Sony α68 A-Mount Camera Leaked Announcement and Specs

In what we suspect to be a leaked announcement ahead of Sony’s “Surprise” event in Sweden tomorrow, Sony Alpha Rumors posted the full specs and press release of the α68.

The new camera inherited many features from the more advanced α77 II, such as 4D FOCUS, and is aimed at newcomers to advanced amateurs.

The camera will be available from March 2016, but will this be Sony’s last A-mount camera?

We weren’t expecting this information until tomorrow, but here are the specs of the α68:

• 4D FOCUS (allowing users to shoot even in lighting as low as EV-2)
• 79 AF points (including 15 cross points, plus a dedicated F2.8 AF sensor point for dimly-lit scenes)
• Translucent Mirror Technology with constant AF tracking at up to 8fps
• 24MP APS-C Exmor CMOS sensor
• 100-25,600 ISO range
• BIONZ X image processor
• OLED Tru-Finder tiltable LCD monitor
• 100% frame coverage
• SteadyShot INSIDE works with all 34 A-mount lenses
• Detail Reproduction and Diffraction-reducing Technologies plus Area-specific Noise Reduction
• Full HD movies with XAVC Sv format allows up to 50Mbps

The camera should start shipping in March 2016 for €600 ($650) body only or €700 ($760) with DT18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II lens.

 

While many Sony customers are happy to see the rumors about the end of A-mount cameras were wrong, others say the α68 is nothing more than a short-term solution to pacify existing users. The following sentence from the press release is brought as “proof” of this:

“The new α68 (ILCA-68)camera from Sony lets enthusiastic photographers discover even more creative opportunities with their precious collection of A-mount lenses.”

Seems a bit far-fetched in my opinion, plus Sony also said this:

“The α68 has plenty to offer experienced amateurs as well as step-up photographers and newcomers to interchangeable lens cameras.”

So looks like it’s too soon to tell if the end of A-mount cameras is just around the corner or not.

https://twitter.com/Fisheyelemag/status/662184075248189440/photo/1

[via Sony Alpha Rumors]