If you follow SAR closely you will remember I posted two great Sony patents: One about a Curved Sony sensor tech and one about a 35mm f/1.8 Full Frame lens designed for curved sensor. Now, usually it takes years before a patented idea will be materialized in a real product. But you know, Sony cannot afford to avoid to sit down and stay still. They have to make real inovative products in order to catch up with the big two Canon and Nikon.

And the good news is that this is no more a dream! Image sensor World reports a great news. Sony will officially present their curved sensor technology at the Technology Symposium! This is what Sony writes about the presentation they are going to make:

We realized an ultimately advanced imaging system that comprises a curved, back-illuminated CMOS image sensor (BIS) and integrated lens which doubles the sensitivity at the edge of the image circle and increases the sensitivity at the center of the image circle by a factor of 1.4 with one-fifth lower dark current than that of a planar BIS. Because the lens field curvature aberration was overcome in principle by the curved sensor itself, the curved BIS enables higher system sensitivity through design of a brighter lens with a smaller F number than is possible with a planar BIS. At the same time, we controlled the tensile stress of the BIS chip to produce a curved shape that widens the energy band-gap to obtain a lower dark current. The curved CIS can be applied to an ultimately advanced imaging system that is validated by the evolution of the animal eye in Nature.

Now combine that sensor tech with a small and fast 35mm f/1.8 lens and you will get a superb new RX2 camera! More compact, faster and of much higher image quality than the current RX1-RX1R. And we also can hope to see an interchangeable mount camera with such a sensor in near future too!

I cannot wait to get some rumors about the RX2. If it has that kind of curved sensor tech I am sure SAR readers will be exctided about this. Or not?

NEX-6 Firmware with Sigma 19mm 1.02 vs. 1.03

Sony RX10 review at ThePhoBlographer.
Touit and ZM lenses on the Sony Alpha 7R – a good connection (Zeiss Blog).
A7 and A7r review at Photographybay.
Sony A7 test at Polish site Optyczne.
Some overarching thoughts on Sony’s strategic position with the rumored medium format camera (Diglloyd).
Phase One iXU 150 aerial photography cam with Sony sensor announced (Photographyblog).
Not even the newest Canon entry level DSLR can come close to Sony sensor performance (DxOmark).
Organic sensor patent (Freepatentsonline)
Drei Tage mit dem Sony FE 4/70-200mm G OSS unterwegs (Berlin Backstage).
Sony A7R Wedding Camera Review at Studiorlphotography.

Jean-Luc: “I just uploaded a few photos form the Sony A7 + Kit Lens on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phychi/sets/72157641996184584/) It maybe useful for futur buyers to see how it performs in “real life”. The photos are from an “out of the box” camera I bought just an hour before (I already had a charged battery from my NEX-5N) and are taken in Strasbourg, France, at the end of the afternoon.”

Alex: “I thought I show you my first Video on the „Hohe Wand/ High Wall“ Mountain in Austria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1adw0qAK44. Since I do photography for almost a decade I could use a lot of my knowledge in composing the scenes in video. I made it with the Sony A7R and the 35 and 50 Summilux 1,4 ASPH FLE The Scene where you see me is shot with the 50 in APSC Mode and I used the „almost selfmade“ Igus Slider which comes cheaper than ready made sliders. for the Voice I used the Rode NT1A and I edited all in FCP X. I used to be a canon shooter an skeptical about the EVF but for the A7R I sold all of my Stuff.”
Gavin: I finally published my detailed A7R review and setup guide and would be delighted
if you’d share it on SAR.

Gavin: “Rather than rush a review after a few days of use, I thought I’d get three solid months of usage under my belt before publishing the review: http://www.fototripper.com/sony-a7r-review-setup-guide/”

Dierk: “Seit Kurzem nutze ich die NEX-6 an 4×5″ Großbild und bin ganz begeistert. Hier sind erste Bilder dazu:
Sinar P: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dierktopp/sets/72157641670093123/
Gandolfi: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dierktopp/sets/72157641081324295/”

Henri: “I want to share my website with you which I just launched. I am an enthousiast photographer, and I use my Sony Nex 5R to for travel photography. Lenses I mostly use are the 35mm 1.8 and the Sigma 19mm 2.8. I hope you like my work! henrivanbavel.com”

Massimo: “http://portfolio.massimocristaldi.com/-/galleries/photo/documentary/scicli-2014 all taken with the subject settings, autofocus, low lights, PP with Silver EXF (A7R, 35FE, ISO6400, 1/80, f2.8)”

Alexandre: “I shot some beautiful thai models with my Sony A7R and the Zeiss FE35mmF2.8: http://thailandfacts.com/models-bangkok-motor-show-2014-impact-thailand/“