7artisans announced a new 120mm T2.9 Macro 2X Cine E-mount lens you can reorder now at Amazon and 7Artisans. Here is the official introduction video:

As you can see from the screengrab above used Sony A1II cameras are currently being sold for nearly $10,000 on Amazon (Click here). No US or European store has any A1II in Stock right now: BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, BestBuy, FotoErhardt, FotoKoch, Calumet, WexUK, Clifton, CameraPro. Sony Australia. And according to latest Adorama info the camera will ship out in May only if you reorder it today.

PetaPixel had a chat with Sony manager Masaaki Oshima at the CP+ show. He said:

Professional photographers love our evolution from the original Alpha 1 to the Alpha 1 Mark II. We can’t deliver enough of them.

Sony told PetaPixel that much of the camera’s popularity comes down to its reliability, and that means not only reliability in terms of its build quality and operability, but its performance. “That’s why we think the a1 II is a hit to the right creators,” Oshima explained. The “right creators,” in this case, are photographers for whom a series of relatively minor improvements add up to a massive change. The sum is greater than the parts. Even though Sony thinks highly of its flagship camera, as the company should, it was surprised by how much photographers valued the a1 II’s upgrades. Demand was “a lot more” than expected.

My take on the A1II and future A7V:

First of all, I am surprised that the demand is so high. When the camera was launched in November, many people complained that it was only a small improvement on the original Sony A1. But apparently the professionals are interested in the many small improvements that have been made to this generation. Perhaps this will convince Sony to do the same with the future Sony A7V: Keep the same sensor and incorporate the same improvements as the Sony A1II: New body, new AI chip and so on. Will that be good enough for the market?

Also, the fact that the Sony A1II is in high demand is another reason why Sony will wait to introduce the new A7V. Until they can make enough Sony A1IIs, it makes no sense to make things worse and launch a new A7V, which will probably be in even higher demand than the A1II.

What do you think about it? Did you expect the Sony A1II to be such a great sales success?

The lens should be soon available for reorder for $278 on Amazon.

SonyAlphaBlog already published a review of this new lens and concluded:

The Yongnuo 56mm F1.4 (268 euros) is one of the cheapest 56mm. F1.4 and offer very good performances for the price with excellent ergonomics good to excellent sharpness, very good color rendition and very good bokeh balls with a very good AF even if not on par with the Sigma. It will produce very nice portraits even. Main weaknesses are the only good sharpness wide open, average resistance to flare

2025 will be a busy year for Canon, and we’ll be seeing a few new lines and we expect 6-8 new lenses this year along with 4-5 RF mount camera bodies.

Telegram:

Canon EOS RE-1 retro camera by end 2025

based on the Canon AE-1 sometime in Q4 or early Q1 2026 for the 50th anniversary of the AE-1. We are going to call the new camera the Canon EOS RE-1, because it just makes sense.

direct competitor of the Nikon ZF (so about $2,000).

Totally photography oriented camera

Canon EOS R6 Mark III coming in Q2

Canon EOS R50 V (reliable)

APS-C cameras:
next EOS R7 and another APS-C camera.

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2L USM
Canon RF 200-500mm f/4L IS USM

How to deal with heat waves with Super telephoto lenses, and the need for higher shutter speeds!

Today deals at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, FotoErhardt DE, FotoKoch DE.
Creative Lighting Setups for Video Interviews (Explora).
7 Tips to Take Better Travel Photos in 2025 (42West)
Camera companies “say they think about the consumer. They’re liars. They only think about their competitors.” (DigitalCameraWorld).
Sirui 85mm f1.4 Full Frame Lens | Tested by Geeky nerdy Tech.
Who Needs Color? –Everything Looks Just As Good In Monochrome (Matti Sulanto).
Sony FE 400-800 mm f/6.3-8 G OSS – sample shots (Lenstip).
Unique Photography Techniques You Probably Haven’t Tried Yet (42West)
Mirror Lenses: Lightweight Super-Telephotos that Are Affordable (Explora).

Follow our new Youtube channel.
Join our SonyAlphaForum.
I kindly invite you all to follow our Discord channel, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and Twitter to not miss news and rumors

We have our own Facebook camera groups you can join to discuss the upcoming new cameras in detail:
Sony Alpha group. Sony A1 group. Sony A9 series group. Sony A7r series group. Sony A7s series group. Sony A7 series group.

You can now preorder the new Sirui 20mm T1.8 1.33X S35 AF Anamorphic Lens on Indiegogo (Click here).

Here is a review from Kai:

There are a ton of new coupon rebates at Amazon Germany:

• 140 Euro coupon rebate on the Sony 24-70mm GM
• 140 Euro coupon rebate on the Sony 70-200mm GM
• 100 Euro coupon discount on the Sony 24mm f/2.8 pancake lens
• 70 Euro coupon discount on the Sony 70-200mm G
• 100 Euro coupon discount on the Sony 20mm f/1.8
• 70 Euro coupon discount on the Sony 10-20mm G
• 70 Euro coupon discount on the Sony 15mm G

There are similar deals in other Amazon stores like Amazon UK (on this page), Amazon Italy (on this page), Amazon France (on this page).

Phototrend interviewed Tamron manager Kota Misawa.

Tamron is known for producing fascinating zoom lenses, but in the fixed focal length range we ‘only’ have the excellent 90 mm macro lens. When asked about the plans to grind new lenses, Mr Misawa said the following:

As usual, we can’t give details about our roadmap. However, we do intend to continue developing prime lenses, so you can expect some of those.

When asked about future “bright” zooms he said this:

Again, we can’t give details on our roadmap. However, we will continue to listen to our customers’ needs as we plan new and unique products. Stay tuned.

He also they got a lot of requests from customers:

Currently, fixed focal lengths are in particular demand. We also receive many requests for lenses with advanced characteristics.

Tamron just opened a new factory in Vietnam and this is their long term plan:

Currently, China accounts for 65% of our production and Vietnam for about 25%. However, we plan to redistribute this split to 45% in China, 45% in Vietnam and 10% in Japan, in order to create a more stable production infrastructure.

Tamron has patented a ton of f/2.0 zooms and f/1.4 primes. So I am sure we will see some of those unique lenses coming in 2025!