Should I Start Saving my pennies?

[aaronlecain]

I currently own an A77 and love it. As an aggressive hobbyist money for gear is a premium. I have only a few high end lenses. So should I save money for a year or two to try to get the Sony A99 for its full frame rumors or should I continue investing in a few more pieces of high end glass. I am thinking the Glass would be a better investment for now but I would love a full frame......

 

[Kolia]

Here's a deal.

Take good care of your A77 and when the A99 comes out I will subsidize your upgrade by buying your A77.

 

[Derrel]

Good lenses can last for literally DECADES. BODIES on the other hand, can be purchased used a year or two years after they have lost their lustre, for around half price of original retail--or less! So...

 

[MLeeK]

I agree with Derrel. Glass is your best, long term investment. Not that I wouldn't start a fund for your next upgrade, but the bulk of my $ goes to glass before bodies.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Start investing in lenses that you can use with the full frame body. You can always use these with a crop sensor. This would make the transition easier. But you really only need full frame if you plan to make really large prints. For hobby work the crop sensor cameras with do just about everything you need.

 

[cosmonaut]

Get a Carl Zeiss and you will never look back. If you want to go full frame Sony a850s are going at good prices on Ebay right now. The a850 isn't the best for ISO over 1600. But if you don't need the high ISO performance you may never need another camera.

 

[aaronlecain]

I love my one Carl Zeiss right now even though it is one of their "Lower" end lenses. I have the 16-80mm lens. it has a little distortion but puts out a nice picture:

The only other higher end lens is a Sigma 150mm Macro that is also very nice when I get the droplets off the lens when I take the pictures.

All in all the Sony A77 does everything for me. It is more the "Full Frame Envy" that is making me want the A99. I will wait till I have more high end lenses and they work any bugs out of the A99 before I look to buy one.

 

[cosmonaut]

What high end glass do you have now? You do know you will need lenses made for full frame as the DT lenses will only be 11 megapixel on the a99. So if you invest in lenses get full frame.

 

[DiskoJoe]

The zeiss lenses are awesome.

 

[Tony S]

Go with good glass, by the time you save for a year ot two the A99 will be outdated and a newer model will be the wiz bang thing to have.

 

[jfrabat]

I also have the same advice most are already giving here; spend your money on goo, full frame glass. I used the A99 for about 10 days, and I have the A77, so I can tell you that while, yes, the A99 is better, the A77 still holds its own. The real differences (and I mean BIG differences, because the A99 does have many other edges, but they are not astronomical as they are in these) are:

1. Low ISO resolution. Here the A77 is literally blown out of the water. I am talking about usable pictures at ISO16,000 and even 25,000... The A77 is spotty at anything above 3,200 (and I rarely exceed 1,600 to avoid noise).
2. If you take portraits (or pics with lots of detail) or want larger viewing angles. There is just no way an PAS-C sensor, even one as good as the A77's, will compete with a full frame one.
3. If you shoot video a lot. Yes, the A77 is incredebly good, but the A99 is MUCH better, and has many features that the A77 just cant compete. Think of movie quality video with INCREDEBLY good surround sound, and this is what you can do with the A99

Things to keep in mind, though:
1. If you shoot burst, the A77 is faster than the A99
2. If you own a flash, it will not work on the A99 (hot shoe is different)
3. If you have any DT lenses, you can use them in the A99, but they will cause a vignete.

I was at the same cross roads, and, even working for Sony (which I do), I decided to stay with the A77, as I have the Zeiss 18-80mm lens (the 70-300 G lens is full frame, though), and I have 2 flashes that would also need replacing. So in my case, the cost of replacing is too high, and the A77 is at a level that gives me results that I like. Sure, I wish I had the ISO capabilities of the A99 (i really dont use Video all that much, as I have a dedicated camcorder, and the detail level in the A77 is not bad at all), but I rather spend in good glass at this time than a new body, but to each his own. but trust me on this, I REALLY had to talk myself out of the A99, as it is one SWEET camera! And it's even MORE difficult to say no to it when you had it for 10 days to goof around with!

 

[cosmonaut]

I also have the same advice most are already giving here; spend your money on goo, full frame glass. I used the A99 for about 10 days, and I have the A77, so I can tell you that while, yes, the A99 is better, the A77 still holds its own. The real differences (and I mean BIG differences, because the A99 does have many other edges, but they are not astronomical as they are in these) are:

1. Low ISO resolution. Here the A77 is literally blown out of the water. I am talking about usable pictures at ISO16,000 and even 25,000... The A77 is spotty at anything above 3,200 (and I rarely exceed 1,600 to avoid noise).
2. If you take portraits (or pics with lots of detail) or want larger viewing angles. There is just no way an PAS-C sensor, even one as good as the A77's, will compete with a full frame one.
3. If you shoot video a lot. Yes, the A77 is incredebly good, but the A99 is MUCH better, and has many features that the A77 just cant compete. Think of movie quality video with INCREDEBLY good surround sound, and this is what you can do with the A99

Things to keep in mind, though:
1. If you shoot burst, the A77 is faster than the A99
2. If you own a flash, it will not work on the A99 (hot shoe is different)
3. If you have any DT lenses, you can use them in the A99, but they will cause a vignete.

I was at the same cross roads, and, even working for Sony (which I do), I decided to stay with the A77, as I have the Zeiss 18-80mm lens (the 70-300 G lens is full frame, though), and I have 2 flashes that would also need replacing. So in my case, the cost of replacing is too high, and the A77 is at a level that gives me results that I like. Sure, I wish I had the ISO capabilities of the A99 (i really dont use Video all that much, as I have a dedicated camcorder, and the detail level in the A77 is not bad at all), but I rather spend in good glass at this time than a new body, but to each his own. but trust me on this, I REALLY had to talk myself out of the A99, as it is one SWEET camera! And it's even MORE difficult to say no to it when you had it for 10 days to goof around with!

An adaptor comes with the a99 for the hot shoes so the Sony flashes work fine on the a99. My wireless Pixel flash triggers also work. The a99 has a lot more dynamic range than the a77. I no longer need grad filters.

 

[Kolia]

You guys are NOT helping me combat my a99 envy !!!

Now I can "save" on filters...

36mo 0%.... Mmmmmh...

 

[jfrabat]

An adaptor comes with the a99 for the hot shoes so the Sony flashes work fine on the a99. My wireless Pixel flash triggers also work. The a99 has a lot more dynamic range than the a77. I no longer need grad filters.

Mine was a prototype, so they must have added that in production... but certainly a good idea! And yes, it DOES have more dynamic range...

 

[Derrel]

I saw jfrabat's in-home poor light, HIGH-ISO tests of the a77 and a99 posted here on TPF a while back...(he works for Sony in Costa Rica, hence the prototype comment he made above) and all I can say is WOW! the new a99 is quite an advancement over the older camera in terms of sensor performance.

These newer d-slr sensors, with the 13.5 to 14+ EV dynamic range....MAN...the added dynamic range to me has been the most incredible advancement I have had in literally YEARS in my own photography. Like cosmonaut mentioned...the dynamic range response these newer sensors are capable of giving literally changes what is possible!!!