Chris Niccolls from TheCameraStoreTV made the video on top were you can watch a [shoplink 8454]Sony NEX-7[/shoplink] Hands-On Field Test. Jordan likes the camera a lot and I also think that this is going to become my next camera. The [shoplink 8452]Sony NEX-5n[/shoplink] I do currently own will become a Christmas present for my brother :)
Also ThePhoBlographer (Click here) had a hands-on with the NEX-7: “Indeed, this camera is going to win awards. And I’m eagerly awaiting mine to come in for review. I couldn’t put a card in because it was a pre-production model, but the images with the 24mm lens were sharp and the bokeh was decent but nothing to get too excited about.”
As you know the NEX-7 will be in Store at around mid November but you really have to preorder it now to be sure to get it before Christmas. This is going to be a hotseller! Preorder at [shopcountry 8454] (Click on store name). If you have still money left than preorder the Zeiss too at [shopcountry 8450]. If you are on budget but still looking for a fats lens than the Soy 50mm f/1.8 is the lens for you: [shopcountry 8448].
P.S.: And if you want to check where you can find the camera in other countries and Sony Stores check that list:
[shoplist 8454]
C. Garrarad had a small talk with Sony and wrote on Alphamountworld: “it is confirmed that they are working on a new firmware update for the new cameras announced with the 24mp sensor. We didn’t get into specifics but there will DEFINITELY be a new firmware version for them to address issues.“.
And if we are really “lucky” than the new firmware (version 1.03) should be out…TOMORROW! This according to a source of mobile01.
The new firmware will hopefully fix all issues we talked about in these days. As you know the problems was that the 1.02 firmware wasn’t updated for the new BIONZ processor which is used for the production camera. The pre production camera had a slightly different processor.
If the “rumors” are true than you can avoid to cancel your preorders or if you already have done it than click those links to check for preorder options: [shopcountry 8461].
Other new Sony cameras and lenses links:
A65 at [shopcountry 8459].
Sony NEX-7 [shopcountry 8454].
Sony NEX-5n [shopcountry 8452].
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8450].
Sony 50mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8448].
Sony 55-210mm [shopcountry 8444].
NEX-5n viewfinder [shopcountry 9110].
The video on top shows the color band noise produced by the [shoplink 8461]Sony A77[/shoplink]. You can see it at the end of the video. I guess this has again something to do with the firmware issue. I hope the new firmware upgrade will fix this soon. Interesting that not a single official reviewer did noticed the problem. If some A77 owner or reviewer is reading this please check if you see the same problem on your camera. Thanks!
New A77 ISO comparison at fotkidepo here and here. At low ISO the A77 easily beats the [shoplink 6952]Nikon D7000[/shoplink] and [shoplink 6954]Canon 7D[/shoplink].
Our reader George sent me this: “Andrea, I’ve had the A77 in the UK for a week and been doing some tests of my own in RAW + JPEG at all ISO’s. The JPEG images look very good but the RAW’s are looking awful with a lot of color noise that I cant get rid of. When I put the files through the only RAW converters that I have which will recognise the files (IDC v4 and Rawtherapee 4) I’m having a problem getting rid of the noise and I’m left with ugly artefacts. There’s a thread on DPRview about it , “Me and My A77 – Noisy Images”. The consensus of opinion is that the JPEG’s out of the A77 are looking very good but there’s something strange going on with the RAW files which must be down to a lack of proper RAW support. The strange thing is that I’m using IDC v4 which came with the camera. If you could find out from your sources why the RAW’s are looking awful and when we’ll have Adobe RAW support then it would put my mind at rest. Overall the camera is terrific. I’ve got a gallery on my website with images that are available for download to see the problem. http://www.wirralpix.com/p442257830“
Sonny A77 hands-on at ThePhoBlographer: “Overall, the build quality of the A77 seemed very impressive. It’s a solid body that isn’t overly heavy, but still feels extremely robust. The Sony Rep told me that he shot a wedding with it this past weekend, and it was able to take all the normal punishment that a wedding photographer dishes out on their cameras. He also stated that the 16-50mm f2.8 lens handled extremely well when shooting the wedding. By that, it had great image quality, focuses quickly, and just overall worked well. Indeed, the 16-50mm was quite impressive, but I wasn’t floored by it.”
Alison sent me this: “There is another way to open the A77 files is the Bibble 5 release candidate: http://support.bibblelabs.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=19362 . I tried just two files, but they worked fine (technically, both images were out of focus ;)) ”
And those are the links to preorder the new cameras and lenses:
A77 at [shopcountry 8461].
A65 at [shopcountry 8459].
Sony NEX-7 [shopcountry 8454].
Sony NEX-5n [shopcountry 8452].
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8450].
Sony 50mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8448].
Sony 55-210mm [shopcountry 8444].
NEX-5n viewfinder [shopcountry 9110].
What the hell is that? Another APS-C model called A75? That leak is coming directly via Sony websites. See here: http://www.sony.net/Products/Linux/DI/SLT-A75.html. Could it be a typo? Hm, if it would be in text my answer would be maybe yes. But fact is that also the URL contains the same name! I hope to get more news via my trusted sources very soon! Stay tuned!
P.S.: Imagine the A75 having the [shoplink 8461]Sony A77[/shoplink] body and [shoplink 8452]Sony NEX-5n[/shoplink] sensor. That would be something cool or not?
Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor): SR1=probably fake rumor SR2=rumor from unknown sources SR3=50% chance it is correct SR4=rumor from known sources (60-80% the rumor is correct) SR5=almost certainly correct!
An anonymous source just sent me this: “I have learned that the production Alpha a77 has a revised set of new Bionz processors but the Firmware updates were for the older processors. Someone messed up and may have forgotten to have the firmware people test with the new processor. There will be a major update to the firmware as soon as full testing is completed. This is going to delay US and Canada Distribution. The current Firmware was never test on the newer processors that is in the production cameras. So there will be major corrections are needed in the firmware before its released again.”
If the “rumor” is correct than this is an embarassing news for Sony but also good news for us because it means that the firmware updgrade will hopefully fix all current issues. Reminder: The rumor hasn’t been confirmed by official sources so as usual take it with a grain of salt!
P.S.: Yesterday I told you that Sony UK stopped the A77 sales. Another reader wrote me: “popped into my local Jessops (Hedge End, UK)and asked when they expected to get A77. they checked on system and said that there were none at “head office” and they were expecting stock on 25th October.”
And those are the links to preorder the new cameras and lenses:
A77 at [shopcountry 8461].
A65 at [shopcountry 8459].
Sony NEX-7 [shopcountry 8454].
Sony NEX-5n [shopcountry 8452].
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8450].
Sony 50mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8448].
Sony 55-210mm [shopcountry 8444].
NEX-5n viewfinder [shopcountry 9110].
ThePictureDesk (Click here) posted image samples taken with the [shoplink 8450]Zeiss 24mm[/shoplink] lens: “The Sony [shoplink 8454]NEX7[/shoplink] with the Sony Zeiss Sonnar E 1,8/24ZA seems to be a nice combo for a walk around camera. The lens is slightly larger than I would have expected but feels good in your hand.”
The NEX-7 can be preordered at [shopcountry 8454] (Click on store name to visit the search page).
And here are the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 preorder links at [shopcountry 8450].
The cheaper 50mm f/1.8 lens can be preordered at [shopcountry 8448].
A korean video shows the complete blackout of the A77 (Source: blog.naver.com)
Since a couple of days there “rumors” about A77 issues are floating around the web. Many readers contacted me to confirm that there are quite some issues with the first batch of released A77 cameras. The very latest news i got says: “Sony UK have put a hold on all orders till they investigate a problem that seems to be occurring with the cameras failing to recognise any lens attached.”
As you know the very first cameras have been shipped to Asian countries and there is where you can find many issue reports like here at Dchome and here at Xitek and here at SLRclub. There are also issue reports on Dpreview, here and here. One of our readers had the A77 for three days and had the following issues: “I had 3 times a system hang. I found 1 or 2 death spot when the system hanged and full Black screen was shown. When I pressed the “Fn” key, two column of icon were shown on both L/R sides. My a77 EVF also disappeared.”
Also other sources or readers contacted me to say they are having problems. In summary it sounds like on some cameras there could be those issues: 1) Top LCD info disappears in some occasions. 2) Crash of the whole camera (you have to remove the battery and reinsert it after to restart). 3) AF points do disappear when using third party lenses (and than it doesn’t work for Sony lenses neither!). 4) There are also a lot of other “minor” issues like that one you can see on youtube.
It definitely sounds like all those problems are SOFTWARE issues and that’s at leats a good news. It means that Sony could fix that via firmware upgrade. Anyway, I really think Sony messed it up. You cannot develop a camera for three years and than release it with such basic faults! This sounds even worse than the [shoplink 8452]Sony NEX-5n[/shoplink] “click” problem. Please Sony try to release an official statement as soon as possible if you don’t want to loose all your A77 orders!
Those are the A77 preorder links: [shopcountry 8461]. But keep in mind that there are some issues. You might want to wait until Sony releases or at least announces the new firmware…
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