Sony Tidbits…


New goodies from Falcam and New Year Giveaway!

Today deals at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, FotoErhardt DE, FotoKoch DE.
Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 FE review (Amateur Photographer).
On-Camera Monitors, Video Recorders, and Wireless Systems (Explora).
4 Professional Printing Trends Photographers Should Know in 2024 (42West).
Sony FE 70-200 f:4 Macro G OSS II Lens Review (Martin Gallego).
Patent application for an optical system based on Sigma’s 150-600mm F5-6.3, 200-800mm F5-6.3, and 80-600mm F5-6.3 (Asobinet).

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Good news if true: Sony a1 firmware update will be release around February 10th?

One source just told me that the Sony A1 firmware update will be released o February 10. I wasn’t able to double check this via trusted sources but to me it’s sounds likely to be true. I don’t know if also the Sony A7sIII will get the firmware on the same day (I guess so).

Like I told you previously expect to get a TON of new features…much more than anticipated by Sony ;)

I also hope that Sony will soon pre-announce firmware updates for other popular cameras like the Sony A7rV (which I do own), Sony A7IV and Sony A6700.

 

2023 market share in Japan: Sony increases the dominance in the mirrorless world!

BCNranking collected the 2023 sales data from nearly half of all Japanese stores. And this gives us a pretty accurate idea how companies are doing.

In 2023 Sony managed to increase their market share in the mirrorless segment from 29,4% up to 34%. Keep in mind Japan is quite unique when it comes to the taste of cameras. OM Digital for example is on third place ahead of Nikon!

Here are the detailed of the rankings:

Mirrorless cameras:
1st Sony: 34% share (29.4%)
2nd place Canon: 28.3% share (31.7%)
3rd place OM Digital Solutions: 12.5% ​​share (14.3%)

DSLR cameras:
1st place Canon: 77.1% share (76.8%)
2nd place Nikon: 17.1% share (17.2%)
3rd place Ricoh Imaging: 5.8% share (5.7%)

Fixed lens cameras:
1st place Canon: 22.6% share (18.0%)
2nd place KODAK: 20.7% share (-)
3rd place Fujifilm: 18.1% share (17.1%)

Video cameras:
1st place in the digital video camera category Sony: 38.7% share (34.7%)
2nd place Panasonic: 36.4% share (42.4%)
3rd place DJI: 19.6% share (9.4%)

Action cameras:
1st place in action camera category GoPro: 53.7% share (57.7%)
2nd place Insta360: 18.1% share (7.9%)
3rd place DJI: 15.9% share (20.5%)

Interchangeable Lenses:
1st place Sigma: 17% share (14.5%)
2nd place Tamron: 15.4% share (-)
3rd place Sony: 15.2% share (16.4%)

Tripod/monopod:
1st place Hakuba Photo Industry: 29.6% share (30.9%)
2nd place Videndum Media Solutions/Manfrotto: 14.2% share (15.1%)
3rd place Slick: 14.2% share (14.4%)

Case/bag:
1st place in camera category Hakuba Photo Industry: 45.8% share (41.0%)
2nd place ELECOM: 16.5% share (17.5%)
3rd place Etsumi: 7% share (5.9%)

A couple of private thoughts:

  • Sigma/Tamron/Sony leading the lens ranking makes it clear E-mount is doing well
  • Sony is doing well in the video business…and I guess the FX lineup is playing an important role here
  • I still think Sony is missing an opportunity by not really joining the action camera market.

Prograde launched the new GOLD CFexpress Type A cards

The new cards are now available for preorder at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon. Press text can be read here: progradedigital.com.

Reminder: For the first time you get this card with a big $120 discount at Amazon US (Click here). This is the largest capacity CFexpress Type A card and it now has the lowest price ever. If you need a BIG reliable workhorse storage this is the one to get.

If you need a larger capacity CFexpress Type A card:
You save 15% on the fast and most affordable Pergear Type A card sold by Amazon US (Click here and click on the coupon button).
You save 20% on the same card sold in Europe by Amazon DE, Amazon UK.

The 256Gb V90 fast SD card sells for $129 only at Amazon US (Click here). It’s the lowest price you can get now on fast V90 cards.

New release: Topaz GigaPixel 7

Topaz just released the new Gigapixel 7 (Click here). I personally use it ALL the time to upscale my old images or images taken with my smartphone. Sometimes I even do upscale cropped images taken with my Sony A7rV camera.

Major changes:

  • Updated AI engine which should allow better compatibility and faster processing
  • Added Standard and High Fidelity v2 models
    • These models will eventually replace v1 models in time. If you have quality issues, please let us know.
  • Refreshed the UI with new design and controls
  • Updated preferences with new options
    • Note: This will fully reset your preferences

Notable additions:

  • Added panning and pinch to zoom gestures in preview
  • Added updated RAW preview handling (should be closer to Photo AI)
  • Added ability to capture before/after in split and side by side views
  • Added ability to move the file list up and down via dragging
    • Note: There is a known issue where removing/adding images causes it to snap back to the default position
  • Changed logic for selections
  • Changed controls to show mixed states if multiple images with different values are selected