A bit later than usual Amazon added the preorder option on the new Sony RX10IV (Click here). You can also preorder it at Bhphoto and Adorama.
Reminders:
You now save $70 on the Sony SF-G 128GB card sold by FocusCamera (Click here).
Preorder the new Aurora HDR which comes for both Mac and Windows at Macphun (Click here).
A9 body picture posted by Dpreview
Dpreview posted a long report about their visit at Sony Tokyo. I invite you to read the full article. I will just highlight a few interesting talking points:
About the Sony A9:
At Sony, a new camera like the a9 takes two to three years to develop, we were told.
Yasufumi Machitani, project leader on the a9, talked to us about the development of the camera. A number of its features, like blackout-free shooting and fast AF/AE calculation, require sensor readout speeds conventionally thought impossible. A stacked BSI-CMOS sensor with integral memory was necessary for these technologies, and the camera division’s awareness of such coming sensor technology years in advance allowed it to plan the a9.
The High End strategy:
Sony believes there is a growing market of pros and enthusiasts, with shrinking demand at the entry level (it’s hard to argue with that, given the death of the compacts and the rise of the smartphone). This brings a higher demand for better performing products, be it in terms of autofocus, speed, resolution or sensitivity. Therefore, Sony says its product strategy is to pack as much available technology into each product as possible, barring hardware limitations, to meet a certain price point.
Sony’s unique advantage over the competition:
he communication between its image sensor development engineers at Sony Semiconductor and the camera teams at Sony DI give the company a unique advantage: an understanding of important sensor technologies to come two, five, or ten years down the line. The two-way communication between a cutting-edge sensor foundry and camera engineers that need sensor technologies to solve photographic problems is a unique advantage for Sony’s camera division.
Why Mirrorless is growing faster than DSLR:
Since much of the capability of mirrorless cameras is derived from the image sensor itself, its development speed is much faster than DSLR. So while mirrorless camera technology is a relative newcomer to the field, Sony’s insight into semiconductor advances puts its camera division in a unique position to innovate and iterate quickly, bringing greater speed and functionality to consumer products across shorter refresh cycles.
A-mount:
Tanaka-san assured us that ‘the A-mount customer base is small, but loyal, and we need to serve them.’ While Sony does not intend A-mount users to transition to E-mount, it does see the a9 as a potential body for A-mount lenses, via adaption. To that end Sony assures us the disadvantages associated with adapters – like the lack of proper subject tracking – are addressable, though it won’t officially support or offer a solution for Canon lenses natively.
APS-C:
Expressing very frank surprise at the idea that some of our readers feel Sony is less committed to APS-C, Sony DI executives assured us that, on the contrary, they are fully committed to APS-C. They pointed in particular to its potential to increase business by its adoption as a second camera for pros (a6300/6500) or a first-time camera for casual users (a5100/6000).
S-LOG on the A9
We asked Sony about the omission of S-Log2 and PlayMemories on the a9. We suggested it ostensibly appeared like forced product segmentation, uncharacteristic of Sony’s product strategy. While it still appears that may indeed have been the case, we were assured that Sony takes our negative feedback about these omissions seriously.
This is the first image of the new Biotar 58mm f/2.0 lens. It will be available as native E-mount option too on Kickstarter.
Sony announced three new 4K camcorders. This is the press text:
The new XDCAM® PXW-Z90, NXCAM® HXR-NX80 and Handycam® FDR-AX700, equipped with 1.0-type stacked Exmor RSTM image sensor,offer an optimal choice to a wide range of users from professionals to video enthusiasts.
Sony has today announced three new 4K HDR¹camcorders: the XDCAM® PXW-Z90, the NXCAM ®HXR-NX80 and the Handycam® FDR-AX700. Featuring Sony’s ground-breaking Fast Hybrid AF system, all three palm camcorders combine a fast and reliable autofocus (AF) function adapted for shooting with a 1.0-type stacked Exmor RS CMOS image sensor, delivering stunning image clarity alongside a range of versatile shooting features. The new camcorders all support an instant HDR (High Dynamic Range) workflow, enabling users to produce breath-taking HDR content with minimum post-production to suit a range of content creation scenarios and applications.
The Fast Hybrid AF system ensures highly accurate focusing and tracking during shooting, delivered by 273 phase-detection AF points that cover approximately 84% of the shooting area, high-density placement of autofocus points and a newly developed AF algorithm. This reduces the burden of focusing, especially when accurate focusing is required for shooting 4K[i] films. In movie recording mode, the appearance of phase-detection AF frames indicates the focused area and easily allows users to monitor a subject that is in focus. The new camcorders feature a high-resolution OLED viewfinder (0.39-type OLED, 2,359k dots) and advanced touch screen operation, on the 3.5-type large LCD screen (1,555k dots), to allow users to quickly switch focus from one subject to another, while the AF Drive Speed, Tracking Depth Range and Subject Switching Sensitivity can all be configured as required for different subjects and content styles.
The new camcorders support 4K HDR¹ recording with HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma), offering an instant HDR workflow. This enables users to reduce the post-production work and produce high-quality HDR content without grading, which usually requires a highly skilled technique and specialist knowledge. They also have the following key technology features to support versatile shooting, including;
Workflow efficiency benefits such as Proxy recording, relay recording and simultaneous backup recording are also delivered thanks to the new camcorders’ dual memory card slots and multi-camera operation capabilities supported by TC (time code)/UB (user bit). The three new camcorders also have REMOTE terminals, Multi-Interface Shoe™, and HDMI Type A to ensure enhanced operability.
“We strongly believe in empowering customers to tell amazing stories, whether it’s a journalist out in the field covering a breaking news event, or a freelancer working under the tight deadline pressures of a one-day corporate shoot” explained James Leach, European Product Manager, Sony Professional Solutions Europe. “Our new palm camcorders do exactly that. By minimising the efforts required to focus on a subject in-frame and streamlining the post-production workflow, we’re helping users concentrate on what they do best: storytelling.”
In addition to the above key features as series, the XDCAM® PXW-Z90 and NXCAM® HXR-NX80 also feature dual XLR audio input, a detachable handle, and access to Content Browser Mobile – a supporting smartphone application to enable Wi-Fi® monitoring, Camcorder remote control and wireless timecode sync[viii] between multiple cameras.
The PXW-Z90 also includes several features to suit broadcast-specific requirements including XAVC®format recording, which provides high-quality images at 4:2:2 10 bit (HD) and 4:2:0 8 bit (QFHD) in addition to conventional broadcasting MPEG2HD9 format recording, 3G SDI connectivity for compatibility with existing broadcasting equipment, and networking functions to support news reporting, such as compatibility with XDCAM® air, the Sony cloud-based ENG subscription service.
NXCAM® HXR-NX80 and Handycam® FDR-AX700 adopt XAVC S®[ix],an extended format of XAVC for consumer use which can record high-defined 4K2 films.
The XDCAM® PXW-Z90, NXCAM® HXR-NX80 will be available in December and Handycam® FDR-AX700 will be available in October. For more information on Sony visit www.pro.sony.eu, or visit stand 13.A10 at IBC 2017.
#SonyIBC17
[i] 3840 x 2160 pixels
[ii] 4K recording is not available. Sound cannot be recorded. A class 10 or higher SDHC/SDXC memory card is required.
[iii]960fps in NTSC, 1000fps in PAL
[iv] Sound cannot be recorded. UHS-I (U3) SDHC/SDXC memory card is required
[v]120fps in NTSC, 100fps in PAL
[vi]35mm equivalent
[vii]18x(4K), 24x(HD)
[viii] Optional licences required
[ix] A Class 10 or higher SDHC/SDXC memory card is required to record movies in the XAVC S format. UHS-I (U3) SDHC/SDXC card is required for 100Mbps
How we made a Video out of a series of pictures shot by SONY A9?
10 Great Tips for Shipping Your Valuable Camera Equipment (Explora).
Inside the black market for Instagram verification (Mashable).
In praise of the Voigtlander 65/2 apo lanthar (Dpreview Forum).
Nikon keeps all options open: Patents 24mm f/1.8 for new FF and new APS-C mirrorless system camera (Nikoneye).
Rotolight NEO 2 LED combines the best of both continuous and strobe lighting (Newsshooter).
You now save $70 on the Sony SF-G 128GB card sold by FocusCamera (Click here). That’s a $70 saving compared to the original price and $50 less than the best Amazon price. And you save $20 on the 64Gb card version too.
Reminder: Preorder the new Aurora HDR which comes for both Mac and Windows at Macphun (Click here).
Trade-in deals:
Up to $500 trade-in credit for the Sony A9-A7 at Adorama, Bhphoto, FocusCamera and BuyDig.
New Camera savings:
$200 off and free extras on the A7rII at Adorama, BHphoto and Amazon.
$200 off on the A7sII at Adorama, BHphoto and Amazon.
$100 off on the A7II at Adorama, BHphoto and Amazon.
$100 off on the A7 at Adorama, BHphoto and Amazon.
New Lens and accessory savings:
$100 off on the 16-35mm f/4.0 Zeiss lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$100 off on the 24-70mm f/4.0 Zeiss lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$100 off on the 24-240mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the Sony 28mm FE lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$50 off on the Sony 28-70mm FE lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$100 off on the 28-135mm PZ lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$100 off on the Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the Zeiss 5omm f/1.4 lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$50 off on the Sony 50mm FE f/1.8 lens at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon, Focuscamera.
$50 off on the Sony 50mm macro at BHphoto, Adorama and Amazon.
$100 off on the Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 70-200mm G lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 70-300mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 90mm macro lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$50 off on the Sony Fisheye Conversion Lens for FE 28mm F/2 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$50 off on the Sony Ultra-Wide Conversion Lens for FE 28mm F/2 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$50 off on the LA-EA3 A-mount adapter at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$50 off on the LA-EA3 A-mount adapter at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$50 off on the HVL-F43M at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$100 off on the HVL-F60M at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$50 off on the Sony VGC1EM Vertical Grip at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$50 off on the Sony VGC2EM Vertical Grip at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$50 off on the Sony ECM-CG60 at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$50 off on the Sony RX100 underwater housing at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
Voigtlander 40mm f/1.2 on the Sony A7 (image by Optyczne.pl).
The new Voigtlander 40mm f/1.2 manual focusing FE lens will be announced soon! The lens preorders will open on October 5 in Japan. And the price should be 132, 300 yen including tax. Converted in Dollar this is $1,200 (but the real US price might be different).
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via Digicameinfo
