[shoplink 54957][/shoplink]
The 70-200mm GM store links: [shopcountry 54957]

DxOmark (Click here) posted the full [shoplink 54957]70-200mm f/2.8 FE GM[/shoplink] test results. And the conclusion is that this is the best ranked 70-200mm lens on the market! This is exactly the opposite conclusion of the negative Lensrentals review. DxO writes:

It’s not only the sharpest and best low-light zoom lens we’ve tested for the a7R II, it also outperforms many FE-mount prime lens options, ranking as the fourth-sharpest lens we’ve tested on the a7R II. Resolution at f/2.8 is first-class between 100 and 200mm, and peak sharpness of over 80% acutance in the field occurs between f/4 and f/8 for phenomenally sharp results on the a7R II.
Costing $2,498 and coming in at 200mm in length, and weighing nearly 1.5 kg, it’s a big beast for the diminutive a7 series of mirrorless hybrid cameras. This ssaid, it packs plenty of high-end pro features for advanced autofocus operation, image stabilization, and all-round top performance in fast-paced environments.

The ne GM lens scores 5 more points than the f/4.0 FE zoom which is still a great choice if price and size matters:

Now let’s hope Sony can ramp up the production of the GM zoom because right now it’s nearly impossible to find it in Stock somewhere:
70-200mm f/2.8 FE GM store links: [shopcountry 54957]
70-200mm f/4.0 FE store links: [shopcountry 54958]

The following article is a guest post from Langstrum:

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I live in South Korea and got a chance to have the new Samyang XP 85mm f/1.2 quite soon so I decided to make a user review and compare it to the [shoplink 54844 ebay]Canon FD 85mm f/1.2 S.S.C. Aspherical[/shoplink] as I have this lens for several years now. This review is based on the quality of a new copy of Samyang XP 85mm f/1.2 and a pristine copy of the FD lens (which is extremely hard to find now).

The following is a guest post from Isaac:

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Timelapse+ had a really interesting KickStarter last year for their VIEW Intervalometer and it looks like they now have live-view support for the Alpha!

The VIEW is a powerful little device with some neat features like automatic bulb ramping, live time lapse preview — watched either on the VIEW or a smartphone — and touch-free gesture controls.

Since the end of the KickStarter campaign, Timelapse+ has been actively adding new features and working with other vendors to include third-party integrations to the VIEW.

Timelapse+ creator, Elijah Parker posted on the company’s blog:

Anyway, back to the good news — live view is working!  This is nice because you can stream live view over the app and more conveniently setup motion keyframes or just setup the shot from somewhere else altogether via app.view.tl over the internet.

I had previously believed live view wasn’t possible over USB with Sony since there didn’t seem to be any hidden commands in the protocol for this and Sony’s software doesn’t support it.  Sony’s USB protocol is quite limited and in my opinion, terribly designed.  For example, to change ISO, you can only tell it to go up or down, then read what it is.  To find the range of options, you need to move it up until it doesn’t change anymore, then run it all the way down, one step at a time, until it again stops changing.  Compare this with Nikon, where you can request the list of valid ISOs, choose one, then set it to be anything.  No stepping blindly through a list.  Canon is slightly more cumbersome — the lists of everything are sent all at once when it first connects, then again if they change.  They can’t just be requested at anytime, but it still works just fine.

This is just a blurb from his post but you should read the whole blog post. It’s fairly technical but interesting.

You can read more about VIEW on the company’s website: timelapseplus.com/view

Max Yuryev compared the new Sony A99II against the Nikon D5. And he is really shocked by the incr4edible A99II performance and highly recommends buying the camera.

A99II store links: [shopcountry 54828].

Narek Avetisyan shared this image on our SonyAlphaForum (don’t forget to join us). I know these are crazy specs. But for sure those APS-C E-mount lenses would make jump of the chair the entire photography community. I know Sony love us to WOW us with their features and products…so maybe they will take note of SAR readers reaction on this :)

P.S.: I would personally travel to Tokyo to say Thank You to Sony if they make me a 30mm f/1.0 and a 16-50mm f/2.0 OSS…

MrCheesyCam tested the new FotoDiox ND Throttle Variable ND Filter Canon EF to Sony Lens Adapter (available here at Amazon).

José Ramos sent me that video and message:

I used to think that unboxing videos were useless, but then I realized I often watch them to get a better notion of the actual physical item, and that’s why I decided to do this video.
By the way, even though I mentioned an “adapter” for E-mount, there is no physical adapter, the lens is one piece-only.
Sorry for the audio quality, but I used the GoPro built-in mic with the waterproof case and sorry for the video quality too, the GoPro doesn’t behave too well with less than bright light.
Cheers!
José Ramos
http://www.joseramos.com
http://www.facebook.com/joseramosphotography
http://www.instagram.com/joseramosphotography

The Laowa 12mm FE lens is available at BHphoto.