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Last week, reader Tony Bombardo contacted me regarding Sony’s high-end electronic flash unit, the HVL-F56AM. Or should I say former high-end flash unit…as of this writing the HVL-F56AM is missing in action at the Sony Style website. Under flashes and lights, you find the HVL-F36AM and the new HVL-F42AM units, but the F56AM is no where to be found.

So what’s happening with the HVL-F56AM? I know it was listed on Sony Style a couple of days before, because I was ordering some accessories and it was there as big as life. Now it’s gone.

Well, almost gone.. I found that if your order a dSLR, the HVL-F56AM still shows up as an available accessory. I’m not sure if you can actually order the unit, but as of yesterday, if you were buying a camera it was still listed. I also found that if you click on the specs for the F42AM, you can find a sidebar link to the F56AM. That link indicates it is in stock for shipment. The HVL-56AM does not appear in the list under the flashes and lights category.

Sony hasn’t said the HVL-F56AM has been discontinued. So what happened to it? The brand new HVL-F42AM offers most of the features of the HVL-F56AM, and is priced at $299. The HVL-F56AM’s most recent list price was $449.

I don’t have any hard information from Sony, but if I had to guess there are two things going on here. First, the HVL-F42AM offers almost the same features at $150 less. Admittedly, the HVL-F56AM has a guide number of 56, while the HVL-F42AM has a lower guide number of 46. The HVL-F42AM is more or less equal to the HVL-F56AM in most other respects. I suppose that 14 guide units might be worth $150 is some cases, but for most people the HVL-F42AM will appear to a be a better value.

Is the just released HVL-42AM Sony’s current high-end electronic flash?.

The second aspect is that Sony has indicated that there will be a flagship flash unit to accompany the new flagship dSLR. I don’t have specs on the yet to be announced Alpha flagship flash, but I have to believe a electronic flash unit billed s the flagship will have to be superior to all current Sony and Minolta electronic flash units.

At the same time, how much higher could Sony price the flagship flash? It would have to be considerably higher than the HVL-F56AM at $449, otherwise who would buy the HVL-F56AM at the expense of the flagship? On the other hand, if they reduced the ticket on the HVL-F56AM, it would cut into sales of the HVL-F42AM and the HVL-F36AM.

So Sony (apparently) chose to axe the HVL-F56AM. Maybe sales of the more expensive unit were flat. Or maybe Sony needed the production facilities to start building the flagship flash.

Does this mean the flagship will be coming sooner than this fall? Or will the new flash unit be released before flagship dSLR? Since the the upcoming dSLR will be full frame, its possible the new flash will cover a wider angle, since one of the reasons for shooting with a full frame dSLR is the opportunity to shoot with a full complement of wide angle lenses,

Of course, this could be a simple mix-up. Someone at Sony redesigned the web page and happened to leave the F56AM off the main flashes and lights order page. Maybe Sony just had a temporary shortage of HVL-F56AM units and the F56AM will appear on Sony Style in the future.

On the other hand, if I really wanted a HVL-F56AM, I mean I really wanted one, I would start looking around to find a merchant that still has a new HVL-F56AM in stock.

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Sony quickly ended speculation about whether the new 24mp sensor would show up in the yet to be officially named “flagship” dSLR. Soon after Sony announced the full frame sensor, several high-profile Sony doubters expressed their opinion that Sony would never use the sensor in their own cameras, because after all “Sony would never dare to challenge Nikon and Canon in the pro arena.”

Here is what technology site Gizmodo had to say when Sony took the wraps off the new sensor: “Sony isn’t about to pop it in one of its Alpha models, at least not as far as we can tell.” That idea was echoed by several other commentators.

That sound you hear is those same forecasters gnashing their teeth after Sony proclaimed that, yes indeed, the upcoming flagship will be equipped with the big full frame sensor. So much for the theory that Sony is afraid of competing in the professional category.

There is, however a minor mystery. The new full frame sensor is rated at 24.8 megapixels. The flagship, on the other hand, will boast 24.6mp. That unexplained 0.2mp difference has led to some interesting speculation.

Sony Alpha flagship will boast full frame sensor, 24+ megapixels

Some have suggested it is a completely different sensor. Sony however has indicated that the flagship will use the recently announced full frame sensor.

If you’ve been reading Alphatracks for any length of time, you know we have discussed at length the ramifications of installing a full frame sensor with in-body stabilzation.

Could that 0.2mp difference represent the crop factor needed to use the sensor with Super Steady Shot? If so, it isn’t much of a crop. If my math is correct, the sensor would be roughly 99.193548387096774193548387096774 percent of a full frame. That would be something like a 1.008 crop factor. In other words, no crop at all.

Of course Sony hasn’t said the missing 0.2 megapixel is related to the Super Steady Shot. Perhaps there is some other reason Sony trimmed that portion of a mp from the sensor. Since the flagship will use a CMOS sensor, it should be possible to “shut off” any unneeded pixels.

Sony has said the flagship will ship this year. Many observers are suggesting a Photokina timeframe. (September) Sony hasn’t confirmed that — in fact Sony hasn’t said that the dSLR will be known as the A900, although many people have already started calling it that. Sony has firmly said the dSLR will ship in 2008.

To me, it really doesn’t matter where that 0.2mp went. The flagship will be full frame and pack more that 24mp.

All of a sudden those Sony haters have started to get rather quiet.

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Don’t look now, but photos of the Nikon D60 are starting to appear throughout the web. Why should A-Mount shooters care about Nikon’s latest offering? Aside from the fact that the D60 probably will use a Sony built sensor, rumors suggest that the D60 may replace the D40, which has been Nikon’s low end dSLR up until now. Before the introduction of the D40, Nikon lagged behind Canon in sales. Although I haven’t seen total world wide sales figures for dSLRs, shortly after the D40s introduction, Nikon began outselling Canon - at least in the Japanese market. There might have been other factors, but the D40 was a landmark camera for Nikon and undoubtedly helped Nikon regain its strength.

Of course the biggest reason the D40 has sold so well is price. The 6MP D40 carried a list price of $599. This was far less than most dSLRs and gave Nikon a real advantage in the dSLR marketplace,

A worthy competitor to the Sony A200?

If the rumors are accurate, the new Nikon will carry a 10.2mp sensor, making it a true competitor to the brand new Alpha A200. Here is where things get interesting. As I said, many rumor sites are indicating that the D60 will replace the D40. Which begs the question, if the D60 will replace the D40, will Nikon retain the $599 price for their introductory model?

If so, this is significant, because it will mean that the brand new Sony A200 will soon have to face a 10.2MP Nikon that will be priced about $100 less.

Of course the details of Nikon D60 are still cloudy, but it is believed that it will be a 10.2MP dSLR with an anti-dust system and similar internal processing as the upper level Nikons.

Nikon hasn’t acknowledged the price of the D60, but it is awfully hard to raise prices in the world of digital cameras. If the D40 is actually going away, I think both consumers and resellers would start howling if Nikon suddenly raised the list price of their introductory model above the D40’s $599 kit price.

If the D40 remains in the catalog, then Nikon is free to price the D60 however they wish. If the D40 has reached the end of the line, however, the D60 almost has to sell for a similar $599 price.

What does the D60 mean to Sony Alpha Users?

So where does that leave Sony and the Alpha lineup? The A200 has at price of $699. That wasn’t a big problem when facing the D40, which could only muster 6MP. Against a similar 10.2MP model, however, the A200 starts looking overpriced.

Alpha A200’s great advantage: Super Steady Shot

The one great advantage the A200 will continue to enjoy is in-body image stabilization. The D60 can’t match that, so the A200 can be considered a superior camera. In fact, unless Nikon were to offer an image stabilization lens as the kit lens (highly unlikely at $599), D60 users will have buy an expensive IS lens to enjoy the image stabilization Sony users get with all lenses. I’m not an expert on Nikon lenses, but most IS lenses I have seen would cost more than the D60 body.

So Sony probably could justify the higher price tag of the A200 on this single feature alone. Those who realize the value of in-body IS would probably feel it was worth it.

But many of the people moving from basic digital cameras don’t necessarily understand the value of Sony’s Super Steady Shot. (Great system, really dumb name.) For the bulk of first time dSLR users, the pixel count is still the determining factor. While some of the better camera shops may take the time to explain Anti-Shake to prospective users, Sony can’t expect the sales people at the big box stores to steer people into the A200.

So that $100 could be a real liability, unless Sony either drops the price of the A200 or introduces a lesser priced dSLR. If the D60 does list for less than $600, I expect Sony to react quickly.

What is your take?

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Ok, the Sony A200 dSLR hasn’t even started shipping yet, but already the rumor mill is racheting up into a fever pitch. The majority of the rumors are claiming Sony will introduce at least one or perhaps two new dSLRs slotted between the A200 and the A700. The new cameras, which the rumor sites have started identifying as the Alpha A300 and A500 models, are supposedly designed to provide Sony with a full range of dSLRs and offer Alpha-mount users a series of competitive price points.

Of course, Sony hasn’t even told us that the flagship SLR will be called the A900, although most camera pundits are already calling it by that name. They haven’t said that there will be an A300 or an A500 or any camera between the A200 and the A700. Then again, Sony didn’t tell us much about the A700 before it’s release and they certainly didn’t tell us anything about the A200 before the announcement. In this matter, it seems Sony is patterning itself after Apple, Inc. Apple’s Steve Jobs is famous for keeping an extremely tight lid on future products and the Mac rumor sites drive their readers crazy trying to guess what Apple’s next move will be. It isn’t difficult to draw a parallel to Sony’s dSLR camera division, which seems more secretive than the other top-ranked digital SLR camera makers.

What’s next for Sony’s Alpha dSLR lineup?

So the rumors could have at least a grain of truth to them. There are even “leaked” photos of the supposed middle of the road cameras. You can see one set of leaked A300 photos at Photogrqphy Bay. Slash Gear offers the same tilt out, LCD Live View Alpha A300 photos.

Of course, in the days we find ourself in, photos are hardly overwhelming evidence. You can create some very convincing fakes in Photoshop, especially if you mix parts of various existing cameras. In the Apple Inc. rumor scenarios I mentioned, there have always been dozens of very well done, fake images floating around, especially before an upcoming product launch. Even some big name media outlets have published these fake photos as the “real thing,” then they had to swiftly backpedal when the actual Apple announcement was made.

So I am not going to speculate too deeply about the supposed new models, other than to wonder if there is a valid reason for Sony to offer any models between the A200 and the A700.

On the face of it, I don’t understand why Sony would need a fist full of camera models. To my mind, the A200, A700, A900 lineup seems to cover most dSLR users. If anything, I think Sony could use a stripped down dSLR model priced beneath the A200 that would coax more point and shoot users to move into a dSLR. At the same time. however, I am perfectly willing to concede that Sony has their own strategy for the Alpha line and they are more qualified then I am to plan their future dSLR offerings.

Minolta, of course, offered a plethora of models once they started to flesh out the A-mount line. If you check out Mike Hohner’s great Sony/Minolta Auto Focus body list, you will see that Minolta sold models to fit every possible need and price range. Did consumers really demand that many different SLR bodies? Apparently Minolta thought they did.

Details are sketchy, but the supposed leaked images show a camera similar to the A200 with a tilt out LCD screen. The implication is that the new model(s), if they are real and not some Photoshop wizard’s fantasy, will have Live View.

Now remember these are rumors we are talking about here — not confirmed facts. Shortly before the A700 was launched thee were some very respectable camera writers suggesting that the Advanced Amateur dSLR (which was released as the A700) would have 14mp and feature a 1.25 crop sensor. Neither came to pass, the A700 uses a very respectable 12mp, APS-C sensor. But many enthusiasts were disappointed that the camera did not live up to the rumors. If you are going to play the rumor game, you have to accept that fact that some, if not most, of the information will be inaccurate. That’s just the way it is.

Having said that, a lot of Alpha enthusiasts are speculating that Sony will release a new dSLR model priced around $1,000 US — smack in between the A200 and the A700.

Hmm… That places the mystical A300/A500 about $300 or so more than the A200. It could happen…but what exactly could Sony tack on to the A200 to make it worth three hundred more than the A200?

Live View? Maybe that is worth three bills to some people — it certainly isn’t to me. There are a few legitimate uses for Live View, but I would guess I would use Live View for less than 5% of my shooting. Is that worth $300 to you?

The other laughable suggestion is that Sony will equip the fictional $1,000 camera with a larger sensor…maybe the same 12.7MP sensor the A700 uses.

I ask you, if Sony suddenly unleashed a 12mp dSLR priced at a grand (list), what role would the A700 play in the Alpha line up? If you had the chance to buy an A200 style body with the sensor from the A700 at $1,000, would you ante up the extra $500 or so for an A700? Maybe some would, because the A700 is definitely a superior camera. For most users, however, the thousand buck 12mp dSLR would do nicely, effectively cannibalizing sales of the A700.

There are, of course, some limitations to the A200. AFAIK, there is no PC sync port and it doesn’t offer provision to tether the camera to a computer. I could be wrong on both counts, because the Sony A200 press release doesn’t address these issues. But I don’t see evidence of a PC port in the advance photos and the Alpha A100 lacked these features, so I am assuming the replacement will as well.

Would an 10mp A-mount SLR with Live View, PC sync and tethered shooting be worth $300 more than the A200? I’m not sure, but it would definitely be a step in the right direction. What’s your take on the A300/A500 rumors?

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There is intense interest in the yet unnamed and unannounced full frame Sony Alpha (possibly to be called the A900?) among Alphatracks readers. I recently received another e-mail suggesting further ideas regarding the full frame sensor with in-camera image stabilization problem. Or non-problem, depending on which theory you wish to follow.

This time around, Marek Kaszycki weighs in with his analysis of the situation.

Past posts in this series:

• http://alphatracks.com/archives/81
• http://alphatracks.com/archives/82
• http://alphatracks.com/archives/83

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This will be the final post on the Sony Alpha full-frame sensor / anti-shake quandary. The first in the series outlined the full frame with anti-shake problem, while the second consisted principally of remarks by Bert Pasquale, a well-respected optical engineer.

Since several readers are sill somewhat confused, I have created some illustrations to help explain the situation.

Figure one shows the relative sizes of various sensors, They are drawn to the exact size, but since monitors and screen resolutions vary, the sizes may not be correct on your screen. The size of each sensor in relation to each other, however, is accurate.

Figure 1: Sensor sizes compared

The red rectangle represents a “full-frame” 24×36mm sensor. The green rectangle is a 17×2mm APSC sensor. The blue rectangle is 90% of a full frame.

Figure 2 shows the APS-C sensor overlaid on a circle that represents the minimum coverage of a 35mm full-frame lens. As you can see, there is plenty of “wasted coverage” as only the area inside the green rectangle will be captured. It is obvious that the sensor can move freely in any direction and still be covered by the lens.

Figure 2: Coverage of a APS-C sensor by a full-frame lens

Figure 3 is a full frame sensor contained inside the exact same coverage circle. There is no established size for the coverage area, as lenses will vary slightly. The designers only have to create a lens that will offer adequate coverage and sharpness of the 24×36mm film area, and still fit within the lens mount. Of course, the greater the lens coverage, the larger and heavier it will need to be. It will probably be more costly as well, so typically lens designers try to keep near the minimum dimension.

As Mr. Pasquale mentioned, the circle of coverage doesn’t immediately fall off to nothing. Rather, the edge of the circle gradually starts to provide lens light and become less sharp.The fall-off increases slowly until the image eventually fades away.

As you can see from Figure 3, there is little room for the sensor to move without clipping at least one of the corners. Again this will vary from lens to lens, as well as with different focal lengths of a zoom lens.

Figure 3: Coverage of a full-frame sensor by a full-frame lens

Figure 4 is an arbitrary 90% sensor. You can see that such a sensor is much larger than the APS-C size, yet still has room to float inside the coverage area. I chose this because several people “in the know” have suggested they believe this will be Sony’s answer to the problem. However, some other authorities have suggested that Sony may opt for a 1.25 crop sensor.

Figure 4: Coverage of a 1.1 crop sensor by a full-frame lens

On the other hand, Mr. Pasquale has suggested that the sensor may not actually move sufficiently enough to require a “crop” lens of any sort. That would be ideal, but until Sony announces the sensor, we really won’t know.

The final figure is one suggested by Alphatracks readers Warren Massey and LEdgars. In their comments, they suggest Sony could simply build an oversize sensor. As you can see by the rectangular outline in figure 5, such a sensor can move some distance in any direction without clipping. The idea is that the big sensor can move around and the camera can crop to a 24X36mm dimension at exposure. it’s a novel idea — but I not sure we will see it in the near future.

Figure 5: Coverage of a oversize sensor by a full-frame lens

First off, it would be expensive. As sensors increase in physical size, the manufacturing yield is less because typically there are more rejects. Even more significant however, is that an oversize sensor would most likely be confined to the Sony flagship. A full-frame sensor would be attractive to many other dSLR makers and in the past, Sony’s sensor division has profited by selling sensors to a wide range of camera makers. Would Nikon have any interest in an oversize sensor? It’s rather doubtful. Nikon uses a lens based image stabilization method, so there wouldn’t be a need for an oversize sensor.

So if Sony does produce an oversize sensor, their principal customer would be Sony — and for the time being only for the top-of-the -line, limited-production flagship. Would that justify designing and manufacturing an oversize sensor? Or would Sony prefer to invest their resources in a sensor they could sell by the truckload to other camera makers as well as their own dSLR division?

Time will tell, but I’m guessing Sony has a plan up their sleeves. It should be quite interesting!

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Last week, I posted about the alleged difficulty of using a full-frame sensor with the Sony/Minolta anti-shake system. See the post: Can Sony build a true full frame dSLR? I made critical error in my post, when I suggested that the sensor had room to move up and down but not side to side. This is incorrect. The typical 35mm image circle only needs to cover the full-frame sensor from corner to corner, so there would be no room to move the sensor in either direction.

So I was mistaken, but sometimes mistakes can be a positive thing. My error encouraged Bert Pasquale, an optical engineer (and Sony/Minolta SLR user) to write me with his assessment of the full-frame, anti-shake situation. In addition to pointing out my little misconception, he has several innovative ideas on how Sony could deal with the problem.

I asked Mr. Pasquale for permission to reprint his comments and he readily agreed. His remarks follow:

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Bert. This is exciting stuff! In camera, computer controlled gain? Falloff curve corrections. Sensor based warning that the stability could cause vignetting! Wonder how much of this Sony has considered — and more importantly how much they will actually implement in the Alpha flagship camera. Stick around. it looks like things are going to get really interesting. It looks like its a great time to be a Sony A-mount user!

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Can Sony really make a full-frame dSLR? Not will Sony…but CAN Sony really do it?

Some months back, I wrote that I expected the so-called “flagship” Sony Alpha (possibly named the A900?) to carry a full-frame sensor. I still believe that to be true, however I’m hedging my bets a little. It will be “almost” full-frame or “close” to full-frame. It may not be the actual size of a 35mm negative, however, which is the definition of a full-frame dSLR to most photographers.

It isn’t that Sony lacks the technology to build an actual full-frame sensor. Sony has the ability to build just about any sensor they could wish.

Super Steady Shot doesn’t play well with a full frame sensor

The problem is the Super Steady Shot (anti-shake) system. Not that there is anything wrong with SSS itself, the in-body image stabilization is one of the Sony Alpha dSLR’s major advantages. However, one of the Alpha’s other major advantages is that it can use the extensive line of Minolta A-mount autofocus lenses. And thereby hangs a tale.

Twenty-some years ago, when Minolta engineers were designing the original A mount glass, there were no digital SLRs and no anti-shake systems. Thus, there was no reason to design a lens to cover anything other than the standard 35mm film image.

Thus the AF A mount lenses were designed to project a circle that would encompass a 24 X 36mm area at the camera’s film plane. There was no need to cover a larger film plane, because no Minolta SLR offered a larger negative size.

Maxxum 7D and Antishake: no worries

When Konica Minolta engineers developed the Maxxum 7D, they designed an in-body anti-shake system. The system works by moving the camera’s sensor in relation to camera movement. In essence, if there is camera vibration, the sensor stays in one place, despite the lens and body movement. The same system is used in the Maxxum 5D, the Sony Alpha A100 and the Alpha A700. All of these dSLRs use a 17 X 23mm APS-C sensor.

See the problem? If Sony develops a 24 X 36mm full frame sensor, any lens will need to cover an area larger than 36mm — at least when SSS is turned on. If vibration occurs in an up and down motion, there is room for the sensor to move in relation. If, however, the sensor moves to the left or right, it could move outside of the area covered by the lens. Update: I was in error about room for up and down motion. See these remarks by an optical engineer to understand why the image would be clipped in any direction the sensor moves.

This isn’t an issue with the current Sony/Minolta dSLRs, since the smaller APS-C sensor has plenty of room to move in any direction without moving outside of the lens coverage. When you move up to a full frame sensor, however, there isn’t nearly as much breathing room.

Lens coverage varies

Of course lenses vary. Some of the existing Sony/Minolta lenses may offer enough coverage to allow the SSS system to move — but others would probably exhibit some vignetting if the sensor moves too far to the left or right. Who wants to drop a ton of cash on a professional dSLR when many (most?) of the available lenses might display some vignetting?

How will Sony handle the full frame design?

Sony can tackle this problem in a number of ways. The first could be to drop SSS for the flagship model. That makes little sense, since Sony would then have to develop a line of image stabilized lenses. If they are going to develop an entirely new lens line, they might as well design larger coverage lenses and retain the in-body image stabilization.

Neither of these options are very credible, however. As I said, one of the Sony Alpha’s major selling points is that you can use those millions of Minolta A-mount lenses. Start redesigning the lenses and there is far less reason to choose the Alpha over the competition.

The rumor sites are suggesting that Sony could eliminate any vignetting problem by reducing the sensor size. The sensor could still be much larger than the current 1.5 crop sensor, but not exactly the size of a 35mm film negative. The figure bandied about is 1.1 crop. That would indicate a sensor of something like 21.6 X 32.4mm.

I want my super wide angle lens back!

Loosing 3mm on the width and 2.5mm on the height doesn’t seem like a lot — but it will affect the camera’s ability to display the widest angle of view with current lenses. One of the biggest problems with the APS-C sensor is that most of the original A-mount wide angle lenses aren’t very wide any longer. Cropping a 35mm lens to APS-C size yields something equivalent to the “standard” 50mm lens on a full frame camera. A 24mm lens is now closer to a 35mm. Even a 16mm fisheye is will only show what you would see with a 24mm lens on a full frame camera.

So one of the prime reasons for choosing a full frame camera is to make all those Minolta wide angles truly wide again. A 1.1 crop would be much better than a 1.5 crop in this regard — but is it enough? That 16mm would now be equivalent to 17.6. A 35mm would look like a 38.5 lens.

Those differences seem fairly insignificant, but there are times when you need the widest angle of view you can get. I hate to give up even a millimeter when I am working with an extreme wide angle.

There is one other option that Sony could adopt. Create a full frame 24mm X 36mm sensor and allow the camera to use the full sensor only when SSS is turned off. Turning on the image stabilization would automatically turn off the outer ten percent of the sensor. This would give the best of both worlds. When SSS is engaged, the sensor size is reduced so there is no chance of movement causing vignetting. Turn the image stabilization off and you get the entire full frame area and the ability to shoot at your lenses widest field of view.

Taking a page from Nikon’s book?

This isn’t as far fetched as it seems. Until recently, Nikon didn’t have any full frame cameras in it’s line up, and they sold a ton of APS-C type lenses to go with their 1.5 crop dSLRs. With their all new full-frame D3, Nikon users who owned a bag full of 1.5 crop lenses faced a big problem. “Big N” sidestepped the issue of the APS-C lenses not covering the FF sensor with a switch that reduces the sensor to APS-C size when shooting with a 1.5 crop lens.

Sony could do the exact same thing with their offering, simply reducing the sensor to 90% when SSS is turned on. Of course to be truly useful, there would need to be some way of indicating the crop area in the view finder. This would probably be in the form of engraved lines on the ground-glass to show the crop area.

Would this be worth it? I’m not sure it would be worth the trouble and cost — but it would sure be slick.

If you were on the Sony design team, how would you handle this issue?

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With the launch of the new Advanced Amateur model expected this week, everyone in the Minolta A-mount world is holding their breath to see what Sony will finally unleash on the dSLR world. There are all manner of rumors, some which sound plausible, others that are so far-fetched they make Roswell and the UFO “coverup” seem mainstream in comparison,

Will Advanced Amateur dSLR finally get a name?

One thing we do know, the Advanced Amateur model will finally have a name, and it will offer a number of features not available in the A100.

I really like the A100. It is a good, even excellent, dSLR for many applications. All cameras have flaws however, and the A100 suffered somewhat as Sony’s initial foray into the digital SLR market. It inherited some limitations from the Maxxum 5D, and Sony may have erred in some respects in creating their first dSLR entry. One thing is for sure, however. Sony has been paying close attention to the A100 critics. I expect the Alpha AA release — whatever it is finally called — will offer many improvements based on real or imagined problems with the A100.

Here is my guess about which flaws Sony will correct with the new AA model:

How well as Sony been listening?

1: Lack of a vertical grip
Odds Sony will address this flaw: 100%

Easily the most talked about problem with the A100, Sony has shown both future dSLRs (that we know about) with a nicely shaped vertical grip. This was a no brainer. The vast majority of A100 users want a vertical grip, and Sony stands to sell a truck load of the new grips. The new grip will not fit an A100, but Sony shows it has been listening.

2: Noise at higher ISO settings
Odds Sony will address this flaw: 90%

The only reason I gave this a 90% rating is that unlike the vertical grip, we don’t know anything about the picture quality of the new model. Still the A100 has been criticized, perhaps overly so, for producing unacceptable noise at higher ISOs. While the A100 is as good or better than any 10MP dSLR at 100-200 ISO settings, abundant noise starts to creep in at the higher settings. The A100’s upper ISO noise was criticized by many respected journalists. Sony has to have been stung by the critics, some of which may have overstated the problem. I’m guessing that Sony will have addressed the issue big-time, but we won’t know until we see high ISO images from the camera.

3: Lack of a PC Sync Terminal
Odds Sony will address this flaw: 100%

I’ve already discussed the A100’s lack of a PC sync terminal in an earlier post. If the concept mockups we’ve seen are to be believed, Sony has already addressed this issue.

4: No tethered shooting
Odds Sony will address this flaw: ?

I have seen no mention of tethered shooting in any of the rumors I have followed in the last month or so. To me this is a major failing of the A100. You have to believe that Sony will address this. After all Sony is also a computer company, producing laptops and desktops under the Vaio name. How could they fail to offer communication between the camera and the computer. Neither Canon or Nikon manufacture computers, but both offer excellent communication between their dSLRs and computers –both Windows and Macintosh flavors. Yet the Sony community hasn’t been too vocal about this flaw, so maybe Sony has placed it on the back burner. I hope not.

5: Slow flash sync
Odds Sony will address this flaw: 60%

This is another area that hasn’t received too much criticism. Still the A100’s paltry 1/160 second sync speed pales by comparison with many of the A100’s competitors. Not every shooter needs a fast flash sync , but if you shoot action, a sync speed of 1/250 - 1/500 can make a real difference. I think Sony will recognize this.

6: Limited ISO range
Odds Sony will address this flaw: 75%

You can’t look at the concept cameras and tell what the AA’s ISO range will be. I’m guessing, however, that the new camera will exceed the A100’s top ISO of 1600. In order to stand out in the crowded dSLR field, camera makers need selling points to make their models appear better than their rivals. Megapixels is one selling point. High ISO numbers can be another. Even if most users won’t use it very often, I expect Sony would like to advertise an ISO of at least 3200 on the new camera.

7: Slow film advance
Odds Sony will address this flaw: 90%

The A100 offers a continuous 3fps film advance. The new sensor is said to offer as much as 10fps, but I doubt we’ll see that. Most of the rumors are indicating 5 or 5 1/2fps. I think we’ll probably find they are on the money when Sony makes the big announcement,.

8: No Live View
Odds Sony will address this flaw: 75%

Personally, I’m not into Live View. It is nice to have when the camera is mounted on a tripod, but for most of the shooting I do I wouldn’t use Live View even if I had it. So I really don’t get Live View and if the AA SLR doesn’t offer it, I won’t be disappointed. Still, the masses seem to want Live View, especially those moving up from a Point & Shoot camera — most of which offer some sort of Live View capability. My guess is Sony will see this as a marketing opportunity and build some sort of Live View into the AA camera.

9: Lack of wether/dust seals on camera body
Odds Sony will address this flaw: 55%

I’m unsure which way Sony will go on this one. Most serious photographers realize that weather sealing is very important. It is even more of a concern with digital cameras, which are more susceptible to environmental harm then film cameras. Still, this isn’t a big selling point at the big box department stores. I would trade megapixels for better weather sealing any day, but this probably isn’t a concern for the average consumer. Hopefully Sony will learn toward the serious lensmen on this issue, but I’m not sure the demand is great enough.

10: Body feels too much like plastic
Odds Sony will address this flaw: 90%

I’m not convinced this is really a true flaw, but even though the A100 features a magnesium alloy chassis, many commentators insist the A100 has a “plasticity feel” — whatever that means. I think Sony will address the issue, simply because the Advanced Amateur model and the future flagship dSLR appear to share the same basic body. Since Sony has implied that the flagship will be aimed at the pro sector, I’m guessing the body will be professional grade. That mean the AA model will be as well.

So that’s my predictions. Anyone have any others? Comments are always open.

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David Kilpatrick at Photoclub Alpha is suggesting that the A100 is no longer being produced by Sony. He goes on to speculate that Sony may have exhausted the run of sensors used by the original Alpha SLR and couldn’t produce any more even if they desired to.

Is the A100 at the end of it’s life?

Kilpatrick doesn’t end there. He is of the opinion that Sony will introduce some sort of replacement for the A100 along with the forthcoming Advanced Amateur dSLR.

This ties in with two or my earlier posts. First I noted that the A100 was out of stock at the Sony Style website and wondered how Sony could run out of their only dSLR at a time that most would-be buyers were holding off until they saw what Sony would offer next. Secondly I posted about the Sony Alpha test-drive being offered at children’s sports event n certain parts of the USA. It sounds like a great program, but the target market doesn’t seem to match up with that of the future Advanced Amateur dSLR.

In Kilpatrick’s scenario, Sony will off the A100 and introduce a similar replacement, possibly with less features at a lower price point.

All along I wondered why Sony was targeting the upper end of the dSLR market while so much of the action was going on in the starter-SLR segment. I’m happy to see pro and semi-pro Alpha models in the pipeline, but I wondered where Sony’s D40 fighter was.

Reports are circulating that Nikon went from a distant second to a strong first in worldwide SLR sales, supplanting Canon in the number 1 slot. How did they do that? My guess is on the strength of the D40 and D40X models, which are aimed at those just entering the dSLR market. Even the higher-range digital Rebel models couldn’t compete with the D40 on price. It’s an easy sale: I can buy a genuine Nikon dLSR for five hundred bucks.

Sony planning A100 replacement?

Most of the attention on Sony’s new dSLRs has focused on the Advanced Amateur or Flagship pro models. Sony has shown us the mockups, so we know they are coming. If Kilpatrick is right, they have also been quietly at work on a starter SLR model that can offer an upgrade path for those moving up from a point and shoot camera.

You and I probably aren’t the target market for such a camera. If Sony does go this route, they will be aiming at those just getting their feet wet in the world of dSLR photography.

That doesn’t matter. Anything that increases the number of A-mount camera bodies out there is a good thing. It makes Sony more of a viable brand in the dSLR arena and makes the Alpha line more attractive for after-market lens, flash and accessory manufacturers. Even more importantly. it will help establish Sony as major dSLR brand in the minds of the consumers.

For myself, I’m still more interested in seeing what the Advanced Amateur model offers. If Kilpatrick is right, however, it is comforting to think that Sony will be covering all the bases.

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