Tamron Japan just announced that they are going to make a new version of the actual Tamron 70-300mm.

According to the dpreview press release “the SP 70-300mm F4-5.6 Di VC USD is the company’s first lens to feature its latest Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) autofocus motor, with full-time manual focus override. The optical design includes an element made from Extra-Low Dispersion (XLD) glass“

Dear readers!

I switched the whole website on a new server. I need some time to fix some issue. Will let you know when everything works fine.

Known issues:
- Comment system doesn’t work
- Layout problems on static pages

Check it out: http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/dslr/2/compact-camera#news

What I am going to post you now is only a small rumor but it is coming from my very BEST source. He just told me that “Sony didn’t show everything on PMA. Expect something more to be unveiled soon” and “no mockups…REAL stuff!”
I am consciuos of the fact that this is a vague rumor but I was not able to get some concrete infos. Anyway I have choosen to post the rumor because if he says that something is coming then I know that we should expect that this will really happen!

UPDATE: I have no clue how soon… “soon” is. And the speculation below is just my personal speculation. May I am wrong with it.

My bet is we could see one of the following new cameras:
- A new Fullframe Alpha camera
- The real the mirrorless cameras

The lucky girls are holding the real Sony mirrorless cameras

Sony will present the new products at the CP+ show which is held in Japan on March 11. Probably Sony is going to tell us a little bit more about the mirrorless and Exmor HD cameras.

Sony Japan CP+ page: http://www.sony.jp/dslr/community/cpplus2010/index.html?s=jp_msmail_pc_100304_2

(Click here to read the odd google english translation)

One month ago in many forums people started to say that Sony could release the long expected firmware for the A850 and the A900. We didn’t hear anything form our sources so we posted the “rumor” with a low value “SR2=from unkown sources”.

What we post now is a rumor from one of our trusted sources. The Sony A850 and the Sony A900 will be released in March!

I really hope Sony has been able to address all the critics we read in the forums during the last months!

UPDATE: I have no details about the new firmware. I was only told that it will be a “major update”.

Dear readers!

Like you I have not been really happy to see mockups only at PMA. Normally when a company shows you something like that you get the feeling that you will have to wait a lot of time to wait before you can see the REAL cameras. But during the last days I received some surprising rumors! I am still waiting to get some confirmations from other source but I really believe Sony is going to surprise us…in a good way! No more mockups

So stay tuned, as soon as I can I will give you the good news!

P.S.: I hope the new layout is a step in the right direction. Now it should be easier for you to read our news..at least I hope so!

Digitalcamerarview just posted their latest Sony A850 test. If you read the pro and the cons list you will not find any surpise. The Sony A850 has an excellent resolution and dynamic range and has a not so exciting High-ISO performance.
Click here to read the review: http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=4186&review=sony+alpha+dslr+a850

Click here to check the current price on Amazon: Sony Alpha 850

Unboxing the 135mm f 1.8 CZ
P.S.: The Sony 135mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar Lens is currently in Stock on amazon (Click the link to visit the product page)

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Imaging-Resource Interview: Masashi Imamura and Naruhiko Odashima, Sony. Read the forum reactions on DYXUM
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Sony “Exmor R” CMOS Image Sensors Achieve a Dramatic Increase in Performance: http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/cx_news/vol59/pdf/featuring_Exmorr.pdf
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Sony CX-News Tells about New Products, 2nd Generation 1.4um Pixel (Image Sensor World)
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It happens that Ken Rockwell is one of the most famous Photographyblogger of the world. And it happens that he visited the Sony PMA stand. And what did he say?
“I’m intrigued by the Sony Alpha 850, which for $2,000, seems like a very competent DSLR, which just happens to be full-frame, 24MP, and with a slew of available Zeiss lenses.
If I was starting from scratch and wanted a DSLR for nature and landscape, I’d have a hard look at the A850.”

That’s good advertising for Sony!

The bad part is that he also noticed that the PMA Sony isn’t really good: “Sadly, Sony doesn’t do trade shows right. When I walked up to the Sony booth, the guy trying to help show me the Alpha 850 and Alpha 900 had no real idea of what they were, and didn’t care enough to try to find someone who did. It was as bad as a bad retail store. This is weird, at a trade show, usually everyone there knows everything about everything, but not at Sony. The same thing happened last year.!”

That’s bad advertising for Sony

Design of the Pellix mirror

As you know since months SonyAlphaRumors is telling you that Sony is working on a Half-mirror (Pellix-mirror) camera. Click here to read the original rumor we posted on December 1 2009!
I remember many of you didn’t really believe in what we told you

But now we can proove you that our rumor was true!
The very new patent from Sony (United States Patent Application 20100045853) is showing us how it works!!!

Let’s start with the very interesting part:
“There is proposed a digital camera which is capable of simultaneously performing phase difference detecting AF by a phase difference detecting AF sensor and live view in which time-series images for determining a picture composition are electronically displayed on a display”

In fact Sony invented the Holy Grail of photography (and videorecording). You will be able to use the very fast Phase-Detection Autofocus during video recording. And no more mirror blackout during still photography. No noisy mirror movements! It will make less noise than a Leica rangefinder camera!

You can read the entire patent here: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2010/0045853.html

Or read the part below (copied from the patent text) which summarize everything very well:

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

“However, in such a technology as described above, a half mirror is fixed to a camera body. Therefore, in actual photographing (in capturing a still image for record), light passing through the half mirror is used. That is, typically, an actual photographing image is generated using light passing through the half mirror at a predetermined transmittance to reach an image pickup device. As a result, a sufficient quantity of light may not be obtained in the image pickup device in actual photographing.

It is desirable to provide an image pickup apparatus capable of obtaining a sufficient quantity of light used in actual photographing in a configuration capable of simultaneously performing phase difference detecting AF and live view.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup apparatus including a half mirror, a phase difference detecting AF sensor, an image pickup device, and display means. The half mirror separates light from a photographing optical system into transmitted light and reflected light. The phase difference detecting AF sensor receives the reflected light reflected on the half mirror to detect a focusing state by a phase difference detecting method. The image pickup device receives the transmitted light passing through the half mirror to generate time-series images with respect to subject image light from the photographing optical system. The display means sequentially display the time-series images generated by the image pickup device. In the apparatus, the half mirror is provided so as to be movable between a first position on an optical path of the subject image light from the photographing optical system and a second position to which the half mirror is evacuated from the optical path of the subject image light, and when the half mirror is in the second position, the image pickup device generates an actual photographing image on the basis of the subject image light reaching the image pickup device from the photographing optical system without passing through the half mirror.”

P.S.: Sorry if I still didn’t manage to update the SonyAlphaRumors website design. I have been really busy at work. Will have time tomorrow to make everything

Via 1001noisycamera we just found that deal: Sony Alpha A900 for 2,599 at amazon!

Anyway if you want to spend less your choice may be the Sony A850 (for 1,999 on amazon)