This new announcement today of Sony's latest mirrorless full frame camera really addresses a ton of requests and wishes from their first-gen version: http://www.sony.net/Products/di/en-us/products/dkw5/index.html One biggie is the ability to use the on-sensor PDAF focusing system with Sony A-mount lenses, and another is the ability of the on-sensor PDAF focusing system to have full functionality AND speed with Canon lenses via a simple adapter. 42MP, back-illuminated, 4K internal video, 5fps, 399 PDAF points, and a bunch more...all wedged into a compact body.
Right!? The Canon EF adaptation with full OSPDAF speed and rumored to even have PDAF tracking focus with Canon lenses is quite the achievement. And the same goes for Sony A-mount lenses - those always had adapters and could work, but fairly slowly and definitely not for tracking. If third-party lenses are included, I'm seeing this as a potential DSLR replacement for me - add full frame, and be able to have full speed PDAF and tracking with my Tamron 150-600mm lens on 42MP, stabilized? That's nuts. And the rumor so far is, no new EF adapters are needed to get the full autofocus performance - even the old existing Metabones AF adapters apparently work, down to -2 EV, and as quickly as the Canon bodies. If that rumor is true, I may pick up a few Canon lenses!
The thought crossed my mind as well. I would have to see what the Nex-6 and the a6000 are worth as trade-ins along with my 18–200 in its current condition to see if the upgrade is worth it. Plus I really want that new 24-240 that came out recently.
That 24-240 is pretty good on the A6000 and i am putting it through a strong workout today at the national railroad historical society convention in vermont
When shopping the trade-ins, make sure to check Amazon - my last few trade-ins, they were significantly higher than B&H or KEH. Might have just been being aggressive at the time, but it was well worth it - traded my NEX-3 and Tamron 200-500mm to them and the quotes were honored.
Damn... my stuff ain't worth JACK. $121 for the a6000? NOPE! $185 for the NEX-6? Maybe. At least I can get $365 (maybe) for the 18-200 and the 55-210 to put toward the 24-240 if I choose to do so. Still it ain't good.
Welcome to the world of electronics! Unlike big pro-body full frame cameras, most entry level DSLRs and mirrorless don't retain any real value - they get replaced so often that, like computers and phones, they're outdated almost as soon as you buy them and don't hold much resale. For $121, I'd keep the A6000 - still useful with the fast focus - I personally find the NEX6 value decent enough that I'd trade it and maybe the two zooms towards the 24-240.
and i did pre-order this, it addresses too many of the request list items, and is a major move forward by sony. michael reichman's prophesy is starting to come true, if canon and nikon don't eat their own young and compete in the full frame mirror less arena. someone will. i see this version as a real competitor to the new canon, at a substantial weight and size reduction, yeah its not an A6000 size/weight, but its not a brick either
I really look forward to seeing the real hands-on tests of performance with A-mount lenses and Canon EF lenses...if it can do reasonable, normal AF speeds, not even including tracking, that would be an enormous step for mirrorless. If it can do reasonable tracking too - that's just crazy. I have never felt the draw or need for full frame, but it does answer and address so many things that it's mighty tempting to replace my DSLR...but at this point, only if I can keep my A-mount lenses I've already invested in over the years, mainly my birding lenses.
Big write-up here... http://www.dpreview.com/articles/79...tm_medium=homepage-block&ref=features-default
Canon lenses would require the Metabones adapter, correct? What kind of focus speed are you going to get with that? I am certainly intrigued but it's tempered a bit by that price point.
It's too early to get a 100% confirmation, but it seems the hints are that any adapters that allow autofocus will work faster and better with the new focus system - so not just Metabones, but some of the cheaper Chinese knockoffs too. From the demonstrations posted on YouTube, it looks like focus speeds are what anyone would consider 'normal' - ie: it seems to function at the speed of a native camera, even when using the adapter. I've seen a few demos using Canon lenses via Metabones, and a few demos using Sony Alpha lenses via the LA-EA3 adapter, and both seemed to acquire single-point focus near-instantly, and cycle back and forth to different focal distance targets immediately. Most of the tests were in good daylight, and I haven't yet seen any demonstration of focus tracking, to know if those also work at the same speed. But by all reviews, hands-on accounts, and video demos so far, the consensus seems to be that E-mount, A-mount, and Canon EF mount lenses all autofocus at native-type speeds. Even if continuous focus tracking isn't yet up to native levels, I'd still say that's a heck of an achievement to single focus two different mounts not designed for mirrorless, at the same speeds as native bodies! So if rumors are true, it's pretty groundbreaking. And might foretell what's coming for a future A6000 replacement on the APS-C side too (now that I'd buy in a second - to get stabilization and a mirrorless/glassless adapter that can mount my 150-600mm lens and let me enjoy the A6000's tracking focus on A-mount lenses!).
Ok, now I am really intrigued. I think I am going to nix the 24-240 for now and concentrate efforts on the body. Problem is nothing I have is worth trading in or needs to be repaired so there is little utility in that stuff. I opened the front of the Sony 18-200 myself because it appeared to be getting fungus inside the front element (easy clean but now NO resale value at all) so that one is off the list. And the NEX-6 and a6000 ain't worth jack as trade-ins. Pretty much the only think I have worth trading is the 55-210 which I used literally one time.
