Unfortunately you guys didn't figure out how to spread the auto focus points out :( The A99 has phenomenal focus with the extra points when you customize the point pattern.
I have a Sony Alpha and the led viewfinder is great and at least Sony is testing out new things. Not to mention a photo taken comes out in pixels so you are getting the actual view of the photo itself in real time before you take the photo. And I love the fact that I can adjust ISO, aperture, shutter speed, all without lifting my eye off the viewfinder. It really makes taking split second photos much easier. And in bright sun I can view my pictures through the viewfinder without the glare.
I was taken aback with the a99 AF arrangement too,but it's not so bad in practice. It encourages you to fill the frame a bit more, plus the face detection really does an excellent job picking out people and following them. If you have a small object outside the AF points coverage, the camera will still track it and will fire once it matches against one or more of the AF points. a99 uses AF points in clusters, which helps
From someone who has shot with both -- If better noise control at higher ISO is hugely important to you, go with the 5DIII. If color accuracy and vibrancy is more important, go with the A99. In terms of focus speed, depends more on the lens than the body. Zeiss lenses are INCREDIBLE - but, you'll pay dearly for them.
Word to that! When I first saw the a77 I thought it was a stunning beautiful design. And heck, after owning it for a while I still in my free time just look at it, still admiring the design. The images I've seen of the a99 look amazing to me and I can imagine it'd look even better in the real world, as opposed to just a picture of it.
I love the body on the a99. it looks very modern and different. considering picking one of these up as my first full frame DSLR but concerned about the future of this line as well as how the lens selection will expand.
I love the looks of my A850, but i also love the looks of the A99. I was also very dissapointed by the lens selection, almost all the "review" is gone with a fisheye, what the hell? I am a professionnal photographer and I only use Sony cameras. Why isn't there a 50mm or 24-70mm?
D3200 - Does not have an internal auto focus motors, so the lenses need to have them built in, makes a lot less lenses avaliable. T3i - More expensive, but more features, all Canon digital Canon bodies are able to autofocus with any EF or EF-s lenses. The EF stands for Electro-Focus. I would say go down to your local camera shop and play around with both of them. That's the best way to do it.
1. I agree...., the camera is not ugly. It's very cool :) 2. Yes...., why aren't you using suitable lenses..... The Zeiss range for Sony is "What it's all about"! 3. The EVF may have the same specifications as the A77..., but the read-out off the sensor is faster (and better)...., and that translates into a better viewfinder image... (I know, I've tried them both..). 4. Yes! Why not mention SeadyShot??
Great I had made up my mind to go for a MFT like the GH3 but now you put this out and make me want it again. I mean, if Kai couldn't pick out anything bad about it except the looks, it must be good.
DigitalRev: It would be nice to see some videos (not only reviews) on other aspects of photography. 35mm and medium format film cameras, film types, film processing, perhaps a segment on historic photographers and bring in some more guest photogs. Personally, as a rangefinder user, I'd love to see more videos on Leica, Voigtlander, Zeiss rangefinders - both past and present. Canon and Nikon are great, sure, but so are Pentax, Mamiya, Hasselblad, Olympus, et al. Variety is a good thing!
I actually think the head of the Canon/Nikon FFs look really strange. But what I really miss in this video is the AF range thing. You can tell the camera to only focus between for example 1m and 3m, which is a HUGE advantage in sports mode. This is far more customizable than what some higher end lenses offer on the lens itself, you can specify the range quite precisely.
Dunno why everyone is raging. This is quite a fair review. Kai even says he likes it at the end of the video, for those who decided to rage before watching the whole thing. I'm going to buy this camera and it was great to see it in use! Good video!
Joe-thanks for replying. Actually there is a typo error. It should be choosing between CZ16/35 F2.8ZA SSM versus CZ24/70 F2.8ZA SSM. A friend advised that the A99 is better to with the 16/35 is better for general photography.
What is the the song ya'll had going during the fish market shoot? And where can i get one of those shirts? lol very cool!! Love the videos!! keep'm up, cant wait to see more
Really liking this camera as a Canon user, has a lot of unique features that i'm surprised weren't shown in the review one of which is the software based AF distance limiting. That AF grid needs to be spread out though... Seriously is a fresh contender to the FF market :)
*No mention about the new hot shoe. *Since when does the looks matter so much? *Mainly cheap lenses? Nothing Zeiss or G-lenses, heck the only full-frame lenses that were being used was the 50mm 1.4 and 16mm fisheye used only to test the AF... the rest were just crop lenses. *I like the button layout, when will you ever reach over to the left side of the LCD in the field? All buttons are labeled in the typical Sony way The layout is also real easy to memorize, took me just an hour for the a77.
I love my Nikon but any creative pro knows it's all about the tool you use. Clearly this A99 has awesome video quality especially 1080 @ 60fps - I will gladly trade in my camera for this..
SLT design allows the phase detection focussing to work always. Indeed always.. it always recieves light. This means that the slt's always offer quick accurate autofocus. Sounds like something out of an advert... well it actually works. This is not just stuff you find in a magazine oh no the autofocussing always works and it is pretty darn accurate.
I will wait for the Sony RX1 with full frame sensor, small form factor, light and pocketable. But Fuji may come out with the X200 with upgraded full frame sensor, the same built in viewfinders of the X100 and perhaps at half the price. Anyone agrees ?
Thanks for the interesting review the a 99 could become my new dream; I ,have got the a 77 and I am thrilled about my semi-pro camera. So, must start saving money for the a 99 :)
Yeah, not to mention almost all Sony lenses have a Minolta equivalent, and they've made some of the best glass around. As a Sony shooter, I'd have to be honest in saying that Nikon has (of the big three, Nikon Canon and Sony) the best over-all glass and lens selection. But Minolta makes some really really good stuff. I shoot with a Minolta 80-200 f/2.8 on my A700, and it's phenomenal.
1) of course. 2) The Problem is, that the Camera cannot use the whole sensor. Whats the sense of a Full-Frame-Sensor, if you just use an APS-C sized part of it. 3) thing is, that the information is wrong 4) SteadyShot is a unique feature on a FullFrame Camera... but at least in the point we have the same opinion.
Correct. The Minolta Fisheye is FullFrame. But the other one was a DT Lens. On every other Canikon review he uses some 50mm Standard Lens... why not here?
Great hands on, I had a chance to go to a launch showing, but I'm not really interested. SLT is awesome technology though, and those extra sensor based AF points are a good addition.
im 90% sold on this. I have a gh4 for video and nikon d750 for photos, i need a hyrbid camera and this looks like the best of the best on paper. just dont know if the lens options will be as good as the a7rii.
I don't understand why people are getting so mad about these videos, as if they present the "ultimate truth". This is an editorial type of article, and if the review doesn't fit your own opinion, it doesn't mean anything. It certainly doesn't mean that you're wrong. Don't forget that Digitalrev makes a living by selling camera gear, and it's unlikely they will say clear cut negative things about a product you might buy. I enjoy most of the reviews, but they don't dictate how I should think.
look pretty good ! But i still don't know why you should prefer this above a full frame canon or nikon DSLR. especially because of the limited amount of lensen you can buy.
So what about weight? I think in a practical setting that would be an advantage. Can carry it around longer on a shoot, don't need to get a higher tripod weight rating just to support the few extra ounces. Judging by the performance, there's nothing that adding a few ounces will do for improvement. Lets be serious!
I didn't spot any DT lenses being used in this review. Neither the Sony 50mm F1.4 nor the 16mm F2.8 fisheye lenses are aps-c format only. Its nice to see the a99 finally hitting the shelves after there's been so much hype about it but I think I'll stick with my a57. Can't justify the extra cost! As for the "odd looks" of the a99...well I must admit I did have a chuckle at Kai's impression...
Hey there Kai, I'm planning on buying either the d3200 or t3i. However, I'm debating on which one to get because all these other comparison reviews suck. Can you please do one showing the advantages they have over each other and picture quality with the best affordable lens? Thank You Please thumbs up so DRTV Can see this suggestion
I recently sent this camera back. I shoot wildlife and was using the sony 70-400mm telephoto. It is a beautiful camera with very nice features but the AF and wake-up time are very slow...at least with my confuguration. It was really bad in wood areas while trying to shoot birds on branches where there were small branches in the way. My review vid will be up soon on the Louis Balboa channel.
i didn't really see the part where kai made negative remarks about the a99. from this review it seemed pretty positive to me. maybe everyone is watching a different video
Probably should have used the 24-70 for the review, but at least you got in the 50 1.4 to illustrate the 102 phase detection AF points. But you didn't mention the AF Range function, which really distinguishes the a99 from the competition. I've been using my a99 for close to a week now and love image quality, but agree it's weird to have all those AF points concentrated in the center. Also, I'm not really happy with the tracking focus, and focusing on objects moving faster than Lok with a cart
Rokinon, Sigma and Tamron, to name a few, offer lenses for Sony and there are adapters such as an SC-5 which are easy to find with google...don't know if troll or just new to the internet.
It's not the fact that its a cheap lens, I have that exact 50mm and its my favorite lens, my point is that he's not utilising the full frame sensor, which is the whole point of the a99! Without the full frame sensor, the a99 is pretty much an a77 with 1 or 2 more features. Full frame provides a much better aesthetic than APS-C, and cropping down to that size reduces the resolution to something like 12mp(?)...that is why we all disagree with him not using FF lenses.
There's a glitch in the matrix. When Kai takes pictures of lok drifting the trolley, the pictures shown afterwards is actually from the 2nd run and when lok drifts the trolley for the 2nd time afterwards it is shown the pictures from the 1st run. 7:27
You are by far the most humorous and entertaining reviewer I've seen on TH-cam. I find the info you share useful too. Thanks much!
Unfortunately you guys didn't figure out how to spread the auto focus points out :(
The A99 has phenomenal focus with the extra points when you customize the point pattern.
5:28 sounds like Pingu's dad ranting xD
wasn't very clear what the guy was saying, but I'm pretty sure he said something like "what the hell is this guy doing, taking pictures of dead fish"
Dude that is the firs time you actually came away from the review with photos good enough to share :P The camera MUST be good!
I have a Sony Alpha and the led viewfinder is great and at least Sony is testing out new things. Not to mention a photo taken comes out in pixels so you are getting the actual view of the photo itself in real time before you take the photo. And I love the fact that I can adjust ISO, aperture, shutter speed, all without lifting my eye off the viewfinder. It really makes taking split second photos much easier. And in bright sun I can view my pictures through the viewfinder without the glare.
I am a huge Sony Fan boy and at the same time this guy gives the best REVIEWS!
this is my favorite youtube channel!!!
I love how they both look.
DT lens on a99..
I was taken aback with the a99 AF arrangement too,but it's not so bad in practice. It encourages you to fill the frame a bit more, plus the face detection really does an excellent job picking out people and following them. If you have a small object outside the AF points coverage, the camera will still track it and will fire once it matches against one or more of the AF points. a99 uses AF points in clusters, which helps
WOW Kai! your photography is improving.
From someone who has shot with both -- If better noise control at higher ISO is hugely important to you, go with the 5DIII. If color accuracy and vibrancy is more important, go with the A99. In terms of focus speed, depends more on the lens than the body. Zeiss lenses are INCREDIBLE - but, you'll pay dearly for them.
The best DSLR in the world !!!
Sony A99 ✔
Really the best is Hasselblad. China makes it.
Excellent video Kai (& team).
Word to that! When I first saw the a77 I thought it was a stunning beautiful design.
And heck, after owning it for a while I still in my free time just look at it, still admiring the design.
The images I've seen of the a99 look amazing to me and I can imagine it'd look even better in the real world, as opposed to just a picture of it.
I think sonys alpha line-up looks way better than nikon or canon
This review is hilarious! Love it when he does the "look of," description. This video is worth looking up, just for the laughs!
These reviews are still so hilarious... good days!
a positive review of a sony product? stoked :DDD
not just the mirrorless system to consider, the buffer speed and processing power of the camera to think about too
Very entertaining review while still very informative and worth watching.
This was one of the most entertaining reviews I have watched! :D
t3i hands down. I was like you at one point trying to decide but after using D3200 at college, I am so happy I chose t3i.
Loved this photos, really nice and contrasty. The colors really pop.
I love the body on the a99. it looks very modern and different. considering picking one of these up as my first full frame DSLR but concerned about the future of this line as well as how the lens selection will expand.
DT lenses will work with A99. The camera will shoot in crop mode when one is attached.
That's the biggest revolution of Sony's DSLR!!!
it looks so pretty honestly!
I love the looks of my A850, but i also love the looks of the A99. I was also very dissapointed by the lens selection, almost all the "review" is gone with a fisheye, what the hell? I am a professionnal photographer and I only use Sony cameras. Why isn't there a 50mm or 24-70mm?
Lok smiling like a child at 7:40 is worth watching the whole video, besides the usual funny-but-in-a-way-useful review.
D3200 - Does not have an internal auto focus motors, so the lenses need to have them built in, makes a lot less lenses avaliable.
T3i - More expensive, but more features, all Canon digital Canon bodies are able to autofocus with any EF or EF-s lenses. The EF stands for Electro-Focus.
I would say go down to your local camera shop and play around with both of them. That's the best way to do it.
It also have a double SD card slot, so you can directly back-up or save video in one and images in the other! it can be personalized!
1. I agree...., the camera is not ugly. It's very cool :)
2. Yes...., why aren't you using suitable lenses..... The Zeiss range for Sony is "What it's all about"!
3. The EVF may have the same specifications as the A77..., but the read-out off the sensor is faster (and better)...., and that translates into a better viewfinder image... (I know, I've tried them both..).
4. Yes! Why not mention SeadyShot??
Great I had made up my mind to go for a MFT like the GH3 but now you put this out and make me want it again. I mean, if Kai couldn't pick out anything bad about it except the looks, it must be good.
DigitalRev: It would be nice to see some videos (not only reviews) on other aspects of photography. 35mm and medium format film cameras, film types, film processing, perhaps a segment on historic photographers and bring in some more guest photogs. Personally, as a rangefinder user, I'd love to see more videos on Leica, Voigtlander, Zeiss rangefinders - both past and present. Canon and Nikon are great, sure, but so are Pentax, Mamiya, Hasselblad, Olympus, et al. Variety is a good thing!
I actually think the head of the Canon/Nikon FFs look really strange. But what I really miss in this video is the AF range thing. You can tell the camera to only focus between for example 1m and 3m, which is a HUGE advantage in sports mode. This is far more customizable than what some higher end lenses offer on the lens itself, you can specify the range quite precisely.
this is aps-c lens ,!!! why??!
that camera is amazing !
Dunno why everyone is raging. This is quite a fair review. Kai even says he likes it at the end of the video, for those who decided to rage before watching the whole thing.
I'm going to buy this camera and it was great to see it in use! Good video!
Been waiting for this.
The 16-135 is designed for APS-C sensors. The 24/70 is designed for FF, and is a vastly better lens. That's provided your pocket is deep enough,
Joe-thanks for replying. Actually there is a typo error. It should be choosing between CZ16/35 F2.8ZA SSM versus CZ24/70 F2.8ZA
SSM. A friend advised that the A99 is better to with the 16/35 is better for general photography.
*CONFESSION BEAR*
I don't shoot with Sony, but I actually like watching these Sony product reviews.
What is the the song ya'll had going during the fish market shoot? And where can i get one of those shirts? lol very cool!! Love the videos!! keep'm up, cant wait to see more
Really liking this camera as a Canon user, has a lot of unique features that i'm surprised weren't shown in the review one of which is the software based AF distance limiting. That AF grid needs to be spread out though...
Seriously is a fresh contender to the FF market :)
Uruguay montevideo always watching this videosssss! Forever digital rev is very bizarro jaja!
Take a good look. It's an SAL-50F18 and it's a DT Lens. So yes, it is a crop lens.
the D800 or the MKIII are excellent choises. It depends on your preferences for each brand
*No mention about the new hot shoe.
*Since when does the looks matter so much?
*Mainly cheap lenses? Nothing Zeiss or G-lenses, heck the only full-frame lenses that were being used was the 50mm 1.4 and 16mm fisheye used only to test the AF... the rest were just crop lenses.
*I like the button layout, when will you ever reach over to the left side of the LCD in the field? All buttons are labeled in the typical Sony way The layout is also real easy to memorize, took me just an hour for the a77.
I love my Nikon but any creative pro knows it's all about the tool you use. Clearly this A99 has awesome video quality especially 1080 @ 60fps - I will gladly trade in my camera for this..
SLT design allows the phase detection focussing to work always. Indeed always.. it always recieves light. This means that the slt's always offer quick accurate autofocus. Sounds like something out of an advert... well it actually works. This is not just stuff you find in a magazine oh no the autofocussing always works and it is pretty darn accurate.
Is the camera worth in 2023?what you say?
yesss
I like the design. The focus 100+ plus focus points clumped together not so much.
there is a crop mode on this camera so you can use your DT lenses as well
I will wait for the Sony RX1 with full frame sensor, small form factor, light and pocketable. But Fuji may come out with the X200 with upgraded full frame sensor, the same built in viewfinders of the X100 and perhaps at half the price. Anyone agrees ?
I was wondering the exact same thing. Thanks for the answer.
DUDE he questioned the need for an optical viewfinder...thats how good Sony is.
the video quality is great!and the servo mode too
10:21 "PLEASE DO NOT PARK HERE" LMAO
Thanks for the interesting review the a 99 could become my new dream; I ,have got the a 77 and I am thrilled about my semi-pro camera. So, must start saving money for the a 99 :)
Yeah, not to mention almost all Sony lenses have a Minolta equivalent, and they've made some of the best glass around. As a Sony shooter, I'd have to be honest in saying that Nikon has (of the big three, Nikon Canon and Sony) the best over-all glass and lens selection. But Minolta makes some really really good stuff. I shoot with a Minolta 80-200 f/2.8 on my A700, and it's phenomenal.
1) of course.
2) The Problem is, that the Camera cannot use the whole sensor. Whats the sense of a Full-Frame-Sensor, if you just use an APS-C sized part of it.
3) thing is, that the information is wrong
4) SteadyShot is a unique feature on a FullFrame Camera... but at least in the point we have the same opinion.
By far the best video! So funny how he tries to use a facial expression to describe the camera body. That was so hilarious
Correct. The Minolta Fisheye is FullFrame. But the other one was a DT Lens. On every other Canikon review he uses some 50mm Standard Lens... why not here?
I am sure you had the DT 50mm on it though, apart from the 16mm Fish-eye and later the 1.4.
Great hands on, I had a chance to go to a launch showing, but I'm not really interested. SLT is awesome technology though, and those extra sensor based AF points are a good addition.
"If you don't like the face - take it from behind!" Thanks for the tip Kai :D
Yeah it's nice...but will it blend?
16mm F2.8 Fisheye lens looks awesome
im 90% sold on this. I have a gh4 for video and nikon d750 for photos, i need a hyrbid camera and this looks like the best of the best on paper. just dont know if the lens options will be as good as the a7rii.
I love the look of it as well.
Pentax K-5 II/s Review! It's groundbreaking for low light AF, as well as being the first APS-C with no AA filter.
I don't know why you keep saying the camera is ugly. It looks pretty nice to me and pretty similar to any other DSLRs.
I sense a slight inconsistency. Canon and Nikon cameras are reviewed with the 'premium' lenses but this with a 50mm SAM the cheapest lens??
I don't understand why people are getting so mad about these videos, as if they present the "ultimate truth". This is an editorial type of article, and if the review doesn't fit your own opinion, it doesn't mean anything. It certainly doesn't mean that you're wrong.
Don't forget that Digitalrev makes a living by selling camera gear, and it's unlikely they will say clear cut negative things about a product you might buy.
I enjoy most of the reviews, but they don't dictate how I should think.
The man at 5 minutes something holding the fish was like "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TAKING PICTURES OF A DEAD FISH"
It's about time sony made something that can actually compete against cannon and nikon in the high end market.
The A99 actually looks pretty good
I just love Sony Cameras!
look pretty good ! But i still don't know why you should prefer this above a full frame canon or nikon DSLR. especially because of the limited amount of lensen you can buy.
It would be really nice to see how it compares to 5DMKIII and the D600/D800! It should fall somewhere in that segment but how good is it?
Pretty sure Kai is still a virgin.
well he gives everything he has to keep it that wai :D
ask your mama and she'd tell you otherwise.
PsyDei Itzamná He is wearing a wedding band. Looks married to me. I'm sure he's was no virgin in this video.
Wesley Jordan it could be a ring to stay virgin until marriage..?
Uh, really? I don't thinking GUYS do girly stuff like that.
So what about weight? I think in a practical setting that would be an advantage. Can carry it around longer on a shoot, don't need to get a higher tripod weight rating just to support the few extra ounces. Judging by the performance, there's nothing that adding a few ounces will do for improvement. Lets be serious!
The fisheye shots r actually quite good...
I didn't spot any DT lenses being used in this review. Neither the Sony 50mm F1.4 nor the 16mm F2.8 fisheye lenses are aps-c format only.
Its nice to see the a99 finally hitting the shelves after there's been so much hype about it but I think I'll stick with my a57. Can't justify the extra cost!
As for the "odd looks" of the a99...well I must admit I did have a chuckle at Kai's impression...
I need this camera, I love it!
Thanks for a fun and informative video.
I am happy every time Kai doesn't slam a new camera. Must be really good then :)
Hey there Kai,
I'm planning on buying either the d3200 or t3i. However, I'm debating on which one to get because all these other comparison reviews suck. Can you please do one showing the advantages they have over each other and picture quality with the best affordable lens?
Thank You
Please thumbs up so DRTV Can see this suggestion
I recently sent this camera back. I shoot wildlife and was using the sony 70-400mm telephoto. It is a beautiful camera with very nice features but the AF and wake-up time are very slow...at least with my confuguration. It was really bad in wood areas while trying to shoot birds on branches where there were small branches in the way. My review vid will be up soon on the Louis Balboa channel.
i didn't really see the part where kai made negative remarks about the a99. from this review it seemed pretty positive to me.
maybe everyone is watching a different video
I actually like How the camera looks
Probably should have used the 24-70 for the review, but at least you got in the 50 1.4 to illustrate the 102 phase detection AF points. But you didn't mention the AF Range function, which really distinguishes the a99 from the competition. I've been using my a99 for close to a week now and love image quality, but agree it's weird to have all those AF points concentrated in the center. Also, I'm not really happy with the tracking focus, and focusing on objects moving faster than Lok with a cart
This is the type of review I would expect from a Walmart employee.
Great review!
Thats one sick Kawabata style reverse entry by Lok 07:38
Rokinon, Sigma and Tamron, to name a few, offer lenses for Sony and there are adapters such as an SC-5 which are easy to find with google...don't know if troll or just new to the internet.
Kai if you're listening, please make a tutorial (a proper one) on how to make timlapse videos with a DSLR.
It's not the fact that its a cheap lens, I have that exact 50mm and its my favorite lens, my point is that he's not utilising the full frame sensor, which is the whole point of the a99! Without the full frame sensor, the a99 is pretty much an a77 with 1 or 2 more features. Full frame provides a much better aesthetic than APS-C, and cropping down to that size reduces the resolution to something like 12mp(?)...that is why we all disagree with him not using FF lenses.
There's a glitch in the matrix. When Kai takes pictures of lok drifting the trolley, the pictures shown afterwards is actually from the 2nd run and when lok drifts the trolley for the 2nd time afterwards it is shown the pictures from the 1st run. 7:27
whats that fokus system about? thats crap, the 5d3´s only middle section is further spread than all of a99´s points.
Just a small question being an amateur in dslr's, what is the difference between normal and full frame camera lens??