What should the crew check at Photokina?

[tommiejeep]

I was expecting an epic Photokina this year but so far things turned out pretty lame camera wise

I agree, pretty boring.  Works for me ( ), I would like to take a couple of trips this year and early next so no GAS.  Size, weight and cost are considerations with the 105 1.4 but that one is exciting. Will buy at some point.  A fast 135mm must be out there some where in the future and of course there is still a Df2 possible next year.  Might give the Samyang a try.

[Erik Lund]

Well I'm excited to go and see all the new stuff at Nikon 

Just see the booth and what they have decided to set up is going to be great fun! Looking forward 

[Jan Anne]

I agree, pretty boring.  Works for me ( ), I would like to take a couple of trips this year and early next so no GAS.

Same here 

Please be aware that Sony is known to announce big things between the big photography fairs to get full media exposure so the a7(R)III or a9 might still be announced in a few months. The a99II is a nice teaser of which specs are coming to the mirrorless lineup (like 42MP at 12fps instead of the 5).

[Frank Fremerey]

First thing for me is Leica's Photo exhibition.

[tommiejeep]

Same here 

Please be aware that Sony is known to announce big things between the big photography fairs to get full media exposure so the a7(R)III or a9 might still be announced in a few months. The a99II is a nice teaser of which specs are coming to the mirrorless lineup (like 42MP at 12fps instead of the 5).

JA, thanks for the heads up  ....but after 10 months of shooting the a7II I am just not as comfortable with the UI, probably just too old, as I am with my Nikons or even the EM-1.   I will obviously watch Sony.  At the moment the a7II and Df are most often used for fun but the D750, Df and D3s get used when I really need to get the shot.    I plan on shooting even more active events this year.  For trips I will take the a7II, fewer lenses, and continue to take the Df and a couple of lenses.  Funny ,  there has been a glut of used a7XX for sale , locally, recently.  Some of that may be the problems with getting lenses here.
All the best .  Any air rifle events on your schedule?
Tom
ps the slow write speeds and delays associated with taking shots are a pain 

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Alpha99 Mk II...it is surprising that Sony STILL appears to continue its DSLR-style line.   

It would appear that Sony thinks SLT has its own advantages, with the dedicated AF sensor which produces continuous data without "dead time" because of either mirror blackout (as in a DSLR) or a need to stop collecting main image sensor embedded PDAF data during the exposure (I assume there is some dead time here as well). The camera's computer gets continuous data regarding the phase difference and can adjust focus on the lens accordingly. I don't know how well the system works (as the EVF puts me off) but it has some theoretical advantages. Sony has some users who have A mount lenses and occasionally they put out new products in the lineup as well. The A99 II seems very well specified and if the buffer is sizeable enough, it could be a successful action camera.

The fact that the semitransparent mirror in an SLT camera isn't moving gives stability to the AF sensor data (I assume it can be quite challenging to stabilize the mirrors quickly after exposure has been taken, before solid AF data can be again read from the dedicated PDAF sensor in a DSLR. In principle there should be less jitter in the focus in the Sony system, at least when coupled with lenses that have ultrasonic motors (A mount lens line still has a lot of lenses that are focused by the motor in the camera body, which is a less precise method of controlling focus). If they have modern motors and AF sensor technology, then it becomes a matter of devising the best algorithms to optimize the system so that the dedicated PDAF and main sensor phase and contrast data are combined to get optimal focus in various situations.

42MP at 8fps is quite impressive (with viewfinder); the 12 fps is AFAIK without live viewfinder image, thus limited to special situations where reframing is not necessary during the sequence. 4K full sensor readout is also impressive in a full frame camera. It is interesting to see if this picks up users. I'm happy to see different technologies compete with each other for specialist applications.

[bjornthun]

It would appear that Sony thinks SLT has its own advantages, with the dedicated AF sensor which produces continuous data without "dead time" because of either mirror blackout (as in a DSLR) or a need to stop collecting main image sensor embedded PDAF data during the exposure (I assume there is some dead time here as well). The camera's computer gets continuous data regarding the phase difference and can adjust focus on the lens accordingly. I don't know how well the system works (as the EVF puts me off) but it has some theoretical advantages. Sony has some users who have A mount lenses and occasionally they put out new products in the lineup as well. The A99 II seems very well specified and if the buffer is sizeable enough, it could be a successful action camera.

The fact that the semitransparent mirror in an SLT camera isn't moving gives stability to the AF sensor data (I assume it can be quite challenging to stabilize the mirrors quickly after exposure has been taken, before solid AF data can be again read from the dedicated PDAF sensor in a DSLR. In principle there should be less jitter in the focus in the Sony system, at least when coupled with lenses that have ultrasonic motors (A mount lens line still has a lot of lenses that are focused by the motor in the camera body, which is a less precise method of controlling focus). If they have modern motors and AF sensor technology, then it becomes a matter of devising the best algorithms to optimize the system so that the dedicated PDAF and main sensor phase and contrast data are combined to get optimal focus in various situations.

42MP at 8fps is quite impressive (with viewfinder); the 12 fps is AFAIK without live viewfinder image, thus limited to special situations where reframing is not necessary during the sequence. 4K full sensor readout is also impressive in a full frame camera. It is interesting to see if this picks up users. I'm happy to see different technologies compete with each other for specialist applications.

Could a fixed mirror also improve the situation regarding fine tune of the AF on a DSLR? I suppose it could, since there would be less "jitter" as you say. I think the hybrid AF system could be especially good for very high resolution cameras 36/42/50mp and greater on full frame.

I think it's good that Sony keeps updating the native A mount cameras, as it is a great service to those invested in Sony/Minolta A mount lenses.

[Akira]

To me, the SLT system seems rather to be a temporary system.  Putting an oblique half mirror in the light path is not a good idea.

I see the brighter future in Canon's system using the dual pixel technology.  Right now, the sensor is obscured by the mechanical shutter which interrupts the continuous tracking of the subject, and the electronic shutter comes with the jello effect.  But Canon already established their own global shutter technology which will be combined with the dual-pixel technology sooner or later.

[bjornthun]

To me, the SLT system seems rather to be a temporary system.  Putting an oblique half mirror in the light path is not a good idea.

I see the brighter future in Canon's system using the dual pixel technology.  Right now, the sensor is obscured by the mechanical shutter which interrupts the continuous tracking of the subject, and the electronic shutter comes with the jello effect.  But Canon already established their own global shutter technology which will be combined with the dual-pixel technology sooner or later.

The term "temporary" applies to all mirror solutions in the long run, be they SLT or DSLR. They do however take care of and preserve the investments people have in lenses, which is good.

I use the Sony Zeiss 135/1.8 Sonnar A mount DSLR lens with an adapter on my mirrorless Sony. That adapter employs a transparent mirror, i.e. the SLT technology, and I have no complaints. I see no degradation of image quality, and I thus gained access to a splendid used lens.

The adapter in question is the Sony LA-EA4. Such adapters, with SLT technology may come to play a role when Nikon makes an FX mirrorless cameras, and people want access to Nikon's huge catalogue of (D)SLR lenses on mirrorless.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

The global shutter reduces dynamic range reportedly by approximately 1 stop (in Canon's C700). Canon isn't offering  EF mount with the global shutter version and there isn't any AF. It is a little surprising they aren't offering AF on it yet as action sequences would be an interesting application for it.

I agree dual pixel AF seems very promising, and an elegant solution to the live view and video AF problem. However, how it performs relative to SLT in photography and video, and SLR systems in still photography will need to be evaluated as the technology progresses. For me these are only theoretical options since I prefer to see and frame the subject optically. The D5 is fast enough (frame rate wise) and the autofocus tracking is so good I can safely shoot at f/1.4 without worrying about focus, even when photographing moving subjects in low light. The out of focus percentages are really surprisingly low. However, if the pixel density is increased to 36MP or 42MP or higher, I have no doubt the slightly but perceptably out of focus rate would increase. However it's not like approaching subject tracking produces 100% in focus results at f/1.4 using any currently available technology. The fact that people are reporting really low out of focus rates  on action subjects (i.e. single digit percentages on birds in flight) with the higher pixel density D500 is very promising. For me the optical viewfinder is worth the minor inconvenience of occasional fine tuning work.

All of us, and even this planet are temporary.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

The SLT-style adapter is an interesting technological solution but the ergonomics is not like using the lens on a native mount camera. Thus I see the use of adapters as a short term transition solution only, for those who want to transition between systems.

How does the semitransparent mirror react to dust? Is it user cleanable, and if not, how is Sony service handling replacement or cleaning requests? Also, if somehow the main sensor gets a dust or hair on it, what is the solution in an SLT camera? This may be a glitch which prevents its widespread use. Canon and Nikon have had pellicle mirrors in the past and they abandoned them.

[bjornthun]

Yep, the global shutter is still not there in terms of DR, which makes it a tool to be used only when absolutely required by other circumstances.

I do hope we and the planet have some longevity, at least. Cameras and things are easier to replace...

[Akira]

DSLR puts nothing in the light path while the actual image is being taken.  I take it granted that the sensor side of the chamber in an SLT camera is sealed with the half mirror and some sort of gasket around it.  But any possible particle falling out of the shutter mechanism would be impossible to clean on the user side.

I finally had a chance to try Fuji XT-2 at a retailer and found its EVF too contrasty to my eye.  It is actually as contrasty as that of Panaonic which I got rid of for the very reason.  So far, Olympus (at least E-M5 MkII) is the only camera with EVF that doesn't strain my eyes.

[bjornthun]

DSLR puts nothing in the light path while the actual image is being taken.  I take it granted that the sensor side of the chamber in an SLT camera is sealed with the half mirror and some sort of gasket around it.  But any possible particle falling out of the shutter mechanism would be impossible to clean on the user side.

I finally had a chance to try Fuji XT-2 at a retailer and found its EVF too contrasty to my eye.  It is actually as contrasty as that of Panaonic which I got rid of for the very reason.  So far, Olympus (at least E-M5 MkII) is the only camera with EVF that doesn't strain my eyes.

I suppose that cleaning the sensor on an A99 II may cost something and require a visit to a repair shop, assuming that temprarilyvrepkacingvthe mirror requires a recalibration?

Too bad Fuji didn't work out for you, the Fuji users seem to love it. You seem to have exactly the opposite problem of what I have with finders. The DSLR finder can't deliver enough contrast or in many cases not enough light for me to reliably do manual focus, so no fun.

[pluton]

I finally had a chance to try Fuji XT-2 at a retailer and found its EVF too contrasty to my eye.  It is actually as contrasty as that of Panaonic which I got rid of for the very reason.  So far, Olympus (at least E-M5 MkII) is the only camera with EVF that doesn't strain my eyes.

Yeah...Why don't they have user adjustable contrast controls on the EVFs?