Sony prices after a58

[Patrick in Oregon]

I was leaning very heavily toward getting the a57 kit before I read recently that the a58 is coming out. I still want the a57 as the 58 doesn't appear to be much of an upgrade and they are the same price.

I understand the a57 is already cheaper than what it was released at ($600 currently). Would anyone expect it to get any cheaper when the a58 is released next month?

 

[cjstarr]

I was leaning very heavily toward getting the a57 kit before I read recently that the a58 is coming out. I still want the a57 as the 58 doesn't appear to be much of an upgrade and they are the same price.

I understand the a57 is already cheaper than what it was released at ($600 currently). Would anyone expect it to get any cheaper when the a58 is released next month?

Patrick in Oregon all I can tell you is to keep your eye on e-bay.
I picked mine up for $480, the seller sent his receipt with my purchase and it showed he bought the a57 on December 3, 2012 from Best-Buy for $702.00 and I got it from him March 3, 2013. This was with the kit-lens and everything that came with it in new condition.
I will say after reading the reviews on the a58 I'm glad I went with the a57.

 

[havoc315]

If you want to pick up a discarded model on eBay, it will get cheaper.
From established retail, it won't drop much lower.
Truthfully, in many key ways, the a58 is a downgrade from the a57. (The a58 is also replacing the a37-- it's the new entry level).

Given a choice of the a57 and a58 for the same price, I think most discerning buyers would take the a57--- better burst shooting, better LCD screen.

 

[HPS3]

I agree, get the A57.

 

[havoc315]

I am very curious about the next a78 or a67..

 

[Patrick in Oregon]

Lol I wasn't debating a57 vs a58. Like I said I want the a57. It seems like the upgrades on the a58, like OLED VF, don't make up for slower burst and non-swivel lcd. But I'm wondering if the price will go down when the a58 comes out. It's only 1 year old and already $100 cheaper though.

 

[havoc315]

Lol I wasn't debating a57 vs a58. Like I said I want the a57. It seems like the upgrades on the a58, like OLED VF, don't make up for slower burst and non-swivel lcd. But I'm wondering if the price will go down when the a58 comes out. It's only 1 year old and already $100 cheaper though.

Understood. My point was, that there will be no reason to lower the price further, as it's already superior to the newer model.
If anyone priced it significantly below the a58-- they wouldn't sell any a58s!

Does seem like an unusual situation. The reality is though, it's simply a mislabeling of the device-- in Sony forums, there has been debate that the camera should really be called the a38 or a48.
There are rumors that they were going to release the a38.. Then at the last minute, stuck an a58 label on it. It's a realignment of the entire product line.

Basically, the a58 is an entry level camera. Very good for entry level, but still entry level. The a57 is a mid level camera.
So to get a brand new a57 body for $499-- I consider it a good deal.

Now, with all technology... Wait around and prices come down. Want to wait 6 months and find a store dumping their remaining a57s on eBay for $400, go ahead.
Wait a year... And maybe you get the a65 for $500. Wait 2 years, and pick up a used a77 for $500.

But where things stand now, I'd say it's hard to beat the a57 for $500.

 

[havoc315]

Just as a side note.. I saw a used a580 at B&H for $480. It may be the best crop dSLR Sony made before switching fully to SLT. The image quality may actually still be better than current Sony SLTs.

And here is the Sony A55, brand new, for $399...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-S...950852?pt=Digital_Cameras&hash=item4d0aa338c4

The A55 actually has a few advantages over the A57, though overall the A57 is an upgrade. Sony keeps realigning the models, so instead of pure upgrades, you get some features downgraded.. In this case.. the A33 and A55 were introduced at the same time. The A33 was the entry level, and A55 was meant to be mid/high level. Then they introduced the A35/A37/A57/A77 -- So to prevent blurring between the A57 and A77, they downgraded the A5_ a little bit. And now, with getting rid of the A3_... they downgraded the A58, likely to make a clearer distinction with whatever new model comes out next.

The A57 has a better battery life than the A55. It has some additional firmware features. Slightly higher burst rate, but I believe the higher burst rate is only available cropped. The A57 has a slightly higher ISO range (just a fraction of a stop). I *think* the A55 has a higher full-resolution burst speed. IQ is very similar between the 2 cameras. The A55 has the benefit of GPS, and being a little smaller/lighter.

So A55 for $399ish.. A57 for $499... both are very good values.
If you like the GPS, go for the A55 and save yourself a few $$$.

 

[Patrick in Oregon]

Understood. My point was, that there will be no reason to lower the price further, as it's already superior to the newer model.
If anyone priced it significantly below the a58-- they wouldn't sell any a58s!

Thanks havoc, I thought you were under the impression that I was torn between the a57 and a58.

 

[havoc315]

Thanks havoc, I thought you were under the impression that I was torn between the a57 and a58.

If you want a bargain, find 1 of the last brand new A55s.

 

[wiigirl]

I agree, get the A57.

 

[havoc315]

For a price that I don't think you'll beat on a "new" Sony A57 ---
The Sony outlet is getting rid of refurbished A57s, with the kit lens for $424...

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/st...10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666433225

Considering I bought a A55 body-only for $400 only about 6 months ago.... I just can't imagine good-condition A57s getting much cheaper, any time soon. Especially since it really is a superior camera to the A58 in many ways.

 

[Patrick in Oregon]

For a price that I don't think you'll beat on a "new" Sony A57 ---
The Sony outlet is getting rid of refurbished A57s, with the kit lens for $424...

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666433225

Considering I bought a A55 body-only for $400 only about 6 months ago.... I just can't imagine good-condition A57s getting much cheaper, any time soon. Especially since it really is a superior camera to the A58 in many ways.

Wow! Thanks. I'm was thinking about going to my local camera shop to get one today. I may be able to wait for shipping if I get to save $175...

Even a brand new kit is $500. Niiiice

 

[Patrick in Oregon]

Well I bought it.

The product page for the refurb shows in stock but then it shows out of stock in the cart. I called to investigate and they didn't know why it showed in stock but a new one was only $450 vs $425 refurb. TAKE MY MONEY!

Should be here before the week is done.

 

[cjstarr]

Well I bought it.

The product page for the refurb shows in stock but then it shows out of stock in the cart. I called to investigate and they didn't know why it showed in stock but a new one was only $450 vs $425 refurb. TAKE MY MONEY!

Should be here before the week is done.

Patrick in Oregon you're going to love this camera!
You can find a few of the pictures I took on here and I'm sure more then a few from havoc315.

 

[1Grumpy9]

I love my A57 and it was an upgrade to my A300!!! I am glad I bought it almost a year ago. I have probably taken over 10000 shots with it and now I am working on purchasing a new set of lenses for it (I want a Prime lens and a fish eye).