Sony A7r review by Philip Bloom and Ming Thein.

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The Sony mirrorless camera review…within a review…within a review…. from Philip Bloom Reviews & Tutorials on Vimeo.

The well known bloggers and filmaker/photogrpaher posted their view about the new Sony A7r.

Philip Bloom writes: “All I can say is Sony, with the A7R, have made a really special camera that comes close to being utterly brilliant. Well three things let it down. The stills are amazing, but I’m not doing a review of the stills function, even though I have used it extensively for stills and the images are just gorgeous and HUGELY detailed. The three things are all do with the video function.

Ming Thein writes: “ I like the direction Sony are heading in with the A7R: now if only they would hold the course and not get distracted…

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Specs and Preorders 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 Preorders in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PTWexUK, 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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List and preorder links to all newly announced Sony stuff. New A5000 seems to not sell really well at Amazon.

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Sony also announced the most affordable 4K camcorder on the market yet.

First of all I have to stress those of you that forgot to read my previous rumors. The big new A and E-mount cameras will be announced the coming weeks and months. So don’t worry, the A5000 was just a little appetizer :)
That said the new A5000 doesn’t seem to sell well according to Amazon Mirrorless Popularity ranking (Click here). It’s a small nice camera but I guess what the Sony people is now waiting for is the new NEX-7, A77 and A99 successors!

But Sony also announced a lot more (non Alpha) consumer stuff. The Sony FDRAX100 for example is a “cheap” 4K camcorder. And I am pretty sure one of the next to be announced A-mount cameras will have 4K recording too. Anyway here is a list of all new Sony products…

Full new Sony stuff preorder links for USA:
Sony A5000 at Amazon US (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and at SonyStore US (Click here).
Sony LCS-EBB Body Case for the A5000 at BHphoto (Click here).
Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS Lens (Black) at Amazon US (Click here) and at BHphoto (Click here).
W830 compact camera at Amazon (Click here) and at BHphoto (Click here).
HDR-AS100-V action camera at Amazon (Click here).
The 4K Sony FDRAX100 at Amazon (Click here) and at BHphoto (Click here).
List of all new Sony camcorders at Amazon (Click here) and at BHphoto (Click here).

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Sigmas new 50mm ART and 18-200mm lenses.

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We have two new A-mount lenses from Sigma:

Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART lens specs at Sigma Photo. (Note: Sigma missed to add A-mount as an option on the link I gave you. But it’s just an error. Press releases do confirm there will be an A-mount. source: Sigma Japan, ePhotozine or Dpreview)
Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM at Sigma Photo.

Particularly the 50mm f/1.4 Full Frame lens sounds intriguing. It has a completely new design (retro focus with 13 elements and 8 groups) and if this lens performs as good as expected it could get surprisingly close to the [shoplink 23842 ebay]Zeiss Otus 50mm f/1.4[/shoplink] performance. There are no pricing info and no image samples yet. So we will have to wait a bit to see if this lens can fulfill our hopes!

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Sony A5000 launched!

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As expected the name of the new NEX-3 successor is….A5000! Full US pricing and specs and preorder at Amazon US (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and at SonyStore US (Click here).
Sony also introduced the Black 55-210mm E-mount lens that can be preordered at Amazon US (Click here). P.S: HDR-AS100-V action camera (preorder here at Amazon).

Press text and hands on:
Engadget (hands-on pics), Dpreview (press text), ThePhoBlographer (hands-on), AlphaNumerique (French), DSLRmagazine (spanish).

OFFICIAL PRESS TEXT:

LAS VEGAS (CES Booth #14200), Jan. 6, 2014 – The versatile new Sony a5000 camera (model ILCE-5000) is the world’s smallest and lightest interchangeable lens camera to feature the convenience of Wi-Fi connectivity.1 Weighing in at less than 8oz., the new camera boasts a formidable amount of imaging power for its size.

“Packing DSLR imaging power into an incredibly small and light package, our new a5000 is the ultimate ‘everyday shooter’ that will appeal to a wide range of customers,” said Neal Manowitz, director of the alpha interchangeable lens camera division at Sony. “Its sleek, user-friendly design will attract point-and-shoot users looking to upgrade, while its impressive imaging credentials will appeal to photo enthusiasts looking for a compact camera that can deliver the performance, flexibility and results they crave.”

The new camera features a large 20.1 MP APS-C sized sensor that is paired with a new-generation BIONZ® X processor – the same processor in the award winning Sony a7 and a7R full-frame cameras. These key devices work together to deliver crisp, high-quality still images and full HD videos in all types of shooting conditions.

The BIONZ X processor uses detail reproduction, area-specific noise reduction and diffraction reducing technologies to ensure extremely fine color textures and low noise in images. Additionally, it allows for shooting at extremely high sensitivity – up to ISO 16000 – for impressive pictures in fading light.

On-board Wi-Fi capabilities give consumers one-touch connection with Xperia® or NFC-compatible Android™ smartphones or tablets for instant image transfer and sharing2. A single touch also activates Smart Remote Control, linking the camera with a smartphone or tablet to view shots, and fire the shutter from a distance.

For devices without NFC one-touch capabilities, users can wirelessly transfer images and videos and activate Smart Remote Control with the a5000 camera through Sony’s PlayMemories Mobile™ application, available for the iOS and Android platforms.

The new a5000 model has a comfortable new grip and intuitive tiltable LCD screen that can flip upwards up to 180 degrees for easy self-portraits. There’s also a conveniently placed lever on the camera body for fingertip adjustment of the camera’s optical zoom3, which is especially useful for shooting HD video with the supplied 16-50mm power zoom kit lens (model SELP1650).

The camera’s “Photo Creativity” mode will help less experienced photographers learn and experiment with creative settings. Unique to Sony, this mode replaces complex photographic settings with more easily understood phrases like “Background Defocus” and “Brightness,” giving users direct access to many common manual settings. It also offers quick and easy access to Picture Effects, which includes popular modes like Pop Color, Selective Color, Toy Camera and Miniature Mode.
Sony PlayMemories™ Camera Apps

The growing assortment of downloadable PlayMemories Camera Apps adds a range of exciting and powerful features to the a5000 camera. Shooters can pick from a variety of free to nominal cost apps to broaden creative options, experiment with new effects, learn new photography techniques and more.

There are 16 apps currently available, including an upgraded version of “Time Lapse 2.0,” which intelligently and automatically adjusts exposure for changing lighting conditions over of the course of a time lapse sequence. A new free “Sync to Smartphone” app automatically transfers shots to a pre-registered smartphone or tablet each time the camera is switched off.
New Sony Alpha Lenses and Accessories

The new camera is compatible with Sony’s ever-growing assortment of E-mount interchangeable lenses, which now includes a new version of the popular SEL55210 lens (55-210mm, F4.5-6.3). Identical in optics to the existing silver 55-210mm E-mount zoom lens, this new version has a black finish to match many of Sony’s latest E-mount cameras.

In total, 20 different lenses are now available for Sony’s E-mount system with several premium models from Carl Zeiss® and G Series Lenses.

Additionally, there is a new sleek designed body case – the LCS-EBB model – that serves as a perfect travel companion for the a5000 camera.
Pricing and Availability

The Sony a5000 compact interchangeable lens camera will be available in March 2014 in silver, black and white for about $600 in a kit with a compact, versatile 16-50mm motorized zoom lens (model SELP1650).

The new, black-finish E 55-210mm (SEL55210) zoom lens will be available in March for about $350.

The new camera and all compatible lenses and accessories will be available at Sony retail stores (www.store.sony.com) and other authorized dealers nationwide.

Please follow #SonyAlpha on twitter for the latest Alpha camera news.

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