Sony TidBits…


Sony 300mm f2.8 SSM G Series II Lens Review

Sony E 35mm f/1.8 OSS got reviewed at Photozone:

The Sony E 35mm f/1.8 OSS is certainly one of the more interesting prime lenses in the Sony NEX lineup. Even when ignoring performance aspects, the very high speed in conjunction with the optical image stabilizer (OSS) are exciting value propositions for users who are intending to go beyond snapshots. The good news is, however, that the lens is also capable of producing quality images.

Minolta 35mm f/2.0 review by Ken Rockwell.
Minolta 35mm f/1.4 review by Ken Rockwell.
Minolta 28mm f/2.0 review by Ken Rockwell.
Sony NEX-5t first impression review Imaging Resource.
Sony NEX-5t test at Digitbox.fr (part two, french).
A7r image samples by LetsGoDigital.
Sony EXview HAD CCD II Explained (Youtube).
QX10 and QX100 test at Stiftung Warentest.
Sony A7 image samples at Digitalcamerareview.
Sony NEX-5t review at ThePhoBlographer.

Jorge:As you know, Sony has decided to change all branding for their cameras to “Alpha”. Having said that, with Sony becoming a prominent player in the photo industry and introducing revolutionary new products it was only a matter of time before a dedicated site for the Sony cameras images was brought up online. I invite you to join www.SonyAlphaImages.com if you have not done so yet and begin posting your photos there for free.

Anonymous: “I have do some test on the New DXO Optic Pro 9 “Prime” Noise reduction on A77. I think the result is impressive, it effectively remove the High ISO Noise problem from A77. The only disadvantage is the processing time is a bit too long. 6mins for 36Mp D800 Raw file, 4mins for 24Mp A77 Raw file. I have post the compare images in the forum: http://www.dchome.net/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1230106&extra=page%3D1

 

 

Guest post: full frame e-mount roadmap (by Vlad)

SAR note: This is a readers guest post. If you want to write an article on SAR just contact me at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com. Thanks!

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Full frame e-mount roadmap discussion by SAR reader Vlad.

Note: The following is a speculation, based on current rumors. It should simply serve as a conversation starter and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Today’s topic is the full frame e-mount roadmap

It looks like the different colors denote different lines of lenses, i.e. Sony Zeiss (blue), Sony G (yellow) and the regular Sony (grey). If that is correct, Sony is trying to present the ILCE line in its best light during the introduction, but there will be more affordable Sony lenses coming towards the end of 2014.
There are 3 upcoming lenses (mid 2014), that we can more easily speculate on, as they are described to some extent in the roadmap:
1. Sony Zeiss ultra wide angle F4 zoom – based on the current offerings and the speed indicated here, it’s already pretty clear that they are going for size reduction. I’d expect at best a 16-35, but probably something shorter and I don’t think they’ll go wider than 14mm.
2. Sony Zeiss fast prime – nice job of leaving that wide open. If we still consider that the grey lines are Sony lenses, it means that there won’t be many Sony Zeiss ones coming for some time, so something around 85mm makes the most sense (given that we already have a 35 and 55) and I won’t expect anything faster than F2. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an F2.8.
3. G macro lens – here we can expect everything. Given the G denomination, I don’t think it will be anything short, a good entry for a first macro lens for a system that Sony obviously wants to make look good, makes me think of a 100mm. Easily F4. Or faster and shorter, 60mm F2.8?
As to the upcoming Sony offerings, it seems probable that they will fill in the gaps (such as a wide prime), but also provide budget alternatives to the Sony Zeiss lenses and include stabilization for some.
On the high-end, the new family of Zeiss manual lenses (not Sony Zeiss), will probably be of big interest to many, but I expect really high prices for those.
(http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/zeiss-will-launch-manual-focusing-lenses-for-the-a7-a7r/)
What do you think about these assumptions and what Sony or Zeiss lenses would you like to see most, come end of 2014 and through 2015?

Watch this: Long lines in Korea for the first A7-A7r for sale in Sony Store!

We usually see these kind of images when the newest iPhone gets in Stock for the first time in Apple Stores. But now…it happens to Sony! The video on top shows the long line of people waiting for the Sony Korean Store aperture. They are the first worldwide store having a Stock of A7 and A7r cameras in-house for sale. Lucky guys, cannot wait to get mine next week!

Specs and Preorders in US and Canada:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.

Specs and Preorders in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PTWexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony  DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT
Zeiss 24-70mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, SE, PT

Asia:
A7r at Digitalrev.
A7 at Digitalrev, Amazon Cina.
A7 with 28-70mm lens at Digitalrev.

First picture of the Minolta A9r :)

Over at Xitek people is having fun creating their own A7r design variations like the Minolta version you see on top. And this is how a Silver or White A7r version would look like:

That silver version should really be made by Sony!

Specs and Preorders in US and Canada:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.

Specs and Preorders in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PTWexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony  DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT
Zeiss 24-70mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, SE, PT

Asia:
A7r at Digitalrev.
A7 at Digitalrev, Amazon Cina.
A7 with 28-70mm lens at Digitalrev.

A great Sony PDNshow report by SAR reader Tex (a must read!).

PhotoPlus Expo 2013: News Shooter looks at the full-frame Sony Alpha 7 camera from Chuck Fadely on Vimeo.

The following text has been written by SAR reader William (from www.lightzoneproject.org) who attended the PDNshow in New York. I think it’s the best descripttion I read about the new Sony “product confidence”. It’s a must read!

by Tex:

“My impressions: The A7 and A7r are really fine looking cameras, overcoming my initial problems with the pentaprism (I was hoping for more of an NEX 7 look/rangefinder look). Very solid in the hand, and also “right-sized” for everyone but those with really large hands. Very solid feel, and basically very good ergonomics. Yes, someone commented somewhere that the shutter release button is a bit awkward being right on top of the camera—but we should remember that this is how slr’s and rangefinders were (and still are) for decades. All the wheels worked great and the special function buttons are also very good. Of course the lens selection at the show was very limited—as was the battery power! Everyone was checking these cameras out. While I was at the booth several times I let people try my Voigtlander 35 f2.5 from my NEX 7 on the cameras (which looked great BTW through the viewfinder), and the Sony people to my surprise were actively talking about 3rd party lens options, adapters, legacy glass from other makes, etc. By actively I mean encouraging it—and not just at the booths one-on-one, but in their mini-theater presentations, too. More on this “attitude” in a moment. There were quite a few people invested in other makes coming into the Sony booth and looking very admiringly at the A7 and A7r. And as far as I’m concerned that viewfinder is a winner—very clear and the magnification worked well. The menu system looked great to me—much more like my beloved A850 (but of course more in it). I wish they had had the battery grip, too bad. Of course the camera has wifi and will be able to be controlled by phone/tablet app, but I asked about the lack of a port for a cabled release. I was told there is a release coming, and that it will use the multi-port.

I also looked at the RX10. Very, very nice camera. Great finish, solid and tight. Neither compact nor big. I am amazed that someone has come out with as fine a superzoom as this—to me it has always been a junk category. Definitely a winner travel camera.

Some general things about Sony’s show presence: Canon had the largest booth by far, but there were a lot of printers in there and video, and a fancy stage. After that Sony’s booth looked like the next biggest, with 2 smaller stages. Not many people were looking at the video stuff. Nikon’s booth seemed smaller than Sony’s, and although closer to the entrance, seemed less central to the show. It was also not very crowded when I was there. Oly and Fuji had nice booths, and both had decent traffic. Panny and Samsung had decent booths and decent traffic, and Leica had its typically elegant booth—NYC is a good market for them I bet. No Ricoh-Pentax that I saw. Lot’s of people at the Zeiss booth asking about E-mounts.

So, about that “attitude” I spoke of earlier. 2 years ago at the show I remember handling the NEX 7 with the reps at the booth, and while enthusiastic, they didn’t seem all that well prepared for the enthusiasm and close questioning by us, the public. At times they seemed a little befuddled and surprised. That was less true last year, but still a little true. But last year it was clear to me that there was growing pride in what they were doing, and the guys working the RX1 counter were clearly very proud—all smiles all day long. If you have never worked a trade show(I have), you should know that they are exhausting affairs. It’s hard to fake your enthusiasm after the first day. For many reps they are just a PITA. So the internal “Sony pride” was very obvious to me last year and even a bit the year before. This year? These guys know they’re hot. They are like a winning sports team, full of confidence. Loads of enthusiasm, engagement, and this year they were far better prepared for the press of interested people and could answer questions better. I had quick discussions with 2 Sony people who are farther up the food chain: Drew Temple, Product Information, Digital Imaging (out of San Diego), and John Bruehl, Vice President, Specialty Retailers, Digital Imaging division. I specifically button-holed them about Sony’s minimum purchase requirements, which I have been told by 2 different pro shops I do business with prevent these businesses from getting involved with Sony. They are just too high—smaller stores cannot carry that much inventory speculatively. One of these shops is my local pro shop, and the owner whom I’ve known since the ’80’s has told me he’d love to have a few of these more specialized Sony products—the RX100, RX100II, RX1, RX10 ,NEX 6 & 7, and now the A7 and A7r, but he has no demand as of yet for the rest of the Sony line (he’s a Nikon-Canon-Leica camera specialist, with the Fuji line thrown in for good measure). This is a store that also supplies a full range of film supplies plus the entire Epson Pro line, as well as most of the major accessory lines and several of the pro lighting lines. The other store is a niche retailer that is a Leica, Zeiss, and Voigtlander dealer—clearly a place that would be interested in the top of Sony’s mirrorless lineup. So I specifically pressed these 2 Sony guys about this, and to please consider making some changes, even temporary ones to let these smaller shops get some traction in order to build up demand. Drew was very forthright, and suggested I go ahead and email him after the show and that he would bring it to the the meeting table, although he promised no changes and said this gets into strategic territory. Yet he spoke to me, not a brush off at all. John was even more willing to speak to me, even though he was clearly very busy—he took more than 10 minutes of his time to talk to me. While he initially disagreed with what I was trying to get across, and explained that SONY has very good MSRP, MAP, and RPM policies (Nikon and Canon do not, according to my sources, favoring B&H, Adorama, but especially Amazon), plus a way for retailers to get smaller quantities through a distributor, on the other hand he was listening, and asked me to email him and triangulate with my friend here in my home town with the pro shop–whom he knew. He seemed open to thinking about this and bringing it up in meetings with “the guys from Japan”. But here is what is most interesting for us who read SAR: He said he has been in sales a long time, and what he always asks is “what are we doing wrong?” He said this startled the Japanese, who asked him why he would do such a thing. Because, he replied, you cannot assume you are doing everything right. Now those “guys from Japan” have heard this, and are beginning to take it to heart—they now want to know, actively, “what can we do better?”. They are listening harder now. I think it shows.

tex andrews
co-founder and webmaster(or minor) for the open-source LightZone Project
www.lightzoneproject.org”

Specs and Preorders in US and Canada:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.

Specs and Preorders in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PTWexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony  DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT
Zeiss 24-70mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, SE, PT

Asia:
A7r at Digitalrev.
A7 at Digitalrev, Amazon Cina.
A7 with 28-70mm lens at Digitalrev.

New Adobe Release Candidate adds support for the A7-A7r-RX10 and 28-70mm FE lens.

Adobe just added the support for the new A7-A7r and RX10 cameras. And there are also new lens profiles for the 20mm f/2.8 E-mount and 28-70mm FE lenses. Download them here:
Adobe Lightroom 5.3
Adobe Camera Raw 8.3 for CC
Adobe Camera Raw 8.3 for CS6

Now it will be nice to hear your comments about the A7-A7r RAW files converted in Lightroom. Let the testing begin!

UPDATE: SAR reader Nekton did run Imaging Resource RAW images thru Lightroom 5.3:
A7: ISO 6400 f/8 1/1600 https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4096871/AA7hSLI06400NR0.jpg
D600: ISO 6400 f/8 1/1250 https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4096871/D600hSLI06400NR0.jpg