Just came back at home and found some good news in my mailbox (via trusted sources). New Alpha and NEX lenses are coming soon! At least one lens for each system…but there could be more. I am still working to get full details of the lenses. Spread the word guys! Tonight may be a Canon night, but the Sony time is coming soon too ;)
Sony A900 successor rendering made by tecnofotografia. But unlike you see on this picture the successor will be SLT and not a DSLR camera.
Whatdigitalcamera (Click here) questioned if Sony is still committed to the DSLR technology: “With all of the major releases throughout 2011 being of the translucent mirror (SLT) variety, could this spell the end of Sony DSLRs as we know them?”
Sony contacted Whatdigitalcamera and said that “we are absolutely committed to the DSLR / SLT market.” The first thing to notice is that Sony mixed the DSLR/SLT terms. Sony didn’t just say “We are commited to the DSLR market“. Sounds like their intention is to sell the idea that SLT and DSLR are the same thing. And the other statement that follows confirms that: “Through our SLT cameras we believe we can deliver new benefits such as fastframe rate with continuous AF in both stills and videos. The a77 is proof of how serious we are about this market and the number of awards, including the What Digital Camera Gold award and the prestigious Amateur Photographer Reader Product of the Year show that this is model is rated very highly. Stock is now available and we are excited to find out what people think when theybuy, own and use this product.”
Why talk about the A77 when Whatdigitalcamera was only talking about the discontinued DSLR line? Truth is that all DSLR are officially not listed on Sony’s websites:
Sony A900 at [shopcountry 3032].
Sony A850 at [shopcountry 3028].
Sony A580 at [shopcountry 5509].
I still hope I misunderstood the Sony statement and that there we be really new DSLR cameras (with optical viewfinder!). But according to our sources there is no new DSLR coming this year :(
Meanwhile the real big news of the this time is the Canon 5markIII which is coming out tonight. Image leaks and specs are already out and have been posted by our new partner “Frank” at CanonWatch (Click here).
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Our reader Gabriel just found the new firmware upgrade files on Sony Germany’s webiste (Click here)!!! UPDATE: The firmware is now available on Sony UK, and Sony Japan too. And here is the firmware improvement list:
Enhancement of AF response: When subject distance changes enormously.
Improved stability in certain camera operations:
When setting [Lens Compensation: Distortion] “Auto” and [Picture Effect] “Miniature” at the same time.
When setting [Exposure Compensation], [Intelligent AF] operation improves.
Restrictions: only for use with cameras sold in Europe. Not all models are sold in all countries.
In short, this update imrpoves the camera AF performance.
This is a super good news for a camera I really love because of the exceptional price-quality balance. And this is also the camera that is always on top of the Amazon ranking:
The NEX-5n on third position of the mirrorless camera rankings in USA (Click here).
The NEX-5n is on fourth position of the mirrorless camera rankings in UK (Click here).
The NEX-5n is on 9/11 and 19 position of the mirrorless camera rankings in Germany (Click here).
The NEX-5n is on fourth position of the mirrorless camera rankings in France (Click here).
Cameralabs (Click here) posted the full and very detailed NEX-7 review. Like many other reviewers before they absolutely highly recommend the camera: “There are some niggles, but they’re mainly firmware issues – something that Sony’s shown a willingness to quickly address in the past with the NEX range. But it’s a fantastic start nonetheless, and with the promise of more E-Mount lenses on the way the NEX-7 looks set to be the model that photo enthusiasts will aspire to and other manufacturers will be looking to emulate and surpass. For now though, it sets the standard for high-end CSC bodies and deservedly receives our Highly Recommended award.”
Also Lori Grunin from Cnet (Click here) posted their test results: “The Sony Alpha NEX-7 delivers excellent raw photo and solid video quality in a package that’s beautifully and functionally designed, yet relatively compact. Though expensive for an essentially nonprofessional camera, it doesn’t seem overpriced.” You can also watch the video review here on top of this post!
More NEX reviews:
Sony Alpha NEX-5N Review at Photographyreview (Click here).
NEX-7 noise test at Alpha Numerique (Click here).
Street shooter comparison: Sony Nex 7, Pansonic GX1 by Mike Kobal (Click here).
Sony 55-210mm hands-on at SonyAlphaLab (Click here).
NEX-7 (pre-)order search links (Click on shop name):
[shopcountry 8454]
A couple of weeks ago we reported that Metabones would release a new Canon to NEX adapter that has electronic aperture control and Image Stabilization support. The estimate launch date for the adapter was January 21st but because of the high demand there is not a single of them in Stock at Conurus.com. At least our friend Andrew from EosHD (Click here) could get his hands on one of them and tested it on the NEX-7. I am not going to unveil you all his findings but I like that phrase he wrote: “The adapter works as you’d expect with no lag, and OIS works fine. It really is like having a Canon mirrorless camera.”
So dear Canon readers, why stress Canon to make a mirrorless camera when you can have it now thanks to that adapter? :)
P.S.: The Metabones adapter costs you $399. If you don’t need the AF and IS working than get the very cheap [shoplink 11174 ebay]Canon to NEX adapters on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
A fake A600 rendering via Photographic Central
One of my trusted sources just sent me a quick note saying that the A600 rumor posted by C.Garrard isn’t correct. According to that source the A600 rumor is fake and he goes also one step further saying that there is no plan within Sony to make a DSLR camera in future. This can of course change, but in the short and mid term you should not expect any new optical viewfinder in any Sony camera.
I want to highlight that while the source is usually very good in providing Sony insider news the rumor hasn’t been confirmed by other trusted sources yet. So please take it not as a definitive 100% news. As usual I hope more sources can confirm or deny this soon. I for myself hope the rumor is NOT true :)
UPDATE_2: Another TOP source just confirmed that he never heard about a new A600 model. And in defense of my friend Carl I want to add that maybe Sony developed the A600 but in the end decided to not launch it at all for some reason. I know from my experience as rumor-writer that this can happen.
P.S.: Crutchfield discontinued the A580, which will probably the last DSLR camera ever made by Sony.
Reminder: Be sure to be here on SAR on March 13th as there will be a major Sony announcement! It will become pretty busy here on SAR the next days :)
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!
Today Sony announced new compact cameras. The DSC-HX10V, DSC-HX20V, DSC-HX30V, DSC-HX200V, DSC-WX150, DSC-W690, DSC-TX66, DSC-TX20 and DSC-H90 (Click on the camera names to check the specs).
Nothing exciting but you should know that Sony is planning a big event on March 13th. I have been told by trusted sources that this is a major event that will not only launch the new A57 but also other new “stuff”. I am still not sure about the exact list of announced cameras. I heard about a new NEX-F3, new lenses and new NEX camcorders. Carl Garrard also got rumors about an A600 with optical viewfinder but my sources couldn’t confirm if the rumor is correct. There will be no new FF camera announcement but maybe Sony will show the A99 prototype too (that’s my speculation). And on March 29th Sony will announce the new [shoplink 8461]A77[/shoplink] and [shoplink 8459]A65[/shoplink] firmware too…
I kindly ask my sources if they can send me some more info about the March 13th event. It will help me to sort out the info I am getting now. Thanks!
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!
