New V4 firmware for Sony A700

[eccles]

The Canonista have had their way for too long, but just in case anyone here has seen sense and bought a Sony A700, the new V4 firmware puts right one of the main DPReview criticisms of this excellent APS-C DSLR. This being the inability to turn off hi-iso noise reduction with a raw image file. Not only that, the noise reduction options themselves have been tweaked to favour colour NR in a similar manner to that employed by the Nikon D300. Since both cameras share variants on the Sony 12MP CMOS sensor, this means that you can now get hi-iso images from your £600 Sony looking like that from a £900 Nikon but with image stabilisation. The Canon 40D's only remaining saving grace, its hi-iso performance, is now shot by both its main competitors, but there's nothing constant in this world and no doubt the 50D will be better again....

[Gruditch]

Lets be honest, without a good competitive market, technology would creep along at a snails pace, and a DSLR would still be a grand for a entry model.

Gruditch

[eccles]

Very true, and I think the Canon's Rebel/Dxxx have been instrumental in driving down prices for many years. So long as Sony, the relatively new kid on the block, can keep up its momentum it can only get better.

Incidently, the new firmware seems to be pretty good, with improved detail from iso 800 upwards. It looks like Sony have learned from Nikon and is now using a lighter touch with luma noise suppression and concentrating on the more objectionable colour noise.