Sony Alpha digital cameras

New Sony Alpha Lens rebates in US.

February 13, 2012
deals
23 Comments

Sony US just launched a new Alpha lens rebate:

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Sony A77 with 16-50mm lens in Stock at Amazon (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). The 50mm f/1.8 for NEX will ship on Feb 25 at BHphoto (Click here) and one week later the NEX-7+Black 18-55mm kit lens (Click here).

(SR4) NEX-F3 and new NEX camcorder coming soon?

February 13, 2012
rumors
79 Comments

[shoplink 7207 ebay][/shoplink]

Image on top: The [shoplink 7207 ebay]NEX-C3[/shoplink] that could soon be replaced by the NEX-F3

As I told you last week Sony is going to have a big announcement day on March 13th! We know that the A57 is coming for sure but what about other cameras and lenses? Trusted sources now told me that a [shoplink 7207 ebay]Sony NEX-C3[/shoplink] successor is coming soon (NEX-F3?) and a new NEX camcorder will also come right before the NAB show in April. I have no final specs right now but this is going to be a very busy time here on SAR…so stay tuned!Oh, and I really hope Sony will announce the new NEX lenses too! We alreayd have plenty of NEX cameras but so few NEX lenses :(

Message for Sony fullframe developers and marketing guys: The Nikon D800 is an incredible hotseller at Amazon USA (Click here), Amazon Germany (Click here) and Amazon Japan (Click here). Who said you can’t make money with FF? Just do it right :)

Sony NEX-7 and NEX-5n reviews roundup (tested with ZM lenses).

February 12, 2012
reviews
23 Comments

The documentary on top has been shot with the [shoplink 8452]Sony NEX-5n[/shoplink] and [shoplink 11449 ebay]SLRmagic Sony lenses (Click here to see them on eBay)[/shoplink].

ThePhoBlographer (Click here) tested the NEX-5n: “So is the NEX 5N worth its weight in gold? In my honest opinion, yes it sure is. The image quality combined with overall size, excellent high ISOs, extreme good video, and simple to use menu along with a touch screen makes this a winner in my book.”

You can see a [shoplink 8454]NEX-7[/shoplink] with Zeiss ZM lens test at Steve Huff (Click here): “there is the magenta color shift. I can’t deny that it’s there. It is. Sometimes. Very rarely in my use. And only with the Biogon. With large aperture. But even then not always, or not noticeable.“. Here is the list of all ZM lenses:
[shoplink 10875 ebay]Distagon T* 2,8/15 ZM (Click here to see price on eBay)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 9803 ebay]Distagon T* 4/18 ZM (Click here to see price on eBay)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 9804 ebay]Biogon T* 2,8/21 ZM (Click here to see price on eBay)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 9804 ebay]C Biogon T* 4,5/21 ZM (Click here to see price on eBay)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 9805 ebay]Biogon T* 2,8/25 ZM (Click here to see price on eBay)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 9806 ebay]Biogon T* 2,8/28 ZM (Click here to see price on eBay)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 9808 ebay]Biogon T* 2/35 ZM (Click here to see price on eBay)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 9808 ebay]C Biogon T* 2,8/35 ZM (Click here to see price on eBay)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 9809 ebay]C Sonnar T* 1,5/50 ZM (Click here to see price on eBay)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 9809 ebay]Planar T* 2/50 ZM (Click here to see price on eBay)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 9810 ebay]Sonnar T* 2/85 ZM (Click here to see price on eBay)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 9810 ebay]Tele-Tessar T* 4/85 ZM (Click here to see price on eBay)[/shoplink].

Sony NEX-7 review at TheVerge (Click here): “I’d buy the NEX-7 over any Micro Four Thirds or mirrorless camera currently on the market. The APS-C sensor is a big advantage for the NEX-7, as is its speed and manual control. For most users, especially those who have never used a DSLR and are looking to step up in quality and control, the NEX-7 should absolutely be on the short list for your next camera. It’s certainly on mine“.

Japanese NEX-7 review at DC.watch (Click here).

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Sony NEX-5n in Stock status check at [shopcountry 8452].
Sony NEX-7 in Stock status check at [shopcountry 8454].

500mm lens hands-on by Engadget.

February 11, 2012
reviews
52 Comments

Engadget (Click here) visited the CP+ show in Japan and played with the new Sony 500mm f/4.0 lens: “The lens focused surprisingly quickly, especially given its massive 500mm fixed focal length. Moving from subject to subject at varying distances, we were typically able to achieve focus in a fraction of a second. Long lenses have traditionally been tricky on the focus front, but this guy handled it like a champ”

The lens costs 13.000 Euro (no preorders yet) and is the most expensive Sony lens ever made. It beats the 300mm f/2.8 APO G SSM Autofocus Lens which costs $3200 at Bhphoto (Click here).

Curiosity: The most expensive lenses are from leica. Look at that Prototype 50 Summicron which sells for more than $35000 on [shoplink 11445 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]!!!

USA: Finally some news about the 50mm and NEX-7 kits! (Nikon D800 sells well, NEX-7 in Germany)

February 10, 2012
deals
110 Comments

You still remember that nice 50mm f/1.8 NEX lens? Yeah, it has been announced six months ago and is still not in Stock anywhere! But at least in USA you can preorder the lens at BHphoto (Click here) and it will ship from February 25th! And they are now also accepting preorders on the NEX-7+Black 18-55mm kit lens (Click here). That will ship on March 1st. The NEX-7 is already in Stock in Germany at Amazon (Click here).

Meanwhile Amazon (Click here) had to remove the preorder option from the Sony sensor powered Nikon D800. The reason? Too many preorders!!!
Sony…why not start to seriously compete against the big ones? Instead of giving Nikon the exclusivity on the sensor they should release such a camera first and than give it to Nikon a couple of months after. I do not need a 36 megapixel sensor but it sounds a bit pity that Sony will have to wait at least one year before they can use the same D800 sensor inside their own camera :(

(SR4) Sony announcement on March 13!

February 10, 2012
rumors
101 Comments

Guys! Mark that day…March 13! That is the day when Sony will announce the new Sony A57 camera with 16 Megapixel sensor. I don’t know if there will be some other new products like lenses or NEX cameras. I heard of a new NEX camera coming in April but maybe it’s going to be announce on the same day as the A57?

What we know so far about the A57:
16 megapixel ExmorHD sensor
100-16.000 ISO (up to 25.600 with MultiNR)
12fps
Same menu and focusing of the [shoplink 8461]Sony A77[/shoplink]
Swifel screen
No top LCD
No GPS
New battery grip
Not the same EVF as the A77/A65
Price: Same as the A55 (Check: [shopcountry 3617])

Stay tuned on SAR!!!

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!

Sony reviews roundup (A77, NEX-7 and NEX-5n)

February 9, 2012
reviews
18 Comments

Sony Alpha NEX-7 mirrorless camera review at Engadget (Click here): “As you may have gathered, we’re quite smitten with the Sony Alpha NEX-7. The camera offers many features previously only accessible to full-size DSLR owners, delivering excellent performance in a body size only nominally larger than the NEX-C3 and 5N.”

Full Sony A77 review at ePhotozine (Click here): “The Sony Alpha A77 is an enjoyable camera to use that is capable of producing some excellent photos, with great colour, detail and extremely solid exposure performance. Reds are extremely vibrant and colourful and the camera produces excellent JPEG output straight from the camera, even on default settings. Noise control is very good with low noise right up to high ISO settings.”

Sony NEX-5n tested at Digitalcamerainfo (Click here): “When you can pack this kind of performance in a body this small, it’s hard to not be impressed. While we’re not ready to label the NEX-5N as the best compact mirrorless camera we’ve seen, it’s pretty close and it has us very excited to see where the NEXseries goes next.”

Another NEX-5n review has been posted by Kent Photography (Click here): “After a few days of test and still testing now, the NEX-5N does really good with the different shooting situation that you throw at it. Apart from the distortion and one off WB issue, I can’t fault its performance much. It certainly was my go to camera during the trip instead of my DSLR. I didn’t even feel hesitated to shoot in low light, knowing that it will produce decent images even at ISO 1600-3200.”

More small news: Sony NEX-7 handheld video by Outbackphoto on vimeo. Hdr Photography and the Sony Nex-7 explained in detail at SonyAlphaLab (Click here). Overcoming NEX 5N overheating. a cheap and real fix at DVXuser (Click here).

And here are the links to check the price and availability status of the three mentioned cameras:
A77 search at [shopcountry 8461].
NEX-7 search at [shopcountry 8454].
NEX-5n search at [shopcountry 8452].