed the was no information LCD display on top, or anywhere for that matter, after a little research my suspicions were confirmed, information regarding the current settings including aperture, shutter speed, ISO, remaining images, flash, etc. are viewed on the image LCD on the back of the camera, I think this will be somewhat inconvenient to have to activate the rear LCD and select the shooting information display mode. I know having that information automatically visible on the top of the camera has become awfully convenient. Any opinions?

Kyle

Click to expand...

That is exactly the same setup with Canon 300D and 350D. Both are entry level DSLRs.

I owned a 350D as my second body to my 20D. The 350D is a fine camera and it has performed flawlessly for me. When I bought the 5D, I decided I don't need 3 bodies so I kept the 20D and sold the 350D. I surely miss the light weight of the 350D though.

It is nice to have the top LCD although the 350D design provided those information through a little hybrid B&W LCD area as shown in this link.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos350d/page3.asp

The Sony A100 setup is different. Without using one, it is hard to tell whether the usability would be impacted.

Nelson Chen said:

It is nice to have the top LCD although the 350D design provided those information through a little hybrid B&W LCD area as shown in this link.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos350d/page3.asp

The Sony A100 setup is different. Without using one, it is hard to tell whether the usability would be impacted.

Click to expand...

My D7i has the top info panel, the 5D does not. The information is available on the rear screen and viewfinder and I find I do not miss the top panel at all on the 5D. The A100 is quite simlar to the 5D ergonomically, so I expect that most users will not miss the omission.

Sony DSLR review up at dpreview

Camera got a "Highly recommended"

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydslra100/

Looking at the pros and cons the last two cons: No multiple user memories - No vertical grip option - are somewhat of a deal breaker for me, those that shoot a lot of portrait oriented images will have issues with no vertical release available, and only being able to have one memory default set-up isn't a great decision with most other DSLRs having multiple memory settings.

Kyle

I am impressed with the with the new Sony DSLR as reviewed in dpreview.

Seems great as low ISO. Cannot, however compete with a 30D in the higher light sensitivities as the Sony noise reduction gives a plastic look.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydslra100/

Asher

I think overall it's a nice camera with many features, CCD sensors just seem to be noiser than CMOS sensors by design or something but overall, my personal feeling is that cameras and lenses are tools to capture light and not much more. Find the tools that fit your needs and make photos if what I say.

I welcome more competition as it usually leads to better and cheaper products for us.

Kyle Nagel said:

...only being able to have one memory default set-up isn't a great decision with most other DSLRs having multiple memory settings.

Kyle

Click to expand...

Say it ain't so! I just spent $2500.00 for my Canon 5D and all I got was one memory default set-up and this lousy t-shirt that says: " My new 5D has a Print Button".

Actually, I agree with you. And, besides, the last thing I want as a Canon owner is another camera on the market without the very features I want on mine.


What they are really going to push in their marketing, I'll bet, is the resolution chart, which shows that the extinction limits with the new Sony are really significantly higher than either the 30D or the Nikon D200.

Phil Askey goes out of his way to point out that these numbers seem to have little bearing on the ability of the camera to actually resolve detail in the real world, but this is the sort of marketing hook that "has legs" in the business.

Between "outresolving the D200", the in-camera stabilization, the cost, the fact that Sony makes the Nikon chip, the Sony name itself, and the "Highly Recommended" review - I would wager this camera is going to sell really really well. And primarily at the expense of Nikon's line up.

At least it uses CF and not the highly overpriced memory sticks.

I think it has slots for both, so you can ignore the memory stick slot. he he he
I think when comparing the RAW version of the image from Sony Alpha and the Nikon D200, Phil at dpreview found the image quality to be the same without the JPEG processing. So for those considering this camera, the D200, D80, Sony Alpha, and the upcoming Pentax may have same IQ given same lens.

Interesting, with film, it was the lens and body, but with dslr's there is a body component to consider as well since the sensor plays a role in the image quality and not just the lens.

I saw some information leaked on the Japanese sites that confirms through inside sources that the new Pentax will have a vertical grip available and the option of the Pentax proprietary RAW format or DNG (user selectable).

Unconfirmed rumors are saying that Pentax may be going with a different sensor at the last moment.

I am worried that they will end up using an SD card instead of CF, The best option would be both, but I guess we'll see what happens.

Based on the vertical grip option and DNG capabilities it may be worth waiting and see what else it has before jumping on the Sony.

Kyle

Kyle, a buddy of mine was in a similar boat, he was thinking about a 30D or a 5D till he heard about the upcoming Pentax at the end of the year. As far as I've heard it's the Sony 10.2MO sensor, but I get my info second hand from him. Pentax has a lot to offer as well and I don't see jumping ship to Sony as necessarily a better thing. I hear that the price point will be very similar at just $900-999.

Roger Lambert said:

I would wager this camera is going to sell really really well. And primarily at the expense of Nikon's line up.

Click to expand...

Well, I got the first part right , and the second part wrong!.

Two months of sales in Japan - really one full month, and the Sony DSLR has already taken a full 20% share of the market - double what Sony thought they would get in its first year in sales!

And it has come almost entirely at Canon's expense. Likely why the new Canon 400D has its pixil count and dust bunny remover, I would guess.

Wow!

Roger Lambert said:

Well, I got the first part right , and the second part wrong!.

Two months of sales in Japan - really one full month, and the Sony DSLR has already taken a full 20% share of the market - double what Sony thought they would get in its first year in sales!

And it has come almost entirely at Canon's expense. Likely why the new Canon 400D has its pixil count and dust bunny remover, I would guess.

Wow!

Click to expand...

Roger,

Hope this is a trend! The more Sony grows, the faster Canon will wow us. I'm sure we will get much more sooner than Canon planned. Fuji and Olympus better kock each other in the pants and slap their faces to wake up or they will be really insignificent in most camera markets.

I expect a Foveon like sensor and locoregional processing, including optimization for scen types, not just by focus, but by local processing.

Asher