(SR4) First few Hybrid A-E mount model details.

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The new Hybrid A-E mount Sony camera will be launched between late 2014 and early 2015. It will look like a Sony SLT camera and target the High End market. I have been told that it has a lever to lift off the A-mount so that you can use the E-mount instead. I know this sounds quite strange, but the source used exactly these words…

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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!

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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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Credit Suisse: Only Canon, Nikon and Sony will survive in the digital camera market.

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Credit Suisse imaging analyst Yu Yoshida shared some quite extreme forecast about the future of the digital camera market (Source: Reuters/New York Times):

– Mirrorless cameras are not selling as well as expected because 1) buyers put connectivity above picture quality 2) in USA and Europe consumers tend to equate image quality with size and heft

– “Only those who have a strong brand and are competitive on price will last – and only Canon, Nikon and Sony fulfil that criteria,” said Credit Suisse analyst Yoshida.

– Consumers don’t want to connect cameras to phones, analysts say; they want a single interface that can instantly upload photographs to social networking sites such as Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc.

– For the analyst the real future could be the Sony QX lenscameras: Sony appears to have connected with consumers as demand soon outstripped production. Some are even using the lenses in a way Sony didn’t intend: placed at a distance while they press the shutter on their smartphone to take self-portraits, or selfies.

 

As usual take these analysts forecasts with care. The sometimes have the same reliability as Nostradamus predictions :)

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New A7-A7r leather case by Angelo Pelle.

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Last week gariz announced their A7-A7r case which you can find in  [shoplink 23521 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 23522 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 23523 ebay]Orange (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 23524 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink].

Today also Angelo Pelle announced a new A7-A7r leather case. Here is the press text:

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Angelo Pelle, a handcraft company based in Florence is proud to announce the new hand made half case for Sony A7/A7r

Angelo Pelle cases are fully hand made in Italy by some of the most skilled Italian artisans with more then 30 years of experience in this field, with the best Tuscan naturally tanned leather and high quality suede leather for inner finishing (our leather is the same used by Italian and French high fashion brands).
The case includes also a deluxe neck strap (adjustable in length) with the same leather used for the half case. The case is adjusted to fit like a glove to the camera body.
The leather case if perfectly matched to the unique properties of the SONY A7 and A7r, it is built around the camera to protect all the body from scratches and blows.
The case will be produced in a limited quantity each month.

Price: 149 euro (inclusive neck strap).The cases can be bought directly from the producer on the site: www.angelo-pelle.com

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Sony A7 and A7r test roundup

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Sony-BTS A7R from Cutting Edge on Vimeo.

So, who develops RAW files better for the new Sony A7, A7r? (It’s not Adobe) -> LeicaBoss.
A7r review at SonyAlphaLab.
Full review of the A7 has been posted at Admiring Light.
Full review of the Zeiss 35mm FE lens at Admiring Light.
A7r unboxing series on Flickr.
Nice A7r with Leica Lens images at Mapcamera.

Chandler: “Here’s a short video shot on the a7r: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P-cUXvGxi8 A full behind the scenes of that film, and sample photos taken with the a7r, are here: http://www.longshotfilmstudios.com/1/post/2013/12/sony-a7r-short-film-sample-photos.html”

Hatem: “I’ve been a regular visitor and reader of your site, and have just published an article which could be of interest to your readers about the great experience using the Sony A7R together with the Sony Zeiss 135mm f/1.8 Lens and Sony LA-EA4 Adapter. You may be interested in sharing it. Link: http://shapedbylight.com/2013/12/25/shooting-the-sony-a7r-with-the-sony-zeiss-135mm-f1-8-lens-and-sony-la-ea4-adapter/”

Florian: “I’ve browsed the Web and found this little but very nice review of the A7. The lady who was giving it a try is a great photographer and uses mainly middle format and film. The results from her shoot with the A7 are beautiful and she seems to be quite impressed with our tiny little camera. Don’t know if it’s worth a news, but I think it’s great to see middle format photographer having a great time using the A7. The link is here: http://blog.micmojo.com/2013/sony-a7/”

Thododoris: “I took an A7r sample with me on a mountain trip – images here: http://thodorismarkou.com/blog/2013/12/winter-solstice-sony-a7r/
…all the images were shot at aperture-priority mode and AWB, and I really liked the fact that I didn’t have to do any post-processing – the camera got the metering and the white-balance perfect every time. The focusing was a breeze, too – it never slowed me down.
I’ve also included two RAW files, which will be available for a week.”

Anonymous: “Hi Andrea! This has got to be the first wedding shot with the new Sony A7r and A7 using Leica manual lenses!!! They ate the first unit owners here in the Philippines! You might want to feature them. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.605369739499836.1073741832.468714236498721&type=1”

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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, 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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Sony should learn something from Fuji….how to make firmware upgrades!

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Sony can do some great cameras but their firmware updates are somewhat disappointing. A77, A99 camera owners are still waiting for major improvements. I just read an article at MirrorlessRumors with an interview with Fuji manager Mr.Kawahara. He mentioned as one of the companies main goals is to support and improve its cameras via firmware update. He literally said: “We want you to use our camera longer and longer in your life.”

It’s high on my 2014 wishlist that Sony not only will keep making good new cameras but also to keep releasing good firmwares. I think this would help to create confidence around Sony and motivate more people to join in Sony’s A and E-mount system. I know that developing new firmwares is costly, but it’s also a good long-term investment!

So please Sony, in 2014 try to make current Sony camera owners happy too!

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Leica M vs Sony A7r by Stilgar

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SAR reader Stilgar posted a big A7r ($2300) vs Leica M240 ($7000) comparison. As we have seen from previous tests the Leica still shows a better corner performance also because Leica provides Lens correction and the Sony doesn’t. In all other areas (High ISO, color, resolution) the A7r is definitely better. Still, I would love Sony to deliver a cameras as well built and as elegant as a Leica M :)

Here are the tests:
Iso comparison here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/stilgarnaib/11242509894/in/set-72157638420888705
M-mount lenses here, center crop and corner crop too : http://www.flickr.com/photos/stilgarnaib/sets/72157638447272734/
One for noise performances : http://stilgar-photo.blogspot.ch/2013/12/sony-a7r-vs-leica-m.html
One for the 18SE performances : http://stilgar-photo.blogspot.ch/2013/12/sony-a7r-vs-leica-m-part-02-leica-super.html
One for the Cron35 : http://stilgar-photo.blogspot.ch/2013/12/sony-a7r-vs-leica-m-part-03-leica.html
One for the Voigt 35 1.2 : http://stilgar-photo.blogspot.ch/2013/12/sony-a7r-vs-leica-m-part-03-voigtlander.html
One for the noctilux f1 : http://stilgar-photo.blogspot.ch/2013/12/sony-a7r-vs-leica-m-part-06-leica.html
One for the Cron75 APO : http://stilgar-photo.blogspot.ch/2013/12/sony-a7r-vs-leica-m-part-06-leica-apo.html
And one for the resolution : http://stilgar-photo.blogspot.ch/2013/12/sony-a7r-vs-leica-m-part-07-quid-de-la.html

Links to the tested lenses:
Leica Super-Elmar 18 ASPH for f3.4 to f16 [shoplink 23445 ebay](lens here on eBay)[/shoplink].
Leica Summicron 35 ASPH from f2 to f16 [shoplink 22603 ebay](lens here on eBay)[/shoplink].
Voigtlander Nokton 35 Aspherical 1.2 II from f1.2 to f16 [shoplink 23446 ebay](lens here on eBay)[/shoplink].
Leica Noctilux 50 f1 from f1 to f16 [shoplink 23447 ebay](lens here on eBay)[/shoplink].
Leica APO-Sumicron 75 ASPH from f2 to f16 [shoplink 23448 ebay](lens here on eBay)[/shoplink].

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First $110 price drop on the Sony A7r. NEX-3n for $348.

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[shoplink 23700 ebay][/shoplink]

 

We have the very first sensible A7r price drop! It now sells with a $112 discount and lot of free etxras at [shoplink 23700 ebay]6ave on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]. Free shipping!

More new Sony deals:
6ave also offers a great NEX-6 deal with free extras for [shoplink 23701 ebay]$486 (Click here)[/shoplink].
And there is a new price drop on the Sony NEX-3n with kit lens which know sells for $349 only at Amazon US (Click here). This pushes the camera on top of the Amazon mirrorless ranking (full list here).

Other ongoing Sony deals:
Free QX10 along the Sony A7r at Adorama (Click here)
RX100MII with a $100 discount at [shoplink 23662 ebay]CameraLand one Bay US (Click here)[/shoplink].
A99 with free extras for [shoplink 23641 ebay]$2,033 (Click here)[/shoplink] or [shoplink 23640 ebay]$2.046 (Click here)[/shoplink].
Free compact camera with the Sony A7r at BHphoto (Click here)
A3000 with kit lens now sells for $279 at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony RX100 for $408 at [shoplink 23618 ebay]eBay US (Click here)[/shoplink]

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