Industry News


Sony Has Quietly Stopped Selling DSLRs

May 5, 2021

By Hillary K. Grigonis

Out of all the full-frame camera companies, Sony was the least worried about cannibalizing its DSLR sales with the launch of a professional mirrorless camera. The company went all in on full-frame mirrorless years before Nikon and Canon would follow suit. Now, Sony appears to be leaving the DSLR behind for good. First noticed by Sony Alpha Rumors, the company no longer lists any DSLRs on its website, axing the A99ii, A77ii and A68. The cameras are also shown as discontinued from major retailers like B&H Photo Video.

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With Sony’s most recent DSLR now five years old, the manufacturer’s move to cut the chunkier camera system out completely comes as little surprise. Sony’s DSLTs were a bit different from the norm in that it used a translucent mirror, hence the term DSLT instead of DSLR. The technology was what allowed Sony to “brag” about an autofocus system that could keep up with 8 fps back in 2015.

Fast forward five years, and it’s easy to see why Sony is no longer selling the cameras. After all, Sony’s mirrorless cameras can now reach 20 fps speeds and even budget mirrorless cameras have no problem keeping up with 8 fps. With a several year head start compared to Canon and Nikon, Sony has arguably created the bigger gap between its mirrorless and DSLR cameras.

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Sony A-Line lenses have not yet been removed from the company’s website and some major retailers, including Adorama, still list many of them as in stock. Photographers still working with A-Mount bodies still have access to additional lenses, though it’s not clear for how long.

The Sony A-Line came after the company bought out Konica Minolta. The A-mount bodies were compatible with older film Kinolta Minolta lenses, a popular trend for getting some of that film look in the convenience of digital.

Sony has not yet made an official comment regarding the cameras’ absence from its website and major retailers. (Rangefinder has reached out to Sony, but has not yet received a response.)