Sony FE 100-400 Safari Review by Photorec: “loved the results”


Lens store links: [shopcountry 60806]

Toby from Photorec tested the Sony 100-400mm on his Safari trip:

I take the Sony FE 100-400 and Sony 1.4x Teleconverter on Safari in Tanzania, Africa with http://Mckaylive.com and https://thomsonsafaris.com/ – I loved, LOVED the results and share with you my full review of the Sony 100-400, with sample photos and a report of how the Sony 100-400 performs paired with the Sony 1.4x Teleconverter.

New Sony A7III reviews and tests by Manny Ortiz, Photographyblog and more…

On top you can see Manny Ortiz new A7III video where he tests the camera for portrait shooting. And Photographyblog published the full A7III review conclusions:

The Sony A7 III is quite simply the best camera available at its price-point. It’s good enough to tempt some people to stretch their budget further, and even good enough for some to save money by not having to look higher up the range. It may be “basic” in its current positioning at the bottom of the Sony full-frame line-up, but it’s definitely outstanding in all other regards.

Sony A7III preorder links:
Sony A7III in USA at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon,  BestBuy, FocusCamera, BuyDig.
Sony a7III in Europe at Amazon DE, Calumet Germany, Amazon UK, ParkCameras UK, WexUK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
Join our Sony A7III Facebook group!

More A7III tests:
DxOMark Derived Photographic Dynamic Range versus ISO Setting (PhotonsToPhotos).
Photographic Dynamic Range versus ISO Setting (PhotonsToPhotos).
Sony Alpha 7 Vs Sony Alpha 7 Mark II V Sony Alpha 7 Mark III (ePhotozine).

More new A7III videos:

Sony A7III scores 96 points at DxOmark (very close to the A7rIII)

DxOmark published the full Sony A7III sensor test. The Sony A7III nicely places itself between the A9 and A7rIII. This is a top result for a camera that costs a lot less than both the A7rIII and A9. DxO writes:

Sitting between the Sony a S and R models, the sensor in the A7 was always a balance between resolution and sensitivity, but that’s no longer the case. On sensor performance alone, particularly with regard to low light / high ISO sensitivity, the Sony A7 III is ahead of the A7S II and comes very close to the overall image quality potential of the A7 RIII. What was once a showcase model for some interesting camera tech, the A7 III can now add cutting-edge low-light sensor performance to the mix. That may change when Sony releases the A7S III, but in the meantime, priced at around $2,000, it’s not asking for the earth in return.

Sony A7III preorder links:
Sony A7III in USA at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon,  BestBuy, FocusCamera, BuyDig.
Sony a7III in Europe at Amazon DE, Calumet Germany, Amazon UK, ParkCameras UK, WexUK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
Join our Sony A7III Facebook group!

Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D review at Opticallimits: “is pretty good indeed”


Laowa 9mm f/2.8 APS-C E-mount lens is now available for preorder at VenusLens Store.

Opticallimits (former Photozone) tested the new Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D. They tested ther X-mout version but the conclusion are 100% valid for the E-mount version too:

Extreme ultra-wide lenses are never perfect. Keeping this in mind the Laowa is pretty good indeed. It’s super-sharp in the image center and if you avoid f/2.8, the borders/corners are decent. Lateral CAs are generally not an issue. Image distortions are extremely low for a lens of this focal length – and that’s without image auto-correction. The primary weakness is vignetting which is rather extreme at max aperture. However, at medium aperture settings, it’s a lesser issue outside of lab conditions. Flare in strong contra-light can produce quite a bit of glare – a generally weaker aspect in Laowa lenses it seems.

The Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D may have some shortcomings but that being said we really enjoyed using the lens out there. In real life, the fully manual character wasn’t really an issue. Given the depth-of-field of a 9mm lens you can pretty much guess the focus distance and if needed for close-ups, you can just use magnified focus view in your camera. For most of us, a 9mm lens is quite exotic already thus it shouldn’t be a burden when carrying it. The form and size factor is pretty perfect if these are your constraints as well. We heard that the Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT is pretty popular among the drone folks. The 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D has the potential to do the job (and more) on APS-C mirrorless cameras.

Preorder the lens now at VenusLens Store.

First real world test of the new Sigma 135mm and 35mm FE lens by Chris Chu

The one thing that makes those new native Sigma FE lenses interesting is that Sigma said autofocus will be much better than on the MC-11. Our reader Chris Chu is the only person so far who got one of these native FE lenses and what he writes sounds promising:

“Got the FE 135/F1.8 ART lens. AF Performance is as good as native lens, Eye-AF in burst shooting much better than 85GM“

And he also got the 35mm FE:

Received the FE35/1.4 ART😝 Much sharper than Zeiss 35/1.4ZA, but the bokeh is not as smooth😐 AF performance and size/weight are at the same level

Here said he will soon share more info and images on our Sony A9 and Sony A7III facebook groups.

Sigma FE lens preorder links:
All lenses listed on one page at BHphoto (Click here). In detail:
Sigma 14mm f/1.8 for $1,599 at BHphoto and Adorama.
Sigma 20mm f/1.4 for $899 at BHphoto and Adorama.
Sigma 24mm f/1.4 for $849 at BHphoto and Adorama.
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 for $899 at BHphoto and Adorama.
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 for $949 at BHphoto and Adorama.
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 for $1,199 at BHphoto and Adorama.
Sigma 135mm f/1.8 for $1,399 at BHphoto and Adorama.