New A9 reviews by Imaging Resource, Backscatter and SonyAlphaLab

We have three new A9 reviews:

Backscatter:

My name is Robin Dodd and I am a producer for Backscatter Underwater Video and Photo. We recently completed a review of the Sony A9 specifically for underwater use and I thought it may be content that Sony Alpha Rumors would like to share. There are some really cool shots of the Great White Sharks of Guadalupe Island which were the perfect test subject for this camera. Here is a link to the article and video: http://www.backscatter.com/reviews/post/Sony-a9-Underwater-Camera-Review-Shooting-Great-White-Sharks

New A9 rolling shutter test on Imaging Resource:

Bottom line, though, the Sony A9’s rolling shutter timing for still photography is pretty impressive, and is fast enough that it shouldn’t be an issue for most users looking to shoot at the camera’s maximum 20 fps full-resolution frame rate.

Jason from SonyAlphaLab:

I just published my Sony A9 Review if you would like to share :) 
Sony A9 4k Sample Footage: https://youtu.be/LfyTSbZph_0
My Full Highly Detailed Written Sony A9 Review with tons of sample photos: http://sonyalphalab.com/product-review/sony-a9-review-the-best-full-frame-mirrorless-camera-yet/
The Sony A9 is without a doubt, the best all around Full Frame Mirrorless Camera ever produced by Sony. Clearly the A7r II still has it’s market for the those needing the max resolution and lack of Low Pass Filter, but for pretty much all other users, the Sony A9 is the new King! 

Sony A9 at [shopcountry 60917]

Sony A7rII dynamic range still higher than that of the new Nikon D850

First a note: I hate Sony vs Nikon fanboy posts. And I think the D850 is a great camera. There is more than just sensor performance ok?

Photons to Photons estimated the Nikon D850 Dynamic range and I am a bit surprised to see that the three years older Sony A7rII is beating the new Nikon on nearly all ISO settings except ISO 64. That’s actually where the A7rII has a “fake” ISO setting (read Jim Kasson post about this).

We will see if this “estimation” will be confirmed by further real world testing. But this indicates that maybe Sony did not share to Nikon their ultra-best tech? And what can we expect from the 2018 A7r mark III model?

Wish list for the A7rIII: Add “real” 64 ISO :)

–

Our reader Yannick sent me this:

I have an article that I absolutely wanted to share with you. I have made a 2 Years With The Sony A7R II Review:
I thought it could be great to see how it fares these days after all the hype is gone, and to see if there are even alternatives to it after such a long time.
I’ve included many image samples which are, as always, in fully uploaded so ppl can check out the meta data and pixel peep them. :)
They are all real life family and vacation pics.

Three new Sony FE lenses tested: 12-24mm, 16-35mm and 100-400mm

Todd Vorenkamp tested the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master Lens at Monticello Motor Club:

The FE 100-400 is not a super-heavy lens; it is lighter than the Canon of the same focal length, but after an entire day of shooting and 8,000 images (thanks to the 20 fps performance of the a9), my arms were definitely feeling it.
Lens store links: [shopcountry 60806]

Cory Rice tested the Sony FE 12-24mm f/4 G Lens in NYC:

On the streets of New York, the autofocus performed quietly and smoothly. The wide range of the lens allowed me to squeeze a considerable amount of space into the frame when shooting on cramped sidewalks. The tradeoff for this convenience was perspective distortion, especially pronounced when my model was human.
Lens store links: [shopcountry 60805]

Shawn C. Steiner tested the Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM Lens in the Berry Fields:

The latest G Master lens is one of Sony’s best zooms, with practically no visible aberrations and with outstanding sharpness. That isn’t the only thing a lens needs though; it needs to feel good in the hand and be a pleasure to operate. Overall, the lens’s external design is very good. It matches up with existing GM optics, with its rubberized zoom and focus rings, as well as the physical focus hold and AF/MF switch on the side of the barrel. One thing that struck me was just how short the throw of the zoom ring is, which isn’t necessarily a problem, and probably only came up because of my experience with cinema-quality zooms.
Lens store links: [shopcountry 60804]

Rolling review of the new Voigtlander 65mm FE lens by Phillip Reeve: “one of the very best E-mount lenses on the market right now”

Phillip Reeve is working on a very precise and in deep rolling review of the new .

“I am still in the process of learning to know the lens but I have performed most of my testing and it is safe to say that the Voigtlander 2/65 APO is one of the very best E-mount lenses on the market right now. Sharpness is exceptional, as is the degree of CA correction and build quality. Bokeh is very good in most but not all scenarios. The only average aspect of the Voigtlander is the flare resistance. All this makes it a great general purpose lens, I would see it less as a dedicated macro lens. So far I think it is well worth the price and weight.”

The lens is now in Stock at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama. In Europe at Photo-Porst-Neuwied

Venus Optics ‘Laowa’ Magic Shift Converter review by Christopher Frost

Back in July Venus Optics announced the new Laowa Magic Shift Converter for Sony E-mount. You can buy it directly at venuslens.net/product/laowa-magic-shift-converter/. It allows you to achieve this kind of “effect”:

Well this new Converter just got tested for the first time by Christopher Frost:

Reminder: Preorder link to the new the Laowa 15mm f/2.0 FE lens at Venuslens.net (Click here).