Exactly one year ago (+1 day) Sony announced the last A-mount camera!

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[shoplink 24708 ebay]

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Exaclty One Yeard and One day ago Sony announced the last A-mount camera, the [shoplink 24708 ebay]Sony A58[/shoplink]. I know some of you complained that I was bringing to many E-mount news but as you see, this happens only because Sony decided to focus on the E-mount and RX camera development.

But now the long wait has an end and my trusted sources confirmed new A-mount cameras will come very soon. I am not 100% sure yet but the first camera could be announced in late March or early April. What we also know for sure is that the new A-mount cameras will focus on speed. EVF refresh rate much improved, Hybrid AF even a tiny bit faster than the one used on the A6000, on sensor phase detection pixels and likely same A7 and A7r resolution sensor.

The big question is: Will they have SLT tech? I know Sony developed both, completely mirrorless and SLT A-mount cameras. Latest I heard is that it has SLT btu I am still not sure about it.

Stay tuned, some exciting time ahead of us! And finally some smiles for A-mount lovers :)

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First picture of the A6000 with the Bluetooth mic. And AF tests are very promising.

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Image courtesy: Focus Numerique.

I guess that’s a picture most of you didn’t see yet! it shows the new A6000 with the new Bluetooth mic fully compatible for the Multi-Interface shoe. The ECM-W1M can be preordered at Sony Store US (Click here).

AF speed:
Over at Dpreview forum, member Alithenake tested the A6000 and this is what he writes about the AF speed:

I’m blown away by the speed of AF, even in low light. Also the performance of the camera in low light situations is incredible, giving sharp results even hand-held.

Sounds great!

P.S.: A short AF test video has been posted by Mobile01 on Youtube.

James: I’ve noticed you can only buy a A6000 with 2 lenses (16-50 + 55-210) only from the store tab on sony.de. If readers are looking for it…
Well James I didn’t find it. Maybe some SAR readers can find me a diretc link to it?

Sony A6000 preorder list with US and Europe links:
Sony A6000 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT, WexUK.
Silver A6000 at WexUK (Click here).
Sony A6000 with lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here)Sony Canada (Click here), WexUK (Click here).
Silver A6000 with lens at WexUK (Click here).
Sony 70-200mm FE at Amazon (CLick here), BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT

 

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Up to $200 off on Sigma A-mount lenses!

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You can save up to $200 on Sigma A-mount lenses at BHphoto (Click here to see the list).

 

Current cool Sony deals:
Get a $300 trade in credit valid for the purchase of a Sony A7 and A7r at Focuscamera (Click here).
Now that we got the A6000 the NEX-6 with kit lens sells for $739 only at Amazon US (Click here).
$400 off on the Sony 70-400mm A-mount lens at BHphoto (Click here).
Save up to $650 on A7-A7r with lens and flash combos at Amazon US (Click here), BHphoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and SonyStore US (Click here).
Buy a Qualifying Sony QX Series Lens-Style Camera and Receive a Free 16GB microSD Memory Card at Amazon US (Click here).
NEX-3n is still the most sold mirrorless camera at Amazon US (Click here).

This is the updated A6000 preorder list with US and Europe links:
Sony A6000 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT, WexUK.
Silver A6000 at WexUK (Click here).
Sony A6000 with lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here)Sony Canada (Click here), WexUK (Click here).
Silver A6000 with lens at WexUK (Click here).
Sony 70-200mm FE at Amazon (CLick here), BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT

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Sigma says they would like to make lenses for the Sony FE system. But 18-35mm A-mount gets another delay :(

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In an Interview with Dpreview Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki have been asked: “Are you interested in creating lenses for Sony’s new Alpha 7 and 7R?”. The answer is:

As a major lens manufacturer we believe it’s our mission to support as many systems as possible but we have limited resources so we have to prioritize. But we’d like to.

I am sure they plan to make lenses for the FE system but as mentioned by CEO Yamaki their resources are very limited. And a proof of these limitations is that the 18-35mm f/1.8 A-mount lens (here at Amazon) got another shipment delay! Read that email from Sigma customer service:

Good morning,
Unfortunately this lens has been pushed back several times by our parent company. As of last week, we are expecting them to come in late March. However, that could possibly change again.
I’m sorry for the inconvenience. Have a great day!
Best regards,

[redacted]
Sales Operations Supervisor
Sigma Corp of America

:(

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Sony A7 and A7r test roundup….

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The Sony A7: All About the Gear by Frederick Van Johnson

Sony’s 11+7-bit LOSSY File Compression: 32-pixel Line Artifacts Clearly Visible on Star Trails (Digglloyd).
Samyang 24mm f/1.4 Cine E-Mount on Sony A7 (Diglloyd).
The Sony A7R with Canon 17mm/4 TS-E. Architecture Dream Team (Steve Huff).
Life by the Lake: Sample Pictures from the Sony A7r Camera with FE 35mm & 24–70mm ZA Lenses (Invisiblephotographer)
Sony A7 review by Quesabesde (Spanish).
Sony A7r review by Trustedreviews.
Sony Nex 7 vs Sony A7 review: Which camera should you get? (Theinspiredeye).
French A7r test at cmp-color.
My first month with the A7-A7r at Friedmanarchives.

Peter:Just want to share a non-technical user travel test of the A7 video capabilities using 35mm 2.8 and other legacy lens. As shared on Steve Huff site and NZ tourism FB page: https://vimeo.com/84311946

David:I just got my Arca-Swiss camera plate for the Alpha 7 from Really Right Stuff. Here’s a short review: http://davidtanzer.net/rrs_arca_swiss Spoiler: It’s great. Totally recommended.

Javier:Video grabado con sony A7 + nikkor 50mm f1,8 la tomas artisticas de la entrevista, y con sony VG20 + zeiss 24mm f 1,8 la toma fija maestra y audio: http://youtu.be/tLFZGPJCEzM

Stilgar:I made some new tests between Leica M and Sony A7r with 2 R lens
R APO Telyt 180: http://stilgar-photo.blogspot.fr/2014/02/a7r-vs-m-part-08-R100APO-01US.html
R APO 100 Macro: http://stilgar-photo.blogspot.fr/2014/02/a7r-vs-m-part-08-R100APO-01US.html

Anonymous:Not a rumor but more usage of the a7 + 55mm 1.8 at a wedding. Nice pics. http://www.mikee.nu/?p=5115

Christian: I guess I am not the only photographer using NEX who toys with the idea to upgrade to the A7 or somewhere else for still better image quality and fun. I am still toothing with the question how and if to upgrade from my NEX 5N towards to the Sony A7. For this purposes, I evaluated the A7 with several lenses and also extensively with the kit lens. Many comparisons between A7 and 5N performance followed. Due to issues with the kit zoom FE2870, I had
to return the A7 kit twice.
In the end, I compiled my findings in a document “The Sony A7 from a potential NEX 5N upgraders perspective” instead of posting all on my blog, because for me, the blog has a photographic focus and adding a 9 page testing text would spoil the layout :-). I have added a link however to the 3 MB PDF file on it:
http://luxorphotoart.blogspot.de/2014/02/essay-sony-a7-from-potential-nex-5n.html
I am still undecided on the A7 and see its greatest shortcomings in the non-availability of a good quality standard zoom.

Joan:got the chance to work for two days with the Sony A7r. I asked Casanovafoto shop for the camera because I was not getting enough information on the internet about how this camera works with shift lenses. I’m an architectural photographer and these kind of lenses are my day to day. I’m planning to move from a Canon 5D mark II to a sony A7r due to the magnificient sensor of the A7r.
They have published an article I have done about the test in his blog that I think it can be interesting for you. Although it is in spanish maybe google translator can do a good job. If not, I can try to simplify the article in a few words if you are interested in publishing it.
Here’s the link:
http://www.casanovafoto.com/blog/sony-a7r-fotografia-arquitectura/
Lenses proven were Canon 17 TS-E, Canon 24 TS-E II, Olympus 35mm shift, Mamiya 50mm shift and Canon 100-400. All of them worked perfectly in absolutely all conditions. The only issue I had with the camera was the shutter vibration with the 100-400 at shutter speeds around 1/30s on a solid tripod. This is not happening with my 5D mark II with the mirror locked.

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Specs and Store Links in US and Canada:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.

Specs and Store Links in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT
Zeiss 24-70mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, SE, PT
Sony G 28-70mm lens at Sony DE, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO.

Asia:
A7r at Digitalrev.
A7 at Digitalrev, Amazon Cina.
A7 with 28-70mm lens at Digitalrev.

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Sigma 30mm f/1.4 ART for A-mount announced!

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Sigma just announced the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 ART for A-mount. There is no pricing info (Canon mount costs $499 here at BHphoto) and there is no shipment info neither. Seeing how much it takes to get the 18-35mm f/1.8 lens I don’t know how long we will have to wait for that one too :(

Here is the full press release:

The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the new Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM, the large-aperture APS-C standard lens.
“SIGMA 30mm F1.4 DC HSM”, the large-aperture standard lens with an angle of view equivalent to 45mm on a 35mm camera, is a superb go-to lens for artistic photography on an APS-C format digital SLR. Offering the bright F1.4 aperture and an angle of view extremely close to that of human vision, this lens is ideal for many different types of photographic expression.
Featuring an advanced design and the latest manufacturing technologies, SIGMA 30mm F1.4 DC HSM, the large-aperture APS-C format standard lens delivers the highest level of image quality worthy of the Art line. The photographer can leverage the shallow depth of field that creates beautiful bokeh for snap shots, portraits, landscapes, and many different styles of photography.

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TheCameraStoreTV A6000 video review: “It’s a fantastic solid product!”

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TheCameraStoreTV posted the first full (video-) review of the A6000 and has really little to complain about the camera. Even the EVF is a positive surprise despite the lower resolution! And the conclusion is quite simple, they say it’s a “fantastic solid product”.  Watch the video, it’s really worth to take 8 minutes off from your work to see it!

This is the updated preorder list with US and Europe links:
Sony A6000 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT, WexUK.
Silver A6000 at WexUK (Click here).
Sony A6000 with lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here)Sony Canada (Click here), WexUK (Click here).
Silver A6000 with lens at WexUK (Click here).
Sony 70-200mm FE at Amazon (CLick here), BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT

DSC-H300 at  Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
DSC-H400 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
DSC-HX400 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
DSC-WX350 Black at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
DSC-WX350 White at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
DSC-W800 Black at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
DSC-W800 Silver at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).

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