Sony Full Frame Coming in October?

48 Comments

1. I’ve wanted a FF body for over 10 years but the large camera bodies and $2,500+ price tags have kept them out of my hands. My fingers are crossed that Sony gets this right.

2. RX2 $3295 E-mount w/ 50mm 1.8, tilt screen, wifi, no built-in vf.
   Just add E lenses.

3. Currently shooting Canon FF + APS-C and Fuji X but if Sony does unveil a FF mirrorless, I’m all in. I think the Fuji’s would have to go.

4. Do you really think a full frame NEX would be higher quality than the Sony RX1R if you don’t consider the interchangeable lenses? I have been using a Sony RX1R since it was released and haven’t had anything else I own even out of the bag (Phase One med. format back, Nikon D800e and Leica M9). The quality of my RX1R is astounding and it’s fun to shoot and I haven’t been able to put it down! (However I may sell my M9 and get the NEX for my Leica lenses to supplement my RX1R if the NEX is as good as the RX1R).

5. If these features are included in the FF NEX, my camera bag is going through some serious changes:

   1. IBIS, preferably 5-axis. Main feature that has made me choose Olympus E-M5 over my Canon 5D mark II in most photographing occasions during last year. Because of this I’ve been able to capture some nighttime candid shots that would have been impossible without one, since I seldom carry tripod with me for “just in case”.
   2. Will accept 3rd party glass (M-mount, Konica AR-mount, EF-mount) without serious corner shading or other problems.
   3. No anti-aliasing filter. With current technology moiré is seldom a problem anyways, so I want to harvest all the resolution available by the sensor.
   4. Small enough form factor. This should not be a problem, considering it’s a NEX after all.
   5. Decent EVF. Almost certainly will be, because recent Sony EVF’s have been good enough.

6. I see this camera as being most popular with the premium lens adapter crowd, at least for a year or two while Sony comes up with better lenses. That will be it’s main appeal, finally matching a near universal mount with a full frame sensor.

   So actually if it turns out to be good I see it more as an opponent to the Leica cameras (assuming it’s at least half the M240’s price) than it is to the M4/3 alliance. If Pentax never comes out with full frame I’m looking forward to the fact that I can buy one of these eventually and use my FA Limiteds on it.

7. (One of) Full frame’s appeal is the huge SLR viewfinder.
   A Sony with a full frame sensor will only have a video viewfinder.

8. Like the idea but I hope it large enough to hold it firmly in your hands and not between your thumb and forefinger. Besides it going on two years now and I’m still learning how to use my Fuji X100. Wow am I slow or what….:-) Thanks for the update.

9. Its been fun reading all of the comments concerning this huge, massive, jaw dropping and not to forget bewildering new announcement. Come on everyone, its a camera! if you look at all of the uber successful photographers out there they are more concerned about the light than what kind of camera they are using. Will this new Sony be great, sure! Will it make you take better more emotionally griping pictures? NO! To do that, you just have to go out and shoot. I am a convert, Nikon (big D4 and Big glass) to Leica. Has it inspired me, yep! But not because it takes better pictures. Because of its simplicity, its ability to make me think. Did I buy it because I wanted it, YEP! Just like many of you will by the FF Sony because you “want it”.
   At the end of the day when you take that one photography that just speaks to everyone, no one is going to ask about what camera you used. Go out and have fun shooting everyone.

10. Won’t be cheap, but WILL be good. I can see a lot of shooters consolidating into this one tidy system.

11. I had NEX cameras, and just sold them and replaced them with the RX1R. I love this camera. Steve, you were exactly right in your comments about the RX1. The handling of the NEX cameras was never quite right for me, and the same for lens choices. So if this new camera is NEX type, it really won’t be tempting to me. The RX1R is exactly what I like in terms of size, weight, handling and image quality. It seems that without a built in lens, the size has to be bigger than I want for this type of camera. I decided to go with the EM1 for a smaller, interchangeable lens system. Paired with the RX1R, its exactly right for me for travel, etc.

    I also have the A99 and a set of Sony Zeiss and Leica R primes, so I am more interested in what Sony will do in regards to a new approach in Alpha mount lens bodies, which I understand is on the way, also. I would also be interested in new RX type cameras.

12. I’d be more excited if Canon, Nikon or Fuji were announcing this next month

13. There is also the rumor that this camera will “make Cannon and Nikon” people very happy. Is it possible that it can have a hybrid mount, with a movable sensor….could it not use any lens it wanted and work correctly with flange distances and such?

14. A full frame NEX-9 (or alpha-9000 with E-mount) with PD-AF would be quite tempting:
    – potentially fully compatible with Leica M lenses and others with the right adapter
    – potentially fully compatible with A-mount lenses, with adapter (in crop mode when required)
    – and of course fully compatible with e-mount lenses (again, in crop mode when required)

    A bit what Olympus achieved with the E-M1, but with the added bonus of the 24×36 sensor.

    Sony needs to work on its lenses, though, both in the A and E mounts. I currently have full Nikon DSLR kit next to my Leica M (and Nikon V1) and I’d need some serious incentives to switch to Sony.

15. a99 will be going up for sale i think!

16. -If it includes an OVF(with or without an EVF), then it very well could be a statement piece. Reports are saying it will not have a hybrid VF. Meaning its EVF only(like anyone doubted that). So right off the bat, it’s out of the running as a ‘statement piece’.

    -If it is E-mount instead of Alpha mount, it will be pointless imo. It doesn’t matter how awesome the body is, if it doesn’t have awesome lenses, it’s a non-starter. E-mount lenses are not awesome. Fail.

    Example: Here’s feedback from someone who has already handled the bodies:

    “He didn’t like the lenses. The zooms are to big and the primes not fast enough. The NEX-FF camera will appeal pro photographer but Sony didn’t make the right lenses yet (so he says). ”

    NON. STARTER.

    • I would expect the Zooms to be big….its a FF…..still it sounds like your quote is 3rd hand…”so he says”…. I think I’ll wait and see for myself….and frankly…I use the EVF on my XPro1 about twice as much as the OVF……and as it seems from Olympus (which shares Tech with Sony thanks to Sonys investment) that there is some interesting stuff going on with EVFs…. The one on the E-m1 sounds amazing….

17. No one has mentioned the most important consideration on the Sony Full Frame NEX camera… The moveable sensor. If I can mount M glass (or any manual focus lens) and have it “auto focus” by the sensor itself moving then this has sold me on it for sure. Imagine a full frame camera with a 50mm f/1.4 Summilux ASPH which auto focus ability… or a classic lens like the 40mm Summicron C. Really, really, cool. I hope they leave off the AA filters and all of that, I can correct moire in post, give me all the sharpness I can handle 🙂

    • Sensor-Shift AF will most propably not be a feature of the FF NEX bodies. Instead I expect that for the larger ILCE models.

    • Sensor shift AF would considerably thicken the body ~ especially if it were to work with a wide range of focal lengths and be able to focus close. It would also add complexity and cost to the camera – why remove flipping mirrors from cameras only to add an equally complex moving sensor and shutter assembly?

      Sony don’t make manual focus lenses – so why would they want to add moving sensor AF anyway? It would only be useful for autofocusing manual focus lenses.which would only encourage people to use third party lenses. I’m pretty sure Sony want you to buy glass from them, not Leica.

      Might make sense in some kind of mirrorless for A mount lenses – leave the lens extended and there would be enough room to move the sensor closer to focus further away. A mount lenses are not designed for CDAF and this might solve that problem. Seems pretty unlikely though. You’d never have a thick enough body to focus longer focal length lenses.

      If they, as some rumors say, introduce 5 axis IBIS (like Olympus’) I suppose they could use that to make a final very fine adjustment to the AF for added preciscion. That would make sense – but it isn’t fully fledged sensor shift AF.

      .

18. E-Mount flange distance is a very slim 18mm which is even smaller than M4/3, the Leica M system flange distance is a substantial 27.8mm. This is useful in terms of being able to use adaptors and accept all kinds of full frame lenses on the Full frame Nex, but it’s got to be a bit of an engineering feat for Sony to make wide native FE-Mount lenses work with edge to edge sharpness. The RX-1 has a lot of custom micro lenses to fix this issue, but then that compromises the adapted lenses.
    Lets see what they can pull out of the bag, I’m guessing a lot of software lens correcting based on specific profiles.

19. Sony alpha with: 1)FF sensor 2)canon SL1/eos100d size more or less 3) EVF 4)direct buttons for exp compensation, WB,ISO. Then I would be able to use the sigma 35/1.4 art 😉

20. If this thing is good enough my Fuji system will be out the door. Ill have my Nikon gear for all my fast AF needs and ill use this and my M9 for everything else and share lenses between the two. If M mount lenses can’t be used on it there’s no chance I’m buying it though.

21. As an NEX user who just ordered the new 16-70 Zeiss zoom lens, I am glad to hear it. It means 1)Sony is really committed to the NEX system 2)I will finally have a camera that uses real controls instead of those damn menus. 3)I can use my existing NEX lenses and then upgrade to FF lenses as they come available. 4)I might even splurge on some Leica glass if it works. The only thing that puzzles me is – why hasn’t Leica already produced such a camera?

22. Again, what does this portend for the future of M4/3s…?

    Olympus’ thunder with the new OM-D EM-1 may well be stolen if and when Sony announce these FF offerings.

    • Don’t be so quick to write m4/3’s eulogy. We won’t know until its announced, but these two are marketed and sold to different crowds. Full frame NEX is going to be both expensive and require larger and/or slower glass. The first Zeiss is going to be a 35mm f/2.8. E-M1 is going to be $1400, $2400 with 2.8 glass. The FF NEX’s body only price might be a few hundred more. It may or may not have IBIS, it most certainly won’t be weather sealed. It might have the horribly designed NEX menus. It probably won’t have touch screen. It may or may not have a tilt screen. The target user for the NEX might not even buy any native FF NEX glass, it seems like a good majority are praying for good Leica M performance and re more interested in adapting old glass. I’m not camera manufacturer but I would imagine that its similar to the video game console market where the actual console (camera) has little to no profit margin but they aim to recoup and make more from the sales of games and accessories (lenses and accessories). If not enough people buy native glass and spend more on $10-20 made in China adapters for their old legacy glass, I don’t imagine the long term viability being there.

      Point is they are aimed at different users.

23. Mirrorless fullframe with better resolution, larger dynamic range, higher ISO performance, image stabilization, highres EVF that allows to move live view focus magnification, serious video implementation, snesor-PDAF, less size and weight than Leica’s M for less than half of it’s price. Not many reasons left to wait for a Leica M 240…

    Waiting for the better M: http://3d-kraft.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=143&catid=40&Itemid=2

24. Good news, but I do not hold my breath that the first incarnation will get all the main points nailed (I do not expect a dude of a camera either).

    It is indeed a good idea to be realistic about the price (about 3000 € I guess) and we all should prepare for the bashing the camera will get from FX DSLR crowed for price, lack of lenses and speed 😀

    I am pondering the M1 right now …

25. Sold the Typ 240 in favor of the Monochrom, but this sounds like a great solution for color. Kinda hoping the phigment tech adapter works on full frame though, would really like to pair M mount lenses with the FF NEX. Works great on the 5N (6-bit code read for EXIF and fixes why I moved away from the 5N for manual – when you move the focus on the lens it automagically magnifies the screen ( https://www.phigmenttech.ca/lmnex/ )

    Wonder if Sony will add in the cropped lens mode. I think the video camera has that ability and it would make sense to have just the sweet spot of the sensor usable by existing lenses without the larger image/wasted size.

    • Is this adapter real – i was always dreaming of something like this?
      The website looks a bit weird, without imprint or post address, and I wonder why I have never read about it before…

      Would be cool if someone could clarify this.

      • Yup, it’s for real.

        Right now we’re still a small company, so we’re still learning about all the fun aspects of marketing, and web design isn’t our forte. Sorry for the lack of contact info. We are located in Canada, and we do have a postal address, but I’m not sure that would be of much help to you unless you have to sends us something 😉

        I’m anticipating the FF cameras as well and once I have the means I will definitely be looking in to making a FW update if it isn’t supported out of the box.

        Cheers,
        Paul

26. Here are my concerns:
    1. How will the chip handle wide angle striking angles in the corner?
    2. Lens coding to reach optimum exposure/compensation etc.
    As long M240 price is at $6900, the new Sony price will be relatively “cheaper”. $4k is OK. $3k is even better. If it is $2k, I’ll buy two.

27. I think M9 will hold its value if the price go over 4K. But still hope for the best. Sony is bold and brave to try new concept, have to give them credit for it.

28. A sales guy told me on the weekend that this is indeed coming, but he also said not to expect too much for the first version. And it’s going to be pricey as hell!!

29. Disappointing news in a way to all of us who ordered E-M1’s!

    • If true, I expect this to be 2X-3X the cost of the E-M1 and probably focus slower. No one knows anything yet but it has been rumored for a year or more.

      • I think that is a solid prediction, steve …sounds exciting anyway..but I will hang tight with my Oly’s and gigunda 5dIII and lenses like the Sigma 35mm & Canon 85L …you love that,too.
        So….if you can put your M glass on a Sony sensor like the RX1, do you think that that camera might surpass the Leica M 240???????…had to ask!

    • Don’t really see why it would be because its such a different product. If you wanted FF, and/or the ability to use M-mount glass then why buy a m4/3 camera in the first place ? E-M1 looks great for a reasonable price and has a nice range of glass and can produce nice images but it is what it is, and that is something quite different than a FF interchangeable lens mirrorless.

      As an analogy, it would be like buying a nice affordable compact sedan with great mileage and then being disappointed when another brand announces a high end luxury SUV that gets 10 mpg. Such different cars that it wouldn’t be an issue of the compact buyer even considering a SUV.

      Now maybe if you just bought a NEX7 and a bunch of E-mount glass I could see some disappointment…..

    • I spent my last holidays in Ireland.
      Because i took a Ryanair flight, i had to be lightly equipped.
      Well, in a small bag(aprox. 7″), i fit my E-m5, spare battery and lenses to cover a 28-350 range.
      Clearly, with a FF camera(even a mirrorless) you cannot do that.
      And surely FF sensor give you advantages, but ho much visible can be against a E-m5 with 45 1.8?

30. Full Frame Foveon sensor.
    Fuji’s Hybrid viewfinder.
    Leica’s design.
    E-m1 build quality.
    Olympus Jpeg engine.
    Zuiko and Zeiss lenses.

31. sonyalpha rumors says it’s a larger Nex7 form factor. Nex7 form factor is FINE, but I do hope it comes with a standard Sony interface, rather than the Nex interface.

    I’m 500% comfortable with the Nex interface at this point, but to get camera snobs to take it “seriously”, if Sony cares, they need a very basic looking interface from 1995. 🙂

32. I just sold my XE1 with 3 lens and Nex 7 with all its lens just to make a pre-order for this one. Can’t wait.

33. This is the best kind of news and we heard it on Steve Huff Photo first! As much as I love my Fuji X100S, if Sony comes out with a full-frame NEX that has an amazing EVF (I still love Fuji’s hybrid, though) and a hotshoe for speedlights and triggers, this will lay down the gauntlet for Fuji, Nikon, and Canon. Bring it on Sony!

34. RX form factor please, not NEX form factor, TYVM.

    • +1000

      • -2000. You guys aren’t wrong, but that’s not what I want. I sold my RX1 and went back to my NEX7 because I couldn’t take the point and shoot ergonomics of the RX1. To each their own.

        • From what I am reading, Josh…looks like it is going YOUR way!!!!!!!

    • I’d love that too. What Sony could do though is following:

      – FF NEX with existing mount, cheaper
      – FF RX with leaf shutter in the lenses (something like C(F) lenses for Hasselblad V series), top of the range model, lego type (mix and match viewfinders for example apart from lenses). and introduce it with 27-50-90 large aperture lenses at start and make it photographer’s tool -> aperture ring on the lens, shutter speed dial and exposure compensation dial -> all settings done without turning the camera on

      I’d by the second one straight away, this is why I bought X-Pro1, great lenses at start and great haptics

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