Need fast and high-capacity SD card? Adata 256GB card in Stock for $299.

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The fast 256GB card from Adata is now in Stock at Amazon US. Reminder: Also the new Voigtlander 40mm f/1.2 FE lens is now in stock at Amazon (Click here).

These are the Zeiss Batis and Loxia lens savings:
$100 off on the Zeiss Batis 135mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$75 off on the Zeiss Batis 18mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$65 off on the Zeiss Batis 25mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$60 off on the Zeiss Batis 85mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$65 off on the Zeiss Loxia 35mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$65off on the Zeiss Loxia 85mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$65 off on the Zeiss Loxia 21mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$50 off on the Zeiss Loxia 50mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.

Rokinon Full Frame E-mount autofocus lenses:
$200 off on the 50mm f/1.4 at Amazon, Adorama at BHphoto.
$220 off on the 14mm f/2.8 at at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the Samyang 35mm f/2.8 on eBay.

Rokinon APS-C E-mount manual focus lenses:
$80 off on the Rokinon 50mm f/1.2 APS-C E-mount lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$40 off on the Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 APS-C E-mount lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$40 Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 APS-C E-mount lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.

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New Sony 85mm GM, A9 and Voigtlander 65mm reviews

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We have three new detailed reviews to report:

Marc Alhadeff tested the Sony 85mm GM ([shopcountry 59290]):

The Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM is one of the best portrait lens available on the market. It has all possible refinement you could expect from a portrait lens. If you can afford it and if your are mainly a portrait / studio / mode shooter, this sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM is definitively a must have

Jordan Steele tested the Sony A9 ([shopcountry 60549]):

The A9 is a unique camera in the mirrorless space. While it’s certainly a full featured, well constructed camera that can be very useful for a wide variety of shooting, there are more affordable options that do most everything the A9 does. However, for sports or event shooting, the A9 is the best there is in the mirrorless world, and the first mirrorless camera I’ve tested that truly has world-class autofocus.

Photographyblog tested the new Voigtlander 65mm macro FE lens ([shopcountry 62826]):

The Voigtlander 65mm F2 Macro APO Lanthar is a stunningly sharp standard prime lens that doubles up as a very effective macro lens, all at a price that won’t break the bank. Boasting the same stellar build quality that we’ve come to expect from recent Voigtlander lenses, this new optic is a real gem.

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Sony Tidbits…

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Get Cinematic looks with a $30 lens – Bokeh Monster!

Glass from the past: Using classic lenses (Amateur Photographer).
Couple Stole $1.2M Worth of Cameras and Electronics from Amazon (PetaPixel).
Litepanels Introduces Gemini 2×1 Soft LED Panel (Explora).
Boya Shotgun Microphones (Personal View).
Why Apple Should Buy Sony (Mondaynote).

Sam: “A brief report of a recent photo trip I took to Yakushima Island, Japan. All photos were taken on the Sony A7ii with FE16-35 F4 lens and a couple on the FE28 F2 lens. http://www.samspicerphotography.com/blog/2017/9/22/yakushima-island-japan-trip-report“

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I kindly invite you all to follow our RSS feed, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to not miss news and rumors!

 

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DxO mark test: Sony 16-35mm GM is the Highest-rated wide-angle zoom!

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DxOmark published the 16-35mm GM lens test results. And this has now become the Highest-rated wide-angle zoom! Read the conclusion:

The Sony’s Overall score of 42 puts it 6 points ahead of its nearest competitor, the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM, while its Sharpness score of 34 is a remarkable 10 points ahead.

Another big strength of the Sony is that its image quality remains very consistent across its entire focal range — a relief for those accustomed to having to remember to coddle their lenses if they are weak at some parts of their range. Sony’s sharpness, for example, is ahead of its competitors over its entire zoom range.

The lens is also impressive for its light transmission. While it may not seem exciting to say that a lens rated f/2.8 measures out at a T-Stop of 2.9, its competitors are all over 3. It is in the middle of the pack for vignetting — something fairly easy to address in post-processing — and has relatively little chromatic aberration, which is something much harder to correct after the fact.

With the new Sony EF 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, you are simply getting better quality images for about the same price you would pay for many of its f/2.8 wide-angle zoom competitors.

if you need a fast wide angle zoom this is a no brainer buy. Worth every cent! Get the 16-35mm GM Lens at [shopcountry 60804].

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The “unofficial talk” on the Digital Splash show: Tamron ceased A-mount lens development and will make E-mount lenses only?

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A SAR reader reported to me the unofficial talk he collected on the Digital Splash show. While this is just unofficial chatter it’s still interesting to know what managers are spilling out on those kind of events:

News I took from sony at digital splash:
The people at the sony stand told me either sony is workig to get E mount lens line up to rival A mount selection before making more A mount lenses or the person said, it is possible no more lenses will be made but cameras will definately continue to be developped atleast for the next couple of years.
Tamron….it is with a very heavy heart that tamron have now ceased all future A mount lens development and instead are shifting focus to E mount and fuji mount, the price of A mount for some reason has shot up in recent times which paired with the shrinking A mount market share has led them the call it a day, all recent releases will be fullfilled up untill a certain point which wasn’t specified.
After having lengthy discussions with tamron through this year, it is looking more likely we will see sports/wildlife primes in the medium distant future(2-4 years) specifically 600mm f4 and 400mm f2.8.
The only lens maker currently actively developing new A mount lenses is venus optics via the Laowa lenses line.
Sad day, but i did try the A9, it is a nice camera, controls are fiddly coming from an a99ii, my fingers still get wedged between grip and lens neck so it would be great to see a slightly fattened out version of the A9, possibly with an a99ii style body but with E mount lens system.
Af on the a9 is shockingly good, even in a dimly lit room using the 24-70gm it picked focus almost instantly from infinity to near subject.
C’mon sony, make a 45mp 14fps A9r and let me finally lose the mirror.
As a funny end note, the display version of the A mount 500mm f4 that is used for shows and events was broken during a recent event, a man was changing lenses and instead of break his own gear he let the 500mm f4 go for the sake of saving his camera and lens. 

Tamron only has one native E-mount lens in their lineup. The Tamron 18-200mm at [shopcountry 62789].

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Is Sonys a9 sensor being used for both the new Venice and the future A7sIII?

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The Japanese site Image no-mania (a sensor guru blog) thinks A9 sensor is nearly the same used by the new VENICE camcorder. That means the α9 sensor potentially can do 4k60fps or 6k24fps. If (again a big if) the new A7sIII (or a9s) has this sensor we can expect it to record 4k 60fps.
Note: Before you start saying that the A9 video features have been crippled down by Sony. While the sensor might be capable of 4K60fps you would need the processor to be designed to be a video workhorse. And you have to design the body in a way to avoid quick overheating.
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