The Zeiss 24-70mm optical performance “sucks ” (Ken Rockwell, Matt Granger, Photozone, SLRgrear).

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Image courtesy: Photozone.

According to plenty of reviewers the Zeiss FE 24-70mm lens seems to not be worth of the Zeiss badge. The latest harsh critic is coming via Ken Rockwell whom compared the A6000 vs A7rII and Canon 5Dsr image quality performance. And the real weak spot in his comparison seems to be the Zeiss FE 24-70mm lens:

The reason the Sony A6000 & 16-50mm OSS look about the same as the Sony A7R II and Zeiss FE 24-70mm f/4 OSS is because the Zeiss FE 24-70mm f/4 OSS is pretty soft in the corners, so the better performance of the 16-50mm OSS renders the $598 combination about the same as the $4,300 Sony combo. Ouch, sometimes the truth hurts — sorry Sony.

Lately also Matt Granger shared his very negative opinion about the lens. More lens reviews with the same kind of conclusion can be read at Photozone. and SLRgrear too.

I guess we really need a new 24-70mm f/2.8 FE zoom soon. And please Sony…it should be really good (a Zeiss badge alone doesn’t do it) and it should be NOT more expensive than the [shoplink 40693 ebay]Nikon 24-70mm[/shoplink] and [shoplink 40694 ebay]Canon 24-70mm[/shoplink] lenses!

Reminder: Maybe that “SEL2470 GM” lens registered lately by Sony in Russia will finally be the one 24-70mm lens we were waiting for?

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(SR4) A6xxx announcement again(!) delayed til February 2016.

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Image on top shows the Sony roadmap for Spring 2015. That is when the new A6xxx was planed to be released.

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Ah gosh! I really hate that A6xxx camera story. The camera was long due to be released in Spring 2015 (as leaked on the Sony roadmap document above). But Sony is keeping pushing back the release.

In August a trusted source said the camera release was scheduled between September and October. The same source shared other correct rumors like for example the Sony Europe Online Store closure (rumor here) or FS5 camera specs (rumor here). So he has a solid track of correctly shared rumors. But tonight he contacted me back and told me the following:

  1. Sony Tokyo decided to push back (again!) the A6xxx announcement to February-March 2016
  2. Sony Tokyo did not unveil the reason for that but he suspects that strong A7rII sales and increased production necessity let them decide to focus on the A7srII (and A7sII) first.

I am really upset by this as it’s hard to get reliable on the A6xxx rumors if Sony keeps changing the roadmap.

Very personal note:
I remind you that I am very busy on a personal family level (one son with not too serious but very busy health issues) and work (major documentary projects) level til Spring.  So sorry for any delay in email checking, and for the less good reliable rumor the late 12 months. I will have more time to spend on sources and rumors from February 2016.
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Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!

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Press text: New CineasyTouch Video Button Enhancement models for the Sony A7SII/A7RII/A7II Cameras.

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[shoplink 40657 ebay]Cineasy[/shoplink]

Cineasy sent me that press text for their new Video Button Enhancement product for the new Sony A7rII, As7II and A7II cameras. You can buy the button on eBay in [shoplink 40657 ebay]Black color (Click here)[/shoplink] or [shoplink 40658 ebay]Red color (Click here)[/shoplink].

PRESS TEXT:

We now have new models for the Sony A7SII/A7RII/A7II Cameras. We have two colors for this new model, Red & Black. It also has a more sleek, stylish design.

The Sony A7S is one of the best video cameras in the market. The Sony A6000 is one of the best selling crop sensor cameras in the market. The new line of A7SII/RII models promise even better video quality and more features. But all of these cameras have a challenge when using the video feature. The video record button is too small, awkwardly placed and slightly recessed. This makes it very difficult to activate without much fumbling around. You usually have to remove your eyes from the viewfinder to even locate the button. All this searching and fumbling around can cause shaky footage or missing the action all together.
Cineasy have come up with a low cost solution called the Cineasy Touch Button Enhancement. The Cineasy Touch installs in just minutes and offers a much more intuitive and responsive experience. It provides a larger point of contact which can easily be found without removing your eye from the view finder. It simply attaches to the neck strap eyelet nearest the video button with the included screw. The nylon resin material is resistant to vibration which minimizes the risk of bumping and accidentally engaging the video button.

Current models for the A7S, A7R, A7, A7SII, A7RII, A7II and A6000 can be purchased directly from http://www.cineasytouch.com or on [shoplink 40657 ebay]Ebay (search for cineasy touch)[/shoplink]. For more info please watch the video at: https://vimeo.com/128038653.

See it used here on BBC Project
https://www.cinema5d.com/working-with-the-sony-a7s-for-broadcast-part-ii/

EBAY Listings
A7S/A7R/A7 Black
[shoplink 40659 ebay]http://www.ebay.com/itm/221835783050[/shoplink]
A6000 Black
[shoplink 40660 ebay]http://www.ebay.com/itm/221826479708[/shoplink]
A6000 Red
[shoplink 40661 ebay]http://www.ebay.com/itm/221891445969[/shoplink]
A7SII/A7RII/A7II Black
[shoplink 40657 ebay]http://www.ebay.com/itm/221891456541[/shoplink]
A7SII/A7RII/A7II Red
[shoplink 40658 ebay]http://www.ebay.com/itm/221891453043[/shoplink]

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Sony Tidbits…

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Chris (video on top): “OFF THE BEATEN TRACK – Episode 2 – The land of the Maasai.
I’m very excited to launch the second episode of OFF THE BEATEN TRACK. In this second episode we travelled to the Masai Mara to find out how Kenyans were protecting their natural environment. Watch it in fullscreen with Headphones if you can. Hope you’ll enjoy it and share it around!
Vimeo link for HD: https://vimeo.com/135330120
This film was shot using my regular photographic gear:
– Sony a7r – Sony a7s – Sony a99 – Sony FE 28mm 2.0 – Sony FE 35mm 2.8 – Sony FE 16-35mm 4.0 – Sony FE 70-200mm 4.0 – Sony G 500mm f/4.0 – Sony G 70-200mm SSMII f/2.8″

Sony Presents its Solid-State RGB-IR Solution (Image Sensor World).
Sony FE 1.8/55 ZA T* Review (Phillip Reeve).
Sony A7R II with the Zeiss Loxia 50mm Sample Images (Photographyblog).
Sony A7R II with the Zeiss Loxia 35mm Sample Images (Photographyblog).

Kuroki: “I found a great video that was filmed in RX100m4. SONY RX100M4 | KOBE JAPAN Night View https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cwh22nbUmM”

Vasilios: “Not sure where to share this, but my shot using the Sony A7M2 with the Sony 90mm F2.8 G OSS lens made Explore.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/96510326@N04/19474527784/in/datetaken/“

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New Rokinon E-mount lenses on preorder at BH and Adorama. FE lens deals extended.

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samyang

After BH also Adorama is taking preorders on the two new APS-C E-mount lenses:
Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 Lens for APS-C E-mount (Black) at BHphoto (Click here) and Adorama (Click here).
Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 Lens for APS-C E-mount (Silver) at BHphoto (Click here) and Adorama (Click here).
Rokinon 50mm f/1.2 Lens for APS-C E-mount (Black) at BHphoto (Click here) and Adorama (Click here).
Rokinon 50mm f/1.2 Lens for APS-C E-mount (Silver) at BHphoto (Click here) and Adorama (Click here).

Reminder: Sony US officially extended the A and E-mount deals: A special full overview page can be seen at Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). And those are the savings in detail and with direct link to three major US stores:

Full Frame E-mount lenses:
$100 off on the Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the Zeiss 16-35mm f/4.0 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 70-200mm G lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the Zeiss 24-70mm f/4.0 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 28-70mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 28-135mm PZ lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the 24-240mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
APS-C E-mount lenses:
$50 off on the 35mm f/1.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the Zeiss 16-70mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$50 off on the 18-105mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 10-18mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the 16mm f/2.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the 20mm f/2.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 18-200mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the lens 30mm macro at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 50mm f/1.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 18-200mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the 18-55mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$200 off on the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$50 off on the 16-50mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$150 off on the 18-200mm PZ lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.

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Sony issues a new firmware update for the Sony A7rII !

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Bildschirmfoto 2015-09-21 um 14.32.47

Sony just released the new 1.10 firmware update for the Sony A7rII. You can download it here
Windows: sony.com.sg/support/download/607881/product/ilce-7rm2.
Mac: sony.com.sg/support/download/607899/product/ilce-7rm2

But don’t be too excited yet as the promised 14 Bit RAW feature has yet NOT been included in that version: The benefits of this update are:

  1. Improved a symptom to rarely become front focus depend on shooting scene.
  2. Decreased chroma noise when long exposure NR is set off.
  3. Improved Hi continuous shooting speed when using with the flash.

P.S.: Thanks Idros for sharing!

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A7rII preorder list:
In USA: at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, SonyStore US, FocusCamera, Uniquephoto.
In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT. Wex UK.
In Asia at Digitalrev, CameraPro.

A7rII case:
Gariz leather case in [shoplink 39113 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39108 ebay]Camel (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39110 ebay]Orange (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39111 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39112 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).
Gariz Alcantara case in [shoplink 39094 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39095 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).
Lim’s case in [shoplink 39107 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39102 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39103 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39104 ebay]Yellow (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 39105 ebay]Navy Blue (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 39106 ebay]Khaki (Click here)[/shoplink]. Also available on Amazon US (Click here).

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UPDATE: Rokinon announces two new APS-C E-mount lenses in cine and non cine versions!

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Bildschirmfoto 2015-09-21 um 14.15.00

This morning Samyang (named Rokinon in US and Wallimes in EU) announced two new APS-C E-mount lenses. But I just learned through their site that there are actually Cine and Non Cine versions of each lens. And the very first 21mm f/1.4 image samples can be seen at the spanish DSLRmagazine site (shot on X-mount version). For now only the “non-cine” versions can be preordered at BH or Amazon:

Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 Lens for APS-C E-mount (Black) at BHphoto (Click here).
Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 Lens for APS-C E-mount (Silver) at BHphoto (Click here).
Rokinon 50mm f/1.2 Lens for APS-C E-mount (Black) at BHphoto (Click here).
Rokinon 50mm f/1.2 Lens for APS-C E-mount (Silver) at BHphoto (Click here).

Samyang press text:

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