New Zeiss 16-35mm FE review by Brian Matiash.

Brian Matiash from Photofocus (Click here) reviewed the new 16-35mm f/4.0 FE Zeiss lens:

Images produced with this lens are very sharp and consistent with minimal softness in the corners. I also didn’t notice any chromatic aberration with photos taken at locations with very high dynamic ranges…As far as I’m concerned, this is a Must-Have lens for all of the Sony A7 shooters out there.

Zeiss FE 16-35mm preorder links:
Zeiss 16-35mm FE at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Sony Store US.
Zeiss 16-35mm FE in Europe at Sony DE, UK, ES, IT, FR, CH, AT, NL, BE, FI, SE, NO, PT.

Big 4K tests: Sony A7s outperforms the GH4!

a7s_vs_gh4Image courtesy: CameraSize.

Enrique Pacheco tested the 4K performance of the Sony A7s and the Panasonic GH4. And in terms of both dynamic range and resolution the A7s outclasses the main competitor:

Sony_A7S_vs_GH4_skydata_07_AA-800x450Image courtesy Enrique Pacheco and Macgregor.

The image on top shows the difference in dynamic range. Enrique writes: “Sony A7s vs Panasonic GH4 in CINE4 mode. Pro ISO 200 the difference of detail in highlights from heaven speaks for itself.“
And this is the resolution comparison: “Compared to the Lumix GH4, which has always been known camera with good resolution, the Sony A7s seems to deliver a clearer, sharper picture, you could say that with increased microcontraste or acutance if you’re like us, having grown up with analogue. But we must also note that although the image appear sharper the A7s, actually both seem to achieve the same level of detail.“
And Enriques further test also show the A7s has less moiré and less color aliasing. The GH4 advantage is far less rolling shutter (not tested by Enrique but seen in other comparisons) and the GH4 is cheaper and records 4K internally.
Sony A7s store links:
Sony A7s in USA/CA at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Sony USA, Sony Canada.
Sony A7s in Eu at Sony DE, UK, ES, FR, IT, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, NO, FI, PL. And Wex UK.
A7s Gariz leather case in [shoplink 27569 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 27570 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 27571 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 27572 ebay]Orange (Click here)[/shoplink].

50mm Loxia vs 55mm FE and vs 50mm Leica.

comparison_loxia_fe_leica
Comparison by DearSusans.

We got another confirmation those Loxia lenses aren’ts just a ZM lens with E-mount. DearSusans (Click here) compared the Zeiss Loxia 50/2 with the Sony FE55/1.8 and Leica Summicron 50/2:

It’s no hard for me to admit I wasn’t expecting it to be this good and considered it to be a half-ass effort by Zeiss to cash in on an old design, much like the 7 re-editions of Star-Wars, for instance. The truth is Zeiss seem to have produced a gem. And I wish them well on the cashing-in.

Zeiss Loxia preorders:
Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 Planar T* Lens for Sony E Mount at BHphoto, Adorama., WexUK, CameraPro.
Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 Biogon T* Lens for Sony E Mount at BHphoto, Adorama, WexUK, CameraPro.
Zeiss Lens Hood for Loxia 50mm f/2 Planar T* Lens at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss Lens Hood for Loxia 35mm f/2 Biogon T* Lens at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss 52mm Front Lens Cap for Touit and Loxia Lenses at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss De-Click Key for Loxia Lenses (5-Piece Set) at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss Rear Lens Cap for Loxia E-Mount Lenses at BHphoto and Adorama.

Two new Sony PXW-FS7 test videos.

Sony PXW-FS7: another UHD XAVC very quick test from Filippo Chiesa on Vimeo.

The latest 4K E-mount camcorder got quite a positive feedback from early testers. And here are two more new test videos to check out!

Sony PXW-FS7 test/essais Cinematographie.info/Sony from Cinematographie.info on Vimeo.

Sony PXW-FS7 body only at BHphoto (Click here).
Sony PXW-FS7 with 28-135mm lens at BHphoto (Click here).
Sony VCT-FS7 Lightweight Rod Support System for PXW-FS7 at BHphoto (Click here).
28-135mm at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
28-135mm powerzoom in Europe at Sony DE, UK, ES, IT, FR, CH, AT, NL, BE, FI, SE, NO, PT.

Diglloyd: Zeiss 35mm ZM Rendering Style Sets New Benchmark. But doesn’t work well on the A7.

Digglloyd is the first reviewer that has tested the new Zeiss ZM 35mm f/1.4 lens and writes:

It is unequivocally the star of the ZM lineup. In terms of operational excellence, I rank it above all my Leica M lenses.” And “Rendering Style Sets New Benchmark”.

But there is also a bad news:

but what a pity that the thick sensor cover glass of Sony A7-family cameras degrades its ultra high grade performance via ray angle (as with all wide angle M lenses).

I do hope Zeiss will release an optimized “Loxia” version of this lens in 2015!

Zeiss Loxia preorders:
Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 Planar T* Lens for Sony E Mount at BHphoto, Adorama., WexUK, CameraPro.
Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 Biogon T* Lens for Sony E Mount at BHphoto, Adorama, WexUK, CameraPro.
Zeiss Lens Hood for Loxia 50mm f/2 Planar T* Lens at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss Lens Hood for Loxia 35mm f/2 Biogon T* Lens at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss 52mm Front Lens Cap for Touit and Loxia Lenses at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss De-Click Key for Loxia Lenses (5-Piece Set) at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss Rear Lens Cap for Loxia E-Mount Lenses at BHphoto and Adorama.

New A7s test roundup!


Sony a7s – worlds best HIGH ISO? (Matt Granger)

Shooting with Sony A7s, the most underhyped camera of 2014 (Mike Kobal).
Sony A7S Test – Gonzalo Ezcurra Custom Picture Profile (Vimeo).
The Mitakon Speedmaster “Dark Knight” Pro 50mm f/0.95 and Samyang 50mm f/1.4 on the Sony A7s (Mirrorlessons)
Trying the new Leica Summarit-M-lenses on the Sony A7s (Mirrorlessons).
1 day trip to Alaska with the A7s at https://vimeo.com/107334872.

Sony A7s store links:
Sony A7s in USA/CA at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Sony USA, Sony Canada.
Sony A7s in Eu at Sony DE, UK, ES, FR, IT, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, NO, FI, PL. And Wex UK.
A7s Gariz leather case in [shoplink 27569 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 27570 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 27571 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 27572 ebay]Orange (Click here)[/shoplink].

First Loxia lens tests at Dearsusans, BMCR and BerlinBackstage.

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Image courtesy: Berlin Backstage.

Berlin Backstage (google translation here) tested both Loxia lenses and explained that these lenses are completely different from the current 35 and 55 FE from Sony. With the Loxia you will approach the photography in a complete other way. These lenses are made for manual focusing lovers! For Berlin-Backstage Zeiss was 100% spot on to release those focal length lenses first!

DearSuasans tested the 50mm Loxia:

It is not a spectacular lens, like a Macro when it comes to detail, or the FE55 when it comes to sharpness, but it just does everything so well. Colours are first rate. Detail is excellent, including at infinity. Sharpness is excellent.

Hands-on and few image samples at Bestmirrorlesscamerareviews:

When Zeiss made the announcement, I couldn’t help but wonder why they decided to release two focal lengths that already exist in Sony’s AF series…But after trying them today, I have to admit that my first impressions are really positive about the two lenses. The image quality they produce seems really exceptional on both the A7r and A7s. But most importantly, they perfectly suit Sony’s full frame mirrorless system because they are small and therefore enhance the portability of the system.

P.S.: The Loxia 50mm is alreayd shipping in [shoplink 29558 ebay]Germany (like here on eBay)[/shoplink].

Zeiss Loxia preorders:
Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 Planar T* Lens for Sony E Mount at BHphoto, Adorama., WexUK, CameraPro.
Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 Biogon T* Lens for Sony E Mount at BHphoto, Adorama, WexUK, CameraPro.
Zeiss Lens Hood for Loxia 50mm f/2 Planar T* Lens at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss Lens Hood for Loxia 35mm f/2 Biogon T* Lens at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss 52mm Front Lens Cap for Touit and Loxia Lenses at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss De-Click Key for Loxia Lenses (5-Piece Set) at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss Rear Lens Cap for Loxia E-Mount Lenses at BHphoto and Adorama.