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Sony cameras have come a long way over the last few years—to the point that they’re competitive with the twin monoliths of Canon and Nikon. The company has accomplished this feat by making gear that’s different from other stuff out there. Until now, that success has been limited to point-and-shoots like the RX100 and the fabulous NEX cameras. Here’s a big, pricey professional flagship to match Sony’s successes at lower price points. More »

Sony’s A99 marks the first time in years that the company has built a full-frame pro rig to compete with the big boys from Canon and Nikon. The hardware impressed when we got our hands on one a month ago, but the proof, as they say, is in the pudding — or in the photos in this case. So, we jumped at the chance to spend some time shooting with an A99 equipped with a 24 -70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T Zoom Lens. Want to know how Sony’s latest and greatest performed? Head on past the break to find out.

Continue reading Sony Alpha A99 DSLR sample shots and video, plus comparison with the RX1 full-frame compact

Filed under: Cameras, Sony

Sony Alpha A99 DSLR sample shots and video, plus comparison with the RX1 full-frame compact originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Sony launched the NEX-VG10 I could not believe how amazing this camera was, sure there were a few drawbacks using this new Handycam, but videos shot with this camera were truly stunning… The NEX-VG20 was a nice update and today VG30 is still pretty nice, but being able to stuck all the bells and whistles of an A99 into a NEX-VG like Handycam is pure Geek pornography! Sony, if you were a woman I will beg you to marry me right now!
So yes you just figured it out but the NEX-VG900 is …

It’s not every day that a digital SLR manufacturer releases a new full-frame camera — in fact, it’s not even every year. Sony’s last top-end model, the A900, was first released four years ago, so you better believe its successor offers an overflowing boatload of enhancements. The Alpha A99 is a flagship if ever there was one, crushing every other Sony still camera in terms of capability, both when it comes to stills, and in the HD video realm as well. With this $2,800 behemoth, the company is targeting both professional photographers and leading filmmakers, with plenty of features that will appeal to both. The centerpiece is an all-new 24.3-megapixel Exmor sensor (nope, it’s not the rumored 36MP chip you might be expecting), which features an increased photodiode area for boosted low light quality (up to ISO 102,400). The camera also features what Sony’s calling the “world’s first dual-AF system,” which includes two different phase-detect AF systems, including the same 19-point system on the A77, plus an additional 102 points on the imager itself.

Video shooters will find 1080/60p and 24p options with AVCHD 2.0, including uncompressed output through HDMI (with simultaneous output to a monitor) and phase-detect focus support in video mode. There’s also a 6 frames-per-second burst mode, 14-bit RAW output for stills, the same 921k-dot Xtra Fine twilt-and-swivel LCD included with the A77 with WhiteMagic and TruBlack, and the same OLED viewfinder found on the A77, NEX-6 and NEX-7, that offers slightly boosted functionality thanks to the full-frame sensor, letting photographers snag a realtime depth-of-field preview without dimming the finder. It also offers a 34-degree viewing angle and color tone adjustment control. Because the A99 offers a translucent mirror, Sony was able to eliminate the pentaprism to keep the size and weight at bay, making the DSLR lighter than the Nikon D800 and Canon 5D Mark III. Jump past the break for our hands-on.

Continue reading Sony reveals the Alpha A99, its first full-frame flagship since 2008’s A900 (hands-on)

Filed under: Cameras

Sony reveals the Alpha A99, its first full-frame flagship since 2008’s A900 (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If the rumors are to be believed, Sony’s A99 camera could be revealed tomorrow, putting an end to all the rumors, speculation and leaked images, and hopefully confirming some of them in the process. The good news is that if the A99 is a camera you’ve been looking forward to, perhaps to provide you with an alternative option to other cameras in its range, or if you’ve bought into the rumors and speculation, then you’re in luck as the folks at Photoprice Canada have managed to get their hands on more photos of what they claim is the A99. While the body does sport the name “A99”, it’s hard to tell if these photos are authentic or if they’re made up in Photoshop, but assuming it is true, it seems that we can expect the camera to feature both headphone and microphone output, a feature that some A99 hopefuls have been looking forward to. In any case we’ll take this with a grain of salt for now, but check back with us tomorrow where hopefully Sony will have announced the A99.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Photos speculated to have been taken by the Sony A99 spotted online, Could this be the Sony A99?,