As you know Capture One has a “special relation” with Sony. David Grower from Capture One made a special introduction post on our SonyAlphaForum (Click here). Some highlights are:

– New Processing Engine
– New Color Editor Interface with the ability to create masks from Color selections
– LUMA Curves – i.e Luminance adjustment only with the power of the curve tool
– New brushing tools with Flow and Airbrush and easy straight line brushing.
– Curves now included as a Local Adjustments
– Keyword Library Manager and new Keyword tool
– Vastly improved rescaling engine
– Capture One Colors for DNG files

One more thing: User’s can receive a 10% discount using the code “AMBCRAIG” on Capture One Pro 9 Upgrades and on new purchases of Capture One Pro 9. The Voucher Code: AMBCRAIG works on the full purchase price or on upgrades.

Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS Product Overview

15 manual lenses that perform well on the a7 series and cost less than $99 (Philip Reeve).
PXW-FS7　Tutorial Videos on Youtube.
Two good cheap lenses – manual and Af – Zeiss and Canon (SonyAlphaForum).
Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Pro review + Short film (a7s) on Youtube.
Test Sony RX1R II : précision de l’optique (Focus Numerique).
Sony E 30mm f/3.5 Macro Lens Review (ePhotozine).
A7sII test at DC.watch.
The Sony a7S on Set for Latest “Paranormal Activity” Release (AlphaUniverse).
First impressions of Sony A7S II are positive as the low light specialist brings its A-game! (Imaging Resource)
EVFs and short battery life with the Sony RX1R II? (Imaging Resource).

TheClassicCamera: “ZEISS & SONY DEMO DAY
All day Thursday December 3rd, The Classic Camera will be hosting a demonstration day with all the latest products from Zeiss and Sony including the new  RX1R MKII, the A7S and A7R MKII, the Batis 25mm and 85mm plus more from the new Milvus line of SLR lenses and Loxia line of E mount lenses. In addition Zeiss will be offering 10% off all Zeiss lenses purchased in store on the day.
Zeiss and Sony representatives will be in store all day to help answer any questions you may have about their amazing new products. The day will start at 10am and close at 6pm giving customers a whole day to get their hands on products you won’t find on the shelves!
Location:
The Classic Camera,
2 Pied Bull Yard,
London,
WC1A 2JR”

Nikkei Asian Review posted an interesting article about Sony’s mirrorless strategy. It basically says that the A7 series saved Sony’s camera business. Here are some key info:

1) According to one industry group estimate, Germany’s mirrorless camera market is expected to grow about 150% by volume in 2015 compared with 2012, while the U.S. market is seen expanding 80%. Much of this consumer “awakening” to the allure of mirrorless cameras has been attributed to Sony.

2) Sony began developing the Alpha 7 series in 2012 out of fear that the company “could be weeded out,” Executive Vice President Shigeki Ishizuka said (Ishizuka oversees Sony’s imaging products and solutions business)

3) “If we don’t conquer the market for sophisticated amateurs and professionals, we will never become professionals ourselves,” Ishizuka said. He decided to funnel a large chunk of the company’s resources into developing full-frame cameras. “We learned that people won’t buy our products unless we improve our brand,” Ishizuka said.

4) In the two years through October, Sony’s share of the full-frame camera market is estimated to have surged by about 400% in Germany and about 600% in the U.S. Profit margins for Sony’s imaging business are higher than for its TV operations, which only recently returned to the black. The imaging business could become one of the company’s leading electronics operations.

Nikkei also stressed to say that Sony needs to keep improving and gaining market share to keep their business sustainable. It also has to be seen what happens when Nikon and Canon will compete in the FF mirrorless segment. Although I suspect Sony will not have to fear them too much as they Nikon and Canon will need a long time to build up their camera and lens system.

Life Beneath the Mountains by Jon Roberts

Video ton top: A short series documenting my adventures through breathtaking Nepal. A country which is famed for it’s mountain ranges but secretly hides a word of beauty in it’s valleys and plains. Shot over the course of three weeks on my trusty Sony A7r as we whisked our way around the country through temples, markets, mountains, jungle and more. Images at Jon Roberts website and on SonyAlphaForum.

Why Sony is really close to take over the pro market (SonyAlphaForum).
Sony A7II Firmware Update 2.0 Review (part one) by Drasko Stojadinovic.
Comparing my experience with the Leica Q to my Sony cameras (Chad Wadsworth).
Pigeon Force by Craig Litten.
A7RII, Foo Fighters and live concert by Alessandro De Vito on Flickr.
Sony FS7 RAW Issues Found – Less DR & Color Depth than Internal (Cinema5D).
Hands-On with the Sony RX100 MKIV: Not Just a Pocket Camera (Explora).