Alpha Pro centres

[Willy81]

A900 compatibility with A700 accessories????

Gosh, it sure would be nice if the A700 grip and batteries would work on the A900. It adds a lot of cost to buy all accessories for each different system.

--

http://wdcgraphic.com http://curtindale.blogspot.com http://picasaweb.google.com/BillCurtindale photos on these sites shot w/ Sony A700, KM 7D, Sony DSC-R1, Sony DSC-F828

 

[plevyadophy]

A900 compatibility with A700 accessories????

Gosh, it sure would be nice if the A700 grip and batteries would work
on the A900. It adds a lot of cost to buy all accessories for each
different system.

I would guess that it is a dead cert that the grip will be compatible. It would be suicide for Sony to go back to their bad old ways of proprietory this and proprietory that; plus it makes for a nice easy upgrade path for a700 users as well as encouraging peeps to have the a900 as main body and a700 as back up.

Besides, if you look at the size of the a900 it looks pretty much the same as the a700.

 

[Dennis Phillips]

A900 compatibility with A700 accessories????

Gosh, it sure would be nice if the A700 grip and batteries would work
on the A900. It adds a lot of cost to buy all accessories for each
different system.

I would guess that it is a dead cert that the grip will be
compatible. It would be suicide for Sony to go back to their bad old
ways of proprietory this and proprietory that; plus it makes for a
nice easy upgrade path for a700 users as well as encouraging peeps to
have the a900 as main body and a700 as back up.

Besides, if you look at the size of the a900 it looks pretty much the
same as the a700.

At the recent photo show in Toronto, the Sony rep said the A900 grip is different from the A700 grip.

 

[Henry Richardson]

I would guess that it is a dead cert that the grip will be
compatible. It would be suicide for Sony to go back to their bad old
ways of proprietory this and proprietory that; plus it makes for a
nice easy upgrade path for a700 users as well as encouraging peeps to
have the a900 as main body and a700 as back up.

I don't know what Sony will do, but Canon and Nikon generally have different VG models for different bodies.

--
Henry Richardson
http://www.bakubo.com

 

[David Kilpatrick]

A little slow aren't you?; this new development has already been
mentioned/discussed:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1037&message=27882764

But seriously though, its so good to have you reiterate this good
news. Things are looking promising in Alpha land.

Just hope that they manage to support these Centres properly (their
own "hotline" through to Sony, or at least a dedicated Sony guy
dealing with these stores, good stock levels, the entire selection of
Sony cams and accessories available in-store etc etc etc)

That is just about Sony Centres specialising in Alpha.

The Alpha Pro Centre is a display unit designed to hold the Alpha Pro, and shops with this display unit (and all the stock involved - a high commitment) will have an 'Alpha Pro Centre' status.

David

--

Publishing & Editing Photoworld (photoclubalpha.com), dPhotoexpert.com and Master Photo Digital - currently writing tests for f2 and the BJP

 

[plevyadophy]

A little slow aren't you?; this new development has already been
mentioned/discussed:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1037&message=27882764

But seriously though, its so good to have you reiterate this good
news. Things are looking promising in Alpha land.

Just hope that they manage to support these Centres properly (their
own "hotline" through to Sony, or at least a dedicated Sony guy
dealing with these stores, good stock levels, the entire selection of
Sony cams and accessories available in-store etc etc etc)

That is just about Sony Centres specialising in Alpha.

The Alpha Pro Centre is a display unit designed to hold the Alpha
Pro, and shops with this display unit (and all the stock involved - a
high commitment) will have an 'Alpha Pro Centre' status.

David

Gosh!!

I didn't realise it was an additional sales stream/method from that in the other thread. Cool!! Looks like Sony ain't messing around.

Now the question is gonna be, are they also gonna go knock on the doors of the large cam hire companies (e.g. Calumet), and supply them with kit too. If they do, then, as far as the UK is concerned, pros won't have to be too concerned about support and availability of alpha system kit.

Up until a few months ago you couldn't get Olympus gear for hire, then just after a launch Demo Day of the E-3 at Calument's Drummond Street branch the E-3 became available for hire. Not sure if they have a full compliment of Olympus lenses too for hire, but given that it is a hire centre aimed at top pros I would imagine so. Lets just hope Sony follows suit.

 

[Marco Cinnirella]

Can you share any info about approx UK pricing for the new Alpha Pro ?
--
'...and the meek shall inherit the earth...' (Peart)

 

[John Sparks]

Sony apparently has some concept of this in the US. I was at Mike's Camera in Denver a couple of months ago (I don't live in Denver, but it's not too far away) and the salesman was telling me that they were signed up with Sony for what sounded like these "Sony Centres" (I can't remember what it is called in the US, but it did have a name). They were committed to having a complete set of demo equipment, basicly everything that Sony made in the Alpha range. They had all the Zeiss and G lenses that were available at the time. The program was just getting started (they said they had negotiated it with Sony during PMA). Some of the lenses had just come in that week and more were coming. They had a more complete set of Sony stuff than Canon or Nikon even without all the pieces being there yet. They did say that many of the items would be special order, but having it all in one place to handle and try out seems like a really good thing.

It sounded like Sony was trying to set these stores up regionally, but fairly exclusively. So not too many stores like this, but scattered strategically across the country. I just found out that Mike's was set up like this by chance (although Mike's is probably the biggest camera dealer in the state that is not a national chain). I would guess at some point when everything is set up, maybe with the release of the flagship, there will be some advertising that locates these special stores.

 

[David Kilpatrick]

Now the question is gonna be, are they also gonna go knock on the
doors of the large cam hire companies (e.g. Calumet), and supply them
with kit too. If they do, then, as far as the UK is concerned, pros
won't have to be too concerned about support and availability of
alpha system kit.

Tim Haskell at Calumet has an excellent relationship with Sony, as the manager of their high-end video division. When the Alpha 100 appeared, he put an insert into Photoworld magazine to promote it. Last week, this promotion started from Calumet UK:

http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/store/sonyandtenba/?t=ukenews052008&a=EWAYUK

Free Tenba bags (as it happens, my preferred brand - I use two Tenbas I have now had for over two decades and they still look new).

Calumet will probably start stocking Sony hire kit when the Pro body arrives. Other targets for Sony sales include getting back into Jigsaw's catalogue alongside Canon and Nikon - Jigsaw is competing with Calumet on sales (not service) in the pro still/video/audio fields.

David

--

Publishing & Editing Photoworld (photoclubalpha.com), dPhotoexpert.com and Master Photo Digital - currently writing tests for f2 and the BJP

 

[David Kilpatrick]

Can you share any info about approx UK pricing for the new Alpha Pro ?

No, but I think the RRP will be higher than most people have suggested here. The $3000 price would indicate a £1995 RRP inc VAT, but I suspect it will actually be £2295 or £2495. Another hint from Europe, of €3500-4000 body price, could even mean a £2995 RRP.

That's very different from the £1500 RRP some have suggested MUST be likely.

You have to consider this in the light of Nikon's D3 experience. It's almost impossible to get one in a hurry, and most suitable full frame lenses are on back order. My son Richard, who is launching himself into photo-reporting and PR commissions, sees no problem in committing £6000 in credit to equip with D3, 2-3 lenses and flash. A body price around £2500-3000 is no deterrent - it's amazing how many Alamy professional contributors have just done the same (the D3 is now the most popular new camera for stock photojournalism and travel), and with our pro magazine Master Photo Digital, the same goes. Richard has been attending events and reporting on them, and the D3 kit gets plenty of attention from existing Canon sys users. Many are going back to having dual systems, or even switching. The high-end lenses (especially the 14-24mm) have a big influence, because they have trouble finding anything which performs as well from Canon (many use Sigma instead). I can see the same thing happening with the Alpha Pro and 24-70mm and whatever the Sony ultrawide zoom will be - 16-35mm f2.8 or otherwise - and the 70-300mm SSM.

With the market apparently willing to pay £2000+ for full frame bodies, I doubt that Sony will go into it much below.

However, the A350 is an interesting case. It could have been £100, maybe even £200 more expensive because of the 14 megapixel benefit. They undercut the market. Canon has done the same with the 40D in the UK, selling for exactly the same price as the launch price of the 450D, and actually costing UK buyers less than US buyers - amazing. This is clearly a strategic pricing designed to hurt the Nikon D300 and Sony A700. It is possible Sony could manage a similar undercutting move for full frame.

If they do, I will be delighted, and slightly less hammered in the bank account when the new camera arrives FAR TOO SOON - I was hoping for a year to recover from buying the A700, A200 and A350.

David
--

Publishing & Editing Photoworld (photoclubalpha.com), dPhotoexpert.com and Master Photo Digital - currently writing tests for f2 and the BJP

 

[braeside]

David, Got my 70-300G yesterday (from HK). Excellent results with it, as good as my White 80-200 HS G at equivalent apertures and the AF spot on. Took some Waterski pics yesterday and they were the best results I have had with any telephoto zoom lens. Sharp wide open at 300mm.

It is a big beast though, large diameter and very long when zoomed in with menacing hood. Zoom ring on front takes a bit of getting used to.

Beats any other xx-300mm zoom I have tried, Big Beercan, Sigma APO DG and at 200mm is as sharp as the 80-200G at F5.6. No sign of purple fringing on highlights like water spray droplets in sunshine.
I believe Sony has a winner here.
--
David

 

[mpattenden]

David,

Although I've been browsing the forums for well over a year - I've never really posted until today. But I felt I must....I've been searching for a long time to upgrade my old minolta 70-210 AF (not the beer can) and had been looking at the 100-300mm F4 EX Sigma until I heard the 70-300 G lens was coming...I'd made up mind I would wait for this but have been impatient and driving my wife mad!

Last night I saw your post...so first thing this morning I rang LCE in Colchester and reserved one then drove the 250 mile round trip to fetch it!!!

So a big thanks for the tip off - hopefully there will be some good weather this Bank Holiday and I'll get some good shots as weather permitting I'll be experimenting.

The few shots I tested outside the shop were very sharp and the colours good - but I was just lazy and used the pre-set modes on my A100....proper testing to come. But initially very happy, SSM makes it very quiet and focusing is pretty quick.

Paddy

 

[PhotoTraveler]

I've asked and what I got was the owners just don't want to stock Sony stuff. I asked back when the A100 came out how it was selling and they commented on how it was selling well. Same when I asked about A700. So for them, the Sony gear sells, but they don't keep much of anything in the store. The owners don't want to stock any of the better gear.

I think it comes down to the classic situation where they would much rather just push Nikon and Canon who they carry everything for.

Now if Sony approached them, and got on the right path, I think things could change.

I think for now they have acted like many stores and used the Sony change over as an excuse to dump a mount and focus more on Canon and Nikon.

 

[PhotoTraveler]

While early on it looked like they would/could be the same over time it has become clear they won't be.

Don't know why you bring up proprietary stuff. All grips are. And other brands are terrible about grip interchangeability.

Sony might be the only brand to ever have 1 grip work on 3 DSLR models and definitely the only one to have 1 grip that works on 3 concurrent models.

Sony has been very good with the system. They use CF on all models, when Nikon and Canon use a mix of CF and SD depending on the model. Only brand to use the same battery in every model.

Sony is as interchangable and consumer friendly as you can get right now compared to the others.

 

[David Kilpatrick]

David, Got my 70-300G yesterday (from HK). Excellent results with it,
as good as my White 80-200 HS G at equivalent apertures and the AF
spot on. Took some Waterski pics yesterday and they were the best
results I have had with any telephoto zoom lens. Sharp wide open at
300mm.
It is a big beast though, large diameter and very long when zoomed in
with menacing hood. Zoom ring on front takes a bit of getting used
to.
Beats any other xx-300mm zoom I have tried, Big Beercan, Sigma APO DG
and at 200mm is as sharp as the 80-200G at F5.6. No sign of purple
fringing on highlights like water spray droplets in sunshine.
I believe Sony has a winner here.

Mine will not arrive till after Monday. Good to hear this, I trust your opinion as I know you are an 'aware' photographer, having used your pix and articles.

This means I can sell my 100-300mm, 70-210mm and 35-200mm without any worry when the 70-300mm arrives.

David

--

Publishing & Editing Photoworld (photoclubalpha.com), dPhotoexpert.com and Master Photo Digital - currently writing tests for f2 and the BJP

 

[PhotoTraveler]

Don't sell the 70-210. Put it in a shadow box on the wall for the memories.

I keep thinking of selling my 100-300. But the 70-300 weighs a lot more.

I think the 100-300 is still the winner in the backpackable area.

 

[cyainparadise]

I don't know why you think that early on the VG for the A700 and A900 would be the same. When the mock-ups were shown at last years PMA, I pointed out that the VG used on both were the same one, except that the one on the Flagship had to be 'shimmed' to fit the body. It was obvious to me that the distance from the centerline of the lens to the centerline of the VG was different, with the Flagship having a greater distance and there was a lip on the inside edge where the camera sat on the VG.

 

[PhotoTraveler]

Because as I stood by them I had a sony rep pointing out how they were the same grip for both models. That kinda makes you think they are the same.

Also it's much easier to study photos after the fact and see minor differences in size. In person the bodies looked very similar with the A900 largely just having a different view finder, and being a bit taller at the bottom. The small things you notice after comparing from pictures for a while don't stand out in person.

 

[Cavalcade Roger]

--David, you mentioned a good relationship at Calumet with Sony's video rep. in an earlier reply on this thread.

Are the Sony video reps also the Alpha reps? Does Alpha Centre mean Alpha reps only? What do you know. What do you think?

 

[braeside]

This means I can sell my 100-300mm, 70-210mm and 35-200mm without any
worry when the 70-300mm arrives.

I have never used the 100-300mm David, but have used the beercan and big beercan. I sold the beercan a while ago but will hang on to the big one for the film 5, which of course will not take the SSM.

Well, I'm delighted with the lens, dull day but managed to get this closeup of a pair of Goldfinches at 300mm f/8 1/80s ISO 320 HANDHELD with SSS.

Extreme crop:



100% here: http://www.pbase.com/braeside/image/97541636/original
--
David