The new Voigtländer 15mm f/4.5 Heliar III lens is now on preorder in [shoplink 33910 ebay]Germany (Here on Fotomundus)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 33949 ebay]Hong Kong (Here on Shenikon)[/shoplink] It costs 749 Euro or $899 and will ship on March 10. The lens has been redesigned by Voigtländer to improve the corner performance on the Sony A7 FF cameras. This means we can finally get a relative compact wide angle lens for decent money.
German photo market: DSLR sales in RED. Mirrorless sales in Grey (Unit sold in tausend).
The last few years Sony launched an impressive amount of cameras. But something changed lately. The last six months Soy did announce only one new camera, the Sony A7II. No other E-mount or A-mount or RX camera got announced. I guess Sony just like all other companies is now aware that the camera market is shrinking and it’s time to refocus the strategy.
An interesting and extremely detailed analysis of the German market has been posted on MirrorlessRumors. In very short it shows that:
– The DSLR market is shrinking
– Lens sales are dropping too
– Mirrorless system camera market is slowly growing
– Action camera market is booming
It’s not that people is stopping to take pictures..actually quite the opposite! It’s just that the tools used to take pictures and videos are becoming different and more differentiated. People nowadays uses Smartphones, Actioncameras and Wearables too. And most of the times the new tools are very user-friendly (APP support) and made to fulfill very special needs. According to the German GFK organisation the “classic” System Camera market is expected to shrink further in 2015. Sony just like all other companies now have to try to understand what’s needed to attract new buyers with their A and E-mount system.
Say goodby to the “old” CCD sensor tech. Sony now officially switched all their effort on CMOS sensor development and production only. The news comes via Allied Vision:
“Many in the industry had expected this to happen sooner or later. As you know, CMOS sensors have become more and more popular in the last couple of years. With greatly improved image quality, sensitivity, dynamic range and speeds, they have outpaced CCD technology of late. Sony’s decision is a logical step in that context to provide further capacity for CMOS growth.”
If you want to know how Sony describes the Sony QX concept you can read their full patent here: freepatentsonline.com/8947589.pdf. A small curiosity: They also have the idea to make a square QX camera (image on top).
The Germany company Meyer-Optik-Görlitz took the Chinese Zy Optics f/0.95 lenses and “upgraded” them. UPDATE: Meyer-Optik-Görlitz contacted me to share the following info:
“Components for Meyer-Optik-Görtlitz lenses are : * sourced internationally * assembled, adjusted, tested and therefore made in Germany * shipped with a 5 year guarantee from a German manufacturer”
* Our lenses are improved in terms of material characteristic and mechanical quality
* To name a few: We use alternative components, eg. use materials supplied by a supplier of the German Avionic industry to guarantee precision
* we apply high-tech oils to improve slide ways and adjusting ranges
* special focus is assigned to quality assurance and minimization of the serial spread. Thus our QA testing and adjustment for each lens takes up to 3,5 h and 2 h on average.
* Our close quality tolerances currently lead to a reject rate of 50% for core components
This means they add a serious quality control on the Zy Optics lenses.
Their Nocturnus 35mm f/0.95 E-mount lens is priced at 1.999 Euro and has the exact specs of the 2-3 times cheaper [shoplink 33793 ebay]Zy Optics 35mm f/0.95 lens you can find on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]. The same lens also can be found under the [shoplink 33798 ebay]Mitakon brand name (Click here)[/shoplink].
Their Nocturnus 50mm f/0.95 E-mount lens is priced at 1.999 Euro and has the exact specs of the 2 times cheaper [shoplink 33795 ebay]Zy Optics 35mm f/0.95 lens you can find on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]. The same lens also can be found under the [shoplink 33799 ebay]Mitakon brand name (Click here)[/shoplink].
Real-world test: the Sony a6000 goes surfing with Chris Burkard
Sexy: A7S + Voigtlander Nokton 35mm 1.2 at SonyAlphaForum.
Best Sony E-Mount Lenses for Portraits, Landscapes, and Street Photography (SonyAlphaLab).
Tamron 15-30mm toma de contacto (DSLRmagazine).
Sony Aims at Automotive Cameras (Image Sensor World).
A7 MK II + lots of legacy lens (Pantip).
Voigtländer 40mm Nokton f1.4 test at SonyAlphaForum.
A Comparison of How Olympus and Sony’s 5 Axis Stabilization Work (ThePhoBlographer).
Subal Sony Alpha 7 Housing: First Look (DivePhotoGuide).
A Comprehensive Guide to Camera Lens Design and Zeiss Nomenclature (iLoveHatePhoto).
Luke: “Just thought that I share a short video I shot this weekend with new Zeiss 16-35 F4 on my A7s. All of the footage is handheld using Hondo Garage’s Pop and Lock (an invaluable tool that I can’t recommend enough http://www.hondogarage.com/index.php/product/landing/the-pop-and-lock-travel-rig. https://vimeo.com/119634534. I am quite pleased with the results and am happy with how sharp this lens is even completely wide open.”
Bernard: “A new test has been added for the Sony A6000 with a Rokinon 7.5mm lens. For over a year, people visit the site to compare different possible combinations of cameras and lenses for panoramic photography. The addition of the Sony A6000 complements the range presented on the site. A modification was done on the Sony A6000. Improve the standard Sony E-mount with the Fotodiox TOUGH E-Mount. This all-metal mount replaces the two-part mount that comes with most Sony E-mount cameras. Of those two parts, the actual mount that holds the lens is made of plastic, which is susceptible to wear and lens movement. By removing four screws, taking out the two mount parts, and inserting the TOUGH E-Mount, you give your camera a stronger and more durable lens connection. Of all sets that have been tested by quebecpanorama, the Sony A6000 with Rokinon 7.5mm lens is the one that offers the best value for money. The impressive quality, coupled with the ease of transportation, seduced us, so it became the official QuébecPanorama set. http://quebecpanorama.com/en/kits/view/rokinon-7.5mm-for-sony-sony-a6000“
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