A couple of days ago Sony released a major firmware upgrade for the A7II (Download for Windows / Mac). And here are a few early tests with the new firmware.

Raúl A. Sanjur González sent me this video (embedded on top) :

Nothing fancy. Just a comparison of AF speed between FW1.21 and F2.0 using the ILCE-7M2, LA-EA1 (APS-C) and SSM/SAM lenses (SAL50F14Z and SAL85F28 respectively). A77M2 is still ahead in terms of overall functionality (Tracking, performance, etc) but this is a very good option for Dual System users like me who keeps both A and E-mount cameras and lenses.

Some initial testing with adapted Canon lenses and two adapters on the Sony A7 II with Firmware 2.0 by Admiring Light:

I feel that the Firmware 2.0 truly makes many Canon lenses viable for everyday use on the Sony A7 II. You’re not going to get fully native speed and compatibility, but provided the lens works well with the adapter, you won’t be too far off in most cases. It’s a dramatic change for the better in using Canon lenses, and it opens up some options for the focal lengths that are lacking in the Sony FE lineup, or are too expensive to bother with. It really opens up the use of Canon lenses for everyday use on this camera and the A7R II, and vastly expands the available lenses that can be easily used with full autofocus capabilities.

On Monday Metabones will releasea new firmware to fix an issue with the A7II af performance (SonyAlphaForum).
Sony a7 II firmware 2.0 uncompressed Raw samples (Dpreview).
An Article Talking about a Major Omission to the Sony a7ii firmware upgrade (TheCameraProject).
A7ii review after 24 hours of installing Version 2.0 on Youtube.

Sony A7II store price check at [shopcountry 42630].

[shoplink 42649][/shoplink]
DxOmark (Click here) tested the Sony PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS E-mount lens. And the surprise is that it is as good as the Zeiss 16-70mm lens:

It might not have the Zeiss badge, but the [shoplink 42649]Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS[/shoplink] has good center sharpness throughout the whole zoom range, and that includes the initial aperture where zooms like this are usually poor, and particularly so at the longer end of the range. The downside is that it’s not as well corrected in other areas as the Sony Zeiss E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS, with which it is often compared. It still wouldn’t be an easy choice, even taking into account the $400 premium for the Zeiss. However the longer reach of the Sony is attractive, and for video users especially, the power zoom option may just swing it.

Find the lens on [shopcountry 42649].

[shoplink 42630][/shoplink]

Sony keeps winning all kind of different Dpreview awards. Today the Sony A7II got selected as the best camera of the year in the $1200-2000 price range:

Unlike the Samsung and the Panasonic, the [shoplink 42630]Sony a7 II[/shoplink] brings a full-frame sensor to the party while still maintaining a relatively small form factor (at the expense of larger lenses, of course). The in-body image stabilization is excellent, and the phase detection AF system ensures swift, accurate autofocus. The a7 II’s sensor is superb too, both in terms of resolution and dynamic range. And the recent addition of an uncompressed Raw option makes it all the more powerful photographic tool.

Sony A7II store price check at [shopcountry 42630].

And I have the strong feeling the A7rII will win the upcoming $2,000+ competition ;)

Imaging Resource tested the different LPF (low pass filter) settings:

“The trade-off between moiré and overall sharpness is evident, especially in the first example with the bottle label.”

Dpreview added the studio test scene and the RX1rII shows an impressive tack sharp resolution.

The new RX1RII will ship starting from next week at Amazon US (Click here), Bhphoto (Click here) and Adorama (Click here).

Cinema5D published the first impression review of the new FS5 4K E-mount camcorder:

The Sony FS5 is a well balanced package for the documentary/wedding/indie/news shooter cameraman. For those who are looking for an easy to use large sensor solution, be it “full auto mode” or “full auto focus” this is a very good alternative.
On the other hand, the advanced shooter will not feel neglected and be able to take control on most if not all camera functions in a manual way. As with most of Sony’s latest products, this one will receive a firmware update soon after its release to answer some of the shortcomings already found since the time it was announced. Sony also promised to introduce a future RAW recording capability for this camera at a later stage. Exciting.

Newsshooter pointed out one limitation of the camera

Last week we published news that the Sony FS5 won’t allow simultaneous recording of 4K internally to SD card, and externally to an external recorder at the same time. This means that anyone wanting to record to an external 4K recorder like the Atomos Shogun and at the same time internally to SD card for backup is out of luck.

There is also a Sony FS5 4K Hands on Video at Adorama Blog.

The new E-Mount 4K camcorder can be preordered in two versions:
FS5 body only at Adorama and BHphoto.
FS5 body with kti lens at Adorama and BHphoto.

DxOmark (Click here) published the fulL Zeiss 16-70mmf /4.0 E-mount lens review:

Although the overall DxOMark score is perhaps a little discouraging for a $1,000 stabilized zoom, the Sony Zeiss E 16-70mm f4 OSS actually has a good balance of sharpness and uniformity. It has low chromatic aberration, and distortion at 16mm is very well corrected, even if it’s bordering on the difficult to correct complex type. It might not wow users at either end of the zoom range, but it does in fact have excellent performance at 35mm.

What makes the lens even more appealing is that you save $300 on the Hasselblad version at BHphoto (Click here)!

Dpreview (Click here) published the full Sony A7rII review. The camera got an impressive overall score of 90%:

The a7R II pushes the boundaries of not just mirrorless, but also cameras in general. It has many new features that photographers of the future will wonder how they ever lived without. And while skimping on simple common-sense core features like direct AF point selection or touch-based AF is bordering on inexcusable at this point, much like some aspects of the ergonomics, the a7R II garners our top award – and one of our highest ever scores – for its sheer photography-accelerating technical prowess.

Surprised? Me not :)

Small note: $400 off on two A7rIi Open Box at Samys: [shoplink 42553 ebay]ebay 1[/shoplink] and [shoplink 42552 ebay]ebay 2[/shoplink].

A7rII store list:
In USA: at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, SonyStore US, FocusCamera, Uniquephoto.
In Europe at Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Wex UK and ParkCameras.
In Asia at Digitalrev, CameraPro.