Sony A7r ISO test comparison by Focus Numerique. Says the results are impressive!

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Focus Numerique (google translation here) posted the full Sony A7r ISO test. I translated their key findings:

– At lower sensitivities up to ISO 800 the performance is just remarkable! Details are clear and noise barely noticeable.
– Only from ISO 1600 you see first effects of smoothing but the details are still there and dynamic range is intact.
– At ISO 3200, the smoothing is a bit stronger, but once again the treatment due to the image analysis (solid, edge, texture) works really well. The dynamic range drops slightly, but nothing dramatic.
– The overall image is a little more dense, fine details are blunt and the rolling becomes more easily visible at 100% on screen. Chromatic noise is still well under control and images are still easily exploitable.
– At ISO 25600, the grain still looks natural, destroying a little more fine detail, but the results are still impressive, especially with a resolution of 36 megapixels.

This is a very impressive result from the Sony A7r! It looks like Sony was able to improve considerably their image processor engine. We were used to see Sony lagging behind Canon-Nikon. This now changed with he A7-A7r.

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Specs and Preorders in US and Canada (Click on store name to see direct preorder page):
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, 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

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

 

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(SR4) FF and APS-C A-mount SLT coming.

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I am working on the new 2014 camera and lens rumors. And as I told you last week it’s going to be an extremely exciting year with plenty of new cameras, many times more in number than we had in 2013! With all the E-mount news I posted in these days and weeks I feel obligated to post A-mount rumors as first :)

According to two anonymous sources Sony has two working A-mount prototypes cameras:
1) One Full Frame SLT A-mount cameras. It features a new 36 Megapixel sensor which is slightly different from the A7r sensor (it has no offset microlens design).
2) One APS-C SLT A-mount camera with new 24 megapixel sensor (improved over the A77 sensor!).

One trusted source also told me that Sony is well aware of the need to continue to make APS-C A-mount cameras. In short, the chances are high to see two new A-mount cameras in early 2014. Both, for FF and APS-C A-mount system. I am working to get the final specs of the cameras.

Stay tuned on SAR, because I am also working on the new APS-C and FF E-mount cameras front. I have to say I am surprised to hear how much Sony is developing rigt now. They are more “convinced” about their roadmap than ever.

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Message to sources: You can send me more info anonymously by using the contact form you see on the very right of your browser. You can also contact me directly at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com.

For readers: Subscribe the RSS feed (Click here) and Twitter (Click here) stream and the Facebook fan page (Click here) in order to not miss any news!

—

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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New A7-A7r RAW image samples for pixel peepers.

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You can never have enough of pixel peeping don’t you? So here are new RAW filer for download via Imaging Resource:
Sony A7r RAW files page.
Sony A7 RAW files page.

More A7-A7r news:
Sony A7r, long term performer or front runner? (Mike Kobal).
more pics of a7r with 35mm f2.8, 150mm sigma, 90mm tamron macro at Slrclub.
Also Steve Huff posted some (JPG) image samples.
A7 hands-on events in canada >>> http://www.meetup.com

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Support SonyAlphaRumors: After months of FF mirrorless rumor work I would be glad if you can support my work by making your A7-A7r purchase by using these links below. I will earn a small commission and you don’t pay one single penny more! Thanks!

Specs and Preorders in US and Canada (Click on store name to see direct preorder page):
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, 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

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

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Has Sony finally gained the right momentum to challenge Nikon and Canon?

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Recently quite many websites posted articles about a possible big change coming soon. For the first time after ten years the DSLR market is not growing anymore and because of many reasons (economic crisis, market saturation, and so on) it is likely to shrink the coming years. Most noticeable Canon and Nikon failed to bring some major innovation while Sony is trying to innovate with concepts like the RX series (well done), QX series (bad in practice) and the A7 series (still not a mature system but it will grow fast). So let’s hear some opinions about the new tendency:

Luminous Landscape writes:

“DSLRs will diminish in market share and likely will become a niche product for wealthy enthusiasts. Mainstream enthusiasts will move to so-called mirrorless system cameras and the mass market will happily take pictures with their smartphones while uploading them in real-time to Facebook.
Sony has seen the writing on the wall better than most. So have Olympus, Fuji and Panasonic. Nikon and Canon have had an ostrich-like mentality and are therefore about to be side-swiped by a market shift of tsunami proportions. Unless their market planners grow the cojones needed to adapt to the changing marketplace, in a few short years there’ll be a lot of executives in Japan staring out the window at a train that has swiftly left the station.”

Christopher Chute (market intelligence firm IDC) predicts Nikon may be out of business in 5 years if the trend continues.

“You’re talking about a 10-15% decline in DSLR shipments all over the world. Which is kind of shocking because that market’s been growing double digits for almost ten years. Nikon recently said they have a five year plan to address this. And my view is, that five year plan should have come out five years ago. They’re not going to be around in five years.”

Andrew from EosHD writes:

“In my view, Canon are more vulnerable than anyone going forward. It isn’t just that the higher the climb, the bigger the drop at the other side – frankly their DSLR line has become boring from top to bottom.
The Sony A7 is a nail in the coffin of Canon’s full frame line-up but it’s consumer apathy which will finally close the lid.”

My opinion so far: I am always very careful with predictions. Yes, Sony created some great new cameras (RX and A7 series and so on). But honestly I do not believe Canon and Nikon are that lazy. I am sure they are right now working to fight back the Sony innovations. That said I am quite happy to lead a Sony rumor sites in such exciting times. And I already got some reliable hints about the 2014 roadmap and it sounds amazing what we will get soon. And if Sony keeps doing so (and maybe improve their support…example, better firmware upgrades) they may keep the momentum to seriously challenge Nikon and Canon High End camera market.

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Support SonyAlphaRumors: After months of FF mirrorless rumor work I would be glad if you can support my work by making your A7-A7r purchase by using these links below. I will earn a small commission and you don’t pay one single penny more! Thanks!

Specs and Preorders in US and Canada (Click on store name to see direct preorder page):
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, 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

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

 

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The big A7r with manual lens test roundup: $11,000 Noctilux lens, Voigtlander, Minoltd MD/MC, Canon FD and Zeiss ZM tests.

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One of the most interesting topics running on the web after the A7-A7r announcement is: How well (or bad) do third-party manual rangefinder lenses work on the Sony cameras? We have a couple of new image samples to share and as you will see only extreme wide angle lenses will suffer of vignetting or color shift effects and in very rare cases of corner smearing.

1) Leica Noctilux 50mm f/0.95:
SAR reader Albert had the chance to take a shot with the $11,000 Leica 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux on the Sony A7r. You can find the full size picture on Flickr (Click here). If you own that lens you will have no problem at all with the A7-A7r. That said, if you had the money to buy that lens that you will also have the money to use it on a Leica M and not a Sony A7…I guess :)
A7R with Voigtlander 12mm, 15mm and 21mm rangefinder lenses mounted by Leo Roos on Flickr (found via Dyxum). As you can see there is vignetting and color shift issue. Easy to fix with Cornerfix. The important thing here is that there is no heavy smearing and detail loss issue!
[shoplink 22380 ebay]Leica Noctilux (Click here)[/shoplink].

2) Voigtlander 12mm, 15mm and 21mm rangefinder lenses:
Leo Roos on Flickr (found via Dyxum) posted a set of images taken with the A7r with wide angle Voigtlander lens. As you can see as wider as you go more vignetting and color shift issues you will see. But the good news us that there is no heavy smearing and detail loss issue (with the exception of the 15mm lens wide open). It means you can fix the corners by using software like Cornerfix (which by the way is free!). Lenses on eBay:
[shoplink 22372 ebay]Voigtlander 12mm (Click here)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 22373 ebay]Voigtlander 15mm (Click here)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 22374 ebay]Voigtlander 21mm (Click here)[/shoplink].

3) Contax G 28mm f/2.8:
There is an image taken with the A7r on Flickr (Click here). That lens shows significant more smearing on corners. This is something you cannot recover in Postproduction work. A discussion about that photo can be found at Fredmiranda.
[shoplink 22375 ebay]Contax G 28mm on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

4) Minolta MD/MC, Zeiss ZM and Canon FD lenses:
Phillip Reeve tested various old SLR lenses together with Zeiss 55F18 on A7R. Well controlled careful shots, I think.
All shots together:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96189377@N08/sets/72157637021609086/
Separate by lens type:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96189377@N08/sets/
Lenses on eBay:
[shoplink 22378 ebay]Minolta MD (Click here)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 22377 ebay]Minolta MC (Click here)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 22376 ebay]Zeiss ZM (Click here)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 22379 ebay]Canon FD (Click here)[/shoplink].

In Short:
– Lenses from 35mm towards will usually work fine.
– The wider you go the more issues you will have. But this also depends from the kind of lens design (telecentric lenses will have less issues). On some lenses you can fix them in postproduction and on some not.
– If you shoot Black and White Color shift is obviously a no-issues
– Vignetting and Color Shift can be corrected. Color smearing no (the detail is gone).

It will be one of our goals on SAR to review third party lenses on the A series cameras. If you have some review you want to share on SAR drop me a message at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com. Thanks!

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Support SonyAlphaRumors: After months of FF mirrorless rumor work I would be glad if you can support my work by making your A7-A7r purchase by using these links below. I will earn a small commission and you don’t pay one single penny more! Thanks!

Specs and Preorders in US and Canada (Click on store name to see direct preorder page):
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, 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

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

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Updated Sony Europe preorder list (includes France, Spain, Belgium and more…)

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Short note to inform European readers that Sony just updated the A7-A7r preorder and tech pages for France, Spain, Belgium, Finland and Norway. Here is the full list to the direct pages – just click on the country code to open it:

Specs and Preorders 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.

And preorders are now also available via Digitalrev:
A7r at Digitalrev
A7 at Digitalrev.
A7 with 28-70mm lens at Digitalrev.

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Sony A7r RAW file anlysis by Bart from Leica-Boss.com

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Bart from Leica-Boss.com (Click here) sent me the following text:

“There has been some negative feedback about the Sony A7 / A7r RAW files posted on review sites. Reality is that there is serious in-camera processing going on. This post/video shows how the files actually have loads of detail even at ISO 12800. This is pretty long and boring. I like the files coming from these cameras – even at high ISO.”

On the video on top Bart shows you how to work on the Sony A7r RAW files ot get out the most!

P.S.: Iridient digital has released a new version with RAW processing for Sony a7 series!

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Support SonyAlphaRumors: After months of FF mirrorless rumor work I would be glad if you can support my work by making your A7-A7r purchase by using these links below. I will earn a small commission and you don’t pay one single penny more! Thanks!

Specs and Preorders in US and Canada (Click on store name to see direct preorder page):
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, 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

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

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